Posted in Quickly Wear the Face of the Devil

FOD: Xue Zi Xuan 6.1

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Chapter 6.1 – Not Forgetting the Original Intention

After all the turmoil and chaos of the Xue family, at long last, they finally carried the half-unconscious Xue Jing Yi to her bedroom. Xiao Deng hooked up an IV drip for her, did some simple first aid, and then gave the doctor a phone call. The other side said that he would come quickly.

Xue Zi Xuan’s plan to leave the Xue family completely failed. Barely managing to suppress his anxiety, he softly told the teenager to go back to the house to wash his face. In front of Xue Jing Yi, he could be indifferent, his heart as hard as iron, but he couldn’t bear to see the youth shed a single tear.

Zhou Yun Sheng closed the bathroom door. In an instant, he lost the strength in his legs and couldn’t stand up straight. He sat atop the toilet lid. God knows, in that tangled twenty minutes, he was in a state of life or death, hanging on by a thread. Before, the system just gave verbal threats, but that was the first time that it had truly activated the obliteration sequence. When it was finished, he obviously felt a chill and fear emanating from the depths of his soul. If his mental fortitude weren’t strong enough, he would’ve long gone limp with fear.
Translations are by www [dot] vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.
Fortunately, Xue Jing Yi did not let him down. Her technique of rolling about and making an unreasonable scene was indeed top notch. She even disregarded her life in order to get Xue Zi Xuan to stay. It would seem that her feelings towards this adopted brother weren’t as simple as familial love.

Then what about Xue Zi Xuan’s feelings for him? Could there really be someone who, after waking up from a coma, would suddenly become deeply in love* with one person? That’s right, he could only use the words “deeply in love” to describe Xue Zi Xuan’s attitude towards him. Even if he did not believe and still maintained a high degree of suspicion, he would still be inadvertently moved by the profound love shown to him.

[*T/N: The raws say 爱入骨髓 meaning “love to the bone marrow”]

Ah, what a tangled mess. Zhou Yun Sheng felt more and more confused. It was simpler not to think about any of it. You love me, I love you, but you love him instead… these little love games all felt so distant to him. Compared to Xue Jing Yi, he was actually the one living without a tomorrow. Love, family, fortune, happiness, to normal people these were ordinary adornments. But to him, these were luxury goods that he could only hope for but not obtain.

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Precisely at this moment, the only thought he could think of was how to use Xue Zi Xuan’s false feelings to get out of his predicament. That’s right, he didn’t believe that hate could come from nowhere, therefore he also did not believe that love could come from nowhere. He couldn’t figure out what kind of reason Xue Zi Xuan could have for falling in love with him, moreover, to fall in love with someone who he was extremely disgusted with not twenty-four hours ago.

With a sneer he bent his legs and stepped onto the toilet lid. He lifted his wrist to look at the dial that has quieted down. After successfully staying at the Xue family, the obliteration sequence was cancelled. For him, it was but a false alarm, but for the system, it was obviously a big loss.

Although the system made a supreme effort to conceal it, from the normal running dial and the operating background, but don’t forget that Zhou Yun Sheng’s spiritual power has quietly invaded the system. As long as he spent some time and effort, he could still detect the abnormality.

To start an obliteration sequence, the system needed to call upon a very large amount of energy. After the sequence was canceled, that energy would not flow back to it, but instead vaporize away. If it could complete the task and return to the main god space, then no matter how much energy it wasted, it would not hinder the system, but now it was different. It could not go back, so the energy naturally was a little less.

Even more unfortunately, it didn’t know that its host had guessed this, and continually spied on its host, intentionally or unintentionally consuming its energy, getting weaker and weaker over time. What Zhou Yun Sheng was doing in the system’s lapse was pushing in his spiritual energy bit by bit until he could break through all the defenses, reach the core, and then replace it with his own will.

This process was originally extremely long. Zhou Yun Sheng had imaged that the day when he could truly break through the defense system and enter the core, that is, the day when his spiritual power was stronger than the original power of the system, would take tens and thousands of cycles, the accumulation of thousands of years.

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

However, now he was excited to see that the gap between the system and himself was shrinking. As long as it continued to consume and waste energy, the power of the system would soon be unable to withstand the force of his spiritual power. At that time, it was as simple as crushing the system like an ant.

Just now, he took advantage of the system’s weakness to break through the seventh layer of defense. He didn’t know how many more layers of defense was in front of him, but it was enough, Zhou Yun Sheng could foresee a free, open, and beautiful future.

What he could do now was continue to go against the system. Under the premise of not stepping on the system’s bottom line, he will force the system to punish him again and again. It would definitely be painful, but with a little pain he could exchange it for the broad future, then the pain becomes revelry.

Zhou Yun Sheng covered his face with his hand, lowered his head and smiled, and then he turned on the faucet and washed his face slowly.

Xue Zi Xuan, who was waiting outside, was also thinking a lot. He was no longer the lone and proud pianist from his last life that was untouched by dirt. He experienced the pain of having his family broken apart, the shame of his ruin, and he was in despair because of his lost love.

He was waiting for his entire life, holding on to an extravagant hope, that when he was as strong as Xue Yan then he would be able to take back his beloved teenager. Of course, he also deeply understood that it was just a wild fancy. The whole city could not buy love, especially that concentrated, single-minded, and passionate love.

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Announcement \(^∀^)/

I picked up a new Chinese BL novel: Didn’t Love You Enough
Similar to FOD: XZX it’s a time travel story where the gong/seme goes back to the past to right his wrongs and shower the shou/uke with lots of love. It is a historical novel set in the Imperial Palace. Reviews promised me lots of fluff in this story, so I’m looking forward to translating those sweet moments. 🍭🍬


Question: Can someone explain 虐文 nue wen and 爽文 shuang wen to me? I have a vague idea, but I want to be certain.

Posted in The Big Landlord

The Big Landlord 97.1

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Chapter 97.1 – Casino Open for Business

Chong Ming Year 27, September 1st

The Chong Ming Emperor has been in power for twenty-seven years. Although he was muddleheaded and incompetent, none of his ministers and princes was pushovers. Therefore, even if he often made some ridiculous decisions, the imperial city of Jun Zi City was still thriving as always.

The streets were crowded and bustling with noise and excitement. The sound of ringing gongs and drums along with the shouts of hawkers selling their wares mixed together into an irritating noise in one’s ears.

However, under this prosperity, there was a street filled to the very brim with people, and there was even a steady stream of people pouring into this street. That street was walled Xiao Jin Street*.

[*T/N: 销金街 – Money Squandering Street]

“Da Hei*.”

[*T/N: Literally “Big Black”]

By the side of the road, a well-dressed, handsome man suddenly called a name.

The guard in black clothes standing behind him immediately took a step forward. “Gong zi, what is your command?”

