“Li Rong, if you are willing to be wholeheartedly devoted to me, I can even give you my life.”
Li Rong’s actions made Pei Wenxuan choke on his words. He was silent for a while, then he finally said, “I might be narrow-minded and have a small heart, but your face isn’t thin either.”1
He turned his face, taking the lantern with him as he walked ahead in a leisurely manner: “You’re not young anymore. Their family’s Su Rongqing is currently in the spring of his youth, so don’t have any thoughts of an old cow eating tender young grass.”2
[1] Someone with a thin face or thin skin is self-conscious and mindful of social norms. Conversely, someone with a thick face is just outright shameless.
[2] Old cow eating tender young grass (idiom) — traditionally alludes to an old man having a relationship with a much younger woman; has negative connotations.
Li Rong was quiet. Pei Wenxuan smiled and said: “What? Not happy that I said that you’re old?”
“I’m old, but aren’t you old too?” Li Rong glared at Pei Wenxuan. She turned her head away and coldly said, “I just think that you have a dirty mind, so I don’t want to put up with you anymore.”
“I have a dirty mind?” Pei Wenxuan laughed and mocked her, “Do you dare to say that you had no such thoughts?”
“As for that, I do dare,” Li Rong generously explained in a good-natured manner, “I let Su Rongqing supervise the case because he is most suitable. If you and I come forward to investigate this case, the court officials will find it unacceptable. If we let others investigate and it’s one of my uncle’s people, they will certainly be partial to the Yang family. As for those who are not partial to either side, I’m afraid that they’re not willing to be involved in this disastrous mess. Nowadays, other than Su Rongqing, who else would pick up this hot potato? As it happens, Su Minzhi suddenly came forward and said that his son will investigate, so others will not dare to say anything.”
“You have a lot of faith in him.”
Pei Wenxuan subconsciously slowed down his pace and spoke coldly. Li Rong walked ahead and couldn’t help but laugh when she heard Pei Wenxuan’s words, “Although the Su family is keeping a low profile to avoid disaster, they are still considered a prominent noble family. Rongqing is a true gentleman and will not avoid it when matters fall into his hands.”
“Sounds quite awe-inspiring and righteous,” Pei Wenxuan’s tone of voice was flat, “You told me the same thing in the previous life.”
“Hm?”
Li Rong was a little confused. She turned around and saw that Pei Wenxuan was still standing there, calmly looking at her as he said: “When you asked me to save Su Rongqing in the previous life, you also brought up all sorts of principles and virtues, saying that the Su clan was wronged and if they pursue old grudges someday, it would not be a good thing for me, nor His Majesty. You said that you saved Su Rongqing out of righteousness and justice, and not for other reasons, right?”
Li Rong did not speak. The spring breeze in April was still a bit cold. Pei Wenxuan quietly looked at her then asked, “What happened later on?”
Li Rong was silent. She looked at Pei Wenxuan’s indifferent expression and couldn’t help but smile: “This is why you hate him?”
Pei Wenxuan was stunned. Li Rong looked at his facial expressions and asked, “Because I lied to you?”
Pei Wenxuan sneered and gave no response, but it could be considered a form of nonverbal acknowledgment. Li Rong brought her hand up, tucked her hair behind her ear and calmly said: “I already said that I truly had no such thoughts at the time, but you still don’t believe it? Then what use is there in talking about these things?”
“I’m just reminding you,” Pei Wenxuan said coldly, “Don’t slip up just because of his looks. You died at his hands in the previous life. If you were to let things repeat in this life, then you are an idiot.”
“Even so, what does it have to do with you?” Li Rong heard his relatively reprimanding tone of voice. She got a bit angry and coldly glared at him, “In any case, you and I will have separated in a few years. In this life, Pei daren can rest assured that if I kill you, it will not be because of others’ instigation.”
Pei Wenxuan didn’t speak. He pursed his lips and seemed quite angry.
