The Wife is First

Ch14 - Green Plums

Jing Shao’s eyes lit up and he moved to his wife’s side: “What is the effect? What is the cause?” He really did not have a clue about the purpose of the rumors. He only thought that he would make any “evidence” of crimes disappear. Recently, he was keeping a very low profile, so the rumors would naturally slowly die away. 

“The so-called effect is the rumor itself; the so-called origin is the person who spreads these rumors, or a group of people.” Mu Hanzhang looked up at him, saw he understood, and then went on. “Presently, we must resolve the rumor itself. They say that public opinion is powerful enough to melt metal, the mass spreading of rumors can confuse right and wrong. The more is spread, the more it will become “the truth”, perhaps now Imperial Father will dismiss it with a laugh, but after a few years it may not be so.”

“Jun Qing!” Jing Shao grabbed the hand holding the wine cup. At this moment, he almost thought that Jun Qing was also reborn, but immediately rejected the idea, otherwise how would he not see the differences between himself and the him in his previous life? But if Jun Qing was not reborn, then his foresight and his intelligence couldn’t be underestimated!

“Wang Ye?” Mu Hanzhang did not understand the situation, he didn’t know why this person suddenly grasped his hand.

“You are willing to help me, I am so happy.” Realizing that his behavior was a bit abrupt, Jing Shao  quickly explained with a sentence, but did not let go of the hand of the other. 

The person who was being grabbed felt a little uncomfortable and lowered his eyes, taking his hand back: “I have already married you, if I don’t help you then who would I help?”

“Jun Qing…” Jing Shao looked at the person in front of him. This person had the talents to govern and serve the country well, yet he had to wholly give himself in marriage to him. Not only did he not harm him, but he was also willing to put forth ideas and suggestions and help him. The him in the past life was really so stupid… He couldn’t help but reach out and hug Mu Hanzhang tightly into his arms, “In this life, if you don’t abandon me, I, Jing Shao, will never turn my back on you.”

Mu Hanzhang distractedly leaned onto his chest. He couldn’t understand why this person was suddenly so emotional. In his heart he thought, could it possibly be that this wasn’t a place to talk, so he deliberately interrupted himself? Thinking about this restaurant, there were many people and eyes, so their next words couldn’t be rashly spoken, thus he also stopped his words: “Let’s, eat first.”

“Yes, you must be hungry. Come, eat first.” Jing Shao remembered that they had not had lunch yet. Li Yanqing had ordered a table of good dishes, but he himself did not even move his chopsticks before impatiently going to find Ren Feng. Now, if they didn’t eat soon, all the dishes would be cold.

The two ate their meal, but were not in a hurry to return home. Jing Shao pulled his family’s Wang Fei to the main streets for some leisure time, enjoying a walk to aid digestion. Both of them were unusually handsome and extraordinary people, one in a cold and pure way, the other in a gentle as jade way. They were still holding hands on the street, (although Jing Shao was pulling the other along and refusing to let go,) which drew in passers-by, who were surprised one by one.

“Where are we going?” Mu Hanzhang helplessly let himself to be pulled along, when they were outside it was not good to call him Wang Ye, so he could only omit the title.

“Going to the south of the city.” Jing Shao said as he turned and went into a shop, weighing out two catties of sauted melon seeds, and then pulled him into the alleys again, making seven or eight turns, before he finally found a shop that looked quite old.

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

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“Good place.” Mu Hanzhang could not help but praise it with a phrase.

“Ha ha ha, this gentleman does not dislike this shop for being simple and crude, you must be a cultured person.” A rather clear and bright woman’s voice came from the back door. Looking over, they saw a married woman in her thirties, dressed in a plum-pink Zong dress, holding a jug walking in from the back garden.

“Maiden Mei, I trust you have been well since we last met.” Jing Shao seemed to be very familiar with this place, smiling and greeting the shop’s mistress. 

Maiden Mei? Mu Hanzhang gave a glance  at the person by his side, this woman was clearly wearing the Zong dress of a married woman, moreover, she was also approaching the age of becoming a mother, why did he still call the other “Maiden” Mei, he was really being frivolous, not knowing where to stop!

