Lady Kelpi Translations

Chapter Fifty-Five:
You Won’t Like Me (Part 1)

No matter how the women in the inner house of the Lou family thought about things, as for as the men outside were concerned, since the two families were engaged, they should handle it well. Grand Servant Lou was a shrewd person, and in a few days, he took the opportunity to explain this matter to the emperor when they were alone. His mouth was full of good words for the women of the Cheng family, hoping for a favor to add luster to this marriage. The emperor had a gentle nature, and Cheng Shi had recently received his approval for his actions. He readily promised and the next day, he sent eunuch Cong Guan, who was waiting with pen and ink, to the Cheng Mansion to announce the decree.

At this point, there were not as many tricks for receiving orders as in later generations, so there was no need to place incense tables or candles. Just the person receiving the decree would kneel respectfully. The Imperial edict praised the entire Cheng family once more, from Cheng Shi, who was ‘kind to the weak, good at fighting but not belligerent,’ to Madam Xiao, who was ‘a woman with a strong husband,’ and Cheng Shaoshang herself, who was ‘diligent, cautious, and virtuous.’ Shaoshang blushed a bit at this. She said her high school principal only ever praised her for good grades and perseverance, but never for her gentle conduct.

After the edict was announced, Madam Xiao smiled and stuffed many gold beads into the eunuch, and Cheng Shi was still muttering to himself, “His Majesty didn’t praise me for being so good when I was debriefing in front of him.”

The faces of the rest of the people in Nine Zhui Hall were all different. Cheng Yang was full of awe and envious from head to toe. Old Madam Cheng curled her lips and shook out her sleeves, pulling Old Lady Hu back into the room.

“I didn’t expect that among our siblings, the first to receive His Majesty’s commendation would be Niao Niao,” Cheng Shaogong sighed.

Cheng Song punched him and smiled. “Have you calculated this by reading divination books every day?”

“No,” Cheng Shaogong said. “It’s just that our family shouldn’t marry off a daughter in the next couple of years, we should only have daughters-in-law coming in.”

“Nonsense! Hurry and throw those things away.” Cheng Yong glanced at Cheng Yang beside him and then said to Cheng Shaoshang, “The Grand Servant Lou is doing this to show the sincerity of the Lou family towards this marriage. You should treat A’Yao better in the future, don’t keep bossing him around.”

“A’Yao said he loves to listen to me the most,” Shaoshang said as she smiled. “If I don’t ask him to do something for a day, he won’t even be able to eat!”

“You’re talking nonsense, too!” Cheng Yong said sternly, feeling deeply that his mother must have bumped into something inappropriate when she was pregnant with those twins.

After getting the all clear, Lou Yao was overjoyed and began his days reporting to the Cheng family. He would never come empty-handed – yesterday was a fresh fruit sent by Lou’s estate, today was a fine brocade cloth newly woven by Lou craftsmen, and the next day there would also be a jar of aged wine from the Lou treasury.

Not wanting to speak out and make things awkward, the entire Cheng family praised this future son-in-law endlessly. Even Old Madam Cheng, who had a strange and shady attitude towards Shaoshang, touched the exquisite new clothes on her and said privately to Old Lady Hu, “Marriage should be like how Niao Niao’s is. Unlike A’Xi, that unscrupulous person. Once you get married, I’ll stick a dowry, and you’re already asking for debt from me!”
[A’Xi is one of the daughters of the Cheng family.]

Shaoshang was also muttering to Madam Xiao, “Such beautiful brocade, such fine cloth, send some to Third Aunt! A’Yao said, this is the unique craftsmanship of their family, and you can’t even buy it outside.”

“…You miss your aunt.” Madam Xiao gave her a glance. “After dividing this between you and Yang Yang there won’t be much left.”

“Then, give my share to Third Aunt!” Shaoshang said quickly, seeing that Madam Xiao’s expression was becoming displeased. “No, what I mean is that this plain looking person needs to dress nicely. With looks like Mother and me, a burlap bag is also a beauty! If you don’t believe me, ask Father.”

“How dare you arrange your aunt like this?” Madam Xiao sneered. “Be careful, I’ll tell her.” It was rare that she didn’t want to scold her daughter for not behaving properly.

“I’ve been teasing you for a long time,” Shaoshang sighed helplessly. “Third Aunt doesn’t take it to heart. What’s the use of saying I look better than her? She looks much better at people who eat every day than I do at people who will eat for decades in the future.”

“That’s indeed what she would say!” Madam Xiao snorted. Then she thought to herself that Ling Buyi was much more beautiful than Cheng Zhi. If she could get that person, let alone the Cheng family, the entire capital city would allow her to walk freely.

The human heart was really the strongest thing in the world. If she had known nothing before, Madam Xiao would not have thought about it. But now she couldn’t help but think about it. However, she was a decisive person. When she thought about something unprofitable, she lifted her hand and looked at her daughter’s proud expression. After sighing, she redoubled her efforts to plan this marriage.

