Love Like the Galaxy

Love Like The Galaxy; Chapter Thirty-Seven

Chapter Thirty-Seven:
That’s How the Conspiracy and Hero Trapped Her In

“– Mother, are you serious? Those girls fell into the water because of Niao Niao?!”

The banquet was over and all the guests had dispersed. Wan Songbai, who was still drunk, was called upon by Old Madam Wan. At that time, he half sobered up by fear, thinking that his mother wanted to have him beaten again. As Old Madam Wan took a moment to clear her mind, the other half of his drunkenness was also sobered.

“How can this be possible? I remember Yin Zhi’s daughter suddenly had abdominal pain and Niao Niao accompanied her back first. Qiqi even came to me saying that Niao Niao treats Young Mistress Yin better than her. In other words, when the other girls fell into the water, they weren’t there at all!”

Old Madam Wan snorted. “If Niao Niao had your brains, it wouldn’t be possible at all.”

How dare the filial son of the Wan family refute. He smirked foolishly.

A small accident happened during the banquet that day.

There was an elegant two-story pavilion in the back of the Wan family’s garden called ‘Changchun.’ The young men who had come to the banquet set up the originally planned throwing pot competition and banquet there. The young girls who heard the news dared not to break in and were greedy for the handsome gentlemen, so they all gathered on a small wooden bridge opposite the Changchun Pavilion and looked at the men there on their tiptoes.

The steward had repeatedly advised the women that the small wooden bridge wasn’t secure and couldn’t handle being crowded by people. However, the eager young girls refused to listen to the advice, and the bridge collapsed shortly after. Fortunately, the bridge deck wasn’t high and the stream below was even shallower. Except for some scratches and bruises, the group of young girls were not seriously injured, except for being covered in ice, water, and mud, which was a bit indecent to describe.

Only Wang Ling, because she was in the middle of the bridge and surrounded by everyone, was pressed to the bottom when she fell. When she was picked up, she was the most embarrassed and suffered. She had been rolled into a mud person. Not to mention, even a few rotten grass leaves were in her mouth and nose.

When the matter spread to the table, the parents and elders all looked at each other and smiled.

After enquiring about it clearly, the fathers whose daughters were not among them couldn’t help but feel proud and boasted that their daughters were honest. The fathers whose daughters were among them either laughed at themselves or shook their heads to say, ‘Young men and women can be like that,’ and apologize to Wan Songbai for damaging the bridge.

Through his drunkenness, Wan Songbai led the way by boasting about how handsome he was when he was young. There had been a young girl who nearly broke the Wan family’s gate trying to get a peek at him; that had been much more vigorous than the group today. Then, a group of drunk uncles pulled their throats one after another, showing off their handsome tales from when they were young.

This one said that his family never used to hunt because the flying geese would automatically fall to the door of the house; another said that his family never used to fish because the fish in the pond sank by themselves and waited for him to fish them out.

Another said on the day he got married, half of the girls in the county fainted from crying, and the other half who managed to not faint tried to squeeze their way into the marital room. Another said, when he was a teenager, all the girls in the village refused to marry anyone else and would threaten to jump in the river or go on hunger strikes. He had to meet three or four times to fight other men in the village and eventually ended up leaving his hometown before he joined the army.

Among them, General Han’s boast was the most unique.

When he was young, he was said to be too talented. In order to take him as a son-in-law, two elders of the village led their children to engage in armed battles at regular intervals. The fighting was a bloody and brutal scene, comparable to a war between two armies. In order to save the lives of his parents and fellow villagers, he reluctantly left home – this boasting went too far, and General Han was laughed at by the crowd.

Wan Qiqi handled this matter appropriately and received unanimous praise from all the husbands.

She not only ordered her servants to serve the women in grooming, cleaning, and healing in an orderly manner but also quickly brought out new clothes and headgear left by her sisters. At the same time, she earnestly demanded that those who had not fallen off the bridge not mention this embarrassment, and then calmly invited Wang Ling and others to continue to eat and drink as if nothing had happened.

Madam Yin listened to the praise. Although her face remained expressionless, her heart was filled with pride and joy. She couldn’t help but drink a few more cups, and now she was passed out drunk.

“…It isn’t our fault for them falling into the water,” Wan Songbai said, shaking his head. “No one took it seriously. The steward said he had set up a wooden sign at both ends of the bridge and wrote on it that the bridge was unstable and swaying. They insisted on going up, he couldn’t do a thing!”

Old Madam Wan snorted. “Could it be you asked the steward to set up those signs?” she asked.