Jing Shao looked back at him with an innocent expression, pulling him to the front of the wine cabinet.

“You youngster, still so cheeky.” The proprietress put down the wine jar and walked behind the high counter. “What do you want?”

“A small bottle of green plum wine, and also two wine cups.” Jing Hao took out a piece of silver and placed it on the bamboo counter. 

“Hold it!” The proprietress took the money, and put a bottle of wine and two wine cups into a small bamboo basket and threw it at Jing Shao. She looked up and glanced at Mu Hanzhang again, smiling and saying “This gentleman looks unfamiliar, but his bearing is extraordinary. You must be a scholar. I will give you a cheaper price next time you come to buy.”

Jing Shao was suddenly not happy anymore, and took the person at his side into his arms: “He is my newlywed wife, don’t imagine that I will allow your plan to hit on him!”

“Quickly get out, quickly get out, the next time I’ll charge you twice the price!” The lady boss suddenly changed her expression, holding a bamboo twig and tapping it on the counter, making “pa, pa” sounds. Jing Shao smiled and took his family’s Wang Fei and left with quick steps.

“This store…” Mu Hanzhang frowned, feeling it was quite strange. 

Jing Shao smiled and stuffed the paper bag holding the melon seeds into his hand. He held the green plum wine himself, still making space for one hand to continue to pull him along: “It’s a long story.”

The woman surnamed Mei, is an orphan, and her neighbor was also an orphan. From childhood the two were dependent on each other for survival. The girl had the winemaking technique that was passed through her family’s generations, so she made wine at home. The boy would then take it out to sell in order to maintain the two’s means of livelihood. When the man was sixteen years old, he was enlisted into the army, but he said that once he made a distinguished career out of himself, he would come back and marry her. When Jing Shao was in the army, the man had  already become a vanguard. He always foolishly storing away the silver that was paid to him, saying that it was for when he went home to marry his “green plum” maiden. It was a pity that in the beginning of the second year of Jing Shao’s enlistment, the man died in battle, and so Maiden Mei had never married.

After finishing the story, the two of them had already reached the middle of a peach blossom forest. March is the season when the peach blossoms are in full bloom. After Mu Hanzhang collected his thoughts about the story, his sight was full of the luminous peach blossoms, a vivid pink color as far as the eye could see, continuing on into the horizon.

“It’s so beautiful…” Mu Hanzhang said softly, the scenery was very beautiful, and the story was also beautiful. Unfortunately, the ending of the story, was like the pink peach blossom petals filling their eyes, in the end it could only be carried away by the wind, withered and fallen. 

Jing Shao saw that he was a little melancholy, and hugged him from behind, putting his chin on the shoulder of the other: “Brother Wang is a good person. When I first entered the military barracks, I couldn’t eat the crude food there, and I went hungry for many meals. He didn’t know that I was a Wang Ye, but he still secretly caught a bird and roasted it for me to eat.” Thus, he had always been taking care of that Maiden Mei behind the scenes.

“Wang Ye is actually very kind-hearted.” Mu Hanzhang slightly perked up the corner of his mouth.

Jing Shao inwardly smiled, kind-hearted? He did not feel that this word had much in common to himself at all. He believed in returning kindness, but didn’t hesitate in taking an eye for an eye. However, if he could change Jun Qing’s impression of him with this, then just let him think this way.

Pulling his family’s Wang Fei along, he walked into the depths of the peach blossoms, not long after, a delicate little pavilion appeared in front of their eyes. 

“This is such a nice place, why don’t we see anyone else here?” Mu Hanzhang opened up the paper bag, and poured both of them a cup of green plum wine.

Jing Shao smiled. This garden is a private garden of his brother, Jing Chen. Naturally, no one dared to come in so casually. Just before, Jun Qing was listening to his story too intently and did not notice that they entered a small moon gate, and that there were also Imperial guards posted on both sides of the moon gate.