According to the customs of the time, after engagement, the two families would hold separate banquets, inviting relatives and friends from each family to gather and showcase their future son-in-law/bride. To Shaoshang’s understanding, there was no convenient means of communication to inform the world in this era, and there would be a considerable period of time between the engagement and marriage. In case someone didn’t know (or pretended not to know), they would be cut off halfway.

The Cheng family didn’t have many relatives and friends in the capital city, along with their colleagues and superiors, as well as Wan Songbai and other trusted officials and their families, they only gathered for a moderate banquet of forty to fifty people, and even the servants of Master Lou were not able to get drunk. On the day of the banquet held by the Lou family, Cheng Shi couldn’t help but sigh and watch the prosperous scene of carriages standing shoulder to shoulder in front of the Lou family’s door, with a cloud-like roof. “Look at their grandeur, their momentum!”

Unexpectedly, Wan Songbai on his side sighed loudly. “It’s all because of my brother’s fault.”

Ah?! His family was thriving, and they had a woolen relationship – The people of the Wan-Cheng family went together to see him, only to hear that big-bellied General Wan’s face was deep in pain. “If I had known today, I wouldn’t have married those dozens of daughters east or west. If we had all married around the capital, we could gather our sons-in-law together at this moment, and the day before yesterday, we could also build a strong presence for our wise brother’s family. We would have beat that Lou family!”

Everyone was stunned, and after a moment, they all burst into laughter!

Madam Xiao wiped the tears from her eyes and turned her head to Shaoshang. “It’s really rare to have a true friend who can watch and help each other,” she said in a low voice. “Your Uncle Wan is enough.”

Shaoshang nodded.

There were two extremely wide rows of houses in the courtyard of the Lou Mansion, built opposite each other, separated by lush and dense flowers and trees in the middle, and connected by a slender straight corridor on both sides. It looked like an oblique H-shape from above. The female guests were in the left row of rooms, while the male guests were in the right.

It was as if Madam Lou had forgotten their dispute that day. She enthusiastically dragged the Shaoshang mother and daughter around the house, sometimes introducing several relatives of her own family, and sometimes paying respects to several respected women. Shaoshang was young in age and generation, almost bowing to everyone until she felt dizzy. Finally, a white-haired man in his eighties arrived. Madam Lou hurriedly took Shaoshang to the corridor to kowtow, shouting, “Hello, Uncle!”

This trembling Marquis of Ban and Lou Yao’s deceased grandmother were siblings, perhaps the oldest person in the entire capital city. The emperor would never forget this elderly person who was given medicine in the palace every day.

Old Marquis Ban looked a bit confused in his age. After Shaoshang greeted him, he looked around for a while and laughed with only a few teeth left. He patted Lou Yao’s shoulder beside him. “A’Gou, your bride is so beautiful! I told you earlier that marrying a beautiful bride is more important than anything else. Look at the woman A’Mao married, that’s why he left so early…”

Lou Yao’s face turned red, and he arched his hand without daring to argue. The white-faced young man who supported Marquis of Ban helplessly said, “Grandfather, this is A’Yao, not the deceased father!”

Madam Lou couldn’t help but sigh, while Second Madam Lou smiled happily and repeatedly praised the old man for his great vision! To prevent the old man from saying more things he shouldn’t say, Lou Yao quickly helped the old man away.

After various ceremonies were completed, Shaoshang, Cheng Yang, and Wan Qiqi were taken by the maidservant to the small side hall as usual.

Cheng Yang felt uneasy and pulled on Shaoshang’s sleeve. “If anyone tries anything with us today, we’ll go straight to Aunt. Don’t worry!” she said.

“What’s there to be afraid of?!” Wan Qiqi felt dissatisfied. “On such a great day, who dares to bully us? You don’t have to move, look at me.”

Shaoshang sighed and said, “Don’t worry, cousin. I won’t argue or fight today. Sister Qiqi, don’t move, either. As long as you have the skills, that room of women isn’t enough for you to fight.”

Entering the side hall, the young ladies dressed in red and blue all looked at her with kind eyes. Shaoshang walked over with a smile, holding Cheng Yang and Wan Qiqi in her left and right hands, and respectfully greeted the crowd. The girls returned the motion one after another. Sitting in the corner, Lou Li took a moment to slow down and returned the greeting reluctantly ­– it was obvious that she had been cleaned up a lot that day.

The most surprising thing was that Wang Ling, who was beside her, walked forward with a smile on her face and held Shaoshang’s hand. “It was a misunderstanding that day, it was all my fault,” she said. Shaoshang had to admire this girl’s psychological qualities.

