Chapter Eleven: Eldest Sister Escapes

TL: 247reader

TLC: Tygris

This was Chu Yi’s first time coming to a jewelry shop. In the past, her clothes and jewelry had all been made by others, and she would usually receive a few items during festivals. She would take whatever she was given.

She seldom went out, let alone on this sort of shopping excursion.

When Chu Yi heard Lady Lin ask her to choose, her first reaction was to refuse. “Elder Sister-in-law, I don’t lack anything.”

Lady Lin scolded her. “How could there be such a thing as too much jewelry?”

The clerk also said, “Yes, Miss, how could there be such a thing as too much jewelry? I see you are close to your elder sister-in-law. There is a saying that a gift from an elder should not be refused. I just don’t know if the things in our shop will catch your eye. If you don’t like what you see, we can create a custom piece. Satisfaction guaranteed!”

Chu Yi looked over at Lady Lin, who said, “Bring out everything fine-looking that is suitable for a young lady.”

The clerk exclaimed, “Of course,” and invited the two to the private rooms inside. “Madam, please sit over here. Please wait a moment, and the pieces will be brought right over.”

Chu Yi wasn’t actually feeling ill-at-ease. Lady Lin had good intentions, but she was not unhappy at all, so there was no need to coax her like this.

But Lady Lin didn’t give her a chance to speak. “You’ll have more opportunities to go out in the future, so it’s only right that you have more jewelry. I’m your elder sister-in-law, and as the saying goes,  an eldest sister-in-law is like a mother. You don’t have to be polite to me.”

This was like the box of dried fruit the other day.  Chu Yi had considered that fresh and novel, but Lady Lin had no shortage at all of things like this.

Today, Chu Yi had been the center of everyone’s attention. She had not only been stared at, but also been left feeling wronged.

Other girls at this age remained sheltered in the boudoir – except Chu Yi. Thinking of how she had argued for Chu Ying and Chu Jin, Lady Lin had felt distressed, so, on a whim, she’d come up with this idea.

Several attendants came over carrying wooden boxes. The one in the lead offered an apologetic smile and said, “Madam, take a look. Do these suit your taste?”

He could see that Lady Lin was the decision-maker.

The box was opened, and the jewelry inside was glittering and colorful. It included exquisite hairpins of various shapes, head ornaments, and pairs of jade bracelets.

Lady Lin picked one up and held it against Chu Yi’s head.

Chu Yi whispered, “Let’s skip the head ornaments; I just received two sets. I’ll just buy two small hairpins. I don’t need anything else.”

She could accept the gifts from Lady Yan and Duke Chu with peace of mind, but as far as Lady Lin was concerned, she was not as comfortable.

With a glance at Lady Lin, the attendant silently put away the head ornament.

When Lady Lin saw that Chu Yin had chosen a small hairpin shaped like a pink gemstone butterfly with a pearl flower, she felt that it was far too little. Her third younger sister was too sensible.

She removed three less attractive pieces from the ones on display and said to the attendant, “Package up the rest.”

They could leave a maid to settle the account, and so from the time that they had entered to the time they had finished shopping and left, only a ke had passed.

Before Chu Yi could get her bearings, Lady Lin led her into a magnificent restaurant.

She was curious, with bright eyes and a smiling face.

This time, Lady Lin was finally relieved. “What would you like to eat, Third Younger Sister?”

Chu Yi replied, “I’ve never been here before, and I don’t have any dietary taboos. Elder Sister-in-law should make the decisions.”

Lady Lin ordered six of Zuixiang Lou’s specialty dishes, plus a soup. ^[1]Zuixiang Lou, the “Drunken Fragrance” restaurant, has been mentioned earlier in the novel as a family favorite. The food at the Duke’s Mansion was actually quite good, but since Chu Yi rarely came out, Lady Lin figured it was best to finish things off with a meal that would make her happy.

The dishes were served, and they began to eat.

Chu Yi thought the food was delicious. The crispy pigeon had paper-thin skin and was juicy. ^[2]Crispy fried pigeon is often served at banquets and particularly popular in Hong Kong.The Wensi tofu soup was also painstakingly prepared; just looking at it was a stunning experience. ^[3]Wensi tofu soup, named for a Qing dynasty monk, features swirls of finely shredded tofu, and is indeed one of the prettiest soups I have ever seen.

Lady Lin picked up a chopstickful of duck meat with green bamboo shoots for Chu Yi. “These are this year’s fresh bamboo shoots. This dish is only annually available at this time of year. The name is also nice, ‘The duck is first to know when the spring river warms’. ^[4]春江水暖鸭先知 Try it.”

Thin pieces of bamboo shoot had been stir-fried with duck meat. The green bamboo shoots were the river water and the duck meat was naturally the duck. The name was quite apt.