Li Rong let out a derisive laugh: “You take the initiative to quarrel every time, only to be angry with yourself in the end. You really are…”
“I won’t send you off. You can go back by yourself.” Before Li Rong could finish her sentence, Pei Wenxuan finally had enough of it. He quickly walked up and stuffed the palace lantern into Li Rong’s hands before turning away and walking off.
Li Rong didn’t expect that Pei Wenxuan would still have such a temper even if he was reborn and no longer the Left Prime Minister. She held the lantern and blankly stood there for a while. Pei Wenxuan had taken a few steps when he thought of something and turned back. His brows wrinkled into a frown as he held out his hand and said: “Give me some manpower. The people in the Yang residence might try to leave the city tonight.”
To be angry is one thing in itself, but one must not be sloppy nor perfunctory when it comes to asking for people and money.
Li Rong let out an angry laugh. She reached out and slapped the imperial token into Pei Wenxuan’s hand: “Go and pick them out yourself.”
Pei Wenxuan gave no response. He took the imperial token and turned around to leave, going straight to the Princess’s mansion to find some people on his own.
Li Rong looked at Pei Wenxuan’s retreating back as he quickly walked away. She was angry but didn’t know what she was angry about. She waited for him to completely walk out of sight and was holding back for what felt like half a day before her emotions gradually stabilized. She admonished herself with a few words, cautioning herself against getting angry with this kind of person because it was not worth it.
Once her mood improved, she said, “Let’s go.”
Jing Lan and Jing Mei glanced at one another and then approached. Jing Mei took a look at Li Rong and whispered: “Why did Pei gongzi walk off on his own?”
“He is sick.”
Li Rong answered with hesitation. The maids only looked at one another and did not dare to say anything else.
Li Rong walked through the evening wind. After the wind had blown against her for some time, her mood had significantly improved. She calmly said: “Return to the palace, we will meet again tomorrow.”
Pei Wenxuan disliked Su Rongqing and had a problem with him, which was not something that came to be in a day or two. She knew that this was a habit could not be broken even if he was reborn.
The two didn’t like each other from the very moment they met. Pei Wenxuan felt that Su Rongqing was superficial and pretentious. Su Rongqing had never said anything about Pei Wenxuan, but as long as the two stood side by side and one had a discerning eye, they could see that there was an intangible opposing force between the two.
This was already the case before Su Rongqing came to Li Rong’s side, and it was even more so after Su Rongqing came to be with Li Rong. For the longest time, the fundamental principle was that with Su Rongqing, there could not be a Pei Wenxuan, and likewise, with Pei Wenxuan, there could not be a Su Rongqing.
At first, Li Rong still thought that perhaps Pei Wenxuan liked her very much, so he was jealous.
However, as time passed, she also realized that Pei Wenxuan’s animosity towards Su Rongqing might have been somewhat out of jealousy in the beginning but later on, it was because he could not stand the disparity.
Su Rongqing rose to fame when he was still young, born into a powerful, prominent noble family and had loving parents. It seemed as if all the best things in the world were given to him. Pei Wenxuan was also born a gongzi of an aristocratic family but had been grinded down and polished by the grindstone known as life. Whenever Pei Wenxuan was faced with Su Rongqing in his youth, a sense of envy arose.
Later on, Pei Wenxuan managed to marry her with great difficulty and relied on his own strength to become the head of his clan, which was an outstanding feat in itself. However, at that time, she chose Su Rongqing over him, and this was a great humiliation to Pei Wenxuan.
Pei Wenxuan was not jealous. Pei Wenxuan simply loathed Su Rongqing down to the core.
Pei Wenxuan might have still had some good feelings towards her in the early years, but these kinds of feelings had long faded over many years.
Li Rong had always been self-aware and had a good understanding of herself. She had never been a charming and lovable young lady, and when she and Pei Wenxuan were caught up in the power struggle, they had used and harmed one another to their own benefit. Perhaps Pei Wenxuan had long grown tired of her.
It was just that Pei Wenxuan could also be considered a good person. They had known each other for a long time, and now they had returned together, perhaps he had a bit of compassion for someone who was also about to fall down the abyss and into oblivion, so he took the initiative to cooperate.
But deep down in their bones, their disdain for one another had already sunken down to the marrow.
