Chapter 3: Pretty Boy? Uncle?
I only knew later that the kidnapping was caused by the Emperor’s little sister, the Ninth Princess.
When Pei Yanzhen passed the imperial exams at a young age, news of his outstanding literary talent spread in the capital. Once the rumors of his famous reputation got out, there was no stopping the momentum. And the top scorer position especially captured the young ladies’ heart. Without a doubt, those captured hearts also included the Ninth Princess’ fluttering heart. Even the Emperor had a mind to make him her prince consort.
Unfortunately, it could only be a one-sided love. No matter how many times the Emperor and Empress dowager hinted, Pei Yanzhen reservedly declined. So the Emperor dropped the topic, yet the Ninth Princess stubbornly continued. Thus, the capital repeatedly put on a show of a girl chasing a boy. Apart from the Imperial Academy and the government offices, the Ninth Princess followed Pei Yanzhen everywhere. She created a chance encounter with him then looped around and bumped into him again, vowing to worm her way into his heart. Pei Yanzhen, on the other hand, pretended not to know and calmly treated her with due respect. This led to the Princess falling deeper.
This lasted over a year, and the Emperor was fed up with the situation, yet the Ninth Princess went on in the same lively manner. Don’t know if he was frightened, but eventually, Pei Yanzhen fell ill. Whenever it was windy or dry, he came down with a headache and fever. The imperial physician who took his pulse said it might be that Master Pei is from the water-rich Jiangnan, so he was not used to the dry north.
Assuming Pei Yanzhen could not endure the pains plaguing his body, he resigned from his post and moved back to Jiangnan, hoping to recover a healthy body. Ninth Princess heard her beloved big brother was leaving and naturally kicked up a fuss in front of the Emperor. The Emperor in a rage scolded her, “Don’t make trouble!” He then issued an edict, allowing Pei Yanzhen to return to Yangzhou.
Ninth Princess was pampered since young so when had she heard such harsh words. She became a lot more restrained after that angry outburst. No doubt she was just planning for her next big move.
When she heard Pei Yanzhen was marrying the Shen girl, she left the palace with a dozen guards in the middle of the night to steal the groom.
Back then I only had one word to describe this, which was “disaster.” That Pei Yanzhen was a source of calamity!
I was really curious. That Ninth Princess persevered for so long and spent so much to steal the groom, then how did Pei Yanzhen talk his way out of the lion’s mouth?
I’ve asked him many times and each time he says it’s a secret that can’t be let out.
One night, after rolling in the sheets, I remembered my aunt taught me a bedroom secret. Right after a man had his fill was the best time for requests. Whatever was asked certainly will be answered. So I asked him once more. Sure enough, Pei Yanzhen held me closer while running his fingers through my hair, and replied with a gentle smile, “I only told her one sentence before she let me go.”
“What sentence?” I raised my head from his belly with a curious look.
“I told her–” Pei Yanzhen lowered his voice and leisurely said, “I can’t be intimate in bed.”
“You!” I momentarily choked. Unable to breathe in, I started to hiccup nonstop. He really is a source of calamity! What “can’t be intimate.” What a scoundrel!
When he saw me hiccup repeatedly, he unexpectedly laughed without restraint. Now I couldn’t tell if he told the truth or not.
I ordinarily only see him with a gentle smile and never saw him smile so straightforwardly. It was like staring at a flower not yet bloomed knowing it’ll turn into a lotus, yet when it blossomed, it turned into a beautiful peony. Totally caught unprepared.
I didn’t know how other couples get along. My mom passed early and my dad always visited her grave and didn’t remarry. My two little brothers still haven’t taken any wives. The few aunts gathered together noisily to gamble or gossip. Both the family and business were enormous so daddy was always busy. The times those aunts saw daddy can’t be compared to how many times he saw the bookkeeper.
In contrast, I believed Pei Yanzhen treated me pretty well. At least he returned home every night and hadn’t considered taking in concubines. He knew I liked martial shows so he invited theater troupes from time to time for a lively performance.
Except, my name changed from Shen Miao to… Uh, Pei Shenshi… What a conceited and old-fashioned idea. It’s a really distasteful title.
