ROHYX Chapter 683 : Exposed (1)

🦊: Sorry for the late post. I had a hectic day yesterday. The next chapter will be posted on schedule... I will make sure of it. 😅 ...

🦊: Sorry for the late post. I had a hectic day yesterday. The next chapter will be posted on schedule... I will make sure of it. 😅

The fourth month was the most beautiful season on Earth, a fact that was particularly evident at Jing Wangfu¹. The peonies in the Wangfu¹ were in full bloom, each unfurling freely in the sunlight and looking breathtakingly beautiful.

Yurong accompanied Yuchen as they strolled through the courtyard. "San Jie², with so many peonies, there's no other household in the capital that can compare!" Not only were there many varieties, but each was exquisitely beautiful.

Yuchen merely smiled.

Seeing Yuchen's reaction, Yurong bit her lip and swallowed her embarrassment. "Jiejie³, these peonies are so lovely. Could you give me two pots of them?" Jiang Hongjin had told her how beautiful the Wangfu¹ peonies were before she came here, and he had hoped she could bring two pots back.

Yuchen smiled and replied, "It's not such a big deal." Even if Yurong hadn't asked, she would have had someone send her a pot anyway.

That day, Yurong carried home two pots of Wujin Yao Hui peonies🔗. Of the two, only one had bloomed; the other had formed a bud that had not yet opened. The open flower was cup-shaped and a deep purplish-red, looking sumptuous and noble.

When Jiang Hongjin saw the two pots of peonies, he treated them as if they were priceless treasures. He immediately moved them into his study and was exceptionally attentive to Yurong in the following days.

Luye found Jiang Hongjin's behaviour rather strange and told Yurong, "Er Shaonainai⁴, I heard Second Master treats those two pots of peonies like precious darlings." She thought that Jiang Hongjin seemed unusually eager for her mistress to visit Jing Wangfu¹ and was especially fascinated by anything that came from there. If the Jiang family were poor, or if the gifts from the Wangfu¹ were priceless, his fondness might make sense. But most of what her mistress brought back was quite ordinary.

Yurong honestly didn't think much of it. "My husband just likes plants and flowers—what's strange about that?" Jiang Hongjin enjoyed refined pursuits, and his study was already filled with potted plants.

Although Luye harboured doubts, Yurong didn't seem to care, and she dared not say more in case it seemed as though she were sowing discord between the Second Master and Er Nainai⁵.

Yurong touched her belly and muttered, "San Jie² conceived less than two months after marrying into the Wangfu¹. Why is there still no sign with me?"

Luye smiled reassuringly as she comforted her, "Er Nainai⁵, you've only been married for less than two months, so there's no need to worry. It's unusual for someone to conceive as quickly as the Third and Fourth Misses did."

A few days later, Yurong visited Jing Wangfu¹ again.

Momo Gui seized an opportunity to speak with Luye. "If I remember right, you're eighteen this year, aren't you, Luye?" She knew Luye's background perfectly well.

Luye grew alert and lowered her head. "You remember correctly, Momo." She was the same age as Yurong, and at this age, it was indeed time for marriage. However, as Yurong had never mentioned such plans, Luye did not dare express her wishes.

Momo Gui smiled as she brought up the subject of marriage. "The second di⁶ son of Manager Fu, who oversees the restaurant on East Street belonging to the Wangfu¹, is nineteen years old this year. He is a respectable young man with an upright temperament. I think he'd be a good match for you." Seeing Luye blush, Momo Gui laughed and said, "When a man comes of age, he should marry; when a woman comes of age, she should be wed⁷. There's nothing to be shy about. I only mention it because I'm fond of you; otherwise, I wouldn't bother with such things."

When Luye heard this, her heart thumped rapidly with excitement. However, she didn't take Momo Gui's words at face value; instead, she replied, "Thank you for your kind regard, Momo." If she were a maidservant at the Wangfu¹, a match arranged by Momo Gui would indeed be a great opportunity. But if Wu Gunainai⁸ refused to release her, then all of Momo Gui's talk would be nothing but empty words.

Momo Gui was the shrewdest of all. The moment she saw Luye's expression, she knew the girl was interested. So, with a smile, she sweetened the deal, saying, "Though you're not from the Wangfu¹, if Wangfei⁹ speaks to Wu Gunainai⁸ about it, how could Wu Gunainai⁸ refuse?" Yurong had always tried to please and flatter Yuchen, so if the suggestion came from her, she certainly wouldn't turn it down.

Luye knew perfectly well that meat pies didn't just fall from the sky¹⁰. As for Momo Gui supposedly liking her, that was pure nonsense. Momo Gui must have her own calculations for arranging such a match. Nevertheless, Luye longed for a better future and thought, 'If this works out, I'd be willing to repay Wangfei⁸ in my next life—even if it means serving as her ox or horse and carrying grass in my mouth to repay her kindness¹¹.'

