Zhan Chun

Kapitel 23

Back to the story of Xiaoyuan seeing her husband at the Flower Moon Pavilion, a place that kept male prostitutes, she was momentarily flustered and hurriedly urged the sedan chair back home. Her heart was still pounding, and even the child in her womb seemed to be tense. She quickly stroked her belly, unsure whether to comfort the child or herself: "My dear, your father is a man of upright character and would never do anything like patronizing prostitutes." Cailian, who was listening nearby, first glared fiercely at Ayun, then comforted Xiaoyuan, saying, "Madam must have misremembered. Several years ago, our Great Song Dynasty forbade male lovers in taverns. How could there still be places that keep male prostitutes?"

Xiao Yuan said, "Officially, it's forbidden to keep prostitutes, but there are plenty of them in private. Which of those teahouses with powerful backers doesn't have a few prostitutes mixed in with them?"

Upon hearing this, Ayun became anxious: "Then let's hurry up and find the young master!"

Xiao Yuan lowered her head and remained silent, struggling with her inner turmoil. If she wanted peace of mind, she could immediately send someone to look for him. But after knowing and cherishing each other for so long, could she really not even trust him this much? Seeing that she didn't speak, A Yun assumed it was tacit consent and turned to run out to call for help. Xiao Yuan, feeling heavy, couldn't stop her and hurriedly told Cai Lian to follow.

Cailian caught up with Ayun in a few steps and scolded her, "Madam is pregnant. Even if the young master has something to do, you should keep it a secret. How could you so rashly shout it out and make Madam anxious?"

Ayun felt a pang of regret, but remained defiant. Seeing an unfamiliar woman approaching, she casually pointed and said, "You're still hiding it? Look over there, the young master's mistresses are all coming home." Cailian was about to scold her, but upon looking up, she saw it was indeed a stranger, following behind Huaihua, the maid from Master Cheng's room, heading this way. She noticed the woman was dressed in a flamboyant and seductive manner.

Unlike a respectable woman, she felt uneasy and quickly pushed Ayun away.

Although Ah Yun was impulsive, she was wholeheartedly devoted to Xiao Yuan. After being pushed by Cai Lian, she immediately reacted and rushed forward to stop them, saying, "Madam is resting. This must be the master's new concubine. Go and tell the master that Madam already knows and will give her a stipend later."

Huaihua laughed: "Isn't this the new person that Madam bought for the young master? How could you not know?"

Ah Yun was taken aback: "When has our lady ever bought anyone for the young master? Don't talk nonsense."

Seeing that this matter was not so simple, Cailian quickly pulled the maid aside, took a jade hairpin from her hair and stuffed it into her hand, asking in a low voice, "Huaihua, you have always been a reasonable person, so tell me the truth, did the master buy this woman for the young master?"

Huaihua handed the hairpin back. She laughed and said, "Sister, you forgot? It was you who picked it out and put it in the master's courtyard. How could you lie through your teeth? That woman was indeed brought here just now by the shop assistant from Huayuelou. They said the young master liked it, so the madam bought it for him."

"Nonsense. Isn't Huayuelou a place that keeps male prostitutes? How could there be female prostitutes there?"

"Cailian rebuked.

Huaihua lowered her voice: "Sister, you've been living in a grand mansion since you were little, so you naturally wouldn't know. In a place like that, how could you only keep one kind of person? There are both male and female prostitutes. That female prostitute is said to have been bought by the madam. But we all know the truth. It must be that the young master was tempted, but he was afraid of being scolded by the madam, so he used her name."

Cailian was shocked upon hearing this. She instinctively glanced towards the main room. Seeing no movement inside, she quietly instructed Huaihua, "Don't let this get out, especially don't let the madam know."

A-Yun had just been insisting that they couldn't hide it from Xiao-Yuan. Now that she knew it was indeed a concubine the young master had bought, she became even more cautious than Cai-Lian. She grabbed the courtesan and tried to drag her to a secluded courtyard. But she was still a step too quick. In her haste to pull her away, she forgot to cover her mouth. The concubine cried out loudly, "Madam! Madam He! I am Young Master Cheng's most favored courtesan! How can you treat me like this?"

