ALL NOVEL Chapter 31: Sweet Smiles and Harsh Words
Su Jing Fei watched as Liu shi’s expression twisted into fear, then anger. For the first time in a long time, she felt a joyful warmth coursing through her blood, and her nerves tingled with excitement. Everyone continued to happily eat at the banquet, but Liu shi and Su Mei Rong barely touched their food. In fact, Liu shi looked like she was going to be sick. Her face paled as she watched others at the table. “Mother, are you feeling alright?” Su Jing Fei inquired with a worried expression.
Others took notice and paid more attention to Liu shi, taking note that the Furen did indeed look a bit sickly. Su Lao Furen furrowed her brow and said, “Furen must take care of one’s body. If one is not feeling well, it is best to stay in bed.”
Taking this moment in stride, Liu shi nodded gently. “Mother is right. This one has not been feeling too well today. However, since it was my Rong’er’s special celebration, this mother could not miss it.”
“Mother should go rest for a bit. Rong’er will accompany you.” Su Mei Rong spoke quietly as she gracefully supported Liu shi up.
“Rong-mei should stay. It is your special day after all.” Su Jing Fei spoke with a small smile. “I can accompany Mother to her chambers.”
Su Mei Rong bit her lip, looking worriedly between her mother and Su Jing Fei. Su Lao Furen nodded her head in agreement however. “Fei’er is right. Rong’er should stay. Let Fei’er accompany the Furen back to her courtyard.”
Su Mei Rong reluctantly let go of her mother, watching as her mother stiffly walked away with Su Jing Fei following quietly behind. She glanced at her father who had barely looked in their direction. He continued to chat amicably with the men by his side. She knew that Su Jing Fei had probably done something to upset her mother; she gently rubbed the spot on her arm where her mother had clutched onto her so tightly. Su Jing Fei better not be up to no good or else she’ll regret it!
Su Jing Fei followed after Liu shi and her entourage of servants. After entering her room, Xi mama helped Liu shi into bed and left to go get some tea to help Liu shi regain some strength. Su Jing Fei sent Yize out of the room as well. After a few minutes, the two were alone with Liu shi sitting upright in bed and Su Jing Fei seated on a chair nearby. The air was tense and heavy, but Su Jing Fei kept a calm appearance as she folded her hands onto her lap neatly.
“You…” Liu shi began hesitantly, furrowing her brow as she contemplated her words. There was something that had been strange about Su Jing Fei since she had returned to the capital city. Her odd behavior, mature mannerisms, and even her sweet words; they all seemed so unfamiliar. Although Liu shi was not close to Su Jing Fei, she did watch the young girl grow up however. This Su Jing Fei was a stranger to her. Could a year really change a person so much?
“Do I seem changed to you, Mother?” Su Jing Fei spoke the words as though she was reading Liu shi’s mind. However, she didn’t need to because the older woman’s thoughts were written on her face. How could someone not think that Su Jing Fei had changed? Everyone had noticed since her return. But Liu shi recognized that there was an underlying message in Su Jing Fei’s tone.
“How much do you know?” Liu shi ultimately decided to drop her motherly act as the lines of her face fell into a cold expression. She was older, wiser, and held much more power than Su Jing Fei at the moment. There was no need to fear such a young inexperienced woman, but somehow, there was still a tiny ripple of uncertainty. Perhaps it was the relaxed composure that Su Jing Fei held or the fact that Su Jing Fei seemed unlike her prior self, but something didn’t sit right with Liu shi.