Momo Gui patted Luye affectionately and asked, in an apparently casual tone, "Are the two peony pots that Wangfei⁹ gave to Wu Gunainai⁸ thriving?" Yurong had never liked flowers and plants, yet it was she who had asked for the peonies last time. This only made Momo Gui even more certain that something suspicious was going on.

Luye's heart gave a nervous thump, but remembering Momo Gui's promise, she chose her words carefully before replying, "The Young Master likes plants and flowers, so Gunainai asked for those two pots to give to him." She dared not reveal that it was Jiang Hongjin who had asked Yurong to request the flowers.

Had Luye been more forthcoming, Momo Gui might not have suspected anything. However, her hesitant attitude made Momo Gui all the more certain that things weren't that simple. After a quick turn of her thought, Momo Gui smiled and said, "I recall Wangfei⁹ also gifted Wu Guye¹² a fine ink stick—scholars always cherish such distinguished items. Surely he must be quite fond of it."

Luye nodded. "Guye¹³ likes it very much. But I heard that since it's so precious, he can't bear to use it and keeps it on display in the Treasure Cabinet🔗."

Momo Gui took the opportunity to ask many more questions, but Luye answered them all properly, showing no sign of anything amiss on her face.

On the way back, Luye told Yurong about Momo Gui's questions: "Mistress, Momo Gui just asked about the two peony pots."

Yurong frowned. "Why would she suddenly ask about that?" It wasn't just Yuxi who disliked Momo Gui — Yurong also loathed her. But, unlike Yuxi, who never relied on Yuchen and therefore wasn't afraid to offend Momo Gui, Yurong dared not let her dislike show, no matter how much she detested the woman.

Luye shook her head. "I'm not sure either. Besides the peonies, Momo Gui also asked about my family." Luye had been sold by her family at the age of five and remembered little about them.

Yurong sensed something was off and asked, "Why would she ask you that?" Asking about the peonies might have been a casual enough question, but asking about Luye's family was truly strange.

Luye shook her head. "I really don't know."

Yurong thought about it for a long time, but she couldn't figure out what Momo Gui was after. Since she couldn't make sense of it, she let it go. After all, Luye was only a maid—hardly someone worth scheming over.

After seeing Yurong off, Yuchen was about to go to her study to read when she saw Momo Gui enter, with a dark and grim expression. Yuchen asked, "Momo, what's happened?" For her face to look that unpleasant, it could not be a small matter.

Momo Gui's face turned iron-blue with anger as she replied to Yuchen, "Wangfei⁹, it's best not to let Wu Gunainai⁸ visit here again in the future."

Yuchen knew Momo Gui would never speak so rudely without reason. "What happened?"

Momo Gui snorted coldly before answering, "I've always thought there was something wrong about Wu Gunainai⁸'s marriage to the Jiang family. It turns out I was right."

Madam Jiang disliked Yurong and wanted to dissolve the engagement, but Jiang Hongjin refused. If they were truly in love, that would be one thing, but ever since the betrothal, he had never once visited her family, and since their wedding, their household had been a constant scene of chickens flying and dogs jumping¹⁴. Something about this marriage just didn't sit right. Now, Luye said that, whenever Yurong returned home from Jing Wangfu¹, Jiang Hongjin would take all the gifts she had brought back and treasure them as if they were precious jewels. What more did Momo Gui need to understand?

Yuchen wasn't foolish. Putting the pieces together, she quickly realised what was implied. "Does this have anything to do with me?" If not, Momo Gui wouldn't have forbidden Yurong from visiting.

Momo Gui replied, "It's too filthy to even speak of—I'd soil my mouth. Wangfei⁹, please don't let Wu Gunainai⁸ come again!" She didn't want anything to tarnish her Mistress's spotless reputation.

Yuchen asked coldly, "Speak clearly—what exactly happened?" She was far too intelligent not to understand Momo Gui's implication, but she still needed to confirm it.

Momo Gui repeated what Luye had said, her face turning as dark as iron. "That man clearly harbours malicious intent."

Yuchen was beautiful and talented, and countless men had fallen for her, so Jiang Hongjin's infatuation wasn't surprising. However, trying to approach her in such an underhanded way made Yuchen feel as though she had swallowed a fly.

Momo Gui advised, "Wangfei⁹, it would be best if you didn't accept any more visits from Wu Gunainai⁸. If Jiang Hongjin has bewitched her into doing something improper, it would damage your reputation."

Yuchen frowned. If Yurong wished to visit, she couldn't very well bar her from entering—if she did, the news would spread within three days.