Her voice was shrill, and she was right at the courtyard gate, so Xiao Yuan couldn't possibly miss it. She immediately ordered someone to take her inside. A-Yun rushed into the house first and shouted, "Madam, you actually want to keep a concubine for the young master? If you ask me, just beat her to death and drag her out." Xiao Yuan felt a pang of pain in her heart, but forced a smile and said, "Whether it's true or not, bring her in and ask her first."

As they spoke, the woman reached the door. Seeing that everyone was looking at her, she didn't care. She calmly adjusted the hairpins and ornaments on her head, swayed her slender waist, and stepped forward to give a curtsy: "This servant, Lü Niang, greets Madam."

Xiao Yuan looked up and saw that she was wearing a short brocade shirt, a slit skirt with open front and back, a country-style embroidered bellyband around her waist, thick makeup on her face, and glass pendants dangling from her ears. She was indeed a courtesan who sold smiles.

Seeing that Xiao Yuan hadn't spoken for a long time, Green Maiden pouted her bright red lips and said, "Oh dear, my legs are sore from standing all day. Won't Madam arrange a place for me to stay?" After saying that, she stretched out her two pink fists, bent down and massaged her legs, and said sweetly, "Young Master will be heartbroken if he sees this when he comes back."

Xiao Yuan twisted a handkerchief repeatedly with her hand hidden in her sleeve, but her expression remained unchanged as she asked, "Who bought you?"

Green Maiden pointed at her and asked in return, "Didn't Madam spend a thousand strings of cash to buy me from Flower Moon Pavilion? Why are you asking me now?"

Seeing Xiaoyuan's surprise, Cailian quickly stepped forward and whispered in her ear what Huaihua had said.

“Using my name to buy prostitutes doesn’t seem like Erlang’s style,” Xiao Yuan said suspiciously.

Ah Yun exclaimed, "Could it be that someone has set up a 'beauty trap' to harm the young master? I've heard that some thieves specialize in keeping prostitutes to give to wealthy young masters as concubines, squeezing them dry before making their escape."

The green maid covered her mouth and laughed, "This little girl is really good at thinking. If you don't believe me, you'll know once Young Master Cheng comes back and asks you."

“Well said. We’ll wait for the young master to come back before we talk. Come on, drag him to the woodshed and lock him up. Remember to give him a few whacks.” Xiao Yuan stood up, supporting her back, and walked towards the inner room. Her body felt heavy, and her back ached from sitting for so long.

Seeing that Xiao Yuantong hadn't said much, Green Maiden thought she was a clay idol, but she didn't expect her to hit her right away. She panicked and said, "Young Master Cheng promised me a title, you can't hit me."

Xiao Yuan smiled and said, "It's just a way of inviting you in; it's our family's rule."

Green Maiden was dragged out, wailing and crying. Cailian said worriedly, "Should we gag her with a cloth?" Xiaoyuan's face darkened: "I can tolerate everything, but not this. I want people to know that I cannot tolerate a concubine in my house. If Cheng Erlang really betrays me, I will move out immediately, and even the children I have will not take his surname."

Cailian was puzzled: "Madam, when we first entered the family, you were able to remain calm with the nine maids, so why are you so anxious about this one?"

Xiao Yuan smiled bitterly upon hearing this. She was unsure of her husband's heart and naturally couldn't hold back. If Cheng Erlang already had ulterior motives, what use would all her calculations be? It would be better to make a scene and let each other go.

Chapter Sixty-Six: The Concubine Scandal (Part 2)

Despite her heavy body, Xiaoyuan stood by the window, constantly tiptoeing to look towards the courtyard gate. Cailian, fearing that she might harm her pregnancy, stepped forward to advise her: "Madam, how has the young master treated you on a daily basis? The other day, he was worried that you would lose your maternal family's support, so he specially helped the third branch of the family seize power."

"I think there's something fishy about this. Don't listen to that girl A-Yun's nonsense." Xiao Yuan was taken aback. Could it be that she was truly blinded by her own involvement? How could she become so suspicious of that courtesan, completely forgetting Erlang's kindness?

When Ah Yun came in and saw that her expression had softened, she breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Madam, Master requests your presence."

Cailian glanced at Xiaoyuan and scolded, "Didn't you see that Madam is tired? You just told her she's pregnant and resting. Do you think Master will scold you?"

Ah Yun said aggrievedly, "Master has a smile on his face, so it must be something good."

