A Willing Mistake, My Lady – Chapter 52
by Little PandaFeigning Illness and Playing Pitiful
Summer Melancholy
The stars in the night sky paid no heed to Shen Hetang’s current state of dishevelment and grievance. They spread in tiny, glittering fragments, hanging across the heavens like a river of silver sand.
Jiang Chenyu wore a silky white satin thin robe, with a sash barely tied around her waist. With the slightest movement, it slipped from her fragrant shoulder, revealing skin like congealed jade and the soft curve of her breast to the other’s eyes. Yet she seemed entirely unaware, affectionately rubbing her cheek against Shen Hetang’s neck. Her warm breath brushed against the cool, pale skin, sending ripples of a tingling, electric current through her.
Shen Hetang pinched her chin to study her closely. A few loose strands from her own tied-up ponytail fell across her forehead. Looking at Jiang Chenyu, she seemed different from her usual delicate, easily bullied self—instead, she possessed a vibrant, striking beauty.
Her curled, feathery eyelashes were half-open. As if lacking the strength to resist, she slipped free from the hand holding her chin and sank back down, grabbing Shen Hetang’s hand to place it on her waist.
She then drifted off into a sweet sleep right on top of her. Though she hadn’t drunk enough wine today to cause a headache, she was indeed lightheaded and simply wanted to sleep leaning against Ah Tang.
As Shen Hetang wrapped her arm around Jiang Chenyu’s waist, her fingers brushed against something resembling a string of beads. To her touch, the cold jade beads were smooth and translucent, half of them emerald green and the other half pearly white. They were moderate in size and felt novel in her hand.
Against the lustrous colors of the jade, her waist appeared even more tender, white, and soft. With a complicated mix of emotions, Shen Hetang squeezed the hip bones on either side of that slender waist with a bit of force, leaving red marks behind.
She knew she probably couldn’t blame Jiang Chenyu for this, but this time, she was truly eating vinegar1. She didn’t dare to contemplate whether Jiang Chenyu’s initial passionate flirtations had all been intended for someone else.
Though eating this vinegar was a bit dramatic, she still had the illusion of being abandoned.
The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became. She leaned down and whispered softly in Jiang Chenyu’s ear, “You don’t have her. You only have me.”
Then, her dark eyes burning with an unresigned heat, she nipped and ground her teeth against her pale collarbone. Sensing the pain, Jiang Chenyu let out a soft groan, but she was too deeply intoxicated to offer any real resistance.
She could only allow the other to leave striking, vivid marks beneath her collarbone.
Through her haze, she felt smooth, soft skin pressing tightly against her back. By the time she realized what was happening and tried to turn around, her waist and hips were pinned firmly in place, leaving her unable to move in the slightest.
The cool bead chain had been unclasped and was now gathered in Shen Hetang’s hand, becoming a toy she played with at her whim.
Lying on her side, she held her captive in her arms, teasing her with a sudden, relentless intensity. It made Jiang Chenyu, who wanted to look back, completely unable to care about anything else in that moment…!
Their bodies—one yielding and soft, the other firm and taut—pressed together, the contrast stark and undeniable.
The sheer curtains swayed in the night breeze. Within the pearwood bed, spring came and the peach blossom waters flowed everywhere2.
Afterward, looking at the pitifully lovely white flower before her, the resolve that had hardened in her heart for less than a shichen3 softened once more.
“Thirsty? Shall I get you some water?”
The beauty’s hair was completely disheveled, and her entire body felt as though it had no bones. She leaned limply in her embrace, whispering a soft response, looking as if her soul hadn’t yet returned to her body.
Shen Hetang slipped on a sheer robe and climbed out of bed to fetch the tea. She helped Jiang Chenyu sit up to take a few sips before setting the cup down and pouring half a bowl for herself.
Once back in bed, she settled the woman who immediately clung to her, using her other hand to slowly wave a large cattail leaf fan, sending a cool breeze over her to ensure she slept comfortably.
She, however, stared out at the flickering, shifting moonlight, unable to fall asleep for a long time.
The next morning, when she reached out to put the smooth, cool waist chain back onto Jiang Chenyu, her face flushed red, and she hurriedly waved her hands. “Don’t… don’t!”
“I washed it, and even soaked it with flower petals!” Shen Hetang teased, dangling the bead chain back and forth.
“I still don’t want it! It’s yours now, you wear it!” Jiang Chenyu shook her head like a rattle.
“Alright, I actually quite like it.” With that, she wrapped the bead chain three times around her wrist and fastened it.
“You’re actually going to wear it like that?” She was so embarrassed she wanted to find a crack in the floor to crawl into.
“It’s perfect for summer—quite cool to the touch,” Shen Hetang replied, unbothered.