Wan Songbai was stunned for a moment. “Didn’t you ask him to set them up?”

Seeing his mother’s expression as if she were facing an idiot, he knew he was stupid to ask. “Mother,” he said with a dry smile, “just tell me. I’m stupid, how can I guess?”

“I’ll tell you three things,” Old Madam Wan said. “The first is that before Niao Niao returned home, Steward Zhang, who was in charge of flowers and plants, once told me that the young lady of the Cheng family loved that bridge very much. She often surveyed it with great enthusiasm in her spare time.”

Although she was old and gradually becoming blind, she had been sitting in the capital mansion for many years, taking care of small and large matters alone, and always maintained the habit of daily audiences with management and reporting on internal affairs.

Wan Songbai couldn’t figure out what she was trying to say. “So what?”

“Secondly,” she continued, “Manager Li, who was in charge of the banquet, said that Niao Niao suggested he set up the pot-throwing competition in Changchun Pavilion instead of the side courtyard as originally planned. She said it would be more elegant and unique.”

“The third thing, Steward Wang in the inner courtyard said that Niao Niao told him the bridge wasn’t stable and it wouldn’t be good if someone fell from it. She asked him to set up the warning signs at the end of the bridge.”

Wan Songbai finally understood what his mother meant – Shaoshang had lived with the Wan family for many days and both his mother and Qiqi valued her very much. The stewards would most definitely listen to her opinions. But he still couldn’t believe it. “Perhaps it was just a coincidence? Although the bridge was unstable, the steward told me it wasn’t yet in a state of disrepair. How did Niao Niao know when the wooden bridge would collapse?”

“Not everyone knows,” Old Madam Wan said, “that the bridge actually has a name. It was made by a public transportation class doctor to help a monarch of Chu in the past. It was called the ‘Folding Bone Bridge.’ Nowadays, few people know about it. At first glance, it looks like a light and sturdy small bridge, but remove just a few pieces of wood, and when someone steps on it, the entire bridge will collapse in an instant.”

“That’s good. After our side crosses the river, we draw a few pieces of wood and call the pursuers behind us to fall into the water…” Wan Songbai’s expression gradually became solemn. “Mother is saying that Niao Niao saw through the bridge’s mystery and took the opportunity to trap those girls?”

Old Madam Wan nodded. “In this way, whether she was there or not, she could still sell this strategy.”

Wan Songbai took a cold breath. “If Brother Cheng Shi was obedient to Xiao’s management that isn’t exactly a bad thing,” he said after a pause. “It’s good to marry a smart woman! Niao Niao is very smart…” He clicked his tongue.

“If you married a woman like Yuan Yi, your head would be broken and you’d see your father within the first year of marriage,” Old Madam Wan said. “Well, if it’s like that, she could at least remarry while she’s young.”

Mother and son were silent as they looked at each other. It took a moment until they began to laugh.

Wan Songbai wiped away the tears from his eyes and spoke first, “You are still a mother. You were angry with Niao Niao, and I was thinking of how to say a few words for her so that you don’t blame her.”

Old Madam Wan smiled and shook her head. “Today, the young lady of the Wang family spoke harshly, and she bullied Niao Niao a lot. It’s understandable for her to do something about it. If I had been younger, I would have done it even better.”

“You don’t blame Niao Niao for setting this up in our house,” Wan Songbai smiled. “That child is pitiful. Every time my wise brother mentions her, he feels both guilt and pity.”

“Why would I blame her?” Old Madam Wan said humanely. “If she had bad intentions, she wouldn’t have asked the steward to put up those two signs. She just wanted to give the Wan family an out. Persuasion comes first, wooden sign warns later, no matter what, it can’t be blamed on my family. Moreover, I see that the child has a strong and fearless nature. I guess if it weren’t for Young Mistress Yin’s abdominal pain she would have stayed and informed us later, and then honestly pleaded guilty.”

“Exactly!” Wan Songbai repeatedly said. “Qiqi told me that Niao Niao never conceals anything, just makes sure that her tricks are done in a grand manner. It’s very fun.” As for how his daughter came to this conclusion, he didn’t know.

“Yes, that child is quite unique,” Old Madam Wan said quietly. “If I had met such a little sister when I was young, I would have loved it too.”

Wan Songbai thought to himself, ‘How could you meet such a little girl? You are that little girl!’ Those who offended her didn’t have to stay the night. She avenged herself on the same day and had to calculate interest according to the hour!