If two people who knew each other well turned against one another, it would be frightening because they know each other’s weaknesses and methods all too well. Therefore, every time they make their move, they ruthlessly aim for the heart. Just some casual words, some casual expressions, can stab the other in the place where it hurts most.
Sprinkling salt on wounds and tormenting the heart with words. This was what a pair of husband and wife who had spent most of their life tearing each other down did best.
Li Rong slowly returned to her palace, thinking about the events earlier in the day as she drifted off to sleep.
Although her Princess’s mansion had been built for many years, she had always lived in the imperial palace. The only ones living there were the official appointed to manage her household affairs as well as the two thousand guards and many servants that Li Ming had given her. It could be regarded as her personal property though. Pei Wenxuan took her imperial token, gathered some manpower and ordered them to stand guard at the gates of the Yang residence in the night.
It turned out to be within Pei Wenxuan’s expectations. The members of the Yang family had nearly all fled overnight, leaving only the Old Madam and some of the womenfolk behind at home as a ruse to hide from prying eyes and ears. With Pei Wenxuan standing guard outside the city gates, it was like catching turtles in an urn, capturing them one by one. It actually took all night to catch them all though.
Li Rong had a good night’s sleep. When morning came, she got up, freshened up and made an effort to arrive early at the entrance of the imperial court hall. At this time, the civil and military officials were all standing outside, talking amongst themselves in groups of two and three. Everyone was a bit taken aback the moment Li Rong arrived. It was not uncommon for a princess of Great Xia to be involved in politics, but she would not directly appear in court unless she was specifically summoned. As a result, everyone began to speculate about what Li Rong would do as soon as she arrived.
The important ministers that had been on the receiving end of Li Ming’s burning rage yesterday were not surprised. Like old monks in meditation, they stood still and did not even look at Li Rong.
Li Rong’s gaze swept over the crowd but did not see the person she was looking for. Some time later, she saw Pei Wenxuan yawning as he came in.
Based on his rank, a minor official like him could not even step foot into the central hall. Li Rong saw him yawning nonstop as he walked in, ignoring the looks from the people around him, and went straight to her. He stood beside her with his arms clasped behind him, hidden by his sleeves, and ambiguously said: “Everything is in place.”
“You didn’t sleep last night?”
Li Rong looked up and down at him. She saw two dark circles under his eyes as if he had been beaten by someone and couldn’t help but say: “Couldn’t have stayed up all night, right?”
“Thanks to the Princess’s blessing,” Pei Wenxuan seemed to be more awake as he pulled himself together and clearly stated: “It was another sleepless night.”
He hadn’t slept much the night before, and after the long, tense day yesterday, Pei Wenxuan thought of this cruel fact and couldn’t help but say: “If this continues, the Princess will not need to take action. This humble official is afraid that he won’t be able to hold out much longer.”
Li Rong covered her face with her small fan and let out a low laugh. Pei Wenxuan was used to seeing her laugh at others’ misery, so he only whispered: “They were like ants moving their nest last night. All those gongzi were rounded up. Since the family is all in one place, should we lock them up together?”
“Up to you.” Li Rong whispered: “Let’s talk about it once the imperial court has ended.”
As the two of them spoke, they saw Su Minzhi lead Su Rongqing over. The Su family had a very good reputation in the imperial court. They became the focus of everyone around them the moment they came in. Su Rongqing followed his father and amiably greeted the people around them, then he went to stand in the front.
Everyone could not help but look over as soon as Su Rongqing arrived. Li Rong was no exception either. Pei Wenxuan saw that Li Rong’s eyes were on Su Rongqing the entire time as he made his way through the square. He stealthily approached Li Rong and said in a low voice, “I want to remind you about one thing though. Don’t just tell him everything when you see him. We still don’t know where he stands yet.”
As he spoke, Su Rongqing looked over. He was initially stunned to see Li Rong from a distance, then he laughed and bowed to Li Rong.
