The Noble Woman's Guide On How to Tease One's Husband

116-120

Chapter 116 – Heart-to-Heart Talks

Lately there had been woman's shrieking coming from the not-so-shabby residence in the south of the city that caused dread in the neighborhood.

And today was the same. It was just half the day when the voices came again. Fortunately, the people around had all gone out to work and no one would come to cause trouble.

"You let go of me! Ah — don't touch me! Get out!"

Every time the woman would shout-curse like this for several times but to no avail. With the sound of violent rocking of the headboard and clothes frictions, everything gradually changed. The woman began to shriek out like a female beast, broken yet hoarsely brief and with careful listening, there were even several ambiguous gasping. A long while later, all the sounds ceased abruptly. The door was then kicked open from inside and an exotic-looking man walked out while rolling up his sleeves. He couldn't help but humph seeing the anxious-looking maidservant outside.

"Don't worry, it's not easy to have a woman and this Prince will not toy her to death so easily."

Frightened by his sudden appearance, the maidservant who originally dared not raise her head trembled even more hearing these words. He smiled smugly in response to this and strode out of the courtyard with his chin up. Once he was far away, the maidservant immediately charged into the room.

The room was a mess, as if a fight had just occurred. Upside down table, askew chairs, shattered porcelains, crumpled bedding that was twisted into a ball with half of it fell under the bed staining with dust while the other half tightly clutched across a woman's chest, covering the naked body.

"How are you, Young Miss?"

The woman turned her head stiffly with lips trembling yet not a half sound was made. Feeling anxious, the maidservant carefully lifted the brocade quilt that she was clutching, only to see her body covered with bruises and purplish marks. Some were whips' lashed and some were strangulated from cloth strips. Looking down between the legs was fishy opaque white moist that was harsh for the sight.

The maidservant cried out at once, "Young Miss, just grit your teeth and bear with it! Don't resist anymore as it will only invite more abuse ah!"

"No ... he is not worthy to touch me ... he is just a dog that was cast to Chu Country! How dare he treat me like this?"

With that said, the woman unexpectedly became frantic and wanted to rush out in spite of her nakedness. Running and shouting about wanting to go home, she was stopped tenaciously by the maidservant. As she struggled, the messy black hair covered her whole face and coupled with such crazy behavior, it caused others to think she had gone insane.

"Young Miss, we can't ever go back to the Meng family ... " Saying that, the maidservant wept pitiably.

As it turned out these two people are precisely Meng Chen and Jin'er, who are caught in a never-ending nightmare ever since they came to this Zhizi's residence.

[T/N: 质子 (Zhízǐ) – a prince sent to be held in a neighboring state as a hostage in ancient China]

Wu Lun is savage by nature. He lost the battle for the throne many years ago and was sent to Chu Country by his own brother as hostage for eight years when Qiuci Kingdom submitted as vassal to Chu Country. In these eight years, he was almost isolated from the outside world and lived a prisoner's life that was worse than death. Although it was luxurious, he was like a lower class person. Finally, a woman unexpectedly fell from the sky, hence he eventually had an object to vent out his lust and anger, and Meng Chen has become his rare toy since she entered the threshold.

He knows there is a Meng family behind Meng Chen, but he is not stupid. Since the Emperor has given this woman to him, it proves that she is not a person of good character. Not to mention that the Qiuci kingdom has completely abandoned him, so what is he still afraid of? He naturally wants to toy with her to his heart content! Perhaps this woman can even leave behind a son or a daughter for him and let his bloodline continue, and years later, he can even return to attack the Qiuci kingdom!

Therefore, he has not the slightest hesitation to take her body.

After all, they are already husband and wife. It is normal for this kind of thing but Meng Chen resisted desperately. Not only was he forbidden to touch her, she even refused to let him enter the room and cursed his lowly status. So, how can he tolerate this? Then and there, she was pressed on the stone table in the courtyard and was invaded forcibly, then beaten severely too, which soon became widely known. Since then, the abusive beatings has become a daily routine that one round will come before every chamber activity.

Meng Chen is a noble lady of prestige who has been pampered and spoiled since young, how can she suffer such humiliation? When she is on the verge of collapse, she will curse almost everyone in the Ye family, including the unborn child in Ye Huaiyang's womb. But this is not enough to vent out her pent-up anger, so she viciously stabbed the small doll that looks exactly like Ye Huaiyang and covered it with silver needles.

It's all because of her, it's that bitch who caused her such torments!

This, however, is of no use as Ye Huaiyang is still well alive while the suffering inflicted on her never stops. In desperation, she thought of the Meng family. If her father and elder brothers know the suffering she is subjected to, they will definitely rescue her!

Hence, she tried her best to let Jin'er escape the guards but she came back alone and even told her that she could not go back. What does this mean?

Meng Chen turned abruptly to stare at Jin'er. Instead she heard her sobbing and said, "Young Miss, Nubi[1] went and saw the Old Master in Meng mansion today. He only said he will admonish the Zhizi. Apart from that, he also asked you to let go of your obsession and live your life well, and stop thinking about anything else."

" ... that's all? He didn't say he'd bring me home?"

Meng Chen grabbed Jin'er's shoulders with madding eyes and exceedingly pressing, but Jin'er didn't say anything. She only appeared despondent and the answer was obvious. After a long silence, Meng Chen finally reacted and her face instantly turned deathly pale.

