Cuddling with the Cold Female Protagonist – Chapter 42
by Little PandaVolume 2: The Captivating Splendor of Jingdu
Little Ice Person Su Yi
This happened every winter.
Su Ban was used to it. As usual, after giving a few instructions to her legitimate daughter, she left in her sedan chair.
The day after she left, Su Tianci brought a group of people armed with sabers, swords, and hammers, barging into Su Yi’s courtyard.
Su Ming had gone out to check on the shops. Su Yi was prone to coughing fits in winter, and that day her cough had flared up, so she was resting in the courtyard.
Seeing the menacing group, the maids quickly shielded Su Yi. Su Yi looked calmly at Su Tianci and the men holding sharp weapons, asking, “What do you want?”
“What do we want? Heh.” Su Tianci spoke viciously to her, “Everything in this estate belongs to us, the legitimate line! You little bastard1, what right do you have to live here?”
Saying this, he commanded his men, “Smash it for this young master! Smash everything here!”
He added, “Throw them all out!”
Most of the maids and servants in this courtyard had been assigned to Su Yi by Su Ban. Seeing the legitimate great-grandson and young master bullying Su Yi, they didn’t dare intervene, merely lowering their heads in silence.
Su Yi had brought fewer than ten of her own maids and servants. They were vastly outnumbered. Soon, the courtyard was a scene of utter chaos. Except for the servants assigned by Su Ban, Su Yi and her people were driven out of the Marquisate by the guards like stray dogs2, without even time to grab thick clothing.
It was deep winter. The streets were mostly empty. Snow three chi3 deep was melting, and the cold numbed people until they could barely speak.
Su Tianci stood at the entrance, spitting curses at Su Yi, “Little… bastard! Don’t you even look at what trash you are4, daring to fight with this young master over the family property!”
Saying this, he ordered people to splash cold water on them. In this freezing weather, getting soaked likely meant freezing to death.
Everyone scrambled to dodge, but there were many throwing water, and soon they were drenched like drowned rats5.
A gust of wind blew past, freezing even their eyelashes.
“Little bastard! If you dare come near the Marquisate again, it won’t just be this!” Su Tianci roared with laughter, looking at Su Yi’s soaked and wretched state. “If my mother hadn’t forbidden killing you here, I would definitely stab you full of holes like a sieve.”
Finished, he turned away smugly, laughing, “Close the gates! Don’t let the mongrel dogs outside get in.”
“How can these people be so unreasonable! We still have so much clothing and silver inside!” Yan Can shivered violently from the cold, quickly turning to tend to Su Yi. “Miss, are you alright? What should we do?”
Su Yi felt like she had turned into a person made of ice. She forced out a sliver of rationality, “Cough cough… We… go find my mother. The road is covered in snow, you all… be careful… very careful.”
“Yes.” Two maids quickly pushed Su Yi’s wheelchair, while the others huddled around her, trying to shield her from the cold wind as they hurried towards the shop.
By the time they reached the shop, Su Yi had slumped limply in her wheelchair, ice-cold all over, her eyes closed, her lips turned a dark purple.
Seeing her daughter like this, Su Ming felt her heart plummet in terror. She quickly ordered people to light a charcoal brazier, change Su Yi’s clothes, and wrapped her entirely in a large cloak, holding her close. Her voice choked with tears, “My Yi’er, Mother’s heart, why are you so cold?”
She looked at Yan Can, who had changed clothes and was warming herself by the fire. “What happened? How did Miss end up like this?”
Yan Can quickly recounted Su Tianci’s actions.
“How dare he!” Su Ming raged. “Wait until Grandmother returns—”
Suddenly, a jolt ran through her. Decades of business acumen gave her a sharp intuition for danger. She called out, “Someone! Someone! Quickly! Ride with utmost speed and find the Marquis! Tell her to be careful of those around her, I fear someone means her harm!”
Two maids with strong constitutions mounted fast horses and rode out of the city to deliver the message.
Still uneasy, Su Ming had someone send a carrier pigeon to notify Su Ban as well.
After doing all this, she held Su Yi tightly with aching tenderness, calling out, “Where is Doctor Feng? Someone, quickly call Doctor Feng!”
Yan Can said, “Head of Household, Miss Feng left early this morning.”
