A Willing Mistake, My Lady – Chapter 35
by Little PandaSecretly Conflicted
“Are you saying I’m impotent?”
Traveling north out of Yuan’an Commandery led to Liangzhou. There was a large seaport there, where many fishing boats fished and sold their seafood each year. Any unsold fish was cured and dried. The rich marine resources were a gift from this vast ocean to the common people.
Later, after the imperial court opened up maritime shipping, a specific section was designated as a commercial port. In order to inspect the ships and cargo, Jiang Chenyu had specifically instructed Jiang Ning to find a middleman to introduce Wu Daoyuan to a month-long business venture. The main goal was to keep him occupied with eating, drinking, and merrymaking in another region for a whole month, thereby freeing up time for her to travel to Liangzhou.
After disguising themselves, she and Chuntao had traveled to the Liangzhou coast to inspect the goods and see them off.
She still remembered the grand and magnificent scene from that time. The shore was a sea of people, with commoners rubbing shoulders as they gathered to watch the spectacle. The Commandery Governor of Liangzhou presided over the sea sacrifice ritual. They lit firecrackers, slaughtered cattle and sheep, chanted sutras to pray for blessings, and offered sacrifices. Only after blowing the horns to send off the massive fleet of ships was the task considered complete.
At that time, Jiang Ning stood high up on the ship, waving goodbye to the two of them. She forged ahead with high spirits, heading toward that legendary opposite shore. Jiang Chenyu had envied her for disregarding the secular world’s judgment, unbound by the four walls of a courtyard, as free as a great bird that could soar anywhere.
The round trip alone took over twenty days. Fortunately, by the time she rushed back, Wu Daoyuan had not yet returned from his den of pleasure.
Now, hearing news of the sea vessel was truly tremendous news. Old Jiang had indeed closed the shop and taken his youngest son to Liangzhou to wait patiently for their arrival.
As the ice and snow melted, the green shoots of early spring emerged. Two months passed by quickly. During this time, both of them harbored secrets they could not voice. Jiang Chenyu wanted to go receive the ship, but she didn’t know how to confess this to Shen Hetang. She feared he would think she wasn’t a proper, dutiful woman of the inner courtyard. It wouldn’t do to leave him with the impression that she was a deeply scheming person; her current image was still that of a sweet, obedient darling who relied on him like a little bird.
On Shen Hetang’s side, she had also been constantly thinking about confessing, but it was truly difficult to bring up. If she scared Jiang Chenyu, and the two of them parted ways forever, how would she salvage the situation? Yet, she couldn’t hide it for too long either. The longer time passed, the greater the harm would be. It was best to cut the tangled hemp with a sharp knife1.
Looking at Jiang Chenyu’s exquisite sleeping face under the hazy lamplight, Shen Hetang saw it glowing with a pearl-like luster. Her bright eyes were lightly closed, her long eyelashes curling upward, and her slightly pouting cherry lips were both adorable and charming. Her hair lay loosely scattered to the side, and her half-open collar revealed exquisite curves. Her petite frame highlighted a figure that was slender but not bony, possessing a soft and graceful plumpness.
The more Shen Hetang thought about it, the more her desires flared. Seeing Jiang Chenyu sleeping so relaxedly and sweetly, she threw caution to the wind, reached out, and pulled the girl into her arms, leaning in to kiss her fiercely. After thoroughly disorienting her until her eyes were misted over with desire, Shen Hetang claimed the bedroom was too hot for her to sleep and fled to the study.
Jiang Chenyu in bewilderment raised a hand to gather her long hair, staring dazedly at her fleeing husband. Then, an important thought struck her: they had been married for nearly a year now, yet she and Ah Tang still hadn’t consummated their marriage. Could it be that he was impotent?
At this thought, sudden realization dawned on her. She knew it wasn’t that Ah Tang disliked her, yet every time they were intimate, it stopped at kissing with no further developments. She only had a half-baked understanding of consummation herself—when she went to take down the victim’s statements at the yamen last time, she had only pretended to know what she was talking about—but she knew that it at least required taking off their clothes, didn’t it?
Therefore, it was highly likely that her husband had a physical ailment. She would have to talk to him about it tomorrow. If he was sick, he needed to see a doctor. If, in the end, there was still no cure, she wouldn’t disdain him for it. At worst, she could just adopt a child for him to raise later on, saving him from being mocked by others. Her thoughts drifted further and further, until she was already pondering which family might have an unwanted but adorable child. It would be best if the child looked a bit like Ah Tang so no one would suspect anything. Her train of thought scattered like dandelion seeds on the wind, floating away, never to return…
Shen Hetang had no idea that after teasing her awake, the rest of her life had just been entirely planned out by Jiang Chenyu.
After the meal the next day, Jiang Chenyu looked as if something was weighing heavily on her mind. Shen Hetang raised an eyebrow and looked at her, asking, “Is there something you want to say?”
“Mm… um… Husband, I want to invite a doctor to help condition your body. When do you think you’ll have some free time?” Jiang Chenyu’s face was tinged with a faint pink, as if she had applied rouge. She was actually a bit shy, but she still mustered her courage to speak her mind.
