HomeA Cup of LoveYi Ou Chun - Chapter 72

Yi Ou Chun – Chapter 72

As soon as these words were spoken, not only were Qing Yuan and Bao Xian stunned, but Fang Chun herself was astonished.

Bao Xian quickly pursued the topic: “Madam, what you just said… is rather confusing. Isn’t the Commander going to be engaged to Magistrate Mu’s second daughter? How come you…” she glanced at Qing Yuan and smiled, “You’re calling our young lady First Sister-in-law? Did madam misspeak, or is there some misunderstanding?”

Fang Chun thoroughly regretted her loose tongue. She had been repeatedly warned earlier not to reveal a single word in front of Qing Yuan – that elder brother had been planning this secretly for so long, just to enjoy the moment of revealing the truth himself. When she left earlier, she had reminded herself to keep the secret, yet with her second sentence, she had already let it slip. If Qing Yuan and her maid were more confused, she might have been able to muddle through, but they had caught on and were pressing for answers. Her face immediately fell as she hemmed and hawed, avoiding the topic: “What… there’s no misunderstanding, I just misspoke… a slip of the tongue… just a slip of the tongue.”

Bao Xian glanced at Qing Yuan, who remained remarkably calm, and asked after brief contemplation: “When is the Commander’s engagement to Miss Mu Two?”

Fang Chun couldn’t quite answer, muttering vaguely: “It should be… these few days!”

For such a major event, with all the ceremonial preparations complete, yet unable to state the exact date – it was truly peculiar. Qing Yuan smiled slightly, “Then has the wedding date been set?”

Fang Chun’s face showed another blank expression, “It seems… next month?”

“Sister, have you met Miss Mu Two?” Qing Yuan said, “You’re the only one managing internal affairs in this mansion, surely you must have been involved in the Commander’s marriage arrangements. What does Miss Mu Two look like? Is she beautiful?”

Fang Chun was at her wit’s end. The engagement was completely fabricated – how could she have met Miss Mu Two? But if she said she hadn’t met her, it would make even less sense. How could future sisters-in-law not be curious and make each other’s acquaintance first?

“I have met her,” Fang Chun said, forcing herself to continue. “She’s naturally very beautiful, with a face like the bright moon, and dimples when she smiles. Her temperament is also very good, we talked quite a bit. Living under the same roof in the future, we’ll surely get along well.”

Qing Yuan nodded slowly, “I’ve heard about this young lady. She entered the palace for selection alongside my Third Sister. They say she’s perfect in every way, except she’s quite petite – probably only about shoulder-height to us.”

Fang Chun thought such shortness wouldn’t do – it needed some embellishment, so she said: “Not that short, just delicate, but not short.” She gestured at ear level, “About this height.”

After hearing her response, Qing Yuan suddenly let out a long breath.

Yes, how had she not realized – all of this was orchestrated by Shen Run himself. He spread news of an engagement, but without even a definite date, because which day it would be depended on her progress. When the old madam came, he painted a beautiful picture of marriage and offspring, and knowing Fourth Miss was hopeless, no longer able to wait for a better match, she had no choice but to hand her over, in exchange for Shen Run saving the master one more time. The Xie family carriage came in the sunset, delivering their granddaughter to a man’s doorstep at lamplight, then left immediately without staying a moment – what face would they have to come to acknowledge relations in the future?

He had done this to thoroughly sever her ties with the Xie family. Such meticulous planning – if she hadn’t guessed wrong, her grandparents from the Chen family must already be on their way to Youzhou.

Qing Yuan’s nose stung with emotion. This bad man, even in moments of tender affection, never forgot to display his capabilities, fearing she might become too proud and reduce his chances to tease her. She had suffered all night, fortunately without revealing her true feelings, otherwise wouldn’t it have just pleased him, giving him another thing to hold over her – “You were the one crying and begging to marry me, for your sake, I had no choice but to break off the engagement with the Mu family.”

