The Princess Wei Yang Chapter 101 Part1
Chapter
101: The Official Furen
Tan Shi
walked up towards Li Wei Yang and gently said: “What is bothering you?”
Li Wei
Yang smiled and said: “Mother, it is not a major matter, don’t you worry.”
Tan Shi
smiled. Her voice was very soft: “Silly child, you are my child, I am able to
tell when you are unhappy. Although Mother is not of much use and can’t help
you resolve any issues, but Mother can listen to you, and many things can be
solved when discussed about.”
Li Wei
Yang responded with a smile, her pair of jet black eyes falling onto Min Zhi.
Tan shi
followed her glance and then involuntarily frowned: “Is it related to Min Zhi?”
Li Wei
Yang nodded: “According to what I know, from the past three months, Fuqin has
been staying over at the new Furen’s courtyard, it’s evident that he dotes on
her highly.”
Tan Shi
nodded and said: “It’s like that, Jiu Yiniang occasionally gets a visit once in
a while, but Si Yiniang and others can’t even get a glimpse of Lao Ye.”
Li Wei
Yang noticed the indifferent tone that Tan Shi had when she spoke about this,
so she knew that Tan Shi didn’t care too much and
furtively nodded.
Tan Shi
then spoke: “I know the new Furen is heavily favored so I’ve been alerting my
people to not stir up anything and bring trouble onto you.”
Li Wei
Yang couldn’t help but smile: “Sometimes, we do not seek trouble upon
ourselves, but instead, it’s initiated by others.”
Tan Shi
carefully chose her words: “The new Furen bullied you?”
Li Wei
Yang slowly said: “No, nothing has happened.” Jiang Yuelan had just arrived,
and for the past three months she had been trying to win over Li Xiaoran’s
heart, so where could she find time to seek trouble with her? “It’s just that
……”
Li Wei Yang
stopped in mid sentence, as if she couldn’t bring herself to speak out. After
all their time together, Tan Shi understood and said: “Whatever you have to
say, you say it. There are no outsiders here.”
Li Wei
Yang glanced over Min Zhi, who was happily looking at her, and then sighed:
“I’ve already thought about this, but I didn’t know this would quickly become
true. I’ve heard that Grandmother had caught a cold, so I went over to her
courtyard to visit her. Who would have known after arriving there, Lao Furen
told me Jiang Yuelan wanted to raise Si Di under her care.”
Bangs
suddenly rang through Tan Shi’s brain, she muttered: “Send him to her?”
The dark
fog within Li Weiyang’s eyes were like overcast clouds, becoming more and more
secretive: “Children born from yiniangs would, of course, be raised by the Di
Mu. When Da Furen was still alive, she had Li Minfeng and Li Changle, so she
did not want to bother with the responsibility to take care of others.
Therefore, she didn’t ask for Si Yiniang’s Changxiao and Changxi to be sent
over and be raised at her side. As for me, she hated me so much that she
expelled me from the residence. Now the situation is entirely different as the
new Furen doesn’t have any children. As long as she is willing, she can ask to
raise Si Di. Whether it’s Fuqin or Lao Furen, none of them would disapprove.”
Tan Shi
held back her tears; she certainly knew about this. As a Yiniang, she shouldn’t
view her own flesh and blood as as her own children, but instead see them as
the children belonging to the Di Mu. And as for Min Zhi, he wouldn’t see her -
the birth mother- as his Muqin but as a concubine of his Fuqin. This situation was
equivalent to how she had to refer to Wei Yang as San Xiaojie in front of
others. It was a truth that no one could change. This was the reason why she
served Da Furen at the start; she only wished to be married off to a steward,
or even a lowly servant, because then she would be the only wife, instead of
being trapped in such a miserable condition.
Li Wei
Yang looked at Tan Shi’s face and knew exactly what she was thinking about. On
this matter, Li Wei Yang believed the primary criminal is Li Xiaoran. If it
wasn’t him who took an interest in Tan Shi, Da Furen wouldn’t have made use of
Tan Shi to reap benefits for herself and then kick her aside afterwards. From
others’ perspective, a concubine should not harbour any hatred from being
discriminated, and moreover, should never transfer this hate onto her children.
