RVW-Chapter 40.1

Hearing Lao Tai tai’s words, Ah Nan inwardly pursed her lips wrily. In any case, Lao Tai tai has never given her a good face before. Now that she was already married, she also didn’t want to give her a good face.

However, Lao Tai tai really shouldn’t regard her as a child, could she be troubled as she wishes?

Ah Nan, who was previously just a Shu daughter, couldn’t even be bullied by Lao Tai tai in such a way. Now that she is married, she also couldn’t be mocked by Lao Tai tai like this!

Lu Feirong and Lu Feiji didn’t speak, it wasn’t the time when they could speak, they could only smile restrainedly. The Imperial Chancellor Furen also knew that with Ah Nan’s current status, let alone Lao Tai tai, even her as the Imperial Chancellor Furen were not allowed to mock her like this. But Lao Tai tai couldn’t care less about it, so she could only smile and tried to smooth things over, “As Mother said, the girls are still filial even after having been married. They knew elder’s body isn’t well, so they naturally wanted to come back for a visit.”

Lao Tai tai, however, couldn’t accept such a thing. She had been holding back for so long, and when she saw Ah Nan dressed even more extravagantly than her two granddaughters from the Imperial Chancellor, she became all the more loathful. She faintly said, “The San Niangzi and Si Niangzi are filial, you are considerate. Qi Niangzi has now become Wang fei, this old woman doesn’t dare to ask a Wang fei to be filial, that would shorten one’s life.”

Great, there’s no need to conceal anything now. Sure enough, because of the matter of Lu Shaoling and Lu Shaocheng being punished by kneeling in the Ancestral Hall, Lao Tai tai had thoroughly loathed Ah Nan. Moreover, Lao Tai tai also believed that her son was already the Imperial Chancellor and therefore didn’t need to rely on Su Wang for anything. Thus there was nothing wrong with hating Ah Nan——In any case, she never liked Ah Nan then, and now she doesn’t like it all the same.

Lao Tai tai looked down on Ah Nan’s birth circumstances. With such a lowly mother, she naturally never put any hope and desire of bringing glory of the Lu Clan on Ah Nan. Now after Ah Nan has become a Wang fei, Lao Tai tai also hasn’t changed her mind. In this regard, Lao Tai tai was actually extremely stubborn. Didn’t she know that having good relations with Su Wang would be beneficial for Imperial Chancellor Lu’s sons?

Ah Nan did not get angry at Lao Tai tai’s pointed words, she said with a simple and honest expression, “Grandmother, what you said isn’t right. Even if this granddaughter has been married off, she is still your granddaughter. Being filial to you is her duty. If such words were to be spread around, the people outside would say that our Lu family‘s upbringing is lacking.” 

When Ah Nan said these words, the people present had changed their expressions in variety, even the Imperial Chancellor Furen almost erupted.

Alright, isn’t this using what Lao Tai tai had said earlier to choke her?

Lao Tai tai was so choked up that even air was stifled in her chest, unable to gasp. Her fingers clutched tightly at the blanket, almost wanting to roar at that honestly foolish granddaughter: Why must you stab at people’s sore spot?!!

The ladies of the Lu family quickly buried their heads, who knows whether they were holding back laughter or were afraid of Lao Tai tai’s anger. Each of them kept quiet, the room was silent except for Lao Tai tai coarse heavy breathing sounds.

Ah Nan worriedly asked, “Grandmother, are you feeling unwell again? Seeing you gasping for breath, it couldn’t be tightened, right?”

“……Shu-, Shut up!” Lao Tai tai, towards this granddaughter that she really couldn’t tell if she was truly considerate or cunning, was extremely furious to death. This granddaughter has always angered people. Even if she was really being considerate, she still could make one enraged to death yet unable to refute.

It’s too suffocating.

Lao Tai tai thought, why had she invited this girl back just to anger herself? Obviously she only wanted to see if she could be so arrogant without Su Wang present. As a result, she only angered herself half to death and also couldn’t burst out in anger.

Ah Nan, seeing Lao Tai tai glaring eyes, was frightened and said with some panic, “Grandmother, call the doctor if you’re feeling unwell. Father said it’s not advisable to hide sickness for fear of treatment. Mother, it seems that Grandmother is not feeling well, hurry let the doctor come over…. Ah, I remember that there are still three Imperial physicians in the Imperial Mansion, they were bestowed by the Emperor, we can let them come to take Grandmother’s pulse.”

This speech of Ah Nan was spoken very sincerely, just like a granddaughter worrying for her grandmother.

Imperial Chancellor Furen’s mouth corner twitched, thinking, ‘As long as you close your mouth, your grandmother will be fine. If you keep talking, Lao Tai tai will really vomit blood!’

Seeing Ah Nan calling for someone wanting to invite the Imperial Physician over, Lao Tai tai trembled all over, saying in full anger, “No need, I’m doing very well.” If the Imperial Physician came over, wouldn’t her fake illness be exposed? Lao Tai tai didn’t dare to face this danger. If it were to happen, wouldn’t her own son be the one losing face.

Lao Tai tai didn’t want Ah Nan to remain here and anger her, lest her un-sickness became sickness as she held in her anger. Thus, citing “Headache, need to rest,” she let all of them withdraw. After the ladies had all gone out, she put her hands on her forehead and told Imperial Chancellor Furen that if Qi Niangzi come back in the future, there’s no need for her to pay her a visit, lest this thing anger her to death.

Imperial Chancellor Furen really understood Lao Furen’s sufferings, inwardly sympathizing with her. Obviously she knew Ah Nan has that kind of character, yet she still wanted to step forward to seek grievances, isn’t it self-inflicted?

The best way to deal with this simple and honest Shu daughter is: make her shut up and listen even if nothing happened, and if something happened, just make it clear to her, no need to argue with Ah Nan.

