It's been two weeks or so from the last update. I want to announce good and bad news regarding MMQL translation.
- Bad news : due to my limited time, I may have slow update from now on, but I'm still continuing my translation.
- Good news : I have found an editor to fix my translation, grammar etc. She's Iris and she will start editing from the very first chapter.
Btw, I just realize that there's Man Man Qing Luo's drama that's going aired on 2019. I can't wait to watch the drama.
And happy reading guys~~~
Forgive me for rough translation in this chapter
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Man Man Qing Luo
[1] literally from the raw
[2] it’s idiom. Means that they slept together.
[3] top scorer (1st) in the palace examination
[4] idiom : amaze the world by having a brilliant within a day
[5] idiom : doing a meritorious deed
In Ah Luo’s heart, she knew she had provoked a disaster. If she was caught by Liu Jue, it would be a wonder if he didn’t take a revenge. When she returned to the banquet, she feigned and complained a headache. Great Madam, Qing Lei and Qing Fei’s mood were still in high spirit but was soon spoiled when they suddenly saw Ah Luo’s appearance.
Great Madam’s face grim: “Just a moment ago, you still looked fine. Now, how can you get a headache?”
Ah Luo said with throaty and delicate voice: "I am afraid that it was because of the wind blows in the woods. Madam, when are we leaving?"
Great Madam stared at her attentively and started to feel resentful: "The dinner’s banquet has not yet begun, the princess has not spoken about it either. Moreover, the Crown Prince is interested with your eldest sister. Do you so intent to break your sister’s prospect?"
Ah Luo sighed gloomily, when one need other’s help, they would vanish. They were all concubine's daughters, why was the disparity of their treatment so huge? What’s wrong with growing up in pleasure house? Her beautiful mother was only sixteen years old when she went into Li Family residence only to life in vain. Aside that, she was a good looking and talented woman, she used to be a famous in the Feng city.
What were you afraid of? She didn't think that each of them lack any charms, she really don't understand. But she could only hummed loudly.
Qing Lei bit her lip and whisper to Great Madam, and then Great Madam re-thought again about Qing Luo’s condition : "There are still two hours before dinner party time. Let the carriage send you back and pick you up."
Ah Luo looked at Qing Lei with a puzzled look. Qing Lei blinked at her. Ah Luo thought, maybe this was because she had helped her play the zither early the day, and her eldest sister finally willing to treat her better? Qing Fei had not spoken, and Ah Luo looked like a child that had yearn love. In her mind she only thought that she must definitely leave this place, to avoid that troublesome Liu Jue. On the way, she let Juan er supported her to depart.
After two steps, Ah Luo looked back and almost opened up her mouth at the same time with the Great Madam: "Don't tell anyone that you have come to the Peach Blossom Banquet."
Ah Luo was happy with this sentence and added: "If the princess knows that this Third Young Miss had came, she will not pleased with me. She will feel disrespectful. Ah Luo is sick now and to leave the banquet early is more disrespectful to Princess.”
Great Madam appreciated her thought and nodded.
Ah Luo was on guard all the way, she did not see someone pay attention to her, when she reached the carriage the let down her guard. On Juan er, she repeatedly warned her: "The matter of today cannot be mentioned to anyone! Otherwise, it will be a disaster. Do you understand?" her voice chilled.
Juan er shivered in fright, she felt that Third Young Miss’ tone was harsh but she was actually a good person. If the words got out that the zither’s player was not the Eldest Young Miss, but Third Young Miss, not only Li Father will ashamed, the Princess and Crown Prince would also feel disrespect. So she hurriedly nodded: "Third Young Miss, please rest assured. Juan er is severely will never reveal a half word about those matter."
Ah Luo put her mind on ease and sighed. She let the driver led her to return home.
Back in the Li residence, Seventh Madam had been waiting in front of the door. This was the first time for Qing Luo to leave her. She was not at ease.
