RATMOFANF: Chapter 94

 Glossary

·Qingluan (青鸾): The Ninth Princess.

·Li Ling (李陵): The Male Lead, Shen Jingxiu's husband.

·Shen Jingxiu (沈静姝): The Female Lead.

·Ziyun (紫云): Shen Jingxiu's maidservant.

·Danzhu (丹朱): Shen Jingxiu's maidservant.

·Bilü (碧缕): Shen Jingxiu's maidservant.

·Xu Mama (徐嬷嬷): Old Madam Li's servant.

·Old Madam Li (老夫人): Li Ling's grandmother.

·Anxitang (安僖堂): Old Madam Li's residence.

·Chaozhou (潮州): A location, Shen Jingxiu's maternal hometown.

·Southern Commandery (南郡): A distant province.

---

Chapter 94: Qingluan Finds It Agonizing to See Li Ling and Jingxiu Together

The next day, before Li Ling had even gotten up, Jingxiu was already awake.

Since Li Ling was still in bed, she didn't call for her maid, getting up and tidying things on her own.

The noise she made woke Li Ling. Propped up on the bed, he glanced at his unusually industrious little wife and teased, "You've only been calm for a few days, and now you're full of energy again?"

Jingxiu flashed him a sweet smile. "I've already packed your things for this trip. Since I'm going with you, I naturally need to bring a good deal more. I must hurry and pack today."

Li Ling sighed. "Are you really set on coming? The journey will be very difficult. How will you endure it?"

Hearing this, Jingxiu took two quick steps to the bedside and glared at him. "You promised last night you would take me." As she spoke, she reached out, pinched his ear, and asked through gritted teeth, "Are you trying to go back on your promise?"

"Ow! You always do things without any sense of restraint," Li Ling yelped, covering his ear and scowling at her.

Jingxiu widened her almond-shaped eyes. "So, does what you said last night count or not?"

Li Ling shot his wife a look. "I've truly spoiled you rotten. You're becoming more willful and difficult by the day."

Jingxiu sat on the edge of the bed, wrapped her arms around Li Ling's neck, kissed his cheek, and said with a smile, "I won't be any trouble for you on the journey."

Li Ling reached up and smoothed the stray hairs on her forehead. "It's not that I'm afraid you'll be trouble. I just can't bear the thought of you suffering on the road. The hardships will be far beyond what you imagine."

Jingxiu nestled into his embrace, her face close to his. "As long as I'm with you, I can endure any hardship."

That morning, Li Ling didn't make it to his martial arts practice. Jingxiu, though she had woken early, ended up running late.

She first helped Li Ling get dressed and properly attired before finally calling for Ziyun to come assist her.

Ziyun had been waiting in the outer room. When she entered, her face was flushed crimson, the tips of her ears burning red.

Seeing Ziyun come in, Li Ling regained his usual serious composure. Adjusting his clothes, he strode out to the outer room first.

After breakfast, Li Ling left for his official duties, and Jingxiu began repacking the luggage with her young maids.

This was her first long journey with Li Ling, so she was naturally full of anticipation. The thought of seeing her maternal grandparents' family added even more to her joy.

By the time Li Ling returned in the evening, Jingxiu had finished packing.

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Seeing the five or six large trunks neatly stacked in the outer room, Li Ling's handsome brows furrowed slightly. He glanced at his little wife and teased, "Does my wife plan to stay at her grandparents' home for two or three years this time?"

In her good mood, a smile hadn't left Jingxiu's face all day. She looked at Li Ling, her eyes curved like crescent moons. "How could we stay that long? When you pass through Chaozhou, you'll leave me at my grandparents' home. Once you finish your official business and return, I'll come back with you."

Then, pointing at the several large trunks, she said, "These are all things I'll need. They must be taken."

She stood on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around Li Ling's neck, gazed at him with tender affection, and said coquettishly, "Don't complain that I'm bringing too much."

There were others in the room. Seeing his little wife so affectionate, Li Ling's cheeks flushed slightly, and he hurriedly pulled her arms from around his neck.

Ziyun, noticing the situation, quickly caught Danzhu and Bilü's eyes. Danzhu promptly and tactfully withdrew. Seeing Bilü still bustling about on her own, Ziyun hurried over, took her hand, and with lowered heads, they retreated.

With only the young couple left in the room, it was Li Ling's turn to be the affectionate one. He sat down in a chair, pulled his wife onto his lap, and said, "If you want to bring all these things, a regular carriage probably won't hold them all."

