Chapter 24 - The Cannon Fodder Little Fulang [Quick Transmigration]

Translator's Note:

Hello, I hope you've all been doing well.

Here you go, and I wish you a good read.

And, as I said before, if you wish to read ahead, you can head over to my Patreon to get early access to all the translated chapters.

Wu Bai tentatively asked, "Do either of you know a ger named Su Li?"

 

At this question, Xiao Zimo's heart gave a jolt, but he did not answer immediately.

 

Instead, Zhao Chengnan shot a look at his cousin before turning to Wu Bai. "Sister-in-law, you must have heard some rumors about my cousin. But trust me, I guarantee that he truly cares for you alone. He wouldn't marry anyone else. If you don't believe me, you could even have him swear an oath to you!" He shot a meaningful look at Xiao Zimo, silently offering his cousin a chance to explain.

 

"Indeed, I swear," Xiao Zimo quickly seized the opportunity. "I will never marry anyone else. My heart belongs only to you."

 

Wu Bai gave him a slightly exasperated look. He had only asked about a person, yet somehow, this had turned into an oath.

 

But something about their words hinted at a deeper connection between Xiao Zimo and this Su Li.

 

"Tell me honestly—what exactly is your relationship with Su Li?" Wu Bai's expression grew serious as he scrutinized Xiao Zimo.

 

Zhao Chengnan merely cast his cousin a sympathetic look and fell silent.

 

With a nervous cough, Xiao Zimo explained, "He's the ger my parents proposed I marry—the son of the Minister of Rites."

 

"Oh, so it was him," Wu Bai nodded calmly.

 

Seeing that Wu Bai didn't seem upset, Xiao Zimo grew worried that he was perhaps suppressing his feelings, which could then harm his health. Trying to comfort him, he urged, "Bai ger, don't keep your feelings to yourself. If you're angry, let it out. Yell at me if you must!"

 

"Or hit me if it will help," Xiao Zimo continued, pulling Wu Bai's hand toward his chest.

 

Wu Bai couldn't help but laugh in exasperation and pulled his hand back. "I'm really not angry. As your cousin said, I trust that you'll only marry me, no one else." After all, even if you wanted to, Su Li wouldn't marry you. In the end, Su Li would wed General Yu Hongyi. Although Su Li might marry a lowly official first, that official was certainly not you.

 

Thinking about that minor official, Wu Bai felt a bit of pity for him—he had been a pitiful figure in that book, with a small role at the Hanlin Academy*, a modest rank, and no family save a ger mother. However, the book had offered scant details about him, not even a name, making it impossible for Wu Bai to intervene and warn him ahead of time.

 

[T/N: The Hanlin Academy (翰林院) is an elite scholarly institution that advised the emperor and oversaw academic and literary matters.]

 

Wu Bai let out his frustration with a resigned sigh.

 

"Sister-in-law, you said you weren't angry—why are you sighing?" Zhao Chengnan asked.

 

"I just feel sorry for an innocent person who is going to get killed," Wu Bai replied.

 

"What's there to feel sorry about? Tell me who it is, and we'll go warn them," Zhao Chengnan replied.

 

"The problem is, I don't know his name or appearance. That makes it difficult."

 

"Oh, that's no issue!" Zhao Chengnan said confidently, thumping his chest. "Just tell me whatever details you know, and I'll make sure to track him down."

 

Xiao Zimo nodded in agreement.

 

"All I know is that he's employed at the Hanlin Academy, lives with only his mother, comes from a clean family line, and is probably around twenty years old and unmarried. That's all I have," Wu Bai said.

 

"With that much information? Don't worry—I'll find him in no time," Zhao Chengnan declared confidently.

 

…

 

In the following days, Xiao Zimo frequently invited Wu Bai out for excursions.

 

One day, they planned a boat ride on the lake.

 

The two sat aboard, drinking tea and chatting. Wu Bai, lately fascinated by jade artifacts, pressed Xiao Zimo to teach him more about identifying quality jade.

 

As they spoke, Wu Bai suddenly felt a sharp gaze upon him. Following it, he noticed a ger on a nearby boat, staring at him with unmistakable anger.

 

Confused, Wu Bai glanced back. He hadn't wronged anyone recently, had he? Turning to Xiao Zimo, he asked, "Do you know that ger on the boat across from us?"

 

Xiao Zimo looked and was inclined to deny it—he knew very few gers, after all. But unfortunately, he did recognize this one. That ger had once been a guest at his home, invited by his mother.

 

But it hadn't been a simple visit—it had been arranged to assess him as a potential marriage prospect.

 

Seeing Xiao Zimo hesitate, Wu Bai smirked teasingly. "So you do know him?"

 

"Yes," Xiao Zimo replied reluctantly. "That's Su Li, the ger I mentioned before—the son of the Minister of Rites."

 

"Ah, so that explains the look on his face, like he's ready to eat me alive. Turns out, it's all because of you!" Wu Bai laughed.

 

"Boatman, take us toward the right!" Xiao Zimo instructed, then turned to Wu Bai. "Let's see the scenery on that side; I hear it's quite lovely. Chengnan mentioned it to me recently."

 

Wu Bai, seeing through him, simply went along with it.

 

Meanwhile, on the other boat, Su Li was fuming. He had never expected Xiao Zimo to be out on the lake with another ger, right when their families were in marriage negotiations. And not only that, but when Xiao Zimo spotted him, he had actually changed course to avoid him.

 

Undeterred, Su Li also directed his boatman to follow.

 

He kept a careful distance, watching as Xiao Zimo poured tea for Wu Bai, tending to him with meticulous care, which only intensified the knot of jealousy in his chest.

 

That evening, after Xiao Zimo escorted Wu Bai back to his inn, he returned to his own home.