"Never mind, we're just waiting here anyway." Xiao Yuan rubbed her aching back and, with her help, slowly headed towards Master Cheng's courtyard.

As expected, Master Cheng was waiting for her with a smile, praising her for her virtue upon meeting her. Xiao Yuan glanced around the room, seeing no one else, and immediately understood. Her father-in-law must be praising her for taking the initiative to arrange a concubine for Cheng Mutian. Fortunately, he hadn't said it explicitly yet; otherwise, once the status was confirmed, things would be much more complicated. Her mind, which hadn't been working for a long time during her pregnancy, quickly started working again, and she interjected, "Father, you flatter me. Your daughter-in-law is not virtuous. I've already had that courtesan beaten and thrown into the woodshed."

Master Cheng's beard twitched, and the teacup he was holding was about to fall to the ground. Xiao Yuan quickly interjected, "It's not that your wife doesn't want you to take a concubine, but there are plenty of decent women out there. Father insists on buying him a courtesan, which will ruin the family's reputation." Master Cheng immediately retrieved the teacup that was halfway out of his hand and hurriedly defended himself, "Nonsense, nonsense! Who's gossiping? They clearly said you bought her. Besides, if I were to buy one, I would buy a good one. What would I do with a courtesan? Bah, bah, bah! I had no intention of buying a concubine for Erlang."

Why is my father-in-law so averse to hearing that he's going to arrange a concubine for our son? Is he being sarcastic? To be on the safe side, Xiao Yuan lowered her head and bowed slightly: "Father, what are you saying? Marriage is a major life event that parents should decide. What's the big deal about arranging a concubine or two for our son?"

Master Cheng coughed a few times, quickly covering his flushed face with his teacup. He didn't even notice the few drops of tea that had splashed onto his clothes. "There's a lot of gossip going around saying that your third sister-in-law has firmly taken control of the household. The first thing she did was get your third brother a job at the Quanzhou Maritime Trade Office. How come you didn't know?"

The Quanzhou Maritime Trade Office. Isn't that the place that directly manages maritime transport? Even though Xiaoyuan knew nothing about politics, she knew this place. It turned out that her third brother held the reins of the Cheng family. No wonder her father-in-law was so afraid that others would misunderstand that he had taken a concubine for her second son. He must be worried that He Yaohong, who was protective of his sister, would find out and make things difficult for the Cheng family behind their backs. Xiaoyuan was delighted and proud. But after all, they were family. She couldn't let her father-in-law keep hiding his face with his teacup. So she said, "Congratulations, Father. From now on, the eldest son's family will have to act according to your wishes."

These words instantly dispelled Master Cheng's embarrassment. He was about to feign modesty when suddenly he exclaimed, "Oh dear!" "Could that courtesan be a treacherous person's doing, sent to harm me? Using this woman to sow discord between you and your husband, so the He family won't support our shipping business; who knows, they might even try to force you into a divorce, and then take the opportunity to marry you..."

While there was some truth to his words, they were utterly unpleasant to hear. Divorce and remarriage were matters that elders should not easily discuss. Xiao Yuan's brows furrowed deeper, fearing he might say something else unpleasant. She quickly clutched her stomach and cried out in pain. The maids, being quick-witted, acted without warning; one went to apologize to Master Cheng, while the others helped her away.

Xiao Yuan, heavily pregnant, walked briskly back to her room. She said to herself with a self-deprecating smile, "Even Father didn't suspect Erlang of being unfaithful. Yet I've thrown myself into a panic."

Master Cheng's words inadvertently comforted Madam Cailian, much to her delight. She personally led someone to the kitchen to fetch some food and urged her to eat an extra half bowl. After the meal, the table was cleared, and Ayun brought out the jade boat from the display cabinet to join in the fun, pestering Xiaoyuan to tell her the story of the young master delivering the boat in the middle of the night, which made Xiaoyuan laugh non-stop.

As darkness fell, Cheng Mutian finally returned home, but he was so drunk that Cheng Fu had to help him back. All the maids and servants serving him were stunned for a moment before they went to greet him.

Xiao Yuan wanted to help him up herself, but before she even got close, she smelled a strong stench of alcohol, which made her gag several times while leaning against the wall. She was anxious to see Cheng Mutian, but her stomach was giving her no choice. She could only wait in the outer room and ask Cheng Fu, "Where is the young master drunk?"