“Hmm, are you talking about the time that you tried to poison me on my way to Fuo Lan or the fact that you had the Feng family kill my mother and siblings?” Su Jing Fei had done a bit of work looking into the poisoning event and found that the cook had been hired on a contract to kill her in exchange for his family to be taken care of financially. Of course, he’d hidden the contract away, but through hard work, Su Jing Fei had found it hidden in the handle of a knife that the cook had left for his son. The family had been compensated generously for their cooperativeness. And now, Su Jing Fei had the contract in her hands as well as the evidence her mother left behind. The Feng family were dead though, so there would be no one to corroborate their killing of her mother and family; it had angered Su Jing Fei for the longest time. But Su Jing Fei knew that bringing Liu shi’s actions to light in front of the emperor and imperial court, even if she did have all the evidence, it would only result in an unsatisfying ending at best. No, Su Jing Fei wanted more than that. She wanted Liu shi to suffer. “You’ve been trying so hard to get rid of me and my family for so long.”
Liu shi’s face hardened, but she remained seemingly unfazed by Su Jing Fei’s abrupt words. Of course, she was smart enough to know that Su Jing Fei would find out sooner than later. Getting rid of Su Jing Fei was the number one way to ensure that there would be no obstacles in securing a bright future for her own daughter, Su Mei Rong. Even though Su Jing Fei had a worse reputation and worse prospects than Su Mei Rong at the current moment, there would always be a possibility that Su Jing Fei could use her relation with the Qu family to suppress them. She couldn’t have that. Before, Liu shi could not touch Su Jing Fei because of the royal family, but now was different. Su Jing Fei didn’t have the protection of the royal family. She only had the Qu family, and Liu shi knew for a fact that the Qu family had no close relationship with Su Jing Fei. Her time to strike had to be soon!
Su Jing Fei’s lips curled into a smile as she watched Liu shi quietly. “You wish to kill me still, don’t you?” Liu shi did not respond, but her hard expression was an answer in itself. “Mother is intelligent and knowledgeable. Does Mother know how Feng Ruo Qian died?” Su Jing Fei lifted her hand in a swift graceful movement, plucking a hairpin out of her head. It’s beautiful light blue beads dangled from the flower ornament, intertwining together and shimmering underneath the light. The end of the hairpin was a sharpened edge, and as the polished silver reflected Liu shi’s cold expression, Su Jing Fei lifted the hairpin up and cradled it carefully in her hands. “With this.”
Liu shi’s eyes flickered to the hairpin. “Feng Ruo Qian died in the fire before his family was executed for treason. If you wish to threaten me and my family, I suggest you move past these meaningless mind games, Su Jing Fei.”
There was a small twinkle in Su Jing Fei’s eyes. “Of course. Then let me be frank with you, Mother. Feng Ruo Qian’s body did indeed perish in the fire. However, he did not die because of it.” Her fingers slowly and deliberately wrapped around the pin, gripping it in the same way as that day. “Many times, I plunged this dagger into Feng Ruo Qian’s body. I watched as the blood spilled from his wounds, still warm from his body. I saw the light of life extinguish from his eyes as his face was contorted in agony.” Su Jing Fei described it in a gentle and calm tone, as though she was simply describing the sky or the weather. “That’s how he died, Mother.”
Liu shi held a trembling hand up to her lips, staring at Su Jing Fei as though looking at a stranger. Su Jing Fei was crazy! A mad woman! Was this truly the same Su Jing Fei as before or did some evil spirit take over the body of Su Jing Fei? However, her momentary fear became clouded with concern and anger at the clear threat that Su Jing Fei was making. “And you wish to get your revenge? By killing me and Su Mei Rong? Do you think killing us will be that easy!?”
“Why of course not, Mother.” Su Jing Fei smiled as she gently tucked the hairpin back into its place. “Killing you would be too merciful. I desire greater things.” Her hands returned to their carefully folded and neat position on her lap. “Well, I hope you feel better soon, Mother. I’ll have someone send over some of the Zhu Qin tea that I got from Fuo Lan. It should soothe your body of aches and pains. Take care, Mother.” And without another word, Su Jing Fei got up and took her leave.
As Su Jing Fei left, Xi mama finally returned with some warm tea. “Furen, what’s wrong?” The older woman asked as she took note of Liu shi’s expression. “Is something the matter? Did Su Jing Fei do something?”
