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Discussing Marriage (1)
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!
More than half of the afternoon went by. The sun shifted westward. The rain finally stopped.
The drip drop sound was the residual water on the eaves dripping down into the pond.
Lu Qi Yang half propped up his body and stroked the head of the girl in his arms, softly whispering, “Asleep?”
Shen Lan Chi tugged a corner of the brocade quilt and had her head buried in his chest. Her delicate skin was covered with a layer of blush.
She didn’t speak, just lightly letting out a ‘wu’.
Knowing that she was extremely tired, Lu Qi Yang didn’t disturb her, just slowly using his fingers to caress the back of her neck.
A while later, he asked, “Do you regret it? No matchmaker, no betrothal gift, just becoming mine like this? If I were to harbor bad intentions, having you kicked out tomorrow, then marry eighteen delicate beauties, what will you do?”
Shen Lan Chi forced open her eyelids, lazily saying: “I’m just a wandering ghost, why should I care about the ‘three matchmakers and six betrothal ceremonies’? Already died once, so what’s there to be scared of?”
“Then, I’ll go marry eighteen delicate beauties?”
“Quickly go marry.” Shen Lan Chi was calm and composed, “You marry, I view. I love admiring beauties, the prettier the better. It’s best if they’re all different types, plump like Lady Yang, slender like Lady Zhao, Xi Shi and Bao Si[1], one of each. If I let them surround me and entertain me, won’t that be even more wonderful?”
Lu Qi Yang: ……..
Miscalculated!
The girl under the brocade quilt was still imagining the wonderful days of being surrounded by beauties, her voice somewhat starting to drift, “I saw that those girls of Flying Immortal Alley seemed to have that bit of interest in you. Why don’t you first have them taken in. When time comes, they’ll play the pipa and lute, while I listen to the side. Then, find a opera girl to sing……..”
“What are you thinking?!” Lu Qi Yang helplessly laughed and said, “If I really dare to do that, even if I don’t get beaten to death by you, I’ll still get beaten to death by my mother first.”
These words of his weren’t wrong. When it comes to women, Zhennan Wangfei has always kept a tight watch on him. According to that Zhang Hai Sheng, not even a female chicken can set foot into the heir’s room.
Shen Lan Chi laughed too.
Just, her laughter got muffled by the crook of her arm, sounding somewhat fleeting, making Lu Qi Yang unable to hear clearly. She seemingly said something else too, but when Lu Qi Yang lowered his head to carefully listen, she nevertheless fell silent.
“Even if you have a change of heart……”
TN: All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
Even if you have a change of heart, she won’t regret it either.
If not loving a person to death, then how could one be willing to risk everything to enter the Eastern Palace alone to save that person, even willing to travel to the place of exile to help that person collect the bodies of their relatives and erect gravestones.
Being with someone that loves her to death, why would she regret?
Her body was extremely tired, but she wasn’t too willing to fall asleep, just using her little finger to hook the heir[2] and saying, “Lu Qi Yang.”
“En.”
“Lu Qi Yang.”
“En.”
“Lu Qi Yang.”
“……what?”
“Nothing. I just want to call out the heir’s full name. Right now, I’m but a poor girl that has lost everything, only having the heir left, thus calling out to see whether or not you’ve flown away, ran away, or got stolen away by someone. Can I not?”
“Fine, fine, fine.”
She lifted her eyes and had her head propped a little higher on the pillow, quietly asking, “Tell me, when did you fall for your big sister Lan? If you obediently confess, perhaps this older sister will treat you a bit better in the future.”
Lu Qi Yang nervously said, “And if this young master is unwilling to obediently confess?”
“Banished to the cold palace.”
“…….” Lu Qi Yang suddenly shook, and then softly said, “What’s there to mention? Merely an old story. There’s no need for you to ignore me over this matter.”
Shen Lan Chi said, “No, I want to hear it.”
Seeing her stubborn look, Lu Qi Yang sighed and said, “Among a bunch of little girls, you were the prettiest. If I don’t like you, could it be that I would even like that older tang sister of yours who would randomly get angry?”
Among the childhood playmates, the little girls were always relatively noble and reserved. Even if getting brought over to play by their mothers, they would still put on the airs of a little lady, acting bossy and delicate all over.