After a moment's thought, Momo Gui said, "Wangfei⁹, let me handle this." She would ensure that Jiang Hongjin learned that her mistress was not someone he could covet.

Yuchen shook her head. "No. If this turns into a scandal, I'll lose face too. And with Yurong's temper, who knows what scene she might cause if she finds out? The best solution is to have Jiang Hongjin assigned elsewhere." Out of sight, out of mind.

Although Momo Gui felt this was letting Jiang Hongjin off too lightly, she agreed that her mistress's approach was the most prudent. "Wangfei⁹, we must get that man out of the capital as soon as possible."

Yuchen nodded. "I'll speak to Wangye¹⁵ when he returns."

When Jing Wang¹⁶ heard that Yuchen wanted Jiang Hongjin to be assigned outside the capital, he was pretty surprised. Jiang Wenrui is the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. If he wanted to have his son assigned to an outside post, he wouldn't need to go through this Wang¹⁶'s connections at all. "Did Wu Mei¹⁷ ask you to do this?"

Jiang Hongjin was currently serving in the Hanlin Academy, not because he lacked connections, but because the political scene at Imperial Court was murky, and Jiang Wenrui preferred to keep his son away from it. The Hanlin Academy was a peaceful, scholarly haven.

Yuchen smiled and shook her head. "Wu Mei¹⁷ has been suffering under Madam Jiang's constant criticism. If she could accompany Jiang Hongjin on his posting, life might be more comfortable for her."

Filial to her elders, affectionate toward her siblings and kind to the younger generation, Yuchen was the epitome of a perfect lady, far surpassing Yuxi. Jing Wang¹⁶ said, "As it happens, the Prefect of Luoyang in Henan has just passed away. How about letting your Wu Meifu¹⁸ fill that vacancy? What do you think?" Under normal circumstances, Luoyang would be an excellent posting, but with the northwest now in rebel hands and Henan bordering Shaanxi, it had become a perilous place.

Yuchen was delighted at the prospect of Jiang Hongjin being sent as far from the capital as possible—Henan was thousands of miles away, which suited her perfectly. However, she did not show any of this on her face. Instead, she frowned and wondered, "Wangye¹⁵, Henan borders Shaanxi, and with the rebels there, sending him to that place would be far too dangerous."

Jing Wang¹⁶ laughed. "Jiang Hongjin is only a seventh-rank official right now. If it weren't for this post in Luoyang, he wouldn't have had the chance to be promoted to Prefect. Jumping from the seventh rank to the fifth in one go is quite a reward."

Yuchen now understood that Jing Wang¹⁶ had his own motives for sending Jiang Hongjin to Henan. "If my Wu Meifu¹⁸ is really to be posted there, the Jiang family must never know it was my idea."

Jing Wang¹⁶ smiled. "Naturally." If the Jiang family knew that the posting was Yuchen's idea, they would surely come to resent her.

Footnotes Full List

1. 王 wáng: king, 府 fǔ: residence
2. 三 sān: third, 姐 jiě: elder sister
3. 姐姐 jiějie: elder sister
4. 二 èr: second, 少奶奶 shàonǎinai: [form of address used by servants of the house] young mistress
5. 二 èr: second, 奶奶 nǎinai: young mistress of the house
6. 嫡 dí: born of the legal wife
7. The proverb "男大当婚，女大当嫁" (nán dà dāng hūn, nǚ dà dāng jià) expresses the traditional belief that marriage is the natural and expected duty of both men and women once they reach adulthood — a reflection of old societal norms about family and gender roles.
8. 五 wǔ: fifth, 姑奶奶 gūnǎinai: (respectful form of address for a married woman used by members of her parents' family) married daughter
9. 王 wáng: king, 妃 fēi: consort
10. The idiom 天上掉馅饼 (tiān shàng diào xiànbǐng) is used to describe an unexpected stroke of luck or a great advantage that comes without any effort or hard work.
11. "当牛做马,衔草来报" (dāng niú zuò mǎ, xián cǎo lái bào): A vivid metaphor expressing extreme gratitude and willingness to repay kindness even through servitude in another life.
12. 五 wǔ: fifth, 姑爷 gūye: [term of address for a man used by members of his wife's family] son-in-law
13. 姑爷 gūye: [term of address for a man used by members of his wife's family] son-in-law
14. "闹得鸡飞狗跳 (nào dé jī fēi gǒu tiào)" — literally "chickens fly and dogs jump," meaning complete chaos, domestic turmoil.
15. 王 wáng: king, 爷 ye: lord
16. 王 wáng: king
17. 五 wǔ: fifth, 妹 mèi: younger sister
18. 五 wǔ: fifth, 妹夫 mèifu: younger sister's husband; brother-in-law

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