Impossible, how could Father ignore her? What live her life well? How can she live with that kind of person! No, she has to go home and ask her Father clearly!

The two delicate figures ran out of the courtyard one after the other, one with disheveled clothes and unkempt hair while the other pursued anxiously when ultimately they both hugged and tumbled into a ball on the lawn. In such a sorry state, the guards at every corner just looked at them coldly without coming forward to help.

Meanwhile, the person Meng Chen wanted to see was in the inner Imperial City.

The thawed Nanye Lake has restored its former liveliness. With azure waves rippling and fragmented crystalline rays, the fishes that have long submerged scramble to the surface to respire the fresh cold air. With flipping tails and tilting heads, they are full of boundless vitality and can even be said to be overflowing with life.

An elderly and a youth were fishing together by the shore. They appeared so calm and relaxed that even though not a fish got hooked for half a day, they did not react, as if they were only there to relax. But upon closer look, the old man's fingers holding the pole had not moved for a long time, unlike the younger one, who from time to time changed hands to avoid soreness caused by overexertion.

Before long, the youth got up and pulled his pole sharply when a big fish was thus hitched out of the water and drew a long pitch arc in midair before dropping into the bucket with a thud.

"As agreed, I caught it first, so Uncle will have to stay in the palace for dinner tonight."

Chu Jinglan looked at Meng Qi with a faint smile while the latter stroked his beard and laughed, "Thinking back it was I who taught you how to fish back then and now it's undeniable that I'm getting old ah ..."

"It's just my luck." Chu Jinglan raised his chin slightly towards the rear side when Tang Qingfeng came over immediately, "Take the fish to the imperial kitchen and let them make squirrel mandarin fish (pine nut mandarin fish) tonight."

Receiving the order, Tang Qingfeng left while Meng Qi by the side sighed unhurriedly, "It's kind of you to still remember that I love this dish."

"We're a family, what's it about kind or not."

These lightly three brief words of Chu Jinglan immediately evoked a thousand heavy waves in Meng Qi's heart. In spite of having already made countless ruminations before he came, he never expected Chu Jinglan would still be able to say such words to him after what had happened. In an instant, this old man of sixties, who is used to weathering many storms, could hardly conceal his emotions.

"Jinglan, Uncle ... has let you down."

"This is not your fault." Chu Jinglan said lightly.

"Raise but not teach is the father's fault. How can I extricate myself from this?" Meng Qi was shaking with anger when he thought of the ins and outs he heard from Chu Zhenghe that he could barely hold the fishing pole. "My Meng family has boasted generations of upright loyalty, who knew there is actually such a scourge like her! With so many lives, how could she even do it? Moreover, Lord Yue was a fellow schoolmate of mine in former years, I'm not sure how I'll be able to face him below when I see him ah!"

Chu Jinglan was silent for a long time and the coldness in his body dispersed like the rolling waves.

"Do you know, I wanted her to pay with her life for Minister Yue and the Xie family. It was Yang'er who stopped me."

Meng Qi had long heard of this rumor, but when it really came out from Chu Jinglan's mouth, he still closed his eyes unbearably and took a long time before he slowly uttered out a few words, "I know."

"Uncle, that's my only wife and child, who nearly fell and smashed to pieces at the bottom of the valley."

" ... I know." With a trembling voice, Meng Qi was even more helpless than before.

Chu Jinglan looked straight ahead at the gentle ripples on the lake, every word and every sentence seemed to draw out the underworld's darkness that carried infinite coldness and desolation, "In the event that she and child are dead, you and I, and the Meng family will never be like today, and by then ... I will truly be a solitary loner."

Meng Qi's face was full of grief and self-blame. He knew that this nephew of his had put aside the Emperor's identity to express his true feelings to him.

"It's all my fault. I've been negligent in disciplining her, otherwise it wouldn't have come to this. Now I'll just deem not having this daughter. No matter what you do, I ... have no complaints."

After all, she is still his own daughter. Meng Qi really cannot remain unaffected, but she has to face up to justice and to righteousness, not to mention she has harmed Chu Jinglan's wife and child. So, how could he who has always been impartial harbor her daughter then face his nephew unabashedly? And how would his younger sister who is in heaven look upon him?

Though this was a family matter, it would not only be a family affair when this involved the courtier and the heir to the throne. Meng Chen's punishment was not overstated while Chu Jinglan is considered to be forgiving in which he understood.

"Let's just stop here, Uncle. I hope she won't come back to challenge my bottom line again."

Meng Qi nodded. With a remorseful heart, he didn't know where to start and finally just spoke solemnly, "Don't worry, such a thing won't happen again."

Speaking of which, a shadowy silhouette walked over from the cobblestone path by the lake. Although the movement was slow, she was still quite nimble as she fed the fishes and strode mirthfully. Layers of warmth gradually tinted Chu Jinglan's gaze when he got up to meet her. When both of them were several meters apart, she caught sight of Meng Qi along the direction of Chu Jinglan's approach. Without any pretentious bearing, she bowed when Meng Qi's wrinkled face twitched slightly with endless melancholy welled up in his heart.

It's no wonder that Jinglan chose her. With such a breadth of mind and magnanimity, how can Chen'er compare to ah ....