Legend of Concubine's Daughter Minglan

Chapter 7: This is the Kind of Reincarnation a Transmigrated Girl Should Have!

Translator: Rebirth Online World

“Minglan! Little girl! Bring me a tangerine, and it must be properly peeled.” Young Lady Rulan was sitting on top of the swing.

Minglan was dumbly sitting on a stone block while looking at the sky with no intention to move. Rulan called out a few more times, but seeing that Minglan still didn’t react, she immediately picked up a small stone to throw it at her. When Minglan felt the pain in her shoulder, she jerkily turned her head around to see who it is, only to see Young Lady Rulan smiling with her teeth clear to see, “Hey, little idiot! Hurry up and get the tangerine and start peeling it off for this young miss here!”

Minglan remained quiet and continued to stare at the sky but slowly walked to the table by the side and picked up a tangerine. She was just about to peel it when a hand from the side stopped her. That hand was tender and beautiful, ten pointy nails dye in mild red from the juice of an Impatien flower.

“Rulan, you are bullying Sixth Younger Sister again! Get down here, now!” The First Young Miss Hualan angrily rushed over and dragged Rulan away from the swing. “What did father say? Among all the sisters, Sixth Younger Sister is the youngest; as the older ones we should be more considerate and give her extra care. Yet you actually spend the whole day bullying her! Be careful that I won’t tell father about this!

“Who is bullying her? I merely asked her to peel a tangerine!” Young Lady Rulan stuck her little belly out and crossed her arms.

“Have all the servants died? Why are you asking the master to peel the tangerine?! Or is it that the maids by your side are too precious that they can’t be ordered around?” Hualan’s beautiful eyes widened as she glared at them. The three or four maids who originally waited by the side to attend their master were laughing quietly, but now retreated to a corner and bowed their heads in fear.

“You all watched as Sixth Young Lady moved to peel the tangerine, why did none of you stop her? Such capable maids who dare to mock your master! One of these days, I will report this to Master and Madame and have you all sent home so that you can laugh on your own all day long!” First Young Miss Hualan sharply reprimand them.

Immediately, Rulan refused to listen to her, and instead went forward to pull on her older sister’s sleeve, loudly saying, “Eldest Sister, you’re not allowed to bully my servants! I will tell Mother that you are bullying your own bloodrelated sister for the sake of this idiot daughter of father’s concubine!”

“Go tell her then! I’ve been meaning to complain about this for some time, what do you mean by ‘concubine’s daughter’? Sixth younger sister is still our sister! Besides, Father personally carried her over to Mother’s place so that makes her our blood related sister! If you say such shameful words like concubine-born again, be careful if father will not beat you with planks!” Hualan used her index finger to poke forcefully at Rulan’s forehead.

Rulan was still fuming, but she was unable to retort. Minglan lowered her head, pretended to be foolish, and didn’t speak.

Although Hualan and Rulan are sisters from the same mother, their appearances are different from each other.

Hualan resembled Sheng Hong,beautiful and elegant, and a thriving heroic spirit can be felt between her brows.

Meanwhile, Rulan looked like Wang shi, round-faced, with a respectable and upright visage, her looks were inevitably somewhat common, but in the future when she grew up, she might develop a dignified look.

Providence was obviously not fair when creating this pair of sisters, born from the same parents. Regardless of their looks, talents, or their portion of their parents’ love, the younger sister was always inferior to her older sister. Minglan only hoped that Rulan’s indignity within her heart would not become even worse in the future.

Actually, it was not very hard living in Wang shi’s side. Older Sister Hualan and Older Brother Changbai already had their own courtyards; they did not live with Wang shi anymore. While, Little Brother Changdong was still at the at the age where he only drooled. The only thing that Minglan needed to deal with was Young Lady Rulan.

Actually, Rulan’s personality was not bad, she only wanted to throw her temper around and act impressive, and itched for others to praise her daily.

But she does not dare offend her older sister and her older brother who were above her. She also could not provoke her older brother and older sister at Concubine Lin’s place. And it was also pointless for her to provoke Younger Brother Changdong when he cannot even stand steadily. Thus, the unlucky Minglan was the only one remaining that she could order around.

