Marriage of the Di Daughter Chapter 1.2: Fang Fei
Potted cherry-apple tree (海棠)
“You don’t seem surprised.” Princess Yong Ning said, “Could it be that my dear Shen has already told you?”
My dear Shen… the way she called him was so intimate, Xue Fang Fei felt something sweet in her throat, and she almost couldn’t hold it back1. After a short moment, she weakly said: “I am waiting. I am waiting for him to tell me himself.”
Xue Fang Fei was not stupid at all; she was extremely smart and Xue Huaiyuan had taught her well. After she fell ill, she realized that she was under house arrest, and her every move was monitored by someone. Thus, she made the connection from beginning to end. What happened to her, and even the death of Xue Zhao, she found that there was something amiss about it.
She tried to gather bits and pieces from the mouth of the servants, and finally understood what had happened.
Shen Yurong passed brilliantly as the top scorer in the imperial examinations, achieving great success at a young age, and now his identity was no longer the same. Although Xue Fang Fei was talented and a beauty, in the end, she was just a county deputy’s daughter. Shen Yurong caught the eye of Princess Yong Ning, or perhaps they had already met under the cover of the night long before that. In short, Xue Fang Fei had become the stumbling block preventing him to take the golden branch offered by the princess’s household.
Xue Fang Fei recalled the incident and the guests invited by Madam Shen on that day. Princess Yong Ning was also part of the guests. Thinking back, she remembered that the corner of Princess Yong Ning’s mouth was raised, a pleased smile on her face.
At this point, the truth came to light.
“My dear Shen is soft-hearted,” Princess Yong Ning sat down carelessly, looking at her, “This princess2 is not a ruthless person and originally wanted to help you. Who would have known that you were not willing to comply.” She glanced at the bowl of medicine on top of the table, then sighed and said: “Why must you do this to yourself?”
Xue Fang Fei couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.
Receiving a daily bowl of medicine, she had already felt that something was wrong. Once she realized that, she poured the medicine into the flower pot. They wanted her to look like she had died from an illness, which would naturally allow Princess Yong Ning to marry into the family. Contrary to their expectations, she did not die easily. Since young, Xue Huaiyuan had taught her, if you haven’t reached the end yet, you must find a way to survive. Furthermore, for what reason? For what reason should she comply with this adulterous couple, who schemed to frame her yet asked her to take the initiative to seek her own death? In their dreams!
With a voice filled with ridicule, she said: “To forcibly break two people’s marriage apart, murdering the original in order to replace it, killing the wife and harming the offspring, for Your Highness’s “kindness”, Fang Fei thanks you.”
In a split second, Princess Yong Ning’s fury flared up, but she quickly calmed down after a moment. Standing up from her seat, she walked to the front of the table and picked up the pot of already withered cherry-apple tree. The palm-sized pot of cherry-apple flower was lovely. Princess Yong Ning turned it around in her hand while smilingly said: “Do you know how your younger brother died?”
Xue Fang Fei’s back stiffened at once.
“Despite his young age and against all expectations, your brother,” princess Yong Ning had a look of admiration in her face, “He was unexpectedly able to find something amiss in this matter, and even managed to find evidence. He said he was going to file a suit, and almost uncovered the involvement of this princess in the root of the matter.” Princess Yong Ning patted her stomach as if she had a lingering fear. “He could be considered smart, and that same night he was able to find the Governor. But he didn’t know that the Governor has a good relationship with me. So he immediately informed me about this matter.” Princess Yong Ning spread her hands and regretfully said: “A pity, his age was still very small, and this princess feels that his literary and martial ability were not bad. If not for this matter, maybe he would have been a prominent official. What a pity.”
Xue Fang Fei gritted her teeth until they nearly broke!
Xue Zhao! Xue Zhao! She had suspected that there was something strange about Xue Zhao’s death. In Tongxiang, Xue Zhao learned martial arts under a master. He was skilled since young, how could he die in the hands of mere bandits! But she really did not expect the truth to be like this! It turned out that her brother died in order to find justice for her after discovering Princess Yong Ning and Shen Yurong’s affair. With his blood boiling, he thought of looking for an official to file a lawsuit. Who would have imagined that the official was covering for others. That official was, in fact, the enemy!
She shouted: “Shameless! Shameless!”
Princess Yong Ning’s eyebrows raised, then coldly ridiculed: “So what if you are of noble and virtuous character? Every day you stayed here and didn’t go out. I’m afraid you haven’t received news of your father. When your father found out about the matter of you ruining the family name as well as your younger brother’s death, he died from anger!”
Xue Fang Fei froze and involuntarily shouted: “Impossible!”
“Impossible?” Princess Yong Ning laughingly said: “You may go out and ask the servant girl, ask them yourself whether it’s possible or not!”