But, after hearing this, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. To his surprise, Old Madam Wan spoke again, “Just now, I’ve written a letter to inform Yuan Yi about this matter.”

“What?!” Wan Songbai was so surprised he almost lost his breath.

“Don’t be so loud! I’m blind, not deaf!” Old Madam Wan didn’t move. “I don’t blame her, but I cannot hide this for her. She has her own parents and it’s up to the Cheng family to decide what to do.”

“But… but if Madam Xiao knows about this, there will be another commotion…”

“Let there be trouble,” Old Madam Wan said. “Yuan Yi should be asked to know who her daughter is!”

“Mother…” Wan Songbai stammered.

Old Madam Wan was silent for a moment. “The two families have been in contact for decades,” she said, “and ordinary relatives of the same family are not as close as we are. From my point of view, Yuan Yi is extremely intelligent, sophisticated and shrewd, there’s nothing wrong with that. There are only two things, one is conceited and clever, while the other is self-righteous and refuses to admit mistakes.”

Speaking of Madam Xiao’s shortcomings, Wan Songbai immediately became more energetic and wished he could speak for three days and three nights plus a midnight snack. “That woman…”

“Shut up, it’s not your turn to discuss Yuan Yi’s mistakes,” Old Madam Wan scolded. Wan Songbai remained silent.

“Yuan Yi has raised her sons very well. She told me that when they were on the outside, ordinary family children couldn’t help but become angry and drink and fight. However, the Cheng family’s sons are both ambitious and clean-minded. When it came to their daily interactions, everyone praised them. Yuan Yi arranges for her sons, whether it’s studying, mentoring, or practicing martial arts, A’Yong and the others all follow suit. After returning to the capital, Yuan Yi naturally took it for granted that she was in charge of Niao Niao but unexpectedly hit the south wall! Well, these days mother and daughter have had a few fights, and my son will tell me the details of the fights.”

Wan Songbai knew his mother was mocking him and shut his mouth even tighter.

“Yuan Yi made up her mind to expel the Ge family before returning to the capital, but she felt sorry for Old Master Ge and the daughter. But now that the Ge family doesn’t need the Cheng family’s help, she poured all of her affection into Cheng Yang. Yuan Yi realized that she was both kind-hearted and selfless, and thought that her husband and children should understand. However, the whole family didn’t buy her out of trouble. Yuan Yi doesn’t think about the reason why, she only knew how to suppress it blindly. Mother and daughter are like ice meeting an iron chisel, how can we not make trouble.”

While Wan Songbai agreed with his mother, he was afraid that Cheng Shi would be put in a difficult situation. “But Mother,” he couldn’t help but say, “Niao Niao will have to be punished because of this.”

“In life, if you can’t be brave, it’s better to give up your courage and live an honest life as soon as possible. Since you’ve done it, you should bear the risk of being seen through. It’s hard not to just eat meat and not get beaten. Take your time. If you break through each hurdle, you’ll know how to take your own path.”

Wan Songbai stared blankly at his mother’s disabled face – was she talking about her own family? It was precisely because she refused to bow down and make too many enemies in the county when her father was alive that mother and son were besieged when his father suddenly passed away.

…

The Wan mother and son were not far off the mark. The Cheng family saw another big scene.

Since learning the news, Cheng Shi and Madam Xiao had been in a state of silence, and the couple sat together for half an hour. Madam Xiao originally intended to say, ‘I hit the nail on the head, she’ll always cause big trouble,’ while boasting about her foresight in front of her husband. She didn’t know why, but the words stuck in her throat and couldn’t be said for any reason.

Subsequently, Cheng Shi stood in silence and went out to give orders. He also asked Qing Cong to invite the Cheng Zhi couple and inform them in detail about the falling bridge and ladies falling into the water. Cheng Zhi and Madam Sang were taken aback and looked at each other, as the couple could see each other’s meaning in their eyes.

Cheng Zhi stiffened his head and said, “Actually there wasn’t much harm in this matter. Those young girls were just a bit embarrassed and I don’t think the adults cared about it.” The second half of the banquet was almost a feast of cowhide, and everyone became more and more curious. As a genuine and beautiful young man back then, Cheng Zhi deeply marveled at the thick skin of all the adults.

“When I was young,” Madam Sang said, “I read the words ‘Ban Gong built a bridge of stacked bones to help the monarch of Chu,’ but I’ve never seen what the bridge looked like. It’s Old Madam Wan who is well-informed and thoughtful. How could that little girl know the details?”