Seeing tears in her eyes, Fang Chun felt quite uncomfortable. She couldn’t quite understand that elder brother’s sense of fun, what was the point of deceiving a young lady like this? She gently tugged at Qing Yuan’s sleeve, “Don’t cry, just stay in our mansion. I guarantee it will work out.”

Unexpectedly, Qing Yuan said glumly: “What saddens me isn’t that the Xie family abandoned me, nor that I’m to be the Commander’s concubine.”

Fang Chun was bewildered, “Then what are you sad about?”

Those clean, bright eyes gazed at her intensely, “I’m sad because I trusted you so much, yet you helped him deceive me.”

Fang Chun was dumbfounded, “I… how did I deceive you!”

“You’ve never actually met Miss Mu Two. She’s indeed beautiful, but she’s rather quiet and doesn’t seem easily approachable. Moreover, she’s quite tall, half a head taller than us – how could you say she’s shorter? You were making things up. Given your personality, if you were to become family, there’s no way you wouldn’t have met first. Your complete certainty shows there was no need for such a meeting, am I right?”

At this, Fang Chun had nothing left to say, muttering to herself: “Only family enters the family door. Big Brother handles criminal investigations, and Sister-in-law is just as sharp, leading me into a trap with her words… This wasn’t me wanting to reveal everything, she figured it out herself – Big Brother, you can’t blame me.”

Seeing her unable to respond, Qing Yuan felt even more certain. At least she no longer felt suspended, like duckweed not knowing where to drift.

Though the whole world might fail her, there was still Shen Run – he wouldn’t fail her. This experienced man, having seen it all, witnessed all the flowers and neon lights, had set his heart like a rock on one person, using any means necessary. Before she had looked down on such notorious people, like all sheltered girls, keeping three steps away from such men, but she had overlooked one advantage – what she didn’t love, others didn’t love either, which meant fewer people trying every way to cling and entangle, actually saving quite a lot of trouble.

“Sister,” she held Fang Chun’s hand, “I want to hear one truth from you – for whom did the Commander make such a grand display this time?”

Fang Chun hung her head dejectedly, “I don’t know anything, and I won’t say anything.”

Qing Yuan laughed, “Don’t worry, tell me quietly, I absolutely won’t betray you. I was just planning ways to leave the Shen mansion, but if you tell me, I won’t leave, saving all that trouble.”

Fang Chun sighed, thinking that since their elder brother had gone to the capital, she could flee back to her courtyard after speaking and deny everything. Keeping secrets was too painful, so she smiled sheepishly: “Well… looking at our friendship, I’ll tell you secretly. All this about Miss Mu Two, Miss Mu Three, it’s just a deal between the Commander and the Mu family. The Mu family didn’t want their daughter entering the palace, made all sorts of excuses, and finally came begging the Commander. He agreed to help them but required the Mu family to accept his spreading news about the engagement to their second daughter. The Mu family naturally had no objections – just empty words, as long as there was no formal engagement, it wouldn’t affect Miss Two’s reputation. The Commander used this facade to make a grand show at the mansion.” She paused then continued, “However, I’ve heard some rumors that the Mu family truly has marriage intentions. Think about it – the Commander is at least a second-rank official, and how many people envy the Imperial favor shown to the Three Departments? If she married the Commander, that title of Imperial Consort would be guaranteed – the Mu family would love to turn this pretense into reality.”

At this, Qing Yuan felt a sudden urgency – people would grab money from boiling oil, let alone such a man who was flawless in everything except reputation.

“Has the Mu family sent someone to discuss it?”

Since Qing Yuan was inquiring, Fang Chun revealed everything: “The Grand Magistrate approached through the Junzhou Defense Commissioner. At the recent banquet, he took the opportunity to mention that the Mu family’s old madam constantly praised the Commander, and said although Miss Two is quiet, she’s capable of managing a household – that she and the Commander would be well-matched.”

Qing Yuan listened and asked after a moment of silence: “How did the Commander respond?”

Fang Chun waved her hand, “The Commander naturally declined, openly stating his heart belonged to another. Our Second Master told me, in front of all those people – how embarrassing, who knew big brother could be so shameless.”

