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Second Cousin-in-law
T/N: Translated by Jen on Broken Jinsei! Please do not repost my translations! All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
“Heard that Jinrou still has the new Jiang province white tea, don’t know whether or not can ask for a cup?”
Seeing Yu Lingxin also full of astonishment, the corner of Xun Che’s lips slightly hooked, asking this as he followed the Ming siblings inside.
Yu Lingxin completely didn’t understand the situation before her, but she came to Qinghong Pavilion together with Ming Jinrou. As the guest, she can’t just leave on her own like this. As such, she could only follow Xun Che inside, sitting back down in the east warm room.
Ming Jinrou’s personal servant girl actually really sent over two cups of Jiang province white tea for Xun Che and Yu Lingxin before retreating out again. The Ming family siblings also didn’t come over.
In this brief moment, Yu Lingxin’s thoughts already rapidly spun. Xun Che’s tone just now clearly was trying to console Ming Jinrou. Then, in other words, what she’d once heard about Ming Jinrou having someone in her heart, that person was actually the eldest prince, Qin Wang?
Then, in the past life, why didn’t Ming Jinrou marry Qin Wang? She was Jin Duke Manor’s first branch’s di daughter. Although in the family she ranked fourth, she was nevertheless Jin Duke heir’s only di daughter. In terms of status, it was absolutely more than enough to be Qin Wang’s main wife.
Moreover, what made her even more bewildered in this moment was that Xun Che had don’t know how many different ways of passing on the message to Ming Jinrou, so why say it in front of her. How will the Ming family siblings view her? Mainly, how will they view her relationship with Xun Che?
“This was bestowed from the palace, have a taste.” Xun Che at this time actually still had the mind to taste tea, pushing her cup towards her.
Yu Lingxin couldn’t help but look towards Xun Che in confusion. However, seeing Xun Che carrying a nonchalant look, pretending to be leisure, she practically wanted to laugh out of anger, but to really ask, she also didn’t know where to start from, so might as well just pick up the tea cup and take a sip.
The tea was rather fragrant and refreshing, sweet to taste.
At this time, Xun Che finally lightly cough, slightly putting on a stern look, “Qin Wang’s matter is still kept a secret from the outside, just Jinrou was worried, thus telling her.”
Yu Lingxin understood this, but at this time, her biggest question wasn’t Qin Wang and Ming Jinrou’s relationship! Xun Che was still avoiding to mention. Could it be that he wants to deliberately watch her be anxious?
Thinking to her, her expression slightly sunk, also not responding, just staring at Xun Che.
Xun Che very naturally placed down the tea cup, “Qin Wang beginning to step back now, it’s naturally for self-preservation, but what kind of changes there will be next, it’s still unknown. Looking at it from the outside, Qin Wang perhaps will continuously retreat. Jinrou’s emotional fluctuations certainly won’t be small. The poetry gathering’s matters, you will need to pay attention a little more.”
He paused for a moment, his lips slightly hooking, softly saying, “After all, you’re also her second cousin-in-law.”
Although clearly aware that Xun Che’s voice in saying this was as light as a whisper, others absolutely unable to hear, but hearing this while sitting in Ming Jinrou’s residence in Jin Duke Manor, Yu Lingxin still felt as if getting teased by him in broad daylight, practically wanting to pick up the tea cup to smash over.
But at this time, a thought similarly bubbled up in her heart, and she just instinctively blurted out, “Does Young Master Ming already know?”
TN: All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
Xun Che smiled, “That time at the Qi Manor, when the horse carriage met with problems, he already produced suspicions. Jincheng although is a military man, he isn’t really stupid. Besides, with me repeatedly intervening in Kou Xian and father-in-law’s evaluations, while also secretly tightening the official roads and waterways’ security, I ultimately need to borrow his power. However, even if not borrowing his power, based on my close relationship with Jincheng, no matter what, I shouldn’t hide this kind of major matter from him.”
“Then why didn’t you let me know in advance?” Yu Lingxin although understood after pondering, she still had a bit of complaint after getting startled, “Even if you want to fill the other party in, should still let me know, else how will I face them?”
“In the past, you’d dealt them with quite well.” Xun Che side glanced at her. He really somewhat liked seeing this kind of Yu Lingxin, especially this little angry look, different from her usual gentle and graceful appearance. Moreover, because of this shallow reproaching stance, it just made the distance between them even shorter, “Besides, I originally was thinking of finding an opportunity to tell you today, then take you to have tea with them, but never thought that you would directly come to Qinghong Pavilion on your own like this. This can also be considered the two of us being connected at the heart as husband and wife.”
“What are you saying, this is…….” Yu Lingxin’s face slightly reddened, softly muttering, “This is Miss Ming’s courtyard.”
Xun Che leaned back against the chair, picking up the tea cup again for a sip, “Don’t worry, if she makes fun of you, you can also laugh about her and Qin Wang’s matter.”
Yu Lingxin was stifled, but thinking again, she still asked, “It’s already been some days since his Highness Qin Wang got reprimanded and ordered to study behind closed doors by his Majesty, so how come Miss Ming suddenly have this big of a reaction today?”
Xun Che’s lips emerged with a bit of mockery, “Yesterday, the empress visited Jingning Palace, reprimanding Qin Wang, and afterwards, ordered for him to be beaten by the rod.”