Feng Ruoqing lived with them in the Marquisate. She often went out searching for medicinal herbs for her concoctions and was permitted free entry and exit.
So, her frequent absences were normal, and they were used to it, never inquiring about her whereabouts.
“Then call another doctor! My Yi’er, nothing must happen to her!” Su Ming clutched her freezing daughter, nearly hysterical. “Go quickly, quickly fetch a doctor!”
Winter was a prime season for sacrificial rites, and livestock were indispensable for sacrifices.
Yanxue Kingdom was founded on martial prowess. Successive Emperor Regnants used game they personally hunted as offerings. The current Emperor was the same.
However, her own hunting skills were mediocre, and she disliked drawing a bow. When the imperial daughters were young, she used game hunted by ministers as offerings. Once the princesses grew up, she simply had several of them hunt in her stead.
The Second Princess loved to slack off, the Third Princess was frail and scholarly, the Seventh Princess disliked killing, and the Eleventh Princess was still too young.
Thus, in the vast Royal Hunting Grounds, only Ji Qingchi and the Fifth Princess, Ji Qingxuan, whom she hated to the bone, were competing for prey.
The Emperor, meanwhile, took shelter from the wind with the other princesses and ministers in a two-story wooden lodge beside the hunting grounds, observing the two princesses’ contest.
“Little Nine’s riding has improved quite a bit, eh,” the Second Princess remarked, hugging a hand warmer and snacking. “She can control her horse and draw her bow without even needing to hold the reins.”
“Fifth Elder Sister’s archery is much more refined too,” the Seventh Princess said, her eyes fixed on the hunting grounds. After saying this, she added in surprise, “Did I see that correctly? Why did it seem like Fifth Elder Sister’s arrow just now was aimed at Ninth Younger Sister?”
“You must have seen wrong,” the Third Princess quickly pulled her down to sit, casting a cautious glance at the Emperor, who was surrounded by attendants. The Emperor’s gaze was calm, still fixed on the hunting grounds. It was impossible to tell if she had seen Ji Qingxuan’s action just now, or heard the Seventh Princess’s words.
Probably not.
The Third Princess released the Seventh Princess’s hand, sighing inwardly.
Among the six sisters, only Ji Qingxuan was the legitimate daughter. Her father was the Jun Hou6, enfeoffed as soon as the Emperor ascended the throne. The Emperor had a rare difficult birth with Ji Qingxuan, and the Jun Hou willingly sacrificed his life for his qizhu7, saving the Emperor. Thus, Ji Qingxuan became an orphan at birth, the only imperial daughter raised personally by the Emperor.
Little Nine always complained it was unfair. And wasn’t it? The five of them combined probably didn’t measure up to Ji Qingxuan alone.
On the hunting grounds.
Ji Qingchi clutched her face, grazed by an arrowhead, gripping her bow tightly. If the hatred in her eyes could kill, the person opposite her would already have had her bones ground to dust.
“Ah, Ninth Younger Sister, truly sorry about that.” Ji Qingxuan shrugged nonchalantly. “Ninth Younger Sister wore all white today. This Palace thought you were one of the white foxes in the hunting grounds.”
Ji Qingchi said coldly, “Fifth Elder Sister’s eyesight is truly excellent.”
“Hahaha,” Ji Qingxuan laughed, her eyes like chips of ice. “My eyesight is indeed good. Ninth Younger Sister should be more careful, otherwise, you might just find yourself pierced through the heart by an arrow.”
“Many thanks for Fifth Elder Sister’s reminder.”
After this exchange, the two resumed chasing prey.
The sacrifices required animals like oxen and sheep, as well as large bears and tigers. In the past, Ji Qingchi had always strained every nerve to hunt these, aiming to win.
She thought that if she defeated Ji Qingxuan, her Mother Emperor would praise her.
She started hunting at eleven and was now seventeen. For six whole years, she had won four times, yet received not a single word of praise.
Conversely, Ji Qingxuan always received rewards, whether she won or lost.
So, winning or losing didn’t matter much anymore. This time, she didn’t want to hunt tigers or deer either. Other prey in the grounds interested her more.
Those few foxes with pure white fur.
