At this moment, Yuxi was reciting in the yard.
Mama Shen approached her and reminded her, "Miss, the nurturing momo[1] is coming today. Please stop your reciting in haste. Go wash and dress up early!" Nurturing momo[1] was known to be very demanding. Thus, Yuxi couldn't act the same as she used to.
Yuxi calmly and unhurriedly responded, "Wait till I finish reciting this paragraph."
Despite that, Moju still brought over all Yuxi's jewellery, while Motao took a few sets of clothes for Yuxi to choose from. Everyone was so busy that Yuxi couldn't help but laugh. "I'm only going to meet nurturing momo[1], so why are all of you becoming so nervous?"
Moju told Yuxi everything she had heard about nurturing momo[1]'s strict requirements. For example, if a young lady's hair was messed up, her jewellery crooked a bit or something, they would criticise them.
Yuxi was speechless for a moment. "Well, if I want to be good at everything, who else should I learn except them? I'm almost done with reciting. Please don't make it like I'm going for a battle."
When Yuxi finally went to the main room, she realised her thought was wrong. From Yuru to Yuchen, each had all dressed up, with each face painted in delicate makeup.
All three momos[1] arrived at the state residence on time.
Yuxi looked at the three momos[1] who came in and muttered in her heart that her Grandmother should have invited four nursing momos[1]. So why were there only three? How would they be divided for the four of them girls?
Apparently, Yuxi's worries were unnecessary. The Old Lady had already arranged the three momos[1]. Among the three, Momo[1] Chang would teach Yuru and Yujing. Furthermore, Momo[1] Quan and Momo[1] Gui would guide Yuchen and Yuxi.
Old Lady Han said, "Fourth Girl, I've been told there is no vacant room in your Rose Courtyard. So, I will let your momo[1] stay in Tingyun Pavilion. Then, you must go there every afternoon to learn the rules and etiquette."
When Yuxi heard the Old Lady's arrangement, her face turned ugly. In the Great Zhou Dynasty, there were rules for nurturing momo[1] used by young noble ladies. For example, the
Gongzhu[2] and
Junzhu[3] used four nurturing momos[1]. Xianjun[4] and
Junjun[5] used two. While influential officials' families and the young ladies of the state residence could only use one nurturing momo[1]. If Yuchen used two nurturing momos[1], it would be against the rules. Although this matter would not be pursued, if being known and spoken by an observant person, it would not be something pleasant to be heard in public. Now that the Old Lady was using her as a cocoon, she had no such worry.
Taking advantage of her would also make people believe that Yuxi took advantage of Yuchen's benefits. Because of this, Yuxi felt really terrible. At this moment, she felt deeply aggrieved. It was just that she was not strong enough to fight back. Even if she was dissatisfied, she had to endure.
Qiu Shi also felt that such a settlement was inappropriate. Except that there were only three nurturing momos[1] present, so she could not openly refute the Old Lady's suggestion.
While Yuru felt very resentful. Why should she share a nurturing momo[1] with Yujing while Yuchen and Yuxi had separate nurturing momo[1]? However, Yuru's concealing capability could have been better too. The unwilling expression in her eyes fell into the eyes of the three momos[1].
Although Yujing also felt dissatisfied, she was acting reserved at that time. She would have been the first to jump out and oppose it if it had been in the past. However, after being confined for over half a year, she felt scared whenever she saw the Old Lady. As a result, it was natural that she did not dare to make any fuss at that moment.
When Old Lady Han had already arranged the matter, she asked Qiu Shi to handle the accommodation for the three momos[1] and then said to Yuxi, "You stay."
Yuxi stood erect with a straight face.
Old Lady Han asked very calmly, "Are you unhappy that I let you and Yuchen learn the rules from the nurturing momo[1] together?"
Rather than looking directly at Old Lady Han, Yuxi looked at the ground, "I am pleased to learn from momo[1], but why does she have to stay in Tingyun Pavilion?"
Old Lady Han looked at Yuxi and asked, "Why are you asking that?"
Yuxi's face showed a self-deprecating expression as she answered, "I know that it is natural for the two momos'[1] convenience to better teach San Jie[6], and I am just acting as her foil." Her admiration for the Old Lady had worn off because of her previous life. Otherwise, she would have been so sad that she would shed tears at times like this.
