A Willing Mistake, My Lady – Chapter 37
by Little PandaDrunk and Clingy
Heir Wei’s Wife and Concubine
When the two of them returned, lunch was already mostly prepared. On the front deck of the ship sat a massive iron rack, skewering a fat sheep. Roasted over the red-hot charcoal beneath it, it was sizzling and dripping with oil, emitting a mouthwatering, savory aroma.
“Where did you go? Jiang Yi searched around up here for a while and couldn’t find you. Don’t tell me you ran off to some hidden corner for a secret tryst?” Jiang Ning teased with great interest.
“How can you spout such nonsense? Our Miss and the young master are married. How could it be considered a secret tryst!” Chuntao jumped out, speaking up against the injustice on behalf of her young lady.
Hearing their exchange, Jiang Chenyu’s face beneath her veil grew strangely hot. Her eyelashes fluttered several times involuntarily.
“Boss Jiang’s roasted whole sheep is truly a rarity. As expected of someone who has seen the world, to be so particular even about food.” Shen Hetang stepped past Jiang Chenyu, standing in front of her as if to examine the fat sheep on the roasting rack.
Relieved of the spotlight, Jiang Chenyu felt a little more at ease. Following the person in front of her, she curiously watched the sizzling, golden-brown roasted sheep. She really hadn’t seen this way of eating before.
Jiang Ning held a small brush, layering oil over the mutton, while a man beside her was entirely focused on rotating the sheep.
“I had this sheep prepared ages ago. Once it’s done roasting, I’ll have it brought into the cabin for you to eat. Although eating outside has a more rustic charm, I have a lot of brothers out here, so it’s not quite convenient,” Jiang Ning said as she sprinkled on the seasonings.
“It’s still you who thinks things through so well. It makes no difference to us where we eat,” Jiang Chenyu indicated that it didn’t matter.
At the dining table, Jiang Ning proved to be quite the conversationalist. She specifically recounted amusing anecdotes from her journey that left her listeners clicking their tongues in amazement—tales of a world that cloistered young women had never heard of. She also spoke at length about the interesting things the few of them used to do in the past. Unable to get a word in edgewise, Shen Hetang could only sit there and listen in silence. Later, seeing the others chatting so enthusiastically, she stealthily hooked her finger around Jiang Chenyu’s under the table, like a little puppy terrified of being forgotten by its master. It was truly a pitiful sight.
Jiang Ning seemed to notice the unusually quiet Shen Hetang. Whenever there was a lull in the conversation, she would toast her. This person drank wine like it was cold water. Not wanting to lose too much face, Shen Hetang braced herself and downed several cups.
Just as Jiang Ning was about to pour Shen Hetang another cup, Jiang Chenyu blocked her.
“Jiang Ning, Ah Tang never drinks at home. Don’t pour him any more,” Jiang Chenyu said, her tone carrying a hint of playful reproach mixed with protectiveness.
“Alright, alright, alright. Since the Eldest Miss has spoken, I naturally have to listen. Brother Shen, do as you please.” Jiang Ning still felt that this young miss’s husband was too delicate. If a grown man couldn’t even drink a bit of wine, how would he establish a foothold in the world?
“…You’re too kind!” She felt she was being looked down upon, offering an awkward but polite smile. She truly didn’t drink, but this body’s alcohol tolerance actually seemed decent.
“The sea market opens the day after tomorrow. When that happens, there will be many visitors coming out of admiration. I’m afraid I won’t be able to handle the accounts all by myself, nor do I have the time to manage it all. When the time comes, I’ll likely need you and Chuntao’s help?”
Since this was a business venture between the two of them, Jiang Chenyu still hoped Chuntao would be the one to manage the ledgers. Even though they trusted each other deeply, when faced with massive sums of money, it was best to practice the principle that even own brothers must settle accounts clearly1. That way, she wouldn’t feel any burden in her heart either.
