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Each and Every One All Very Crazy (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!
“Master, Concubine Qian has given birth. It’s a…..little junzhu(daughter).” Li Hong Ming’s close bodyguard, after hearing the movements outside the study, quietly went out and very quickly returned again. When he spoke, he instead appeared very cautious, fearing he would anger his master. Never mind his masters, even they all hoped that this pregnancy was a little young master. Previously, many people all say that nine times out of ten it was a boy, yet why was it just so unreliable?
“Understood, let wangfei help her settle down, just do as how it should be done.” Li Hong Ming continued writing. From beginning to end, his expression didn’t even change once, nor did he even lift his head, and his brush stroke speed was also just the same. “Also send someone to the palace to pass the message onto consort mother.”
“Yes.” Seeing his master not get angry, at the same time while sighing in relief, he also felt somewhat chilled inside. Outsiders all say that they’ve followed a good master, but in actuality, this master of theirs wasn’t that easy to serve. Perhaps, his gentleness and elegance were all used up outside the manor. In the manor, rarely can one see him smiling, and towards those that have made a blunder, he was never lenient either.
After Noble Consort Su received the news, she first paused momentarily, exposing a trace of unconcealable disappointment in her eyes. Shortly after, she restrained her emotion, and then let someone at her side have the prepared things bestowed down. After that, there weren’t any more movements.
During Qian-shi’s pregnancy period, she can be said to have been a treasure cupped in one’s palm. If she could’ve given birth to a son, she would’ve still been that treasure. Just, unfortunately, what she gave birth to was a daughter. Then, aside from that bit of far lower than normal standard bestowments, she seemingly didn’t obtain anything else. The side consort position promised to her was gone, and she even had to raise that ‘debt collector’ that brought her all this ‘disaster’.
Originally, when the child was still in her stomach, because she was long told that if she gave birth to a son, he will be taken away, but will bestow her the title of side consort, so she firmly believed that she was pregnant with a son, and even put on the airs of a side consort. In the entire manor, don’t know how many people tried to curry favor with her, and when facing Rui Wangfei, she also acted very arrogantly. At the time, Rui Wangfei was also very lenient towards her, and behind her back, Qian-shi no less cursed Rui Wangfei that she herself was a hen that can’t lay eggs, yet wanted to steal her son. Even plotting that once she obtained the side consort position, she’ll think of a way to get her son back. Then afterwards, if their wangye ascends the throne as Emperor, her son will be the eldest prince and later, the emperor. Then, she will be the most noblest woman in the world…….
Thinking so beautifully that one can even wake up laughing from one’s dreams. Unfortunately, reality instead ruthlessly slapped her across the face. The child was actually still by her side, but her treatment directly fell from the high clouds into the dirt. The people that once circled around her all disappeared instantly. While sitting in the one month confinement period[1], she even had to eat cold leftovers, and if she were to throw a tantrum and smash things, she might even get nothing to eat. The people of the rear kitchen all incessantly sneered, “That was wangfei’s benevolence, being indulgent towards Concubine Qian’s….stomach, but unfortunately, this one didn’t have that good fortune. Only having the fate of a concubine, yet still want the same treatment as a wangfei, still asleep?”
And those women that once envied and resented her, not one didn’t come up to taunt and ridicule. However arrogant and haughty she previously was relying on her stomach was just how miserably she was getting stamped on right now.
She continuously shouted that she wanted to see wangye, but unfortunately, even if she shouted her lungs out, no one paid any attention. Afterwards, it was just all kinds of cursing, and not the least bit unexpected, got her mouth stuffed………Originally, she was already weak from giving birth, and now, after such a tantrum, post-childbirth hemorrhaging happened. She watched as she was about to not make it, yet no one even bother calling the doctor for her. Before dying, she forcibly propped herself up, using the last of her breath to grab that thing that didn’t receive her favor and threw it far away. Unbeknownst as to when, the swaddle that had already stopped crying was thrown out………
From giving birth to death, it was no more than twenty-four hours.
“Wangfei, Concubine Qian bled out after giving birth and has passed. The little junzhu’s body was weak and also followed after.”
Rui Wangfei momentarily blanked, “Peacefully bury them then. On the Qian family’s side, send some more things over. Also, give a heads up to the Ministry of Appointments’ side, anyone from the Qian family, just randomly promote one.”
“Wangye, Concubine Qian bled out after giving birth and has passed. The little junzhu’s body was weak and also followed after.”
Li Hong Ming still didn’t even lift his head, “This matter can just be reported to wangfei to handle, what use is there informing this prince?”
“Your highness, Concubine Qian bled out after giving birth and has passed. The little junzhu’s body was weak and also followed after.”
Noble Consort Su played with the bracelet on her wrist and absentmindedly opened her mouth, “Sure is an unfortunate one. However, she encountered a filial daughter, knowing that she’ll be lonely, thus followed her down to accompany her.”
