Rebirth Of A Virtuous Wife: Chapter 12

Hi all! As promised, ch 12-20 will be released today! 😁

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Happy reading! xx

New glossary:
→ wáng fǔ ≪王府≫ — a prince’s manor.

→ xià guān ≪下官≫ — xià means below/lower, while guān means a government official. Similar to servants addressing themselves as “this lowly one”, xià guān is used to express “this lowly subordinate”.

→ hòu yuàn ≪后院≫ — means backyard or back courtyard.

→ tài hòu ≪太后≫ — the Empress Dowager.

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Rebirth Of A Virtuous Wife: Chapter 12^{Slightly edited.}

Ah Nan deftly sat in front of the Imperial Chancellor’s wife and with much courage, accepted the woman’s loving and caring gaze.

The Imperial Chancellor’s wife observed Ah Nan from head to toe. Her eyes then swept a glance at the thick snow-white fox skin on the stool Ah Nan was using to rest her leg —she heard that it was the ankle that was injured. 

Despite the many accidents that Ah Nan has encountered, making her life seeming a little more difficult, the Imperial Chancellor’s wife cannot deny that the result of this all has reversed-effect. At least, Su Wang hasn’t treated her badly at all. How? Just looking at the snow-white fox fur, one could tell that it’s from a rare snow fox for Tian Shan^[1]. Very priceless. The importance of it can only be expressed through the fact that Su Wang used it for Ah Nan to rest her leg.

This was really….too prodigal!

Remembering how Su Wang has directly carried Ah Nan into the manor, the Imperial Chancellor’s wife couldn’t help but twitched. Suddenly, this feeling towards such extravagance really seemed like nothing anymore. 

“Ah Nan, these past few days……how have you been? Has wang ye been treating you well?” the Imperial Chancellor’s wife took on the responsibility of a mother and carefully asked about the illegitimate daughter’s married life.

The Imperial Chancellor recalled how her husband could stop pacing back and forth in their bedroom last night. His face was filled with affliction, muttering now and then, “My pitiful Little Ah Nan^[2]. Who knows how she’s being tortured right now? People are even jinxing that she will die very soon……oh no, bad luck, bad luck, bad luck! My Little Ah Nan will not be dying soon! Those bastards, if you dare continue to jinx my Little Ah Nan……”

At that time, the Imperial Chancellor’s wife was in bed, lying on her side without any energy to even think about teasing her husband. Clearly, Su Wang’s wifeless fate was too strong, therefore no one dares to believe in Ah Nan. They’re all just waiting for the moment for Ah Nan to die. How could it be that in her husband’s eyes, it is the people’s fault for jinxing Ah Nan? Could it be that it is because of her husband’s love for Ah Nan, that he intends to love even the crows on the roof of his house^[3], and couldn’t bear to be too strict on her, so he could only vent his anger on those gamblers from outside?

Before the Imperial Chancellor’s wife could even think thoroughly about the situation, she saw her husband coming closer to her while awkwardly rubbing his hands. With seriousness, he spoke, “Fu ren-ah, tomorrow Ah Nan will be coming back here. Can you try to ask Ah Nan how she has been living these days? And has Su Wang treated her well? Did the two of them……that……did they share a room?”

Seeing the face of his wife, as if she had encountered ghosts and demons, Imperial Chancellor Lu’s old face blushed. He almost bit off his tongue as he silently cried in his heart. If it weren’t because there was a certain Su Wang who has a special kind of illness of not wanting to be close to females, why would he need to put on some thick-skin on his old face to make such an inquiry to his wife to ask such embarrassing things? That said, he’ll feel very distress if he doesn’t ask. He cannot let Ah Nan live like a widow, right? 

The Imperial Chancellor’s wife has a good reputation for her calmness, but this sudden turn of event has affected her because of her husband’s concern regarding his daughter’s marital problems. She could only look at him as she choked on her saliva. After that, due to her husband’s hesitant and embarrassing plea, she could only accept his request. 

It’s just that, now, the Imperial Chancellor’s wife is starting to have a little bit of regret. She is not Ah Nan’s birth mother, so how could she find the words to ask such matters aloud?

A Nan had no idea that the Imperial Chancellor’s wife was feeling uneasy. With a little bit of embarrassment, she replied that Su Wang has been very good to her and didn’t say anything more. In regards to Su Wang’s cleanliness issue, she would not even reveal a word about it.

The Imperial Chancellor’s wife awkwardly coughed, “…I heard you fainted on the wedding night. Did you get hurt anywhere else? Did you……did the two of you share a room……?” the Imperial Chancellor’s wife really felt that she has lost her old face in front of this illegitimate daughter.

By the time Ah Nan understood what the Imperial Chancellor’s wife was trying to ask, her apple-like face turned red in the blink of an eye. 