The handsome man looked at the crowd of people who kept rushing by them. Some people seemed to be pouring into the crowd as if they were in a hurry. If the man and his guard had not stepped back in time, then they would have been hit several times already. The man was puzzled. Looking at the situation, it seemed like something major happened.

“Go and see what happened.”

Translations are by www [dot] vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

“Yes, gong zi!”

The guard in black spoke and caught a young man who happened to run past them.

The young man who was waylaid for no reason turned around with dissatisfaction, wanting to toss out a few words of complaint, but then found that the person holding him was equipped with a weapon around his waist.

The handsome man walked in front of the young man and asked gently, “Young man, what is going on here? Why are so many people going to that street?”

The young man gave him a once over. The handsome man didn’t seem to be from foreign lands, but he didn’t even know about such a big thing? Still, the young man explained truthfully, “If gong zi is from the capital then you should have heard of Xiao Jin Street. There were originally ten big gambling houses, but there were only nine left a few months ago. A mysterious man bought up the gambling house that had gone bankrupt. He changed Feng Hua Gambling House into Tian Long Gambling House. Today is precisely the opening day of that Tian Long Gambling House.”

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The handsome man felt that something was odd. “What’s so strange about a casino opening?”

Of course he knew about Xiao Jin Street. There were countless casinos and brothels there. Precisely because there were so many, there was nothing strange about an old business falling and a new one rising to take its place.

“If it were just an ordinary casino then there is nothing strange, but this Tian Long Gambling House is different,” said the young man.

“How is it different?” The handsome man asked with interest.

“The predecessor of Tian Long Gambling House was destroyed by Bao Hua Gambling House. Bao Hua Gambling House has always regarded Feng Hua Gambling House as something already within their pocket, but then out comes a dark horse, stealing the wind from their sails. So everyone is curious about who is behind Tian Long Gambling House. Who would dare to oppose Bao Hua Gambling House?”

Hearing the name Bao Hua, a strange glimmer flashed through the eyes of the handsome man.

“Then, we have to go and see. But there should be other reasons, right?”

Bao Hua Gambling House was unlikely to give up. They would spare no effort to suppress Tian Long Gambling House, as usual. It should be impossible to attract so many curious people on Tian Long Gambling House’s opening day.

The young man said, “Gong zi, good guess. If Tian Long Gambling House was just like other casinos then it’s nothing strange, but these days many people have been saying that Tian Long Gambling House invented a new gambling game. Don’t know if it’s true or false, so everyone wants to see it.”

“A new gambling game?”

The handsome man’s expression suddenly brightened. He thought of various reasons, but he didn’t think of this one. It was indeed a good way to attract gamblers with a new gambling game. Customers liked fresh game play and were naturally interested. Once the curiosity struck, then like the young man said, they would all have the idea of going to see for themselves.

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

The handsome man smiled at him and said, “Thank you, young man. Just then, we were rude.”

The young man was embarrassed to see him being so polite, and quickly waved his hand to say it was okay, and then ran away.

“Da Hei, let us go and see too.”

The handsome man retrieved a fan from within his sleeve and flipped it open with a popping sound. Then he strode in the direction of the largest flow of people.

A tangled expression flashed by the guard’s face, and then he reluctantly followed the man. He didn’t like the name Da Hei. It didn’t feel like a name for a person, but his many protests were all invalid, so he kept using it all this time.

Tian Long Gambling House’s opening day was even livelier than what the other nine big casinos had imagined.

However, the livelier that it was, the uglier the other nine casinos’ expressions became, especially that of Bao Hua Gambling House. They had already spread the word, and many old time gamblers promised to give them face and not go to Tian Long Gambling House. Everything went according to their plan.

But just three days ago, the wind changed directions completely.

Don’t know who transmitted it, but news of there being a new gambling game in Tian Long Gambling House spread around, arousing the gamblers’ interest.

Although they didn’t say it, their expressions said that they were looking forward to the day when Tianlong Casino opened.

The nine gambling houses had previously maliciously guessed that the so-called new gambling game was actually a gimmick spread by Tian Long Gambling House. How could a new gambling game be created so easily? So they were all waiting for the day when Tian Long Gambling House opened. If the news was false, then they had ways to make Tian Long Gambling House go out of business in a short time.

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Announcement \(^∀^)/

I picked up a new Chinese BL novel: Didn’t Love You Enough
This novel is also set in ancient China, but it’s not a transmigration story. Instead, the gong goes back in time to right the wrongs of his life, in particular showering the shou with more love, hence the title. Reviews promised me lots of fluff in this story, so I’m looking forward to it.

Posted in Didn’t Love You Enough

Didn’t Love You Enough – Locations

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Locations Within the Palace

Yong Shou Palace 永寿宫 (the Empress’s Residential Palace)
—Royal Snack Kitchen 御点房 (Lin Jia Bao works here)
—Li An Palace Hall 骊安殿 (c85, where the late emperor’s great imperial concubine used to live, near Yong Shou Palace)

East Palace 东宫 (the area where Xuan Yuan Han Cheng lives as Crown Prince)
—Chang Le Palace 长乐宫 (the place where XYHC lives as Crown Prince)
—Ping Le Courtyard 平乐苑 (place where An Zhu lives)

Qian Qing Palace 乾清宫 (c92, where the emperor resides?)

Hall of Preserving Harmony 保和殿里 (c77, place where the New Year’s Eve family banquet took place)

Royal Garden 御花园 (yu hua yuan)

Chu Xiu Palace 储秀宫
—Wu Tong Courtyard 梧桐苑 (place when Lin Jia Bao receives an education from two momos)

Imperial Study Room 御书房 (yu shu fang)
Imperial Kitchen 御膳房 (yu shan fang)
Jinxiu Workshop 锦绣坊 (clothing-manufacturing workshop for the use of the imperial household)

Clothing Bureau 尚衣局 (shang yi ju)
Labor Bureau 尚工局 (shang gong ju)
Carpentry Bureau 尚林局 (shang lin ju)

Xi Li Palace Hall 西璃殿 (where uke sleeps as servant)
Wai Wu Gong 外五宫 (newcomers usually sleep here)
—Wai Wu Suo 外五所 (newcomers screened here)

Bei Han Palace 北寒宫 (cold palace)

Locations Outside the Palace

Xu Province 徐州
—Pei County 沛县
     —Lin Jia Village 林家村 (right on the outskirts of Pei County, Lin Jia Bao’s family lives here)

Li City 历城 (vassal state where li wang lives)
—Imperial Li Palace 历王府

Xu Province 徐州 (Lin Jia Wen will go here for the 乡试 xiang shi exam)

Flooding Areas of the Luo River 洛河
—Luo City 洛城
—Li City 历城
—Hu Province 湖州
—Jiang Province 江州

Ciyun Temple 慈云寺 (c83, place where Prince Li went to hide out after attempting a coup)

Li Province 郦州 (c116, there is a temporary imperial residence here)

 

Posted in Let Me Shoulder this Blame!

