Golden Age Legitimate Fei

Chapter 46 part 3: Ye Ying’s Tragic Marital Life

In Wang-shi’s Fang Yi Court, Ye Ying laid in Wang-shi’s arms crying miserably. Wang-shi dismissed her servant girls and distressedly embraced her daughter, trying to comfort her. “Ying-er, what’s wrong? How is this getting married? Could it be Prince Li mistreating you?”

Ye Ying raised her head and looked at her mother’s worried and affectionate face. She cried even more miserably. “Oh…. Mother, Ying-er is so pathetic…”

“In the end, what happened? Is it really Prince Li treating you so terribly? Good daughter, don’t be afraid. Later, we will tell your father. Your father understands you best. He will definitely support you.” Wang-shi quickly said.

Ye Ying wiped her tears. “What can father do? Would he dare do anything to Prince Li’s Manor? When the bride price was brought over, it was so dismal. He still hadn’t said anything! Basically, father doesn’t love me at all.”

Wang-shi did not say it was right or wrong. Saying that the Prince Li’s Manor’s bride price was dismal, it was just that it wasn’t as grand as Prince Ding’s Manor. With Dowager Imperial Concubine Xian Zhao personally taking charge of the bride price, there was no way she would embarrass Prince Li’s Manor. Not to mention, Ye Ying was also very satisfied at the time. It is only now, after seeing Prince Ding’s Manor inviting Duke Hua of the First Rank and his Excellency Su Zhe, that Ye Ying felt inferior to Ye Li, not having any face.

Although Wang-shi was uncomfortable, she still understood what was heavy and what was not. She patted Ye Ying ’s back and said, a bit choked: “Stupid child, how can this thing be blamed on your father? In the beginning, there was nothing wrong with Prince Li’s Manor’s bride price. Aren’t you also clear on this? Isn’t that right? If there was really something wrong, how can your father and grandmother just marry you out like that? It’s just that Ye Li’s marriage is after yours. In order to save face, Prince Ding’s Manor would have to bring a bride price bigger than yours. But think about it? Other than the bride price, what else does she have? Prince Li is the Emperor’s brother, good at martial arts and scholarly pursuits. His appearance is first or second in the capital. What about Prince Ding? Right now, he is just a powerless prince in a wheelchair with a ruined face. Saying it like this, aren’t you much better than her?”

Ye Ying still felt gloomy. She bit her red lips and whispered: “But… there are some concubines in the manor.”

Wang-shi was a bit dazed. Immediately, she laughed with some revelation. She hugged Ye Ying and said: “Silly daughter ah, which man doesn’t have a few beautiful women in his house? You need to remember that you are the legitimate wife of Prince Li. Just look at our house; it also has a lot of beautiful women. But so what? It’s not that you’ve been too spoiled by mother right? Come and talk to your mother. How have you been these past few days?”

Mentioning Ye Ying’s newly married life, the word miserable is not enough to describe it all. Not speaking of the day of the wedding, missing the auspicious hour, when it was time to bow, the groom fainted. Afterward, when Mo Jing Li was carried into the bridal chamber, the Imperial Doctor had given medicine, but he still didn’t wake up. As a newly wedded wife, Ye Ying had to remove her own bridal veil and, on an empty stomach, take care of her unconscious husband. It was almost the Fifth Hour by the time Mo Jing Li woke up. Not to mention enjoying nuptial bliss, Ye Ying did not even have the time to rest. She had to rush and dress to go and greet Dowager Imperial Concubine Xian Zhao.

Dowager Imperial Concubine Xian Zhao was already not satisfied with this daughter-in-law. Now looking at Ye Ying, though she was concealed behind heavy make-up, it did nothing to hide her ugly face. This made the Dowager Imperial Concubine angry right then. From Ye Ying’s behavior to her clothes, everything was wrong. The most unbearable was that Dowager Imperial Concubine Xian Zhao compared Ye Ying to Ye Li. Ye Ying had always been self-confident. As time passed, hearing Dowager Imperial Concubine Xian Zhao mumble this and that, she kept talking about Ye Li. Ye Li was elegant and dignified, but Ye Ying was frivolous. Ye Li spoke properly and Ye Ying didn’t know how to be flexible, didn’t know when to advance and when to retreat.