On the other hand, she should know her position and be a good servant. The
children born from a Yiniang should also believe that they are not treated
differently compared to the children born from the Di Mu, and should
wholeheartedly gain benefits for the family; this is an exemplary model of how
a virtuous person should behave. The Li Wei Yang of the past had originally
believed in this; she had thought she and Li Chang Le were both Xiaojies of the
Li family, so there was no difference as they were both blood sisters, who
should bring glory to the Li family! In the end, how did she end up? So, these
words were all rubbish to her!
Tan Shi
didn’t cry and instead smiled: “The new Furen has just married into the family,
if she takes good care of Si Shaoye, Lao Ye and Lao Furen would love her and
hold her in high regard. I believe she wouldn’t do anything to my child.”
Li Wei
Yang froze, she thought Tan Shi would beg her to think of whatever ways to let
Min Zhi remain in her care.
Tan Shi
was a little worried: “Everyone thinks you are being heavily favored, but based
on my opinion, you are in danger with every step you take, so you shouldn’t
stir up trouble with the new Furen just for Min Zhi. If she wants the child,
then let her have him...” Her voice faltered slightly, “I can go every day to
pay my respects to Furen, then I can still...”
Li Wei
Yang showed a trace of expression on her
face. Tan Shi’s sacrifice is entirely for her sake. She warmly interjected:
“There is something we can do..”
Tan Shi
only considered her words as a consolation: “You must stay alert all the time
to avoid making any mistakes. If you cause discord between you and the new
Furen for Min Zhi and went against Lao Ye and Lao Furen’s decision, would they
still protect you? Silly child, don’t be stubborn.”
Li Wei
Yang smiled; she was about to tell Tan Shi that she already had a plan when she
heard a ruckus outside. Tan Shi was so startled that she jumped up from her
seat. Li Wei Yang frowned and saw Bai Zhi quickly walking in: “Xiaojie, Jiu
Yiniang is attempting to trespa.s.s!”
With
Zhao Yue here, Jiu Yiniang wouldn’t be able to enter, but it seemed like she
was quite determined to enter, putting her life on the line. If it was in the
past, Zhao Yue would have gotten rid of her with a single stroke of her sword.
Since Zhao Yue had already served Li Wei Yang for this long, she knew this
wasn’t a move to make, so she froze at the situation outside.
Tan
Shi’s face exposed a trace of concern and looked at Li Weiyang.
Li Wei
Yang casually waved her hand and said: “Let her enter.”
“Yes.”
Bai Zhi quickly strolled out and within seconds, Jiu Yiniang rushed in with a
face full of tears. With one glimpse, Li Wei Yang saw that Jiu Yiniang had no
idea she’d lost one of her shoes; it was evident that she was extremely
fl.u.s.tered. She coldly said: “How do you all do your duties?! How could you let
Yiniang run out here all by herself?!”
Jiu
Yiniang did not care and pushed away the yatou on her side. “Xianzhu! You have
to save my daughter!”
Li Wei
Yang looked at her with a cold calmness. Jiu Yiniang originally wanted to cause
a ruckus, but at seeing Li Weiyang’s face, she suddenly felt fear. For a
moment, she wanted to retreat, but with her daughter on her mind, she boldly
spoke: “Just now, Furen sent people over and brought Jing’er away!”
Qi
Yiniang was very astonished, then consciously looked at Min Zhi and felt
anxious. This was actually not unexpected, as Li Minzhi is Li Weiyang’s
brother, and with a Xianzhu as his sister, Jiang Yuelan wouldn’t take the child
away directly. But for Jiu Yiniang, she wouldn’t be as well-mannered!
Jiu
Yiniang’s face became pale; it was as white as porcelain and she seemed to only
have the energy to cry, her tears flowing down like a waterfall. She dropped onto
her knees in front of Li Wei Yang and tearfully pleaded: “Xianzhu, previously
it was my fault, I was led astray, which is why I did not know what I should do
and what I should not do! I even dared to cause you trouble! I am wrong, I
already know I am wrong, I beg you to think of a way to help me, let me bring
Jing’er back! She is my blood and flesh, she’s so young but has to be sent over
to Furen, how could I stay calm?! I beg you, help me plead with Lao Furen,
please beg this of her!”