Let Me Shoulder this Blame! 49

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Chapter 49

“’The truth comes to light, and everything is clear.’ He also preserved his life. Don’t tell me this is enough?”

Lin Feng’s gaze sank. The words heard outside the door were repeated slowly. The hands hanging at his sides unconsciously tightened into fists.

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To be able to speak such words, how could he not be feeling aggrieved in his heart?

Just because he was more sensible. Because he was sensible, because he always cared about the people around him, so he could bear more grievances and endure more suffering than others.

But a knife cut into one’s body would still hurt.

“Go and summon Lin Jing over here. I’m going to go see him.”

Lin Feng whispered a command, took a deep breath, and walked quickly towards the ward again.

Just as he pushed open the door, the youth lying on the bed turned his gaze towards the door.

The gaze in those eyes did not have time to rise up its guards. Seeing the protagonist leaving and then returning again, Su Shi couldn’t help but be surprised. His bright eyes seemed innocent and soft.

There wasn’t even an iota of willfulness in those eyes.

Lin Feng chuckled involuntarily. He walked towards the youth, sat sideways on the bed, and gently stroked the top of his head. “What is it? When you woke up and didn’t see Brother, did you get angry?”

……

Met with the soft and warm light in those eyes, Su Shi lifted the blanket and hid underneath, his mood complicated.

Con man!

Lin Jing was obviously not treated like this when he was making mischief or being willful!

“Okay now, don’t be angry anymore. Brother will admit his fault.”

Lin Feng patiently plucked the person out from the blanket burrito, pulled him flush against his body, and gently patted him comfortingly. He unscrewed a thermos filled with hot cocoa and handed it to him. “I didn’t have time to go home. I had this made at a milk tea store. Try it and see if you like it?”

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

Lin Feng’s voice already sounded a bit hoarse, and there was a faint odor of cigarettes clinging to him. Who knew how many days he had gone without a good rest.

Su Shi subconsciously lifted his head. Those eyes looking down at him were bloodshot, and there was exhaustion painted across the brows, but they still looked at him with the warmth of a smile, the gaze expressing some mild doubt.

At a glance, one could tell that the thermos cost quite a bit. It was high-end and stylish. Not even Longjing tea was good enough to be put in it, but right now it was filled with hot cocoa. The simmering heat of the sweet hot drink slowly rose from the thermos.

…Asides from reducing the level of favorability, it’s not like there aren’t other methods.

Inexplicably, his heart softened again. Su Shi nodded and received the thermos.

Lin Feng patiently supported his back, and tilted the mouth of the thermos to help him take a few sips. “Is it too hot?”

Su Shi shook his head amidst the fragrant and sweet steam. He leaned back into Lin Feng’s arms, turned around, and actively hugged him. “Brother, I actually didn’t get angry.”

“Brother knows. You are distressed for Brother and don’t want to make things hard for Brother.”

The thin and weak body took the initiative to embrace him. The strength behind the hug was light and soft. It poked at one’s heart, silently spreading a soft and gentle warmth.

Lin Feng put down the thermos, wrapped his arms around Su Shi’s back, and patted him slowly. “Jinchu, Brother guarantees that your body will definitely get better, and the truth will come to fruition sooner or later. Believe in your brother, okay?”

I knew I couldn’t be softhearted! As soon as I relax a little, something goes wrong!

Seeing that the protagonist’s direction of force was running counter to his task, Su Shi impatiently straightened up. He opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but suddenly a strong palpitation shuddered through his chest.

His vision instantly turned dark. His heart beat fiercely, and a strong sense of suffocation deprived him of his physical strength.

Lin Feng hurriedly grabbed his weak body, and raised his hand to press the call bell. “Jinchu—Jinchu!”

“It’s okay. I’ll be fine in a moment…”

Su Shi had become accustomed to this state these past few days. Su Shi held his hand, closed his eyes, tried his best to calm down, and shook his head gently.

Just this bit of effort caused the face of the youth in his arms to become pale and almost transparent. Cold sweat burst out, and his body collapsed into weakness.

Thinking of the doctor, Lin Feng’s heart gradually sank.

Translations are by www [dot] vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

The doctor on duty quickly rushed over, checked Su Shi’s physical condition, got oxygen for him, and instructed the patient to stay in bed before he signaled to Lin Feng towards the door.

Seeing the color gradually return to the youth’s face, Lin Feng finally breathed a little sigh of relief, and stroked his hair gently. “Brother is going out to exchange a few words with the doctor. It’s all right. I will come back soon.”

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Posted in Quickly Wear the Face of the Devil

FOD: Xue Zi Xuan 5.7

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Chapter 5.7 – A Turn for the Better

Zhou Yun Sheng was lying on the window watching, his mood was very subtle. When faced with himself, the young man was gentle and considerate, whispered softly, and was a complete gentleman. But in the face of others, he was cold and distant, indifferent, as if he was high above them. In the face of Xue Jing Yi, who he once pampered and spoiled very much, he suddenly became cold and ruthless, irritable and disgusted, as if he held a deep-seated grudge towards her.

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Could this man have… schizophrenia? Thinking of this, Zhou Yun Sheng smacked his forehead as if to anoint his head with the purest cream*. This Xue Zi Xuan really was heavily ill.

[*T/N: 醍醐灌顶 (idiom) to be enlightened with perfect wisdom]

“Brother, I beg you, please stay. Without you, I get really scared, don’t you know? Maybe today, maybe tomorrow, I’m going to die. Don’t you love me? You won’t let me die without seeing me off, right? Brother, please stay with me for the last journey of my life. I don’t have much time left.”

Xue Jing Yi was breathless from crying so much. When did she ever think of wanting to die? If she could stay with her brother forever, how could she be willing to die? Even if she used all her strength, she would still try her best to survive. But she had to make it sound like her situation was utterly miserable. Don’t know when, but suddenly she found that she needed to use her life to exchange for a pitying glance from her brother. When did she become so lowly?

Huang Yi. All of this was caused by the arrival of Huang Yi. It would be so nice without him. Xue Jing Yi fell to her knees on the ground and hugged her brother’s legs. There were tears and snot all over her face, but in her heart, hatred was bubbling over.

Mother Xue and Father Xue were so distressed that they rushed over to help her, and they even ceaselessly scolded their treasured son.

Making an unreasonable scene, rolling about, kneeling, and pleading, these were all tricks that Zhou Yun Sheng had thought that he would have to use. Now, Xue Jing Yi was using all of them. This ethical drama was really exciting! Zhou Yun Sheng was pressed against the window looking at the scene with interest, but with a flustered and distressed expression on his face.

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

Xue Zi Xuan looked down at the crown of Xue Jing Yi’s pitch-black hair. There was a type of pleasure filling his heart, but also a haunting mix of sorrow and disgust. ‘You won’t let me die without seeing me off, right?’ She didn’t have to ask this question at all, because in the last life, that was exactly what he did. He didn’t see her one last time when she died, because death was not scary. What was scary was to live a life that was better off dead.