Ye Ying couldn’t endure it and erupted, talking back. She provoked Dowager Imperial Concubine Xian Zhao until her face was purple. When it was time to present the tea, Ye Ying spent a full quarter of the hour (one ancient hour = two modern hours) kneeling. In the end, it was Mo Jing Li’s impatience that allowed Ye Ying to stand up.

If Ye Li could speak, she would tell Ye Ying: Pitiful child, you have fallen into Dowager Imperial Concubine Xian Zhao’s trap. She was deliberately torturing you. Dowager Imperial Concubine Xian Zhao had lived in the palace harem; how could she so easily get angry? It was clearly picking at Ye Ying’s weakness and poking it really hard, taking this opportunity to attack Ye Ying. It can also be said that she was showing her might.

If that was all that was unlucky, Ye Ying would not be like this. However, after serving Dowager Imperial Concubine with her breakfast with great difficulty, when she returned to her own courtyard, she saw five brightly dress beautiful women waiting for her. Looking at the different ages and appearances, Ye Ying wanted to cough up a mouth full of blood. She never even knew that Mo Jing Li already had five concubines. Moreover, she could do nothing to these little concubines because if they weren’t given by Dowager Imperial Concubine, they were given by the Empress Dowager. If they weren’t daughters of small bureaucrats, they were the legitimate daughters of a high official. Ye Ying kept thinking back to her grandmother’s teachings. She used all of her energy to push down her anger and take care of those women.

Returning to her room, what awaited her was not a gentle husband that she just married. It was the stewards of the house, holding cold books. Ye Ying is indeed a talented noble lady who is well-versed in poetry, painting, Go, and the zither. However, she was not very good at managing a household and looking over accounts. She had already abandoned these tacky mortal things; it would’ve tarnished her elegant and other-worldly temperament. But in front of the frown of the Dowager Imperial Concubine and the various stewards, she felt for the first time that she was an idiot. Two days later, before she understood those books that never seemed to end, Dowager Imperial Concubine Xian Zhao coldly told her that she didn’t need to manage these accounts anymore. While Ye Ying breathed a sigh of relief, she also clearly understood that she had lost the right to manage Prince Li’s Manor.

After listening to Ye Ying, Wang-shi’s face became very ugly. If Ye Ying does not have the right to manage Prince Li’s Manor, then she, Princess Consort Li, was a mere decoration. For the first time, Wang-shi regretted that she was too affectionate and indulgent towards this daughter. If she had taught her daughter more, this problem would not have occurred. But what Wang-shi didn’t understand was that compared to Dowager Imperial Concubine Xian Zhao, even if her daughter learned a bit more, it didn’t matter. Even if she went herself, nothing would change. From the very beginning, Ye Ying was doomed to be unable to get any benefits from her position as the matriarch of Prince Li’s Manor.

“This…What about Prince Li?” Wang-shi pulled Ye Ying and asked.

Ye Ying’s tears fell and she said: “The Prince said that Dowager Imperial Concubine is helping me because she pities that I am still young. Waiting for two more years when I have a child, it would not be too late to learn.”

Wang-shi’s eyes flashed. “That’s right, child. The Prince’s words are correct. Ying-er, you should hurry and give birth as soon as possible. You have to remember, the eldest son. You must not let those women give birth for Prince Li before you.” Ye Ying was surprised and hesitatingly looked at Wang-shi. Wang-shi said softly: “Good child, don’t be afraid. Mother will tell you what to do. You are the legitimate wife of Prince Li, giving birth to Prince Li’s heir is natural. Therefore, those women must not be pregnant before you. Do you understand?” Looking at Wang-shi’s cold eyes, Ye Ying quickly nodded. It was only then that Wang-shi showed a satisfied and happy smile. She pulled Ye Ying to sit and elaborated.

The mother and daughter pair, one teaches and one learns.