Li Wei
Yang’s expressions continued to remain cold, shooting Zhao Yue a glance. Zhao
Yue immediately came forth, half holding and half dragging Jiu Yiniang into to
the chair on the side.
Tan Shi
watched her cries of anguish and could understand her pain, so tried to comfort
her: “Jiu Yiniang, don’t cry, our Si Shaoye is going to be sent over to Furen
as well. You came here to beg Xianzhu, but there isn’t anything she can do!”
Jiu
Yiniang’s cries suddenly stopped and couldn’t help but look at Li Wei Yang
incredulously. From her perspective, how could Li Wei Yang easily acquiesce?!
Li Wei
Yang observed Jiu Yiniang, who had tears smearing her face and did not seem
care about about her usually beautiful image. She sighed and said: “Jiu
Yiniang, you’ve already heard, Min Zhi will also be sent over to Furen. You
came here to beg me to help you, so I’m sure that you’re at your wits’ end. You
must have already gone and pleaded with Fuqin and Lao Furen just now, but they
didn’t respond to you, right?”
Jiu
Yiniang was startled and didn’t know what to say. She had already kneeled in
front of Li Xiaoran’s study and Lao Furen’s He Xiang Courtyard but neither of
them would allow it and scolded her for not understanding rules.
Li Wei
Yang smiled and said: “Jiu Yiniang, children from a Yiniang should be rightly
raised by the Di Mu. This point, you might not know, so I will not blame you.
However, I need to warn you that you have not only made a mistake today, but it
is a grievous one. You have brought harm upon Liu Meimei.”
Jiu Yiniang
was completely muddled and desperately looked over towards Qi Yiniang, noticing
her sympathetic expression.
Li Wei
Yang slowly said: “First, if the Di Mu wants to take care of your child, it is
a blessing that you must accept. Second, Lao Furen and Fuqin are both doing
this for Meimei’s future, yet you don’t understand the deep meaning behind
this, and instead caused a scene; this is going overboard. Third, you crying
and running over to my courtyard is against etiquette; others might think you and
I have collaborated to plot against the new Furen; this is disrespect.”
Jiu
Yiniang opened her eyes wide in surprise, not daring to let a tear escape.
Tan Shi
had wanted to speak, but upon seeing Wei Yang’s austere expression, she felt
that Jiu Yiniang was after all, originally an outsider and had enjoyed too much
favor to understand the rules within a large and powerful family. Letting her
understand this time is a good thing, and thus, she handed her a handkerchief.
At a loss, Jiu Yiniang did not know what to do and only looked at Li Wei Yang
with an unstable expression, not taking the handkerchief.
Li Wei
Yang’s voice became warmer and said: “Fourth, you causing a ruckus now would
cause Furen to dislike Liu Meimei. If someone did not take good care of her,
Furen will just say it’s Liu Xiaojie who was mischievous and inherited her
mother’s character; this is not knowing the depth of this matter. You might not
care about your manners, but you should consider how it would reflect on Liu
Meimei! Do you understand?”
With a
sway of her body, it seemed like Jiu Yiniang was about to faint. Tan Shi
exclaimed hurriedly: “Quick, help your Yiniang up!” Two yatous immediately
rushed forth to hold her. Jiu Yiniang bowed her head and cried as tears soundly
dropped onto her clothing, making it seem like the entire room would be flooded
by her tears.
Tan Shi
softly consoled: “Jiu Yiniang, Furen still doesn’t have any children. Lao Furen
and Lao Ye are handing Si Shaoye and Liu Xiaojie over to her, so she must take
good care of them and will not abuse the children, and this is our blessing.”
As she spoke, she actually felt chills because she continued to feel depressed,
since she greatly understood the pain Jiu Yiniang was in now. However, she had
been here longer than Jiu Yiniang and she knew very well what rules they
couldn’t break.
Jiu
Yiniang’s eyes were swollen. Li Wei Yang spoke: “Si Yiniang urged you to come
here, right? She must have told you that I am an intelligent person, and must
have a way to reverse the situation, is that correct?”
Jiu
Yiniang froze with her eyes filled with tears; she lifted her head up and
eventually nodded.
Li Wei
Yang coldly smiled and said: “She has always been anxious to see the world in
disorder, Jiu Yiniang, I urge you to stop listening to those people. If you
continue to cause trouble, not only will you affect Liu Meimei, but you would
also make Fuqin aloof towards you.”
