I Am This Type of Woman

3

NOTES:

Hóu Yé – Marquis, second of the five orders of ancient Chinese nobility
Hou Shizi – Viscount; Marquis' heir
Bó Yé – Count (Count is a nobleman 1 rank beneath a Marquis)
Fǔ – household; official residence; mansion
Yòu xiāng – Right Prime Minister
Zuǒ xiāng – Left Prime Minister
Xiangjun (Country Lord) – Title given to wives or daughters of high ranking noblemen
Gōngzhǔ- Royal Princess; 5 ranks above Xiangjun
Xiàn zhǔ – County Master; 3 ranks above Xiangjun
Huafu – Chinese classical robes
Fùmǎ – Emperor's son-in-law 
Wài shì (Outside room) – Mistress; Woman who lives with a married man in concubinage without going through the proper formalities
Lǎoshòuxing shàngdiào – Centenarian committing suicide
Jiě jie – Older sister
Mó mo – elderly lady; wet nurse
Bù yáo – dangling head ornament worn by women
Yù pèi – jade pendant; jade ornament
Jī xuè yù – chicken blood jade; jade which is coloured red or has red inclusions (It was very rare in ancient times as the method of mining it was very time consuming before modern techniques were introduced)
Zhuangzi – Country estate of a noble or a wealthy person

Chapter 3 (Part 1) – To Depend on Beauty

Princess Anle was the  eldest daughter of the Emperor and the most beloved. Seven years ago, she had been married to the first born legitimate (di) son of an aristocratic family, surnamed Wang. The married  couple too had passed a period of time when they were stuck together like glue. Later, Wang Fuma unexpectedly went so far as to surreptitiously support a mistress outside. After learning of this, Princess Anle thrashed him with a horsewhip and drove him out of the Princess' Palace in anger.

At that time, this incident created a sensation all over the city. It finally ended with the death of Wang Fuma by falling off a horse. Some people once said that Wang Fuma's cause of death was suspicious, but no one could find any evidence. In addition, after the decline of the Wang family, no one dared to mention the matter again. At most, they secretly sighed behind Princess Anle's back that she had a poisonous heart. But who asked Wang Fuma to daringly set up a mistress after marrying a Royal Princess? This is simply a centenarian committing suicide and bringing disaster upon oneself.

After Wang Fuma's death, Princess Anle did not want to marry again. She entertained herself by going on binges and partying with a flock of actors and singers whom she raised in her villa. Otherwise, she would invite the elite girls in Beijing to ride horses and amuse themselves.

Now, Princess Anle held a chrysanthemum feast. Almost all the noble ladies who had the honor of being invited, arrived at the venue rapidly and soon the villa was bustling with excitement.

"Have you seen Ban Xiangjun?"

"No, she wouldn't be here today."

"Why?"

"I heard that Shen Tanhua went to Jingting Hou Fu a few days ago to break the engagement and he was beaten up by Jingting Hou. A lot of people saw it when he was beaten up. "

The noble ladies usually have nothing much to pass the time. So, they inevitably gather together to chat about each family's gossip. Ban Hua being jilted again is now a hot topic among them.

"If I were her, I wouldn't even have the gall to come out and join in feasts and excitement," Xie Qilin's sister Xie Wanyu gently patted the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief and whispered to the companion around her, "That whole family is degenerate. Whoever dares to have ties of marriage with them is simply unlucky."

Her companion Shi Feixian was the granddaughter of the Right Minister. Not only did she look beautiful and free from the dust of earthly troubles, but she was also a famous talented girl in the capital. Even the queen mother had personally praised her.