Ah Luo looked at Seventh Madam waiting for her, her heart warmed. She laughed and called her: "I’m back, mother!"
Seventh Madam’s eyes were lost in thought. She looked at the time, it was 7-9 p.m and frowned. "San er, why didn't you wait for the dinner? Why did come back?"
Ah Luo cried out loud: "Can’t we talk while we eat? I am so hungry."
Seventh Madam smiled and shook her heads. She told Mother Zhang to serve and said to Qing Luo: "I knew that you will not have enough food to eat, come and eat with my mother."
Ah Luo was very tired for this day event and really hungry, she thought that the house was still had a little porridge: "The Princess’s Banquet only has only a small snack at noon, I don't dare to eat too much, and Madam had said that she had enough food. The dinner party is sumptuous, but I don’t dare eat in there.”
The Seven Lady asked: "Why did you afraid to eat in dinner party?"
Ah Luo was afraid making she more worried, so she dared not to tell her that she had provoked the young Prince of the An Qing Palace. She had thought about it for a long time before she decided to say something about playing for Qing Lei. She saw that Seventh Madam paled and comforted her: "There are only five of us in the gazebo. We don't say anything regarding this matter to others so no one will know."
Seventh Madam’s tears drop out: "San er, you have made a great trouble! That servant girl, Juan er, must not open her mouth at all."
Ah Luo was shocked: "How do we get into disaster without no one said anything? Great Madam is very determined and ruthless, right? Juan er had promised to absolutely never to reveal a half word."
Seventh Madam sighed: "The people that know about this matter are you, me, Great Madam, Eldest Young Miss, Second Young Miss, and Juan er. When they come back, will the master not know? Third Madam and Fourth Madam, will they not know? Supposed that Qing Lei and her mother don’t dare say a word, Great Madam will never speak regarding the matter, but what about Qing Fei and her mother? I have long been unable to get used to the Third Madam’s trick by using her daughter to gain an attention from Master. This matter, this consequence, what can I do?"
Ah Luo frozen: "Mother, at that time, Ah Luo saw Qing Lei was quite pitiful and I also afraid that Li Family would lose face." (face : honor, dignity)
Seventh Madam thought about it: "As the matter stands, we have to look Master to get his opinion regarding this matter."
If that was the case, Ah Luo wondered, was the matter on the banquet really grave? She didn’t think she hadn’t had enough experience to judge the matter in this era. In ancient times, disrespecting someone in higher social on trivial matter would resulted a severe punishment by being beheaded. This socialist’s legal system and institution is really good, ah! If one cheating on the college entrance examination, they only revoked their rights to take the exams. But in this era, If one wanted to practice fraud then their life would gone. She really didn't really think until this point. She hadn’t engaged with real society for six years. She was trapped in this four-square residence. She truly felt like the frog sitting at the bottom of the well, never seen the sky. The key differences between modern time and this era was in criminal law. There was privilege's differences between social class. All at once, she suddenly didn’t have no confidence at all, she would be arbitrarily slaughtered by others.
Seventh Madam looked at Ah Luo’s discourage and defeated face. She comforted her repeatedly: "Well whatever it is, your father is Right Minister, Li Xiang. You can persuade him that your eldest sister was ill, you are still young, and playing the zither’s music was also your love toward eldest sister. You were afraid that he would lose face."
Ah Luo decided to say, "So what about Juan er? Is she going to be okay?"
Seventh Madam was afraid that the Qing Luo would end up preoccupied with the matter: "Mother is only used to think the matter negatively, in the worst wa possible. Maybe mother thinks too much and there will be nothing."
Ah Luo whispered softly: "I have never known how powerful the nobility in this Feng City is. If they want a little girl, and that person don't give it, will they snatch the girl? If someone doesn’t like it, will they kill it?"
Seventh Madam patted Ah Luo shoulder and sighed: "I don't know how to speak, who can make it clear in the dark? At that time, your mother..." Ah Luo looked at Seventh Madam in a strange way: "What happened?"