“Invite a doctor? My health is perfectly fine. There’s nothing that needs looking at.” Shen Hetang was a bit bewildered, but immediately after, her heart gave a jolt. Could it be she had discovered something?
Her dark phoenix eyes gazed seriously and with complexity at the troubled person opposite her. She still wanted to be the one to tell Jiang Chenyu the truth. She held Jiang Chenyu’s soft, boneless little hand, idly rubbing and kneading it in her palm, while her heart struggled to find the words to speak.
Being stared at made Jiang Chenyu’s face turn even redder. She stammered, “Ah… Ah Tang… If we see a doctor and still can’t cure the illness, it’s fine if we don’t have children. You don’t need to put too much pressure on yourself.” Taking a deep breath, she finally blurted it out.
“Children? What illness do I have?” Her train of thought was interrupted. She felt they might not be thinking about the same thing.
“Ah Tang, I don’t care whether or not we can perform the rites of the Duke of Zhou2, but you can’t hide your illness and avoid the doctor. Let’s just invite a doctor to take a look, alright?” Since her words had already reached this point, there was nothing left to cover up. If it could be cured, they would live accordingly; if it couldn’t be cured, they would still live accordingly. Regardless, she had never considered abandoning him.
“Are you saying I’m impotent?” Shen Hetang finally understood. She had probably evaded the issue for too long, so it was completely normal for Jiang Chenyu to grow suspicious.
“I’m saying that we can perhaps let a doctor help us. No matter the result, I won’t leave you,” Jiang Chenyu said, squeezing Shen Hetang’s fingers back encouragingly.
“You’re saying that even if we can never consummate our marriage for our entire lives, you’re still willing to be with me?” She lowered her head slightly, leaning in to meet Jiang Chenyu’s gaze. Her clear, gentle voice carried a hint of bewitchment, and her star-like eyes rippled with a bright and enchanting seduction.
Jiang Chenyu leaned back slightly. Her gaze fell upon Shen Hetang’s opening and closing, alluringly red lips. She couldn’t hear what was being said, only nodding purely on instinct, looking docile and delicate.
Shen Hetang knew she was borderline guilty of seducing a young girl, but what else could she do? She had to fight for a little more opportunity for herself. She raised her arms to hug the young lady, burying her face into the crook of her neck. “No need to invite a doctor. Just give me a few more days, alright?”
“Mm… okay…” She rarely saw him act so affectionately clingy like this. Her heart melted into a puddle of spring water.
Two days later, Jiang Chenyu received news that Jiang Ning had arrived in Liangzhou. In her immediate excitement, she threw all her other concerns to the back of her mind. The letter stated that the shipload of goods would be directly featured in a large-scale sales event in Liangzhou. Any remaining items would then be sold in other regions or directly wholesaled to other merchants. The imperial court supervised and managed the operations; they only needed to pay the commercial tax. Although the tax rate this time was as high as a tenth of the cargo’s value, the ship owners returning fully loaded were more than willing to pay this sum.
Jiang Ning thus remained on the ship. Aside from keeping an eye on the goods, she was preparing for the upcoming large-scale sales event.
“Ah Tang, accompany me to the Liangzhou seaport, alright? In a few days, there will be merchant ships returning from distant voyages. I’m sure there will be many novel things we’ve never seen before. Furthermore… my good friend is also there, and I want to go see her.” She gestured animatedly as she spoke, her eyes sparkling, her joy evident in her every expression.
“A good friend? Why haven’t I ever heard you mention this?” Where did this good friend pop out from? Seeing her look so ecstatic and completely lacking in reserve, Shen Hetang secretly drank several bowls of aged vinegar3.
“My friend has been out at sea for over a year. I was quite worried having no news, but a recent letter said they finally returned safely. They are going to work with the imperial court to sell the shipped goods at the seaport. Will you come with me?”
“Is it a woman? That is indeed remarkable. Alright, I’ll go with you.” Her good friend definitely wouldn’t be a man, and if it was a woman, then it was truly worthy of admiration.
“She’s a girl who’s even more imposing than a man. You’ll know when you see her.” She completely failed to notice that the expression on her husband’s face was somewhat strained.
Very well. She also wanted to see what kind of woman was more imposing than a man.
They always say the fourth month is the most beautiful time in the mortal realm. Right at the transition between spring and summer, the sky was blue, the clouds were white, and the wild grasses were vividly green. A few early-blooming peach blossoms were chased by the spring breeze, their fragrance and petals alike drifting over the heads of travelers. In the distance, the green mountains and clear waters formed a pleasant, picturesque landscape.
On the broad official road, inside a spacious carriage, sat two delicate and beautiful women who had been chattering non-stop the entire way. Opposite them sat a young gentleman with a tall, straight posture and picturesque features, currently leaning to the side, resting with his eyes closed.
No matter how beautiful the scenery outside was, after looking at it for several days, it held no interest anymore. If it weren’t for the two girls in the carriage, she would have long since hopped onto the Black Horse—who was currently trotting alongside them like a loafer4—and gone for a ride. She missed cars and high-speed rails.
