RVW-39.1

Two days later, Su Wang led a group of troops from the imperial city and set off  to provide support for the war in Tongcheng.

When Ah Nan woke up from her sleep, the bed next to her was already empty. She hurriedly asked someone and found out that Chu Baning had already reached the palace before the time of Mao (5 a.m). Not being able to say goodbye to him in person made Ah Nan’s heart somewhat regretful. So she left very early, stationing herself in the restaurant¹酒楼 is a restaurant that also sells alcoholic beverages as its main drinks. I had previously translated it as tavern but decided to change it since tavern apparently have rooms for lodging, 酒楼 is not for lodging. located in the street where the army was set to depart, and smashed money to nest herself in the private room with the best view. The private room was located on the second floor, and from the window one could clearly see the things on the street.

Ah Nan was looking out the window, incessantly chattered about why the army had not yet to pass. She kept talking so much that people couldn’t help but get annoyed.

Ru Cui, who was sitting on the side peeling melon seeds, consoled her, “Xiao jie, you came too early. We heard that the army won’t depart until the hour of Si (9 a.m), there is still a quarter of an hour left²At the time, time was arranged in a two-hour system. So the quarter of an hour here means 30 minutes. Calm down, calm down~”

“Calm down your head, it’s not your husband, of course you’re calm!” Ah Nan glared at the chowhound-like maid. This girl really spoke insensitively.

Ru Cui shrugged and said, “Xiao jie, what you said isn’t right. You have married Wang ye, naturally Wang ye is also Ru Cui’s master. Of course, Ru Cui cares for Master, but this servant knows when the army will pass by, getting anxious by oneself seems quite foolish.”

“You’re stupid, your whole family is stupid!” Ah Nan was furious. Would this dead girl die if she didn’t anger her for a day?

Ru Cui looked at Ah Nan with an innocent gaze, sincerely saying, “Xiao jie, since the time Ru Cui sold herself to the Imperial Chancellor’s Mansion, she had become your maid. From deep in this slave’s heart, you are Ru Cui’s only relative in this life. Ru Cui will serve Xiao jie until she dies of old age all her life.”

“……Pei!” Ah Nan noticed that this girl was becoming more and more eloquent, actually dared to confuse her silly.

Ah Nan couldn’t bear to look at this maid’s leisurely appearance and let her hurry to the window and help look out for when the army passed by. It was her turn to sit and peel melon seeds. Ru Cui blurted out something, grabbed a handful of melon seeds, and obediently leaned forward on the window to look out.

Ru Lan looked at the master and servant, then looked up at the sky, really wishing that Wang ye’s army would pass by quickly. These two second-rate goods really made her pressure bigger ah.

At quarter past the hour of Si, the troops escorting the main army finally arrived.

Ah Nan leaned on the window, stretching out her neck to observe.

Like Ah Nan, there were also common people on the street who were eagerly waiting expectantly. The crowd on the street also arrived early in the morning, who knows whether they came to watch the legendary “killing wife and losing son” Su Wang, or purely to join in on the fun. The enthusiasm of these people was very high, shouts could be heard everywhere, making the capital’s magistrate had no choice but to dispatch Yamen³衙门 is what the government office in feudal China was called bailiffs⁴They are called Ya yi (衙役) to maintain order.

Similarly, the private rooms of some high-end inns and restaurants were also occupied by wealthy people who came to bid farewell to the army. As for what they really thought, no one knows.

“Xiao jie, hurry, come and see, Wang ye is over there.” Ru Cui was even more excited than Ah Nan, seeing Su Wang sitting on a black clever horse, his body clad in silver armor with solemn and dignified expression. The armor on his body reflected the sunlight, giving it a tint of cold frost, giving his person a look of high-spirited beauty, his bearing of an upright and honourable handsome man, looking like the most beautiful scenery, attracting people’s attention. 

Ah Nan could no longer pay attention to Ru Cui, she excitedly grabbed the window frame with both hands, fervently looking at the man sitting on the slowly moving horse. Comparing a scholarly elegant man to a Wang ye as solemn as an old man, this kind of man brimming with masculine aura is more attractive to Ah Nan, seeing it really made her heart beat uncontrollably.

However, it seems like their brain wavelengths weren’t on the same frequency. Ah Nan was looking over there with a red face and jumping pulse, but Chu Baning, from the beginning to the end, didn’t resemble what was portrayed in the novels where the male and female leads seemed to have a heart connection, then their gaze met in the crowd, intertwining in the air and entangled continuously without ends, causing the spectating men and women to feel sad…..

The above scenario was completely unfounded, Wang ye very calmly drove his horse, gradually walking away.

Fortunately, Ah Nan also had no expectation of wanting Chu Baning to suddenly develop a tacit understanding with her and found her. So when Chu Baning was passing by, like the audience in the streets, she held her breath and stared fixedly at him, waiting for the important figure at the front of the troops to walk far away before starting to call alongside the crowd.