“Speaking of which,” Cheng Zhi lowered his voice. “That Wang Chun is not a very good man. If it weren’t for him, why would Brother Wan pretend to have a leg injury? Today his daughter publicly humiliated Niao Niao so she did it intentionally!”

“This matter has been arranged without any flaws from beginning to end. Even if outsiders heard of the Folding Bone Bridge, they could never imagine the reason behind it. It seems that they are all responsible for it. Brother and Sister-in-law can rest assured! Let’s sincerely apologize to the Wan family later. Due to the recklessness of Shaoshang, they were almost implicated,” Madam Sang said.

The couple spoke to each other and excused Shaoshang with every sentence. Madam Xiao was not an idiot; she couldn’t tell why, but she didn’t say a word. She just looked at her husband.

Cheng Shi let out a long breath. “This matter can’t be left as it is,” he said. “This time, I will punish her. Heavy punishment!”

“Brother…” Madam Sang said urgently.

Cheng Shi raised his hand to stop her from continuing. “You love Niao Niao so much,” he said. “You care for her, teach her and you don’t know how grateful I am in my heart for that.”

Madam Sang’s eyes were a bit wet and she lowered her head. “Brother, don’t say that,” she said. “I just feel like I’m in agreement with Niao Niao.”

Cheng Zhi hurriedly went to check on Madam Xiao, but saw her still sitting in silence.

“I know Niao Niao has suffered injustice today, but I still want to punish her,” Cheng Shi said with a solemn expression.

He turned his head to his wife. “You once told me that Niao Niao is ‘wise enough to refuse advice, and witty enough to act falsely.’ Now it seems half right. It isn’t that she doesn’t know what she did was wrong, but she’ll do it because she thinks she is so smart. She is not afraid of anything and can fool everyone! This is indeed going to cause a big disaster!”

After hearing this, Madam Sang fell silent.

Cheng Shi continued, “What are you afraid of causing this trouble? When I was the same age as Shaoshang, I wasn’t necessarily gentle, respectful or frugal. But I resorted to risky tactics. She’s doing this purely to vent her anger. I’m going to break her extreme temperament today!”

“What do you want?” Madam Xiao finally spoke.

Cheng Shi didn’t answer. Instead, he called for Cheng Shun and then Cheng Shun, who was standing outside the hall, led a gray-haired but neatly dressed scar-faced old man in. The old soldier was holding a long cane in his hand.

Cheng Zhi and Madam Sang didn’t know this person, but Madam Xiao did and exclaimed in surprise, “Qian Qian?”

“Sister, who is this?” Cheng Zhi asked.

“This is the one who handles the punishment under your brother’s account,” Madam Xiao said slowly. She already knew what her husband was going to do.

Cheng Zhi was so shocked he lost his composure. “Brother, don’t do this! You only have a few bones, and you can knock her out with just a slap. You don’t need to use it with… with this…” He pointed to the wooden cane in the old soldier’s hand, which was thick as a tall bowl, solid and heavy, as dark as paint. Seeing it made his blood run cold.

Madam Sang opened her mouth slightly, so surprised that she couldn’t speak.

Cheng Shi ignored them and spoke sternly to the old soldier. “Today, I want to use your skills as a judge. You have rarely executed in the military these years, and only occasionally asked to torture one or two people. Have you lost your skills with this staff?”

The old soldier named Qian Qian grinned. “Don’t worry, General,” he said. “I’ll do whatever you tell me to do. It’ll hurt for a few days, leave a few wounds, and keep a trace of blood on my hands.”

The old soldier’s voice was so sharp and slender. Looking at his description, Madam Sang knew that this person should be an old eunuch who had been wandering among the people in a certain royal palace of the previous dynasty.

“After all, I’m just trying to scare the young lady. You can’t make a mistake!” Cheng Shi threatened in a deep voice. “Or I will skin you alive!”

Qian Qian lowered his head. “The General picked me up from a pile of corpses and also found my lost mother and nephew,” he said. “You properly placed the whole family of maidservants. If they damage the young lady, there is no need for you to take action. The maidservants will take care of themselves.”

Cheng Shi nodded and waved to Cheng Shun to take the person down.

Cheng Zhi finally understood. “Brother, are you -?”

“Niao Niao is bold and careful, ordinary battles cannot scare her!” Cheng Shi said. “You must take a heavy hand. I’m going to make her suffer hard, see some blood, and let her have a long memory, but I can’t really hurt her.”

Cheng Zhi looked at his wife, who smiled bitterly.