Li Rong nodded in return. Pei Wenxuan let out a soft “heh” beside her. Li Rong ignored him, afraid that they would quarrel again. Thus, the two stood side by side at the edge of the square until an eunuch’s voice rang out, summoning the imperial court. These ministers formed two rows and slowly filed in while chanting in unison.
Neither Li Rong nor Pei Wenxuan had an official position in which they had the right to enter the court hall, so they stood at the doors, waiting for Li Ming to summon them.
Pei Wenxuan was a bit sleepy, so he closed his eyes and only said: “I’ll sleep for a bit. Call me if something happens.”
After he had spoken, regardless of whether Li Rong agreed or not, he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes to sleep at once.
There was no one outside the hall, and there was only empty space. The central hall began to warm up with the bustling of noise and excitement. The chatter of the court officials became an excellent lullaby for Pei Wenxuan.
He was standing up and leaning against the wall, but once people fall asleep, they will not be able to control their bodies, so he ended up involuntarily leaning towards Li Rong.
Li Rong was thinking about some things when she became aware that Pei Wenxuan was gradually getting closer and closer. Soon after, having lost his balance, he suddenly woke up in a panic and quickly straightened up.
Seeing him this exhausted, Li Rong expressed her disapproval and couldn’t help but say, “Are you that sleepy?”
“You can give it a try.” Pei Wenxuan had not slept well, so he was in an irritable mood. Li Rong laughed, “Pei Wenxuan, you really are delicate.”
“I ended up like this for whose sake?” Pei Wenxuan immediately retorted. As soon as he said that, he stiffened as if somewhat embarrassed and turned his head away, “In any case, you got to sleep well, so I won’t bother with you.”
Li Rong didn’t say anything. Pei Wenxuan closed his eyes again. After some time, he suddenly heard Li Rong say: “You can lean on me.”
Pei Wenxuan ignored her, but then he felt Li Rong coming closer. Their shoulders brushed against one another. There seemed to be a bit of warmth in Li Rong’s usually cold voice as she gently said: “I can stand firmly. You can lean against me, and you won’t fall.”
Pei Wenxuan pretended not to hear anything. The two of them were leaning on each other, shoulder to shoulder. The morning sunlight trickled over the white jade steps bit by bit, slowly moving up until it washed over the two.
The morning sunlight was warm, but it could not match the searing heat of Li Rong’s shoulder. Pei Wenxuan was very sleepy, but he felt a rare sense of tranquility when he stood like this.
He felt as if he was fast asleep, but it seemed as though he wasn’t asleep at all. He could still vaguely hear people’s voices as they talked and bird calls and felt as if he was in a dream.
Li Rong folded her arms over her chest and listened to the ministers in the hall.
Li Ming spoke of the matter of the Yang family losing three cities at the border in succession, shocking the entire imperial court. When Li Ming demanded to investigate the Yang clan, everyone naturally came forward to dispute.
The majority of officials were silent. Some officials believed that Li Ming’s demands were unreasonable and that the Yang had outstanding military accomplishments. Now, with the ongoing war on the frontline, how could the families of the soldiers on the frontline be taken in for questioning and locked up just because of several lost battles.
Li Ming heard these officials defending the Yang family and sneered: “Then what if the Yang family deceived the Emperor, abducted a princess, assassinated an imperial court official, and colluded with an enemy country? Then can they finally be investigated?!”
No one in the audience dared to speak. After a while, a minister hesitated and said, “Where did Your Majesty hear such rumors?”
“Summon!” Li Ming raised his hand towards the direction outside. An eunuch’s sharp voice immediately resounded, “Summoning Princess Ping Le and Pei Wenxuan into the hall——”
Hearing their names, Li Rong turned her head and saw the young man under the morning sun slowly open his eyes.
His facial features were well-defined, and from his side profile, they resembled alternating mountain peaks. His eyelashes were also very long. When he opened his eyes under the morning sun, it seemed as if a butterfly had unfurled its wings, flying into the light.
“Let’s go.”