Whenever this happened, First Young Miss Hualan would be like the Great Sage that comes from the heaven to uphold justice. She may not necessary like Minglan, but she cannot watch Rulan’s arrogant behaviour.

Minglan was very thankful towards this beautiful and dignified elder sister. She was really the heaven’s favoured one. She lacked nothing from her beauty and her family background to her courage. Minglan really hoped this big sister would always be happy and proud in the future.

Now, every morning, Minglan would be carried by a mama and would go together with Wang shi to pay their respects to Old Madam Sheng. But before that, all the concubines would pay their respects to Wang shi at her courtyard first. Concubine Lin had a pattern to when she pays her respects; she would pay her respects for three days straight and then rest for the next two days. Her reason was very much a panacea- that a part of her body was unwell.

If during the previous night, Sheng Hong had rested at her place, then the next day she would support her waist and say that her body is tired. But if Sheng Hong didn’t rest at her place, she would then support her chest and say that her heart is tired.

Every time Concubine Lin came to pay respects, Wang shi needed to balance her mental condition for a very long time to avoid herself from raging and scratching the lovely cheeks of Concubine Lin. It was really an extreme challenge to Wang shi’s personal propriety.

In contrast, when it came to little Minglan, who was young and a bit empty-headed, since she was merely a five or six years old and didn’t have a favoured mother anymore,Wang shi didn’t have the need to bully her. However, this didn’t mean she would specially care for her. Besides, Minglan was raised alongside Rulan in the same manner, but attentive people would be able to see the difference in their treatment.

During every meal, all the dishes arranged on the table would be foods that Rulan liked; Minglan could only eat with her and had no ability to choose what she wanted to eat. Rulan’s clothes were always new, while Minglan had to wear her leftovers, though those secondhand clothing were also relatively new since Rulan had not yet used most of them. If there were any new fruits or desserts, of course Rulan would eat them first, and again, Minglan was left with the leftovers.

As for the jewelries of any kind like gold, silver, or jade, Minglan would never even see them. However, every time they went out, Wang shi would place something on her neck and on her hair in order to keep their prestigiousness.

Minglan’s plan for now was that when she needed to act dumb, then act dumb, and when it’s time to complain, then complain. Young Lady Yingchun’s [1] bitter experience has already told us that just because one suffers in silence doesn’t mean that peace and security is guaranteed. As a concubine-born daughter with no one to rely on, if you do not fight for yourself, who will still pay attention to you? This is what they called, “heavens will help you if you help yourself”.

The mama by Minglan’s side was a lazy and careless old woman. When you want to go east, often she would go west. When you give her a few more orders, then she would purse her lips and make her displeasure known. The young maids would also follow her example; they all couldn’t help but be lazy, and sometimes they would even have “private talks” in voices that Minglan could still hear. Stuff like “She wants us to do this and she wants us to do that, it’s so annoying I could die.” and, “Look at her acting so haughty, as if she thinks she’s some kind of noble lady, when she’s merely someone born from a concubine,” “She better stop making a fuss, since no one really cares to actually serve her.”

Minglan did not utter a single word, pretended that she had not heard anything and continued to give them orders as usual. Since Sheng Hong did not completely trust Wang shi, he would go and visit Minglan every now and then. At those times, Minglan would bluntly say stuff like, “Last night I was thirsty, but mama didn’t give me water.”, “Had the cherryapple blossom you gave me before bloomed already? I haven’t seen it.” “The dessert that Madame gave? Mama said that her little grandson liked it, so she took it away.” and “...mama told me to wait till she had a free time and she’ll patch up this hole on my clothes.”

Sheng Hong’s expression would then immediately drop, while Wang shi would be utterly embarrassed.

Recently, she had been too busy preparing Hualan’s coming of age ceremony, that she did not have any energy left to take care of Minglan. Once she got angry, she punished every maid who embarrassed her. In the beginning the maids were not happy and continued to create difficulties for Minglan. Minglan also did not take them seriously and continued to complain. But, after complaining two times, all the servants became well-behaved, and so Minglan’s lifestyle improved.