The Old Lady was not that surprised by Yuxi's answer. If Yuxi couldn't even see such a small thing, she would not have let Teacher Song make an exception for her. "Are you feeling very dissatisfied?"
Yuxi shook her head and replied, "I am not dissatisfied. I was just feeling a little uncomfortable that the people in residence would say that I take advantage of San Jie[6]'s benefits." She decided to tell her Grandmother, but not all the truth could be said to her.
Old Lady Han suddenly said, "If you don't want to go to Tingyun Pavilion, I will find a momo[1] for you next year."
Yuxi was silent for a moment and then said, "No need, Grandmother. Momo[1] Quan is fine." She could not see the depth of the two momos[1] since she did not have any judgment yet, but the nurturing momo[1] invited for Yuchen would surely be the absolute best. If the momo[1] was requested for her alone, it would certainly not be on the same level as Momo[1] Quan. She would just let people gossip about her benefitting from her association with Yuchen as long as she could still learn something.
The Old Lady looked at Yuxi with her eyes full of judgment.
Yuxi felt resentful and uncomfortable again, but it would not have been worthwhile if she had missed an excellent chance to learn from the two momos[1]. So, she bowed and said, "Grandmother, rest assured that I will learn the rules well with momo[1]."
The Old Lady moved the Buddhist beads in her hand again and said, "In the future, you should hold your head high and keep your chin up. Don't always look like a small-minded girl."[T/N]
Yuxi replied, "Yes." However, she still didn't look up.
When Mama Luo entered the room after Yuxi left, she saw the Old Lady squinting at the beads. The Buddha beads were turning very fast, which showed that the Old Lady's heart was not calm. Mama Luo did not dare to disturb but stood quietly, waiting.
After a while, the Old Lady opened her eyes wide. By then, Mama Luo dared to ask, "Old Lady, what's the matter? Did Fourth Miss unwilling to learn the rules from the two momos[1]? "
Old Lady Han shook her head. "Quite the opposite."
Mama Luo smiled and said, "Isn't it good that she agreed?"
Old Lady Han could only say in a low voice, "This girl's mind is so deep that I can't see through it." Yuxi's spoken words were a mixture of truth and falsehood, making her unable to tell whether one sentence was true or the other was false. Things and people beyond her control were something she was never fond of.
The first thing Yuxi did when she returned to Rose Courtyard was to say, "Add one more gift." She had only prepared for one, but now that she had two nurturing momos[1], adding one more was natural. Since she had decided to follow momo[1]'s rules, she should at least be well-mannered towards them.
When the gifts were already chosen, Yuxi took Hongshan to Tingyun Pavilion to see the two nurturing momos[1].
Momo[1] Gui accepted the gift, smiled kindly and said, "Fourth Miss is courteous." Just now, she could see Yuxi's expression of resistance in her eyes, but she didn't expect it to last for only a blink. Now, the Fourth Miss had come to see them, bearing gifts.
Meanwhile, Momo[1] Quan said indifferently, "Fourth Miss is being considerate." For Fourth Miss to adjust herself in such a short period showed that she was not a simple person.
In the meantime, Yuru returned to her yard, full of anger. When there was only Qingxuan in the room, she complained to her, "All are the young ladies of the state residence. So, why is the Old Lady kept favouring one and discriminating against the others?"
Qingxuan said, "Miss, if I have to say, Miss is in a much better situation than the Fourth Miss. She is the one who has the most grievance."
Yuru always had some respect for this personal maid of hers that she did not even take any offence against this remark, "Why did you say that?"
Yuru was not foolish, but at that time, her reason was masked by anger. The saying about the person on the spot was baffled, while the onlooker saw it clearly[8] represented Qingxuan, who saw everything very distinctly. "Momo[1] Gui and Momo[1] Quan said to be teaching Third Miss and Fourth Miss. I could tell the Old Lady's intention to teach Third Miss is true, while Fourth Miss is no more than a convenience. The same happened with Teacher Song's studies sessions. She was only a convenience." This meant that Yuxi was utterly taking advantage of Yuchen's benefits.