Right, no need to ask anymore. If she continues to ask, the Imperial Chancellor’s wife would really have no idea how to face this daughter in the future. 

Giving a pass to this embarrassing topic, the Imperial Chancellor’s wife asked Ah Nan about what she has to deal with at the Su Wang Manor and gave her a few pointers. Lastly, she talked with her about what it meant to be a wife and what needs to be done as the main mistress of a family. 

“You are now the leading mistress of the wang fu. You will need to have opinions when you’re managing your courtyard. You definitely cannot allow the servants to take advantage of you. Provided that you are still a wang fei, no one can surpass you. No matter what problems you might encounter in the future, as long as wang ye still favours you, no need to waste your time on unnecessary burdens. Try your best to give birth to the first son, so that you can firmly secure your position as the main mistress.”

Ah Nan blinked her eyes, revealing a sweet smile as she steadily responded with a “Yes”.

The Imperial Chancellor’s wife patted her own forehead, feeling that she has not made herself very clear yet. Looking at the girl’s innocent look, she was sure that Ah Nan only understood what was being directly told, and got no hint of the depth of those words. The Imperial Chancellor’s wife sighed. The look on Ah Nan only shows a simple and naive-minded girl. It really makes one worry. Especially this chubby dough-like figure, plus the sweet smile that melts one’s heart —could only make one feel helpless if they don’t try their best to protect her. 

Even with her three other daughters, the Imperial Chancellor’s wife never had to be so worried. How could it be that this illegitimate daughter, whom she did not birth, make her feel so worried and think about all kinds of things? 

“……Ah Nan, wang ye is a man. As women, we cannot understand everything from the men’s world. We cannot participate in them either. We only need to focus on what we’re responsible for and that will already be a great help to them. Moreover, which man will not find new things interesting? You are a virtuous wang fei. If there are other women in the future, they cannot be compared to you. No matter how outstanding they are, they will still only be a concubine. Supposing that tai hou and huang shang will honour a woman to the Su Wang Manor in the near future, you only need to show your acceptance……”

The Imperial Chancellor’s wife babbled to forewarn Ah Nan. Since Ah Nan was able to consummate with Su Wang, then this proves that Su Wang is not a homosexual like what was rumoured outside. This makes it very likely that one day, the Empress Dowager and Emperor might gift more people to the Su Wang Manor. Even if those two don’t bestow anyone, this wouldn’t stop the court officials from doing the deed to try to win Su Wang’s favour. After all, Su Wang is the blood-related brother of the Emperor. In the battleground of the imperial court, undoubtedly, many people are out forming social connections as a way for survival. Some even bribe. If they can successfully become related to Su Wang, it’ll be easier to ask him to insert a few nice words for them in front of the Emperor or Empress Dowager. Of course, since ancient times, the best way to bribe someone is to lure them into the beauty trap.

Ah Nan’s eyes widened. Understanding the Imperial Chancellor’s wife’s words, she suddenly realised that she isn’t that dense-minded. 

This……for someone who’s extremely unwillingly to come into contact with other women, how can one just casually stuff a woman by his side? This possibility is very unlikely.

******* 

As the Imperial Chancellor’s wife took her time educating Ah Nan on how to become a great wife material, Imperial Chancellor Lu was having a conversation with his noble son-in-law in the study room.

But the way they talk was very different from other fathers and sons-in-law. They were very serious. 

“Wang ye, General Zhao’s letter came. Currently, the King of Bei Yue is struggling to sit still. Perhaps there might be news before the winter season arrives. A war will definitely break out,” Imperial Chancellor Lu deeply frowned, his face full of concerns, “The territory of the Bei Yue people is surrounded by grassland. Their citizens survive by relying on their grass and water. Furthermore, the northern side has poor mountain and water conditions, weeds don’t survive long, and people could barely farm. According to our spy, during autumn of this year, for some reason, a plague broke out in the north-west of Bei Yue. Countless sheep and horses died. This also caused the Bei Yue people’s rations to drop quite significantly low. It seems to be difficult for them to sustain until the end of winter. Thinking about it, if the Bei Yue army wants to keep feeding their people, they’ll definitely move to the south and usurp our land there.”

Chu Ba Ning held a teacup in his hand, his eyes were cold, “The King of Bei Yue is too ambitious. Regardless of whether his people’s rations are lacking or not, they’ll still move towards the southern border to try to conquer our region. Not surprising at all.”

“That, xia guan understands. But……” Imperial Chancellor Lu sneaked a glance at Su Wang’s cold expression before wording carefully, “This summer, there was a flood in Chongzhou. Lots of land and rice fields weren’t able to harvest anything. This would greatly affect our Chu Dynasty’s Department of Treasury. If a large-scale war does break out, the fear is……”

Conversing between a superior and subordinate requires etiquettes. This is how court officials protect themselves on this brutal political battlefield. Although Su Wang is his son-in-law, Imperial Chancellor still did not let his guard down out of habit. 