A few days ago, heavy snow had fallen in the capital. While at her residence, she had vaguely heard that Su Yi didn’t tolerate cold well. The Marquisate had bought more charcoal than usual, and apparently, the Su family’s Heir Apparent had voiced some complaints about it.
She thought of Su Yi’s pale face; she did indeed look like someone afraid of the cold. These were snow foxes, their fur the most windproof and cold-resistant, perfect for making clothes.
Thus, when the ritual officer struck the gong signaling the end of the hunt, the princesses seated on the second-floor platform were surprised to see their Ninth Younger Sister, usually laden with spoils, walk up carrying only three white foxes in each hand.
Meanwhile, Ji Qingxuan was directing people to carry over the wild oxen, mountain goats, and deer she had hunted.
“Little Nine…” the Third Princess hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping short. She was a little worried her Ninth Younger Sister had been provoked too much.
The Seventh Princess, lacking subtlety, spoke bluntly8, “Ninth Younger Sister, how come you only got this much this time?”
Ji Qingxuan walked up, sneering, “Heh, her skills aren’t as good as others’, she just didn’t want to lose face.”
The Seventh Princess, indignant on Ji Qingchi’s behalf, retorted angrily, “You…”
“Alright, alright, we’re all sisters here, don’t argue, don’t argue.” The Second Princess quickly tried to smooth things over9, nudging her younger sisters forward to pay respects to the Emperor.
The Emperor praised Ji Qingxuan as expected, rewarding her with a tributary jade Ruyi scepter. When she saw the white foxes in Ji Qingchi’s hands, she seemed surprised, giving her an extra glance, but didn’t say much more. As usual, she bestowed gold, silver, and jewels upon each princess and dismissed them.
“Mother Emperor is really so biased…” the Seventh Princess grumbled as they walked away. “Is Ji Qingxuan her only daughter?”
“Forget it, forget it,” the Third Princess consoled her. “It’s better not to think about these things.”
“You all are just not clever,” the Second Princess said lazily. “Just say a few soft words in front of Mother Emperor, cry poverty10 a bit, and won’t you get everything? No matter what, we’re imperial daughters. She can’t let us be laughed at, right?”
Saying this, she nudged Ji Qingchi. “Little Nine, this is your elder sister’s secret method, you should learn it.”
Ji Qingchi, clutching the foxes, didn’t respond. Just then, they reached the Bureau of Imperial Wardrobe. She bid farewell to her sisters, carrying the foxes inside.
The other princesses watched her go, completely bewildered11. The Second Princess asked strangely, “What’s wrong with Little Nine today? Was she provoked by Fifth Younger Sister?”
“Most likely,” the Seventh Princess said sympathetically.
Ji Qingchi was unaware that in her sisters’ eyes, she had become the poster child for being depressed and unfulfilled. After having someone process the fox pelts, she sketched out a style she thought would look good on Su Yi, mimicking some of Su Yi’s own designs, and handed it to the Bureau’s supervisor. “This Palace wants you to help make a fox-fur cloak, exactly according to this drawing. This Palace needs it tonight.”
Footnotes
- Original: 小杂种 | xiǎo zázhǒng | Lit. “little mixed breed/bastard”.
- 像赶丧家之犬一样 | xiàng gǎn sàng jiā zhī quǎn yīyàng | Lit. “like driving away dogs that have lost their homes”.
- 三尺 | sān chǐ | Approx. 1 meter or 3.3 feet. Chi is a traditional Chinese unit of length.
- 什么货色 | shénme huòsè | Lit. “what kind of goods/wares”; A derogatory phrase questioning someone’s worth or character, implying they are low-quality or trash.
- 落汤鸡 | luò tāng jī | Lit. “chicken fallen into soup”; Describes someone utterly soaked.
- 君后 | Jūn Hòu | Title for the Emperor’s primary consort (male).
- 妻主 | qīzhǔ | Wife Master.
- 直言不讳 | zhí yán bù huì | Lit. “straight talk no taboo”; To speak frankly without reservation.
- 打圆场 | dǎ yuánchǎng | Lit. “hit the round stage”; To mediate a dispute or smooth over an awkward situation.
- 哭穷 | kū qióng | Lit. “cry poor”; To complain about lack of money, often to elicit sympathy or avoid obligations.
- 一头雾水 | yī tóu wùshuǐ | Lit. “one head fog water”.
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