These words delighted not only Qing Yuan but even Bao Xian, who quietly tugged at her mistress, eyes full of joyful smiles.

Truth or fiction, perhaps Fang Chun said this intentionally to contrast Shen Run with Li Congxin. But Qing Yuan believed it – that Commander indeed didn’t care much about face, and besides, he didn’t have many friends, no need to put on airs in front of them. Otherwise, where would such a reputation come from? Whenever Commander Shen was mentioned, the first thing said was how difficult he was to get along with.

Having revealed all the inside information, Fang Chun finally realized she should be afraid, repeatedly saying: “Just keep what you’ve heard to yourself, don’t say it came from me. Though Big Brother is very good to family, I’m still somewhat afraid of him.”

Qing Yuan smiled, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. Well…” she looked outside, “Even going out should be done with proper etiquette. The Xie family just pushed me into your mansion like this – they may disregard propriety, but I still care about face…”

Fang Chun said: “The Xie family has no sense of proper conduct – let’s see how they react when you don’t come from their house! Youzhou is full of officials and nobles, everyone knows everyone. You have grandparents who raised you; you’re not a helpless girl without support. You’re more precious than any of the Xie family. Rest assured, no one in our house dares look down on you. Even before you came, the Commander declared that whoever dared show you disrespect would be kicked to death…”

After speaking, Fang Chun realized she had blundered again, covering her mouth in despair: “What’s wrong with me, why can’t I control my tongue? If Big Brother finds out, he’ll probably kick me to death first.”

Bao Xian quickly comforted her with a smile: “Madam truly shares her heart with our young lady. Now our lady knows how to proceed, and she’s grateful to you – she won’t tell the Commander about this.”

Fang Chun touched her belly, “That’s good then. I don’t care about myself, only about this little one. Even our Second Master doesn’t dare speak loudly to me now, afraid of frightening the child and disturbing the pregnancy.”

As a soon-to-be mother, her heart and mind were full of thoughts of husband and child. Fang Chun chatted with her about many household matters, ultimately emphasizing one point – that the Shen family men were one in a hundred, and Qing Yuan must treasure this blessing.

How could she not count her blessings? As he said, fortunately, it was him she encountered. A young lady, no matter how capable, couldn’t resist the ways of the world. Fortunate it was him, fortunate it wasn’t some pompous, muddle-headed official – falling into such hands would truly have been a dead end.

Originally planning various ways to leave, she now abandoned those thoughts. Bao Xian said to her with a smile: “The Commander truly has your interests at heart, though his playfulness is excessive – hasn’t he frightened you? As Madam Dong just said, the Mu family wants to form a marriage alliance with the Commander. A young lady should be vigilant. After all, all of Youzhou knows the Commander is to exchange betrothal gifts with the Grand Magistrate’s family. If you don’t secure the Commander now, if he takes an unexpected turn, it won’t be a joke anymore.”

Qing Yuan sat by the window, glancing at his quarters, and said through gritted teeth: “He’s teased me enough – I should return the favor. Just wait and see!”

In the Hall of Observing Virtue, Shen Run’s eyelid suddenly twitched while he was reporting official business.

The Emperor was still furious about Xie Shu’s incompetence: “Sixty thousand men, attacking for nearly two months, losing troops and commanders, now only half the forces remain – what can I say to him! Who was it that boasted earlier, claiming to know the Stone Fort area like the back of his hand? The Tibetans, the Medicine River – as long as Xie Shu took the field, he would surely capture it in one stroke. And now? It’s not that I haven’t given him chances – he’s been lying on his merit records too long, forgotten who he is.”

Thunder and fury needed venting. The officials in the hall were silent as cicadas in winter, holding their tablets and bowing, not daring to breathe heavily.

The Grand Tutor’s suggestion was simply to replace the commander: “The Wusheng Army is not far – why not execute Xie Shu before the entire army as a warning, and let Jiang Zhaotang take over the assault?”

