Category: The Big Landlord

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Chapter 33.1 – Terrible Mess

Hearing the news, Steward Su hurriedly rushed over. He was told that the young master was in the second young master’s room, so he changed his trajectory to head over there instead. He had yet to get close to the room when he heard the second young master’s cries. The child usually did not cry, but when he did, not even the wet nurse could appease him.
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When Steward Su arrived at the doorway he saw the young master sitting on a chair. The young master appeared as if he was submerged in water. The young master usually did not have much expression on his face, but right now he could see that the young master was very angry. Then he noticed that the second young master was cradled in the young master’s arms. Gradually, the cries quieted down.

An Zi Ran handed the little bun over to the wet nurse. She received the child. The little bun let out a “wa” sound indicating his intention to cry anew. When he was returned to An Zi Ran’s arms, the little bun sniffled and did not cry. Silence descended on the room all at once. The wet nurse was embarrassed.

An Zi Ran was silent for a moment. Then said, “You all go out first, ba.”

The wet nurse and two maidservants left the room.

After the little bun’s crying episode, the atmosphere within the room was not as depressing as before.

After a moment, Steward Su whispered, “Young Master, I just heard that the young miss is missing. What is the matter?”

An Zi Ran looked at Xing Er, who stood by and dared not speak out.

Xing Er immediately took out a letter and handed it to him. “The lady wrote a letter and ran away from home.”

An Zi Ran put the little bun in the cradle. The bun did not cry this time. An Zi Ran then took the letter. He had yet to ask for the full story when the maid, Yue Ju, came running over to look for him, saying that the second young master was crying out of breath and would not stop no matter what. The wet nurse had no choice but to send one of the maids to look for him. As a result he came to check on the situation, and as soon as he cradled the little bun in his arms, the bun stopped crying.
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There were four words written on the envelope: Elder Brother personally open.

An Zi Ran looked at the handwriting. Those characters, written with firm and resolute strokes, were at odds with An Yu Zhi’s physical appearance. In the letter, she wrote that she did not want to get marry with Fu Wu Tian, someone who she’s never even seen before, and that she wanted to pursue her own happiness.

Asides from those words there were no more. Not even a word of apology!

Steward Su read the letter, and suddenly looked shocked. He couldn’t speak for a long time. After a while, he finally found his voice. “Young Master, how can Young Miss suddenly… In the first place, wasn’t she, herself, the one that agreed to marry into the Fu palace? How can she suddenly run away? What can we do? There are only four days left. Young Master, let’s quickly sent someone to find the lady and bring her back.”

“I’m afraid we won’t be able to bring her back,” An Zi Ran said coldly.

Needless to say, he already guessed, An Yu Zhi left in the morning when he was absent from the courtyard. By this time she should have already left the capital. Unless this matter was told to Fu Wu Tian, so that he may send someone to go find her, but that was obviously impossible.

Steward Su looked at the young master helplessly*, he also did not know what was the best course of action. “Why would the young miss suddenly think like this? Everything was still fine two days ago…”

[*T/N: 六神无主 out of one’s wits (idiom)]

An Zi Ran looked at Xing Er.

Xing Er dropped to her knees, “I’m sorry, Young Master, this servant did indeed lie last time. The lady went to the jewelry shop that day and overheard other people talking about Fu wang ye. After that she was all out of sorts. The young miss didn’t let Qiao Er and I speak of this matter. This servant knows that she is wrong.” Fearing severe punishment, she readily admitted to the mistake.

“Tell me everything that occurred that day. Don’t leave out a single detail.” An Zi Ran pinned her with his stare as he said each word clearly. His expression was very serious and cold.

This was the first time that Xing Er saw the young master angry. Just being watched by him was kind of stifling. Under pressure, she immediately recited what happened that day at the jewelry shop.
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The jewelry shop that they went to that day was the best one in Jun Zi City. Many ladies or unmarried women liked to go there to buy jewelry. There was a group of women gathered there gossiping. The topic of gossip that day was Fu Wu Tian. They were discussing his appearance and his track record in the army.

Fu Wu Tian was considered the God of War in Da Ya, but very few people actually met him. He had been on the battlefield since he was a child, and he returned only a handful of times. The number of people who has seen him was small to the point of pitiable. Even his own cousins have not seen him, let alone other people.

As a result, many mistaken rumors floated about.

One upper-class woman who was said to have seen Fu Wu Tian said that he was very ugly. Supposedly half of his face was once burned off and was now disfigured. Therefore, on the day when he returned to the capital he wore a mask.

Another upper-class woman said that Fu Wu Tian was a bloody and cruel person. He murdered countless people. His hands were stained with endless blood. And he liked to torture the enemy the most. He would rip out their heart, dig out their intestines, and gorge out their eyes, and then let the enemy die a miserable* death. The gossip went on in this vein.

