Jin Wang Dotes on His Concubine

Chapter 136.2: Jin Wang Dotes on His Concubine Ch 136 Pt. 2

Translated by gingercat

Edited by gingercat

After a while, with a bright smile on her face, Yaoniang walked in from outside. She had just returned from the small kitchen. She announced that she made Jin Wang and Xiaobao’s favourite “Phoenix Nirvana”, and that dinner was ready.

Actually, Phoenix Nirvana was simply a fancy name for the dish. The more common name was pork tripe wrapped chicken stew1. Back when Yaoniang used to spend time in the small kitchen in Jinzhou, she learned how to cook this stew from Mother Xue. The cooking method was also simple. After washing the pork tripe, a freshly slaughtered old hen is washed then inserted into the tripe. Pepper, red dates, codonopsis root, and other herbs and seasonings are then added into the tripe before everything is placed into a clay pot and simmered slowly. After a period of time, the pork tripe is removed from the pot and the chicken is taken out. The chicken and the tripe are then cut into smaller chunks before they are put back into the soup along with some goji berries and salt to simmer for another while.

Normally, when one makes any kind of chicken soup, only the soup would be drunk, because the meat was too tough. But this stew was different. Since Xiaobao has yet to grow any teeth, Yaoniang would often cook this soup for him to drink and nourish his body. It could also satisfy his desire to eat meat.

This dish was one of Xiaobao’s favourite dishes. Jin Wang had also tried it a few times and thought the taste was not bad, so Yaoniang decided to make it herself today.

During dinner, Xiaobao ate an extra small bowl of rice, and Jin Wang also drank a lot of soup. This was a rare sight to behold since Jin Wang hated drinking most soups.

After dinner, the family of three sat on the Kang as they digested their food. Erbao went to bed early every night, so he had already been carried away by the wet nurse. Only Xiaobao was left, unwilling to sleep yet.

Hong Chou brought over his bamboo basket filled with toys, and he sat on the Kang to play. Yaoniang chatted with Jin Wang on the side about what had happened at Jin Wang Manor.

After hearing from Yaoniang what happened, Jin Wang frowned. “Although seventh sister in law is not of high birth, she’s both beautiful and smart. Her temperament is calm as well. Old seventh is truly muddleheaded. Instead of being intimate with a woman like her, he actually chooses that kind of woman.”

Only then did Yaoniang know that Consort Qing was chosen by Jin Wang. Although Jin Wang was only a few years older than Qing Wang, Jin Wang was not like Qing Wang at all. Instead of having a mother who was helpless to do anything, he had the Shen Family behind him. For the Shen Family to bring so much fear and wariness to Emperor Hongjing, that he needed to spend so much effort to control them, the Shen Family naturally should not be underestimated.

Although both of them were princes with their own feudal state, one only had the title without any true power. To the officials and Emperor Hongjing, Jin Wang was not at all comparable to Qing Wang because of the power he held in his hands.

That year, taking into account that Qing Wang’s support from his maternal family was weak, Jin Wang chose the daughter of a fifth-ranked deputy who worked at the central judicial office to be Consort Qing. To be honest, even the daughter of a marquis may not be worthy of marrying a qinwang, Jin Wang only considered the woman’s character and virtue. He took the moral character so seriously that he even investigated her family background and the type of environment she grew up in.

The Xiao family was the type of family that didn’t seem to be extraordinary on the surface, but their true goodness was hidden within.

“Jirou was very sad. Why do you think Qing Wang did this? Was he trying to make them fight each other?”

Jin Wang pondered for a moment. “Old seventh is an honest and simple man, whose actions are ruled a bit too much by his emotions. But he’s not muddleheaded to this extent. There could be another reason for what happened.”

Yaoniang looked at Jin Wang with a weird gaze.

It wasn’t until Jin Wang glanced at her that she said unhappily, “You’re clearly being biased. If he didn’t give her the seal, was it Side Consort Han who stole it? Side Consort Han doesn’t appear to be such a foolish person who would do this kind of dumb thing. From what I see, men all easily fall prey to a woman’s charms. It must be Qing Wang who was so entranced that he gave the gold seal to her, despite his many years of relationship with his wife.”

Jin Wang looked at her. Seeing how indignant she was, it was as if this was something that had happened to her.

He pulled her into his arms with a glint in his eyes, and said, “You mean to say that this prince easily falls prey to a woman’s charms?”

.

Only then did Yaoniang realize that she seemed to have dragged a lot of people into the water with her words. Immediately, she said, “I’m talking about ordinary men. Your Highness is not an ordinary man. Your Highness is a man of honour, who is not promiscuous nor licentious but wise and prudent with his actions.”

Jin Wang laughed lightly and slapped her on the butt. “Enough with the flattery. Whether he did it or not, I’ll ask Qing Wang tomorrow.”

“It wasn’t flattery, Your Highness. Your Highness is that good.”

“How good?”

“Very good.”

“Very good at what?”

She thought of what Jin Wang said to her in the carriage earlier, and how he had wanted to give her this surprise so long ago. She pushed down the feelings of embarrassment, wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear, “Your Highness is very good, extremely good.”

Jin Wang latched her sweet mouth with a single bite.

Xiaobao was going blind from all their affection. Even though he was young, they should still take his feelings into account.

The next day, after Jin Wang returned from the Ministry of Works, he sent someone to invite Qing Wang over for the evening.

When it was almost time for dinner, Qing Wang arrived.

Jin Wang did not accompany Yaoniang and their son to dinner but had a table set in the front yard. The two brothers sat and drank together. This situation hasn’t happened for many years. Ever since Jin Wang left for his feudal state, they’ve only kept in touch by letters. Occasionally they’d bump into each other in the capital, but for some reason or another, they have been unable to meet up alone.

After drinking three rounds, Jin Wang said, “Talk. What happened yesterday?”

Qing Wang knew that it must have been fifth sister-in-law who came back and said something to fifth brother. He wasn’t surprised by this at all and he had even mentally prepared himself before coming.

Qing Wang recounted the ins and outs of the matter, including what Side Consort Han had said.

“So what you’re saying is that the woman had done such a thing out of ignorance?”

Jin Wang rarely used this tone to speak, and Qing Wang immediately yelled in a low voice, “Fifth Brother…”

“I won’t say too much. Whether this is a light or a heavy matter, you know in your heart. Inviting you here today wasn’t because of any other reason but that we brothers hadn’t had a chance to catch up over these years. Besides that, I do hope you won’t do anything like spoil the concubine and neglect the wife. Your wife is your wife. Your concubine is your concubine. If your wife isn’t good, that’s a different thing, but you know better than anyone else how you and seventh sister-in-law got to where you are today.”

Qing Wang lowered his head: “Fifth brother, I know, I…”

“It’s good that you know. Enough. Let’s drink.”

Jin Wang didn’t intend to intervene too much in this matter. If it wasn’t for Yaoniang feeling injustice on Consort Qing’s behalf and that he had chosen Consort Qing for Qing Wang back then, with his character, he wouldn’t have said a word.

From Jin Wang’s point of view, Qing Wang was no longer young. He wasn’t the younger brother that needed him to take care of everything anymore. With his and Qing Wang’s current status, as long as Qing Wang doesn’t get involved in the battle for the throne, no matter how big any matter is, his life wouldn’t be harmed.

Some people wouldn’t learn the lesson until their heads are bloodied after a fall. Jin Wang noticed how Qing Wang explained on behalf of the woman and knew he couldn’t be persuaded.