Seventh Madam looked at the Crabapple in the courtyard. The moonlight casted the shadow of the Crabapple on the ground , the mottled shadow shook slightly. Just like her voice, her heart felt desolate : "In that year, mother was the most popular young girl in the flower garden (pleasure house). I met a customer, and we both was in love with each other. We agreed to ***** [1], so he bought me at the bidding price. We both were resting and fly together [2]. As a result, he came to buy me out. When the night falls, I woke up and was already at Li’s residence as Seventh Madam. Until now, I still don’t know who my enemies are. Your father used to pamper mother for some time, but I was indifferent and not showing any interest. Here, I have been in this yard for 14 years."
Ah Luo listened with uncomfortable heart. Within a second, she remembered the gold and silver from Liu Jue, and quickly took them out to give to Madam Seventh: "Can’t we go to outside Li House? Are these silvers and golds are enough for us to live?"
Seventh Madam looked at the silver and gold money in amazement: "San er, where did you get these? How can there be so much money?"
Ah Luo, with no option, had to told her that she had provoked Liu Jue from the beginning to end. The more Seventh Madam heard the story, the paler her face was. As she heard that Ah Luo had tore down Liu Jue’s robes and tied him to the tree. Added with the fact that Ah Luo had made him fainted as soon as he turned his eyes, and she also took his money.
She was so frightened that she slapped Ah Luo’s face and stunned her, but soon she regretted it. Some ‘if’s were swirled in her mind. If Ah Luo didn’t go out today, what happen today would never happen. If she didn’t affected by Qing Fei’s despair, she would also never play the zither. Li House’s humiliation and Li Qing Lei’s disgraceful would never be their responsibility, none would be their business. If she didn’t provoke that noble son, Liu Jue... However, can all of this be repented?
Seventh Madam woke up from her heavy thought, and saw that Ah Luo had looked at her anxiously. She wailed to Ah Luo and burst into tears: "San er, what can I do?"
Ah Luo thought about Seventh Madam: "Mother, Young Prince of An Qing Wangfu does not know who I am. No one at the banquet will know that Third Young Miss of Li Family has been here. I have always dressed as a young servant girl of the a government official. I think father would never let me break his plan to marry Qing Lei to Crown Prince when he knew what was at stake. He will do anything he can to prevent this matter from spreading out. Moreover, Qing Fei had a good chat with Cheng Si Yue, one of the five noble sons. If Li Family had a scandal, zhuangyuan [2] official will most likely shrink back right away. As for me, I have no way to protect myself. I am afraid that Juan er will unable to keep the secret right away. Today, I have reminded and warned her many times that the secret must be hidden. But I vaguely felt something was wrong, I should have been warned her to run away."
Seventh Madam took Ah Luo’s hand: "San er, Juan er can't run away, if a slaves run away then was caught, their life will be more miserable and usually be killed off." Ah Luo felt uncomfortable, she couldn’t help but cry as she had yet to found a way to solve these problems. She was obscurely determined to handle the matters in the future and remain modest and keep cool, she must be more careful.
At this time, Xiao Yu reported that Great Madam had came back with Qing Lei and Qing Fei, saying that it was His Lordship who asked Seventh Madam and Third Young Miss to came. Ah Luo looked at Seventh Madam: "Mother, please pretend that you don’t know this matter at all. If there’s another one that know this matter, then it is not a good sign."
Once again, Seventh Madam shed her tears: "San er, you are only twelve years old. How can I make you face these matters alone?"
Ah Luo cried and said: "I can pretend to be a fool, because I am still a child. They can't be wary of it so much. If you know it, you will have more protection and danger. Mother only need to say that I was head back to home with a headache and sleep shortly. And I only wake up just now."