[*T/N: 惨不忍睹 spectacle too horrible to endure (idiom); tragic sight / appalling scenes of devastation]

An Yu Zhi was scared. She left the jewelry shop and fell down the stairs. After returning to the courtyard, her entire face was white.

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Hugs and kisses to my new patron K, we’re happy to have you with us!
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Another special shout out to Caerie for going above and beyond!
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Thank you to yinrin for the coffee~! =^-^=

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Chapter 32 – To Leave

“My lady, we have returned.”

The people have yet to enter the room, but Qiao Er’s voice had already floated into the room first. Only, they had not yet entered the room when they encountered a restless An Yu Zhi by the doorway.

An Yu Zhi’s complexion was looking not so good. Just thinking about the fact that after seven days she will have to marry into the Fu palace, there was not a drop of joyous color on her face, only fear. “The matters that I asked you to inquire about, how goes it?”

Qiao Er did not notice and said happily, “Miss, the news of your marriage to Fu wang ye is circulating all throughout Jun Zi City. I heard that the emperor has also passed a decreed, not only is he allowing the marriage, but he also conferred many valuable things, just waiting for you when you marry into the Fu family.”

An Yu Zhi’s face suddenly turned white.

“Miss, what is wrong?” Xing Er was the first to notice her strangeness.

Qiao Er looked and also saw the white face of the young miss. “Miss, don’t scare us. Are you feeling unwell somewhere?” As she said this she quickly poured a cup of hot water for her.
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An Yu Zhi did not take the cup but instead seized Qiao Er’s wrist. Her fingers turned white with the excessive force of her grip. “Tell me, if right now I say I will not marry… what will happen?”

“Miss, these words, you mustn’t say them. Otherwise there will be big trouble for the An family.” Xing Er was startled.

“That’s right, Miss.” Qiao Er also did not know that their young miss had such thoughts, and hurriedly took Xing Er’s side. “Fu wang ye is a member of the imperial family. To be able to marry him, that is the kind of fortune that every women dream about. Not to mention, you’re becoming the wang fei when you’re marrying into their family.”

Xing Er said earnestly, “Miss, the news of your and Fu wang ye’s marriage is well known. Even the emperor is starting to take notice. If you say you won’t marry, and the emperor gets angry, the entire An family will be charged with committing crime against the throne. You must not have such an idea.”

An Yu Zhi put on a stiff smile. “The two of you needn’t worry so much. It’s just a sudden thought I had, so I just said it out loud. It’s not like I will necessarily do it.”

The two maidservants breathed a sigh of relief.

Qiao Er resumed that smirking expression, “Miss, good thing you are only asking.”

An Yu Zhi’s eyes flashed.

Time flies quickly, in the blink of an eye another three days passed. Only four days away from the big wedding. Both sides were in full swing preparing for the wedding. Even An Zi Ran was busy to the point of not having time to practice his calligraphy. These past few days he’d been running back and forth between their courtyard and the Fu palace. Therefore he did not have time to pay attention to the situation with An Yu Zhi.

Before An Yu Zhi said she was just talking about it, but on that day when An Zi Ran went over to the Fu palace, she began to pack up. She sent away the more sensible Xing Er, and only Qiao Er was left. When she heard that the young miss wanted to escape from the marriage, she was shocked into a stupor.

“Miss, didn’t you say…”

An Yu Zhi went back on her words. For the first time, her pretty face revealed her determination. “I don’t want to marry. I’ve already figured it out. My life cannot be destroyed in Fu Wu Tian’s hands. I want to pursue my own happiness.”
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These days she thought again and again, about the opera plays that she once saw with her father and mother. One scene had always impressed her. It was a woman who had always had a firm belief in bravely pursuing her own happiness. In the end, she obtained that happiness. She thought that she should also be like that woman in the opera play.

Qiao Er was shocked. “But Miss, if you just pack up and leave like this, what will happen to the young master and the An family?”

Seeing that the young miss had already packed her bags, she finally knew that the young miss was not kidding this time. She was overwhelmed. She felt that she must persuade the young miss. There may be some flaws with Fu wang ye, but his status was a noble. How many people wanted to marry him but would never have the chance. It was incredible that the lady wanted to escape the marriage!

An Yu Zhi raised her eyebrows. She knew she was making things difficult for her maidservant. She gnawed on her lower lip. “I believe Brother will find a way. Qiao Er, are you willing to go with me? If you don’t want to, I can’t let you tell my brother, so I’ll tie you up.”

[T/N: Damn~ where is all this steadfastness coming from. Not too long ago she was blushing and stammering things like “I’ll leave it all up to Brother.”]

“Miss…” Qiao Er’s face revealed her inner conflict.