First, you must choose the right person to complain to. From the start, Minglan knew that Wang shi didn’t truly care about her, and that for her, as long as Minglan lived, then it was fine. On the other hand, Shen Hong still remembered Concubine Wei’s death and felt guilty that she passed away at such a young age. So, therefore, the person Minglan should complain to was Sheng Hong.

Second, you must choose the right target of your complaint. Minglan only complained about the maids and never mentioned Wang shi. Instead, she often spoke about what Wang shi gave her, and that it was the servants who were lazy and sly. So it would still be fine for Wang shi to listen in from the side.

And lastly, and the most important part: she must act dumb. From the moment Minglan woke up, she would act dumb and blank. Her words weren’t nimble and her reactions were also slow, she behaved like a complete dummy with no schemes, and this kept her safer than anything else..

Gradually summer came into town. The days grew blistering hot and the summer heat burned into people’s’ skin. That day, Minglan was taking an afternoon nap in her room when the two young maids on the day-shift were standing in position outside the hall and idly gossipping.

“First young miss’ coming of age ceremony is certainly grand. It’s said that Madame invited all of the important madames and ladies in Deng Prefecture. Just the sedan chairs alone are arranged into two whole rows outside the doorway. Because they are afraid that the guests will be too hot, Madame even bought dozens of carts of ice in order to cool the rooms down, and people are bringing in bowls of ice in a continuous stream.

‘Master also returned to the household specifically to attend the ceremony.” A young maid, barely ten, said this.

“Madame specifically ordered a custom-made green jade head ornament from the Jewel Building. Mama said that this is the capital’s very best jade crafting shop. I wonder how much money they have spent for that alone? Not to mention the dress that the first young lady would be wearing. Mama said that the embroidery on it is Liushang [2] embroidery, so that when she moves, the fabric flows as if it were a river; this was sent over by the Old Madam of the Madame’s maiden family. First young lady’s life is really good. Older Sister Qiuyu, in the future, what do you think will happen to our young lady...” A round-faced girl of seven or eight years said.

“Ah! How can our lady ever be compared to her? The First young miss comes from the legitimate line...”

Minglan laid in her bedroom as she listened to the conversation of the maids. These two young maids were given to her by Wang shi to be her personal maids, the older one is called Qiuyu (Autumn Rain), the younger is called Xiao Tao (Small Peach). The former was originally a third class maid from Wang shi’s place and the latter was someone from the courtyard for the houseborn servants who was promoted here. The purpose was that since their ages were similar to Sixth Young Miss, that they would be able to get along with her. When she thought of that, Minglan couldn’t help but pout.

Since the entire inner courtyard of the Sheng Household had to be reorganized, besides the capable servants who Madame and Concubine Lin relied on, almost all the second and third class maids were changed out for new servants from the hourseborn servants’ courtyard, even though Sheng Hong only wished that he could’ve gotten rid of every single servant. Anyone who looked sharp-witted were given to the older young masters and young misses. That is why, when it reached Minglan’s turn, only the simple minded Xiao Tao was left.

But... this is all fine, Minglan flipped her small body on the bed.

Minglan did not see Sheng Hualan’s coming of age ceremony, but she could imagine that spectacle. She wasn’t especially awed or jealous, but while she was in that fuzzy state between sleep and wakefulness, she thought that Sheng Hualan’s background was of the kind that ought to have been a time-traveller’s reincarnation.

After the coming of age ceremony was over, Wang shi immediately threw herself with unlimited enthusiasm into the job of finding her first son in law. From time to time, she would exchange her thoughts with Sheng Hong and the Old Madame, and whenever that happened, Hualan would shyly cover her face in embarrassment and return to her room. Minglan couldn’t help but sigh, because modern society had sure improved a lot.

She thought back to the times when Mother Yao would hold up a picture of Yao Yiyi’s matchmaking partner. Back then, Yao Yiyi still possessed the final veto power and authority over the choice of her future partner. But in this time and place, even if the girl in question was as pampered and loved as Sheng Hualan, she was still unable to have any say in her own marriage. For the first time ever, Minglan experienced what was known as someone following “the order of the parents and the advice of the matchmaker”[3]

After going through a period of discussion, the Sheng couple had two last candidates left; the fifth grandson from the Household of the Duke of Ling, and the second son from the household of Earl Zhongqin. Before the couple concluded on the candidate, Qiu Jin Daren [4], who was appointed as a magistrate to the Kaifeng Prefecture, came to propose a marriage for his son.