She took the lead and extirpated herself from the world, but he was left behind, struggling in the abyss of despair. Who was more pitiful? Who was more hateful? In fact, they were all pathetic and hateful.

He bent down, pried off her fingers, which were like iron clamps, rescued his legs from her grip, picked her up, placed her back on the wheelchair, and said indifferently, “Go back, don’t cause a disturbance anymore.” That careless tone, it was like placating some small cat or dog.

“Don’t want! I won’t let you go! I will die, I really will die!” Xue Jing Yi went crazy as her body twitched.

“Medicine, medicine, medicine. Quick, get medicine!” Xue Li Dan Ni also cried. Her tears ruined her delicate makeup, making her face unseemly.

Xue Rui grabbed his son and spoke malicious abuse. “Jing Yi is already like this, and you’re still leaving? Are you even human? Do you have a heart?” Then he recalled his son’s lack of emotions, and turned speechless in an instant. Grief bubbled within his gaze. His son really didn’t have a heart. They couldn’t blame him for this. They could only blame themselves for not being able to give him a healthy body.

Fu Bo and Xiao Deng went to the car where the medicine box was placed. They rummaged around for a while. The medicine bottle that was usually placed in the most conspicuous position was now nowhere to be found. They finally found the bottle after some trouble. When they opened the lid, a tremor of the hands caused the pills to spill across the ground.

At this moment, Zhou Yun Sheng felt that the situation was finally heated enough. He quickly unfastened his seat belt, pushed open the car door, and ran over. He stretched out his hands, but did not dare to touch the young girl who was in convulsions. Instead, he could only hold on to the young man’s thin waist and cried, “Brother, let’s not leave, okay? Jing Yi is so sick. I want to watch over her. I only have her, this one relative!”

No matter how miserably Xue Jing Yi cried, she could not arouse a speck of pity from Xue Zi Xuan. In contrast, the teenager’s reddened eyes filmed with tears was enough to make him feel like he was stabbed with a knife, and the tears hadn’t even rolled down his face yet. The pain was unbearable. He quickly held on to the youth and wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes with his fingertips. He was silent for a while before compromising, “Okay, we won’t leave. Don’t cry. She’ll be fine. She’ll get better.”

He really couldn’t go against that person within his arms. If he wanted to stay, then he could only stay with him. If he wanted to fly, then he could only put wings on him. If he could get a hold of the youth’s heart, then he was willing to give everything.

Upon hearing this, Fu Bo was relieved and his hands steadied. He took out a few pills and stuffed them into the mouth of the young lady. Xiao Deng quickly fed her water.

Xue Jing Yi, who was convulsing, heard this sentence vaguely. Her heart hurt so much it felt like it was being cut apart. Her tears, her entreaties, and even her life did not amount to a simple, single sentence from Huang Yi.

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Posted in The Big Landlord

The Big Landlord 96.2

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Chapter 96.2 – Thousand Asteraceae

In the next few rounds, the lao wang ye did not get to shout peng anymore. Furthermore, what was strange was that it was actually quite common for players to shout peng while playing mahjong. But from the start of the game until now, asides from the lao wang ye, no one else has called peng, which was evident of how terrible everybody’s hand were.

This situation continued until nearly all the tiles had been drawn.
Translations are by www [dot] vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.
Head Steward Fu touched a tile that was in front of the lao wang ye. At a glance, it matched up with some of the tiles in his hand, but it was not enough to complete a winning hand.

In order to prevent the lao wang ye from winning, the tiles were played very messily, so from the start there was no possibility of completing a winning hand. He did not intend to play the tile currently in his hand, so he carelessly picked a tile that the lao wang ye had played before and flung it onto the middle of the table.

The lao wang ye’s gaze abruptly deepened, looking like it did before he had amnesia, and his expression seemed to exude a cold aura.

After another round, it was An Zi Ran’s turn again. There were only three mahjong tiles left to draw on the table. That meant that after him, it would be Head Steward Fu and then the lao wang ye. Monopolizing the last tile, huh?

An Zi Ran couldn’t help but blink his eyes.

The atmosphere in the main hall suddenly became oppressive.

Not to mention the players already involved, but the two people watching, Chun Lan and Qiu Lan, had a layer of sweat on their foreheads. They never thought that playing mahjong could be like the battlefield.

The little bun, who was lying in Qiu Lan’s arms, looked over at his big brother’s tiles with his big round eyes. Out of the blue, he giggled and broke the tight atmosphere in the main hall, like a burst of energy popping a balloon.

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The lao wang ye, Fu Wu Tian, and Head Steward Fu’s eyes were all concentrated on him.

An Zi Ran paused. He placed the mahjong tile in his hand down into his lineup of tiles, hesitated for a moment, and as if making up his mind, he picked up a tile and threw it out onto the middle of the table. “Liu tong*.”

[*T/N: Name of a mahjong tile. Direct translation is “six cylinders”]

“I won!”

A sonorous voice rang out, shaking the ceiling of the palace and puncturing people’s eardrums. Then, the lao wang ye laughed smugly. He could finally raise his eyebrows and blow off steam.

What followed was a loud silence that blanketed the main hall.

The lao wang ye was finally done laughing. He looked at the three silent people and said proudly, “Want to compete with me? You guys are still far behind!”

Fu Wu Tian and Head Steward Fu looked at An Zi Ran with strange expressions on their faces.

An Zi Ran calmly said, “I spoke wrong. It is wu tong*.”

[*T/N: Name of a mahjong tile. Direct translation is “five cylinders”]

The lao wang ye’s laughter came to an abrupt end.

“Chi*!”

[*T/N: 哧 chi – (onom.) giggling / breathing / tearing of paper, ripping of fabric etc]

Head Steward Fu couldn’t contain himself and laughed out loud.

Fu Wu Tian added oil to the fire: “Grandfather, you bombed*.”

[*T/N: The Chinese used here is 诈胡 zha hu, with zha meaning “to cheat or to pretend” and hu meaning “to complete a winning hand at mahjong.”]

The lao wang ye looked sluggishly at the wu tong in front of An Zi Ran. No matter how he groaned, the wu tong would not become liu tong. A thousand calculations, but he did not calculate that his granddaughter-in-law would be the one to successfully dig a pit for him.

The fact that An Zi Ran was able to dupe him was actually due to his carelessness.

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

It was very easy to become anxious or nervous while playing mahjong. When a person’s nerves were tight, they would lean towards subjective assumptions. For example, when An Zi Ran played the wu tong, he deliberately covered the face of the tile with his thumb, and then used a louder voice to alert the lao wang ye to the tile he wanted to play. Because the lao wang ye wanted to win so badly, he would always be thinking of the tile that he needed to complete his winning hand, which was liu tong. Thus, when he heard the words ‘liu tong’ his brain formed a conditioned response, causing his mouth to be faster than his eyes, and his hands quickly revealed his tiles. Only after showing his hand did his eyes finally land on the tile that An Zi Ran played.