For the first time, she saw the young miss so determined, and it looked like she had made preparations way ahead of time.

“Qiao Er, if you come with me, I won’t treat you poorly.” An Yu Zhi actually wanted someone to leave with her. There was peace of mind in two people relying on each other. So between the two maidservants, she chose Qiao Er, the one who was comparatively more impulsive.
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Qiao Er hesitated for a while and eventually nodded in agreement. She knew that the jun wang would definitely lay blame on them. When that happens no one in the An family would get away. If she stayed she might get implicated. It would be better to follow the young miss.

The master and servant pair who agreed on the idea soon slipped from the back door.

By the time An Zi Ran returned to the courtyard the sun was fast setting towards the horizon.

As soon as he entered the door, he was keenly aware that the atmosphere was somewhat strange and seemed to be repressed.

Eventually he found Xing Er pacing back and forth. When Xing Er saw him it was like she saw the holy savior himself. She immediately rushed over. She opened her mouth and the first sentence that left her lips was, “Young Master, it’s not good, the young miss is gone.”

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I recently finished translating a portion of Aku no Joou no Kiseki as a teaser to increase reader interest in the story. It’s a Japanese light novel with a female protagonist. It’s another transmigration story and the premise is quite interesting. Take a look if you have time.

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Chapter 31 – Before Fleeing*

[*T/N: The Chinese word used here is very specific to the situation. It is 逃婚 tao hun and it literally means “to flee to avoid an arranged marriage”]

After leaving the study, Qiao Er and Xing Er hurried back to the lady’s boudoir.

An Yu Zhi, who was sitting on a chair, immediately stood up and hurriedly asked, “What did Brother ask you two about?”

“Young Miss, do not worry, Xing Er and I did not say much about your situation, the young master still does not know.” Qiao Er said placating. Her smiling face held a hint of smugness*.

[*T/N: 邀功 yao gong: “to take credit for somebody’s achievement.” The author used this word because the one that responded to An Zi Ran was Xing Er, and here Qiao Er is making it seem like she was the one that cleverly duped him when she said nothing at all.]

An Yu Zhi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Xing Er could not help wrinkling her brow and saying, “Young Miss, is it okay for the two of you to fool the young master like this? If the young master finds out, he will definitely be very angry.” When she was just speaking to the young master, she did not dare say too much. She only said a part of the truth, so if the young master found out, the responsibility would not be as heavy.
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An Yu Zhi was dissatisfied when she heard her. “Can’t let Brother find out.”

She was consciously hiding this from An Zi Ran. Especially after hearing that the marriage talks went well, she became even more adamant in her idea.

“Xing Er, you’re worrying too much. Even if the young master knows afterwards, it would be impossible for him to punish the young lady. Once our lady marries into the Fu palace she will be a wang fei, who dares to bully her then ah!” Qiao Er said with a look of pride.

Xing Er saw her like that and just shook her head.

Neither of them noticed An Yu Zhi’s emotional expression.

Three days later, the wedding date was finally settled on. It was on April 17. It was an auspicious date. Because the sole senior member of the Fu household had some problems with his memory, all the marriage preparations were handled by Fu Wu Tian himself. On the fourth day, the wedding gifts from the Fu palace were sent over to the An family.
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The courtyard that they lived in was no longer a rented one. An Zi Ran had spend a few thousand silvers and bought the place. Then the courtyard was converted into one of their houses. This was to prevent An Yu Zhi having to marry out from a rented house. If some ill-intention person found out, there would be an article of gossip.

News of the marriage between the An family and the Fu palace had spread throughout Jun Zi City, causing a great sensation to rock the city.

The war god’s reputation was illustrious. Ever since Fu Wu Tian led numerous high-ranking military officers in their return to the city, many people wanted to witness the truth and bravery of the God of War. However, Fu Wu Tian rarely appeared before the masses. He had returned to the city for more than a month, but he still wore a mask while riding outside. Therefore, except for a small group of people, almost no one knew what he was like.

Thus, many rumors spread in Jun Zi City. Most of it was speculation about his appearance, as well as his battle record at the border. News of his marriage roused the people more than the emperor’s harem selection event*.

[*T/N: 选秀 xuan xiu: 选秀女 “harem selection event” or “talent selection”]

The emperor of Da Ya, Fu Chong Yi, was alarmed. Da Ya’s God of War, his relative was going to get married. Even he, as the emperor, did not know. So that night, he summoned Fu Wu Tian into the palace.

The names of everyone in the imperial family were recorded in the ancestral hall. Only then would it be recognized. It also needed the emperor’s approval. In other words, it meant that the emperor was in control of their marriage. Only he could assign their marriages. The imperial family could not marry casually.

Fu Wu Tian’s marriage was worth more to the emperor than his sons.