However, Shen Lan Chi wasn’t the same. She although was obedient and well-behaved in front of her mother, and at a young age, just spoke in a sophisticated manner like her older brother, but in private, she wasn’t the least bit like a noble family young lady. If the boys wanted to climb trees, she would want to climb trees too. If the boys wanted to catch crickets, she would also catch crickets. When it comes to searching for crickets in the grass, Shen Lan Chi’s eyes were way sharper than the little young masters’.
Meanwhile, Shen Tong Ying was just the complete opposite, looking down on the Zhennan Wang heir who would roll around in the mud all day. Whenever she saw him, she would even disdainfully say, “So dirty, don’t come near me.”
Just, afterwards, everyone all knew that Shen Lan Chi was going to be the crown princess, so no one dared to have crooked thoughts. Lu Qi Yang was particularly a wastrel, aware that he wasn’t worthy of being with someone like her, so carefully distanced himself even more.
“Liking me since I was little, and then afterwards, thought of me for two lifetimes, is that the case?” Shen Lan Chi asked.
“……Sh-should be the case.” Lu Qi Yang said.
“Then, how come in the beginning, you even thought of having me married to the crown prince?” A moment ago, Shen Lan Chi was still carrying a smile, but in this moment, her expression just changed, instantly appearing somewhat mean, “I’d heard very clearly. You said you were going to congratulate me in advance for becoming the empress……….”
Hearing her flipping through the old accounts, Lu Qi Yang’s heart skipped a beat, having a bad feeling.
He fell silent for a while and said, “At the time, I didn’t know that you were also the same as me, having already lived a lifetime. I only knew that you wholeheartedly wanted to be the empress, so naturally won’t fancy an idle wastrel like me.”
“You clearly knew that Lu Zhao Ye and I have bad blood, yet still had me nudged onto him?” Shen Lan Chi was slightly annoyed.
“What ‘nudged[3]‘? You’re saying it like this young master is a piglet in a pen.” Lu Qi Yang was a bit unhappy, “I just said to let you marry the crown prince. I didn’t say who the crown prince was! This candidate for the crown prince, hasn’t it already changed now?”
Shen Lan Chi slightly blanked.
Carefully thinking it over, it was indeed like this.
At the time, Lu Qi Yang smilingly asked her, “I know you want the crown princess position. As for who’s the crown prince, you have never cared. Am I right?”
Turns out, it was having this idea.
From the start, he just thought of changing the crown prince, and now, he has also accomplished it. Just, the initial plan of ‘letting Shen Lan Chi be the crown princess’ got single-handedly shattered by her.
She carefully thought for a while, instantly becoming vexed, “What a waste, what a waste!”
“What waste?”
“We clearly were both reborn, yet you were in the dark, while I was in the light. Don’t know how many stupid things I’ve done in front of you——-You were also aware that Noble Consort Liu will get angered to death by Liu Ru Hua who will later enter the palace, yet you just had to pretend to not know, forcing me to tell you how I know. Watching me racking my brains, unable to think of an answer, was it very interesting?” Shen Lan Chi said.
“Truthfully speaking………” Lu Qi Yang drew out his tone.
“En? Well?”
“Interesting.” Lu Qi Yang revealed a giddy look and said, “Really amused this young master to death.”
Shen Lan Chi: ……..
In the next moment, she had her clothes scrunched into a ball and shoved it towards Lu Qi Yang’s face. Lu Qi Yang naturally was unwilling to get hit for nothing, so instantly shifted his body to dodge. Seeing that she didn’t succeed, Shen Lan Chi went at him again. The two of them went back and forth, crawling around on the bed, shaking the bed into making loud creaking sounds.
Outside the room, Zhennan Wangfei had an embarrassed look, feeling somewhat guilty.
Hearing the loud quaking sound of the bed, her son most likely already did the deed with Lan Chi. Although when Wen Xiu and Sir Shen had their daughter entrusted to her, it was originally for the sake of letting her become her daughter-in-law. But, for her son to be this impatient, this old face of hers more or less was somewhat unable to hold up……..
Furthermore, the poor girl has been exhausted all day, yet Lu Qi Yang, this little bastard, still messed with her, really having no sense of priority!
Thinking to here, Zhennan Wangfei cleared her throat and knocked on the door, saying: “Lan Chi, are you two done talking? The servant girl said that no one answered the door, so I figured that you two had important things to talk about. But, Qi Yang’s father has already waited for a long time, how about letting Qi Yang come out first?”