Li Rong smiled softly. She straightened up and walked towards the central hall. Pei Wenxuan’s eyes followed Li Rong’s slender back and felt momentarily dazzled by the sight as he vaguely slipped into a trance. Several moments later, he returned to his senses and could not help but smile. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening his eyes again. He straightened out his expressions and walked inside. He and Li Rong knelt on the ground one after the other and shouted: “Erchen (this humble official) greets Your Majesty, long live, long live Your Majesty, may Your Majesty live thousands of thousands of years!”
“Rise,” Li Ming said as he lifted his hand, “Pei Wenxuan, read the memorial to the throne to them.”
To establish the case of the Yang clan, it was only natural that someone becomes the knife. Others did not dare to write this memorial to the throne, but Pei Wenxuan had already written it last night.
Using the pen to critique, not holding back as impassioned words condemned the Yang clan from beginning to end for deceiving the Emperor, being arrogant and unreasonable, colluding with the enemy, and not having the law in their eyes. Each admonishment came down, and everyone present was silent. After a while, the Imperial Censorate reacted and argued back against Pei Wenxuan.
Seeing Pei Wenxuan quarreling with these imperial censors, Li Rong consciously took a step back to stand behind Pei Wenxuan and watched Pei Wenxuan verbally sparring like warlords vying for power.
Pei Wenxuan had a hard life, but his mouth was even harder. In the past, every time Pei Wenxuan verbally attacked her, whether it was in the imperial court or elsewhere, he would always make her so angry that she could vomit a mouthful of blood. Now, seeing Pei Wenxuan criticizing the person in front of him, Li Rong unexpectedly gained a sense of satisfaction, feeling inexplicably refreshed.
The entire Imperial Censorate took turns going into battle, and Pei Wenxuan fought the bitter battle of warlords and heroes on his own. Li Ming originally wanted to give him a hand, but after seeing Pei Wenxuan’s deadly prowess, he ultimately chose to remain silent and drank tea as he listened to these people ridiculing one another.
Li Rong went off to the side and had someone go and prepare tea. Once Pei Wenxuan had scolded these people for a round, he coldly asked: “Do the esteemed ministers have any other objections?” No one in the imperial court dared to speak up. Li Rong wordlessly took a cup of tea over and gave it to Pei Wenxuan, who reflexively accepted the tea out of habit. After drinking it, he realized that something was not right. When he turned around, he saw the smile in Li Rong’s eyes as if encouraging him, “Go on.”
Pei Wenxuan didn’t know why, but seeing Li Rong like this, he suddenly felt a slight sense of embarrassment. He pretended to remain calm and turned his head away to face the ministers that wanted to argue with him.
Most debates in the imperial court follow a general principle, which is to pin a big hat on someone else.3 Regardless of whether you achieve your goal in the end, as long as you defend your arguments as the “absolute truth”, no one will be able to say anything about you.
[3] Pin a big hat on someone — rhetoric tactic where unfavorable information about someone is presented to an audience beforehand to discredit or ridicule what they are about to say; also known as the fallacy of poisoning the well in English.
Pei Wenxuan was familiar with the routines in the imperial court. He took advantage of his youth and vigor to argue with these people all morning. His sleepiness had disappeared altogether, only his high spirits remained.
The court officials on the other side either had nothing else to say or had no strength to say anything else. In the end, they were defeated. Li Ming felt that the time had come, so he said, “Alright, since it has been discussed in detail, then let it be decided in this way.”
With that, Li Ming pointed to three individuals: “Ping Le, Pei Wenxuan, and Su Rongqing.”
The three who had been named came forward. Li Ming expressionlessly stated: “Concerning the prominent Yang clan, Ping Le will preside over the case as chief inspector, and Pei Wenxuan will be appointed as a supervisory censor4 to assist Ping Le in the case. Since they are personally involved in this case, Su Rongqing, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, is ordered to supervise it. So, what do my dear officials think?”
[4] Supervisory censor — an official under the Inspection Branch of Imperial Censorate, responsible for monitoring the behavior of local officials.
No one said anything.
Because they had no strength left to argue.