Although he only returned to the capital for a month, the emperor had already brought up the topic of Fu Wu Tian’s marriage more than once. There had been the idea of marrying the minister’s daughter to him. Later, because of something, the idea was dispelled, but it did not mean that he gave up.
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If Fu Wu Tian wanted to take someone as a concubine then he (the emperor) would not say anything, but the wang fei position, that was no good. The daughter of a landlord in some county wanted to climb into the royal family. It was absolutely impossible!

The emperor’s anger soon extinguished.

Although Fu Wu Tian was his close relative, he had control of a large part of the army. For more than ten years, his prestige in the military was even higher than that of the emperor. What made the emperor most afraid was if Fu Wu Tian did not want to do something, even if the emperor ordered it, he still won’t do it. Not to mention he still had a grandfather with a changeable character.

Fu lao wang ye was the emperor’s uncle. In his hands he held the dragon whip of the previous emperor, which gave him the right to supervise the emperor. Although he had not been at court for a long time because of his illness, his right was still there. If he got worked up, even the emperor himself would have to give way*.

[*T/N: 退避三舍 lit. to retreat three day’s march (idiom); figuratively “to give way in the face of superior strength;” a strategic withdrawal]

Fu Wu Tian brought his grandfather into the palace for a roundabout stroll. No matter what ideas the emperor came up with it was all no use. He could only acknowledge that the lao wang ye had promised a marriage contract.

Only seven days left until April 17.

While everyone in Jun Zi City was discussing the matter, An Yu Zhi was in a panic.

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A special shout-out to my new patron De Santis ♡〜٩( ^▿^ )۶〜♡ We’re happy to have you on board!

Surprise! This is a special update in celebration of Fourth of July. I hope y’all had a fun day. Now kick back and relax with another chapter of TBL. This one is longer than usual. =^-^=

Also, I have a character list and a notable locations list for this story. You can find them on The Big Landlord’s info page under the Translations tab of the menu.

– Muse

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Chapter 30 – Abnormal

By the time they returned to the courtyard it was almost approaching noon.

An Zi Ran called Qiu Lan over to inquire after An Yu Zhi’s health.

“Young Master, the lady had an excellent appetite this morning and ate two bowls of congee,” this was how Qiu Lan replied. Ever since returning from shopping two days ago, the young miss’s complexion did not look good. Her appetite was smaller than usual. Yesterday night she only had one bowl of congee for dinner.

An Zi Ran was simply asking, but received such an unexpected answer. His steps into the courtyard faltered. With an unclear expression he asked, “This morning when you went to attend to the young miss, how was her complexion looking?”
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Qiu Lan thought for a bit. “She looked well. There was a bit of red in her cheeks. She wasn’t pasty like she was two days ago. So this servant had the kitchen make more congee for the lady. Young Miss did not say anything. And unlike two days ago, she did not resist and ate two bowls of congee.”

An Zi Ran nodded. “That is all. You are dismissed.”

Qiu Lan turned and left.

After lunch, An Zi Ran returned to the study. Steward Su was quietly waiting for him inside. Without realizing his state of mood, he said, “Young Master, the ink is almost ready*. Would you like to make the gift list today?”

[*T/N: Back then, ink was prepared by grinding an ink stone with a bit of water.]

The date of the marriage was not set in stone yet, because they needed to find a knowledgeable person to choose a good day. Taking advantage of this time, An Zi Ran wants to get the list of dowry ready. An Yu Zhi was the daughter* of the first wife, and she was about to marry into a prince’s palace, so the dowry must not be small. Losing face was a trifle, but if she was looked down upon after marriage, it would implicate the An family too.

[*T/N: 嫡女 di nv: “daughter of first wife.” I saw the word “prostitute” in MTL and I thought I was tripping, but no they really translated it as prostitute.]

Yesterday, before the ledgers were sent over, An Zi Ran had already finished half of the list.

The An family was a big landlord. What they had a lot of was land. There were also quite a few shops under their name. Most of them were rice shops. Only a small fraction was jewelry and fabrics and such. The scope involved was not particularly wide. Based on the An family’s situation, their status was indeed too low to be rubbing elbows with the Fu family, this point could not be refuted.
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What An Zi Ran could take out for the dowry was not a lot. Ever since he made those two decisions*, the An family’s assets have shrunk. The total number of monthly accounts earned was less than half that of An Chang Fu when he was alive. An Chang Fu’s three concubines already gave An Zi Ran a piece of their minds early on, especially the second and third concubine, because they had unmarried daughters. In the future, if they wanted to get married, they will be dependant on the dowry from the An family. Since the An families assets have shrunk, then those dowries were bound to shrink.

