Cuddling with the Cold Female Protagonist – Chapter 22
by Little PandaVolume 2: The Captivating Splendor of Jingdu
Fleecing the Female Protagonist
Ji Qingchi also very much wanted to know who was sitting in that sedan chair.
She took the sleeping drug that Feng Ruoqing gave her and easily knocked out the people chasing them.
When she chased after them using Qinggong, there was no trace of those people. She thought that they must have taken the person in the sedan chair away while they were escaping.
โDidn’t they say that the person impersonating me was recuperating outside Jingdu? How could she suddenly return to Jingdu? However, regardless of their motives, thankfully my whereabouts today were not exposed. I must quickly investigate those around me and find out who the spy is.โ
Ji Qingchi pondered, returning to meet up with Su Yi and the others with a heavy heart.
Su Yi did not manage to get the Ninth Princess’ calligraphy or painting. This trip out, she also didn’t find anything else that could be used as a birthday gift for her great-grandmother. Sitting in her wheelchair, she remained unhappy.
After Ji Qingchi returned, she saw Su Yi sitting in her wheelchair, lost in thought. Thinking for a moment, she walked forward. โWife Master, why are you so unhappy?โ
When Su Yi was asking the imposter for calligraphy and painting, Ji Qingchi was also present, just not showing herself. But with a quick thought, she understood Su Yi’s intentions.
A princess’ calligraphy or painting as a birthday gift is undoubtedly a matter of light on one’s face [่ธไธๆๅ | liวnshร ng yวu guฤng | brings honor/prestige].
The Pingyang Marquis, Su Ban, has always been uncompetitive in the imperial court. Her several older imperial sisters had also tried to win her over, but she seemed uninterested in these things, only focused on enjoying her later years. Nothing in the imperial court seemed to bother her.
Precisely because she didn’t interfere in the imperial daughters’ struggle for the throne, the Emperor Dowager felt she was a person indifferent to fame and fortune. Even if her daughter and grandchildren were unworthy and acted violently and hurt people in Jingdu, she never blamed her.
Showing goodwill to the Pingyang Marquis, this was something she hadn’t thought of. Before, she only wanted to rely on Su Yi to return to Jingdu, and she hadn’t really thought about winning over the Pingyang Marquis. She also didn’t know whether the Pingyang Marquis would accept her goodwill.
โFulang is back?โ Seeing Ji Qingchi return safe and sound, Su Yi breathed a sigh of relief, but in her heart, it still felt like a large stone was weighing her down. She could only force a smile. โIt’s getting late. Let’s go back.โ
โWife Master, haven’t you told me why you’re unhappy?โ
Yanshen answered on her behalf, โMaster, you don’t know, we’ve been out and about, but we haven’t found anything suitable as a birthday gift for the Marquis, so Miss is unhappy.โ
Ji Qingchi lowered her head and looked at Su Yi’s eyes. โWife Master, do you want calligraphy and painting?โ
The sadness in Su Yi’s eyes couldn’t be faked. โYes, I’ve looked everywhere, but I haven’t found any.โ
Facing the delicate beauty and the faint glimmer of tears in her dark eyes, Ji Qingchi was stunned for a moment. After recovering, she quickly turned and said, โJust now, I saw a superb painting in a shop. I’ll go get it. Wife Master, wait for me here, alright?โ
โReally?โ Su Yi’s eyes lit up. How could she have forgotten? The person in front of her was the real deal. Although the female protagonist didn’t have any calligraphy or paintings on hand, she could paint one right now. โThen thank you, fulang.โ
โWife Master, you’re too polite. We’re family now.โ After finishing her sentence, Ji Qingchi hurried off as if ghosts were chasing her.
Yanshen hurriedly said, โMiss, should I send someone to follow Master and help her carry it?โ
โNo need, I believe fulang can manage on her own.โ Su Yi thought, Ji Qingchi must be going to find a quiet place to paint. If someone follows her, wouldn’t they expose her?
Sure enough, after they waited for one and a half shichen [3 hours], Ji Qingchi returned, holding a scroll in her hand.
Unrolling it, it revealed a painting of an evergreen pine tree, a congratulatory birthday gift.