“That’s certainly no problem. We can come over!” This return of the maritime fleet was a major event, and the news had been out for quite some time. When the day arrived, it would undoubtedly be crowded and chaotic. Having them help manage the accounts meant adding two capable generals to her ranks. Keeping the figures perfectly clear would also make it easier to report to the officials sent by the imperial court, as the court was entitled to ten percent of the silver.
“Then you should just stay here with me, right? That will save you the bumpy, exhausting carriage ride the day after tomorrow!” Jiang Ning looked as though she was ready to detain them both.
Beneath the table, Shen Hetang shook Jiang Chenyu’s finger, her entire body radiating resistance, signaling that she wanted to go back.
Jiang Chenyu almost couldn’t hold back a laugh, forcing herself to maintain a serious expression. “No, Jiang Ning. We’ve booked the inn for several days, and it’s not far from here. If we have some free time tomorrow, we can still go out and admire the scenery.”
“That works too. Then I’ll wait for you the day after tomorrow.”
“Miss, I’d like to stay behind and help her sort out the cargo. That way we won’t be scrambling the day after tomorrow. Once I’ve organized everything, it will be much easier for you when you arrive,” Chuntao suggested, her eyes brimming with anticipation.
In truth, Jiang Chenyu felt she ought to stay and help at a time like this, but Shen Hetang appeared to be drunk, waiting very quietly off to the side and looking as if she were trying hard to maintain her composure. It was best they hurried back.
“Alright then, you stay and help Jiang Ning. We’ll head back first and come over early the day after tomorrow. Jiang Ning, make sure to keep a good eye on Chuntao tonight. The wind on the ship is strong at night—don’t let her get frightened!” Before leaving, Jiang Chenyu couldn’t help but give a worried instruction.
“Don’t worry, Miss. She’ll be sleeping with me; I definitely won’t let her get scared.”
“Mm. Then we’ll take our leave for now. See you the day after tomorrow.” After exchanging farewells, Jiang Chenyu took Shen Hetang’s arm and they departed in their carriage.
Shen Hetang had kept her ears pricked, listening to their conversation the entire time. When she heard that Chuntao would be sleeping with Jiang Ning that night, her ears twitched. It felt normal, yet somehow entirely abnormal. Her mind instantly conjured up a scenario of the bandit king’s little pampered wife2, and she was immediately amused.
“What are you laughing at?” Jiang Chenyu asked curiously, seeing her pale complexion tinged with red and her silly grin.
“Nothing, nothing!” Shen Hetang hurriedly shook her head, but that very motion only made her dizzier.
Without a second thought, she buried her head into Jiang Chenyu’s shoulder, slumping heavily against her. A moment later, she began using Jiang Chenyu’s slightly cool, small face to lower her own temperature. She pressed her burning cheeks directly against the beauty’s smooth, delicate skin, cooling one side before switching to the other.
At this moment, Jiang Chenyu felt he was just like a clingy baby that she couldn’t avoid.
Shen Hetang’s head was spinning. That merchant really could drink; Shen Hetang had followed along and downed four or five two-tael cups. It was terrifying.
But Jiang Chenyu’s attitude had been problematic lately. In the past, she had always been the one to take the initiative to get close. These past few days, whenever Shen Hetang tried to be intimate with her, she seemed to dodge away. Shen Hetang didn’t dare imagine whether they would have already parted ways by now if she had directly confessed the truth that day.
Or was her heart leaning toward that bandit? Why had Jiang Chenyu’s attitude changed the moment that person returned? Was she herself just a substitute?
Drunk people loved to let their imaginations run wild. She didn’t realize that recently, burdened by the heavy secret weighing on her mind, her approach toward Jiang Chenyu had become extremely aggressive, frightening the young lady until her heart pounded so wildly she couldn’t cope.
But without Shen Hetang’s former appearance of teasing cats and provoking dogs3, lately, the moment Shen Hetang drew near her, she felt both anticipation and fear, finding it truly embarrassing.
