Prev Next

First Arc: Chapter 1 (Part 1): Chenyu

The eastern wind was howling while the sky was hazy.

It was immensely frigid due to the remnants of the winter snow from yesterday night. Looking outside through the slit between the curtains from within the carriage, it felt overcast everywhere. Within the fortified defences, the pine and cypress which had not withered despite the winter appeared particularly dull. On these days, the public corridors were also illuminated with lanterns. When one gazes at it from far away, it was a meandering red string that stretched continuously as if there was no end.  

The greenish-white marble pedestal of the vermilion walls on both sides and the golden glazed tiles decorations resembled a resplendent and magnificent color painting with the design more like a dragon and phoenix. Although it was imposing, it paled in beauty.

Chenyu(Chényú) supposed that she ultimately did not like the imperial palace.

When the imperial edict was bestowed that year, if the one selected had not been her Elder Sister but her, she really did not know how she should spend the rest of her boundless years in this inner court deep inside the palace…… It was also fortunate that only because it was her Elder Sister who was slick with the ways of the world, was she able to be highly competent and received the highest imperial favor.     

Just as she had thought until this point, the carriage suddenly halted. A voice sounded from the front, "Is the one inside the carriage Elder Sister from the Jiang(Jiāng) Family?"

She lifted up the carriage curtains and saw a dear smiling face which pressed closer. "Aha! As expected, it is Elder Sister from the Jiang Family! Did you come to visit Noble Lady Jiang today? Why didn't you inform me in advance? If I hadn't bumped into you here by coincidence, I wouldn't even know that you have come……"

That young girl spoke expeditiously and uttered many words like beads. She was approximately thirteen to fourteen years old and her figure had yet to develop. Her looks were nondescript, but she had an innocent and carefree mien which made her seem exceedingly lovely and simple. It was no one else but the current Emperor's younger sister, Princess Zhaoluan(Zhāoluán).

Jiang Chenyu exited the carriage promptly. She bowed and was about to kowtow in greetings when Zhaoluan had already pulled her hand up and smiled. "There is no need for extra formalities between the two of us. But since I have encountered you by coincidence, I'll also go visit Noble Lady Jiang together with you."

How could she dare to refuse, but when she saw that there were only two palace maids following behind the Princess and no imperial carriage, she surmised that there was probably no more space in her own carriage so she might as well abandon the carriage and join her to walk. As they idly chatted along the way, the palace servants at both sides paid their greetings in succession.

"Why did Your Highness come here?"

"I've just finished meeting with the Empress Dowager and I was planning to visit Imperial Elder Brother at the Front Hall when I happened to bump into you. That's right, I heard that Elder Sister had come of age but it was unfortunate that I wasn't able to attend the ceremony. We haven't met for half a year already and Elder Sister is more beautiful than in my impression." When Zhaoluan spoke until here, she couldn't help but lament, "As I thought, there's only you in this world, the number one beauty in Nation Bi who is worthy of using the name 'Chenyu'*".  

*T/n: From the phrase "Chen Yu Luo Yan" which is used to describe astounding beauty which causes the fish to drown and the geese to fall. It was originally used to describe Xi Shi's beauty. Xi Shi is one of the Four Beauties of Ancient China, the other three being Noble Lady Yang, Zhao Feiyan and Diaochan.

Jiang Chenyu's face turned red instantly. She said softly, "These words of your Highness have made me terribly embarrassed. Leaving others aside, simply in this palace alone, Empress Xue(Xuē)'s loftiness, Imperial Concubine* Ji(Jī)'s elegance, furthermore……there is also that Consort* Xihe(Xīhé), she is the real number one beauty officially recognized in the four countries."

*T/n: guipin: One of the ranks of the imperial consorts in the imperial harem

*T/n: furen: One of the ranks of the imperial consorts in the imperial harem


A look of disgust sprung up on her visage forthwith. She snorted and said, "That bewitching consort? You better don't mention her. Once you mention her to me, I will feel inexplicably irritable. She only desires to instigate trouble* and leave no peace all day long. Do you know why I wanted to visit Imperial Elder Brother at the Front Hall? It's precisely because she stirred up havoc again!"

*T/n: A literal translation would be that the only thing she fears is that the world is not in chaos  

Jiang Chenyu was slightly startled. While she was still completely befuddled, Zhaoluan had already pulled her along and walked pass the Yu Hua(Yù Huá) Gate. She pointed at Jing Yang(Jǐng Yáng) Hall and said, "Here, take a look."

As she turned her eyes to glance towards there and pass the baluster column engraved with Han Dynasty Jade*, she saw a woman who was kneeling on the steps outside the hall entrance.

Attributed to the time of the day, the surroundings were all very dark and were suffused with a dismal graphite color. She was the only one draping a white mink fur coat. That kind of scene was white until it was dazzling, white until it stirred people's emotions and white until it shook one to the core.

Although her face looked indistinct as they were distantly apart, simply based on that remarkably striking figure, Jiang Chenyu had already inferred that there was no doubt that she was Consort Xihe.