But the premise of all this was that the lao wang ye did not cheat.

In his last life, An Zi Ran actually did not come into contact with mahjong much, but there were many people around him who liked to play mahjong. Those people were all masters at the games with plenty of crafty tricks up their sleeves. Even without playing, An Zi Ran was able to learn just by watching.

“Granddaughter-in-law, how can you dig a pit for your grandfather like this?”

The lao wang ye pulled a long face. He specially prepared for ten days for this game. In the end, he lost to the hand of his granddaughter-in-law at the final moment. Nothing changed. He returned back to the origin point.

Having heard what he said, An Zi Ran lifted his head and looked straight at him.

“If grandfather had played nicely, then granddaughter-in-law naturally would not dupe grandfather.”

The lao wang ye immediately turned his gaze away. “Grandfather suddenly remembered that there was something to do. I will take my leave first.” After that, he ran off without waiting for anyone to react.

Everyone laughed.

Just then, he was acting bold and confident as if justice was on his side, but now his heart knew guilt. At the beginning, no one pursued his cheating. That was already giving him face. Now that he was duped, he could only blame himself for the outcome.

Although he conned him, An Zi Ran actually admired the lao wang ye.

In just ten days, he had developed such a brilliant technique. He had to say, the lao wang ye was very qualified to be called a gambling god. If the players sitting in front of him were not the three of them, then they would not have detected his cheating.

Head Steward Fu stood up and praised An Zi Ran without hesitation. “Well done. For the short term, he should not be making a fuss anymore. I still have something to do, so I will be going out. I will not be coming back for dinner.”

As he predicted, in order to have them forget about this incident, the lao wang ye did not kick up a fuss for a while, and calm days returned to the prince’s palace.

A few days passed like the blink of an eye, and Tian Long Gambling House was finally officially opened.

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Posted in Didn’t Love You Enough

Didn’t Love You Enough 6

Vanilla Muse: The excitement of starting a new project powered me through another chapter. Enjoy! Also, please read the T/N at the end!


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Chapter 6 – Entering the Palace

Lin Jia Bao ate the vegetable and minced pork congee. It was very delicious, and unconsciously he sped up his speed of swallowing.

“It’s steamed buns made from white flour, so delicious! I have never eaten such a delicious steamed bun,” one of the children in Lin Jia Bao’s group said as he took big bites out of the steamed bun.

“Yeah, it’s delicious, it’s delicious.” A few of the other children also echoed this sentiment.

“Tut! It’s just a few white buns,” a delicate-looking child said scornfully.

Lin Jia Bao looked at the white steamed bun in his hand. His family very rarely ate white steamed buns. Because there were so many people in the family, they usually ate corn noodles together.

Lin Jia Bao took a bite of the steamed bun and chewed slowly. There was a slight sweetness to the bread, which was really tasty.

Everyone ate a lot for lunch today. Lin Jia Bao ate two steamed buns and a bowl of congee. Lin Jia Bao felt his own belly. It was the most filling meal he’s had in the past two weeks.

In the afternoon, the managing eunuch in charge came to lead them to a large bathhouse, and had them wash themselves clean.

Then they had to go into a room one by one, and let two old momos* inspect them while naked.

[*T/N: momo 嬷嬷 translates to elderly lady or wet nurse (or even Catholic nun), but in this setting it means an older female servant in the palace]

Lin Jia Bao stood stiffly and turned around in accordance to the old momo’s instructions. Then he went to lie on a small couch and let the old momo inspect the lower part of his body.

One of momos saw that his appearance was good and touched him all over. “Such smooth skin.”

Lin Jia Bao’s little face turned red from shame, and he did not dare to move or speak.

After the inspection, the old momo had him get up. One of them dipped a brush into a porcelain bowl of shou gong zhu sha* on the table, and then painted a dot on the inside of Lin Jia Bao’s arm*.

[*T/N: shou gong zhu sha 守宫朱砂 – some of you may be familiar with this trope. A red dot on the inside of a (usually female) person’s arm signifies that they are a virgin. When they lose their virginity that mark is supposed to disappear. The application method of the mark and the ingredient(s) used vary from story to story.]

After that, they did not make things difficult for Lin Jia Bao, and they had him get dressed and exit the room.

Lin Jia Bao left the room and came to a large courtyard. The people who have been inspected were already waiting on one side of the yard. Lin Jia Bao walked over and stood with them.

Lin Jia Bao was fascinated by the bright red dot on his arm. This was the symbol of chastity, the shou gong zhu sha mark.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise from the other side of the courtyard. From another room, a girl was being dragged out. “Momo spare me, momo spare me, ah! Spare my life!” The girl cried and screamed.

Several strong eunuchs held the girl on the ground and hit the girl with a long and thick wooden stick.

“What kind of place do you think the palace is? You think the dirty and the filthy can come in here? You dare to come here to commit adultery? One word: death.” An old momo said loudly to the courtyard of people.

The girl’s cries rose and fell. Eventually she stopped screaming, leaving only the sound of a stick hitting flesh.

Blood splattered along the stick, and the girl’s lower body was already badly mangled and mutilated.

The people all around were scared to death, and they did not dare to speak. A few of the more faint-hearted ones almost fainted.

Lin Jia Bao did not dare to look at the scene again. His face was sheet white.

After a while, it was confirmed that the girl was no longer breathing, and was towed away, leaving a large pool of blood on the ground.

This was the first time that Lin Jia Bao has seen a dead person, and it was the first time that he understood the cruelty of the palace. He secretly told himself not to make any mistakes. Everyone in the family was waiting for him. He had to safely make it out of the palace.

When their group of ger children was all inspected, it was time for dinner again.

They all went to go eat dinner. The evening meal was the same as the noon meal: minced meat congee and steamed buns.

After going through the trying afternoon, everyone’s complexion was bad.

When Lin Jia Bao thought of the scene he saw in the afternoon, he was nauseated. He barely drank down a bowl of congee and ate a steamed bun.

At this time, the gong gong in charge came in with a momo dressed in a gray palace uniform. When the children saw them, they all put down their bowls and stood up.

“This is Xi momo. In the following month, all of you have to study well under Xi momo and learn the rules of the palace,” said the gong gong.

“I am Xi momo. The thirty of you ger children palace attendants will be under my management for the next month. From tomorrow on, you will all learn the rules and etiquette in the palace with me. Right now, I will first pass out your palace attendant uniforms. After entering the palace, you cannot wear your own clothes. Go change first, then take your things, and gather here. I will take you to where you’ll be living.”

“Yes.”

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T/N: Help! I made a mistake in the last chapter! The term 双儿 shuang er showed up and I translated it as “twin,” but this is actually the “male omega” or “ger” of this world, meaning they are men who can get pregnant, if you know this trope.