Yuru thought about it for a while. She felt that Qingxuan's words were quite reasonable, and her face relaxed. "You're right. But Yuxi's temperaments are quite different now. I don't know what she will do after this." If it were the former Yuxi, as long as she said two sentences, she would certainly not be able to go to Tingyun Pavilion to learn the rules. But now, she did not dare to. If this matter reached the Old Lady's ears, it would be like a situation where she'd have to take the food home if she couldn't eat it all[9]. Thinking of this, Yuru said hatefully, "The news has been thoroughly presented to Yujing, but I did not expect that she could be so calm at this time." Yujing had come out of confinement for half a month now. However, she didn't even try to aim at Yuxi as usual, which disappointed Yuru.
Qingxuan tried her best to persuade Yuru. "Miss, the most urgent thing right now is to please the Lady. Fourth Miss is busy studying now, and Miss can make good use of this opportunity." She didn't want her Miss to compete with Yuxi. The reason was simple. Fourth Miss was the legitimate daughter and the disciple of Teacher Song. The Lady and Master
Shizi[10] also loved her. Her future prospects would undoubtedly be better than her Miss. Her Miss would have to depend on her maiden family for her future marriage. So it was better to have one more help than one more enemy.
Yuru listened to Qingxuan's advice and said, after half a ring, "I am unwilling." She was clearly the Eldest Miss in residence, and everything was pressured on her. As a result, her pettiness had become transparent. Now she had to curry favour with her
San Meimei[11] and
Si Meimei[12]? How willing was she?
Qingxuan helplessly said, "Miss, you have to think about the future." Third Miss and Fourth Miss had good future prospects. If her Miss kept on being stubborn, later on, her Miss might not be able to ask for their help.
Yuru still wouldn't listen.
Qingxuan still tried to persuade, "Miss, Third Miss and Fourth Miss have nothing to do with us. Thus, we should just live our own lives." Miss had already drilled the tip of the bull's horn[13], and now she couldn't pull herself out. If she kept on going, she might make her Lady disgusted with her. Without a promising future, how could these servants who serve Miss have a good end?
Qingxuan had spoken for a long time, but Yuru remained indifferent. She sighed secretly. She had said all she had to say. She also had persuaded her. The rest could only be resigned to fate.
The nurturing momo[1] that Yuxi followed in her previous life was invited by Wu Shi. Fearing that Yuxi would suppress her daughter, Yurong, she had asked the nurturing momo[1] she invited to cruelly abuse Yuxi and not to teach her much about the real thing. So, Yuxi really cherished this opportunity that arrived in her current situation. Once she had learned the rules, no one would be able to attack her in the future.
After an afternoon nap, Yuxi took a maid to Tingyun Pavilion.
When they arrived, they didn't catch sight of the momos[1] and Yuchen. Yuxi tried to wait until she couldn't help but ask the maid who served the tea. "Where is San Jie[6]?" Yuchen was very punctual. For her not to arrive here at this point made it rather an odd situation.
The maid just shook her head, showing that she didn't know.
Somehow, Yuxi's heart had some doubts. What had Yuchen and the two momos[1] got up their sleeves?
Footnotes Full List
- a term for an elderly lady
- a title for Emperor's daughter/Princess
- daughter of the Emperor’s brother
- daughter of a second-rank prince
- daughter of a first-rank prince
- san=third, jie=elder sister, short form for Jiejie
- Your prejudice against her mother and your dislike of her made her like that. Imagine if you treat her like she is Yuchen. Would she still be like a small-minded girl?
- Chinese idiom: the spectator sees most clearly
- Chinese idiom: get more than one bargained for
- an heir of a noble family
- san=third, meimei=younger sister
- si=fourth, meimei=younger sister
- means an insignificant or insoluble problem
Noob Translator's Musing
Suddenly, I was too excited last night. I didn't know what I was excited about, but I couldn't sleep. So, I tried to finish translating this chapter. I nearly finished it up when it was nearing dawn, but I suddenly fell asleep. 😅
Please let me know if anyone can provide a better explanation for the title junzhu. I believe my description was wrong.
Tags:
The Rebirth of Han Yuxi