Madam Xiao snorted. “Are you finally willing? You’re not afraid that Niao Niao will hate you for this?”

Unexpectedly, Cheng Shi nodded. “Madam is right!” he said. “So, it isn’t up to me to fight, it’s up to Madam to fight!”

As soon as the sentence was spoken, the remaining three people in Nine Zhui Hall stared at him in astonishment.

“You can say that!” Madam Xiao finally became angry, not at her daughter’s audacity, but at her husband’s shamelessness. He was a good person in front of his daughter and left the bad person to her! Shameless!

Cheng Shi quickly stroked his wife’s back. “I’m not here to curl up,” he said. “Do you think we have to both be hard and soft to tame a rebellious child like her? After the fight, we still need to coax her. We both have to be soft and hard, right?”

Madam Xiao broke free from her husband’s grasp and said angrily, “Then let me be benevolent and you come to show power! Why should I be the villain?!”

“If it was before…” Cheng Shi said with a smile. “Madam is a good person and mother and daughter could talk about caring things. But now, isn’t Niao Niao prejudiced against you? If even her father, who has always loved her, confronts her with the cane, maybe she would be so sad and angry that she would stiffen up and refuse to yield!”

“You…?!” Although this was convincing, Madam Xiao still sputtered and trembled with anger.

“My plan is as follows. Later on, I’ll avoid leaving my residence to avoid feelings of weakness or being pulled over by Yong’er and the others. When Niao Niao returns from the Yin house, Madam, you will be furious… No, not towards me, it’ll be towards Niao Niao!”

Cheng Shi shifted left and right, trying to avoid Madam Xiao’s fist and apologized with a smile. “Then you will loudly scold Niao Niao for her many mistakes, and bring up the words of the sages. Make her feel ashamed. If you want to be terrifying, be as terrifying as you want. First, calm her down in terms of momentum. Then ask Qian Qian to come out for the punishment – don’t make her strip, let her save some face, and then beat her hard. Well, it’s not really hard, I will tell Qian Qian in advance…”

Madam Xiao couldn’t get away from her husband’s pinched hand. She was so angry that she didn’t even care about etiquette, so she raised her leg to kick him.

“Then, Third Younger Brother and Sister-in-law will pretend to come in a hurry – remember to come in through the main entrance, don’t try to save yourself and hide in the side compartment to watch the play, you have sharp eyes. Then you plead with Niao Niao in tears, and Yuan Yi will reluctantly accept after some embarrassment as if her life was saved in this way, and you will leave for the post two days later…”

Madam Xiao exhausted all her strength and finally pushed her husband over, and she also collapsed on the spot from exhaustion.

“Then…” Cheng Shi stood up and patted the folds of his clothes. “Oh, there’s nothing after that.”

Madam Xiao was both angry and tired, and could only gasp for breath. Madam Sang had never been so frightened in her life. Only Cheng Zhi buried his face into his palms and didn’t want to speak.

Cheng Shi stood in the center of Nine Zhui Hall with a tall and imposing figure and piercing gaze. He raised his arms like commanding a thousand troops and horses and his voice was like shouting and charging through a sea of blood.

“Today’s battle is to make Niao Niao know that there is a mountain outside the mountain, and there are people behind it. We cannot take risks recklessly, let alone rely on someone’s support to act recklessly! That’s settled. When Yuan Yi is almost done, Third Younger Brother and Sister-in-law will go in and save her. Throw a cup for the finale!”

The frightened Madam Sang slowly turned her head and asked her husband with her eyes.

Cheng Zhi also answered with his gaze: Yes, my brother has always been like this. But you don’t have to be sad, mistakenly thinking that his loyalty and bluntness were all planned by his wife. You’re not the first and you probably won’t be the last.

Madam Sang: It seems they are quite skilled with their fists and feet, could it be they’ve done this before?

Cheng Zhi: They fought harder when they got married. After giving birth to Yong’er, they began to put on this act. To tell you the truth, I actually miss it very much.

…

The Author’s Note for this chapter:

‘Madam Xiao really can’t be considered a good mother to Shaoshang, but she and Cheng Shi are really loving and there are no conspiracy theories.’

At first, I thought that Cheng Shi really did Madam Xiao dirty (still kind of do), but I began to realize, especially with the author’s note, that their interaction was a weird type of… love language? Foreplay? I don’t judge. Poor Madam Sang was so scared and confused.

A big thank you for the donation the other day! I didn’t want to post your name for privacy reasons, but you know who you are and you rock!