Lady of Fortune, Jiao Niang

I apologize for the delay, here you go!

Knowing that she was going to have a pigeon soup in the evening, Ye Jiao had someone fetch water to have an early bath no sooner than she returned, lest it would delay her supper time. Eating has become the most significant purpose and objective in her life.

Once the room was warm enough, Ye Jiao had the water fetched behind a screen. She planned to drop a few petals of flowers into her bath water once Qi Yun helped her bring the basket. 

However, Qi Yun seemed to be taking longer than expected. Finding it odd, she turned around to notice him standing still at the entrance of the inner room. His eyes seemed to have zeroed in on her. But as she turned around, his gaze moved elsewhere. 

Her gaze fell on his red ears and then onto the burning charcoal in the room, wondering if the room had become too hot. 

Releasing her grip from the belt, Ye Jiao stepped towards him and took the basket from his hands before raising her head with a smile, “Husband, you can go and do your work.”

Qi Yun stole a quick glance at her from the corner of his eye but averted his gaze again, whispering softly, “I’m done with my tasks. I was planning to check the accounts in the room. Will I bother you?”

“No, you can go ahead and check.”

Utterly oblivious, Ye Jiao walked to the rear of the screen with the basket.

However, in the next second, her head popped from behing the screen. “Husband, there is something that I have bought for you and have placed on the table. The shopkeeper said they can be returned for alterations if they don’t fit.”

Only after seeing Qi Yun nod his head, did she retrieve her head behind the screen once again. 

Not long after, a few pieces of garments were hung upon the screen as the two belts in them swayed to and from gently. Not daring to look at them any longer, Qi Yun briskly stode to the desk in the outer room, opened the account book and grabbed a pen. He consciously took a deep breath to suppress the tumultuous thoughts, intending to focus on the accounts.

“Splash.”

The splashing sounds of water completely assailed his auditory senses, causing the ink to almost drop on the accounts.

Still oblivious to Qi Yun’s wandering thoughts, Ye Jiao picked a few flower petals to sprinkle into the bathtub, enjoying the soothing fragrance while bathing. Even then, she couldn’t help but ask, “My lord, are you busy?”

Qi Yun had already put down his pen. His mind was not on the accounts right now; making mistakes in the numbers would be troublesome. Hearing Ye Jiao’s words, he replied gently, “Not busy. What is it?”

“I overheard them outside talking about an amnesty being granted for the whole country. What does an amnesty across the land mean?”

Qi Yun had already grown accustomed to his wife’s inquisitive nature, always asking why things were the way they were. Fortunately, he enjoyed explaining things to her, so he began carefully elaborating, ”The court, during moments of joyous occasions, chooses to pardon some criminals. This act of absolving the criminals of their sentences is phrased as amnesty across the nation.”

The splashing sound water stopped, as Ye Jiao voiced her confusion, “They pardon criminals during joyous occasions?”

“It depends on the circumstances. Whether it happens or not depends on the ruling emperor’s decision,” he replied gently. What he said was an euphemism. To put it colloquially, it meant that if the emperor wanted to grant amnesty, he could do so based on his whims.

Falling into a moment of deep contemplation, the Little Ginseng thought to herself, ‘The Emperor indeed indisputably held the highest authority!’ Nonetheless, she couldn’t help but ask aloud, “But, wouldn’t condoning heinous criminals like the ones today cause chaos?!”

Qi Yun smiled, thinking his wife was truly pure-hearted, considering a few local ruffians to be heinous. He further explained, “In our country, there are ten unpardonable crimes in the case of a general amnesty.”

These ten unpardonable crimes were not generic; rather they specifically refer to acts like rebellion, treason, and filial impiety among few similar other crimes. Even if the amnesty was declared, those who had committed these heinous acts would not be pardoned.

Although they called it amnesty across the nation, it mostly applied to those who had committed lesser offences. The truly wicked and malicious individuals would remain incarcerated.

However, as the topic grew somewhat heavy, Qi Yun didn’t want to elaborate too much to avoid scaring his wife. So, he changed the subject, “Jiao Niang, what did you buy for me?” He walked to the table and opened the package.

A black fur coat lay quietly inside, and the moment Qi Yun saw it, he fell silent.

Ye Jiao couldn’t see his expression behind the screen. In a cheerful tone, she replied, “The weather is getting colder. Although you said I can buy anything I want, I am not susceptible to the cold as you are. Your health requires special attention, so this fur coat should have been bought earlier. Try it on and see if it fits?”

See if it fits…

Qi Yun wanted to speak, but when he opened his mouth, he didn’t know what to say.

Although he had been confined to home due to illness for a long time, he was nevertheless abreast with the prices in the market as he managed the accounts.

‘A fur coat of this quality would have cost a considerable amount of silver.’

Although he had handed the silver to Ye Jiao in the name of managing the finances, for Qi Yun, once the silver was given, he never thought of taking it back.

This time was no different; Qi Yun instructed Ye Jiao to take some money with her so she could buy something, but she ended up bringing back a fur coat for him.

Although it was money he had earned, it still warmed his heart inexplicably, as if something in him had melted.

Gently caressing the fur coat, Qi Yun picked it up, and put it on with utmost care. He kneaded his slightly choked throat and finally spoke, “It fits, perfectly. Jiao niang, you’ve chosen a wonderful coat.”

Ye Jiao felt delighted; as long as it fit, that was enough. The town was so far away, and altering the coat would be troublesome. Now, with this coat, Qi Yun wouldn’t have to keep wearing his somewhat baggy robe all the time and this winter would be much warmer for him.

His remark boosted a sense of pride within Ye Jiao, “Husband, I think I am awfully lucky.” Without an iota of modesty, She wittily praised herself for buying the right clothes.

Qi Yun, wearing the fur coat, remained frozen as his gaze fell on the screen. Even though he knew he couldn’t see the person behind it, he focused intently for quite some time. Stroking his slightly sore nose, he softly breathed out a sigh.

“Jiao Ninag…”