T/N: Hey look! Random update! This chapter gave me a bit of trouble. Also, feel free to chat about the drama adaptation with me! 8D
32. A Certain Ye’s Probe (3)
“Tan-er doesn’t understand Wang Ye’s meaning.” Qu Tan-er maintained the same sentence, not even half her words would change after 800 years.
“Other then this sentence, don’t you know how to give a different response?” Mo LianCheng smiled faintly, brows raised, yet his tone did not carry any dissatisfaction.
“Nope.” Qu Tan-er nodded her head, replying assuredly. To pretend to be crazy and act a fool, anybody could do, but the key point was to put up a convincing pretense to the point of flawlessness, and only then could one be called the expert of all experts.
And her, Qu Tan-er, was the god among experts… Cough, a certain someone’s self-proclamation. (1)
“Are you angering Ben Wang intentionally?”
“I am not.”
“What you should be replying, is Ben Wang’s question.”
“What did Wang Ye ask about?”
“Doing this on purpose?” Mo LianCheng narrowed his eyes slightly. Even he himself did not expect that she would have the ability to raise his temper that would otherwise not be so easily revealed in front of outsiders.
“Am not.”
“Ben Wang finally understands, why he would pick you.”
“Tan-er doesn’t understand Wang Ye’s meaning.” Doesn’t understand and never wanted to understand, the world of men, she doesn’t want to know and as for the power struggles within the palace, she doesn’t wish to be a part of nor does she want to enter. Supposedly, the dramas have always shown that once a woman has stepped in and found out too many things, her ending would basically always be a terrible death.
“Since you want to pretend, then continue your act but, remember not to make a mistake.” Mo LianCheng spoke calmly, the edges of his lips curled with a meaningful smile.
Qu Tan-er turned silent, unable to help the slight raise of her head to look towards him once again. Pretending for two years, it was the first time a man has seen through– no, it was accidentally exposed. That one incident where she climbed the wall, purely an accident. She wasn’t sure if she should rejoice at having met this person, or grieve at her own bad luck. Even if she were to temporarily ignore everything that Mo LianCheng had said, just by the conspiracy that she didn’t know of, or her act of being compliant and gentle, all of it could eventually be summarized as a situation without hope.
Not to mention Qu JiangLin’s words on the night the Emperor bestowed the marriage.
Actually the things Qu JiangLin said at that time, as a father was not inherently wrong, only requesting that after her marriage into Eight Wang Fu, to try her best to gain Mo LianCheng’s trust and affections. However his way of phrasing had caused her to instinctively suspect that she was a piece of pawn to be inserted into Eight Wang Fu. At the same time, he had strongly advised her to constantly keep Qu Fu in mind, to always accept whatever tasks that might be requested from her.
A daughter that had already married out, still required to give consideration to Qu Fu, still required to work for Qu Fu?
Isn’t that just too strange?
And yet, the way Qu JiangLin had said so at that time was very natural.
Qu Tan-er, for the sake of not revealing the fact that she wasn’t his daughter a long time ago, naturally would not add on more words, merely nodding her head in agreement. Now that she thought about it, with how the original Qu Tan-er and Da Wang Ye walking so closely together, did it mean that Qu JiangLin was a part of the people from Da Wang Fu? The more she thought about it the more her head hurts. Forget it, she might as well not think.
“Tan-er doesn’t…” She creased her brows as she thought to continue her pretense.
“Since you’ve married into Eight Wang Fu, became Eight Wang Fei, then the rules that should be observed must be followed, or else, even shallow waters can drown a person to death.”
“…..” Startled, eyes opened wide, Qu Tan-er stared at him incredulously, doubtful of the words she had just heard and even more suspicious that he was covertly threatening her.
Shallow waters can drown a person to death, this she understood, but… A shiver ran through her body, a sudden chill that came out of nowhere, did the weather turn cold?
“Ben Wang does not ask for much, only these.”
“Yes, Tan-er understands, Tan-er will always keep in mind, to obey father before marriage, to obey husband after marriage and to obey the son after husband’s… Husband’s death. Wang Ye do continue, Tan-er is still listening.” Qu Tan-er smiled faintly, docilely awaiting Mo LianCheng’s instructions.
(1) 而她，曲檀儿，便是那高手中的□□了吧……咳，某人自认的。; Not sure what the author is trying to say here, since they put an ‘ □□ ‘ which would’ve translated to ‘□□ among the experts’… I decided to put in ‘god among experts’ since that’s what I felt was close enough? If anybody has a better way of explaining, please help orz….