Xue Fang Fei’s mind was in a state of chaos. Xue Huaiyuan did not care about fame and fortune3. Throughout his life, he was peacefully working as the county deputy in Tongxiang, he clearly was an upright person. How did he end up this way? To have his own child pass away before himself, upset to the point he died from anger. Xue Fang Fei really couldn’t imagine how Xue Huaiyuan must have felt after hearing the news.
This was indeed “those who harm and kill others get rich, while those who work hard die without proper burial”.
Princess Yong Ning had spoken for quite some time and was starting to get impatient. She put the pot of cherry-apple flower down on the table and gestured for the two sturdy old servants to step forward.
When Xue Fang Fei finally regained her focus, she shouted: “What are you trying to do?”
With a proud and carefree smile on her lips, Princess Yong Ning said: “Xue Fang Fei, you have a noble and virtuous moral character, with incomparable looks and talents, naturally you couldn’t stand the crime of having an illicit affair with another man. These past few months have been a painful struggle. Although my dear Shen has treated you just like he did before, you couldn’t forgive yourself. Taking advantage of the time when my dear Shen wasn’t home, you hung yourself.” After saying this, she lightly stood up, “How is it? Won’t this version return some of your face4?” Then Princess Yong Ning’s facial expression changed and she ruthlessly said: “If it weren’t for my dear Shen’s reputation, this princess wouldn’t be so lenient on you.”
“How dare you? How dare you!” Xue Fang Fei burst out in anger. Seeing her movements, the two servants quickly suppressed her firmly.
“This princess has an affinity with darling Shen. It’s a pity that you are in the way. Naturally, this princess cannot tolerate you. If you had belonged to a noble family, maybe this princess would have needed to exert more effort. However, your father is just a minor county deputy. How many counties and provinces are there? You people of the Xue family, are nothing more than a strand of grass. In your next life, before you reincarnate, think carefully and remember to pick being born in a distinguished family.”
Desperation grew in Xue Fang Fei. She refused to accept the current situation and struggled while looking at death’s door, grasping for any opportunity to turn her situation around. Yet, she absolutely had no way out of this, not against the power and the disparity of social hierarchies!
Through a gap in the window, Xue Fang Fei glimpsed the shadow of a familiar person. She clearly recognized it as her husband, the person she had shared a bed with.
Once again, a glimmer of hope rose in Xue Fang Fei’s heart and she called loudly: “Shen Yurong! Shen Yurong, you treating me like this, heaven won’t tolerate it! Shen Yurong!”
That shadow outside the window disappeared in an instant, as if fleeing to hide. Princess Yong Ning cursed: “What are you waiting for? Do it now!”
The two servants bent forward and bound the snow-white silk around Xue Fang Fei’s neck. The fabric used to wrap around the beauty’s neck was Songjian’s Madam Zhao’s yearly tribute to the palace – a bolt was worth a thousand gold. During her struggle, Xue Fang Fei wistfully thought that even the chosen murder weapon was so ridiculously precious.
Princess Yong Ning stood a meter away, her eyes cold and indifferent, looking at her struggle just like a fish nearing its death. She mockingly said: “Remember, you may have an unparalleled appearance and talents, but in the end, you are merely a small official’s daughter. For this princess to crush you, it’s as simple as crushing an ant!”
The pot of cherry-apple tree was knocked during her struggle. When it fell on the ground, the pot broke and an astringent fragrance floated out. The withered branches fell out from inside, showing a hard-to-bear portrayal of a shattered beauty.
In the fourth month of the lunar year, Fang Fei’s life reached its end.
How I hate to have to edit/read these initial chapters again, where so much injustice is done to her ?? my blood is boiling! At least it’s not as horrible as in Ill-fated consort shivers. Fang Fei, may you rest in peace, your tragic and short life that only lasted one chapter will surely be avenged!
If I’m not wrong, the Prince Consort (aka Princess’s husband) cannot be given an official post in order to maintain the balance of political power (and prolly to not become a threat to the Emperor’s heirs)… so Shen Yu Rong and Princess Yong Ning getting together it’s actually not that good of an idea for him (well, at least marrying each other, which is not exactly the same) >.< but well I’m not sure if that might have changed in different dynasties or… maybe it’s different here just for the plot’s convenience… or maybe...
1: Here I’m guessing this ‘something sweet’ actually refers to blood. In China, if someone is told something outrageous or victim of venomous slander, they would spit blood (血口喷人), and they often refer to it as a warm, sweet feeling in their mouth. Here, XFF wants to vomit blood after hearing the princess call her own husband ‘my dear’ but she is able to hold it back.
2:本宫 (bengong), lit. this palace (aka this one from the palace), used by an imperial princess or the empress to refer to herself in 3rd person, showing their arrogance and superior standing.
3: 淡泊名利, lit. to be indifferent to worldly rewards.
4: In Chinese, face (脸面) represents sth like your dignity, reputation, prestige or the respect others ought to have towards you. In this case, committing suicide (which equals to herself admitting her wrongdoings) would atone a bit for her misdeeds (having an affair) so that would return her a bit of her face (reputation/dignity).