As the weather grew hotter, everyone became sluggish. Lately, Jiang Chenyu had noticed that Shen Hetang constantly seemed lacking in energy.
“Ah Tang, do you have heatstroke? You look so sickly and listless,” she asked, stepping forward to cup Shen Hetang’s cheek.
“No, it’s nothing.” Ever since she had started eating vinegar over the original owner of the body, she had been wrapped in a sort of bright, melancholic sorrow. This feeling of helplessness—of fighting a rival she couldn’t actually compete with—had left her dispirited for days.
It didn’t affect their daily life or their relationship; it was just the brooding moodiness of an angsty intellectual. After twisting herself into knots, she would feel she was being overly dramatic. She also disdained asking foolish questions like, “Do you like the old me or the current me?” All she could do was quietly process it herself, leaving her looking utterly wilted.
Coupled with the intense summer heat and the lack of cases at the yamen, she spent her free time wearing a light gauze tunic and short trousers, lying barefoot in a rocking chair beneath the shade of a tree. Lazily waving her fan like a retired old man, she had completely lost all fighting spirit.
Jiang Chenyu truly believed she was suffering from heatstroke. She brought over chilled fruit, feeding it to her piece by piece with a silver fork, pampering her like a three-year-old child. Even the ice chest was something Chuntao bought daily from the wealthy merchant Wu.
In both her lifetimes combined, Shen Hetang had never been treated with such meticulous, tender care. Spotting an opportunity, she feigned illness and acted weak for several days. This went on until Jiang Chenyu, growing deeply concerned, threatened to summon a Daoist master or some immortal to see if she had attracted some uninvited spirit. Terrified, Shen Hetang miraculously recovered the very next day, no longer daring to play sick for attention.
Meanwhile, Wu Manor remained quiet. After suffering such a devastating blow to his vitality, Wu Daoyuan had indeed fallen into a state of collapse. His shops closed one after another, and money was lost left and right. If they wanted to maintain the household’s expenses, they would have to continue selling off properties.
Yet only four shops remained under their name: two fabric stores, a sundry shop, and a jewelry boutique. The fabric stores had long been struggling because they lacked fresh patterns and couldn’t source the fashionable fabrics currently in demand; it was considered a blessing if they earned enough to cover the workers’ wages.
The jewelry boutique was hardly worth mentioning, leaving only the sundry shop to bring in any actual funds. Even then, it was just pocket change—far from enough to sustain the extravagant lifestyle the people of Wu Manor were accustomed to.
Wu Daoyuan’s intention was to sell off the unprofitable jewelry boutique, but the buyers were smarter than him. His shop had long been depleted of genuine gold and silver; instead, it was filled with useless, cheap novelty goods to make up the numbers. Small coral ornaments, agate bracelets, silk flowers, and handkerchiefs—these low-value items were neither high-end nor cheap enough to appeal to anyone, leaving them with no target market.
Seeing that no buyers were interested in the boutique, the Wu household grit their teeth and sold the sundry shop. Furthermore, because Wu Daoyuan’s recent prescriptions required rare treasures like ginseng and lingzhi mushrooms—luxuries that money alone could hardly buy—Nanny Wu took advantage of his bedridden state to secretly sell off the two fabric stores as well.
However, after taking her money, the physician delayed sending the ginseng and lingzhi. This left Nanny Wu so anxious that a ring of blisters flared up around her mouth, making her look even more terrifying. Yet, she didn’t dare tell Wu Daoyuan the truth.
She could only send her elderly maids and servants out to search the world for the swindling physician, but the man seemed to have vanished into air, leaving no trace behind no matter how hard they looked.
Now, they were in a fine mess. The only property remaining under Wu Manor’s name was that struggling jewelry boutique, which couldn’t possibly cover their household expenses. Having failed to pay wages for three months, Nanny Wu had already provoked deep resentment among the servants.
She herself had amassed quite a bit of personal savings over the years, but that was her nest egg, and she would never touch it unless absolutely forced to.
“Curse you to hell! Who was it? Who stole this old mother’s4 coffin money5!” On a scorching afternoon, a screech like a slaughtered pig erupted from next door, followed by a torrent of vile, heaven-cursing abuse.
“Oh my, you can really tell she’s devastated. Scraping and saving for so many years, only to have her hard-earned coffin money stolen—this must have cost her half her life,” Chuntao remarked, her round eyes wide with wonder.
Jiang Chenyu’s gaze swept over the high wall erected between the two manors. With a serene expression, she continued to eat the large, plump, sweet grapes.
Suspecting an inside job, Nanny Wu lined up all the servants for questioning. Yet, even after turning Wu Manor completely upside down, they couldn’t find the casket containing her silver notes. Furthermore, the servants unanimously claimed they hadn’t left the estate, making it impossible for them to have smuggled her savings out.
