Pregnant Salted Fish Chapter 15

Important translator note: From now on, I will change Madam Su (苏氏 / Xu Yanqing’s mother) to Lady Su or Marchioness to avoid confusion with another Madam Su (苏夫人) of the actual Su main family. As you can see, their titles are different in Chinese.

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Early the next morning, Xu Yanqing was forcibly pulled out of bed by his mother. The grieving salted fish struggled to sleep for a while, but a warm handkerchief landed on his face.

“Ah Qing, why are you still acting like a baby? Do you want Mother to wash your face for you?” Lady Su dotingly reached out and pinched Xu Yanqing’s cheek.

Xu Yanqing, who was groggily opening his eyes, was teased by his mother and couldn’t help but lean on her shoulder, whining, “Mother, I’m so sleepy!”

“You’d still be sleepy even if I let you sleep for three more hours. Get up quickly, or Mother will make you lie in bed naked.” The originally elegant and gentle Lady Su, after marrying and having children, seemed to have become more direct and assertive.

After finishing washing up, Xu Yanqing finally regained some consciousness and changed into the spring clothes delivered by Jinxian Pavilion yesterday.

The garment was a pale aquamarine blue, with a wave pattern embroidered on the chest, which accentuated Young Master Xu’s already fair skin, making his lips even redder and teeth whiter, and his face exquisite.

Lady Su couldn’t help but pinch her son’s face again, then nodded with great satisfaction: “Truly my child, so beautiful.”

Was she being sincere when she praised him as beautiful? And with her tone, was she praising her son or herself? Xu Yanqing curled his lips. Never mind, as long as Mother’s happy.

Nowadays, when the Su residence in the capital was mentioned, people referred to it as Grand Secretary Su’s residence. Grand Secretary Su had two sons and two daughters. Except for the eldest son, who was legitimate, the others were born of concubines.

His legitimate eldest son had only one son, who was now married to Princess Qingzhu, the sister of Prince Huai. Princess Qingzhu had been married into the Su family for four years now and had only given birth to this one daughter, so a grand celebration was certainly in order.

However, privately, Madam Su and Princess Qingzhu were at odds. Originally, there was a rule in Daliang that those who married princesses could not hold official positions, but fortunately, after the emperor ascended the throne, this ban was abolished.

Madam Su had never liked Qingzhu, so she was determined to send women into her son’s chambers. Princess Qingzhu, being of noble status and a strong-willed woman, did not allow her husband to take concubines, which meant that in these four years, no illegitimate sons or daughters had been born before her child.

For the child in Princess Qingzhu’s womb, Madam Su had long anticipated it, but when it was born a girl, it was said that Madam Su immediately gave Princess Qingzhu a cold shoulder.

Princess Qingzhu wouldn’t care about Madam Su’s petty tricks. Her brother was the esteemed Prince Huai, and as long as Prince Huai continued to be valued by the Emperor, Madam Su would never be able to arrange concubines for her husband.

Lady Su briefly explained these private matters of the Su residence to Xu Yanqing on the way. However, Xu Yanqing, as a man, naturally didn’t need to interact with those inner-chamber women; he just needed to be aware.

As soon as Lady Su entered the Su residence with Xu Yanqing, she was hurriedly invited away by a young maid. Before leaving, Lady Su left the maids she had brought with her son, and then secretly pursed her lips unhappily as she followed the maid towards the back quarters.

Xu Yanqing couldn’t help but chuckle. The maid who came to invite his mother was from Madam Su’s chambers. He guessed his mother would be listening to another round of complaints from Madam Su.

Su Yanjiang was Madam Su’s legitimate eldest son. Although his status wasn’t particularly noble, he was a rare young gentleman, graceful and exceptionally literary. Even in the capital, he was highly regarded. From a young age, Madam Su had placed great hopes on this legitimate eldest son. Now, with Princess Qingzhu controlling her son’s inner chamber, Madam Su found it a real headache, as she couldn’t manage her.

