Chapter 8: Birth Mystery
A sneer flashed across Zi You’s face momentarily, followed by a sweet smile “actually it is daughter who cannot bear mother leaving, I wanted to spend more time with you. You won’t blame me for being immature would you? Or is it that you’re reluctant to leave father’s side? ”
Old General Mu went to Nanjing to fight the rebellion thrice. The first time, Zi You’s second uncle, Ying Yi was only fifteen. At that time he had been a charming and good-looking youth who was a young soldier.
Being unfamiliar with the geography, they met with a lot of trouble in the mountains.
Ying Yi was even bitten by a poisonous snake. If they had not met Zi You’s mother, Dier, he would have died.
Dier used her spiritual powers and saved Ying Yi and in the process fell in love with him. She stayed with the troops of Old General Mu, serving as a doctor.
Truth to be told, Old General Mu and Ying Yi both knew that without thee sixteen year old Dier, they could not have dealt with the rebellion so smoothly and successfully, minimizing their casualties and return triumphantly.
Because of this, when Dier secretly followed Old General Mu back to Great Yan behind her parent’s back, wanting to marry Ying Yi, it placed both of them in an awkward position.
This was especially so for Ying Yi who didn’t want to hurt this mysterious, cool and elegant beauty. However, he too couldn’t bear to hurt his chaste and soft-spoken fiancee whom he grew up with.
Thus he had to tell Dier the truth.
After Dier learnt of it, she was extremely understanding. From then, she never mentioned wanting to marry Ying Yi ever again. Moreover, she quickly accepted Old General Mu’s suggestion of marrying Ying Rui(Zi You’s father)
Speaking of which, Ying Rui looked rather dashing and was also willing to marry Dier. After all, she was incomparably beautiful. In the entire country of Great Yan, there was no one who could hold a candle to her.
However, Dier did not love him. They had vast differences in terms of culture, food and religion. This made problems arise in their marriage fairly early.
Dier’s mother had a very noble background and was loved by the people. Dier’s mother marrying Dier’s businessmen father was out of love and he too treated her well. He had no other mistresses or women other than Dier’s mother. Thus Dier despised men who were unfaithful and those who engage in the practice of having multiple wives.
Dier thought that a good man should be like Ying Yi, loyal and responsible, protecting their woman from everything.
But Ying Rui and Ying Yi were polar opposites. While Dier was pregnant with Zi You, Ying Rui had the audacity to sleep with three servant girls and marry two mistresses.
(TL: Marry in this case means giving a position to them but not necessarily holding a ceremony. Mistresses have positions lower than the wife)
Dier was utterly disgusted by Ying Rui and after Zi You was born, she treated him even more coldly than before. She was unwilling to acknowledge Ying Rui. She ignored him and spent all her time on researching medicinal herbs and animals.
At the beginning, Ying Rui was at least willing to lower his position and attempted to pacify Dier. After Dier snubbed him, he got frustrated.
He thought ‘what’s the big deal? Isn’t it just looks? Once the candle goes off, she was no different from other women. She doesn’t even taste as good as my mistresses. She’s cold and acts like a ice block in bed.’
Such thoughts pushed the already distant duo further apart.
There was once Ying Rui saw Dier coiling a poisonous snake around her body. He was frightened and grossed out. From then on, he no longer slept with Dier and the both of them totally separated.
After that, it was as if Ying Rui abandon all restraint and lost control. Because of this he was often chided by Old General Mu. There was once Old General Mu even bestowed him with the ‘family punishment’, causing flowers to bloom on his bottom and him to stay bedridden for a month.
Seeing the unfortunate marriage of his brother and sister-in-law made Ying Yi and his wife feel guilt and unease.
