To Be A Virtuous Wife

Male lead finally here! The cast and glossary pages will kept getting updated as the chapters progress.

Chapter Three Wang Ye

From very far away, He Heng, who served by wang ye's side came by to berate them. The original steward was discharged. He had originally been the assistant steward and managed to take advantage of the gap to become the steward. He didn't dare overstep so he had come very early to zhengyuan to make his apologies.

Qu Qing Ju looked at this steward. He wasn't very talk and looked very simple and honest. He did seem very obedient, but to become a steward in this wang fu, nobody was honest. She was weary of his apologies and said: "What the kitchen is like, I don't care, but if in the future I find you are not attentive, you don't need to kneel here."

The steward nodded frantically and handed over a menu, saying that it was for wang fei to pick the dishes for today and tomorrow morning.

"In the past, you have always said that everything was according to protocol, so it isn' possible to order." Qu Qing Ju didn't take the menu, only smiled at the steward.

Upon hearing this, the steward immediately said: "It was probably one of the messengers that said it wrong. It is true that wang fei's food is mandated by the protocols, but it is possible to order dishes among the protocols." Finishing, he started to castigate the messenger for being dumb and misunderstanding.

Qu Qing Ju didn't want to hear any more wasteful talk and said: "Fine, I know you will be attentive. Yin Liu, give me the menu."

On the menu once it reached her hand, there was all the ways of cooking, all kinds of dishes. She picked a few dishes that she liked and spoke: "In the morning, I don't like using oily or heavy foods. The kitchen can cook like normal, if it meets my preferences, naturally there will be rewards."

The steward felt a heavy weight. Who knew what things suited this wang fei's appetite . His mouth kept repeating that wang fei was generous and compassionate and so on.

Sending away the kitchen steward, Yin Liu massaged Qu Qing Ju's shoulders and said hatefully: "This pile of useless and spineless cowards."

The pressure of Yin Liu's massage was perfect. Qu Qing Ju leaned back comfortably on the recliner. Hearing Yin Liu's remark, she smiled and said: "In this world, there are many people but they are all this way. It is not worth it to be angry over a small insignificant steward."

Mu Jin came in carrying with a goblet of date and honey tea. Hearing what wang fei said, she laughed and said: "Wang fei is right, nubi[9]thinks that from now one, there wouldn't be any more disobedient servants."

Qu Qing Ju opened her eyes and sighed over those words: "In the past, I always thought the best of others but it is today that I have decided to use goodness to repay goodness, use evil to repay evil. That is the way to live in the Imperial Family."

Mu Jin smiled and placed the teacup on the redwood table. She pulled a thin blanket over Qu Qing Ju: "If wang fei thinks like this, it is a good thing." In all the first-rank yahuan, she was the oldest. In the beginning, when furen[10]had brought her and taken her into the fu, the little mistress had only been a year old. Now, the little mistress has become a wang fei and she was over two decades. She had said very early on that she didn't wish to marry, her only desire to guard beside wang fei. Now that wang fei had changed, it was for the best.

Qu Qing Ju looked at Mu Jin and thought back to the meaning of the flower Mu Jin. Resolve. This name was appropriate for this woman in front of her. It was one of the good things the original had, this yahuan who always wanted the best for her.

Closing her eyes, Qu Qing Ju didn't look at the sincere concern in the other's eyes, "Mu Jin's wish, I understand."

Mu Jin's eyes became red but she smiled and said: "Wang fei's words are embarrassing nubi." Finishing, she covered her face and left.

In the study, He Heng folded closed a missive and waited for it to dissolve in a bowl of water before saying to Ming He: "Don't touch what's happening in the south, da ge[11] and san di[12]is fighting very fiercely. It's better for me to watch from the sidelines."

Ming He nodded. He saw the pieces of the missive dissolved in the bowl and turned to a new topic: "Wang ye, the people in the kitchen have been reprimanded. The new steward seems to be a smart one, he already went to zhengyuan to ask for mercy."

He Heng nodded and didn't pay much attention, only saying: "Qu shi is ben wang's di[13] wife. What she is due, she will receive." Thinking back to Qu shi's vibrant new appearance that was contrary to the past plain one, his brow moved slightly, "As to how wang fei does in the future, we will wait and see."

Ming He nodded silently. This was between the zhuzi and the female zhuzi. He was a servant and naturally had no opinion. But he kept on sensing that today's wang fei was different from before. It wasn't just the change in wardrobe, even the gaze had changed. As the main steward of the fu, he had seen wang fei a few times before. He kept on feeling that wang fei seemed to have from … an unnoticeable gray bunny transformed to … a fierce female fox?

Recognizing he was guessing about his masters, Ming He buried his head deeper. Amitofo, he should be punished.

[1] 贺珩 (He Heng): He is the surname, heng means the top gem that decorates a pendant, usually made of jade.

[2] 大理寺少卿: shaoqing(少卿) is the highest position in the Department of Justice (大理寺). Similar to the Chief Supreme Justice.

[3] 母妃: mother-consort or mother-concubine. Mother who is also an imperial consort. They cannot be simply referred to as mother because socially, the mother of the imperial sons is the Empress.

[4] 玉冠: the historical Chinese coronet, unlike European coronets that encircle the head, sit at the very top of the head and is secured by forming a bun of hair and pin.

[5] 妹妹: younger sister. All the women are "sisters" and the "age" is determined by first rank, and then seniority.

[6] 舅舅: maternal uncle

[7] 舅母: maternal uncle's wife

[8] 公公: how to refer to a taijian.

[9] 奴婢: how a servant refers to herself. With bi(婢), the phrase is slave-servant, rather than just nu or servant.

[10] 夫人: the mistress/wife. In this case, Qu Qing Ju's mother.

[11] 大哥: da(大) for big or eldest, ge(哥) is older brother

[12] 三弟: san(三) three or third, di(弟) younger brother

[13] 嫡: first and "legitimately" married to,