Ru Lan was the calmest one in the private room, her face covered with black lines looking at the excited two people, truly not understanding what they were so excited about. It’s currently so noisy outside, even if they shouted until their throats were broken, Wang ye also wouldn’t be able to hear it. So when these two showed regretful expressions because the army had gone far away, Ru Lan calmly handed each of them a cup of warm tea. Looking at these two people who gratefully accepted it with the expression of ‘you are so considerate,’ Ru Lan’s mouth twitched, already resigning her fate of being in the same boat⁵The word was actually 摊上 or being in the same booth/stall, refers to being together with someone with these two second-rate goods.

Seeing that the army had already left, the bailiffs of the capital city’s Magistrate Mansion also withdrew and the streets resumed their usual hustle and bustle. Ah Nan stood up, leaving the restaurant with the two maids and the Imperial guards who were left outside the private room to guard.

After leaving the restaurant, Ah Nan happened to meet a lady who brought along her maids and guards.

“Ah… it’s Qi meimei!”

Ah Nan indifferently glanced over at the person who blurted over calling her “Qi meimei,” only then she realized that the lady with a white veil covering half of her face was Lu Feiting. In this era, unmarried ladies have to cover their face with white veil when coming out to prevent some unnecessary troubles outside, and also let those rich dandies⁶Silk pants wearing boys (纨绔子弟) means playboys or dandies coming from rich/affluent families know which ones have backings, making it convenient for them to start something. However, although Lu Feiting covered half her face, her gentle and pleasing figure, refined temperament, her obscured complexion had instead roused people’s passionate desire to take a peek.

Ah Nan’s first thought upon seeing Lu Feiting was not “what a coincidence”, but rather suspicions of why Lu Feiting would come out here so early in the morning.

“It’s Liu Jie ah, why have you gone out today?” Ah Nan carelessly asked.

Hearing Ah Nan’s question, Lu Feiting’s originally hesitant expression became stiff for a moment, then she composed herself and gently answered, “I heard that the army is going to depart today, it should be very lively. Grandmother was afraid that we would feel uncomfortable being kept in the house and so decided to let us go out to take a look.”

Ah Nan noticed her “we,” looked around, and then asked, “There are others aside from you?”

“Yes, there are also Second elder cousin⁷The male one, Ling di, and Cheng di. But they went to buy candied fruits⁸果脯 is like this. It is made by heating the fruits and then soaking them in sugar solution. on west street first, and let me wait for them here.” Lu Feiting smiled softly and pointed to a nearby restaurant. There is a slight sense of covering up with her explanation.

Ah Nan, hearing that there were still these two Lu Shaocheng and Lu Shaoling, immediately lost more than half of her appetite, thinking that it was really bad luck, how could she run into them here.

“Aren’t Ba di and Shi di⁹eight and tenth younger brothers brother still being punished to kneel in the Ancestral Hall? How could they come out?” Ah Nan was surprised. Inwardly thinking, could Lu Lao Furen¹⁰Refering to Lao Tai tai have the guts to go against Su Wang’s command to let these two, who were supposed to still be kneeling in the Ancestral Hall, go out in advance?

Reaching this point, Lu Feiting’s face showed a worried expression and said, “Grandmother was so worried that she became sick, her complexion hasn’t been good recently, making all of us extremely worried. San shu saw that Grandmother’s spirit isn’t well. Grandmother also frequently muttered missing the two little brothers. Therefore San shu decided to advance the day little brothers could come out, saying to wait for Grandmother’s spirit to get better, then they could be punished again.”

Ah Nan didn’t care whether Lao Tai tai was actually sick or not, seeing that this wasn’t a good place for a talk, she then bid farewell to Lu Feiting to go back to the Mansion.

Lu Feiting actually knew why Ah Nan came here. Seeing the maids on her side were clothed more honorably and luxuriously than the maids of the Imperial Chancellor’s Mansion, and also the several ferocious-looking Imperial guards following by her side that one would know to be formidable with just a look, she couldn’t help but feel somewhat sourness surged up, moreover it’s a taste she had never experienced growing up. Previously, she was the noble and high-standing Di daughter of the Lu clan’s main branch, why should she speak nicely like this to a Shu daughter born from a singing courtesan? But now, Ah Nan has leaped into a Wang fei that is unreachable for them, now it was her turn to look down at them from high up. Such a change really made people feel extremely unbearable.

Translator’s note:

Hi! So I changed the translation of 酒楼 from tavern into restaurant. Back then, restaurants (酒楼) sells alcoholic beverages as its main drinks. I had previously translated it as tavern but decided to change it since tavern apparently have rooms for lodging, 酒楼 is not for lodging. I have fixed the previous chapters too ^^