If Noble Consort Su, when bestowing the things, didn’t act that obviously, even if just slightly more generous by a little…..
TN: All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
If after she’d given birth, Li Hong Ming were to just mention, ‘properly take care of’, and randomly bestow a bit of something…..
If Rui Wangfei, before leaving, were to just have given out some orders and leave behind a few people, or had blocked the other concubines from coming out, or when upon learning it was a little junzhu, had held her…….
Then Qian-shi wouldn’t have died, and that child also wouldn’t have been thrown to the side to perish on its own without even having tasted milk.
When all is said and done, it was just that all these people were accustomed to being held up high, viewing human life as weed. People that were of no use to them, they can just completely disregard and do nothing. Towards Qian-shi, this kind of woman, Rui Wangfei still harbored compassion, but it was also just that. She won’t because of that bit of compassion look for trouble for herself by extending a helping a hand. No matter how pitiful or how lamentable they were, they all couldn’t escape from the fact of stealing her husband, and could become a threat to her children at any time.
At the same time, Jin Qinwang returned to the capital!
Different from when he left the capital in light clothes and simple travel, his return to the capital can be said to be very loud and ostentatious. Aside from the ceremonial procession of a qinwang, there were also more than a thousand guards escorting him.
Along the way, it was more than enough eye-candy for the spectators. Although they were separated by the guards, their interest didn’t dwindle in the least. They didn’t know who the person in the horse carriage was. Even if they lived at the foot of the Emperor, these ordinary commoners still were worlds apart from those that held power, and that gap could not be crossed. Even those people that knew the symbols of the various high officials and noble families in the capital, and even those that understood Jin Qinwang’s character, still only dared to spit two times in secret, not daring to brazenly display it outright.
Jing Wan and the other’s carriages followed behind, also within the guards’ range of protection. From appearances, they were practically like Jin Qinwang’s family members.
When they were leaving White Dragon Temple, they’d learned that the injured Jin Qinwang just happened to also be returning to the capital at the same time. Among the four of them, prior to this, only Jing Wan had known about him getting attacked by assassins, even Sun Yi Jia didn’t know. Ding Duchess had never mentioned this to her either. All the way until Sun Yi Jia received news of the marriage decree, and Zhang-shi inadvertently mentioned it, did they finally learn of this matter. Shortly after, Jin Qinwang was found, and martial law was imposed on White Dragon Temple. Because martial law was imposed, the matter was instead stirred up even more and attracted even more attention.
In front of White Dragon Temple, the people of the two sides faced off at a distance. His face carried no emotions, his gaze ice cold, and he stood with his hands behind his back. Even if he possessed an unparalleled handsome face, he still made one tremble in fear. In addition to that imposing presence, it furthermore made one not dare to rashly approach.
[1] Traditional one-month confinement period following childbirth, following a special diet, and observing various taboos to protect the body from exposure to the ‘wind’.
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Reading about such discrimination against daughters makes me wonder about my own dad’s obsession with getting a daughter even when there’s a two-child policy going on and three sons already on the way. Of course, even if it’s the 90s, and there’s still a preference towards sons, it’s still quite a bit better than ancient times. But as an asian man of good standing, I do wonder about his mindset at that time…
What 9 out of 10 times a boy is born? Even if they don’t know that the probability is 50% they should know by now that it’s random. :))
And if you look at the Earth’s population the women are a bit over 50%, proving that wemen are a bit more frequent.
I know it’s not important but this male- centric universe just rubs me the wrong way.
You’re giving ancient people way too much credit, this is the same society that believes in rituals and superstitions. Besides they were referring to the pregnancy, not all births, like how some people think they are pregnant with a boy based on the shape of the stomach or horoscope. I mean in modern times we have technology to predict gender, but back then they had their own flawed ways too. Why do people always assume ancient people think same way as modern people.
History books must really offend you. Then again, it’s not that different from modern asian societies still…….
Yikes. I don’t know how someone can act so unruly when their status isn’t that of the main wife, just because they were favored or pampered for a while. The poor baby though… *le sigh*
Thanks for the chapter, @Jen.
Honestly it kinda reminds me of those people on social media who all sudden gets an inflated ego because they got followers and thinks they’re ‘famous’; some people just get way too over their heads when they get spoiled a little, kinda sad….
At the beginning of the chapter i was thinking of commenting on how a new life would arrive to the world just to live a miserable life with schemes and treachery just bc of the fact of being female… now i cannot even say that because that small life left as soon as it arrived… ok maybe that concubine was behaving bitchy during the pregnancy, but still this situation really makes my blood freeze
Thanks for the chapter ^^
You know what’s sadder is that this isn’t even something that’s exclusive to historical fiction. During the one-child policy in the 1980s a lot of infant daughters were abandoned and left to die by families that wanted sons.