After Imperial Chancellor Furen asked the three unmarried young cousins to go back to their courtyards, she led her three daughters back to the main room for a chat.

On the way, they ran into Lu Shaoling who was playing with birds in the pavilion. The brat tied the bird’s legs with a rope, then whipped the bird with a twig so that the bird tried to fly with all its strength. When the bird flapped its wings yet unable to fly further, he would whip it with the twig and let out a cheerful and arrogant laugh, shouting “Whip you to death! Whip you to death” and so on.

Lu Feirong looked contemptuously at Lu Shaoling’s actions. Lu Feiji frowned slightly. Only Imperial Chancellor Furen seemed to be the calmest and unmoved.

Seeing them, Lu Shaoling only smiled cheekily and gave a bow, looking naive as he greeted them. Not a trace to be seen of when he abused that bird ferociously. But when he saw Ah Nan, his real character was completely revealed. He jumped out of the pavilion, throwing the twig away and charged over in spitting rage. He ran over even when he hadn’t finished playing with the bird. It looks like he wanted to take revenge on Ah Nan. Unfortunately for him, he was blocked by the Imperial Mansion’s guards following Ah Nan before he even reached her.

“Bad Ah Nan, what are you going to do now?” Lu Shaoling looked scared. He didn’t fear Ah Nan, but rather the Imperial guards she brought. Recalling the incident where he was hung on the tree, he subconsciously looked around to see if that “demonic” Wang ye was present.

“Hehe, Shi di, Si mei is now a Su Wang fei, she isn’t someone you can mess with!” Lu Feirong chuckled lightly, satisfied to see the fear on the little tyrant’s face.

“Forget it, he’s still a child. You can let him go. Even if Wang ye finds out, he wouldn’t get angry.”

Ah Nan good naturedly let the guards let go of the hoisted¹The RAW implies that the brat was lifted like one do with a bag of groceries 🙂 little tyrant and smiled at the boy. Only that her smile looked demonic in the boy’s eyes, making him scream and run away. The Imperial Chancellor Furen quickly asked the little manservant to follow him, lest some accident happened.

“Tsk, how cowardly!” Lu Feirong grumbled.

“Second daughter!” Imperial Chancellor Furen snapped.

Lu Feirong closed her mouth, shutting up.

In the side hall of the main room, the three sisters sat together and chatted. Imperial Chancellor Furen only sat for a while before going out again. She heard that Lu Shaoling went to Lao Furen and bawled his eyes out. Lao Furen couldn’t bear it and let someone call for Imperial Chancellor Furen, but didn’t let Ah Nan, the main culprit who frightened Lu Shaoling, to go along.

Lu Feirong and Lu Feiji looked at each other. Lu Feirong pursed her lips and said, “These things²The “things” or 东西 here likely refers to Lu Shaoling (as a person). It has a derogatory meaning., each of them are so troublesome!”

“Er Jie, don’t say that!” Lu Feiji called out softly. She was a cultured and courteous person, thinking that they are all blood relatives no matter what happened, and it’s not appropriate for them to say anything as married off daughters.

Lu Feirong could only scold a few words in hatred, no longer speaking. Lu Feirong has a straightforward character and has always been outspoken. She can now restrain herself because her temper has been worn down by marriage. But seeing her own mother busy taking care of those troublesome relatives—the dignified Imperial Chancellor Furen, the one the Emperor himself granted with first grade title Furen, has to busy herself because of those youngsters who aren’t even officials—just looking at it makes her uncomfortable.

Ah Nan was the one who spoke the least there, but she was also married and therefore the three sisters had a topic to chat about. It’s just that Ah Nan was not close to her sisters before, and now she also couldn’t talk much with them. Added with her now high status, a lot of things also couldn’t be talked about. 

However, the two Di sisters could be said to be amiable towards Ah Nan. Compared to those cousins of theirs, the two felt that Ah Nan was still more pleasing. 

Ah Nan only stayed in her maiden house for a while. When she was going to go back to the Mansion, she went to pay her respect to Imperial Chancellor Lu then led the servants back to the Mansion.

Before leaving the Imperial Chancellor Mansion, Imperial Chancellor Lu pulled Ah Nan aside. He heard that Ah Nan was going to enter the palace tomorrow and stayed there for a while. Imperial Chancellor Lu was so worried his face quickly turned into bitter melons³Because bitter melons are wrinkly, saying to Ah Nan, “Among all my daughters, Father worries about you the most because you wear your heart on your sleeves. The Empress Dowager isn’t someone easy to be dealt with. If she wants to do something to you, you have to endure it and wait until Su Wang comes back before choke her to death…. Ah, speaking of it now, I don’t have to worry about it as a father, rather I should worry whether you would anger the Empress Dowager until she fell ill, how miserable if it were to happen……”

Seeing Imperial Chancellor Lu pulling hard at his beard, worrying about both sides, Ah Nan quickly pacified him saying, “Rest assured, Father. Ah Nan will definitely not talk back to Mu hou, and will obediently be filial to Mu hou.”

“Go, who’s worried about you talking back to her! If she dares to bully you, show your might and aggrieve her to death!”

Imperial Chancellor Lu also has some understanding of his youngest daughter’s character, and felt like the possibility of her getting bullied by the Empress Dowager isn’t high. What he had to worry about now is whether the Empress Dowager would be aggrieved to illness by her foolish enthusiasm. Thinking about it this way, he put down his worries for her, yet at the same time he was also anxious for another reason. It’s also not good if the Empress Dowager was angered so badly…..

Amidst Imperial Chancellor Lu’s worries, Ah Nan finally left.

Translator’s note:

Lu Shaoling is the perfect example of why it’s important to wear contraceptives 🙂