Cheng Fu smiled ingratiatingly on behalf of Cheng Mutian and said, "Young Master had no choice but to do this. Madam is aware of the business engagements. Today, that official had a high alcohol tolerance, which is why he got so drunk."

Xiao Yuan had someone bring him a stool to sit on, and said with a smile, "You follow the young master around all day long. Although it is hard work, it is something that people envy. Unlike us women, we are not allowed to leave the front door or step out the back door."

Since this concerned the duties of a mistress and her master, Cheng Fu didn't know how to respond and dared not sit down any longer. She stood up, lowered her head, and stared straight at her feet.

Xiao Yuan wasn't in a hurry. She slowly blew on the hangover soup she had prepared for Cheng Mutian until sweat appeared on his forehead. Then she said, "What? I can't even listen to a story if I can't even enter a restaurant?"

Cheng Fu breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that his wife wanted to hear a story. He grinned and sat down on the stool again, and began to embellish Cheng Mutian's great achievements in speaking foreign languages and dealing with merchants.

He was getting into his story when Xiao Yuan suddenly interrupted, "You're just talking about drinking, what's the name of that building?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Fu broke out in a cold sweat, half of his shirt soaked through. But as someone who was used to traveling, he still managed to sense the situation in his panic. Hearing the noise from inside, he quickly pointed and said, "Young Master is awake."

"You little monkey." Xiao Yuan glared at him fiercely, picked up her bowl, and went to the inner room.

Cheng Mutian was lying on the bed, clutching his clothes and complaining of thirst. She quickly had the old woman help him up and brought him some hangover soup. Cheng Mutian drank a couple of sips from her hand, and in his dazed state, he was surprised to see that it was a beautiful woman: "Lü Niang."

Xiao Yuan's hand went limp, and the bowl of hangover soup spilled onto the bed. She clenched her teeth, unable to speak. Cai Lian saw that her face was as white as paper and became very anxious. She ordered someone to prepare a calming soup and medicine to prevent miscarriage, while pleading, "Madam, the young master is drunk right now, and what he says can't be taken seriously. Let's wait until he sobers up before asking him." Xiao Yuan knew that what she said made sense, but she just couldn't move her feet. She would rather sit on the edge of the bed and weep than go out and lie down.

She had already been through several nights of labor and crying, and was now completely exhausted. She gradually felt the baby in her belly moving more and more, and she couldn't even get up, even while holding onto the bedpost. The maids and servants were terrified and hurriedly helped her to lie down on the couch in the outer room. Cailian was about to go and call the midwife when one of the servants grabbed her and said, "You're not even eight months along yet, why are you calling the midwife? You must have gone into labor. Go and fetch the doctor quickly."

Seeing that the young master's philandering had upset the madam, A-Yun was furious. She ran to the kitchen, filled a bucket with cold water, and splashed it over Cheng Mutian's head. Cheng Mutian jolted awake to find the bed flooded with water, and the little maid standing there with an empty bucket, glaring at him. He was both shocked and enraged: "You want to harm your master? What did the madam teach you?"

"I respected you as a young master, but not only did you cheat on me, you even brought me home and made my wife's stomach hurt. I don't have a heartless master like you. You're the one who will be harmed." Ayun put her hands on her hips, pointed at his nose, and cursed loudly.

Upon hearing that Xiao Yuan had a stomachache, Cheng Mutian disregarded her insolence and jumped out of bed, soaking wet, without even putting on his shoes, and ran outside. Ayun, fearing that Xiao Yuan would be even angrier upon seeing him, quickly blocked the door to prevent him from leaving. Cheng Mutian, who had just been drunk and had a splitting headache, struggled to push her away, stumbled, and fell outside, landing right in front of Xiao Yuan's bed.

Although Xiao Yuan was angry and heartbroken, she couldn't help but feel sorry for him when she saw him like this. She raised her hand slightly, signaling the maids to help him up. Before the maids could come forward, Cheng Mutian sat up by clinging to the edge of the bed and held Xiao Yuan's hand tightly: "Why did you suddenly have a miscarriage? What happened? Are you alright?"