"Why is she kneeling in front of the hall?"

Zhaoluan twitched her mouth slightly and said with disdain, "It's just a self-injury ruse*. She suffered injustice and wants to ask for some justice back."

*T/n: Inflict injury on oneself to gain something. One of the common schemes.  

Jiang Chenyu could not help but stare blankly again. She could not refrain from thinking, 'There was actually still someone in the world who dared to let that woman suffer grievances?'

Regarding Consort Xihe, she had honestly too much and also know too much. The reason was none other than her Elder Sister views this woman as her largest and most formidable enemy. Her enmity towards her was so massive that even the whole Jiang Family treats Consort Xihe as a great scourge* and they racked their brains and contemplated how they could eliminate this stumbling block.

*T/n: Literal translation is fierce floods and savage monsters

However, contemplating was just contemplating and they have yet to find an opportunity to strike. Consort Xihe was currently favored and there's a significantly moving towards "abandoning three thousand consorts and favoring a sole person". Even more so, the Emperor commanded people to specially construct a glazed tile palace, simply because she likes glazed tiles. From the roof tiles to the wall, from the windows to the door and also the floor railings, there was not one which was not created from glazed tiles. The five colors radiated and it was extremely dazzling.

Despite such extravagance, such debauchery and such a matter which engendered disatisfaction among the court officials and controversies among the people, that woman who was the target of all the controversies still continued to make herself publicly known and did not exercise restraint at all.

"Humph, since she's so arrogant and unbridled, she will meet with her retribution eventually. Wait until the Emperor has lost interest in her sometime in the future and don't favor her anymore, the fortune she receives today will have to be returned one by one.

She could still vividly remember the expression her Elder Sister had when she gnashed her teeth back then. But right now, when she saw this woman kneeling in front of the platform in such a piercing cold wind, for some reason, a sorrowful feeling actually sprouted in her heart ー As expected, this imperial palace was really a place where one is apt to get into trouble.

"But I'm afraid that she won't be able to ask for justice back this time and there's also no point even if she kneels." Zhaoluan was at the side rejoicing in her misfortune. She wondered how Consort Xihe had offended her that actually evoked such repugnant feelings in her.   

Jiang Chenyu turned away. "Let's go."

"Eh? You're leaving just like this? I haven't seen enough. I don't get to see that bewitching consort out of her luck all the times……" Zhaoluan grumbled while still coming along. She resumed, "Did you know? The one she offended this time is the Empress."

Jiang Chenyu was shocked. Eh?

Speaking of that Empress Xue, her familial background was extremely lofty. She was the daughter of the Eldest Princess from the previous dynasty, the Elder Cousin Sister of the current Son of Heaven and her father Xue Huai(Xuē Huái) was in the military for half of his life. He expanded Nation Bi's territory by a staggering one fold, from the south until the rivers and from the north to Mount Yan and was imperially conferred the appellation of "Legendary Nation Protector Warrior". Empress Xue was even-tempered, benign and magnanimous, being very lenient to all the consorts. She was fully devoted to Buddhism and seldom paid attention to the matters of the imperial harem. Hence, those issues of rivalry arising from jealousy always had no connections with her. How did Consort Xihe offend even the Empress this time?

Without waiting for her to ask, Zhaoluan had already expounded.

So it turned out that when the Empress was returning from her trip to pray to Buddha, she somehow clashed with Consort Xihe's carriage on Dong Da Bridge. To begin with, no matter what the case is, it should be the consort giving way to the Empress, but Consort Xihe just refused to budge and the two sides remained locked in a stalemate. Originally, based on the Empress' character, she also would not hold her accountable for anything, but as luck would have it, the Empress' little nephew, Xue Cai(Xuē Cǎi), who was only seven years old and carried the title of "Nation Bi's number one child prodigy" was also in the carriage. When he saw his aunt being insulted, he smiled coldly. As he stepped out of the car, he bawled, "A mere sparrow* seat dares to defy the phoenix* procession?" After he finished speaking, he wrested the horsewhip from the coachman's grasp and fiercely thrashed it out at Consort Xihe's horse. The horse instantly leapt in pain, resulting in Consort Xihe and the carriage to dive into the lake……

*T/n: Basically contrasting these two birds where the empress is high and mighty like the phoenix while Consort Xihe is at a much lower position like the sparrow.

Zhaoluan chortled. "I really didn't expect that bewitching consort to also meet with such a day! Oh my, Little Xue Cai is honestly cute and really makes people want to dote on him from the bottom of their hearts."

Jiang Chenyu couldn't help but pursed her lips to smile. She already had a taste of Xue Cai's brilliance two years ago.

Translator Corner:
Although this novel has fewer chapters, but each chapter is really really long @[email protected] so I be splitting them into parts. I’ll make up with faster and regular releases! 🙂
There are some imperial harem terms and some more coming up in the next chapter. If the way I translated them is too confusing, please do inform me.

Report error

If you found broken links, wrong episode or any other problems in a anime/cartoon, please tell us. We will try to solve them the first time.

Email:

SubmitCancel

Share