 

As soon as he entered, a servant approached, informing him that his parents wanted to see him.

 

With a sigh, Xiao Zimo made his way to their quarters.

 

"What's this about?" he asked directly.

 

"We heard you were out on the lake today with a ger," his mother remarked with a cool expression.

 

"How do you know that? Did you bribe one of my servants again? Just tell me which one this time, and I'll hand him over so you can assign him directly—it'd save us the trouble of me finding out on my own and making it unpleasant for everyone involved." Xiao Zimo's tone was laced with sarcasm.

 

The Xiao couple fell silent, feeling a twinge of frustration. They'd tried bribing servants before, but their son had found out and thrown quite a fit. Those servants had been punished severely and dismissed, so now the others were too scared to accept any bribes.

 

"It wasn't one of your servants. The Su family sent word," his father said, exasperated. "Our families are discussing marriage, and yet you were out on the lake with another ger—one whom the Su family saw with their own eyes. What kind of behavior is that?"

 

"Hmph. I've told you before—I won't marry into the Su family. If they saw, they saw," Xiao Zimo replied defiantly.

 

"Oh? And who do you plan to marry, then? The ger you were with today?" his mother asked in frustration.

 

Xiao Zimo responded with only a faint "Mm," but said nothing more.

 

Though he remained silent, his parents noticed a hint of shyness on his face, which shocked them both. They had never seen him look this way.

 

After Xiao Zimo left, the couple discussed the situation together. Perhaps they should reconsider getting married to the Su family. If their son had someone he truly cared about and was willing to marry, then perhaps they should respect his wishes. That way, they might finally have grandchildren and no longer envy the grandsons of the second and third houses*.

 

[T/N: In ancient China, noble families often had a hierarchical family structure that included a main house and branch houses.

The main house, also known as the head family or ancestral house, was led by the direct, primary line of descent, typically the oldest son of each generation. The main house held greater authority, prestige, and often a larger portion of the family's wealth. This line of the family was responsible for performing ancestral rites, protecting family assets, and making important decisions that affected the whole family. Members of the main house were often the ones to inherit noble titles, leadership, and other privileges.

The branch houses, or extended family lines, consisted of other sons, uncles, cousins, or extended relatives who were descended from a common ancestor but not directly in the line of succession. Branch houses were established as these relatives began their own households and managed their own affairs but remained connected to the main house.]

 

With that thought, they took swift action. The next day, they sent someone to investigate Wu Bai, curious to discover the origins of this young ger who had somehow melted their usually stoic son's heart.

 

However, the results of their inquiries were disappointing: Wu Bai was a mere country ger who had come to the capital only to accompany his second elder brother and his brother's fulang, as his brother was set to take the imperial examination this autumn.

 

Leaving aside whether his brother would succeed in the exams, even if he did, his future was limited to a minor post in the Hanlin Academy*, which made him an unsuitable match for their son.

 

[T/N: The Hanlin Academy was known for recruiting top scholars who had succeeded in the imperial examinations, and its members played an essential role in imperial governance, drafting edicts, and managing state documents.]

 

It wasn't as if they were simply merchants—Xiao Zimo's father's brother was the highly favored Xiao Noble Consort*, the ger-mother of the Fifth Prince. They were tied by blood to the imperial family, a status not even the most successful merchants could match. Should the Fifth Prince one day ascend the throne, the family's glory would surpass anything currently imaginable. Otherwise, why would the esteemed family of the Minister of Rites consider an alliance with them?

 

[T/N: The title Guijun (贵君), that I translated to "Noble Consort," was used in ancient Chinese court ranks and denotes an elevated status within the imperial family or nobility. Specifically, it often referred to a concubine or consort who held high rank and considerable favor with the emperor, but who was not the empress. Gui (贵) translates to "noble" or "honorable," suggesting high standing and respect. Jun (君) is a term for "lord" or "gentleman". It's practically the male version of a Guifei, a "Noble Concubine".]

 

Their greater worry, however, was that Wu Bai had already beguiled their son so easily, despite only recently arriving in the capital. If Wu Bai entered their household, their son would likely be under his thumb completely, and the couple feared that their own voices would no longer carry weight in the family.

 

After some deliberation, they resolved not to let Wu Bai into their home.

 

With this decision, they sent a servant to pass a message to Wu Bai, requesting a meeting.

 

When Wu Bai received the message, he already had a fair idea of what they intended to discuss. Yet he was unconcerned; to him, such matters were trifling. Thus, the next day, he arrived as requested at the designated teahouse.

 

Unexpectedly, as he passed the counter, he ran into Zhao Chengnan.

 

Zhao Chengnan looked at him in surprise and, noticing that Wu Bai was alone, found it odd. He intercepted him and asked, "Sister-in-law, why are you here alone? Isn't my cousin with you?"

 

Not wanting to reveal his meeting with the Xiao couple, Wu Bai lied smoothly, "Your cousin reserved a private room upstairs; I was just on my way to meet him! Do you want to join us?"

 

Thinking of his cousin's usual stern expression, Zhao Chengnan immediately shook his head. "No, no, I'll pass—I have some matters to attend to anyway," he replied hurriedly before turning to leave.

 

He was halfway out the door when a realization struck him. Wait! My cousin always picks him up from the inn directly—since when would he let him come to the teahouse alone? Wu Bai must have lied to me!

 

But why would he lie?

 

Could he be in some kind of trouble?

 

No, I can't just ignore this. If something happens to him, my cousin would never forgive me!

 

Convinced of his reasoning, Zhao Chengnan turned and quietly made his way back into the teahouse. After inquiring about Wu Bai's location from a server, he slipped to the door outside that private room, pressing his ear to it, curious to know what was going on inside.

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