Xiao Yuan turned her head away from him, and the maids and servants remained silent. Seeing that everyone in the room was quiet, the doctor had no choice but to fulfill his duty as a physician and explained, "Young master, Madam suffered from a sudden onset of anger and excessive grief, which caused the miscarriage to become unstable. I have prescribed medicine to stabilize the pregnancy. As long as Madam takes it on time and rests in bed for a few days, she will be fine."

"Taking medicine and staying in bed, and you call this nothing serious?" Cheng Mutian yelled at the doctor, then suddenly remembered that Xiaoyuan needed to rest. He quickly suppressed his anger and asked her softly, "Wife, who has offended you?"

"Unrepentant and shameless!" A-Yun was so angry that she jumped up and down, cursing as she repeated his affair. Cai-Lian knew that Xiao-Yuan's heart would never be at peace unless her knot was untied, so she didn't stop her and hurriedly sent the doctor out.

Cheng Mutian was baffled by the scolding and angrily said, "You liar! I hate the sight of any concubine, so why would I go out of my way to buy one?"

Seeing that he was about to hit someone, Xiao Yuan asked softly, "Who is Green Maiden?"

Cheng Mutian's hand froze in mid-air, and he stammered for a long time, "How did you know?"

Such hesitation must be suspicious. Xiao Yuan could no longer hold back and started crying again, clutching her stomach. Cheng Mutian panicked and rushed over to wipe her tears with one hand and stroke her stomach with the other. "Wife, the doctor just said you should rest and not disturb the fetus again."

"Even when you're so drunk, you still can't stop talking about Green Maiden. Now that you have a new lover, what's the point of having a child?" Xiao Yuan gritted her teeth and pushed him away, saying, "Don't touch me with your dirty hands that have touched other women."

Cheng Mutian retorted, "How have you become so unreasonable? Don't you know what kind of person I am? How could I touch other women?"

Seeing that Xiao Yuan's pushing and shoving was getting bigger, Cai Lian hurriedly stepped forward to hug her and said anxiously, "Young Master, if you haven't done anything to wrong Madam, why don't you bring things up and explain them clearly? If Madam is at ease, she won't have any problems with the baby."

Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Concubine Scandal (Part Two)

"Bring it up?" That's easy to say. If we really revealed Green Maiden's background, Xiao Yuan would probably be angry. Cheng Mutian sat on the soft couch, looked at Xiao Yuan's belly, and then at her face. He said with great difficulty, "Wife, I swear to heaven that I have never touched another woman. Please don't ask anymore."

"You haven't touched her? She's come to our house and you're still being stubborn." Xiao Yuan angrily threw a pillow at him, then turned to Cai Lian and ordered, "Go and invite Young Master Cheng's lover over."

Cheng Mutian was shocked: "What lover? You're not talking about that Green Maiden, are you?"

Xiao Yuan sneered, "Now you're panicking? Weren't you just denying it to the death?"

Before Cheng Mutian could argue further, Ayun brought Green Maiden up. "Madam, I was afraid the young master wouldn't admit it, so I had her dragged to the courtyard and prepared." With that, she kicked the disheveled courtesan to her knees. "Quickly tell me, are you the young master's mistress?"

The young woman, with her delicate skin, couldn't withstand a beating, and having been hungry for half a day, lay on the ground like a wilted eggplant after a frost. But upon hearing this, she suddenly looked up and uttered a startling question: "Who said I'm a woman?"

Xiao Yuan scoffed, "Don't talk nonsense, your savior is right here." She then shoved Cheng Mutian, "Hurry up and help your lover up."

Cheng Mutian stood up without saying a word, walked up to Lü Niang, kicked her directly, and turned to ask Xiao Yuan, "Do you believe me now?"

His kick was no less powerful than Ah Yun's; he used all his strength. Green Maiden was in so much pain that she almost fainted. She struggled to crawl over and hugged his leg, saying, "Young Master Cheng, don't you have any regard for our past relationship?"

Cheng Mutian hurriedly tried to kick her again, but she clung to him so tightly that he couldn't exert any force. He could only reach out and pull her. The clothes on Lü Niang's body were already loose, and with this pull, half of her clothes slipped down, revealing most of her body—several maids screamed and covered their faces, turning their backs. Xiao Yuan stared in disbelief at his flat chest and the Adam's apple between his neck.