Su Yi didn’t understand painting techniques, but she keenly noticed the seal at the bottom of the pine tree. The characters on it read โQingchi Juan Jiuโ [ๅฟ่ฟ็ทไน | Qฤซngchรญ juร n jiว | Qingchi, ninth in line].
Ji Qingchi was ranked ninth, so this was clearly her seal.
The female protagonist is quite clever, even remembering to bring her own seal when she goes out.
Feng Ruoqing came closer. โThis pine tree looks verdant and upright. Though it stands on a barren, rocky cliff, it appears full of vitality. One can see that the painter is exceptionally skilled.โ
Ji Qingchi smiled without speaking, only watching Su Yi’s reaction.
Su Yi kept staring at the painting, nodding repeatedly. โIt’s truly a good painting, so good! We have something to give Great-Grandmother now.โ
Looking up at Ji Qingchi, she said, โThank you, fulang.โ
Ji Qingchi covered her lips. โI’ve already said, we’re a family. Wife Master, you’re too polite.โ
For the sake of the female protagonist having helped her this once, Su Yi decided not to mind her overly affectionate tone. โFulang is right. It’s getting late, shall we go back?โ
Ji Qingchi smiled and nodded. โAlright.โ
Su Yi and the others had been out for too long. Su Furen [่ๅคซไบบ | Sลซ Fลซrรฉn | Mrs. Su/Su Yi’s mother, furen – married woman of high-status] was extremely worried and sent people out to look for them. But Jingdu was not like Fengcheng. It was too large, and they couldn’t find them for a while, making Su Furen pace anxiously at the entrance.
Finally, at Xu Shi [ๆๆถ | xลซshรญ | 7-9 PM], Su Yi returned with her group, a beaming smile on her face.
Su Furen hurried forward, carefully examining Su Yi, and only relaxed after confirming she was unharmed. Then, she feigned anger. โWhy did you come back so late?โ
From amidst the large pile of things she had bought in Jingdu, Su Yi pulled some out to show her mother. โI couldn’t resist buying so many things!โ
Su Furen, knowing her daughter’s frail health and that she had never been out shopping before, felt a pang of heartache in her heart. โAlright, alright, alright, as long as you had fun.โ
She then had the purchased items taken inside.
Su Yi had bought a lot of things. Besides those she liked, she also bought many for her younger female cousins and male cousins. The other family members didn’t say much, accepting the gifts, and the family waited quietly for the birthday celebration.
After about half a month, the day of the Pingyang Marquis’ birthday celebration arrived.
Early in the morning, Su Yi was pulled out of bed, dressed beautifully, and then went to the Marquis’ residence with her other female cousins.
Ji Qingchi, as her husband, pushed her wheelchair and was allowed to go along. Worried that Su Yi might faint, Feng Ruoqing was also allowed to accompany them.
The Pingyang Marquis held a relatively high-ranking title among non-imperial Marquis families [ๅผๅง็ไพฏ | yรฌxรฌng wรกnghรณu | different surname princes and marquises]. The Marquis’ residence was built to be grand and dignified, yet luxurious.
Just the stone lions [็ณ็ฎๅญ | shรญ shฤซzi | stone lions were thought to protect the building from harmful spiritual influences and harmful people that might be a threat] at the entrance were twice the size of those at her grandmother’s house.
โThis Marquis’ residence is truly imposing,โ Feng Ruoqing said softly after observing for a moment. โNo wonder that legitimate great-grandson dared to be so presumptuous.โ
She paused, then said worriedly, โWill we run into that legitimate great-grandson? If we do, I’m afraid…โ
โDon’t worry, he’s the one in the wrong anyway,โ Su Yi said, comforting her with a smile. โThe others have already gone in, let’s hurry in too.โ
Many people came to present gifts. Because Su Yi’s grandmother was an unfavored concubine-born daughter, the place arranged for her birthday greetings was also very poor, near a pillar in the main hall. Dozens of people were crammed into that small area. The view was terrible, and it was hard to see what was happening in the main hall.
Su Yi, with the medicine Feng Ruoqing had prepared beforehand in her mouth, faced the row of backs in front of her, feeling quite helpless.
Turning her head, she saw Ji Qingchi looking intently outside. Unable to resist her desire to eat melon seeds (like a spectator), she tugged at Ji Qingchi’s sleeve.