Now I have a conundrum. I was under the impression that the Chinese term for “ger” was 哥儿 ge er, based on another story that I read with gers in it. Please correct me if I’m wrong! I don’t know if that’s the actual Chinese term or not, it was just an assumption based on the translator’s explanation. If anyone knows, can you please tell me where the term “ger” came from? And what’s the Chinese for it?

Right now, I’m inclined to translate 双儿 as “double-sex child,” because that makes the most sense to me. 双 is double and 儿 is child. I just can’t reconcile it as ger, because it looks nothing alike, and autocorrect keeps changing it to “her.” (>_<) I’ve temporarily translated it as ger, because it seems to be the term that I see the most for these types of Chinese mpreg worlds. I also don’t want to use the word “omega,” because this is clearly not an ABO world.

Waiting online, please send help. (ó﹏ò。)

Posted in Let Me Shoulder this Blame!

Let Me Shoulder this Blame! 48

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Chapter 48

With a strong will to survive, Su Shi spent three days in the intensive care unit, and successfully escaped from death’s grasp. Then he was transferred to the general intensive care ward of the hospital.
Translations are by www [dot] vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.
Finally freed from frequent heart palpitations and fainting spells, Su Shi blinked his eyes open, and vaguely saw the silhouette of a person. Subconsciously he spoke in a faint voice, “Brother…”

“Jinchu, Chairman Lin has gone to deal with the media and will be back soon.”

Seeing him trying to get up, the assistant quickly helped him lie back down and then adjusted the top half of the bed a bit higher. Finally, he smiled with a relieved sigh. “How do you feel? A little better? Should I call the doctor over to take a look?”

“No need, I’m fine.”

His body still had very little energy. It would seem that his plan to beat Lin Jing up would have to be postponed for a few more days.

Su Shi closed his eyes and shook his head. Thinking of how his experience points still flew away despite taking the plunge from a building, his mood dropped a lot again.

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“Ah, that’s right, you don’t know about the situation for the past few days yet!”

Seeing that Su Shi’s mood was not good, the assistant suddenly realized that he didn’t say his words clearly. He smacked his forehead and struggled to calm his tone. “Jinchu, Second Young Master went to clarify the car accident. Now everyone–”

“Brother Li, there’s no need to talk anymore.”

He didn’t want someone to sprinkle salt on his wounds. Su Shi interrupted the assistant in a low voice. The hand at his side clenched for a moment and then loosened again.

Seeing that his response was not right, the assistant looked slightly uncertain, and then hesitantly spoke in a soft voice. “Jinchu, things have finally come to light, but could it be that you’re not happy?”

“I–”

The other party wasn’t some important role that he needed to hide the truth from. Su Shi sighed gently before answering, but suddenly he heard the sound of faint footsteps from outside the door.

The protagonist must be eavesdropping again.

Su Shi had yet to find the person who had drugged him. Lin Jing must still have some pot left for him to grab. Right now, he definitely must not continue to brush the favorability of the protagonist.

“Of course I’m happy.”

Su Shi met the assistant’s gaze, his eyes were curved with a slight arc, but his gaze held an acrimonious chill that stung others and stung himself.

“The truth comes to light, and everything is clear. I also preserved my life. Is there anything that I could be unsatisfied with?”

Damage to the heart was difficult to completely recover from, and acting was a high-intensity profession. Losing his abundant strength and healthy body would hinder his acting career greatly.

Everyone knew it, but no one dared to say it.

The smile on the assistant’s face froze as he carefully stared at Su Shi’s cold expression. He braced himself and said, “Jinchu, the doctor said you need to rest more. Don’t think too much. I’ll help you lie down and sleep a little more…”

Translations by Vanilla Muse.

The assistant adjusted the bed back into a horizontal line. Su Shi listened to the sounds outside the door and realized that the footsteps that had stopped in front of the door for a long time had finally left. Only then did he feel relieved.

According to the protagonist’s personality, the more obedient and sensible Su Shi was, the more the protagonist would take care of him. So he would be arbitrarily mischievous like Lin Jing. Like so, he could hope to grab the pot back.

The drugging matter was still inconclusive. There must be some pot he could carry. There was still more than half a month before that plane flight*. As long as he was steady, he would definitely find opportunities.

[*T/N: Reminder, it is the plane that Mu Jinchu is supposed to die on.]

The assistant watched as the youth’s eyebrows softened, and he didn’t dare to speak again. He just pulled up the blanket for him, and using the excuse of calling for a doctor, he hurriedly left the room.

Lin Feng was standing at the entrance to the stairs. His eyes were dim.

It really turned out to be his own chairman. The assistant quickly rushed to meet him. He lowered his voice and said, “Chairman Lin, Jinchu, he–”

“He knew that I was there, and he spoke those words specifically for me to hear.”

He could almost imagine the stubbornness of the youth in the sickroom. Lin Feng’s lips twisted into a bitter arc, and his eyes were saturated with extremely dim warmth.

“In the current situation, the more I side with him, the more difficult things would become for the company and Lin Jing. The matter of the drugging has not been traced. It this continues, whether it is Lin Jing or the company, it is likely to be a fatal blow—He thought he could learn willfulness like Xiao Jing, and then I wouldn’t care about him anymore…”

“No wonder. I also feel that Jinchu holds you close in his heart. Right when he woke up, he called for you, but when he saw that it was me, he was quite disappointed.”

The assistant let out a breath of relief, but because of his words, he expressed some worries again, “Chairman Lin, shall we continue to investigate? If it really does end up affecting the company too much, I’m afraid that Jinchu would feel very apologetic…”

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Announcement \(^∀^)/

I picked up a new Chinese BL novel: Didn’t Love You Enough
Reviews promised me lots of fluff in this story, so I’m looking forward to it. If you’re interested in a historical novel set in the Imperial Palace, then go take a look.

Posted in Didn’t Love You Enough

Didn’t Love You Enough – Character List

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Lin Jia Bao’s Family

Lin Da Zhuang 林大壮 (father)
Zhang Hui Niang 张惠娘 (mother)
Lin Jin Er 林锦儿 (eldest daughter, married to a family in the capital)
—Qin Zi Cong 秦子聪 “Cong Ge Er” 聪哥儿 (her young son)
—Qin Kai Xing 秦恺行 (her husband)
—Zhao Xiao Zi 赵小子 (carriage driver for her in-laws’ family)
Lin Jia Wen 林家文 (oldest son)
—Wu Qiao Lan 吴巧兰 (his wife)
—Lin Guang Bo 林广博 (his son) “Bo Ge Er” 博哥儿 (nickname, c63)
Lin Li Er 林莉儿 (third daughter, “second sister”)
Lin Jia Bao 林家宝 (uke, second son) Lin An Zhu 林安竹 gui ren 贵人 (palace name)
Lin Xiu Er 林秀儿 (youngest daughter)
Lin Jia Cai 林家才 (youngest son, twins with Lin Xiu Er)

