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Yongjia Year 3
T/N: Translated by Jen on Broken Jinsei! Please do not repost my translations! All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
Yongjia year 3, Midwinter.
The night was slightly cold, the silver crescent moon covered by hanging clouds, not much moonlight spilling onto the earth. However, inside the Eastern Palace, it was nevertheless festively decorated in red, the fine candles burning. This bright and beautiful scarlet red seemingly was about to cut open this towering cold winter with splashes of fireworks and festivity.
Shen Lan Chi sat upon the wedding bed. Before her eyes was a sheet of bright red. That was the wedding veil embroidered with the phoenix and peonies.
Tonight is the night of her wedding. She married the crown prince, Lu Zhao Ye. From hereon, she will be Chu’s crown princess. At present, the Chu Emperor’s body was weak, thus letting the crown prince oversee the country. Perhaps, not long after, she will become Chu’s empress. In the future, what will be awaiting her will certainly be golden halls and jade horses, a lifetime of riches and honor.
Although in her heart, she was this certain, but Shen Lan Chi nevertheless felt that her chest was a bit stuffy. She disregarded the fact that Lu Zhao Ye has yet to return, removing the veil on her own. With a tug of her slender and fair hand, her face was revealed.
“Your Highness, quickly put on the veil!”
“His Highness the crown prince has yet to enter the room, this won’t do…….”
The servant girls and mamas serving by her side all cried out in alarm.
“He doesn’t like me anyways, so removing the veil or not, what’s the difference?” Shen Lan Chi flung the veil, tossing it by her foot. In her light and nonchalant tone, there was a layer of laziness.
The golden sparrow in the hair, the beautiful hair knot fixed high, a face charming like congealed autumn and lethargic spring, even if the servant girls by her side were already used to seeing her beautiful face that surpassed all beauties in the capital, they still couldn’t help but momentarily blank in this moment.
A mama came over to urge, “Your Highness, why unduly humble yourself as such? Your Highness is a natural-born beauty. In the future, his Highness the crown prince certainly will love you dearly. There will be plenty of good fortune in the future, so it’s still better for your Highness to put the veil on first.”
Shen Lan Chi didn’t respond, just lightly caressing the hair by her temples, slightly lifting her brow.
These servants’ words, she merely just listened and laughed off. Whether or not Lu Zhao Ye liked her, she was the most clear inside.
Ever since she was little, she has been fond of beautiful things, for instance, the fine brows like willow leaves of a beauty, the cicada satin that was worth a thousand gold per bolt, or for instance, the gold phoenix crown decorated with giant pearls in the hair of her paternal aunt, Empress Shen.
The Shen family held a high position. Lan Chi’s paternal aunt, Shen Xin Yi, entered the palace as the empress. Empress Shen was extremely good to her niece, frequently having Lan Chi received into the palace for a short stay. Having been delicately raised by her parents and her empress paternal aunt, Shen Lan Chi’s sights have always been picky since childhood. Surveying throughout the entire capital, the only man that she could take a fancy to was just that one, the crown prince, Lu Zhao Ye.
It’s not that she really admired that always cold-faced crown prince. It was merely just feeling that only he was worthy of matching her.
If she doesn’t marry Lu Zhao Ye, how will she be able to obtain her paternal aunt’s phoenix crown?
TN: All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
As such, even if Lu Zhao Ye doesn’t like her, even taking in a side consort, Ruan-shi, before her, she still married into the Eastern Palace.
Suddenly, a gust of cold wind blew in. What followed was the sharp creaking sound of the door getting pushed open. It seems Lu Zhao Ye has come.
Previously, when Shen Lan Chi was bowing to the heaven and earth during the wedding ritual, she’d caught a glimpse from under the veil, seeing Lu Zhao Ye’s fingers holding the wedding silk, slender and long. Landing against that bright red sleeve, it was like a cut of cold jade. But, seeing him now, she discovered that Lu Zhao Ye had changed out of that bright red wedding gown, and that hand was also hidden in a black sleeve.
Lu Zhao Ye had a good-looking appearance, but he didn’t like smiling. His face always emitted a cold air, like the snow in the depths of winter. Even towards his newly-wedded wife, in that pair of eyes like the cold moon, there still wasn’t a trace of warmth.
Fortunately, Shen Lan Chi was long used to this look of his, and also indifferent towards this look of his.
