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Glossary

Chapter One Hundred and Three: No Blood On The Sword

Hua Xi Wan was not surprised by Yan Jin Qiu’s response at all. Her personal servant girls sighed in relief at this. Since Wang Ye had such an attitude, it meant that he did not place any importance at all on Yuan Shu Yi.

There were some relationships between males and females that were the most dangerous, for example, maternal cousins, foster siblings, or close friends. Who knew when these innocent relationships would become not innocent?

At night, husband and wife had a great night. After Yan Jin Qiu went to court in the morning, a servant reported to Hua Xi Wan that Yuan Shu Yi wanted to see her.

“Yuan Shu Yi wants to see me?” Hua Xi Wan touched the phoenix hairpin in her hair as she looked in the copper mirror. After drawing a yellow flower on her forehead, she said, “She is a low-ranked servant—what does she want to see me for?”

The servant who was reporting raised her head slightly. After seeing the patterns on Hua Xi Wan’s grand dress, she quickly lowered her head. Her tone was slightly nervous. “She said she had an important secret to tell you concerning the wang fu. This servant did not dare to delay and came to report.”

“Oh?” Hua Xi Wan raised an eyebrow. She slowly stood up holding Bai Xia’s hand. “Tell her to wait outside.”

“Yes.” Seeing Wang Fei not put any blame on her, the servant inwardly sighed in relief. After curtsying, she left. When she walked out of the inner yard, she looked at Yuan Shu Yi who was now a low-ranked servant but still put makeup on her lips and eyebrows. She said with an ugly expression, “Wang Fei tells you to wait for someone to call you in.” Finishing, she did not care whether Yuan Shu Yi had heard her and hurriedly walked away after cursing.

Yuan Shu Yi’s face was slightly ugly. But when she looked at the luxurious inner courtyard through the round gates, the discontent on her face was pushed down and it was turned into docility.

She stood for about half an hour outside before a green-robed servant girl finally led her in. With her present status, she did not qualify for Wang Fei to receive her in the main hall, so the servant girl led her to the side hall before leaving.

Yuan Shu Yi had come to Xian Wang Fu before. However, while she had felt at the time that Xian Wang Fu’s scenery was good, it was not as astounding at it was now. She found that every chair and table was made from famed and valuable wood. Any chair, if it was sold outside, would be enough for a normal family to survive for a few years.

She heard the sound of footsteps behind her and turned back to look. Hua Xi Wan walked in surrounded by people. The cloth that she wore flashed with light and color, and seemed magnificent and noble. The embroidery on the hems seemed to be alive. It was enough for many women to feel admiration. The buyao in her hair of a phoenix holding a pearl in its beak was worth cities. Adding on her devastating beauty—how many women would want to take her place?

Watching as Hua Xi Wan came closer, Yuan Shu Yi couldn’t help but move her rough hands back into her sleeves. She curtsied appropriately. “This servant greets Wang Fei.”

Hua Xi Wan stopped walking to glance at Yuan Shu Yi. Then, using Bai Xia’s hand as support, she sat down at the front.

Yuan Shu Yi had thought that the other would pretend to be friendly and not let her curtsy. Her lips tensed. But since Hua Xi Wan did not speak, she could only hold her body in a bent position.

Having seen acting before, Hua Xi Wan would not slight herself by pretending to be gentle and kind. She took the stomach-warming tea that Hong Ying handed over and took a sip before saying, “You can stand up. I heard that you have something to tell me?”

Did the great Xian Wang Fei not understand to be more tactful in speech?

Yuan Shu Yi stilled and then looked around. Her expression was secretive. “Please, Wang Fei, have everyone else leave.”

Hua Xi Wan raised her head. The servants in the room left, but Hong Ying and Bai Xia were still standing behind her.

Yuan Shu Yi glanced at Hong Ying and Bai Xia. The respectfulness on her face disappeared without a trace. She said, “This matter is unusual. You may not believe what I say, but it is all true.”

Hua Xi Wan looked silently at her, waiting to hear the astounding secret.

“Last year, Young Master Zhang’s corpse was found in the suburbs in terrible condition. Do you know who the mastermind is?”

Hua Xi Wan propped her chin on her hand and still didn’t speak.

Seeing the calmness on Hua Xi Wan’s face, Yuan Shu Yi gritted her teeth and said, “The mastermind is your husband, Xian Wang.”

“Why should I believe you?” Hua Xi Wan asked wryly. “I should not believe the person by my pillow but believe a woman who desires the person by my pillow—do you feel that I am this stupid?”

“I don’t know if you are stupid, but I understand the great cunning of your husband.” Yuan Shu Yu gritted her teeth and said, “And also his brother-in-law. You really think that it was the Crown Prince and his older sister who acted?”

“En, this is a daring speculation.” Hua Xi Wan lazily rubbed her chin with her index finger. “Regardless of whether this is the truth or not, even it is true, it is just a minor matter to me.”

Yuan Shu Yi’s expression changed slightly. She looked in astonishment at Hua Xi Wan. As a woman, having found that the person sleeping beside her was a cold-blooded and ruthless person, didn’t she feel any discomfort at all?

“How about I talk about you?” Hua Xi Wan stood to walk in front of Yuan Shu Yi and said with a small smile, “Since you know that he is a person like that, why do you still yearn for him? Or, you have created such an implausible story to drive apart me and Zi Ling, and then take advantage to enter?”

Yuan Shu Yi snorted coldly and said, “Don’t believe me then.” She did have thoughts like that, but Hua Xi Wan’s disbelieving attitude made her feel that there was nothing she could do.

