19 - Shufei

Chapter 19 – Shufei

Coincidentally at this time, Zhaolu was bringing in a bowl of white fungus and lotus seed soup and was surprised upon hearing the news.

Both she and Shuang’er felt happy for their Miss. She never thought that once Young Miss is favored, happy events would happen one after another.

First, the Wangye favored her, then Old Master was promoted and now Young Miss is promoted to Shufei . How can one not feel excited?

However, when Bai Yuxiao heard the news, she looked solemn and did not show a trace of joy.

Initially, the two maids were dancing with happiness but when they noticed that their Young Miss did not seem to feel happy, they felt something amiss.

“Young Miss? Why are you feeling unhappy?”

Bai Yuxiao knotted her eyebrows.

“Why do I feel something unusual about this matter? A Shufei has always been selected by the Emperor. A noble lady is chosen from the families of noble ministers and then bestowed to the Princes. No one has ever been promoted directly from the existing concubines in the royal mansion. Wangye is the first person to do this in the imperial city.”

“But isn’t this great? This shows the Wangye dotes on Young Miss!”

“My father had just joined the Ministry of Appointments as Assistant Minister and now Wangye promoted me to the rank of a Shufei . A big tree attracts the wind* , just wait and see! Those royal families and ministers outside the royal mansion who are eyeing the position of the Wangfei will surely direct their spearheads at me, your Young Miss!”

(A big tree attracts the wind is an old Chinese proverb that means when a person’s reputation becomes great, it will attract jealously and slander.)

At the end of her speech, Bai Yuxiao’s tone had turned a little dull.

“If the Wangye wants to dote on me, he just needs to come to my courtyard more often. Now that he had promoted me to the rank of a Shufei , how will other people think? This will only attract jealousy and fighting in the inner courtyards. From now on, it looks like our courtyard will never be peaceful again.”

When the two maids, Zhaolu and Shuang’er, heard this, the happiness they initially felt had dissipated and they became a little anxious.

Suddenly, Zhaolu slapped her chest and said heroically. “Young Miss, don’t be afraid! These two servants will do their best to protect Young Miss!”

Before Zhaolu could finish speaking, unexpectedly, she received a hard knock on her forehead from her Young Miss instead of receiving her Young Miss’s tearful gratitude.

“Are you stupid? Everyone is a mistress in the inner courtyards. Since they can’t offend me, they will definitely vent their anger on the two of you. It is your Young Miss, I who has to protect you!”

Shuang’er also chipped in. “After Young Miss is promoted to a Shufei , both of us must be on guard and not let the other mistresses catch hold of any of our weakness that could create trouble for Young Miss.”

“Shuang’er is still the sensible one.” Bai Yuxiao praised.

Regardless of whether Bai Yuxiao was willing or not, this matter had already become a reality and since Wangye wanted to raise her rank, she could not refuse.

Sure enough, not long after, a palace Eunuch arrived bearing an imperial decree.

The imperial decree praised Bai Yuxiao for being virtuous and dignified, a headdress is no less to eyebrows*, and gained merits for rescuing a member of the imperial family. As a reward, she was promoted to the rank of a Shufei and bestowed the name of ‘Shui’.

(The ancient feudal Chinese tradition discriminates against women, so when a woman is more successful than a man, she is praised as ‘Headdress is no less to eyebrows’ meaning that women are no worse than men. It is never said directly that a woman is better than a man but now, there are indeed many women who are much more successful than men.

During ancient times, the females wear headdresses made of silk and precious gems when attending ceremonies, thus women are often referred to as ‘headdress’ while the males showed their beauty and manliness with thick eyebrows and beards, so the males are referred to as ‘eyebrows’.)

Bai Yuxiao was surprised when she heard this. However, when she heard the words ‘gained merits for rescuing a member of the imperial family’ , she finally understood. It seemed the Wangye had told the Emperor about the matter of him being saved by her and therefore, she was given the name of ‘Shui’.