Ji Qingchi looked down to see Su Yi giving her a soft smile. โFulang, can you see what’s happening outside? Can you tell me?โ
It wasn’t easy to attend such a grand occasion, only to be stuck in a wheelchair looking at the backs of people’s heads. Only those who experienced it knew the pain.
Driven by her curiosity about the events unfolding, Su Yi’s eyes sparkled. โFulang, tell me, alright?โ
She tugged at Ji Qingchi’s sleeve again, acting like a child seeking attention.
Ji Qingchi couldn’t resist her bright eyes and nodded in agreement.
Su Yi’s eyes curved into crescents with happiness, making her look even more endearing.
Ji Qingchi uncomfortably turned her face away, not looking at her expression, and turned her gaze back to the main hall, recounting everything she saw to Su Yi.
Sitting in the main seat was the Pingyang Marquis Su Ban. Although she was already sixty-five years old, with graying hair, she was still full of energy, sitting there with a cane, exuding an air of authority.
Sitting at her right hand were her heir, Shizi [ไธๅญ | shรฌzว | heir apparent to a Marquis/Prince] Su Wang [่ๆ | Sลซ Wร ng], and her daughter Su Cheng [่ไน | Sลซ Chรฉng]. The two of them were receiving guests together.
Both of them were all smiles, and their etiquette was impeccable. However, after observing them, Ji Qingchi shook her head and said, โThis Shizi’s daughter is not as good as her mother and grandmother.โ
Su Yi nodded. If their family’s conduct were good, they wouldn’t have raised a good-for-nothing son like Su Tianci.
The two of them busily received guests. The first presentation of gifts was a symbolic gift from the Emperor. This was not unusual; usually, when a Marquis celebrated their birthday, the Emperor would bestow gifts. However, after receiving the gift, Ji Qingchi keenly observed that the Pingyang Marquis’s expression suddenly became unpleasant.
She was a little curious and glanced over, discovering that the bestowed gift was actually a ruyi [ๅฆๆ | rรบyรฌ | a curved decorative object, often made of jade, symbolizing good fortune] carved with a pomegranate.
Pomegranates have always symbolized many children and good fortune. The Pingyang Marquis, Su Ban, indeed had many daughters and granddaughters, but her direct lineage was only a single line of inheritance. In the great-grandchild generation, there was only one grandson, and this grandson happened to be fond of stirring up trouble.
Although she had deliberately had people conceal Su Tianci’s actions, especially from those unmarried princesses, she couldn’t fool everyone, and certainly not herself.
Her direct line lacked someone who could shoulder important responsibilities. This was a constant worry that had troubled her for many years.
Although she felt uncomfortable, it was a gift from the Emperor, so she still had to appear happy, kneeling to accept it.
After receiving the gift, her mood dampened.
The second presentation of gifts came from her colleagues in the imperial court and members of the imperial family. She wouldn’t show them a bad attitude. When it came to the third presentation, seeing her large group of useless concubine-born granddaughters and great-granddaughters who only knew how to rely on their ancestors, the feeling of disappointment welled up inside her, and her face darkened considerably.
Hearing from Ji Qingchi that her great-grandmother seemed to be in a bad mood and her expression was gloomy, Su Yi became alert.
Sure enough, after the third presentation began, her cousins, aunts, and other female relatives who went up to offer birthday greetings, without exception, after presenting their gifts, were only given silver taels equal to the value of their gifts and some carriage and horse fees.
Su Yi couldn’t see what those people had given, and she couldn’t be certain whether her great-grandmother would like her gift.
Frowning, she observed for a moment, a light sweat breaking out on her forehead.
As she held her breath and concentrated, she felt the touch of silk on her head.
She looked up and saw Ji Qingchi giving her a gentle smile. โWife Master, don’t panic. I will stay by your side.โ
Su Yi glanced at her mother, who was constantly watching their side, and thought, The female protagonist is really perceptive, she even manages to find opportunities to curry favor.
She nodded. โThank you, fulang. I’m much better now.โ
As her voice fell, she heard the steward announce, โGranddaughter of the twelfth daughter, Su Jie, Su Yi offers birthday greetings.โ
โAlright, it’s our turn.โ Su Yi took a deep breath, smiled at Ji Qingchi, and said, โFulang, please push me over there.โ
Thanks for the chapter