Cheng Mutian was also dumbfounded: "You... how come you're a man? Aren't you dressed up?"

Green Maiden was even more surprised than him. She pointed to her bare chest and said, "You can't even tell the difference between clothes and headwear?"

Cheng Mutian blushed and said, "You're dressed like a woman. And you even have a name like Green Maiden. How can I tell the difference? I have no homosexual desires. Don't tarnish my reputation. Get out of here right now."

Seeing that he had no idea whether she was male or female, Green Maiden figured his fabricated lie wouldn't fool anyone anymore. She released Cheng Mutian's leg and sneered, "A whole house full of village people. They dress like women and call each other women. You, who deal with business people every day, don't even know this?"

Cheng Mutian's face flushed even more. She slapped him across the face, cursed "Get out!" and threw him away. Although the maids had their backs turned, they were all listening intently. Now they knew that their young master had been wronged. They all slipped away as fast as they could, and in the blink of an eye, only Xiao Yuan, who was twirling her fingers with her head down, remained.

Cheng Mutian, panting, sat heavily back on the couch. This time, Xiaoyuan didn't dare push him away again, stammering an explanation: "It's because you were drunk and still called for Green Maiden, otherwise I wouldn't have felt sorry for you." Cheng Mutian smiled bitterly: "I was afraid of being bothered by him. I must have seen you and thought he was here to bother me again, so I called out." Xiaoyuan was afraid he would settle scores later, so she racked her brains and came up with another point: "Since you have no connection with him, why did you hesitate and deny it before?" Cheng Mutian was furious: "I was fine, why admit anything? I just really knew that courtesan, so I agreed. Is telling the truth wrong?"

"Then why were you so alarmed when I was about to bring Green Maiden up?" Xiao Yuan noticed his unfriendly expression and secretly moved back a little. Cheng Mutian was rather helpless: "I was afraid of him, that's why I was surprised. What did you think it was?"

Xiao Yuan couldn't find the words to ask him anymore. Feeling breathless, she cowered, pulling the blanket and trying to hide in a corner. Cheng Mutian wouldn't let her escape; he pulled her, blanket and all, into his arms and reached out to pinch her cheek. Xiao Yuan hurriedly begged for mercy, "My lord, I was wrong, I shouldn't have wronged you." Cheng Mutian pinched her left cheek, then her right, "Still don't know your mistake." Xiao Yuan was stunned, "What else could I have done wrong?" Cheng Mutian gave her a hard kiss on the lips, "Don't you know the saying 'don't look at what is improper'? How dare you stare at another man with such eyes?"

Xiao Yuan thought to herself, "You didn't even realize what was happening, yet you have the nerve to blame me for not turning my back." But she was in the wrong, so she didn't dare say it aloud. She could only cling to her husband's arm and whine, "The old women saw us arguing and ran away long ago. The maids had their backs turned, so no one saw them. It doesn't count. And you're still blaming me. There were a whole room full of maids and old women, even the doctor, and you still rushed up and grabbed my hand."

Cheng Mutian reached into her clothes and pinched her: "Am I not human? I grabbed your hand because I was in a hurry, I didn't care about anything else." When Xiaoyuan saw him touching her, she quickly said: "I just had a miscarriage. If you want to play around, go find your Green Maiden."

Cheng Mutian held her tightly in his arms, burying his head in her neck, and said in a muffled voice, "Even male courtesans laugh at me for not knowing the proper attire, just because I'm clueless about romance. So many people have mocked me, yet you still don't believe me." Xiao Yuan heard the deep disappointment in his tone and suddenly understood. His so-called jealousy of his concubine wasn't entirely for his unjustly deceased mother; it also stemmed from his unwillingness to cause his wife grief. A surge of emotion welled up within her, seven parts gratitude and three parts shame. She hugged him back tightly, murmuring, "Second Brother, from now on, as long as I'm by your side, I'll believe in you."

The two of them made up as before, chatting intimately and discussing what fresh dishes to order for dinner, when they heard a maid outside say that Master Cheng had come to see them personally.

Cheng Mutian was somewhat afraid of his father. He hurriedly straightened his clothes and was about to go out when Xiaoyuan stopped him with a smile, saying, "Don't panic. Father must have come for Lüniang. He is worried that Lüniang is a villain who deliberately sent her to harm us and cause us to divorce."