"Then we'll take two carriages," Jingxiu replied.

Li Ling said, "Once we're past the pass, it's all mountain roads. Too many carriages and horses will make travel inconvenient."

Jingxiu asked, "Does that mean I can't even bring Ziyun and the others?"

Li Ling thought for a moment. "Bring just one maid. Any more won't do."

Just one maid? The daily necessities on the road would be numerous and complicated; how could one person manage it all?

Li Ling glanced at his little wife's slightly aggrieved face, kissed her, and said, "It doesn't matter if we're short-handed. I'll take care of you myself on the journey."

Then, patting his wife's shoulder, he said, "Have them serve the meal. After we eat, we'll go to Grandmother's place."

Jingxiu asked, "Aren't we leaving for a while yet? Are we going to say our farewells already?"

Qingluan spent most of her time with the Old Madam, so lately, Li Ling had largely avoided Anxitang, afraid of running into his cousin and getting entangled.

Li Ling replied, "It takes five or six days of travel just to get out of the pass. Grandmother has a carriage that's particularly spacious and comfortable. I'll go speak with her tonight and borrow it."

After dinner, Li Ling and Jingxiu went to Anxitang. As expected, Qingluan was there too.

Once the two were seated, Xu Mama served fragrant tea. Li Ling took a sip and came straight to the point with the Old Madam. "Grandmother, I'll be leaving soon on official business to the Southern Commandery. It will probably take two or three months to return."

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

The Old Madam asked, "When will you depart?"

Li Ling had originally planned to leave after the first lunar month. But now that he was taking his wife, the journey would inevitably be delayed. To avoid hindering his official duties, he had decided to set out earlier.

"Probably in three to five days," Li Ling replied to the Old Madam.

The Old Madam gave an acknowledging "Oh" and said, "The weather is bitterly cold now. You must take great care on your journey."

Before Li Ling could respond, Qingluan, sitting beside the Old Madam, lost her composure.

She had finally managed to come to the Zhenguo Duke Manor, and she hadn't even won her cousin over yet, and now he was leaving?

Qingluan looked at Li Ling and asked, "The roads are treacherous in this icy weather. Cousin, if you must travel, why not wait until spring when the flowers bloom?"

Li Ling didn't even lift his eyelids, focusing solely on drinking his tea.

The Old Madam patted her granddaughter's hand. "Silly child, your cousin is on official business, not sightseeing. Since he's been entrusted with this duty, he can't just pick and choose the timing."

Qingluan shot a glance at the silent Li Ling, then looked at her grandmother. "What urgent business demands he travel in the dead of winter?"

Then, she turned her gaze back to Li Ling. "Cousin, why don't you go see Father Emperor and ask him to permit you to leave in the spring?"

Seeing Li Ling still ignoring her, Qingluan thought he might have unspoken difficulties. She volunteered, "If it's hard for you to explain to Father Emperor, I'll go speak to him."

Li Ling remained silent, but his expression grew even colder, his fingers gripping the teacup so tightly it made a faint creaking sound.

The Old Madam intercepted her granddaughter's words. "Child, why do you keep saying such foolish things? You must not say this to the Emperor."

She looked at the confused Qingluan and patiently explained, "The Emperor sent your cousin to inspect the Southern Commandery because he trusts him. He must do his duty diligently. If you say this, the Emperor might think your cousin can't endure hardship and is complaining privately. How could he trust and promote him in the future then?"

Qingluan nodded sullenly but still muttered discontentedly, "But, in this freezing cold, Father Emperor is really being too demanding."

I've never seen a girl so lacking in sense, Jingxiu thought to herself, finally understanding why Qingluan didn't enjoy the Emperor's favor. Lacking a birth mother's protection was one thing, but the most important factor was her truly unlikable character.

Li Ling set down his teacup and looked only at the Old Madam. "For this trip, I plan to take Jingxiu with me. She grew up in her maternal grandparents' home in Chaozhou and hasn't been back for many years. The elders there are getting on in age. Since I'll be passing through Chaozhou, I'll take her along to visit her grandparents."

(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)

Li Ling was not a patient man. Seeing Qingluan act like this, he was already exercising great restraint. He stated the true purpose of his visit directly to the Old Madam.

"The road is difficult. I'm afraid Jingxiu's constitution won't handle it well. I was hoping to borrow your spacious carriage, Grandmother."

"How can that be?" Before the Old Madam could reply, Qingluan could no longer contain herself and stood up.

(End of Chapter)

← prev next →