When she entered the hall, she saw only Li Xiang and Great Madam waiting for them in the hall. Soon, Seventh Madam and Qing Luo performed the courtesy/propriety act. Li Xiang sighed and said: "Yu tang*, you have made me suffer so much by the fact that you kept me in the dark. I was wondering, when you were famous in the city for your talent and think how couldn’t you teach your daughter?"
*Seventh Madam’s nickname from Li Qiang (Li Father)
Ah Luo was trying to speak her mind, but was cut off by Seventh Madam who rushed to answer: "Master, it is I whom aren’t allowed Ah Luo to reveal her talent. I wish that by concealing her talent, then someday Ah Luo can amaze the world with a single brilliant feat [4] ."
Great Madam step forward, raised her hand and slap to Seventh Madam’s face: "*****! The hell with ‘amaze the world’, Ah Luo shocked me today!"
Seventh Madam smirked and smiled: "You think only their daughters who can find a good home, why can't my daughter do it!" Seventh Madam smiled and turned away in wrath, but then she saw Qing Luo’s meaningful look that implied her not to move an inch.
Ah Luo gracefully knelt down: “It is I who is wrong. Today, I shouldn’t help my Eldest Sister!”
Li Xiang's cold-eyes watched them and laughed, he said: "Who said that you are wrong? If you didn’t play that song, then Crown Prince would not have a chance to see Qing Fei. Ah Luo, you are ‘one’s contributions can not go unnoticed’[5]”. He reached his hand on Qing Luo, embraced her and stroked her head. He said: "Father is only angry at the fact that your mother had kept your talent hidden from father. Aside from that, Father is happy that my Ah Luo turn out to be a beautiful and talented on four arts’ woman!"
The hair on Ah Luo’s back instantly stood up, she felt goose bumps everywhere. Finally, she lifted her face which full of tears to Li Xiang: "Mother only wants to think the best for Ah Luo. So I hope father doesn’t blame her anymore for concealing that Ah Luo can play the piano. Other than that, paintings and poems have not been taught yet by mother. If father is happy, Ah Luo will learn just like... just like my mother right away." Ah Luo's tone was very delicate.
Li Xiang stared at her teared eyes, he laughed and said: "You’re indeed father’s daughter. In the future, you can't listen to your mother's volition anymore. Yu tang, Ah Luo looks really like you when you first came here. Very good!"
Great Madam took the opportunity and said: "I am not afraid if Princess and Crown Prince will know about this matter and the blame that will come down. Because, Seventh Madam, Ah Luo wasn’t humiliating anyone at the banquet. It just that Ah Lei didn't live up to expectations at the time, so it was good. But we are afraid what if this matter is going to spread around. What can we do?"
Seventh Madam proposed: "Ah Luo will no longer play the piano for life. In this way, no one else will know that she can play, anyway her other skills are not bad either."
Li Xiang nodded: "Right, in this Li’s House, there’s only one person who can play the zither, she’s Qing Lei. For Qing Fei, she is good at literature and calligraphy. Ah Luo, you will learn how to recite poem properly with your mother."
Ah Luo looked at Li Xiang’s cold eyes for a moment before turned her eyes to her hand. She was frightened before she finally uttered: “Ah Luo will also play the flute! Mother said that I have a talent for music and she is teaching me how to.”
Li Xiang’s eyes finally turned soft: “Good, from this moment, not only you learn poetry, you also learn how to play the flute. That’s also good.”
Before Ah Luo helped Seventh Madam out of the hall, she heard Li Xiang voice: "Yu tang, you have to teach Ah Luo properly, she is young. There’s many things which she still do not understand."
Seventh Madam murmured her promise.
Back to the garden. Ah Luo’s tears flowed out, whether it was modern or ancient time, she had never felt such a deep fear. Even when she saw herself crossing into a different world and became another person, she never felt this kind of rational and unclear fear. If she didn’t say that she wants to play the flute, would these hands be scrapped/ruined by Li Xiang? She was only naturally scared. Ah Luo said to herself and think, Is there any way to change this passive situation?
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