Liu shi almost screamed, feeling anger wash over her at Su Jing Fei’s indignant and threatening attitude. She took the cup of tea and threw it at the door where Su Jing Fei had left. The fragile cup shattered into pieces as the tea spilled onto the wall, dripping down the hard wood and soaking the floor.
Xi mama fell to her knees at Liu shi’s side, taking the woman’s hand in her own. “Furen! Furen, what is wrong?”
“That Su Jing Fei dares to threaten me and my daughter! She’s going to die an even worse death than her slut of a mother!” Liu shi’s face was red with anger and her throat hoarse with exertion. Xi mama comforted Liu shi carefully, coaxing the other woman into the bed.
“She dares not! I’ll make sure to take care of Rong’er. You rest now, Furen.” Xi mama said in a soothing voice as Liu shi finally relented, resting in the bed.
Back at the banquet, it seemed that dinner had concluded, and everyone had moved to the garden where performers were singing and dancing to entertain the guests. As Su Jing Fei entered, Su Mei Rong watched as the other woman took a seat on the other side of Su Lao Furen. “How is Mother, jie jie?”
“She is resting now and will be better soon.” Su Jing Fei replied with a smile before turning her attention to the performers.
Su Mei Rong was suspicious of Su Jing Fei’s words, but she didn’t wish to dwell on the matter. Especially since she was more concerned for her father’s upcoming words. She anticipated the moment with excitement as the performers ended their show, and Su Xuan Mo gathered everyone’s attention. “With full bellies, this one wishes to hear some music as the daylight wanes. Luckily, my daughter Su Mei Rong has prepared a piece on the qin to play for everyone. She wished to express her thanks with a song, and I thought it would be a great accompaniment to some fine wine!” Su Xuan Mo laughed heartily as others laughed as well. He gestured towards the servants to begin serving the fine wine that he had prepared for the night.
At the same time, the stage in the middle of the courtyard bustled with activity as guqin was set up with some accompanying beautiful lanterns to set a warm atmosphere. As Su Mei Rong took her seat at the guqin, everyone couldn’t help but look on with admiration for the beautiful scene. With Su Mei Rong’s delicate features and pale complexion, the warm glow seemed to add an ethereal atmosphere to her graceful appearance. With slow movements, Su Mei Rong raised her arms and began to pluck at the strings; clear notes rang in the air. Its melodic tone was soothing and pleasant to the ear. The song was somber and beautiful, bringing out different emotions among its listeners. The other young women looked on enviously at Su Mei Rong’s talented performance; of course, everyone knew Su Mei Rong’s skill with the guqin was unmatched in the capital city. The unmarried men watched with bright and interested gazes, and their approval of the Su er xiaojie increased greatly. The furens of households took note of Su Mei Rong’s beautiful appearance and skill with the guqin; on top of that, she was the daughter of the Right Prime Minister. She was definitely a viable candidate to enter any household of nobility.
As the guqin’s somber notes reverberated, lingering in the air, Su Jing Fei sat quietly while sipping a cup of wine. She watched as Su Mei Rong swayed people’s opinions towards her in a favorable fashion. However, she held back a small laugh after catching sight of Jiang Li Ling’s horrible expression. The young girl’s face was twisted in anger at Su Mei Rong’s performance; a mixture of jealousy was apparent in that childish expression as well.
As the performance came to an end, Su Mei Rong bowed respectfully before the crowd before returning to her seat. Su Xuan Mo laughed heartily as others praised Su Mei Rong’s wonderful performance, and the young girl herself looked pleased at the many gazes directed her way. Su Mei Rong gave a shy and demure expression as she hid a little behind the sleeve of her dress while Su Xuan Mo praised her greatly.
“Su er xiaojie is truly gifted! Such talent with the guqin!”
“And a beautiful appearance to accompany it! I almost thought a fairy had appeared before us!”