“Since Hualan had just had her coming of age, we’re not rushed to pick a son in law. But since Qiu Daren came to propose a match, we cannot help but hurry. Either we should agree to Qui Daren’s proposal, or if we don’t, then we need a proper reason for refusing.” Wang shi sat on an ebony table decorated with bats flying through rolling clouds, and in front of her were a few large red and golden calling cards. The tassels on her golden dragon and phoenix hairpin were in constant motion as she moved about.

“Brother Qiu is the same age as me, and our families know each other well. To be honest, this marriage wouldn’t be impossible, but...” Sheng Hong walked around the room, gripping in his hand a fan with a wooden frame of a box plant.

“But what? Master, say it!” Wang shi hurried him.

Sheng Hong went to sit in front of Wang shi and picked up a blanc de chine teacup from the table to lightly sip at it, saying, “I have seen the Second Master Qiu before. In terms of looks and conduct, he matches Hualan well. I’ve never liked the idea of Hua’er marrying into nobility anyway; even though they are wealthy and honorable, their household walls are thick and high. And Hua’er is a proud woman, she won’t necessarily be happy if she really married into that kind of household. We’re well matched in social status with the Qiu family, so there’s no fear of Hua’er suffering any kind of inconvenience, but when I went to the capital last time, I saw something troubling.”

Wang shi nodded her head continuously as she listened to the difficulties of Hualan’s marriage into nobility, and as she listened till the end, she even raised the round fan in her hand to lightly fan Sheng Hong. Sheng Hong paused for a while, then scootched over to her and said quietly, “The current Empress has no son, so the succession can’t be determined by choosing the legitimate son. So therefore the candidates are the princes who are the eldest or who are of the most noble birth. They can only be the two princes, the third or fourth prince, born from either Kind Consort or Decent Consort [5]. The only reason His Majesty has yet to appoint a crown prince is because the Third Prince has a weak body, and has no children even though he’s over forty. And yet the Fourth Prince who has sons was born only a half a day later. As of now, His Majesty’s body is healthy and and good, but if he were to collapse in the future, then something may happen to all the officials associated with those two princes.”

Wang shi has no clue about anything regarding the imperial court, and she was at a loss, asking, “What does that have to do our eldest girl’s marriage? Qiu Jing Daren is an outer official.”

“But Qiu Jing’s older brother is the teacher of preaching of the Third Prince!” Sheng Hong was frustrated, he truly wished to confide everything with his wife, but his wife’s thoughts were never on the same page as his. On the flipside, Concubine Lin was always on same wavelength as he was, but unfortunately she was only a concubine.

Wang shi thought for a bit, then she couldn’t help but turn pale in fright, “Master, this is absolutely inappropriate. It doesn’t matter if His Majesty appoints the Third Prince or not, as long as he’s not able to produce a son, he can only give the throne away in the end! I heard that the Fourth Prince isn’t someone you can mess with.”

As his wife finally understood the logistics, Sheng Hong nodded and then signed, “I often tried to warn Brother Qiu Jing that outer officials like us would be fine as long as we limit our relationships to secret acquaintances with those inner officials from the capital city. But we must never involve ourselves in the matter of the appointment of the crown prince. There are so many houses of nobility in the capital city, they’re all smart as a whip, and yet almost none of them participate in this matter. The circumstances of our previous Emperor’s ascension to the throne was already peaceful and smooth, and yet he still seized the titles of many nobles and threw out who knows how many officials of the first and second class. We are mere ants compared to those people, imagine what would happen to us? I warned him several times, but Brother Qiu wouldn’t listen, and instead he and his older brother continue to ingratiate themselves with the Third Prince. I understand that the Third Prince has a generous character with a kind heart, and he is wise and filial, but, but...”

