FSCGL Chapter 11

Terms used in Chapter 11

氏 (shi) – a suffix placed after a married woman’s name.
老太太  (lao tai tai) – the old matriarch of the family.
大哥 (da ge) – older or oldest brother.
伯爷 (bo ye) – Earl.
大郎 (da lang) – The oldest son, Ruan Yu Wen.

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Ruan san niang’s outburst splashed a large basin of cold water on Earl Chengyi directly, since the hidden meaning in her words was short of criticising Earl Chengyi for being solely bent for profit.

Initially, Zhang shi was utterly indignant, but after the din that her daughter caused, Zhang shi was more worried that her husband might detest and reject her daughter instead.

She was secretly thankful that the servants in the side hall had already withdrawn, and they did not witness her daughter striking an attitude.

Compared to her daughter, she comprehended her own husband’s ambitions, lofty aspirations and high ideals more.

Owing to the fact that she was severely lectured by Lao Taitai for nearly causing si niang’s death, she had learned that her husband only had his current governmental position because all the powerful factions were tussling, and her husband without a backing had picked up what they left out by mistake. He was merely a stand-in Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Works and he could be beaten back to his original governmental position at any given time.

When Zhang shi thought of how she nearly ruined her husband’s good matter, cold sweat immediately surfaced. She did not even tell her son and daughter about this.

In the present moment, Earl Chengyi’s face became as black as a pot bottom instantaneously.

It was true that he was biased. His was biased towards his sons because his sons were concerned in the prospering of the clan, his legitimate son and heir especially; he was biased towards san niang because san niang was intelligent and his legitimate daughter, and he felt remorseful about determining such a marriage for her so he allowed her mother to dote on her more in the dark; he was being biased towards si niang now because si niang had entered Wen gongzi’s eyes, which meant that she could indeed bring more benefits to the Earl Residence.

Earl Chengyi did not feel that he was wrong in any way. San niang had enjoyed the best treatment ever since she was young as the legitimate daughter of the Earl Residence: her food, clothing, and expenses were naturally superb and he even invited the best teachers to educate her. All in all, he had expended a lot of hard-earned capital to cultivate his daughter.

On the other hand, si niang had enjoyed the treatment meant for concubine-born daughters.

Da niang and er niang were the same, but their biological mothers were around so their days were slightly better than si niang.

• 大娘 (pinyin: da niang) – first-born daughter.
  二娘 (pinyin: er niang) – second-born daughter.

Right now, he was just beginning to attach more importance to si niang, and the fact that he was being criticised for being biased by san niang solely because of a still absent Mama, splashed cold water on him. Hence, Earl Chengyi furrowed his eyebrows tightly and he asked with a sunken expression:

“San niang, you call Father biased, but you should examine your conscience, has Father not treated you well enough?”

Earl Chengyi’s tone of voice was brimming with disappointment. This was the daughter that his mother, Zhang shi and the teachers praised?

All of a sudden, Earl Chengyi remembered the daughter he had deemed as mediocre because she did not flaunt her talent and skills, and he started to doubt his own vision.

Noticing the shift in his father’s emotions, Ru Yu Wen’s heart palpitated as he said in a hurry: “Father, younger sister has always been prideful, and she couldn’t accept the situation in the moment. Please do not be angry, everything will be fine once younger sister has thought this through.”

“Bo ye, da lang speaks correctly. Do not be angry, it’s my fault for indulging san niang too much, thereby fostering a personality that can’t accept any grievances.” Zhang shi chimed in with due haste. She did not want her husband to be disappointed in her daughter, and allow her husband to become inclined towards si niang for nothing.

Her daughter might not be aware but Zhang shi was very clear about the fact that the Lao Taitai actually valued her grandsons more. The precondition for the pampering that her daughter received was that her daughter was the most intelligent out of the four daughters within the residence, and her husband also valued her the most.

Lao Taitai had quite a few good things in her private stores and her daughter was bound to receive a portion when she married out. If she lost Lao Taitai’s doting now, the losses would outweigh the gains.

Her daughter was usually quite clever, why had she changed in the past few days?

Zhang shi’s anger surged and she resented si niang that calamity bringer even more.

Yet, Ruan san niang did not appreciate or understand her mother and older brother’s painstaking effort in the slightest; she only felt that her older brother and her father were the same in their want to gain more benefits from Wen gongzi, and her mother only had her older brother in her eyes. She laughed coldly: “I am the dignified legitimate daughter of the Earl Residence and yet because of a gamble made between Father and Marquis Huaiyang, a rotten marriage was settled. The happiness in the latter half of my life has been ruined, isn’t it only right for Father to treat me well?”

In any case, her Earl Father was unaware of the fact that Qi Yue An’s future was limitless, so Ruan san niang felt at ease and justified as she angrily denounced her Earl Father.