Jiu
Yiniang thought of Li Xiao Ran’s icy expression and remained still. Ever since
she gave birth, she placed all her attention on her daughter, so she never had
a chance to think about this... she looked at Li Wei Yang and said: “Then..
what should I do..”
Li Wei
Yang slowly said: “Clean yourself up, and after you are done, go look for
Fuqin. Let him know you were thinking incorrectly before, which is why you did
such a dumb thing. Now that you have thought it through, you understand the
importance and only hope that Liu Meimei will have a better future under the
care of Furen.”
Jiu
Yiniang was not stupid; upon hearing those words, she immediately understood
and slowly said: “But ---”
Li Wei
Yang interrupted: “There are no buts! Someone escort Jiu Yiniang out!”
Jiu
Yiniang’s yatou held her as they walked out. Tan Shi irresolutely said: “This
--- Wei Yang, your words were a little too harsh!”
Li Wei
Yang coldly smiled: “If she really lost her shoe amidst her panic, how could
her foot not have any dirt! It’s obvious she took it off when she arrived in
order to urge me to help her!”
In the
eyes of an ordinary person, Yiniangs are production tools for offspring. After
giving birth, this child belongs to the family, taking on the responsibility of
succeeding and bringing prosperity to the family. So children of a concubine
are also the children of the Di Mu. As long as Jiang Yue Lan wants to, then the
child must be handed over to be raised by her, this is decorum, the rules! Even
if this issue was brought up to the emperor, it would still be rational!
However, Jiu Yiniang had made a scene, hoping that she would help her fight,
with the hidden intention of stirring up trouble as well. So naturally, Li Wei
Yang wouldn’t bother stepping in.
Extremely astonished, Tan Shi looked at Zhao
Yue and noticed her nodding. She couldn’t help but sigh, and walked over to Min
Zhi’s cot. Unwilling to part, she said: “We shall send Min Zhi over to Furen,
first thing tomorrow morning.”
Li Wei
Yang watched Tan Shi, who was holding back her tears. She lightly smiled and
said: “Mother, be rest a.s.sured, within ten days, I will ensure that Jiang Yue
Lan voluntarily sends the child back!”
Tan Shi
watched Li Wei Yang with shock, since she did not know what her thoughts were.
Soon after, Li Wei Yang smiled, stood up and walked towards Li Min Zhi. She
gently poked his white cheeks and said: “Little one, behave yourself, Jiejie
will pick you up soon.”
Min Zhi
was surrounded by her fragrance, and ecstatically burped. He slept on his back
with his belly facing upwards. It was obvious that he did not really care about
her words. Li Wei Yang could not refrain from laughing.
The next
morning, Qi Yiniang carried Min Zhi as she went over to Lao Furen’s. Based on
her instructions, she should have directly sent him over to Furen’s courtyard,
but Li Wei Yang had other plans; she wanted Jiang Yue Lan to personally come to
He Xiang Courtyard to pick up the child.
Li Wei
Yang’s status as a Xianzhu gave her the guts to suggest such an idea. Jiu
Yiniang stood to the side, brewing envy and hatred deep within her heart, yet
she did not dare to speak a word.
“This
child looks more and more like your father when he was young.” Lao Furen
couldn’t hold back her laughter once she saw Min Zhi.
Li Wei
Yang gave Min Zhi a glimpse, raised her brows, and thought otherwise. Her own
brother looked more like Tan Shi; however, if he took after Li Xiao Ran, he
would be a beautiful young man when he grows up.
Lao
Furen reached out, wanting to carry the baby.
Min
Zhi’s complexion was snow white, his dark big eyes were rounded, and his small
lips were flapping as he gurgled words incomprehensible to the adults.
“Ai-yya,
he is smiling at me!” Lao Furen held onto his small b.u.t.t.
Li Wei
Yang only showed a slight smile. My brother smiles towards whomever he sees,
Lao Furen, you are thinking too much.
“Si
Shaoye loves to smile, you’d rarely hear him cry!” Luo Mama joined in.
“He has
you since childhood, he’s a blessed child!”
“He will
have a promising future!” Seeing how happy Lao Furen was, all the yatous took
to chattering praise.