Lin Jia Bao’s Relatives

Lin Da Li 林大力 (Lin Da Zhuang’s younger brother)
Ke Mei Li 柯美丽 (his wife)
Lin Chun Er 林春儿 (eldest daughter)
—Official Registrar Wang 王主簿 (Lin Chun Er’s father-in-law)
—Wang Xue Bo 王学博 (her husband)
Lin Xia Er 林夏儿 (second daughter, named in C66)
Lin Jia Wang 林家旺  (youngest son)

Lin Jia Village

Zhou Hai 周海 Da Hai-gege 大海哥哥 (said that he will be Lin Li Er’s husband, neighbor, childhood sweethearts with Li Er)
Zhou Mu 周亩 (c63, Zhou Hai’s father)
Hang Xiao Yi 韩晓怡 (c69, Zhou Hai’s mother)
Official Lin Yu Quan 里正林育权 (position: 里正 lizheng, mainly responsible for managing household registration and paying taxes)
Lin Jiao Jiao 林娇娇 (girl sent to palace at same time as Lin Jia Bao)
Shi Qi Shan 石旗山 (c63, prefectural magistrate of Xu Province)
—Madam Shi 石夫人 (c98, his wife)
Du Xiang Heng 杜项亨 “County Head Magistrate Du 杜知县” (c64, county head magistrate of Pei County)

Imperial Family

??? 先皇 (previous emperor)
Empress Wang 王皇后 (previous emperor’s 1st empress, died during labor)
—Xuan Yuan Zhao Shen 轩辕昭深 (XYHC’s imperial father, 3rd prince of previous emperor, 1st born of Empress Wang)
—“Zi Tong” 梓童 (appellation of the empress by the emperor)
      —Xuan Yuan Han Cheng 轩辕瀚承 (emperor, seme protagonist, now 18 y.o.)
      —Xuan Yuan Han Qi 轩辕瀚启 (2nd prince, XYHC’s blood related younger brother)
Xue-shi 薛氏 (step-empress, previous emperor’s 2nd empress)
—Xuan Yuan Zhao Hong 轩辕昭洪 Prince Li 历王 (10th prince of previous emperor, Xue shi’s son, XYHC’s imperial uncle)

XYHC’s People/Subordinates (Loyal to XYHC)

Yuan Fu 元福 (Internal Head Eunuch 内侍总领太监)
Ling Zheng Feng 凌正峰 (Imperial Guard Commander)
Zheng Rong 郑融 (XYHC’s shadow guard)
Qian Chun Rong 钱春荣 (son of Head Physician)
Liu Ze Qi 刘泽奇 (c31, works in Ministry of War, forthright, sociable) High Official Liu 刘尚书
Zheng Jia 郑嘉 (c31, helps XYHC plot)
Li Zheng Qiu 黎正裘 (c41, scholar 夫子 assigned to teach Lin Jia Bao)
Zuo Jing Xian 左敬贤 shaozhanshi Zuo 少詹事左 (c50, fourth-rank government official of the East Palace)
Hu Si Zhan 胡斯展 (c63, sheren Hu Si Zhan 舍人胡斯展, sheren means “ancient office title / rich and important person”)

Lin Jia Bao’s Servants in the Palace

Shu Ya 舒雅 (c31, big palace maid, tall, gentle aura, serves Lin Jia Bao)
Shu Qin 舒琴 (c31, big palace maid, petite, serves Lin Jia Bao)
Yuan Qing 元庆 (c32, Lin Jia Bao’s personal eunuch)

Imperial Palace People (Neutral)

Physician Cui 崔太医 (from Imperial Physician Institute, specializes in childcare)
Zhao gonggong 赵公公 (eunuch in charge of uke’s carriage on the way to capital)
Xi momo 席嬷嬷 (teaches palace etiquette and rules to newcomers)
Lin momo 林嬷嬷 (works in the Royal Snack Kitchen)
—Yu Shuang 玉霜 (oldest subordinate under Lin mo mo)
—Yu Long 玉泷 (maid in the Royal Snack Kitchen, somewhat older than Yu Ling)
—Yu Ling 玉灵 (youngest and liveliest maid in the Royal Snack Kitchen)
Zhou momo 周嬷嬷 (the empress’s trusted aide, in-laws with Lin momo)
Qiu momo 邱嬷嬷 (used to be a commanding momo in the empress’s palace, transferred to XYHC’s palace and helped him clean up the place and settled the harem)
Su momo 苏嬷嬷 (one of the momos in charge of instructing Lin Jia Bao, sent by the empress)
Qu momo 瞿嬷嬷 (one of the momos in charge of instructing Lin Jia Bao, sent by the empress)
Dai Heng 戴恒 (assistant minister in the Ministry of Works)
Hong Wei 红薇 (a little palace maid taking care of Kang’er, c52)
Zhao Yong 赵庸 (c79, the head eunuch that attends at the emperor’s side)
Prime Minister Xie Chang Qing 丞相谢长清 (c81)
Wu Zhi Jie 吴志杰 (c 79, 御前侍卫 imperial bodyguard vanguard)

Army

General Li 李将军
Wang Zhen / Marquis of Zheng Yuan 征远侯 (c102, Xuan Yuan Han Cheng’s maternal uncle, empress’s biological elder brother)
General Cao Yan 大将军曹严 (c108)

Xue Family

Xue Rong 薛荣 (c31, consecutively lost two generals in Jiang Nan, government minister of the Ministry of Appointments, empress dowager’s blood related elder brother, one of the leaders of the Xue clan)
—Xue Zhi Chao 薛志晁 (son of first wife, c76)
Xue Gui 薛贵 (mentioned c72, Xue Rong’s youngest brother)
—Xue Zhi Qi 薛志奇 (c72, Xue Gui’s di son, bully) Zhao-shi 赵氏 (c73, his mother)
—Zhang Ying Xiang 张鹰翔 (c72, father is Xue Gui’s confidant and subordinate, Xue Zhi Qi’s follower)
—Zhang Ji He 张继鹤 (c73, Zhang Ying Xiang’s father)

Xuan Yuan Han Cheng’s Harem

Xue Cai Yu 薛采裕 (crown princess, Crown Prince Consort)
—Xue Song 薛松 (her father)
Xu Xue Ying 徐雪盈 Xu-shi 徐氏 (Xu Concubine, gifted by his Imperial Mother after XYHC’s coronation as Crown Prince)
—Wang momo 王嬷嬷 (her servant)
Yu Qin 俞芹 Yu-shi 俞氏 (Concubine Yu, gifted by his Imperial Mother after XYHC’s coronation as Crown Prince)
—Princess Kang Le 康乐公主 (Yu shi’s daughter, second princess)
Song Yi Yun 宋依云 Song-shi 宋氏 (Concubine Song)
—Princess Kang Ping 康平公主 “Kang Er” 康儿 (Song shi’s daughter, eldest princess)
Zhang-shi 张氏 (died during labor, baby son also died a few days later)