“Young Master Xu?” When Princess Jing’an entered, she vaguely saw a familiar figure, so she walked towards that spot.

Princess Jing’an was a noble lady who was brought up under the pampering care of the Grand Princess. Her every move attracted more attention than even Princess Qingzhu’s, so when she moved, everyone’s gaze immediately turned towards Xu Yanqing.

Xu Yanqing was undeniably a refined and delicate young gentleman, but his past behavior had been too unrestrained, leading everyone to hold a prejudice against him. Even though Su Hanfeng had been expelled from the capital, it hadn’t completely cleared away people’s deep-rooted impression of him.

So, when everyone saw Princess Jing’an walk up to Xu Yanqing, they all covered their mouths with round fans, whispering and gossiping amongst themselves.

Xu Yanqing was a bit tired of standing and just wanted to find a place to rest his feet, but now that Princess Jing’an had approached, he could only bow respectfully to her: “Princess Jing’an.”

“It’s crowded here. Let’s find somewhere to rest,” Princess Jing’an said, winking at Xu Yanqing and smiling very charmingly.

Xu Yanqing straightened up, and their eyes met, revealing a knowing smile. Under everyone’s gaze, they slowly walked away.

“I heard that Princess Jing’an used to have a good impression of Su Hanfeng. Now that Su Hanfeng’s scheme has been exposed, I didn’t expect Xu Yanqing to catch Princess Jing’an’s eye.”

“But doesn’t Xu Yanqing like men? Why is he being so attentive to Princess Jing’an?”

“Who knows? Maybe he’s heartbroken and has turned over a new leaf, liking women again!”

…

Xu Yanqing and Princess Jing’an found a pavilion in the Su residence and sat down.

Princess Jing’an saw Xu Yanqing’s tired face and couldn’t help but smile: “With your lazy nature, why would you think of getting involved in Princess Qingzhu’s daughter’s third-day wash ceremony?”

During those few days staying in Qingling Mountain, Princess Jing’an had truly learned a thing or two about Xu Yanqing. She had never seen such a lazy young gentleman. Aside from washing and eating, he spent the rest of his time either lounging in a reclining chair or lying in bed.

The listless salted fish sighed deeply, wishing he could have a bed brought to him to lie down or at least a reclining chair.

Unfortunately, they were on someone else’s territory now. He could only prop his chin on his arm, leaning against the stone table: “Princess Qingzhu’s husband is my cousin, and the little girl is my niece, so that’s why I came.”

Princess Jing’an, seeing Xu Yanqing’s languid appearance, couldn’t help but sneer, “Xu Yanqing, are you trying to fool a ghost? Usually, I don’t see your Wu’an Marquis mansion being that close to the Su family. Besides, with your lazy disposition, “niece here, niece there”—I’m afraid you wouldn’t even bother to look at your own daughter if she were born.”

Xu Yanqing raised a hand to stroke his chin. What a terrible impression he must have left on Princess Jing’an. But after a careful thought, he nodded thoughtfully, “The princess is right. Actually, my mother dragged me out of bed.”

“That’s the truth,” Princess Jing’an smacked her lips. “Misery loves company. We are all connected by fate. If it weren’t for my mother forcing me to come over, I wouldn’t have entered Qingzhu’s house.”

Princess Qingzhu was three or four years older than Princess Jing’an and also a generation older. She had an unforgiving and stubborn personality, so Princess Jing’an had disliked playing with this little maternal aunt since childhood. Even now that she was grown, they could only maintain a superficial friendship.

Thinking about it now, Princess Jing’an was even more irritated. She and Xu Yanqing were good friends, but Qingzhu had married Xu Yanqing’s cousin, which practically forced her down a generation. How infuriating!

The two of them huddled in the pavilion, enjoying their leisure, occasionally exchanging jokes, which was quite entertaining. It was certainly more enjoyable than listening to the insincere flattery at the banquet.