The group of people from the inner courtyards knelt on the ground as they listened to the decree being announced. Lan Shufei , the three Ji concubines, and the rest of the Ruren concubines, all were in a state of shock. They never expected that in the rear courtyards, the concubine who had never competed with others, the idlest and the least motivated concubine, Bai Yuxiao would turn out to be a dark horse!

All of a sudden, the Wangye had visited her courtyard for several days in a row, and then later, he began to give her the cold shoulder. Everyone thought that since that was the case, they should not take it to heart.

Then the Wangye suddenly punished her and not only was she put under house arrest, but her two maids were also locked up in the dungeon. Among the concubines, some sympathized with her and some gloated at her misfortune. Seeing that she could anger the Wangye to this point, she is truly a fool!

Unexpectedly, a few days later, the Wangye went to her courtyard again, and not long after, her two maids were released. Just as everyone was thrown into confusion, an imperial decree suddenly appeared and it pushed her up the ranks.

From the rank of Liangdi, she became a Shufei and was also bestowed the name ‘Shui’.

Thus, she is now known as Shui Shufei and she holds the same rank as Lan Shufei which is on equal footing with her.

An imperial decree could not be rejected, so after Bai Yuxiao accepted it, she ordered Shuang’er to reward the Eunuch who brought the decree with a pouch of gold ingots. After the Eunuch accepted the gold ingots, he weighed the pouch in his hand, and as he smiled, his eyes turned into crescent moons. After offering his congratulations to Shui Shufei , he returned to the palace to report on the completion of his task.

As soon as the Eunuch left, all the concubines immediately came forward to offer their congratulations. The concubines holding the rank of Ruren who were originally of lower ranks than Bai Yuxiao felt they did not suffer any loss and only felt envious in their hearts. But the faces of the concubines who originally held higher ranks than her showed stiff expressions, especially Lan Shufei who could not even force a smile.

However, all of them interact in the inner courtyards and even if their hearts could not muster any smiles, they still had to show smiling faces. At this particular time, no one would be so stupid to find fault with the decree and present others a chance to use this issue against oneself and be accused of being disrespectful to the Emperor. Moreover, someone had the ability to coax the cold-hearted Wangye to promote her, therefore, this shock also gave hope to the concubines.

Since Bai Liangdi can be promoted, then why can’t they be promoted as well? In terms of conditions like beauty and family background, they were not worse than her.

While all the concubines were smiling and offering their congratulations to Bai Yuxiao, they were already making plans in their hearts to seek favor.

Bai Yuxiao is not someone easy to deal with and she can also pretend to smile. Even if she is unwilling to be a Shufei , she would not show it on her face.

Suddenly, Wutong Courtyard became very lively and the concubine sisters all came over bearing gifts to congratulate her. So Bai Yuxiao transferred the servants from the outer courtyard to serve the sisters while Zhaolu and Shuang’er were busy sorting out the gifts from the palace.

Just as Bai Yuxiao was getting extremely busy, the Chief Steward came with the Wangye ’s order………Shui Shufei was instructed to vacate the remote Wutong Courtyard immediately and move over to Yaorong Pavilion.

When the concubines heard this, they became envious and jealous.

The Yaorong Pavilion is second only to Yulou Pavilion and Jingfang Pavilion and it is closer to the main residence as compared to Huancui Pavilion where Lan Shufei resides.

Initially, Lan Shufei was still able to put up a pretense but after listening to Chief Steward’s words, her face stiffened with an ugly look and the pressure in her heart made her almost unable to maintain her appearance.

However, it is not good news for Bai Yuxiao. If she moved to Yaorong Pavilion, it would be troublesome. That place is in the middle of the mansion where many servants constantly move around.

How then can she sneak out of the mansion when so many people are watching?