Ruan san niang treating everything as a matter of course shocked Zhang shi and Ruan Yu Wen.

Zhang shi’s figure was crumbling as she was close to fainting.

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“San niang, you… How could you say such a thing?”

Earl Chengyi was merely disappointed at the start, but now he was really infuriated.

“Ruan Ning, I didn’t expect you would still be dissatisfied with the marriage I determined for you as your father. When you clamoured in an unrelenting manner a few days ago, I sacrificed my face to look for Marquis Huaiyang to negotiate this matter, and just when an agreement was reached with Marquis Huaiyang after much difficulty which allowed for si niang to take your place in fulfilling this marriage contract, you changed your mind again. Marquis Huaiyang was exceedingly angry because of this matter and I had to give numerous gifts as an apology before Marquis Huaiyang was mollified and allowed this incident to pass.”

Whenever Earl Chengyi thought about the precious calligraphy, painting and antiques he had sent out, his flesh would hurt.

And yet against all reason, his legitimate daughter actually thought that it was a matter of course. There was no end to the bitter disappointment that Earl Chengyi felt.

Earl Chengyi’s words had revealed too much information, Zhang shi and Ruan Yu Wen were both in complete disbelief.

Ruan san niang felt a wave of guilt upon hearing that. She secretly considered herself lucky that no one knew that the person who was clamouring about breaking off the engagement was actually her transmigrated self, except she was also constantly hypnotising herself into believing that it was original owner who had been throwing a ruckus, and that if she had not been reborn back in such a timely manner, the marriage contract that should have originally belonged to her would have landed in her fourth sister’s hands.

After her guilt passed, Ruan san niang remembered her scum father’s original disposition and she became bold and confident that justice was on her side once more. If they were to phrase her scum father’s words nicely, he merely felt that Qi Yue An was too profligate and he was unworthy of the legitimate daughter he had painstakingly raised since he could not bring much benefit to the family,  and he wanted to use her for a better marriage alliance.

When they got to the bottom of the matter, everything was still for the sake of his own self-interest, it was truly hypocritical.

Ruan san niang’s anger increased the more she thought about it, and she became more irresponsible with her speech.

“Granted, Father does make it sound pleasant, but in breaking off this marriage, wouldn’t you be able to find a marriage that is more beneficial for the Earl Residence for me?

“I am your daughter, not a tool that you can use to siphon blood. Are all the men in this family wastrels, such that you need to rely on your daughters’ marriage alliances to bolster the power and influence of the clan! Your actions will only make people disdain you!”

Ruan san niang became more and more emotional with each word she spoke, and her expression became increasingly agitated as well.

It was the same in her previous lifetime. In the beginning, they basked in her light to strengthen the power and influence of the Earl Residence. When she died later and the new Emperor ascended to the throne, they relied on si mei.

The men of this Earl Residence… Hehe!

Ruan san niang felt affronted for her past self, whereas in this lifetime, she had been reborn. Unlike her previous lifetime where she took out the glass formula impatiently for the sake of dumping her profligate fiancé, her Earl Father felt that she was useless so he became biased towards her fourth sister.

Either way, she had a golden finger and the foreknowledge that came with her rebirth; as long as she did not reveal these “abilities”, she would not draw the old Emperor’s attention, and she could still live well without depending on the Earl Residence. However, if the Earl Residence did not have her… Hehe!

Thus, Ruan san niang was not afraid of riling her Earl Father due to her ample confidence.

She hardly realised that if she did not have the identity of a noble daughter from an Earl Residence in her previous life, with a scum father who had the right to enter the palace to meet the Emperor, thereby reporting the matter to the Emperor without delay and earning his protection, she would have been imprisoned or killed to prevent the information from being disclosed the moment she took out the formula for glass and cement. If not for his actions, how could she cause the winds and waters to rise in her favour and have her name raised into the Heavens?

It could only be said that Ruan san niang was still too naïve, her thoughts were too simple, and she was overly self-important. She did not understand that this was a feudalistic dynasty where the imperial power ruled supreme, while she was just a stepping-stone used to warn the female protagonist, devoid of a protagonist halo.

Zhang shi felt her vision darken as she nearly spat her blood out in anger. What was growing inside her daughter’s head, how did she manage to say the words that could provoke the greatest outrage!

Ruan Yu Wen’s complexion was extremely ugly as well. Was his younger sister calling him a wastrel too?

In his younger sister’s heart, was the clan’s prospering and waning imperial favour the responsibility of the men in the family, while the women were only responsible for enjoying the family’s glory without needing to invest anything? Was contributing to the clan considered as the siphoning of blood to her?

He raised his head to look towards his father, and what greeted him was his father’s sombre facial expression like storm clouds were approaching.

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T/N: Merry Christmas! An extra update for the holiday season, in hopes that your days are going well. Please stay safe xx