As a matter of course, Chu Ba Ning clearly understood what Imperial Chancellor Lu was trying to say. Chongzhou is located in Jiangnan. The climate there is warm and the rivers there flow wherever it wants to be. It is the region where the Chu Dynasty stores their rations. Yet, as it appears, this year seem to be met with lots of unfortunate events there. 

The flood in Chongzhou occurred in the seventh month. It covered countless farms, making it impossible for farmers to gather crops. Since then, the country’s collected tax has been reduced by nearly half the usual amount. Additionally, they had to do something to give the victims reassurance. Therefore, they could only allocate a large sum of taels for the natural disaster relief. With such spending, this year the Department of Treasury has really become almost broke. So, it isn’t only the people of Bei Yue who might not be able to overcome this winter —the winter in the Chu regions will be suffering too. Ever since Emperor Chongde ascended the throne 10 years ago, this would be the first time the entire dynasty has to rely on the savings from the Department of Treasury.

Chu Ba Ning tightly furrowed his brows, aware that there would be an upcoming war. The biggest problem now is to prepare and have backup rations.

Knowing that Chu Ba Ning understood the meaning behind his words, Imperial Chancellor Lu did not continue to insist on pushing for more answers. Only a few people knew about this type of state confidential information since the Emperor has not publicly announced the news. With such secrecy, those who know about the situation only needs to silently understand each other and keep to themselves. Except, what Imperial Chancellor Lu was worried about was that he doesn’t know which unlucky official would be selected to take charge of gathering the rations and troops. Whoever is to be selected, this would be work that consumes lots of energy and effort, with results that might not even be so positive……

After a while, Imperial Chancellor Lu looked at the sky, knowing that it’s time, “Uh, wang ye, it’s getting late. The servants have prepared food. Please take the led,” Imperial Chancellor Lu stood up and made a gesture for him to walk ahead. This sort of behaviour was really nothing like an act of a father-in-law.

There really wasn’t any other way to handle this wang ye who has the power of this dynasty under his grasp. His serious look and strong aura were too much for Imperial Chancellor Lu to deal with. 

Chu Ba Ning stood up and faced Imperial Chancellor Lu with a nod. Taking the led as he got out of the room, he directly walked towards the hou yuan. 

Imperial Chancellor Lu became dumbfounded. 

“Aiya, wang ye, where are you going?”

Chu Ba Ning stopped his steps as he unhappily glanced at his father-in-law, who was clearly trying to prevent him from walking further. In a low voice, he replied, “Didn’t you say we’re having dinner? Ben wang will go invite wang fei over.”

For him to say “invite” —all is obvious to everyone. 

Imperial Chancellor Lu’s eyes twitched. He was truthfully a little jealous: Don’t think that just because you have married Ah Nan, then you can freely turn her into your possession. She is still my daughter. How dare he think of carrying my daughter back and forth at her maiden home?! He was clearly creating hate here! 

“Wang ye, my wife and wang fei are already waiting in the main hall. You don’t have to go to the hou yuan in person to invite them over,” Imperial Chancellor Lu said politely. Though, he was inwardly still upset about his daughter being carried into the manor from earlier. Su Wang obviously did not care about saving his father-in-law some face!

Chu Ba Ning frowned. Something seemed to have flashed in his dark eyes. He pursed his lips and solemnly walked back. 

Imperial Chancellor Lu courtly led his son-in-law towards the main hall. This time, he was feeling very satisfied: Who would’ve thought that my Ah Nan could cure Su Wang’s cleanliness illness? Looks like Ah Nan is very blessed!

If Ah Nan can break Su Wang’s “wifeless and childless” curse then this would be all merrier.

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Translator’s notes:
HAHA! …And the weirdest father and son-in-law relationship award goes to Imperial Chancellor Lu and Chu Ba Ning! 😂

Trivia: 
→ [1] Tiān shān ≪天山≫, translates as “Mountains of the Heaven”, is a large system of mountain ranges between Xinjiang (新疆 ; xīn jiāng), Mongolia (蒙古 ; Монгол Улс) and Kyrgyzstan (吉尔吉斯 ; Kirghizia).

→ [2] Ah Nan’s father called her “Little Ah Nan”.  Basically affirming that she is his “little baby daughter” —it shows just how much he truly loves and cares for her. In Chinese, the word he used was xiǎo ≪小≫, meaning little/small. Usually, when you hear someone (who’s older than you) use this word with your name, it shows closeness or favouritism. 

→ [3] “…he intends to love even the crows on the roof of his house…” —I translated this from the author’s use of the four-word idiom ài wū jí wū ≪爱屋及乌≫. It basically means once you love someone or something, you’ll also love their or its flaws. People can also translate it two other ways: “Love the house and its crow” or “Love me, (also) love my dog”.