The convening of the sea market was a major event, and the imperial court had specifically dispatched Heir Wei to oversee it. However, Heir Wei was nothing but a profligate son who only knew how to eat, drink, and play, with no real skills to speak of. This duty was originally never going to fall to him. But the originally appointed official, the newly minted Top Scholar Lord Zhang, had eaten something bad the day before departure. Rumor had it he spent the entire night in the outhouse and was so dehydrated that another trip would have cost him his life. Left with no choice, the court had to make a last-minute replacement.
The Old Marquis also wanted to use this as a breakthrough for his son, hoping he could scrape together an official post in the court so people would stop gossiping about him.
But even the most meticulous arrangements couldn’t compete with his own eagerness to actively fall behind. Two months ago, the Heir had redeemed an incredibly stunning beauty from a brothel. It was said that just one look at her could make half of a man’s body go weak.
What was even more coincidental was that this new top courtesan closely resembled the Heir’s unattainable white moonlight4. The Heir had been so thrilled that he immediately wanted to take her away.
Who knows how much silver he spent, but he ultimately won the beauty. Now, even on his very first time working for the court, he insisted on bringing this delicate beauty along, unwilling to be separated from her for even a moment.
However, this absurd behavior was discovered by his father. Terrified that his son would do something unseemly on the road and ruin the family’s reputation, he hastily dispatched the Heir’s Wife to keep a watchful eye on them both.
Inside the spacious, luxurious carriage, Heir Wei sat awkwardly on one side. The legendary, infinitely alluring little concubine was currently draped like a boneless snake, using her bare jade-like foot to lazily tease the Heir’s calf. She leaned against him at an angle, lacking any proper posture.
The woman’s face was exquisitely beautiful, her eyes holding the stars. Even while performing such an indecent act, she remained full of adorable charm and allure. She looked like a sprite that had mistakenly descended into the mortal realm, devoid of the vulgar air of a brothel’s top courtesan. She was the sort of woman who could stun anyone at first glance.
Her slender, jade-like fingers pinched a translucent green grape, offering it to the Heir’s lips.
“Yu Lang… have a grape.” Her coquettish voice sounded as if it had been soaked in Spring Day Intoxication wine. Just hearing it was enough to leave a man dazed and muddled, completely robbed of his senses.
“No, no, I’ll eat it later.” Heir Wei cast a cautious glance at his principal wife sitting opposite them, hastily shaking his head and speaking in a hushed, awkward voice.
Although he and his principal wife… well, he still didn’t dare to slap her face so publicly. He was terrified of the Heir’s Wife—no, the entire manor was terrified of the Heir’s Wife. Only this new little darling, oblivious to death, dared to dance on the Heir’s Wife’s nerves all day long. He truly feared that one day he wouldn’t be able to protect this little vixen who created trouble in heaven and earth5.
“Yu Lang, are you afraid jiejie will be jealous? Then I’ll go feed jiejie one first.” The woman blinked her innocent, large eyes playfully.
“Can you please just settle down? I’m begging you, my ancestor.” The person opposite them, who had originally been resting with her eyes closed, now radiated an icy chill that froze Heir Wei to the bone, so much so that he didn’t even dare look at her directly. Their whole group of wine sacks and food bags6 had grown up living under her formidable shadow and had been thoroughly domesticated long ago. Back when he first heard he was to marry her, he had run away and hidden for ages before being caught and dragged back by his family.
“Tugging and pulling at each other in broad daylight. Are you not afraid of being seen, having it painted into a booklet tomorrow, and sold all the way back to the capital?” The Heir’s Wife’s tone was slightly cold, her gaze sweeping over the two of them like a knife. Heir Wei buried his head even lower.
The beauty straightened her posture. Her eyes, rippling like autumn waters, stared straight at the proper, aloof fairy-like woman opposite her. Suddenly, she stood up and pressed herself over.
Heir Wei quickly covered his eyes and turned his head away, not daring to watch the two of them.