Upon hearing these words, only then did Mu Hanzhang understand why he was brought here. Outsiders could not enter this place, and the surroundings were especially spacious and empty, they had no need to fear   people eavesdropping, so they continued the unfinished topic they had in the Immortals’ Gathering restaurant.

“If Wang Ye really does not intend to fight for the throne, then it isn’t urgent to restore your reputation.” Mu Hanzhang held his wine cup with two hands. The cup had been  made with a bamboo cylinder, it is not worth much, but it is particularly charming. “But we also can’t allow them to continue spreading the rumors as they wish. The best method to fight falsehoods is with falsehoods!” 

“What do you mean?” Jing Shao had only heard that there was such a method for the first time, and could not help but move a little closer.

“People who spread rumors are nothing more than jealous of the achievements Wang Ye attained. So all they have to do is find an adversary that Wang Ye hates, and have them write some bad things about you. It’s not important if it’s true or false, as long as it’s unpleasant to hear,” Mu Hanzhang’s beautiful eyes slightly narrowed. Looking at him, it seemed somewhat cunning. “The civilians don’t care whether it’s true or false. As long as it sounds shocking, they will always enjoy it and pass it on. When the times comes, regarding the gossip about Wang Ye, it will naturally be forgotten.”

Jing Shao’s eyes widened. It seems that Jun Qing had guessed that the source of the rumors was one of his two brothers. It was also possible that it was the empress.  If they could make up random lies and falsehoods, then so could they!

“Ha ha ha ha, you are really good at explaining things in a way I can  understand, Jun Qing. You are much more devious than me!” Jing Shao laughed heartily, but, at the same time, he was also rejoicing, if the people helping the empress were not those stupid little concubines of his, and was rather the person before his eyes, he feared that in his previous life, he would have died many years earlier. 

“Chen was just judging the matter as it stands.” Being spoken about by Jing Shao this way made Mu Hanzhang somewhat uncomfortable, subconsciously increasing the strength he used rubbing along the edge of the wine cup, but unexpectedly the edge of the bamboo had not been carefully polished, and a thin sliver of bamboo pricked his fingertip. The sharp pain caused him to wrinkle his brows, he looked down to see, and a round bead of blood had already emerged.

“Jun Qing!” Jing Shao scuttled over and grabbed his injured hand, skillfully pulling out the sharp thorn.

“Sss…” The ten fingers are linked to the heart, Mu Hanzhang couldn’t help but suck in a breath of cold air. More beads of blood came out from the wound, but Jing Shao’s next move made him forget to even cry out in alarm.

Jing Shao looked at the jade-like finger that kept bleeding. He worriedly sucked it into his mouth, lapping up the beads of blood, and then gently sucked at it a couple of times, to prevent any of the thin thorns from remaining in the flesh. When he raised his head, Mu Hanzhang’s face was so red  it looked like he would start dripping blood. Seeing him look over, he hurriedly lowered his eyes . 

Peach blossom petals fluttering about in the wind, Jing Shao only felt that the person who was being shy and blushing with shame in front of him was beautiful like a peach blossom deity. He couldn’t help but grab his family’s Wang Fei, who was about to emit smoke from embarrassment and pulled him close, holding the back of his head and opportunely kissed him.

“Wu…” When the scorching touch of the lips grinded against his own, the Mu Hanzhang, who had been sneak attacked, didn’t resist much, but when a soft and slippery thing stretched into his mouth and attempted to get him to separate his teeth, he was really stunned. “Wang Ye… en…” Just as he wanted to speak,  the nimble thing took the opportunity to drill in and gently swept over the top of his mouth. His body trembled as he experienced this unfamiliar feeling. Mu Hanzhang did not know from where his strength came from, but, with one push, he shoved Jing Shao out of the pavilion.

Jing Shao was not prepared, and was unexpected  pushed out of the pavilion. He subconsciously reached out to grab the branch of a peach tree, but unexpectedly the branch was damaged by worms, and with a “kacha” sound, the branch snapped. And thus, the handsome and imposing, brilliant and outstanding in military service, kind-hearted, the Cheng Wang who assaulted his wife with lewd intentions all day … fell flat on his back!