[*T/N: I believe he’s referring to the two decisions he made concerning the situation with the farmers]

But they did not know that when An Chang Fu was alive he had already prepared a dowry for his eldest daughter and second daughter. Both of them have reached the age of marriage. Just because Liu Mei Xiang was pregnant with An Zi Ming, so their matters were delayed. An Zi Ran also heard about this later on from Steward Su. Both the second and third concubine did not know about this.

There was red paper on the desk, and the brush was prepared by Steward Su.

An Zi Ran sat down and took up the brush. He dipped the fine hairs of the brush nib into the ink and started to write out the list.

After several months of practice, his writing was starting to look better. Although it was not to the level of a scholar, his words were already very angular, vigorous and slender, just like his person.

Every time Steward Su saw the words written by the young master, his face would reveal a happy expression. He was the one who had the greatest understanding of the young master’s handwriting from before, it was so shameful that it could no longer be expressed with words. Now it was finally written with a good hand. If the late lord and lady saw this from the heavens above, they would be very happy.

An Zi Ran suddenly put down the brush and stood up.

Steward Su was slightly surprised and asked, “Young Master, what is it?”

“A break first. It won’t be too late even if I write it a little later,” An Zi Ran said, and then thinking of a new thought he said, “Have Qiu Lan bring the young miss here to the study.”

Steward Su did not question further. He nodded and went to do as bid.

Qiu Lan was quick. An Zi Ran had just finished the tea that Chun Lan poured for him when he heard several pairs of footsteps approaching. Soon, An Yu Zhi’s figure appeared beside the doorway.
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An Zi Ran looked at her. As Qiu Lan had said, An Yu Zhi’s face was a healthy shade, not at all like an infirmed person. He couldn’t help but wonder if there was no illness at all. Why did she lie to him about feeling unwell and refused to accompany him to the Fu palace? He could still recall how she had said she wanted to marry Fu Wu Tian. That shy demeanor, she was not one who could deceive people.

“Brother, what did you call me for?” An Yu Zhi approached him and asked. After spending some time together, she no longer spoke to her brother like before, with a bit of estranged distance between them.

An Zi Ran put down the cup in his hand, and said, “This morning I already spoke with Fu wang ye. He already agreed to take you as his princess, so you don’t have to marry him as a concubine. The marriage will be within a month. I will handle this matter well. You do not have to worry. Come over tomorrow. Brother will give you some money to buy some beautiful jewelry. Deck yourself up well. The Fu family is part of the imperial family after all, and we cannot allow others to look down on our family.”

As An Zi Ran talked, An Yu Zhi’s face became whiter and whiter, expression no longer happy. Her hands were twisted under the table. Don’t know what she was disturbed by.

An Zi Ran looked at her quietly. “Yu Zhi, are you not happy?”

An Yu Zhi became alert again. Seeing her brother looking at her with a concerned gaze, she pretended to hold her forehead. “No, I’m very happy. It could be that I’m not completely well yet, my head feels a little dizzy.”

“If you feel unwell, go back to your room and rest. We can talk about the other things two days from now.” An Zi Ran said peacefully.

An Yu Zhi immediately replied, “Then little sister will retire (to rest) now.”

After she finished speaking, she left in a hurry*.

[*T/N: 迫不及待 po bu ji dai: impatient (idiom); in a hurry / itching to get on with it]

An Zi Ran watched her go. He could tell that she was lying. She covered up in time, but in front of him, her acting had no effect at all. Her wandering eyes have already betrayed her. In order to clarify the problem, he called for An Yu Zhi’s two personal maidservants, Qiao Er and Xing Er.

“Two days ago, when you accompanied the young miss out, did anything happen?”

Qiao Er and Xing Er looked at each other in dismay. Qiao Er said, “Replying to Young Master, on the day we accompanied the lady to the jewelers to buy jewelry. Nothing out of the ordinary happened.”

An Zi Ran asked again, “Then let me ask you, when the young miss is calm is there anything that’s out of place?”

Xing Er said, “There was a little thing. When the young miss came out from the jewelers, she slipped on the steps and fell, but there was nothing serious about it. This kind of thing happens quite frequently at other times too.”
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An Zi Ran saw that he would not be getting any useful information from these two, so he dismissed them. According to the two of them, there seemed to have been no problem on the street that day. It couldn’t have happened at any other time, because An Yu Zhi barely left the house since that incident. Perhaps she was experiencing premarital phobia?

Unexpectedly, he thought of the premarital phenomenon. It was more common in the twenty-first century.

If that was the reason, then An Yu Zhi’s abnormal behavior could be explained. Perhaps that was it. The female mind was always particularly difficult to guess. He could only think so.

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Chapter 29 – A Servant’s Quality

When An Zi Ran arrived at the Fu palace, it was Steward Li that came out to invite him inside.