People in the Capital

Qian Qing Kun 钱青昆 (c44, a scholar that Lin Jia Wen met at the bookstore in the capital)

Other

Wen Wen Qian 温文倩 (c101, daughter of Jing Xi Bo 靖西伯)
Zhang Chun Wei 张纯薇 (c101, daughter of the Assistant Minister of Rites, sickly beauty)
—Zhang Ting Hui 张廷辉 (c101, Assistant Minister of Rites 礼部侍郎)
Yao Yu Lan 姚玉岚 (c101, daughter of the governor of Bei Guang, ambitious)
—Yao Yu Gang 姚玉刚 (c102, eldest son of the governor of Bei Guang, serving as a general for the Marquis of Zheng Yuan)
Zhong Ke Jie 钟克杰 (c109, prefectural magistrate of Luo City)

 

Posted in Didn’t Love You Enough

Didn’t Love You Enough 5

T/N 1: Hello, this is Vanilla Muse, here with another new project. I’ve bookmarked this story for a long time now, hoping that someone would pick it up eventually, but since no one has, I decided to try my hand at it, but I’m a bit apprehensive. The setting is similar to my other project The Big Landlord, but while that one is focused on business, which is more straightforward imo, this one seems to be more heavily invested in palace intrigue, which is something I find convoluted and confusing. Palace intrigue is hard for me to follow even in English, so I hope I don’t get utterly lost in Chinese. Fingers crossed. >_<

T/N 2: There won’t be a set updating schedule for this yet, not until I get a feel for the story. And to make sure I get all the details accurate, I will have to translate this story slower than my other projects, and go through the raws with a fine-tooth comb. So please be patient with me.

T/N 3: Chapters are split into parts. For an extended explanation, go to the FAQs.


Standard Info: Abbreviation for “Didn’t Love You Enough” is DLYE. Go here for the updating schedule. Go to the title page for info on the story along with a Characters List, the Table of Contents, and a list of Notable Locations.


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Chapter 5 – Entering the Palace

Leaving Pei County and watching their hometown gradually getting further and further away, suppressed sobs sounded in the carriage.

After more than a day of traveling, the group arrived at the relay station in the provincial capital of Xu Zhou. Here, people from several countries were gathered together one after another.

They waited for a day before the entire assembly was finally completed. With government workmen clearing the way, a total of ten horse-drawn carriages headed for the capital.

The carriage, which was still somewhat spacious when holding ten people, was now crowded with twenty people.
Translations are by www [dot] vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.
Each carriage had a eunuch managing it. The eunuch in charge of Lin Jia Bao’s carriage was surnamed Zhao. He was about thirty-five years old. His expression was very serious and he was very harsh on them. Everyone was afraid of him.

On the journey to the capital, everyone in the carriage slowly became familiar with each other, particularly the people who came from the same place; most of them formed small groups. From Pei County, only Lin Jia Bao was a ger child, so the others faintly excluded him. Lin Jia Bao also did not take the initiative to step forward, and obediently listened to the managing eunuch’s orders. Zhao gong gong* saw him dutifully following orders and his attitude towards Lin Jia Bao was considered amicable.

[*T/N: 公公 gong gong – eunuch]

After traveling on the road for nearly half a month, they finally arrived at the post on the outskirts of the capital.

This station was very large and there were already many carriages in the stable. Here were people from all over the country.

“All of you get out of the carriage. Take your things with you. Don’t talk. Don’t look around. Follow me, all of you,” Zhao gong gong said.

Everyone got off the horse carriage. None of them dared to talk. They all lowered their heads and followed the eunuch’s lead. Zhao gong gong brought them to a large dormitory to settle in. There were a few basins of water in the room for them to clean their faces and wash their hands.

After that he brought them to the dining area for dinner. Everyone was given a bowl of corn porridge and a coarse mianwo*. It was a simple and crude meal, but compared to the dry grain bread that they had on their journey, this was a lot better. After the entire day, they were all hungry and everyone wolfed down their food.

[*T/N: mianwo 面窝 is a deep-fried, donut-shaped snack made from soy milk, rice milk, flour, sesame, and chopped Chinese scallion]

Zhao gong gong had them go to the toilet. Then he took them back to the dorm room and locked the door.

When everyone entered the room, they all rushed to get a good spot. Those in the same village helped each other to occupy a favorable position. Lin Jia Bao’s physique was small and he did not have much strength. In an instant, he was squeezed to be beside the door.
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Lin Jia Bao also did not want to scramble for space against them either, so he took his small bag of things and occupied the outermost position on the sleeping plank.

“Hey, scoot over a bit more. Don’t lean against me!” The girl sleeping next to Lin Jao Bao said to him fiercely.

This girl also came from Lin Jia Village, and to Lin Jia Bao she was very malicious and unpleasant. She looked at him as if he were some dirty thing.

Lin Jia Bao did not speak. He only moved his body closer to the door.

After a day of exhaustion, Lin Jia Bao soon went to sleep.

The next day, the sky had yet to brighten when Zhao gong gong came to wake them up. After the morning meal, everyone got on the horse carriage again.

The carriage entered the capital and stopped at the imperial city. Everyone got off the horse carriage and was shocked by the towering city wall.

Lin Jia Bao looked at the vermilion city wall. It was very high and the wall was endless. Under the morning light, the palace with its red walls and yellow tiles looked particularly solemn. Today was the day that they would enter the palace. The great doors were opened.
Translations by Vanilla Muse.
First, they were taken to the Wai Wu Suo* to go through the first round of filtering.

[*T/N: Wai Wu Suo 外五所 – I don’t know the translation for this. My best guess is that it’s a preliminary sorting office, and that it is one of five.]

The first round of screening was very simple. It was mainly to see if their appearance was neat, if they could speak clearly, if there was any disability, odor, and etcetera on the body.

Although the process was simple, there were nearly a thousand people entering the palace this time, so the wait was long.

Lin Jia Bao was assigned to a group where all the children were gers. He passed the first round of screening very smoothly. After the screening of the people in his group, it was already noon.

Then their group was taken away for lunch. It was food in the palace after all, so it was still better than what they’ve eaten before. Every person received a bowl of vegetable congee and white steamed buns to eat their fill. The vegetable congee not only had vegetables, but also a bit of minced pork. During their journey to the capital, all of them only had dried food rations along the way. It has been a long time since they’ve had any meat or fish to eat. Just smelling the fragrance caused them to drool.

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Other Chinese BL translation projects by Vanilla Muse:
The Big Landlord (Transmigration, Historical)
Let Me Shoulder this Blame (Quick Transmigration)
Quickly Wear the Face of the Devil: Xue Zi Xuan’s Side Story (Quick Transmigration)
Male Lead 2 and Male Lead 3 Happy Ending! (Transmigration, Modern)
This Alpha’s Pheromones Are Exploding (Transmigration, Modern, Showbiz)
After Rebirth the Tragic Omega Wins Without Lifting a Finger (Rebirth, Sci-Fi)


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