“But he has no sons!” Wang shi immediately filled in the blank for Sheng Hong, “As long as he has no sons, then it doesn’t matter how virtuous the Third Prince is. Qiu Daren is too foolish, how can one mess around with matters of the succession? In my opinion, the Fourth Prince is the one who will take the throne.”

“That might not be true.” Sheng Hong suddenly turned his argument around, “Brother Qiu and all those other officials next to the Third Prince aren’t entirely foolish, they know that if it weren’t for the fact that the Third Prince has no son he would’ve been named the heir, so they’ve thought of an idea.”

Wang shi asked, “What idea?”

Sheng Hong spoke with an increasingly low voice, “Honestly, this is not some kind of secret. They’re urging many higher up officials to enthusiastically promote the imitation of the story of Song Yingzong.”[6]

Wang shi twisted her handkerchief and indignantly reproached him, “Master, don’t throw literature at me. I can hardly even read a handful of words, how would I know what kind of thing the Song Yingzong story is?”

Sheng Hong restrained himself from clicking his tongue as he grudgingly explained, “That is to say, if after the Third Prince took the throne, and he still doesn’t have any sons, then he can adopt a nephew and continue his line from one of his brother’s son. The Emperor’s bloodline doesn’t only contain these two princes. There are several other princes who have sons, so in any case those children are all considered the Emperor’s grandsons.” [7]

Wang shi smiled and clapped her hands, “That is definitely a good idea, those younger princes’ are from mothers whose clans are weak, and who His Majesty doesn’t care about. Since there would be no competition for the throne from those princes, then adopting one of their sons would be the best. But...would this work? How could the Fourth Prince agree to this?”

“Who knows? Currently all those promoting the idea of adoption are a thorn in the side of the Fourth Prince. It’s better to be safe than sorry. If the Fourth Prince is the one who succeeds in the end, then the Qiu Family...” Sheng Hong didn’t finish his thought, but now Wang shi understood completely.

“This is a gamble; if they win, then the Qiu Family would be honored beyond imagination. If they lose, then the Qiu family would also lose everything, but why would they wish to gamble? They currently have both riches and honor.” Sheng Hong sighed.

“- Master, we cannot agree to this proposal from the Qiu Family. They’re willing to gamble, but we cannot use Hua’er as our pawn. If this is not handled properly, our entire family can be implicated in this.” Wang shi’s train of thoughts suddenly became clear. From her waist, she took out a magenta handkerchief embroidered sunflowers and gently patted her forehead. Then she suddenly raised her head, turned and asked, “Master is always kind and honest at work, and you often have good relations with many people. How can there be no one for us to negotiate marriage with?”

“There isn’t no one. When we were in Quan Prefecture, I had already carefully looked over all my contemporary colleagues and good friends, and none of them are a good fit .”

“None of them are suitable?” Wang shi suspiciously asked.

“What were the qualities of a son-in-law that you were listing the other day? Sheng Hong glanced at her, imitating Wang shi’s tone and slowly said, “You want someone with a good family status, with many riches, and the family structure can’t be complicated. The in-laws must be easy to live with, and most of all, the husband must be capable. If he’s a scholar, then he must have achieved a title. If he’s a merchant then he must have his own business. Or he must have a noble title or be well versed in martial arts. Most of my acquaintances are scholars, of the ones who are of my same age and class, there aren’t many with a high rank. Those with high ranks and a good reputation are relatively poor, but those who are wealthy are already matched with someone already. Brother Liu from Dali Temple is quite suitable for us, his legitimate son is still too young, but he can be a good match in the future for Rulan.” He sighed.

Wang shi’s expression was a bit awkward, as she embarrassedly smiled, “Master doesn’t need to worry, aren’t there still other families? I think that Duke Ling is a good candidate, although their rank downgrades with each generation, it’s only been three generations since the elder Emperor had granted them their title.On the other hand, while the Earl of Zhongqing doesn’t have their rank downgraded for each generation, their family circumstances aren’t very good. They’re already despised by the Emperor, so it’s better if we don’t match with them. The household of the Duke Ling is good; they’re outstanding and triumphant, their family background is great, and they’re impressive and successful.”