Li Ming nodded in satisfaction and said to the person by his side: “Draft the decree. Yang Quan of the Yang clan conspired to harm a princess and assassinate a minister of the court. Even if the Yang family’s death sentence can be forgone, it will be impossible to escape punishment while still alive. Given the Yang clan’s meritorious service, they will not be taken into prison. Until evidence has been found, they will be confined in their residence for the time being.”
After that, Li Ming raised his head and calmly said: “Ping Le, Zhen will give you five hundred more people, will that be enough?”
“Thank you, Father Emperor.” Li Rong happily replied, “Erchen will help Father Emperor resolve this in a proper and satisfactory manner.”
All the court officials were silent. Li Ming appeared tired as he nodded, waved his hand and declared: “End of court.”
Autumn: Disclaimer — The extras below are like further reading notes with analysis and will be in spoiler-like blocks to avoid cluttering up your reading experience. Happy reading!
The motivation behind these extras…
I’m impressed by the subtleties in the writing despite its simplicity. It may seem innocently worded, but after going back and forth translating and editing on top of having read the novel, I start to appreciate the fine details and emotions behind them. I will do my best to preserve these little details in my work, so I can share its full potential (and reread value) with all of you. These are just my thoughts and opinions though.
Li Rong’s anger, frustration, denial and hurt feelings…
Li Rong may have been hurt by Pei Wenxuan’s words, but with her proud and decisive personality, her conditioned reflex is to retaliate rather than defend herself and explain. Why does she need to explain? Doing so would be like admitting weakness—admitting that she was affected by his words. Instead, she takes a stab at Pei Wenxuan and says, “That is why you hate him? Because I lied to you?”
In her mind, she is the powerful and capable Grand Princess that will not be brought down by sticks and stones. She tries to convince herself that she shouldn’t care about those words as long as she knows the truth in her heart, but…she’s only human. She still cares. We can see this as she wades through her thoughts, rationalizing and even trying to understand where Pei Wenxuan is coming from—his grudge against Su Rongqing, his disdain for her, or perhaps this was just their relationship dynamic: “Sprinkling salt on wounds and tormenting the heart with words. This was what a pair of husband and wife who had spent most of their life tearing each other down did best.”
This is as close as Li Rong will come too admitting that she was genuinely hurt. But… From the moment that she and Pei Wenxuan went their separate ways, she was closed off in a world of her own, reflecting in silence on her way back, which shows just how much she was affected by it. This scene was short and simple, yet subtly conveyed Li Rong’s frame of mind and what was left unsaid. Quite underrated too.
Going back to Pei Wenxuan’s reaction in the previous chapter…
“Moreover,” Pei Wenxuan seemed to think of something and seriously said, “Does the Princess feel that it will not be satisfactory if this humble official investigates? If that is the case, then is that why the Princess let Su daren investigate instead?”
From his tone, his words don’t quite seem to come across as jealousy. Pei Wenxuan seems to be looking to confirm something in how he questions her, specifically about his performance, compared to Su Rongqing. However, his second sentence implies that he has already come to his own conclusion—that he is not as good as Su Rongqing.
In this chapter, we learn from Li Rong that Pei Wenxuan doesn’t just resent Su Rongqing because of Li Rong. He resents Su Rongqing’s very existence. Both were handsome, talented sons of powerful, aristocratic families that would one day inherit the family mantle. Same starting place, but in a way, Su Rongqing served as a constant reminder of everything Pei Wenxuan could have been in his early years. Likewise, Su Rongqing was the obstacle that Pei Wenxuan could not overcome in his later years, no matter how hard he worked or what he accomplished in life.
There is more to Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan’s banter as it begins to unpack Pei Wenxuan’s emotional baggage. Behind his words and actions is his vulnerability, built up from a lifetime of experiences, and perhaps his greatest fear is that history will repeat even though he has another chance at life; this is something to note in the way he keeps warning Li Rong to not get involved with Su Rongqing and angrily walks off when she retorts by saying that he won’t die under Su Rongqing’s instigation again.
Autumn Pond Reflection 
Thank you for updating!!!!
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Thank you so much!!! I have read quite a lot of translations of Chinese novels. Your translation is top notch!!!
