Hope everyone had a good weekend, am too lazy to check for grammar.. please don’t mind the broken English if there is any ;) will edit them later.. or if there are any kind souls out there who don’t mind correcting them… hehehehee.. . this chapter has less dialogues, therefore way harder to translate… T_T
Enjoy!!!
The new year is coming soon, the whole palace is very happening and high in festive mode, each palace is also focused in their spring cleaning, the servants were also receiving awards non stop.
Everyone was most envious to those from Kun Ning Palace. The empress comes from a wealthy family, the emperor also gifts her things every 2 to 3 days, so she is considered the richest woman in the palace. She was also very generous, these few days all that worked for her received awards or gifts till they forgot to close their mouths.
Kun Ning Palace’s couplets are all written personally by Ji Wu Jiu, writing festive phrases on red paper with brushes, and hanged on the sides of the main door. His writing skills were very good, even Ye Zhen Zhen can’t help but praises them.
Accordingly, Ji Wu Jiu brought a lot of things to Kun Ning Palace, not only that, he also purposely personally pass to her a pair of jade white swan.
Ever since she thought things through, Ye Zhen Zhen is now along the thoughts of “trying to build a good relationship with Ji Wu Jiu” mode. That person she cannot offend.
He decides her life or death, if she wants to live a comfortable live, she must save him some face. So she made Su Yue to choose a lot of gifts to be sent to him as a return gift, and seeing that the rest of the concubines like Zhuang Concubine also personally made something for Ji Wu Jiu, she also decided to follow the crowd and gave him a handmade pouch she made earlier on. The pouch has a dragon embroidered on it, and was sent along with the other items.
The embroidered dragon is rather ugly, in a glimpse it actually looks like a suffering millipede. Ji Wu Jiu was moving the pouch around in his hands, he really wanted to wear it on himself, but during this festive period, he still have to take care of the emperor’s pride, so he decided to put the pouch into another pouch and placed it on his waist.
Towards Ye Zhen Zhen, new years celebration is a good thing, but there is one thing that really makes her upset: “Shou Sui” (something like a Chinese countdown ritual). years, ,as an unmarried lady, she was not really required to perform this ritual, she likes to sleep, and her family dotes on her, so she was not required to be involved on the eve of the new year and allowed her to sleep early.
But now, as the empress, she cannot avoid it anymore. New years eve night, at Gan Qing Palace, Ye Zhen Zhen was accompanying Ji Wu Jiu, along with the rest of the concubine and consorts to stay up. On the table various types of pastries were placed in accordance to the occasion, these delicate pastries were all made to perfection, making people feel touched, however, it still didn’t help Ye Zhen Zhen. Once her usual sleep timing approaches, as though as someone pressed a secret button on her body, she starts to lose her strength and vigor, slowly falling asleep. She no longer replies to the consorts chatting and slowly dozing off.
Seeing that she is in such a state, Ji Wu Jiu felt a little sorry, and really wanted to pull her into her arms and let her take a good nap, but if he were to really do it, it would go against the palace rules, so he has to stop himself.
Finally she lasted till midnight, Ye Zhen Zhen is already near the state of dreaming, Ji Wu Jiu woke her up, and told her it was time to eat dumplings. After counting down, it was time to eat dumplings, it was a ritual for some local people, and the royal family also performs them.
There are a total of 64 types of fillings in the dumplings, they were brought up to the table, and who wants to eat which flavor, they just have to order and someone will bring them. Ye Zhen Zhen was still in a daze, and simply called a few types, Su Yue place them on a plate and brought it over to her. With her eyes half closed, looking a bit foolish, Ji Wu Jiu found it very funny.
Ye Zhen Zhen took one of the dumplings and placed into her mouth, she just only chewed two times, she stopped.
“What happened?” Ji Wu Jiu asked
Ye Zhen Zhen used a handkerchief to cover her mouth, and with a few movements from a mouth, she spit out a copper coin. The copper coin was purposely made for the occasion, clean and shiny, it says “Wan Guo Lai Chao”. (something like many nations coming to court, to pay their respects).
Ji Wu Jiu looked over, smiled and said “Looks like the empress will be in good luck this year”
Ye Zhen Zhen did not agree that while eating, to bite on something hard has anything related to being good luck. She then took another dumpling, and with only one bite, her face turned dark.
Ji Wu Jiu looked at Ye Zhen Zhen spitting out another copper coin again, this time it says “Wu Gu Feng Deng”. (Good crop harvest)
The rest of the consorts saw Ye Zhen Zhen spitting out 2 copper coins in a row, and started to get envious. The coin in placed into the dumpling when they are made, in total there is only 10 pieces, now the empress has already gotten 2 pieces, and the rest was mixed in the rest of the many dumplings, who knew where the coins are?
Very quickly, they realized their think too much.
Ye Zhen Zhen was like a machine that spits out coin, another 2 came out again. One “Guo Tai Min An” (peaceful country) and another “Feng Tiao Yu Shun” (good weather and rain)
So the rest of them forgot about their dumplings and looked at her full of curiosity.