Li Wei
Yang watched little Min Zhi, who was dumbfounded and happy. She really doubted
their judgement; no matter how she looked, the child didn’t look too bright!
As they
were speaking, Jiang Yue Lan entered. Once she saw Min Zhi, she immediately
showed a smile. Lao Furen glanced at her and handed the child over to her. Just
when the baby was pa.s.sed to her, Min Zhi suddenly began to cry. Jiang Yue Lan
actually did not become anxious and immediately tried to console him, making it
seem like she was very experienced at taking care of children. Li Wei Yang
remembered that in her family, her stepmother alone had given birth to four
children. Not counting the children of Yiniangs, it was easy to figure out
where her experience came from.
However,
no matter how experienced Jiang Yue Lan was, she couldn’t fend off Min Zhi’s
resentment towards her. Irregardless of how she tried to appease him, Min Zhi
didn’t stop crying, tears continuing to flow down. Tan Shi’s heart pained in
response, and subconsciously wanted to walk over, but Li Wei Yang took a step
to block her. Tan Shi was startled back into reality, and thought about what
her daughter said last night. She recalled Wei Yang telling her, a little
impatience could spoil great plans; she could not ruin it! Thus, she firmly
halted her desire!
“This
child, why is he crying all of a sudden? Is he feeling discomfort?” Lao Furen
caressed Min Zhi who was crying uncontrollably in Jiang Yue Lan’s arms, but
could not find any symptoms of fever.
“His
forehead is not hot!” Lao Furen oddly questioned.
Jiang
Yue Lan mindlessly smiled: “Perhaps he’s not familiar with me. After a few more
days, I’m afraid he will cry when he is not with me!”
Lao
Furen nervously gave Min Zhi a glimpse and said no more.
Li Wei
Yang’s face still maintained a smile. Li Chang Le suddenly said: “Is San Mei
not upset?”
Without
breaking her smile, Li Wei Yang said: “With Muqin’s love, Min Zhi will
certainly live well. What is there for me to be upset about; moreover, during
morning greetings, I am sure Muqin will allow me to see Si Di!”
Jiang
Yue Lan was stunned and then smiled: “Of course.”
Lao
Furen nodded: “Seeing the both of you living harmoniously, I am very
delighted.”
As Min
Zhi was being carried away, he was sobbing intermittently and glanced towards
Li Wei Yang and Tan Shi’s direction. The child could not distinguish people
visually yet; it was obvious he was identifying people by scent.
Li Wei
Yang looked back and noticed Tan Shi’s eyes were watery, and shook her head.
Don’t blame her for being cruel; in order for her Si Di to be raised by his
birth mother in the future, she must have a solid and sufficient reason! They
must have patience and endurance!
The
yatous escorted Qi Yiniang back. As she was leaving, her legs were weak and she
couldn’t even stand straight, which revealed how much pain she was in, yet she
held back. Li Wei Yang bid Lao Furen farewell and walked out the door. Li Chang
Le was waiting on the step.
Li Wei
Yang raised her brows towards her and Li Chang Le gently smiled and said: “Such
a test of emotions and strength, San Meimei is truly out of the ordinary.”
Li Wei
Yang just smiled and replied: “Dajie is too kind.” She spoke without a change
of expression, as she strolled past her.
Li Chang
Le glared at her back and showed a slight smile. She turned towards Tan Xiang
and ordered: “Let’s go, we’ll go to Fu Rui Courtyard.”
Ever
since the wedding had been arranged, Li Xiao Ran had ordered servants to tidy
up Fu Rui Courtyard. Once the new Furen had entered the family, she reorganized
everything the way she wanted.
Coming
here again, Li Chang Le noticed the trees grown in the courtyard. In front of
the main hall, there were a few red berry trees, with scarlet flowers blooming
on the branches. On the east side, there were Chinese wisteria vines. On the
west, there were jasmine, begonias, touch-me-nots, and petunias. The whole
place was populated by trees and flowers, making it elegant and welcoming. She
suddenly felt emotional, reminiscing her mother who only liked valuable items
and would have absolutely not cared about these ordinary flowers.