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Thank you for the kind words!! 🙂
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Ahhh I love them both, but especially PWX… it’s surprising, bc initially I only sort of liked him. But the more human he acts (petty and insecure and envious), the more I like him lmao!!
In contrast…it’s LR that is getting on my nerves a little and she’s the one I liked a lot more at the start lol. I mean, I do enjoy my female characters arrogant and cold that hide their weaknesses. But I think my lowered tolerance is probably because her insecurities aren’t as obvious as PWX’s…so her actions come off as more callous and mean. However, your extra about her helped me see her in a new light, which I appreciate lol 💖
Anyway, putting their individual characters aside, their banter is so funny. And that moment where PWX leaned on her and LR told him he could… is so cute!! 💓
Thanks for the chapter, a joy as usual 💖💖💖
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I’m glad! I always look forward to the comments 🙂
I remember seeing similar comments on jjwxc about LR coming off as insensitive and mean, so I added that as an extra as some food for thought 🙂 I also just think the author emphasized his character development very early on because a convincing argument needs to be made as to why our reborn FL should end up with her ex-husband who she didn’t have a happy marriage with and constantly quarrels with… (The flawed, human side of PWX is honestly what won me over though.)
Their dialogue is always fun to translate :’) They argue like cats and dogs, but they also have cute moments of tacit understanding like when she let him lean on her and gave him tea to moisten his throat, which he actually took out of habit!–in a public setting of the solemn imperial court!!
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Thank you so much for your translations and all your notes! I learn so much every chapter!
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Thank you!! I’m glad the notes are helpful–I was actually afraid that there would be too many that they would start to clutter up the text.
I’m a fairly big history buff and also delved into creative writing for a couple years, so I have a lot of enthusiasm for the historical (overhead) world-building elements and of course–the art of writing! The finer details make a difference, so I try to preserve as much of the writing craft as possible in translation 🙂
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it’s so much nicer seeing them fight together against one common enemy
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[Pei Wenxuan had a hard life, but his mouth was even harder. In the past, every time Pei Wenxuan verbally attacked her, whether it was in the imperial court or elsewhere, he would always make her so angry that she could vomit a mouthful of blood. Now, seeing Pei Wenxuan criticizing the person in front of him, Li Rong unexpectedly gained a sense of satisfaction, feeling inexplicably refreshed.]
Modern Pei Wenxuan: “Bitch please. Come forward if you dare, and I’ll just roast you some more.”
Also, I laughed at how pleased Li Rong was seeing Pei Wenxuan tear other people to shreds. Must be nice to see his viciously dismantling other people instead of her, and she could just stand in the sidelines and get a lot of amusement out of it.
Gotta agree, Pei Wenxuan grow on me; from his pettiness to his sharp-tongue that was the result of his difficult upbringing. He’s far more human and vulnerable than most c-novel MLs that I’ve seen, so I actually like him a lot. I can even see that he was jumping the gun on his own insecurity when Li Rong involved Su Rongqing, while I thought she had a point if she was trying to deflect attention from the two of them a bit more by providing another target for people to fixate on (of course, she didn’t knew that he was that touchy when it comes to Su gongzi, and that they might be better served if she suggested some other, random guy…).
Li Rong is no less sympathetic, even if I think she’s a bit dense on her own feelings (or maybe actively denying them to be tough, probably because she didn’t want to give him more opportunities to hurt her). They’re the rare characters that I like a lot even with all their flaws and foibles, and even through their cat-and-dog fights with each other.
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Something I’ve been thinking throughout this novel and especially during this chapter is that Pei Wenxuan actually works a lot better than the standard “perfect” ML because the skills and strengths he does have are actually the ones he needs to be successful in his environment.
Like he doesn’t need to be particularly good at fighting, he needs to be good at scheming and arguing.
I feel like most most standard “perfect” emperor MLs are actually pretty lacking, they might be able to take on 20 guys barehanded or whatever but they don’t really have the patience needed to sit in court for hours listening to long-winded debates, or the charisma needed to make win people over, or the communication skills needed to make it clear what they want.
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