The people sang her praises, and both Su Xuan Mo and Su Mei Rong looked pleased with themselves. Su Jing Fei looked on with a pleasant expression. The rest of the night was rather uneventful, and as the guests left one by one, Su Jing Fei eventually returned to her courtyard. As Mu Tan and Yize helped her prepare to settle down into bed, Su Jing Fei’s mind became preoccupied with many things. The Qu family would be returning within a week’s time, and tomorrow, the Assistant Minister of Revenue Che Xiao Tong’s daughter was returning to the capital with her mother and would be hosting a small get-together. It seemed that Su Mei Rong and Che Li Xue were quite friendly with each other.
As the night settled down and the next morning came, Su Jing Fei rose early to pay her respects to Su Lao Furen as usual. As a good daughter, she didn’t hesitate to visit the Er Furen afterwards to fulfil her filial duties; however, the Er Furen was apparently ‘sick’ and could not be seen so Su Jing Fei paid her respects outside the Er Furen’s room doors. As Su Jing Fei left the courtyard, it was then that Su Mei Rong showed her face finally.
“Good morning Fei-jie,” Su Mei Rong said with a gentle expression and bright smile. “How are you doing this morning?”
Su Jing Fei’s eyes flickered to Xi mama’s cautious expression behind Su Mei Rong. Her lips curled into a pleasant smile. “I’m doing well. How are you this morning, Rong-mei?” If Su Mei Rong wanted to waste her time on meaningless pleasantries, Su Jing Fei could play along.
“This mei mei is doing well,” Su Mei Rong spoke in a soft tone. She played the part of a gentle and supportive younger sister well; if not for the knowledge gained from reincarnation, perhaps Su Jing Fei would’ve fallen foolishly for the young woman’s innocent act. “This morning, we received the formal invitation for tea at the Assistant Minister of Revenue’s manor. Che Li Xue is a good friend of mine, and she is really excited to meet jie jie.” Su Jing Fei almost believed that Su Mei Rong really wished to introduce her to friends. The younger woman was quite the actress.
Su Jing Fei furrowed her brows however, and she gave a confused expression. “Oh, Grandmother didn’t mention anything about the invitation this morning.”
Su Mei Rong stared at Su Jing Fei with an innocent expression. “Mother received the invitation early this morning.”
“Oh, I thought Mother wasn’t receiving any guests nor invitations today since she is sick in bed.” Su Jing Fei replied with a smile. “She must’ve been feeling well enough to receive the invitation letter this early morning then. But, how come Rong-mei knows this news since Mother is not seeing anyone right now?”
Su Mei Rong looked a little taken aback by Su Jing Fei’s forwardness. However, Xi mama stepped forward quickly to reply. “The Furen is indeed not feeling well, so she sent me to inform the xiaojies of the invitation.”
“Oh? Is that so? Well, in the future, there’s no need for Xi mama to trouble herself with bothering Rong-mei. As the oldest daughter, it will be my responsibility to inform Rong-mei of such news. Next time, just come find me.” Su Jing Fei spoke sweetly. However, her true meaning hinted at the fact that Xi mama most likely informed Su Mei Rong first and didn’t even bother to find Su Jing Fei. It seemed the servants treated Su Mei Rong more like the da xiaojie than the actual one. It was about time to show them who the real da xiaojie really was. “And next time, Xi mama should not interrupt my conversation as I was speaking to Rong-mei and not to you.”
Xi mama looked a bit surprised with Su Jing Fei’s words; however, as a mere servant, she could not refute them. Outwardly, she knew that the Er Furen still wanted to maintain an amicable facade because of the Su Lao Furen. “Yes, da xiaojie.”
“Fei-jie, that was a little harsh…” Su Mei Rong’s voice was soft and concerned, and anyone who heard it would think that Su Jing Fei was bullying her instead of putting a servant in her place.