“... That is yet to be seen.” Sheng Hong calmly opened his fan, then slowly waved it towards himself, “In my childhood, I went with the Old Master and Old Madam to the capital. There I studied in the private school of the Duke of Ling’s household with Older Brother Wei. And I must say that I can’t admire that family. They look bright on the outside, but they’re rotten within, and me and Brother Wei studied there for half a year before leaving.

‘This time, when I went back to the capital to handle some work, I heard more unbearable news about the household of Duke Ling. Their house has too many people, and masters and servants both are too complacent with their positions. Several of their young masters are still around the age of Changbai, yet their bedrooms are unexpectedly filled with more than twenty young servant girls to serve them. Both older and younger generation overspend and overindulge in extravagance. With more expenses and less income, their purse would soon be emptied. I quietly only told Uncle Geng that Hua’er’s coming of age is near, when this family immediately found me and implied that they wished to be connected through marriage.”

Wang shi almost jumped in fright, “Are you saying that they have their eyes on the girl Hua’s trousseau?”

“That is hard to say, but this won’t be their first nor their second time that they took over their daughter-in-law’s trousseau.” Sheng Hong said with disdain.

Wang shi was hesitant, “But at the end of the day, they are the household of a Duke, and they’re a family with so much honor. If it weren’t for their current difficulties, then someone like our Hua’er wouldn’t have a chance to marry in there anyway.”

Sheng Hong coldly laughed, “If it was only for their lack of money, I wouldn’t be so disdainful. But the younger generation of that family are truly useless. It’s such a huge family, and yet there is not one person who’s well versed in either literature or martial arts. The old Duke and his wife themselves are good people, but their several sons... Hmph! The first branch is corrupted, and both father and son have always been ridiculed for gathering a lot of women. While the second branch -oh, the proposal is from the second son of this branch. The master of the second branch is already so old, but he can’t keep his hands off from sexually offending all the maids of his household. When I was still in the household, I even heard that he slept with his daughter-in-law’s personal maids. What a disgraceful and and uncultured person, what a scum to our society!”

Wang shi’s spirit was troubled as she listened to Sheng Hong’s words, “No wonder, they’re an honorable household of a Duke, why would they wish to marry the daughter of a sixth ranked official? They must be afraid that families of any importance in the capital would not be willing to marry their daughter over.”

“Madame got it right this time.” Sheng Hong put away his fan, as he was nodding his head.

“But we also can’t agree to the household of the Earl Zhongqin; the household of the Yuan family is very desolate nowadays.” Wang shi furiously said.

“That might not be the case.” Sheng Hong finally became passionate, and excitedly said, “This time I purposefully went to visit the household of Earl Zhongqin and saw some of Old Earl’s young masters. The eldest legitimate son had long ago been betrothed to the daughter of Imperial Academy’s [8] Senior Official Zhang Daren. The second son seemed better, he’s calm with good etiquette, and has an impressive bearing. At his young age, he’s already taken a position in the Equestrian City Watch. I even asked Commander Dou about his character and talents. And as you know, that Dou Laoxi is usually haughty and proud. However he also praised this Yuan Wenshao to no end, and he even lamented that it was only because of the young official’s family background, that all the other officials and aristocratic families didn’t dare to marry their daughter to him. But the Yuan family also wouldn’t want a marriage with a family whose status is too low. That’s why such a good young man’s prospects had been delayed and why he’s almost twenty, yet he hasn’t married. Probably because I revealed my intentions in front of Dou Laoxi, the Yuan family sent someone the next day to propose.”

Wang shi still looked displeased, “You already said that all the officials and aristocratic families did not dare to connect with them. They currently have neither power and nor riches, so why on earth are we going with them!”

“Of course! If their family had no difficulties, then they wouldn’t have given Hua’er a chance. ” Sheng Hong used Wang shi’s own words to reproach her, “Their family was unfortunate. When the former Emperor was still reigning, they were accidentally involved in the case of Yi Prince’s rebellion, and along with several other aristocratic families, their rank was seized. Desolate for several years, it was only after the current Emperor took reign and ordered a general pardon, that they reinvestigated the old records to find out that several dukes, marquises and earls like Earl Zhongqin had been wrongly accused. His Majesty reinstated a few families including the Yuan family. However, they were still reprimanded for not being careful in handling matters and for inappropriate behavior, and they were stripped of ten years of stipend and fell into disfavor.”