Hearing this, Shen Run smiled and said: “Executing Xie Shu would be most inappropriate. After all, he has rendered meritorious service in driving back the Tibetans. Your Majesty rules with benevolence and filial piety – if we easily execute former meritorious officials, it would inevitably discourage the hearts of many old generals. Moreover, the soldiers who went on an expedition with him are all those who have shared life and death with him. Now facing a great enemy, if the dragons have no head, they will surely fall into disarray. At that time, not just one Wusheng Army, even adding the Tianping Army might not be enough.”

In court discussions, when political views differ, people often start with small details, occasionally bringing up personal matters. Shen Run’s advantage lay in widely announcing his engagement to Magistrate Mu’s family, having no connection whatsoever with the Xie family, so no one could use that private matter to refute him.

The Emperor, having heard his suggestions earlier and knowing his plans, didn’t say more, but addressed the ministers in the hall: “I will decide this matter. I read the memorial submitted by the Rate Minister days ago. The Imperial Guard stationed in Jiannan is under the command of the Palace Front Command – it’s not about quantity but quality. Dispatching one force for a surprise attack, taken by cunning rather than force, is better and less troublesome. We’ve discussed at length today, and since there are no better proposals, let the Palace Front Command dispatch the Imperial Guard for the expedition.”

The ministers acknowledged and withdrew from the Hall of Observing Virtue.

Only the ruler and minister remained in the hall. The Emperor looked at Shen Run, “How are your affairs proceeding?”

Shen Run said: “Thanks to Your Majesty’s blessing, everything is almost arranged. She’s at my mansion now – just waiting for the people from Hengtan to arrive, then we can proceed with the marriage.”

The Emperor sighed: “There are many fine young ladies in the world – why expend such effort for this one? The Rate Minister’s thoughts should be on official duties – the capital’s defense, criminal cases, don’t they all need your attention?”

He just smiled, “No matter how many fine young ladies there are in the world, this subject’s heart is set on just this one. I request Your Majesty’s blessing for this foolish heart. Finally, I’ll need Your Majesty’s decree to arrange the marriage – only then will this marriage be complete.”

The Emperor nodded, “Xie Shu has lost me thirty thousand troops – giving up one daughter is getting off easy. As long as you can help him capture Stone Fort this time, not just the Fourth Miss, but all their daughters given to you wouldn’t be too much.”

Shen Run quickly said: “This subject only wants this one – because she wasn’t raised by the Xie family, that’s why her upbringing suits this subject’s heart so well. As for the rest…” he shook his head vigorously, “This subject has no such fortune. When the time comes, I request Your Majesty to legitimize her status, placing her under the Chen family name. The Xie family’s dirty nest – I don’t want her to return there any more.”

The Emperor looked at him, sighing deeply that at this age, taking a wife was truly not easy – being both husband and father, he had truly worried himself sick over this young wife.

But Shen Run never tired of it, even traveling between Youzhou and the capital in one day without feeling fatigued. He only worried on the way, afraid the servants at home couldn’t stop her – with her strong will, if he returned home to find her gone, what then?

So he whipped harder, reaching home before sunset, and immediately asked the gatekeepers, “Has Fourth Miss gone out?”

The servant with lowered sleeves said: “In reply to master, this servant has been watching vigilantly all day – Fourth Miss hasn’t passed the second gate.”

His heart settled somewhat. He tossed his whip to the attendant behind him and hurried to the East Garden. At the courtyard gate, he saw Old Mother Zhou and asked how Fourth Miss had been today.

Old Mother Zhou said: “Second Madam came in the morning, seems to have persuaded Fourth Miss – the young lady hasn’t made any moves all day, hasn’t mentioned leaving either.”

This was rather strange. Shen Run hesitated, glancing at the wing room, seeing a figure gracefully passing behind the screen door, finally confirming she was still in the mansion.

Wanting to see her immediately, he took two steps forward but raised his sleeve to smell it, worried his sweat might offend her. This wouldn’t do – he should wash up first, make himself fragrant, then he could approach her properly.

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