To Ye Zhen Zhen, to be disturbed while she is eating something that really really affects her mood. So she also stopped eating, and opened up the dumplings on her plate instead.
Then, another 2 pieces appeared again, one is “Ji Xiang Ru Yi” (good health) and another “Zi Sun Man Tang’ (alot of children and grandchildren).
Looking at the 6 copper coins in front of her, Ye Zhen Zhen felt really helpless, it made her appear to be cheating or something.
Ji Wu Jiu on the other hand was very happy, “The empress is really my lucky star”
The consorts were smart too, whether they were truly happy or not, they all started to greet more festive words to them. Ye Zhen Zhen awarded them, JI Wu Jiu also awarded them, after all this hassle, she was finally allowed to sleep.
She was already so sleepy that her steps started to be airy.
Ji Wu Jiu said “The empress is so tired, there is no need to return to Kun Ning Palace, tonight you can sleep at Gan Qing Palace”
“No I shouldn’t” Ye Zhen Zhen yawned and started to leave.
“If I say can, means can” Ji Wu Jiu decided to just carry her up, faced the rest of the women there and said “you guys can leave”
They can only look at how he carried Ye Zhen Zhen away. Actually to most of the consorts there, to say that they are jealous or to hate, although this feeling exists, but it was not too strong. Because.. the emperor is not capable of…..
Besides Xian Concubine who was in deeper thoughts. Few days ago the assassination case was no longer placed into importance, the emperor did not do anything to the Ye Family, but instead gave a Jue title to Ye Mu Fang; Su Jie Yu died without any reason, Ye Zhen Zhen did not receive any punishment, and instead Xu Xuan Shi got banished to the cold palace.
…. It seems like, the emperor is really sincere towards the empress.
Xian Concubine, felt her heart turned bitter when she thinks of that.
Every year during the new year celebration it is the same, to eat and to play. What is different for Ye Zhen Zhen was only to receive the ladies of the prominent families from outside the palace, batch by batch. During the day it was very busy for her, so at night she will go out to have walks, to take in the cold wind and to calm herself.
Tonight, when she pass by Lu Hua Palace, she caught a glimpse of something white passing through, in a fast speed, and in a blink of an eye it was gone.
Ye Zhen Zhen felt weird, rubbing her eyes she asked “Su Yue, did you see anything?”
Ye Zhen Zhen thought it was her eyes playing with her.
Wang You Cai who was at the side replied “Niang NIang, I think I saw a ghost”
“How did you know that it was a ghost?” Ye Zhen Zhen asked while smiling.
“It was wearing white clothes, long hair, green faced and has blood stains…”
“”Alright, the more you say, the more unbelievable it gets” Su Yue said.
Wang You Cai suddenly pointed to the front and said “Niang Niang there it comes again!”
Ye Zhen Zhen focused and realized it really appeared again. It looks like a person dressed in white, hair let down, covering the face, and the legs seems to be floating from the ground, almost half a feet high.
“Empress niang niang, I was framed to death!” It said, her voice floating and far, with a hint of crying, making those who heard it get goosebumps.
Wang You Cai and Su Yue both stepped up and stood infront of Ye Zhen Zhen.
Ye Zhen Zhen asked “Who are you?”
“You ~~~~ cause~~~ my~~~~ death~~~”
Ye Zhen Zhen held onto Wang You Cai and Su Yue’s shoulders, and pushed them apart, to walked forward, and loudly laughed “If you are really a ghost looking for revenge, my life is here right now, why don’t you come and take it?”
To be able to make a ghost speechless, the empress ability really makes Su Yue proud.
Seeing that there was no more sound coming from the ghost, Ye Zhen Zhen walked towards it. And it seeing Ye Zhen Zhen approaching, it turned around and ran away.
Therefore that night, Ye Zhen Zhen bringing a group of people to chase down a ghost, was known throughout the entire palace. In the end they did not manage to catch any ghost, but saw the abandon long hair and white clothes in the garden.
“Pretending to be ghost” Ye Zhen Zhen concluded.
Su Yue was curious “Niang niang, who do you think did this? Why did that person act as a ghost to scare you?”
“Who, I don’t know yet. The ghost appeared near Lu Hua Palace, she pretended to be a ghost, most probably thought I was the one who killed Su Jie Yu, most probably wanted to scare me because of that” Su Jie Yu’s real reason for dying was only known between her and the emperor, the rest of the people not knowing would be expected.
Su Yue still doesn’t understand “Even so, that person will not gain anything from it..”
“Pretending to be a ghost should just be that start, I am only afraid there will be a part 2” after a while Ye Zhen Zhen added “These few days, Kun Ning Palace should be guarded properly and be cautious, food and drinks should be monitored properly as well.”
Su Yue agreed
Ye Zhen Zhen closed her eyes “I want to see, what is that person’s next move”