“Shen-shi.” He didn’t call her by her name, just shouting her surname, “The criminals, Shen Xin Gu and Shen Xin Shu have already admitted to their crimes. The males of the Shen family have already all been taken into the prisons. This crown prince came here today to let you choose where to go.”
This line made Shen Lan Chi somewhat dumbstruck.
Shen Xin Gu was her father, while Shen Xin Shu was her second uncle.
Lu Zhao Ye who’d taken her hand and bowed to the heaven and earth with her a little over two hours ago was now saying something like this? What’s going on?
“Brother Zhao Ye, what are you saying…….?” Shen Lan Chi was somewhat confused, furrowing her brows, “This joke isn’t funny.”
Lu Zhao Ye’s complexion was as cold and stern as usual.
“Shen Xin Gu formed cliques for personal gain; Shen Xin Shu sold official posts and noble titles, taking in bribes; your older tang brother, Shen Ting Zhu viewed human life like weed, having no law and discipline in his eyes. All these serious crimes, could it be that you even need this crown prince to explain one by one?” He said.
Shen Lan Chi lowered her eyes, landing on the surface of her shoes. The embroidered shoes embedded with a bright pearl was exquisite and refined. The size of that pearl, even if looking throughout the capital, one still won’t be able to find a second one.
The bottom of her heart was slightly cold, yet also having a trace of relief. That breath previously that was stopped up inside, making her chest feel stuffy, unknowingly disappeared.
The Shen family, these years, have enjoyed great honor and favor, ostentatious and domineering, indeed reaching the time of collapse. Just, they didn’t expect that the Lu family would launch an attack at this time, even letting Lu Zhao Ye, who the Shen family had singlehandedly supported up, be the one to do it.
Since her father and older brother have gotten detained, then afraid, she won’t be able to escape death today.
To think that it was at this time………….
“So it’s like this.” Shen Lan Chi fixedly stared at that pearl, saying, “Winter is indeed a good season. Opening the ice surface, the net can be casted to catch those fish that have been raised all autumn and winter.”
Her words sounded completely random, yet Lu Zhao Ye nevertheless understood.
Turning his body, he ordered the eunuch behind him to bring forward a fancy tray. Placed on it was a pair of scissors, white silk, and a gold cup filled with wine.
Staring at that gold cup, white silk, and scissors, Shen Lan Chi actually revealed a smile. She straightened her hairpin, slowly saying, “Brother Zhao Ye, drinking that cup of wine should be the most comfortable way to die, right?”
The smile on Shen Lan Chi’s face was beautiful and stunning, like seeing a fortuniana[1] in spring, a flower that will soon wither. This smile, landing in the bottom of Lu Zhao Ye’s eyes, made his throat also slightly choke.
“Shen-shi, this crown prince knows, you have nothing to do with your father’s crimes. If you can abandon the name ‘Shen Lan Chi’, then this crown prince can think of a way to let you continue staying in the Eastern Palace. There’s no need to give up this life for nothing.” Lu Zhao Ye turned away, choosing not to look at his newly-wedded wife, instead staring at the burning red wedding candles in front of the window.
“Brother Zhao Ye can’t bear?” Shen Lan Chi raised her slender brow, her eyes also containing a trace of mockery. This lethargic and soft tone of hers was what Lu Zhao Ye disliked the most in the past. He always felt that she was too frivolous, too hard to grasp. As such, when the rumors of her having an affair with the second prince spread from the palace, he immediately believed.
But now, he was no longer able to say anything to berate.
“Want me to change my identity and continue living in humiliation in the Eastern Palace? It’s better to forget it.” Shen Lan Chi slowly approached the eunuch, picking up the gold cup on the tray.
While in a daze, she heard the weeping sounds in the surrounding. Turns out, it was those servant girls and mamas who have finally figured out the situation incoherently sobbing. There were even people kneeling on the ground begging for mercy. Some were begging for themselves, while some were begging for their master.
Shen Lan Chi swayed the gold cup that was filled to the brim with wine, her tone neither quick nor slow, as if what she was holding in her hand wasn’t poisoned wine, but rather rich fine wine.
“Brother Zhao Ye, want me to drink this wine, alright, just I want to ask Brother Zhao Ye one thing———The Shen family had fully supported you, helping you stably sit in your crown prince position. We can be said to have helped you in every way, yet now, you’ve completely changed face, unwilling to acknowledge, pretending to be an upright nobleman in front of me———–are you able to sleep peacefully at night?”
The smile on her face contained a trace of chilliness, making Lu Zhao Ye’s gaze slightly turn cold.
