ARC 1: The Prime Minister’s Tool Wife ✦ c1 ~ 70
✦ 34
Translator: InkyDragon (https://inkydragontranslation.wordpress.com)
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Luo Ya Qing’s frustration boiled over and she blurted out. “Can’t you use a different type of flower?”
Xu Shi Chu’s firm response was laced with amusement. “Integrity is key in business. The Five-Colored Scarlet Pill was announced, and it will be the Five-Colored Scarlet Pill that is auctioned.”
Luo Ya Qing’s face flushed with embarrassment. She had never been so submissive to anyone before, but desperation had taken hold.
She tried to reason with her stepmother, her voice laced with pleading. “Then, can you cultivate another one?”
Xu Shi Chu’s mocking smile made Luo Ya Qing’s shame deepen. “Do you think cultivating rare and exotic flowers is child’s play? If it were that easy, why don’t you try your hand at it and present it to the Princess Dowager?”
Shame washed over Luo Ya Qing. The truth of Xu Shi Chu’s words stinged, yet a spark of defiance ignited within her.
Xu Shi Chu, however, remained unmoved. “If you really want the Five-Colored Scarlet Pill, attend the Blossom Pavilion auction and bid on it. As long as you win, the flower is yours to give to whoever you please.”
Luo Ya Qing knew this, of course. Her fear wasn’t the auction itself, but the wealthy nobility. The capital was home to numerous flower enthusiasts, and the prices at the Blossom Pavilion were exorbitant. Her dowry, though substantial, wouldn’t stand a chance against their deep pockets. The thought of spending a fortune on a mere flower was unfathomable.
Desperate, she grasped at straws. “Can’t Madam Luo… for my father’s sake… relinquish the remaining flower?” she asked, shame burning in her throat as she leveraged her father’s influence.
With her face turning red, Luo Ya Qing unexpectedly brought up her father’s name, hoping to either instil fear or gain favour from Mistress Xu in order to obtain the remaining Five-Colored Scarlet Pill.
Xu Shi Chu wasn’t surprised at all. Wasn’t Luo Ya Qing always like this? When there were no personal gains involved, she could come across as generous and gentle, but once her own interests were at stake, her selfishness immediately surfaced.
Xu Shi Chu’s smirk was predictable. “Are you threatening me with your father’s name? His influence holds little sway over me. If he desires my flowers, he, like everyone else, must pay the price. And you,” she added, her voice dripping with disdain, “are you truly worth a priceless bloom?”
Luo Ya Qing’s embarrassment gave way to fury at Xu Shi Chu’s disdainful tone. “Aren’t you afraid of offending my father? You live in this mansion because of his protection. If you cross him, you’ll face difficulties!”
Xu Shi Chu’s laughter was light, but her words cut deep. “What’s the worst that could happen to me? Will your father divorce me and marry a new wife? Will she be favoured, give birth to a legitimate son, and compete with your brother for the family fortune and your father’s love? Will she try to alienate you, the married daughter?”
Luo Ya Qing’s eyes widened in disbelief as Xu Shi Chu continued, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “After the divorce, I’ll be set free with a comfortable sum of money. I won’t have to deal with annoying people anymore. If I become a target or get bullied, I can simply leave. Isn’t that a pitiful situation?”
Xu Shi Chu’s gentle tap on Luo Ya Qing’s face was a stark contrast to her scathing words. “You’re truly your father’s daughter, adept at using manipulative tactics. It’s a shame you only employ them against me and not your in-laws. I don’t fear your father, so why bother trying to scare me with his name? So silly!”
Luo Ya Qing recoiled from Xu Shi Chu’s humiliating words and gestures, creating distance between them as she struggled to regain her composure.
She had always prided herself on her emotional distance from her stepmother, Xu Shi Chu. It was a game they both played, a mutual disregard that masked a deeper truth: Xu Shi Chu felt the same way about Luo Ya Qing’s father, the Prime Minister. Their marriage was a transaction, a political alliance devoid of affection.
Moreover, divorcing a wife was a significant matter. She knew her father would not divorce his wife simply because his children disliked her; there were political considerations at play as well. Mistress Xu came from a modest background, and that was the primary reason she became the prime minister’s wife. Therefore, her father couldn’t possibly divorce his wife.
Humiliated and empty-handed, Luo Ya Qing retreated to the familiar comfort of her pre-marriage courtyard. Resentment towards her stepmother festered within her, but she felt powerless to act. The Princess Dowager’s wish weighed heavily on her mind, and the unattainable tea flowers only amplified her distress.
“Madam,” her senior maid offered gently, “why not let Lord Luo approach Madam Luo for the tea flowers?”
Luo Ya Qing scoffed, “Have you forgotten my stepmother’s words? My father holds no value in her eyes. His personal plea would be pointless.”
The maid persisted, “But Miss, are Madam Luo’s words truly the whole story? Every wife desires her husband’s attention. Perhaps she merely feels neglected by Lord Luo. If he shows her kindness and humility, wouldn’t she be overjoyed? Would she still claim he has lost face? Surely, a happy wife would readily offer the Five-Colored Scarlet Pill.”
A glimmer of hope sparked in Luo Ya Qing’s eyes. “You’re right! I was blinded by her facade. What woman wouldn’t crave her husband’s admiration? She might pretend indifference, but deep down, she must yearn for his affection. The slightest kindness, and she’ll be eating out of his hand…”
Limited by her own perspective and the societal norms of the time, Luo Ya Qing failed to grasp that some women genuinely held no regard for their husbands. She projected her own desires onto Xu Shi Chu, assuming a shared longing for the their husband’s attention.
Fueled by newfound confidence and a thirst for revenge, Luo Ya Qing recalled her stepmother’s mocking words and the humiliation she endured.
A cruel smile crept across her face. “Once my father shows her a sliver of kindness, she’ll be desperate to please him. And then,” she whispered, “it will be my turn to make her suffer.”
Visions of torment and revenge danced in her mind, oblivious to the fact that her dreams were built on a flawed assumption. The gentle, kind-hearted daughter of the Prime Minister was slowly fading, replaced by a woman hardened by resentment and mirroring the cunning she despised in the women of Prince Shun Yi’s Mansion.
As she eagerly awaited her father’s return, Luo Ya Qing remained unaware of the harsh reality that awaited her.
─── ❖ ── ☆ ── ❖ ───
( )………( )
(๑✪ᆺ✪๑)
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