After enduring the journey for ten-odd days, they finally arrived in Liangzhou. The group first went to find an inn. Recently, many neighboring counties and towns had caught wind of the upcoming maritime market being held here. For a time, inns were in short supply and packed with people.
Fortunately, after checking three places, they managed to find a fairly decent inn. At the end of a small road sat a two-story courtyard building with winding corridors, appearing quiet and clean.
Stepping over the high threshold, they were met with a staircase covered by a red carpet. The attendant led the four of them straight up to the second floor. Looking up, they saw carved wooden ceilings, while red bricks and dark tiles decorated with large floral ornaments gave the place a festive air.
“Young Master, Misses, please come this way!” The attendant, carrying tea, guided them to their reserved rooms. Since there were four of them, they needed three rooms; Chuntao and Zhuzi each took one.
“Innkeeper, please bring some food and wine to these guest rooms, and fetch some hot water for bathing before we sleep!” Shen Hetang took a lap around the room and discovered a fan-shaped screen, behind which sat a wooden bathing tub.
The spring winds were strong, and everyone had been blasted with several pounds of wind and sand. Even if she didn’t wash, Jiang Chenyu would certainly need to bathe. She would just have to figure out a solution for herself later.
Dinner was naturally not as exquisite as what they ate at home, but for a group that had been braving the wind and sleeping out in the open, it was very hearty: a plate of braised beef, a plate of sweet and sour cabbage, a plate of scrambled eggs, a steamed sea bass, and two bowls of plain noodles in clear broth.
Since it was the evening meal, they had Chuntao and Zhuzi eat in their own respective rooms.
The noodle bowls were quite large. Jiang Chenyu transferred half of hers into Shen Hetang’s bowl before picking up her chopsticks. Shen Hetang’s appetite was highly elastic: she wouldn’t starve if she ate little, and she wouldn’t be overstuffed if she ate a lot. This was a skill ordinary people didn’t possess. During her free time, she would also practice her martial arts forms at the yamen to avoid getting rusty.
After dinner, the sky turned completely dark. The lanterns across the inn were all lit, one by one. The attendant punctually brought hot water, pouring it into the wooden tub behind the screen.
“Go ahead and wash up. After you’re clean, you can get a comfortable night’s sleep.” Shen Hetang laid out the bedding she had brought over the inn’s originally thin mattress. Feeling it now, it was much more comfortable.
Feeling somewhat bashful, Jiang Chenyu noticed that her husband wasn’t paying attention to her but was busy making the bed. With a flushed face, she slowly walked behind the fan-shaped screen.
Inside the room stood two mahogany ruyi lampstands, supporting a dim, yellow halo of light that cast the room in half-brightness and half-shadow.
Shen Hetang took off her shoes and lay in the shadows. With an inadvertent glance upward, she caught sight of the beautiful silhouette projected onto the screen. The effect of light and shadow was absolutely perfect in this moment. She suddenly understood why there were no words or paintings inscribed on the front of this fan-shaped screen—so it was meant to offer a view like this.
Completely unaware, the young lady was slowly undoing her garments with light, graceful movements. Her long hair came undone and draped casually over her, completely concealing her bare back. Yet, the projection—detailed enough to magnify even individual strands of hair—revealed a tantalizing view the moment she turned sideways.
The bottom of the screen was carved with openwork. Her fair, lustrous calves were long and slender. When she bent over to remove her silk socks, her full curves invited wild imagination.
Shen Hetang tore her eyes away and got up, walking over to the round table to pour herself a bowl of tea.
“Ah Tang, let’s ask the attendant to send some more hot water in a bit, so you can wash up too.” The faint sound of trickling water came from behind the screen.
“Mm, I can just wash in this. It’s too late; changing the water would be inconvenient.” Emptying the tub and fetching new water was too massive an undertaking. She certainly didn’t want someone walking in and out of their room at a time like this.
“Alright then. I’ll wash a little faster so the water doesn’t get cold.”
In less than half an hour, Jiang Chenyu rose, wrapping herself in a blanket. She slowly put on her sleeping clothes and returned to the bed. At this moment, the bed still held residual warmth, and with her usual familiar bedding, it was so unbelievably comfortable that she wanted to melt into the covers.
Looking at the screen that was worse than having nothing at all, Shen Hetang directly grabbed her outer robe, took off her inner garments, and draped them all over the screen. Only after blocking it completely solid did she step into the water to bathe. The water temperature was just right, neither cold nor hot. She submerged her entire body into the tub, finally stretching out…!
Footnotes
- A Chinese idiom (kuàidāo zhǎn luànmá) literally meaning 'to cut tangled hemp with a sharp knife,' used to describe taking swift, decisive action to solve a complex problem.
- A traditional Chinese euphemism for sexual intercourse, referring to the Duke of Zhou, who supposedly established the rites of marriage in ancient times.
- A common idiom (chī cù / hē cù) meaning to feel jealous in a romantic context.
- A term for a person who doesn't work and idles about.
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