“Since Master has spoken so much about their descent, why would you still want a marriage with them?” Wang shi pouted.

“What would you know? Young masters from aristocratic families with ranks and titles like those are mostly useless, because they can depend on their ancestor’s wealth. They don’t care about studying, nor about martial arts, and they don’t care about progress. A family like that rots within a few generations. However, because the Yuans have met with disaster, their younger generations are forced to be more capable than the rest of their kind, and they’ve gone through the difficulty of many trials and tribulations. I see Yuan Wenshao as a very good man.”

Wang shi was still not pleased. She turned her head away and refused to speak.

Sheng Hong walked over to gently hold onto her shoulders, smoothly saying, “Hua’er is our first-born daughter, how could I wrong her? Remember back in those days, when I was still a small substitute manager, and I was assigned to a cold and bitter place? When Hua’er was born, we couldn’t even find a suitable wet nurse. I was studying and working at the same time, and you had to both manage the house while serving both myself and Old Madam. In those days, Hua’er was obedient to the point where people loved her dearly. She never cried nor threw tantrums. And when she was a little older, she was even able to help you take care of things. To say something that’s too honest, out of all my children, I love Hua’er the most.”

As Wang shi recalled the hardships of their early days, her eyes turned red. Sheng Hong’s voice also trembled with emotion, “I’ve already decided since then, that I will never let Hua’er suffer. I will never use Hua’er to curry favor with the rich for their help and power, but I will only hope that she can marry a capable man, and for her to live peacefully and in perfect harmony as a married couple, that they can bear children in the future, and for her to have a smooth-sailing life.”

His words were earnest and came from the heart of a compassionate father. Wang shi couldn’t bear it any longer as her tears fell. She lowered her face as she busied about wiping her tears away, and Sheng Hong spoke again, “No matter how unfortunate the Yuan family is, they have the protection of their title. If the official’s career is not smooth, at least there would be the Earl household to depend on. If Yuan Wenshao lives up to our expectations, then there will be riches and honour waiting for Hua’er in the future.”

Wang shi had already been persuaded. But still, as she wiped her tears with a handkerchief, she angrily said “Pah! A downtrodden good like that has been illustrated like a flower by your words. Master understands more than I do, but still, let me find out more about the character of that Yuan Wenshao. He’s already twenty years old, we don’t know how many women serve in his bedroom, if he has anyone who is unruly and arrogant, I will not comply, my Hua’er isn’t marrying him to suffer.”

“Yes, yes, yes, everything will be in accordance to my wife,” Sheng Hong intimately gathered her in his arms, “If that rascal is lascivious, I will be the first to oppose of this. We must definitely consider every detail in order to find the best husband for Hua’er.”

[1] From the Dream of Red Chambers, Jia Yingchun is Baoyu’s elder first cousin. A kind-hearted and weak-willed person. Eventually the newly married Yingchun becomes a victim of domestic abuse and constant violence at the hands of her cruel, abusive husband and suffered in silence.

[2] A super smooth and curvy embroidery that’s like a long river that curves a lot.

[3] 父母之命, 媒妁之言 (Fu Mu Zi Ming, Mei Shuo Zi Yan): The children’s marriage are based on the parents decision and matchmaker’s advice.

[4] 大人 (daren): adult / grownup / title of respect toward superiors.

[5] The emperor’s consorts has titles, with the empress being the highest in the harem, then followed by the Gufei (noble consort), Shufei (decent consort) and Defei (kind consort) and Xianfei.

[6] Emperor Yingzong of The Song Dynasty. As a result of his predecessor not being able to have sons, the ministers advised the former emperor to bring in his relatives to adopt one of them and so he was established as a crown prince.

[7] It’s important to note that Chinese royal line is a bit complex with lots of title and stuff. A prince rank is depended on his title, the highest title is a wangye, they are mostly the sons of the emperor. The third and fourth prince are wangye, but that doesn’t mean they are the only wangye for there might be some who were granted this title or from the previous line, or the previous Emperor’s sons.

[8] the highest educational body in imperial China.

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