裴沈氏 (PeiShenShi) 裴 = ML’s surname 沈 = MC’s surname 氏 = maiden name/born as
So basically her name is now “Pei née Shen” or “Pei, born as Shen”
A few months after my marriage, my birthday came around. I woke up early to stroll around the courtyard and found that there weren’t any festive signs. I could dismiss that he didn’t hold a party, but he didn’t even invite a group to act out a little play for me. Thinking back, he apparently came home late the past few days. I was already fast asleep when he got back. Connecting the dots, I knew there was a suspicious secret.
There was a principle that the most beautiful scenery is never in front of you. A wife is inferior to a concubine.
Only, wasn’t this a bit too fast?
At night, a maid brought me to the rear court saying the young master invited me. Unexpectedly, I almost fell on my face while walking in. The entire courtyard was pitch black. While waiting for the maid to light a lantern, the yard suddenly brightened. There was a white silk screen hanging in front of the light.
In a moment, a group of shadow puppets appeared behind the screen carrying a bridal sedan chair. Later, another puppet came in with a familiar costume. I pondered a bit until I saw the puppet pull a red-robed puppet out of the chair. The two bowed toward each other when another group of puppets appeared and attacked. After the fight, the male puppet ran away.
Now it wasn’t just familiar…
In the end, the male puppet rushed back alone. I suddenly thought of a weird idea. As it turned out, “Snowy Night on Liangshan” wasn’t the best play. There was another far above it.
Lost in my thoughts, I was caught unaware when the screen split and withdrew. For a moment, the lights in the back were extinguished and the lanterns in the middle of the yard simultaneously lit up. Pei Yanzhen walked out leisurely. In his hand was the red puppet. He looked at me affectionately and said, “Wife, this puppet was made with my own hands. Although my elementary carving skills aren’t refined, make do with this for the time being.
I was in a daze and didn’t know how to respond.
“Does my wife dislike this?” Seeing that I have yet to accept, Pei Yanzhen lowered his eyes, “If you dislike my handiwork, then I’ll make another one next year. A new one every year, okay?”
So, he came home late these days because he was learning about shadow puppets. Because he was carving that puppet.
I felt my nose sting and hurriedly stretched out my hands to take the puppet. For a moment I thought that Pei Shenshi wasn’t so bad after all.
Then, in a low voice, I murmured, “So you weren’t having an affair…”
At night, I couldn’t fall asleep until the break of dawn…Scholars were indeed scary. They became hostile faster than they could turn pages!
Who’d have thought that two years after I was finally accustomed to the title “Pei Shenshi,” Pei Yanzhen became a prefectural magistrate and a bizarre incident occurred?
Not to mention men, even a god would not have expected this.
Don’t know who first spoke of it. Pei Yanzhen was brought up in conversations and naturally, they mentioned that he married Jiangnan’s wealthy businessman, Shen Qian’s only daughter. More gossip led to my mom, Lu Yao, who had an untimely death. Then they uncovered that the Pei family had married a lady surnamed Lu. Thus, a group of bored antique officials looked up the Pei and Shen family records to investigate.
And finally obtained a surprising conclusion–Pei Yanzhen was my mother’s distant younger cousin!
As a result, a group of solemn moralists wrote a petition, bluntly saying our marriage was immoral. They spoke of how Pei Yanzhen was a major public figure and must be a model for the common people. How could we let the world laugh at us for having no propriety? Our country would lose face!
In short, the eloquent speeches tied our marriage to the preservation of the country.
Once the Emperor heard about it, he also thought it was a serious situation.
The next day, an imperial edict came rushing into Yangzhou as if on fire. After the decree was a long and detailed description of how the lineage was linked. It was so complicated I couldn’t wrap my head around it. I only understood one thing, which was that Pei Yanzhen was my distantly related uncle.
Thus, by the Emperor’s will and the gossipers’ meddling, my marriage completely fell apart.
In truth, given careful consideration, it wasn’t hard to understand…
In a phrase, men fear to get into the wrong business and women fear to marry the wrong man. The role of the Emperor really lacked a sense of security.
When I dejectedly packed my bags, I felt as if I left something behind, yet couldn’t figure out what it was. It was only when our family put on a play one day that I recalled the shadow puppet. I had forgotten where I left the puppet and don’t know if I can someday inconvenience him to go…
Chapter 3: Pretty Boy? Uncle?