The Chief Steward smiled, cupped his hands in obeisance, and said. “Congratulations to Shufei Niangniang! Wangye had given orders that this subordinate is responsible for the relocation arrangements and request Niangniang to move to Yaorong Pavilion.”

Bai Yuxiao smiled and said. “This came too suddenly and the sisters are still in my place. Why don’t Chief Steward beg the Wangye on my behalf to request that another auspicious day be picked for relocation?”

“ Niangniang doesn’t have to worry about this. Wangye had already checked and today is an auspicious day. After Niangniang had moved into Yaorong Pavilion, Wangye will hold a banquet in Yaorong Pavilion and let everyone celebrate together with Niangniang .”

“…….Then thanks to Chief Steward……..”

Damn this Si Liujing!

It was deliberately done so that she did not have any chance to delay this matter. He knew she would slip out of the mansion, so he purposely moved her to Yaorong Pavilion to watch over her!

When Si Liujing returned to the royal mansion, the sky was already dark but the lights in Yaorong Pavilion were extremely bright. As soon as he stepped into the house, all the concubines came forward joyously to congratulate him.

There was a smile on Si Liujing’s face which looked softer than usual and all the concubines had complex feelings.

First, they were happy to see the Wangye ’s beautiful smile, and second, they felt sad that the Wangye ’s smile was for his favored Shui Shufei .

In Yaorong Pavilion, Si Liujing hosted a banquet for all the concubines and everyone was gifted with silk, satin, gold, silver, and jewelry. When the good wine and good food were served, the wine bestowed by the Emperor was placed on the table and shared with the concubines. It could be said that he gave enough face to Shui Shufei. He also held Shui Shufei in his arms in front of everyone and it was simply to show that he favored her.

The banquet lasted until the Hai Shi* . After the Wangye announced the banquet had ended, all the concubines returned to their respective courtyards with complicated thoughts while Si Liujing naturally remained in Yaorong Pavilion.

(Hai Shi is the time between 9.00 pm to 11.00 pm.)

This night, Bai Yuxiao was made to drink a lot of wine by Si Liujing and her face had turned red, looking very bright in the moonlight.

After Si Liujing had freshened up with the assistance of the servants and changed into a large mid-garment, he entered the bedchamber. Bai Yuxiao had just finished her bath and was sitting in front of the bronze mirror while the maid was combing her black satin-like tresses.

His eyes deepened a little as a burning light flashed and the corners of his lips raised slightly.

“Everyone withdraw.” He ordered.

All the servants hurriedly left the room while both Zhaolu and Shuang’er bowed their heads before they left as well.

When only the two of them were left in the room, Bai Yuxiao turned around, raised her red face and her pair of beautiful eyes glared at him with annoyance.

How can he smile so joyously?

“Why does my beloved concubine frown? Who made you unhappy?”

“Huh! Beloved concubine?! Si Liujing, you did it on purpose, didn’t you?!”

If at this time, someone is to hear Shui Shufei rebelliously shouting out Wangye ’s name, that person would surely think she is crazy. Her father had just been appointed and she was also just promoted, and if she angered the Wangye , her brain must either be damaged or she did not value her life anymore.

However, Si Liujing did not mind at all. Anyway, this is not the first time that Shui’er called him by his name and besides, he felt it was much more intimate this way. In this world, this woman is probably the only one who dares to call him like this. It gave him a kind of happy feeling like he was being scratched at his itchy place and following that, his heated lower abdomen started to stir.

He moved forward and hugged her as the sly smile at the corners of his lips gradually widened.

“You dare to call Benwang by name? You don’t want your rank of Shufei , is it?”

“You’re right! I don’t want the position of Shufei ! Why did you promote me?” She protested angrily.

Si Liujing was taken aback for a moment and his eyes sharpened like blades.

“Don’t you want to be Benwang’s Shufei ?”