In the end, Nanny Wu had no choice but to report the theft to the authorities. But thieves were never easy to catch, and soon rumors of a phantom thief operating in the area began to spread. People spoke of it with such vivid detail that it was as if they had seen the thief with their own eyes. Unable to recover her money, Nanny Wu had to accept her loss, looking as if she had aged another six or seven years, her body turning dry and withered.
Upon hearing that a thief had infiltrated the estate, Wu Daoyuan dragged his ailing body up to dismiss a portion of the staff. Indeed, it was time to downsize their retainers; they were no longer as wealthy as they once were. Yet, he still had no idea that Nanny Wu had secretly sold his two fabric stores and been swindled out of the proceeds. This secret was like a ticking bomb buried right beside his pillow, waiting to blow his life to pieces when he least expected it.
The day after next would be the annual temple fair6. Finding herself with some free time, Jiang Chenyu also wanted to visit the temple to offer ever-burning lamps7 for her mother and grandparents.
With a deep blue sky and bright sunshine, it was indeed perfect weather for an outing. Noble ladies and young misses climbed the stone steps under colorful parasols, laughing and chatting. There were also many peasant girls gathering in small groups to pray for blessings. No matter who they were, however, everyone had to climb the long stone steps on their own.
Despite the scorching heat, the mountain was packed with people—a testament to how few recreational activities were available to folks in this era. It was said that an eminent monk was coming to Huaguang Temple today to lecture on Buddhist scriptures, drawing devout believers from all the surrounding towns to pay their respects and burn incense.
In the dense crowd, despite Shen Hetang holding her up, Jiang Chenyu accidentally sprained her ankle. Her delicate, tender foot swelled up like a small steamed bun, and she couldn’t bear to let it touch the ground.
Seeing that they had only a third of the way left to reach Huaguang Temple, it felt a pity to head back down. After some thought, Shen Hetang decided to carry her up on her back. After all, she would have to carry her down anyway, so since they were already here, they might as well not let this ruin their day.
Fortunately, both of them were dressed simply today. Shen Hetang wore a white tunic with subtle dark patterns, cinched at the waist with a broad black leather belt. Her hair was pulled high into a ponytail secured by a silver crown carved with lotus patterns, and a few loose strands fell over her smooth, pale forehead, swaying gently in the mountain breeze.
Many young girls nearby stole glances in their direction, occasionally hiding their faces behind silk handkerchiefs as they whispered to their companions.
Though Jiang Chenyu dearly wanted to offer those lamps, she couldn’t bear to let Ah Tang carry her up the steep stone steps.
“Let’s wait for Chuntao to call Zhuzi over,” she suggested.
She meant that they should find a couple of people to carry her down on a litter.
“You want Zhuzi to carry you on his back?”
“Ah? No, I didn’t say that.”
“Stop talking nonsense, hurry up and hold onto me. We’ll get up there faster.”
She just didn’t look that robust, okay? If she couldn’t even carry her, wouldn’t she have been out of a job long ago!
And so, with Shen Hetang carrying Jiang Chenyu on her back while Jiang Chenyu held up an oil-paper umbrella, the two continued to squeeze their way upward through the crowd.
Climbing stone steps while carrying her wife in a dense crowd was indeed no easy task.
As they neared the temple gates, the combined toll of the summer heat and physical exertion caused fine beads of sweat to break out along Shen Hetang’s temples and behind her ears, glistening under the bright sunlight.
Seeing this, Jiang Chenyu hurriedly wiped the sweat away with her sleeve. Resting her head on Shen Hetang’s shoulder, she stole a few quiet kisses on her ear.
“Behave yourself,” Shen Hetang threatened playfully. “If my hands shake, you’ll roll right down the stone steps.”
“I don’t believe you!” Jiang Chenyu replied, entirely fearless, and went ahead to plant two more kisses on her ear anyway…!
Footnotes
- chī cù; literally 'to eat vinegar', a classic Chinese colloquial term representing romantic jealousy, originating from a Tang Dynasty historical anecdote.
- chūn lái biàn shì táohuā shuǐ; a poetic line meaning 'spring comes and peach blossom waters flow everywhere', used as a sensory metaphor for intimacy.
- shíchen; a traditional Chinese unit of time equivalent to two hours.
- lǎoniáng; a highly colloquial and arrogant self-reference literally meaning 'this old mother' or 'I', commonly used by forceful or angry older women.
- guāncáiběn; literally 'coffin money', a traditional colloquial term referring to an elderly or middle-aged person's life savings set aside for old age and burial expenses.
- miàohuì; a traditional Chinese temple fair held near temples, combining religious worship, bustling markets, food, and folk performances.
- chángmíngdēng; an ever-burning lamp lit in temples as a prayer for the longevity or peaceful afterlife of loved ones.
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