Chapter 7 Heartless man (2)
Mo Xiang could not bear it. “Furen, why don’t you tell His Excellency that you are pregnant, that those dared slaves who look down upon you would dare not! Besides, Furen, you are still the daughter of Nie’s Clan and the wedded wife of His Excellency. What about that lowly Shen Rumei? Dare to compete with you?"
Nie Wushuang wiped the tears from her eyes, shook her head with a sneer: “You can see from his action that new loved one is better than old loved one, the main wife cannot compare spoiled concubine. Even if I have a child, what should I do? At this time, it’s just a drop of water splashed on his head. Wait a moment. I’ll choose the best time to tell him about it!”
She touched her flat abdomen and wondered, maybe he was just confused for a while…
But It's not timed that her husband changed his mind yet. Instead, the showed off and slandered by Shen Rumei.
After a dozen days that goes very smoothly, One day, Nie Wushuang got up early, was washed and dress. Suddenly, she heard a report from the servant at the outside. “Furen, Shen guniang asked for an audience.”
“Not see!” Mo Xiang shouted angrily.
Nie Wushuang carefully stuck golden flower ornament (10) on her forehead, then turns back, "Okay, let her in".
“Furen, you…” Mo Xiang was puzzling.
Nie Wushuang looked at the women in the mirror, her snow white and greasy skin, her dark eyebrows without drawing, her lips without painting themselves, dressing a little was better than countless women. Naturally, she knew how beautiful she was. Nie Wushuang, when she was a maiden, was the number one beauty in the capital of Qi State.
Playing Qin, playing chess, writing calligraphy and paintings were all proficient, and the “Jing Hong” dancing (11) on the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet was amazing. Her beauty was better than an unspeakable momentum. If the ethereal spirit was a rare orchid, but with an indescribable extravagance, others will not imitate it.
Although Shen Rumei was beautiful, it was just beautiful by a piece of pearl powder. Compared with her, it was not even worth mentioning.
It was painful to think, even if the heart hurts when husband unfaithful to her, but she did not allow her future children to have a hard time because she was not favoured.
Nie Wushuang smiled coldly in her heart: “If she wants to come how can you stop her, it must be such a day.”
During the conversation, Shen Rumei was already strolling in with maidservant supported her. When she saw Nie Wushuang in neat clothes, she couldn’t help feeling inferior. She knew Nie Wushuang's unparalleled reputation.
In the brothel, didn’t know how many women were envious until gnash their teeth whenever they talked about her. Not to mention that Nie Wushuang was born in Nie’s clan, the largest clan in the capital. Her father Nie Weicheng was one of three powerful chancellors in the court. However, noble sons, she did not want to but choose Gu Qinghong, who was still a poor scholar at that time.
Remember the day that Gu Qinghong passed the Imperial Examination when he was riding a horse around the street. His handsome and elegant face was shocked by the old and young people in the capital. No one has ever seen such a young and handsome Zhuang Yuan like that before until then all people were impressed with Nie Wushuang's choice.
This is a talented man and a peerless woman, such a match made in heaven (12).
“Rumei paid respect to furen.” Shen Rumei concealed the envious in her heart, pretended to kneel with pitiful looking.
Nie Wushuang also did not help her up, until she knelt down, she smiled lightly and said, “Shen guniang lets go from rituals. Can you still adapt to the fu?”
“Very well, His Excellency is very kind to Rumei.” Shen Rumei looked up with a triumphant smile in her eyes.
(10) Women in Tang Dynasty like to decorate their forehead by drawing or used golden ornaments if you decorated with gold it called 金钿 (jīn diàn), draw small dot on dimples called 妆靥 (zhuāng yè) or 面靥 (miàn yè), later dimples make up developed into another shape, draw oval shape like almond called 杏靥 (xìng yè), flowers shape called 花靥 (huā yè) even draw circle that have held in the middle called 钱点 (qián diǎn). If you draw a dot on your cheek, called 靥钿 (yè diàn).
Jin Dian on her forehead Zhuang ye on her dimplesWu Zetian Empress by Fan Bingbing
Sometimes they draw a flower on the forehead like this
Goodbye my princess (TV Drama) / Eastern Palace or Dong Gong (Novel) by Peng Xiaoran (Xiao Feng)
(11) 惊鸿舞 (Jīnghóngwǔ) Jinghong Dancing that is one of the well-known dance in Tang Dynasty. You can watch below.
(12) 天作之合 (tiān zuò zhī hé) a heaven-made match; a union made by heaven