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In the courtyard separated by a wall, Yin Yanjun was sitting upright at the table, sipping tea. His brows and eyes were cold and desolate. As the wind rustled, his robes fluttered, making him appear like an immortal ready to ascend at any moment.

Opposite him sat Prince Huai, forcefully correcting his posture. It was evident that this prince, known for his dissolute reputation, did not enjoy such rigid sitting.

After court today, Yin Yanjun pondered for a moment before accepting Prince Huai’s invitation to attend the banquet at the Su mansion.

He was born with a detached nature. Aside from his biological elder sister, the Grand Princess, he didn’t have a close relationship with his younger siblings. However, Prince Huai had been a carefree spirit from a young age who couldn’t read people’s expressions, repeatedly and shamelessly approaching him.

Even when Yin Yanjun was the Crown Prince, he had been disciplined and self-controlled since childhood, with high demands for those around him. Therefore, when Prince Huai was young, he always tried to tease this young but mature elder brother.

Unfortunately, nine out of ten times, the result was him being thoroughly disciplined by Yin Yanjun on the ground.

Later, after being disciplined many times, Prince Huai finally learned a little wisdom, barely managing to feign some royal etiquette in front of Yin Yanjun.

“When did Wu’an Marquis’s mansion’s young master become so close with that girl Jing’an?” Prince Huai’s conduct was unrestrained; when it came to a truly dissolute and flamboyant nature, ten young masters Xu couldn’t compare to one of him.

“Young people always find common ground.” Yin Yanjun had no intention of commenting on this. His status was, after all, special, and it wasn’t appropriate for him to personally visit his half-sister’s room to see the child. So, he beckoned, signaling Weng Jing to present the congratulatory gift to Prince Huai.

“Having a child is a good thing for Qingzhu; it makes her feel at ease. She shouldn’t be too excessive in her usual conduct.” Yin Yanjun lifted his teacup and took a light sip, his eyes as clear and cold as ever.

Prince Huai took the brocade box, a joyous smile spreading across his face: “It’s her good fortune that Imperial Brother remembers Qingzhu. This humble subject will certainly convey Imperial Brother’s words to her.”

In truth, Prince Huai understood that his sister had gone a bit too far with her actions in the Su mansion. However, his sister was inherently arrogant and never listened to advice. Now, he could use the Emperor’s name to persuade her.

“Mm.” Yin Yanjun responded indifferently.

In the adjacent courtyard, Xu Yanqing was still joking with Princess Jing’an. Princess Jing’an stared at Xu Yanqing’s face: “Young Master Xu, why do I feel like you’ve lost a bit of weight?”

Xu Yanqing, just like last time, raised his hand to pinch his cheek. This time, he looked slightly puzzled: “Didn’t the princess say I was fat last time?”

Lately, all he’d done at the Wu’an Marquis mansion was eat and sleep. Plus, due to his pregnancy, Lady Su was even more attentive to his diet. However, he ate a lot and threw up a lot, and the two together were quite a torment.

Princess Jing’an thoroughly scrutinized Xu Yanqing from head to toe, then nodded with certainty: “Perhaps last time when I said you were fat, you secretly cut back on your meals!”

Catching Princess Jing’an’s teasing, Xu Yanqing smiled and shook his head: “No, not at all. Maybe it’s just my inherent beauty that’s hard to conceal; I never get fat no matter how much I eat.”

Princess Jing’an burst into laughter: “What gentleman would call himself inherently beautiful? Xu Yanqing, you really do praise yourself too much!”

In the adjacent courtyard, Prince Huai had long since disappeared, leaving Yin Yanjun sitting alone. On the table before him lay an unfinished game of Go. His distinctly jointed fingers held a crystal-clear white piece, but he showed no intention of placing it.

Listening to the sounds of laughter from the pavilion next door, his expression paused slightly, lost in thought.

 

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