“Rong-mei, you may think it is harsh, but this is just a reminder of proper etiquette. Imagine if you were speaking to someone else who was not family and a servant interjects in the conversation of her master, would that not be disrespectful to the other person? When a servant puts herself in front of her master and acts disrespectful, it’s only reasonable to punish them. However, I am already being lenient by not informing Mother and Grandmother of Xi mama’s insubordination or else there would be punishment on hand.” Su Jing Fei smiled and gave such a reasonable explanation that one was not able to object.
“T-That’s true, I guess.” Su Mei Rong said, a little flustered by Su Jing Fei’s threatening words.
“Next time, take care to properly answer in a timely manner as well.” Su Jing Fei smiled at Su Mei Rong.
Su Mei Rong bit back her words and begrudgingly thanked Su Jing Fei for her guidance. As they parted ways, Su Jing Fei returned to her courtyard.
“Wow, da xiaojie really put Xi mama in her place!” Yize said with a bright smile as they entered Su Jing Fei’s room.
“If the Liu shi, Xi mama, and Su Mei Rong still want to keep up the act, of course I’m going to have to play the part of a respectable and kind da xiaojie well.” Su Jing Fei laughed.
After a bit of time and getting ready, a servant came to inform Su Jing Fei that the carriage was ready for them to head to the Che manor. Su Jing Fei took Mu Tan along with her and entered the carriage where Su Mei Rong and Su Yan Mei were waiting for them. Su Jing Fei took note that Xi mama seemed to be following Su Mei Rong everywhere; probably on the orders of Liu shi due to their conversation previously. It seemed like Su Mei Rong was fed up with acting amicable to Su Jing Fei, so most of her attention and chatter was directed at Su Yan Mei.
Once they reached the place, Su Mei Rong quickly got out first, not bothering to wait for Su Jing Fei. Su Yan Mei scrambled after her without a care for Su Jing Fei as well. As Su Jing Fei slowly exited, Su Mei Rong’s excited voice called out, “Xue’er!”
An equally ecstatic voice replied. “Rong’er! I’m back!”
The two young woman happily reunited with Su Yan Mei standing awkwardly to the side; however, as Su Jing Fei neared them, the happiness seemed to die away and a pair of black prying eyes stared down Su Jing Fei’s figure. Su Mei Rong stepped aside and introduced Su Jing Fei. “This is my jie jie, Su Jing Fei. She just returned from Fuo Lan.”
“It’s nice to meet your acquaintance, Che da xiaojie, Che Li Xue.” Su Jing Fei said in a pleasant tone.
“I’ve also just returned from Fuo Lan. There was quite a lot of rumors about Su da xiaojie, but is it true that you’ve met Li Wei Sheng in Fuo Lan?” Che Li Xue seemed quite curious and sounded almost a little jealous.
“I only happened to make his acquaintance when attending an event.”
“Su da xiaojie is so lucky! You were previously engaged to the third prince and have even met the elusive Li Wei Sheng!”
“Xue’er!” Su Mei Rong scolded slightly but she couldn’t contain a little upward turn of a smile on her lips at Su Jing Fei’s humiliation brought to light.
“Oops, sorry!” Che Li Xue looked apologetic, but there was a sarcastic undertone to her words. Su Yan Mei snickered beside them.
Su Jing Fei smiled. So it was going to be like that.
“We should get going. Mother is entertaining the other guests, and we wouldn’t want to keep them waiting!” Che Li Xue hooked arms with Su Mei Rong and began to walk through the courtyards of the Che Manor. They strolled through quite a large pavilion that branched out to many different buildings. As Su Jing Fei took in the surroundings, something nagged at her memory. When they entered a pretty little garden seating area, Che Li Xue brought Su Mei Rong to sit with her and her mother while Su Yan Mei left to go talk to some other young girls who were in attendance. Because Su Jing Fei did not know anyone, she quietly took a seat at a table by herself. However, a familiar face suddenly caught Su Jing Fei’s attention. It was Jiang Li Ling!
Wait… this place and also Jiang Li Ling… As Su Jing Fei put two and two together, she realized that she recognized this place from an important scene in the movie Blossoms in the Wind!