Rebirth as the General's Wife

6: Planting the First Seed

"Anyway, let's talk about your marriage," Meiyue restlessly brought it up again.

"En, let's talk," Jufen simply said.

...

An awkward silence filled the room before Meiyue lightly cleared her throat, "Didn't you love the 5th prince? You shouldn't quit yet."

"Father picked a good marriage for me." Jufen replied in a dull voice. Meiyue sighed and gently placed her hand above Jufen's. She fought the urge to shake off the sullied hand of Meiyue; the same one that poisoned her child and tortured her. At the thought of her unborn baby, Jufen's heart sank low and her eyes watered a bit.

Meiyue had mistaken her tearful eyes for being brokenhearted over Ye Feng. She was confident that she could change Jufen's mind so she lightly patted her hand in a loving way. Jufen hid the disgust behind her calm facade.

"I want you to marry the one you love. Plus, if you managed to catch the prince's attention, how would your father have the face to say no? He could not refuse the prince's proposal nor the emperor's decree." Just like that, the old Jufen would've been convinced. Luckily, she could now see through her real intentions.

"Jufen dares not." She had lowered her eyes to drink her tea slowly on purpose. With such simple words, Meiyue didn't know what to say. Since when has Jufen became so cautious?

She hesitated before trying again, "Don't you want happiness? With a gorgeous appearance and the talents that you have, Prince Feng will definitely take a liking towards you."

"Then he would've taken a liking half a year ago during the Royal Spring Banquet where I played the zither and sung." One after another, Jufen shot down Meiyue's suggestions.

Feeling frustrated, she finally exploded, "You just can't!"

Jufen said nothing as she allowed Meiyue to let her own words sink in.

"That's not what I mean to say, younger sister. I heard many horrid things about Xu Jun. You already know that my family is the best at gathering sources and news. He's vicious and cruel, killing both women and children. At the age of 15, he had already massacred hundreds of people." She sighed loudly, as if she truly cared for her. At the word cruel, Jufen thought about Ye Feng. No one will ever be as cruel as that man.

Jufen did not live that deep under the rock to miss the rumors about Xu Jun. She knew that Xu Jun went into battles and war at a young age— killing many people. What was war without death? In her last life, she heard of his gruesome ways of torture and felt greatly disgusted. But after knowing Ye Feng, he did not seem vicious at all.

Taking her silence as her reconsideration of the marriage, Meiyue's heart sped up in excitement. She must not let her only ladder go.

"I simply want the best for you. Trust me." With her pleading innocent eyes and a pouting lip, it was hard for people to hold a grudge against or even resist. But Jufen was not one of them.

"En. I know that older sister Meiyue is the best. However, this younger sister also wants the best for older sister so I encourage you in my stead."

Others will think that Jufen was being considerate and selfless towards Meiyue but on a closer look, Jufen is implying that she 'let' Meiyue take her opportunity. It was something that she did not want and threw away. Her leftover. Her trash.

"What? Younger sister, what are you talking about? Only ladies above a third ranked status can marry as a wangfei. Anything lower is considered a concubine..."

Jufen did not say anything and pretended to realize how the rankings work. She hid the glint in her eyes that flashed by. As the Prime Minister's daughter, how could she not have known? She was simply indicating that no matter how rich her family was, merchants are still merchants. They hold no status in the court. The highest she can climb is a concubine. 

"How is Uncle Gu doing?" Jufen tactically changed the subject.

"Oh, Papa is planning to open up a new route and move the main trades there. There is an increase in large bustling town down the South."

Even though Meiyue would never tell Jufen her real plans and family issues, she loves to brag about their wealth. Perhaps it was because that was the only thing comparable to Jufen.

"The town called 'GanJu' near the spring river? It is indeed extremely popular and have a good environment. It is not too hot nor too cold. Flowers bloom in spring and leaves fall in autumn. No doubt will it be one of the biggest and most successful area. I would also like to visit."

Hearing that from Jufen, her hesitations suddenly faded. Originally, the Gu trading family were hesitant in building their main base there. In the end, they did not build in that area due to the lack of time and immense pressure. Thinking of Jufen's words, she thought it was dumb to hesitate. In the last three decades, the South had never faced any natural disasters. It truly was like a paradise; perfect for many new couples to travel to during their honey moon.

As she was immersed with her own thoughts, Meiyue had failed to notice the sly smile that had creeped up on Jufen's lips.

After bidding goodbyes to each other, Jufen was finally at peace. She lied comfortably on her couch and smiled brilliantly to herself.

The seed of destruction has been planted. Now, she plays the waiting game. Within three years, she will have a good show to watch.

—:—

For the next 12 months, Jufen stayed in her household and have not once stepped out of the house. During this time, she had learned self-defense from several trainers her father hired. She also practiced archery and sword fighting. Each day, she drained herself from energy until she starts to fall asleep while standing. She pushed herself to the limits, knowing too well that if she was a little stronger, she would've survived.

Chen Qui's heart ached at the sight of his beautiful daughter exhausting herself from the moment the sun rises until the sun sets. No matter what he said, she did not budge.

However, she made a mental note to take care of her skin in this time. Previously, because she had been immersed in impressing Ye Feng, her peerless beauty started to fade. Love and stress really are nothing but cons.

Every three days, she would dip her hair in honey mixed with chrysanthemum, osmanthus oil, and egg yolk. She would experiment with different ingredients to test which results were the best. Over time, her hair became more glossy and soft. With a homemade cream, her skin had soften and cleared up.

Gu Meiyue would only come by every three months since she had moved houses. Each time she came, she would endlessly brag about how well the trades and businesses are doing. The town had grown into a successful large city and had been renamed to 'Paradise City.' Jufen only smiled and showed some interest in her new clothes. Due to this, Meiyue had assumed that Jufen was finally inferior to her in terms of wealth and materials. Nevertheless, she still becomes bitter after noticing how Jufen's beauty started to escalate overtime. Fortunately, Jufen rarely goes outside so Meiyue still had some face left. Even if she did, she would always wear a veil.

Ever since her engagement was announced, many outsiders became curious of the couple. Chen Jufen had never caused trouble and it didn't help that she rarely leaves the house. They knew that she was "considered" one of the four beauties of the Ye nation but who knows if someone only spread false lies to boost their lady's reputation up? The public had actually never seen her. Thus, there were rumors bustling around that the Prime Minister's only daughter was insecure, pitiful, and plain looking.

Meanwhile, Xu Jun had not even glanced at the matter. Recently, he had to return to the camp base for military reasons. He was notorious for being cruel and since he also rarely shows his face, many assumed that he was hideous and unsightly. This only caused them to pity Chen Jufen more.

The couple had not met since the engagement has officially been formed. Both had been too busy with their lives.