Yu Lingxin couldn’t help but let out a light gasp, “What? Then his Highness Qin Wang right now…………”
“Just forty beatings, still okay.” Xun Che shook his head, “Qin Wang has been training since childhood, so his foundation is still good, else he wouldn’t have become the only shu son that survived back then when his Majesty was still the crown prince. Additionally, the empress has always liked to appear virtuous and benevolent. This act was merely done for his Majesty to see. On the surface, it was beating Qin Wang, but in reality, it’s still for the sake of preserving him, appearing pitiful in front of his Majesty so that she can plead for him. She won’t actually have him beaten crippled.”
Yu Lingxin also relaxed a breath, but she still had other questions inside, “Then, how did this matter immediately pass on to Miss Ming? If it was Young Master Ming that told her, why not wait until after the poetry gathering?”
Xun Che’s lips once again carried a deep smile, his gaze circling back and forth around Yu Lingxin, finally saying with a smile, “My wife really is sharp. This is precisely the reason why the two of us came here today. The matter occurred yesterday afternoon, and I only learned of it last night, telling Jincheng this morning. But, I heard that Jinrou didn’t sleep well last night, and this morning when preparing the tea and desserts for the poetry gathering, she made three mistakes in a row.”
Yu Lingxin followed along this train of thought, “Could it be that yesterday, the Wen family young ladies entered the palace?”
Earlier, over by the water pavilion, aside from noticing Ming Jinrou’s distracted emotions, she also noticed by that weak and delicate niece of the empress, Wen Ruoqiong’s side, there was another young lady that had similar facial features, similarly dressed in fancy brocade, her hair full of pearls and jade. Just, her beauty was a tiny bit inferior to Wen Ruoqiong, but she appeared much more lively, should be Wen Ruoqiong’s younger sister, Wen Ruoyao.
Xun Che praisingly nodded. Yu Lingxin suddenly recalled something again, her expression becoming a bit complicated.
She recalled that in the past life, Wen Ruoyao was Qin Wang’s side consort. As for who the main consort was, she didn’t remember anymore, because in Tianxu year 18, when she returned to the capital, Qin Wang had already entered the Eastern Palace as the heir apparent, yet the crown princess’s position was empty. At the time, the one managing the Eastern Palace, Chonghua Hall, was precisely this Side Consort Wen.
Just, afterwards, when the heir apparent ascended the throne, selecting candidates for the imperial harem and conferring titles, Side Consort Wen no longer had her previous glory, instead like the great majority of the unfavored consorts in the palace, gradually not having anymore news.
But, these words, she was unable to ask at this time. At the same time, Ming Jincheng and Ming Jinrou also finished talking, the siblings coming over together.
Ming Jincheng didn’t really have any unusual look on his face, just giving Xun Che a meaningful glance. Ming Jinrou, however, when seeing Yu Lingxin again, was a bit uncomfortable, both shocked at her relationship with Xun Che, while at the same time, also feeling awkward about her own matters getting found out by Yu Lingxin.
It was still Xun Che that opened his mouth first, “You two have been gone from the gathering long enough, so go back first. Huijun, look after Jinrou a little more.”
Yu Lingxin at this time was already a bit used to this kind of awkwardness, and it wasn’t good to say too much in front of the Ming family siblings, so she could only vaguely answer before returning to the water pavilion together with Ming Jinrou.
Just, this trip back was much more awkward than when they came.
When coming to Qinghong pavilion, the two of them didn’t really speak, because Ming Jinrou’s mind was completely preoccupied, and Yu Lingxin didn’t want to ask too much. Going back at this time, it became both having something on their mind, yet both not knowing how to ask the other person.
All the way until they reached the garden before the lakeside pavilion, Ming Jingrou finally softly asked, “Huijun is second cousin-in-law’s courtesy name?”
Yu Lingxin nearly lost her composure, but a few meters away, she could already see the young ladies in the pavilion successively landing the brush, and everyone naturally can also see the two of them coming back in the distance. As such, Yu Lingxin could only helplessly respond in a low voice, “It’s my courtesy name, just this address……….”
“Don’t worry cousin-in-law, in front of others, I will call you by your courtesy name, won’t call you second cousin-in-law.” Ming Jinrou said with a nod.
“I don’t mean this.” Yu Lingxin was practically between laughter and tears, “I actually………..”
Ming Jinrou earnestly gazed towards her, “What’s wrong?”
Yu Lingxin opened her mouth, yet discovered that she seemingly had no way of explaining. Mainly, it was because she didn’t know what Xun Che said to Ming Jincheng, and how Ming Jincheng explained it to Ming Jinrou. But in this moment, Ming Jinrou already had a look of ‘I know, I understand, second cousin-in-law, don’t worry’.
She practically wanted to cry, but in the end, could only helplessly say, “It’s nothing, just call me Huijun.”
“Ok, sister Huijun.” Ming Jinrou directly coiled around her arm, “In my family, although I have three older tang sisters from the other branches, one had already married, while the other two aren’t in the capital. Since childhood, the ones that grew up together with me were all older brothers, my own older brother, older tang brothers, older cousins, each and every one all blockheads. Ying’er although is a few months older than me, but look at her soft and delicate appearance. Whenever something comes up, it’s always me standing out. Originally, I thought that my older brother would get married first, never thought that——–”
Yu Lingxin further didn’t expect that Ming Jinrou would actually become a chatterbox like this, but the two of them had already returned to the gathering. As such, she quickly pressed her hand, “Never thought what?”
“Never thought that my older brother’s future wife would be like this.” Ming Jinrou immediately just changed the topic, gazing towards Wen Ruoqiong and Wen Ruoyao who were currently in the water pavilion, surrounded by a bunch of young ladies.
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this is absolutely dropping a huge signal that MC is ‘one of their own people’…🤣