I only knew later that the kidnapping was caused by the Emperor’s little sister, the Ninth Princess.
When Pei Yanzhen passed the imperial exams at a young age, news of his outstanding literary talent spread in the capital. Once the rumors of his famous reputation got out, there was no stopping the momentum. And the top scorer position especially captured the young ladies’ heart. Without a doubt, those captured hearts also included the Ninth Princess’ fluttering heart. Even the Emperor had a mind to make him her prince consort.
Unfortunately, it could only be a one-sided love. No matter how many times the Emperor and Empress dowager hinted, Pei Yanzhen reservedly declined. So the Emperor dropped the topic, yet the Ninth Princess stubbornly continued. Thus, the capital repeatedly put on a show of a girl chasing a boy. Apart from the Imperial Academy and the government offices, the Ninth Princess followed Pei Yanzhen everywhere. She created a chance encounter with him then looped around and bumped into him again, vowing to worm her way into his heart. Pei Yanzhen, on the other hand, pretended not to know and calmly treated her with due respect. This led to the Princess falling deeper.
This lasted over a year, and the Emperor was fed up with the situation, yet the Ninth Princess went on in the same lively manner. Don’t know if he was frightened, but eventually, Pei Yanzhen fell ill. Whenever it was windy or dry, he came down with a headache and fever. The imperial physician who took his pulse said it might be that Master Pei is from the water-rich Jiangnan, so he was not used to the dry north.
Assuming Pei Yanzhen could not endure the pains plaguing his body, he resigned from his post and moved back to Jiangnan, hoping to recover a healthy body. Ninth Princess heard her beloved big brother was leaving and naturally kicked up a fuss in front of the Emperor. The Emperor in a rage scolded her, “Don’t make trouble!” He then issued an edict, allowing Pei Yanzhen to return to Yangzhou.
Ninth Princess was pampered since young so when had she heard such harsh words. She became a lot more restrained after that angry outburst. No doubt she was just planning for her next big move.
When she heard Pei Yanzhen was marrying the Shen girl, she left the palace with a dozen guards in the middle of the night to steal the groom.
Back then I only had one word to describe this, which was “disaster.” That Pei Yanzhen was a source of calamity!
I was really curious. That Ninth Princess persevered for so long and spent so much to steal the groom, then how did Pei Yanzhen talk his way out of the lion’s mouth?
I’ve asked him many times and each time he says it’s a secret that can’t be let out.
One night, after rolling in the sheets, I remembered my aunt taught me a bedroom secret. Right after a man had his fill was the best time for requests. Whatever was asked certainly will be answered. So I asked him once more. Sure enough, Pei Yanzhen held me closer while running his fingers through my hair, and replied with a gentle smile, “I only told her one sentence before she let me go.”
“What sentence?” I raised my head from his belly with a curious look.
“I told her–” Pei Yanzhen lowered his voice and leisurely said, “I can’t be intimate in bed.”
“You!” I momentarily choked. Unable to breathe in, I started to hiccup nonstop. He really is a source of calamity! What “can’t be intimate.” What a scoundrel!
When he saw me hiccup repeatedly, he unexpectedly laughed without restraint. Now I couldn’t tell if he told the truth or not.
I ordinarily only see him with a gentle smile and never saw him smile so straightforwardly. It was like staring at a flower not yet bloomed knowing it’ll turn into a lotus, yet when it blossomed, it turned into a beautiful peony. Totally caught unprepared.
I didn’t know how other couples get along. My mom passed early and my dad always visited her grave and didn’t remarry. My two little brothers still haven’t taken any wives. The few aunts gathered together noisily to gamble or gossip. Both the family and business were enormous so daddy was always busy. The times those aunts saw daddy can’t be compared to how many times he saw the bookkeeper.
In contrast, I believed Pei Yanzhen treated me pretty well. At least he returned home every night and hadn’t considered taking in concubines. He knew I liked martial shows so he invited theater troupes from time to time for a lively performance.
Except, my name changed from Shen Miao to… Uh, Pei Shenshi… What a conceited and old-fashioned idea. It’s a really distasteful title.