Seeing him, Steward Li’s entire face scrunched up with a smile. “An gong zi came early. Our wang ye is still practicing in the yard. It will take a while before he is done.”

An Zi Ran noticed that his expression was laughing. There was not a speck of deference in his eyes. But he did not mind. He was also not surprised by the servant’s words. He had mentally prepared himself when he received the invitation card.

…

The arrival of An Zi Ran set off a small wave in the Fu palace.

The purpose of their arrival from two days ago had already spread throughout the palace. Before that, it was very rare to know that the Fu palace had a marriage contract with the An family. Only Fu lao wang ye and Fu Wu Tian knew about it.
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But since Fu lao wang ye’s illness, the only person in the entire Fu palace that knew of this matter was Fu Wu Tian. But because he had been away at the border station all this time, and he did not put the matter of the marriage contract in his heart, even his men did not know about it. So when the news spread out, one could just imagine the shock.

When An Zi Ran hadn’t arrived yet, someone had started to inquire about the news.

When they heard that the other party was the daughter of a landlord they could not believe it.

[T/N: The “they” refers to the servants of the Fu palace.]

In all of their eyes, their wang ye’s identity was very noble. Someone who could be their wang fei, at the very least must be the daughter of some high official. How could a landlord’s daughter measure up? No one was optimistic about this kind of marriage. They thought that their wang ye was definitely not willing to marry that woman. So when they heard that wang ye was only going to give the woman the status of a concubine, they looked upon her even more scornfully.

[T/N: Even though they haven’t even laid eyes on her yet. Aiya, these servants…]

Steward Li was representative of one of these people.

The last time, because of the lao wang fei’s jade pendant, he didn’t dare look at the other party before ushering him inside. As a result, he was almost punished by the wang ye. Now, knowing that wang ye did not like the people of An family, he was the first to express his dissatisfaction.

[T/N: 老王妃 lao wang fei: lit. old princess, referring to ML’s grandmother]

Steward Li asked An Zi Ran to wait in the hall. He did not immediately send someone to inform wang ye. Instead, he had a servant pour a cup of semi-cold tea for An Zi Ran.

An Zi Ran picked up the tea cup, and then lowered it.
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Steward Li looked in his eyes and smiled. “Why isn’t An gong zi drinking the tea? Is the Fu palace’s tea not to your taste? Then, my apologies. An gong zi may be used to drinking inferior tea. Unfortunately, the Fu palace’s tea is all top-notch tea. We really don’t have substandard tea leaves, so please put up with it.”

Steward Su heard this sentence and almost jumped out, but he was stopped by An Zi Ran in a timely manner.

An Zi Ran finally determined that Steward Li was targeting him. Such blatant sarcasm. Could it be that Fu Wu Tian instigated this? Was this his way of flaunting his power? Although he could not be very sure, he still could not casually let a servant give him cheek.

“I* certainly have never seen a person entertain their guest with cold tea. It makes one doubt the quality of the servants in the Fu palace.”

[*T/N: An Zi Ran refers to himself as 本公子 ben gong zi here, which roughly translates to “this son of a well-to-do family.” This is a slightly elevated and arrogant way of referring to oneself. He’s usually neutral when he addresses himself, but here he is kind of putting on airs to counter Steward Li’s rudeness towards him.]

Steward Li’s face froze.

He was just preparing a few more words of sarcasm when a steady stream of footsteps came in.

Fu Wu Tian’s tall figure appeared at the door.

Steward Li turned around and his three souls and seven skeletons* were all frightened away. His heart plummeted as he wondered if wang ye heard the words he had said just now. His mind descended into sudden disarray**.

[*T/N: 三魂七魄 san hun qi po: “three immortal souls and seven mortal forms in Daoism”]

[**T/N: The original sentence here was 顿时七上八下 lit. suddenly at sixes and sevens/perturbed state of mind/in a mess]

An Zi Ran’s eyes fell on Fu Wu Tian. His face was not easy to read. He wanted to gleam from his expression whether or not he was the instigator behind this. But like his first impression of Fu Wu Tian, this was a man that was hard to understand. The deep expression did not tell him whether he had heard their conversation.

Fu Wu Tian walked in. He threw a glance at the stiffened Steward Li. “I don’t ever want to hear the guests questioning the quality of Fu palace’s servants. Go and bring back two cups of hot tea.”

[T/N: Ha!]

Steward Li immediately rushed out of the hall.

An Zi Ran looked suspiciously at Fu Wu Tian. Was it really not his doing? The idea flashed to the forefront of his mind but with a turn of the head it was immediately denied. With Fu Wu Tian’s status, there was absolutely no need to make things difficult for him.

“Are you done looking?”

Fu Wu Tian’s steady and solid voice evoked his attention.