Hearing his mother’s voice, Lu Qi Yang suddenly blanked. In the next moment, a piece of outer garment just smacked onto the bridge of his nose.
“Crap, crap, crap………” This time, Lu Qi Yang didn’t have the mind to mess around with Shen Lan Chi, immediately getting out of bed and putting on his clothes as he muttered, “My father was already angry to begin with. Now that I’ve ignored him for this long, afraid it won’t be easy to coax him.”
While being in a frantic rush, he was just increasingly unable to properly put his clothes on.
A pair of slender wrists circled around to his waist, fastening his belt. The girl smilingly said, “I’ll help dress you.”
She stood with her slightly messy long hair loosely let down, as her slender fair fingers wandered about his waist. Very soon, she had his attire neatly sorted out. Just, the two of them had messed around too much previously, so this outfit wasn’t the least bit crisp, instead carrying a few comical wrinkles.
“You…….” Lu Qi Yang frowned and said, “How do you know how to put on men’s clothes? Who did you help dress before? Your older brother?’
“For who?” Shen Lan Chi lifted her fine brow and said, “For myself, of course.”
Lu Qi Yang: ……….
Oh.
Forgot.
There were plenty of times where this guy would go out prancing around in men’s clothes.
“Why don’t you nicely rest for a while, I’ll come back at night.” Pausing for a moment, Lu Qi Yang’s tone was a bit melancholic, “If I don’t get punished by my father, then should be able to come over at night. If I get punished…..then……”
This tone was like a solider that was about to head for the battlefield.
Outside the door, Zhennan Wangfei urged even more urgently. Lu Qi Yang straightened his expression and pushed open the door as he walked out.
As soon as he walked out, the wangfei tightly grabbed his ear, having him dragged to the side, quietly lecturing, “You little brat, with you being this impatient, how will I explain to your aunt Wen Xiu? Their delicately raised precious daughter, that is waiting to marry in on a grand palanquin. How come you just can’t wait in the slightest……”
Before she could finish lecturing, Lu Qi Yang just got grabbed by the collar by someone else and pulled to the other side. Turns out, it was the Zhennan Wang with a dark complexion.
“You little brat.” Zhennan Wang coldly sneered, his face filled with a fierce look, “Last night’s matter, I still haven’t settled with you, yet you’ve already committed a new blunder today? Now that the scars have healed, you’ve forgotten the pain? Forgot who is your old man!?”
Lu Qi Yang straightened his collar that got tugged crooked, saying to Zhennan Wang in a serious manner, “Royal father, although this son was a bit reckless last night, it wasn’t a mistake. His Majesty has already started suspecting our Zhennan Wang Manor. Rather than hiding ourselves again, it’s better to reveal our blades at this time. His Highness the Second Prince still needs the Zhennan Wang Manor as his claws, so won’t necessarily allow his Majesty to deal with you.”
[1] Lady Yang (Noble Consort Yang), Lady Zhao (Zhao Fei Yan), Bao Si, and Xi Shi are known as the four legendary beauties of ancient china. I’ve written footnotes about all four of them before in the other novels I’ve translated. Noble Consort Yang (Yang Guifei) is probably the most well-known of the four. She was known for being a plump beauty, and the beloved consort of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang dynasty. Lady Zhao (Zhao Fei Yan), I’d actually written out her backstory before in TWBW Chapter 568’s footnotes. She was described as having a slender figure like a graceful swallow. She was the second empress of Emperor Cheng of the Han dynasty. Bao Si was the second queen of King You of Zhou, the ruler during the late Western Zhou dynasty. She was the one that the foolish king lit fire beacons for to see her smile, thus giving birth to the classical anecdote ‘lighting the fire beacons to mess with the feudal vassals’. As for Xi Shi, she’s the only one whose records are a bit vague. This is due to her being from the Spring and Autumn Period. She was a beautiful girl from a poor family that lived in the State of Yue. She was discovered by a minister of Yue, and later given to the King of Wu by the King of Yue in a scheme to bring down the State of Wu. As for what happened to her after Wu fell, it’s unknown.
[2] The original line for this was ‘used her little finger to hook the heir’s heir’ (用小指勾住了世子的世子). I’m not sure if this is a typo on the author’s part, or alluding to something else.
[3] The word used here in chinese is 拱(gong), which is also the verb for ‘using the snout to dig’ for pigs.
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