If it was someone else who saw the Wangye ’s face turned cold, that person would have immediately knelt with fright but Bai Yuxiao understood this man. He is a man who has a cold appearance but is deep and passionate inside. After rebuking him, she deliberately put on airs and since she was a little drunk, she became more courageous and pointed at his nose.

“Come on! Are you not intentionally trying to keep me from being idle? Today, so many people were staring at me and I don’t believe you didn’t see those women’s man-eating eyes. If you really want to reward me, there are so many ways to do it. Why did you insist on making me a target of everyone? You have never favored anyone and dislike it when the women in the inner courtyards fight for favor, but you made an exception this time with a promotion and a rise in ranks. Do you think I’m stupid? What are your intentions?!”

The originally stern-faced Si Liujing burst into laughter.

To be able to see through him, she is indeed a smart girl! It is not in vain that he admires her so much. Her angry arrogant looks really cute and he loves it very much!

“That’s correct. I just wanted to promote you. Do you think I’m unaware of what you’re thinking? You stayed in your courtyard for two years without competing for favor nor did you fight for a higher position. You only wanted to guard your position of a Liangdi , living your days sleeping well and eating well all day long. While I am charging into battle in front, how can I allow you to just fold your legs and live a good life in the rear? I won’t dispute with you about the past but you’re my woman and I won’t allow you to leave the mansion without my permission!”

Just listen to this! Are these the words of a human? Who does not know that the Wangye dislikes his women fighting for favor in the inner courtyards? Now, is he blaming her for not competing for favor?

“If I’m not allowed to leave the mansion, you can just say it out clearly. Why put me in Yaorong Pavilion? It’s not like you are raising a pig!”

Si Liujing did not know whether he should laugh or be angry.

Which one of his concubines did not want to live in Yaorong Pavilion? Every one of them could not wait to have a chance to be promoted but she actually dared to show her dislike! And she even described it as raising a pig!

However, this also proved her intentions towards him and her willingness to take risks for him without thinking of rewards. Therefore, he must grasp firmly onto such a woman.

The more she did not want to be promoted, the more he wanted to force her to climb up.

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“Si Liujing, I don’t want to be a Shufei !” Bai Yuxiao continued to protest and huffed.

His face sank.

He can make allowances for her willful behavior and he can also ignore the fact that she sneaked out of the mansion behind his back but he would not tolerate her unwillingness to strive for advancement. Since she is the woman he likes, he wants her to stand together with him, shoulder to shoulder and he needs a capable wife to fight alongside him.

He gave her a domineering kiss and sealed her little protesting mouth. He kissed her fiercely then hugging her, he carried her to the bed and pulled off her mid-garment as if he could not wait to devour her.

This night she was very disobedient. It was probably because she had drunk too much or maybe it was due to her inborn stubbornness that was concealed very well on normal days but it was to his liking. Hugging her like this gave him the pleasure of a conqueror and he pressed down even harder on her.

He tore off her clothes scattering the thin pieces of cloth all over the floor and crazily branded her body with marks. He pinned down her hands on top of her head so that he could taste the softness of her plump breasts.

He kissed and bit her passionately and his mood showed a trace of dissatisfaction for her unwillingness to progress.

“Bai Yuxiao, I don’t care how many women there are in the rear courtyards and no matter how many women I marry or take in, they are nothing more than an exchange of interests and a combination of power. You are clearly capable but you are not making any effort to progress while occupying the position as my concubine. It would be better for you to start climbing up because I will love you every day and favor you every night. Since you received my favor, you have to repay me. The Wangfei ’s position is still vacant, so I will never allow you not to grab it!”

Bai Yuxiao was stunned.

What did he say? Wangfei ? He wants her to be his Wangfei ? How can that be?

Seizing the moment when she forgot to struggle, he stiffened his waist and pushed into her deepest part with a thrust. Before she could scream, he fiercely sealed her lips and let the lust raged as the roots of love grew deeper.

He just wanted to lead her through the sleepless night and sink together with her into this stormy night of passion.