裴沈氏 (PeiShenShi) 裴 = ML’s surname 沈 = MC’s surname 氏 = maiden name/born as
So basically her name is now “Pei née Shen” or “Pei, born as Shen”
A few months after my marriage, my birthday came around. I woke up early to stroll around the courtyard and found that there weren’t any festive signs. I could dismiss that he didn’t hold a party, but he didn’t even invite a group to act out a little play for me. Thinking back, he apparently came home late the past few days. I was already fast asleep when he got back. Connecting the dots, I knew there was a suspicious secret.
There was a principle that the most beautiful scenery is never in front of you. A wife is inferior to a concubine.
Only, wasn’t this a bit too fast?
At night, a maid brought me to the rear court saying the young master invited me. Unexpectedly, I almost fell on my face while walking in. The entire courtyard was pitch black. While waiting for the maid to light a lantern, the yard suddenly brightened. There was a white silk screen hanging in front of the light.
In a moment, a group of shadow puppets appeared behind the screen carrying a bridal sedan chair. Later, another puppet came in with a familiar costume. I pondered a bit until I saw the puppet pull a red-robed puppet out of the chair. The two bowed toward each other when another group of puppets appeared and attacked. After the fight, the male puppet ran away.
Now it wasn’t just familiar…
In the end, the male puppet rushed back alone. I suddenly thought of a weird idea. As it turned out, “Snowy Night on Liangshan” wasn’t the best play. There was another far above it.
Lost in my thoughts, I was caught unaware when the screen split and withdrew. For a moment, the lights in the back were extinguished and the lanterns in the middle of the yard simultaneously lit up. Pei Yanzhen walked out leisurely. In his hand was the red puppet. He looked at me affectionately and said, “Wife, this puppet was made with my own hands. Although my elementary carving skills aren’t refined, make do with this for the time being.
I was in a daze and didn’t know how to respond.
“Does my wife dislike this?” Seeing that I have yet to accept, Pei Yanzhen lowered his eyes, “If you dislike my handiwork, then I’ll make another one next year. A new one every year, okay?”
So, he came home late these days because he was learning about shadow puppets. Because he was carving that puppet.
I felt my nose sting and hurriedly stretched out my hands to take the puppet. For a moment I thought that Pei Shenshi wasn’t so bad after all.
Then, in a low voice, I murmured, “So you weren’t having an affair…”
At night, I couldn’t fall asleep until the break of dawn…Scholars were indeed scary. They became hostile faster than they could turn pages!
Who’d have thought that two years after I was finally accustomed to the title “Pei Shenshi,” Pei Yanzhen became a prefectural magistrate and a bizarre incident occurred?
Not to mention men, even a god would not have expected this.
Don’t know who first spoke of it. Pei Yanzhen was brought up in conversations and naturally, they mentioned that he married Jiangnan’s wealthy businessman, Shen Qian’s only daughter. More gossip led to my mom, Lu Yao, who had an untimely death. Then they uncovered that the Pei family had married a lady surnamed Lu. Thus, a group of bored antique officials looked up the Pei and Shen family records to investigate.
And finally obtained a surprising conclusion–Pei Yanzhen was my mother’s distant younger cousin!
As a result, a group of solemn moralists wrote a petition, bluntly saying our marriage was immoral. They spoke of how Pei Yanzhen was a major public figure and must be a model for the common people. How could we let the world laugh at us for having no propriety? Our country would lose face!
In short, the eloquent speeches tied our marriage to the preservation of the country.
Once the Emperor heard about it, he also thought it was a serious situation.
The next day, an imperial edict came rushing into Yangzhou as if on fire. After the decree was a long and detailed description of how the lineage was linked. It was so complicated I couldn’t wrap my head around it. I only understood one thing, which was that Pei Yanzhen was my distantly related uncle.
Thus, by the Emperor’s will and the gossipers’ meddling, my marriage completely fell apart.
In truth, given careful consideration, it wasn’t hard to understand…
In a phrase, men fear to get into the wrong business and women fear to marry the wrong man. The role of the Emperor really lacked a sense of security.
When I dejectedly packed my bags, I felt as if I left something behind, yet couldn’t figure out what it was. It was only when our family put on a play one day that I recalled the shadow puppet. I had forgotten where I left the puppet and don’t know if I can someday inconvenience him to go…