Chu Yi suddenly remembered that last time, when she had gone to the Yong’an Marquis Mansion, Lady Lin had specially asked her to try the pan-fried meatballs and braised porkbelly. It seemed that she was a foodie.

She tasted the bamboo shoots, which were crisp and combined the fresh taste of bamboo shoots with the salty flavor from the duck meat. The way that the two flavors intertwined together was novel and delicious.

The duck meat had a good texture, firm and chewy, but in comparison, it was a bit mediocre.

Lady Lin looked at Chu Yi with a smile. “How is it?”

Chu Yi nodded and said, “It’s delicious. The bamboo shoots are crisper than usual and have a meaty tinge. In this dish, the bamboo shoots are better than the meat.”

Lady Lin’s smile deepened. “I also prefer these bamboo shoots.”

There were six dishes and one soup. The two sisters-in-law ate slowly. Chu Yi tried to eat as much as possible, but when they finished, the plates on the table were still half-full. The rest would probably be given to the maids.

After dining, the two returned home, heading to the main courtyard first as usual.

Chu Yi had thought that if she went there now, she wouldn’t have to go at night. However, upon learning that Lady Yan had already gone to bed, the two of them returned to their respective courtyards.

After this excursion, Chu Yi was extremely tired. She didn’t even have the heart to look at the new jewelry she’d bought. She simply washed up, took down her hair bun, and went to bed.

When she woke up, the room was dark. She thought it was night, but when she looked again, she saw that the bed curtain was drawn, which had obviously dimmed the room.

She called a maid in.

Liuxia didn’t wait for Chu Yi to ask before saying, “Miss, it’s only three ke before Shen shi. ^[5]8:15 PM You’ve been asleep for almost a shichen. The things you brought back are in the outer room. No one from the main courtyard has come.”

Chu Yi’s mind cleared up a bit. “Change my clothes. Bring me the moon-white outfit. Let Nanny Li do my makeup; just keep it simple.”

She had returned late, and she would need to go to the main courtyard to pay her respects soon.

But she didn’t want to go too early. Lady Lin, who had returned with her, would probably converse with her di mother for a while. It would be better for Chu Yi to arrive a bit later.

After Lady Lin returned, she  took her daughter with her for a nap. Once she’d awoken, she carried Ying’er to the main courtyard.

She could visit at any time. Ying’er was Duke Chu’s eldest granddaughter. She was the only member of her generation, and Lady Yan was very fond of her.

After holding the baby for a while, she let the nanny take her away and began talking to Lady Lin.

Lady Lin explained, “When Third Younger Sister and I returned, Mother had already gone to bed, so we went back first.”

Lady Yan said, “You two went out together. With you there, my heart can be at ease.”

Lady Lin sighed softly. “I used to feel the same way, but today, seeing Third Younger Sister defending Jin-meimei in front of the Second Miss of the Qin family, I felt far from at ease.”

Lady Yan frowned slightly and asked, “Second Miss Qin came as well?”

Lady Lin nodded. “The moment she saw Third Younger Sister, she broke out into such aggression. If you didn’t know better, you’d think the Duke’s Mansion owes her something!”

Lady Lin had arrived late and had no idea what Chu Yi had said before, having only heard the last few words. “She also said that Jin-meimei had two princes seeking her hand in marriage, implying that she was an unchaste woman. But Third Younger Sister was quick-witted enough to ask if all the courting couples in the world had been involved in secret relationships. That’s what really left the Qin girl speechless!”

The more Lady Lin thought about it, the angrier she became. Previously, her rage had subsided as the afternoon wore on.

She was about to speak when Duke Chu’s voice emanated from the doorway, “Did Minister Qin’s daughter really say this?”

Lady Lin subconsciously looked at Lady Yan. How had Duke Chu shown up without even a word of warning?

Lady Yan gave her eldest daughter-in-law a soothing look, and the two of them bowed. “Greetings, Lord Duke, Father-in-law.”

Duke Chu said with a frown, “No need to be so polite. You and your third younger sister went out today?”

Lady Lin could only recount the events of the day, with less exaggeration than when she had told Lady Yan.

From the side, Lady Yan said, “It’s just a quarrel between young girls, Lord Duke, don’t take it seriously.”

Duke Chu replied, “If children are not well-educated, the parents are at fault. If no one had ever spoken these words to her, she would never have said them herself.”

To Lady Lin, he added, “Go back first. I have something to say to your mother-in-law.”

With a bow, Lady Lin departed. Duke Chu then went into the inner room to change out of his official uniform.

As he washed up, Lady Yan wetted a handkerchief for him, and Duke Chu wiped his hands slowly. “I originally thought that when Yi’er went out, she would at most suffer some injustice because of Ying’er’s matter.”

After all, Chu Jin had been locked up in the household temple for more than a year. Duke Chu thought that the matter should have faded from others’ memories long ago.