Seeing her attitude, Hua Xi Wan snorted. “It is up to you to say, and up to me to believe.”

Seeing Hua Xi Wan like this, Yuan Shu Yi felt as though she wanted to slap the other. However, the circumstances were not in her favor, and she could only endure.

“Do you have something else to say? If not, you can leave.” Hua Xi Wan gradually put away the smile on her face. “However, there is something I want to say. Since you have entered this wang fu, forget your past.”

Yuan Shu Yi’s expression became discomforted for a moment. At this time, she heard the sound of footsteps outside the door and immediately had a thought.

“Wang Fei, this servant does not have such intentions—spare me!”

When Yan Jin Qiu entered the yard, he heard a slightly familiar and shrill voice from the side hall. Then there was the sound of chairs and tables crashing together.

His expression darkened slightly, and he looked at the servants guarding outside. He walked forward and kicked open the door to the side hall. Then he saw Yuan Shu Yi lying next to the table, her forehead bleeding, and her body soaked as though someone had thrown water on her. Hua Xi Wan was being supported by her servant girl’s hand as she stood at the side and looked with a cold expression at Yuan Shu Yi.

“Cousin…” Yuan Shu Yi held her head and wanted to stand. She forced herself to stand and then she fell down again. She looked helpless and pitiful.

There were many servants around, but no one looked up. All of them stopped breathing and focused as though they did not hear nor see anything.

After Yan Jin Qiu saw the state of the room, his expression became uglier. In the end, he said, “Someone come!”

Yuan Shu Yi looked at Hua Xi Wan though her fingers and showed a scornful smile.

“Take this servant down!” Yan Jin Qiu said coldly. “She disturbed Wang Fei’s peace. Her crime cannot be pardoned—ten strikes with the staff.”

Yuan Shu YI looked with an ashen face at Yan Jin Qiu. She had never thought that Yan Jin Qiu would make such a choice. She twisted her head to look at Hua Xi Wan and saw the other showing a slight smile, as though she had expected that Yan Jin Qiu would react like this.

A taijian quickly covered Yuan Shu Yi’s mouth and pulled her away. From beginning to end, she didn’t even have the chance to speak.

She was pushed by the taijian onto a wide bench and received ten heavy blows. Yuan Shu Yi was in such pain she almost wasn’t able to stand. When she raised her head and looked at the servants in the surroundings with their indifferent expressions, she almost fainted.

She touched her forehead. The blood had stopped flowing. When she thought of how she had gathered her courage to hit her head on the corner of the table, she couldn’t help but feel hate. Were all of her schemes insufficient against Hua Xi Wan’s face?

In the inner yard, Hua Xi Wan said with a smile, “How is it that court ended so early today?”

“There is a banquet today. Of course I would think of a way to return to the fu earlier.” Yan Jin Qiu changed out of the wang robe with its embroidered dragon patterns and put on his usual brocade robe. “At this time, they will be coming soon?”

“It will not be so early. You have just returned from court—isn’t it the same with my grandfather and father?” Hua Xi Wan smiled. “Just now, I thought that you would feel pity for your pitiful cousin.”

“You are a wang fei—you have many ways of tormenting her. There is no reason why you would have to act in person,” Yan Jin Qiu said with disdain. “Yuan Shu Yi thinks of me as a brainless man.”

Hua Xi Wan laughed lightly and didn’t speak. Actually, Yuan Shu Yi had not underestimated Yan Jin Qiu’s cunning, but she forgot something—injuring herself to gain sympathy only worked on people who would pity her. For a man who never had her in his heart or mind, any action that was the slightest bit deliberate would become obvious.

Yuan Shu Yi had schemed for all these coincidences, but she had not calculated for the minds of people. Even if she really wanted to harm Yuan Shi Yu, it was just a minor matter to Yan Jin Qiu, not to mention that Yan Jin Qiu knew that she would not act like this towards a woman.

For a man who did not care about her, she wasn’t worth anything.

As Hua Xi Wan reached out to adjust Yan Jin Qiu’s robes, Yan Jin Qiu grasped her hand and smiled slightly at her.

At the side, Bai Xia saw this, and thought of a phrase.

The gentleman is peerless, the beauty is as jade.

Hong Ying lightly pulled on the corner of her robe and then said in a small voice, “Let’s go into the outer yard to receive Furen and the old taitai. They will probably have arrived now.”

Bai Xia nodded. The two silently left the inner yard before Hong Ying said, “Was Yuan Shu Yi delivered to the Punishment Room for her punishment?”

Bai Xia frowned. “This Miss Yuan is a cunning one who is vicious to herself.”

It was a pity that she encountered a man like Wang Ye and a female like Wang Fei.

“This woman is really shameless,” Hong Ying said with discontent. “I really don’t know why the Department of Internal Affairs sent her here. Do they think the rumors at the beginning were not enough?”

The Department of Internal Affairs still sent her to the wang fu knowing Yuan Shu Yi’s feelings towards Wang Ye. Were they at odds with Wang Fei?

This was bullying people.

“There are so many people in the Department of Internal Affairs—who knows what they all think?” Bai Xia looked back in the direction of the yard with a faint smile.

Little problems like this would not pose a difficulty to a truly strong woman.

“You are right. Wang Fei is so smart—what can Yuan Shu Yi’s little machinations do to Wang Fei?”

Bai Xia smiled.

Just now, it appeared that Yuan Shu Yi had tried to trick Wang Fei and failed, but maybe this had been Wang Fei deliberately luring Yuan Shu Yi into making such a risky move.

 

Translator Ramblings: So who is the oriole in the end? Hua Xi Wan, or Yan Jin Qiu?