The beauty took two small steps to position herself right in front of the Heir’s Wife, pressing her entire upper body close. Beside her ear, she whispered, “Madam, there are only the three of us in this carriage. If you want to paint… I don’t mind whether it’s an erotic spring book or a regular booklet. After all, others wouldn’t get as clear a look as you, would they?”
“Crash, crack.” A crisp, shattering sound abruptly rang out. It was the sound of a jade pot striking stone.
The two of them stared blankly at the trembling carriage curtain. Heir Wei hastily reached out, trying to pull the beautiful concubine back to his side.
“Let go!” Spotting Heir Wei’s hand grabbing the beauty’s sleeve, the Heir’s Wife raised her eyes and snapped sharply.
Seeing this, Heir Wei immediately released his hand and shrank back to the side like a frightened quail.
“Yu Lang, the Heir’s Wife seems angry. She looks like she wants to eat me.”
“If she eats you, it’s what you deserve. Dead fellow Daoist, not dead poor Daoist7. You just bear it!” He was utterly powerless. In the past, he had brought home seven or eight concubines, and the Heir’s Wife had arranged for them all perfectly. He didn’t know what was wrong with this one, but the Heir’s Wife simply despised her. The warfare hadn’t ceased since the moment she entered the gates. Yet, only this one bore the strongest resemblance to his Qingqing from Ning’an Temple. She was even a bit more outstanding than Qingqing. He needed to look at her every day to remember his love; he wasn’t willing to let her go just yet.
“You, sit here.” After saying that, the Heir’s Wife looked at the person in front of her, the corners of her eyes faintly red. In her normally indifferent, cold gaze, there now seemed to be an inextricable sorrow.
Seeing that she was truly angry, the beauty behaved herself. Ignoring her dropped shoe, she sat obediently beside the Heir’s Wife with one bare foot. Out of the corner of her eye, she covertly stole glances at her, fiddling with her fingers like a child who had done something wrong.
The Heir’s Wife lowered her eyes and pinched the space between her eyebrows. She bent down, picked up the shoe the beauty had dropped to the side, directly grasped her ankle, and slipped the shoe onto her foot.
Seeing how he had brought such a massive trouble back to the Heir’s Wife, and how she was still considering the Marquis Manor’s reputation—even going so far as to personally put a shoe on a concubine’s foot—Heir Wei felt deeply ashamed to face her.
But the beauty only felt that the touch against her ankle was unusually familiar, warm, and dry. She didn’t even need to look to know it was from those hands that looked so exquisite when holding a brush.
She turned her face toward the window, her eyes warm and damp.
The author has something to say:
The jiejie is just here to get soy sauce8; she doesn’t count as a supporting character. I only wrote a short segment, and even I can already feel the level of drama9 from the opening. I’m going to go laugh for a bit, hahahahahaha!!!!
Footnotes
- A common idiom (qīn xiōngdì míng suànzhàng) emphasizing the need for clear financial boundaries even between close family/friends.
- A common webnovel trope (shān dàwáng de xiǎo jiāo qī) referring to a domineering bandit leader and their delicate, pampered wife.
- A colloquial idiom (zhāo māo dòu gǒu) for someone who wanders around playfully causing minor trouble.
- A popular modern Chinese internet slang term (báiyuèguāng) referring to an idealized first love or true love who remains eternally perfect in someone's memory, but who is usually unattainable.
- A modern internet colloquialism (zuò tiān zuò dì) describing someone who relentlessly creates drama and throws tantrums.
- A common idiom (jiǔnáng fándài) for a useless person.
- A cynical, modern internet/xianxia slang term (sǐ dàoyǒu bù sǐ píndào) meaning 'it's better that someone else takes the fall instead of me.'
- A popular internet slang term (dǎ jiàngyóu) meaning one is just a bystander or making a minor, passing appearance without a major role.
- A phonetic translation of the English word 'drama' (zhuāmǎ), used heavily in Chinese internet slang to describe chaotic, scandalous, or theatrical situations.
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