This
Furen clearly thought otherwise, but her arrangement was to Li Xiao Ran’s
scholarly liking, with a sense of sophistication. It was not hard to see that ever since the Furen entered the
family, Jiu Yiniang, who was greatly favored by Li Xiao Ran, had lost his
favor. After all, it was a well-known fact that Jiu Yiniang was only a
performer. She could sing to make him happy, dance to please him; but to
complement his thoughts and help him share his burdens? She did not qualify. In
the end, she was simply just a toy.
Li Chang
Le stepped into the room and spotted Jiang Yue Lan still carrying Li Min Zhi
and trying to console him. With one glance, Li Chang Le spoke: “Muqin.”
Seeing
that she has arrived, Jiang Yue Lan handed Min Zhi to a wet nurse. “I don’t
know what is with this child. The last time I carried him, he couldn’t stop
laughing; but today, he cries no matter whoever carries him.”
Li Chang
Le waved her hand, signaling the wet nurse to leave with Min Zhi, whose eyes
were red-rimmed with tears. Soon after, she gently remarked: “He is an
outsider, and not worth our time.”
Jiang
Yue Lan only replied with a smile, yet she didn’t respond.
Realizing
that she couldn’t provoke her, Li Chang Le continued: “This wet nurse looks
unfamiliar, she’s not from our residence?”
Jiang
Yue Lan smiling said: “Lao Ye is afraid that I won’t be able to take good care
of him, so he specifically hired her, noting that this wet nurse will ensure
that he is in good shape and her meticulous care will benefit him.”
Li Chang
Le sighed and said: “Fuqin is doting a lot on this child. Once he was born, he
was gifted with a quality set of ink and paper, hoping that he will be
successful in the future and bring honor to the family name.”
Jiang Yue
Lan smiled: “This is expected, as we only have one son in the family!”
Li Chang
Le couldn’t help but say: “As the child of a Yiniang, he is being treated so
graciously, how I pity my Da Ge ---“
Jiang
Yue Lan smiled, “Da Shaoye will definitely be able to return safely, Chang Le,
you need to relax.”
Jiang
Yue Lan and Li Chang Le both had a tacit understanding that Li Min Feng was
currently under Jiang Dan’s care. Li Chang Le lightly smiled and then said: “I
will tell grandmother that Muqin is doing very well. I am very satisfied,
watching this child being taken away from Qi Yiniang. Why should we be in
distress, while they are happily living their days? I can’t stand that sight.”
Jiang
Yue Lan only sipped her tea, slightly parting her lips but yet did not speak.
Li Chang
Le looked at her expression and tested the waters: “Now that Min Zhi is in our
hands, Li Wei Yang will soon be in trouble. Muqin, other than Lao Furen, you
are the real Furen in this family. Everything is in your grasp, if you want all
those stepchildren to kneel, they wouldn’t dare to stand! Min Zhi, he ---“ She
wanted to suggest that they should find a reason and kill this child, but Jiang
Yue Lan unhurriedly spoke.
“It’s
precisely because Lao Furen and Lao Ye trust me, so they gave the child to me.
I will certainly treat him well, love him, and spoil him. In the future, he
would call me Muqin. If he is successful, then it would be my honor.” This was
what she said.
Hearing
this, Li Chang Le was initially unhappy, but she quickly grasped the actual
intention and clapped: “Muqin is right. From now on, he is Muqin’s son and we
can raise him however we want. The best scenario is for this child to grow up
and not acknowledge those b.i.t.c.hes, then Li Wei Yang would be really p.i.s.sed
off.” As she spoke, she could imagine Li Wei Yang’s angry expression, unveiling
a jubilant smile at the thought.
Moments
after Li Chang Le left, Rong Mama, who had remained by Jiang Yue Lan’s side,
whispered: “Furen, don’t be influenced by Da Xiaojie, we shouldn’t do such foolish
things.”
Jiang
Yue Lan smilingly said: “Of course, Min Zhi is lovable, I will take good care
of him. Rong Mama, instruct everyone that they must take good care of Si
Shaoye; let him have whatever he wants, and spoil him with love.”
Rong
Mama immediately understood Jiang Yue Lan’s intention and nodded with a smile:
“Nubi understands.”
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Translator:
Erie
Editor:
Jaslynn & S J
Previous:
Next:
Chapter 102 Part 1
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