An Zi Ran withdrew his gaze. He always felt that Fu Wu Tian’s words carried a trace of ridicule, but looking at him with his serious expression, that did not seem to be the case either, so An Zi Ran settled the matter with the thought that he probably heard wrong.

After a while, Steward Li really did bring back two cups of hot tea. That cup of tea that had been cooled off was taken away by him.

An Zi Ran proactively brought up the topic, “Wang ye, about the marriage between our families, the An family will not accept this talk of concubine. That year, the agreement that was made between Fu lao wang ye and my grandfather, it was for Yu Zhi to be your wang fei. This is the promise that Fu lao wang ye made to my grandfather!” He specifically enunciated the word ‘promise.’

Fu Wu Tian looked at him. The boy in front of him was not as fat as described in the data. There was some baby fat on the cheeks. The five features were not very prominent, but his eyes were very clear. The staunchness conveyed by his eyes when he was unwilling to concede was amazing to behold.
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When he did not reply right away, An Zi Ran did not panic. He had already practiced several scenarios in his mind. He was just waiting for him to refute, to express unwillingness, but Fu Wu Tian’s next words stunned him.

“Then, in accordance to you, I will marry your sister as my wang fei.”

An Zi Ran looked at him without blinking.

Fu Wu Tian looked back at him.

Steward Su could not help but cough.

An Zi Ran returned to his senses. In his subconscious mind, he overdid it. “Since wang ye is this frank and straightforward, let us talk directly about the marriage arrangements, and set a date…”

Fu Wu Tian did not refute his words.

The two talked very pleasantly!

After two hours, An Zi Ran and Steward Su left the Fu palace. Steward Su had a face full of smiles. They passed by Ge Qian An at the door. Ge Qian An glanced back at them. Then, just as he walked up the steps, Fu Wu Tian came out. He was just about to speak, but then Fu Wu Tian dropped a sentence that made him stiffen and then turn to the corridor next to him.

“Next time, do not act on your own initiative*.”

[*T/N: 自作主张 to think for oneself and act accordingly (idiom); to act on one’s own initiative. This is usually used in the negative sense when a person is scolding someone else. Often times it is a superior saying this to a subordinate when the subordinate thinks he or she is being smart, but ends up acting out of line and causing trouble for the superior.]

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Chapter 28 – Invitation Card

News of Fu Wu Tian’s sudden change in attitude had yet to reach An Zi Ran’s ears.

Although An Yu Zhi did not care whether she was the main wife or a concubine, An Zi Ran did not want to compromise so easily. Certainly, the agreement between Old Master An and Fu lao wang ye was not to make An Yu Zhi a concubine of Fu Wu Tian.

An Zi Ran had never had contact with the Old Master, but he knew that all literati have a certain stubbornness and pride to them. Case in point, the Old Master had the chance to become a small time official in the capital, but he abandoned that opportunity and return to An Yuan County. Such a person could not have agreed to a marriage contract that would only allow his granddaughter the position of a concubine. Therefore, An Zi Ran was wondering if there was some way that he could force Fu Wu Tian to take An Yu Zhi as his wang fei. After much deliberation, he still ended up back at the original idea, which was to approach the situation starting with Fu lao wang ye.

Before he could come up with a concrete plan, the Fu palace sent a servant over.
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“An gong zi, wang ye sent me to give this invitation card to you. He wants you to come to the Fu palace two days later to discuss the marriage between the two families.” Ge Qian An retrieved the invitation card from within the folds of his clothes and handed it over to An Zi Ran.

An Zi Ran received the invitation card and then opened it to take a look. The card was indeed signed by Fu Wu Tian. His attitude made him An Zi Ran slightly puzzled. Just yesterday, Fu Wu Tian was still unwilling, purposely creating difficulties for An Zi Ran. But today he took the initiative, what was the purpose? Despite his doubts, An Zi Ran did not reveal anything on the surface. He put away the invitation card.

“Thank you for your trouble.”

Ge Qian An could not tell if he was happy or not. He hesitated, but he could not bring himself to speak. This was the perfect chance to test An Zi Ran. If he really agrees to marry his little sister to wang ye as a concubine, then he was just mediocre*.

[*T/N: 不过尔尔 not more than so-so (idiom); mediocre; nothing out of the ordinary]

Selling a daughter (or sister) through marriage in order to seek fame, these kinds of situation, he has seen a lot of them. There were few exceptions. Since An Zi Ran was able to attract the wang ye’s attention, then let’s see if he was that kind of person.

Ge Qian An did not stay for long, after delivering the invitation he soon left.
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An Zi Ran personally saw him to the door. When he returned to the main hall, he saw that An Yu Zhi was standing there. He wondered how she’d gotten the news so quickly. For a second, there was a flash of dismay in her eyes.

“Brother, I want to go out for a bout. May I?” An Yu Zhi gave him an expectant look.