But that obviously wasn’t the case. The Qin family remembered, and Prince Li and Prince Chen likely did as well.

The calls for a crown prince to be appointed were growing louder and louder in the court. Although His Royal Highness Prince Qing was the eldest son, he was inferior to his younger brothers. If Prince Chen or Prince Li ascended the throne, things would not necessarily end well for the Duke Chu Mansion.

Even if either of the two Princes were to ascend the throne in the future and bring Chu Jin out, she would still at most be a concubine, relegated to the status of a pawn and fated to fight against others.

Lady Yan took a deep breath and said, “I should have gone out earlier to save her, a little girl, from having to face all this.”

Duke Chu said, “Madam, you have not been in good health these past two years. You need to rest well.”

Lady Yan’s anxiety rose just thinking about it. “I didn’t expect that Second Miss Qin would say those things. A few days ago, Princess Consort Chen even sent an invitation to the Duke’s Mansion.”

Duke Chu said calmly, “Ill-intentioned.”

But he didn’t say whether to accept or not. Prince Chen was the Emperor’s biological son, and Princess Consort Chen was an Imperial daughter-in-law. It was not done to refuse their invitation. However, if she attended, Chu Yi would be treated unfairly. Although he had no strong feelings for this daughter, Duke Chu still couldn’t harden his heart.

Lady Yan said, “There are still a few days left, enough time to think it over.”

Duke Chu nodded. “Madam, don’t worry too much. First, let’s eat.”

He had been out of the house all day and by now his chest was adhered to his back. ^[6]Meaning extremely hungry or starving, so much so that your innards have shrunk to the point that your chest is sticking to your back.

Lady Yan had just ordered a maid to bring up the meal when Nanny Chen came in. “Master, Madam, the Third Miss is here.”

Duke Chu said, “Let her in.”

Chu Yi was dressed more simply this time than she had been in the morning. While she had two pearl flowers in her hair, they were not the new ones she had bought that afternoon.

After entering, she greeted Duke Chu and Lady Yan.

Duke Chu said, “Dinner has just been sent for. Stay, and let’s eat together.”

Chu Yi hadn’t expected to arrive at such an inconvenient time. If she had known, she would have come earlier. Lowering her head, she replied, “Yes, Father.”

Usually, when Duke Chu was on a rest day, ^[7]休沐 (xiū mù) is basically the ancient version of weekends. they would have breakfast together. This was the first time they had eaten dinner together outside of family banquets.

Dinner in the main courtyard featured many varied dishes, but Chu Yi, who had eaten a lot at noon, had no appetite in the evening.

Seeing that she had barely moved her chopsticks, Duke Chu said, “You seem to be thinner. When you head back later, I’ll supply some herbs and ask a court physician to prescribe some medicinal recipes for you to nourish your health.”

Chu Yi replied, “This daughter will listen to Father.”

Duke Chu glanced at Chu Yi. She reminded him of Concubine Yu, although he could no longer truly remember what Concubine Yu had looked like.

His expression softened a bit, as though this was just a casual conversation between father and daughter. “What do you do on the days when you don’t go out?”

Lady Yan didn’t say anything. With a faint smile on her face, she quietly watched the father-daughter pair.

Chu Yi pondered for a moment, then spoke. “I read books to pass the time.”

With an approving nod, Duke Chu said, “It’s always good to read more books. If you don’t have enough of them, go to my study. You can read anything there. You don’t have to stick to poetry and prose; read more history. If you don’t understand something, you can ask me.”

Seeing that his daughter was timid and might not dare to go to the study to read, he added, “How about this— I’ll have Chen Bai send you some books. Give the housekeeper a list of what you want to buy. How do you prefer to decorate your study?”

Chu Yi told the truth. “This daughter studies in her bedchamber, rarely using the study room.”

Duke Chu said, “That won’t do. I’ll have Chen Bai pick out some decorations for you later. The sight of a lively room makes one want to spend time in the study.”

Chu Yi felt that this father was quite the “doting dad.” ^[8]Diē (爹) is a more informal term for “father” than Fùqīn (父亲), and implies more affection. Every time she returned from an excursion, he and Lady Yan would give her something, and she was growing used to it.

Chu Yi smiled. “Many thanks, Father.”

Duke Chu also smiled, seemingly satisfied with Chu Yi’s obedience. “Alright, let’s eat.”

Halfway through the meal, Nanny Chen came through the door, panicked. “Madam!”

Nanny Chen looked anxious. There were words on the tip of her tongue, but she seemed to be concerned about Chu Yi and Duke Chu, and so said nothing.

Duke Chu thought that she was being insolent. “Is your throat blocked?”

Nanny Chen kept looking at Lady Yan as she spoke. “It’s the household temple. The Eldest Miss ran out again…”

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