Shen Lan Chi lifted the wine cup, yet the bottom of her heart had a trace of disgust.
The Shen family indeed had committed many evil acts, but this evil, how was it not personally indulged by Lu Zhao Ye? He and the Shen family were birds of the same forest to begin with, yet now, had the Shen family cleanly flung aside, wanting to be that innocent nobleman alone. Truly have thought quite beautifully.
“The Shen family? Have helped this prince?” Lu Zhao Ye’s complexion that was like congealed frost appeared even colder. He tightly gripped his hand, saying with a low voice, “If not for the empress’s maliciousness, consort mother wouldn’t have……..wouldn’t have………”
Towards the end, he unexpectedly was unable to speak.
Shen Lan Chi smiled, raising that gold cup, downing in one go. The wine was a bit tart. Lifting her eyes, she gazed at the bridal chamber decorated in red, yet it was another man’s voice that sounded by her ear.
“Leave with me, immediately leave tonight. If you don’t leave now, it’ll be too late.”
Last night, Lu Qi Yang had said this to her.
When saying these words, his complexion was extremely fretful, as if the sky was about to collapse, not the least bit like that nonchalant and carefree Zhennan Wang heir.
Shen Lan Chi also learned for the first time that this person who, in the past, can become intoxicated between the heaven and earth with a cup of wine, not caring about the matters of the world, also had times like this where he was like a startled bird.
She felt that it was very strange, thus laughed and said, “Why leave? You’ve always known that I just want to be like my paternal aunt, be a woman that’s below one and above thousands. I’m not leaving.”
She refused. Lu Qi Yang gripped his hand into a fist and ruthlessly punched the tall wall in frustration, nearly causing his fingers to bleed from the graze.
Shen Lan Chi said, “Lu Qi Yang, haven’t you always hated me? Why come to take me away now?”
“I wish that I………” Lu Qi Yang’s words were somewhat hesitant, his eyes containing a bit of anguish and worry, “I wish that I really hated you.”
Thinking back on it now, afraid that he, who similarly had the Lu surname, must have heard something, wanting to protect her.
Just, it was too late.
The wine seeped into her throat, causing her insides to have a burning pain. Not long after, Shen Lan Chi just felt as if she was drunk, her consciousness drifting. She knew that she perhaps was about to die, but she didn’t want to die for nothing, still wanting to let Lu Zhao Ye, this pretentious man, suffer as well, thus she said, “Zhao Ye……Zhao Ye….”
That crown prince who has always carried a cold look embraced her, softly saying, “This prince is here.”
“Oh, Zhao Ye…….” She leaned in the crown prince’s arms, revealing a shallow smile. Although the corner of her lips dripped with blood, she was still stunningly beautiful. She used her hand to caress the crown prince’s face, saying, “I……..”
Lu Zhao Ye’s eyes slightly flickered. He couldn’t help but hold her palm, saying, “Lan Chi, this crown prince can’t hear, what are you trying to say…….?”
“Lu Zhao Ye.” Her voice suddenly turned cold, “What I wanted……have always been paternal aunt’s phoenix crown. If back then, it was his Highness the Second Prince that became the crown prince, then I would’ve also thought of every way possible to marry him. Just, unfortunately, the second prince died early.”
After saying this, she hooked a mocking smile, and then slowly closed her eyes, just leaving behind Lu Zhao Ye stiffly standing in place. The expression on his face, don’t know whether it was defeat or callousness.
The winter of Yongjia year 3 passed in the midst of this enormous change.
[1] Its official name is Rosa x Fortuniana, a type of rose.
T/N: I honestly don’t want to write another review this time, so I’ll just copy and paste what I wrote previously on patreon.
This is another double reincarnation story. Although this novel setups like a typical female rebirth revenge type novel, but in reality, the story plays out more like a romcom. I love the female lead a lot, mostly because her personality is quite refreshing in this particular subgenre. She surprisingly isn’t that revenge-driven, despite being in a very similar situation to majority of rebirth revenge novels. In fact, she barely gets emotional or even that angry really, which is quite refreshing from the usual tropes. Even after her rebirth, although she does want to change her family’s tragic fate, she’s still very optimistic and cheerful, a very positive outlook on life. A lot of the early parts of the novel is FL chasing the ML around figuratively and literally.
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This isn’t listed on NU yet?
I submitted a form but, have to wait for NU mods to approve.
So exciting! A new story with a slight twist from the usual revenge plot line? I am here front and center!