Today was probably the most peaceful banquet for Shaoshang since her debut. The girls were eating and drinking, talking and laughing happily, not saying any unpleasant words or inappropriate topics. Shaoshang was very satisfied. Originally, she didn’t want to go out and make a scene.

When Wan Qiqi was in a good mood, she boasted about how well she played the flute at home. Shaoshang followed the girls’ coaxing and took out her beloved bamboo flute from her sleeve, playing a piece of music together – the sound of the flute was like a valley and wind, and the spring rain was gentle, making the listener unable to do anything but smile slightly, as if thinking the most gentle and beautiful childhood memories.

The sound of the flute reached the main hall of the compound, and the women slowed down their movements one after another, listening with a soft expression. They showed a sincere and appreciative expression to Madam Xiao, which was a hundred times more sincere than when they had just exchanged greetings.

At the end of the song, the girls in the hall looked at Shaoshang with kind expressions in their eyes. They all thought in their hearts that how could a girl who could play such a touching melody be as disgusting and ridiculous as rumored.

Shaoshang lowered her head and stroked the flute, smiling slightly.

She realized for the first time that perhaps it was not just Grandfather Cheng’s natural inheritance, but perhaps she already had a little bit of musical genes. However, in her previous life, she lived a rough and wild life with radical indignation. Apart from purposeful reading, and then studying, she never enjoyed any other beautiful learning… such as playing instruments, singing, dancing, painting… she never tried any of those.

Simple, sincere, just learning for love and beauty, and those things she once sneered at could make people so happy.

“…Hey, isn’t that Eleventh Lang?!” She didn’t know which girl called it out. The girls were like fireflies chasing the light source, suddenly gathering on the railing of the east windowsill.

Shaoshang stood up, and through the gap between the girls’ heads, she saw Ling Buyi’s clothes floating on the terrace in the opposite row of rooms, standing alone in the distance. The expression of the young and handsome general could not be clearly seen through the straight corridor several tens of zhang away. But his tall and slender figure was as tall as a pine branch, and in the scorching spring sun, his demeanor was fierce and as beautiful as a dream.

A young girl pressed her chest and let out a coquettish sigh. “My heart aches! Even if I marry someone like Eleventh Lang, I will never forget him!”

Another girl’s eyes were filled with tears and she plainly said, “Even if I marry someone three times, I will still feel heartbroken!”

“I won’t forget marrying ten times…” The girls began to lament one after another.

At this moment, the silent Wang Ling suddenly looked up and smiled, “Shaoshang, what about you?”

“Let me think about it…” Shaoshang said, pretending to caress her chest while pressing her fingers one by one on the flute in her sleeve.

As soon as this statement was uttered, the sorrowful little ladies burst into laughter and swept away their loneliness.

They all sat down again, probably realizing that they were all eating from the same love bean. At the moment, the laughter and conversation seemed most enjoyable and comfortable than before. Cheng Yang finally let go of her worries and started speaking with a newly met girl who was also shy and quiet; Wan Qiqi boasted to a few young women in their early twenties about the legendary story of when she single-handedly beat four young people.

Shaoshang was holding a bowl of corn soup, slightly distracted.

In fact, there were many beautiful things in this world – the flute that emitted beautiful melodies while holding down the sound hole, the willows and catkins like snowflakes when the spring breeze blew, the bluestone steps under the corridor that slightly rose when stepped on, the red face of Lou Yao when he was teased by her and unable to respond…and, Ling Buyi.

He was a very nice person and it was great to be able to look at him from a distance like this.

She didn’t know how long she wandered, but Lian Fang suddenly stepped in and quietly leaned over Shaoshang, whispering a few words in her ear. Shaoshang was confused for a moment before she realized, ‘What? He wants to see me?!’

These days, beautiful men were all so unconventional. Shouldn’t he be like Yuan Shanjian, quietly waiting for her by the rocks, by the pool, and by the water? How dare she let her maidservant speak so recklessly? Was she someone who had an affair and shamelessly meets someone else at her fiancé’s house?!

“Master Ling has three more things to say,” Lian Fang whispered. “First, he really does have something to say to you. Second, he reassures the young mistress… Master Ling said he won’t harm you. Please, believe him.”

Shaoshang was stunned for a moment, then reached into her sleeve again to caress the flute’s holes, touching it from the first to last, and then she smiled lightly. Actually, she believed him, but –

“I won’t go. You tell him it’s not appropriate, so just forget about it.” Unfortunately, her romantic energy was not enough to support her adventure, and she smiled and asked, “By the way, wasn’t it three things? What about the last thing?”

The maidservant looked puzzled. “Master Ling said, if you don’t go, he will come to you on his own. If something happens, you can just withdraw the engagement and marry him… if you don’t go, he will take it as the intention of allowing marriage!”

Shaoshang’s mouth opened slightly and her eyes widened in disbelief.

…

Next Chapter: You Won’t Like Me (Part 2)