After hearing her say this he realized that he had misunderstood. But he knew that An Yu Zhi never left the house for more than two steps. This time, she was taking the initiative. He couldn’t help asking, “Go out to do what?”

An Yu Zhi’s face reddened. “I want to go out and buy something.”

“Buy something?” An Zi Ran asked.

An Yu Zhi stomped her foot and looked shy. “Brother, don’t ask.”

An Zi Ran didn’t expect her to have such a big reaction to his question, so he stopped his line of questioning. He did not have the so-called feudal ideology that women mustn’t show their faces outside the house, so he agreed readily.

An Yu Zhi was delighted. She did not expect that her brother would let her go so easily. She thanked him. The she took two maidservants with her and left the courtyard.

An Zi Ran did not take this matter into deep consideration and just went to the study.

Su Zi already had someone send the account books over. There weren’t many problems, since he solved the issues with the farmers. An Yuan County was becoming more and more peaceful. Even if An Chang Fu* wanted to provoke something to endanger the An family, he did not have the opportunity to do so.

[*T/N: Typo in the raws. It should be An Chang De, the evil uncle.]

For the common folk, as long as they had enough food, they were satisfied. And there was a precedent for the last batch of troublemaking farmers. (They were punished.) The people were now very clear on who provided them their bread and butter. There was no longer the problem of people looking for trouble because they had nothing better to do. All they had to do was honestly and diligently till their fields. Next year, there will be sixty percent more food. On top of not having to hand in taxes to the government, they will get twice as much as they did in previous years.
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Although the money they’re (the An family) earning now was not more than how much they earned in the past years, but the hidden danger had been eliminated. He can now rest assured as he planned the next step of development for the An family. His goal was more than just being a small landlord, because the status of businessmen in Da Ya was very low.

However…

His gaze fell on the invitation sitting on the desk. For his future plans, Fu Wu Tian’s backing was essential, so it was imperative to tackle the situation with Fu Wu Tian first.

Without realizing it, soon the sun was setting towards the horizon.

At the urging of Steward Su, An Zi Ran appeared at the dinner table on time. He glanced over at An Yu Zhi’s empty seat. Thinking that she had yet to return, he asked (after her whereabouts.)

Steward Su quickly explained, “Young Master, the Young Miss has already returned. She said that she was not feeling well and wanted to take dinner in her room.”

An Zi Ran gently wrinkled his eyebrows. “Did you send for the doctor to look at her?”

Steward Su said, “The doctor has already looked her over. He said there wasn’t anything major, only that her body is a bit weak. He wrote a prescription and I had people go to pick up the medicine.”

An Zi Ran nodded and did not ask anymore.
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The next morning, An Yu Zhi did not appear at the dining table. An Zi Ran thought that she was still not feeling well, so he ordered the kitchen to send a bowl of congee to her room. In the meanwhile, he went to check up on her. He saw that her complexion was indeed pale. After he exited her room, he abruptly turned and went to check in on the little baby bun. The little bun have become more and more spirited recently, but he was very sensible, and did not cry much.

Two days passed quickly, and it was time to visit the Fu palace.

Early in the morning, An Zi Ran had Qiu Lan remind An Yu Zhi, because the invitation card mentioned her. He did not feel that there was anything wrong. He also thought that they should meet in person. However, when Qiu Lan returned, she brought him unexpected news.

“You said the young miss does not want to go?” An Zi Ran was surprised. He thought An Yu Zhi would be happy to hear this news, because she seemed to like Fu Wu Tian. To meet at least once before the marriage was still better than not knowing anything about your marriage prospect.

Qiu Lan said, “The lady said she was unwell and does not wish to go.”

An Zi Ran frowned. “Well, since the young lady doesn’t want to go, you will stay and look after her.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

After that, An Zi Ran brought Steward Su with him to Fu palace.

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Chapter 27 – Want to Marry Him

After returning to the courtyard that they rented, neither master nor servant spoke.

An Zi Ran shut himself in the study and did not go out. He was thinking about the conversation with Fu Wu Tian. He was certain that he would not allow An Yu Zhi to marry into the Fu family as a concubine.

In general, the position of a concubine was not high. After marrying, a concubine basically could not leave the house. And they could not attend a lot of events, such as banquets hosted by the imperial family or other influential people. Essentially, they received the title of a wife, but not much benefits.

Although his original motive was to look for a backer for the An family, he was not cold-blooded enough to exchange his sister’s lifetime of happiness for the An family’s prosperity. Since she was now his family, he was more or less responsible for her.

“Knock knock!”

[T/N: Yes, the sound effect was in quotations in the raw.]

The door of the study was being knocked on. Steward Su pushed the door open and entered.
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An Zi Ran looked over. “What happened?”

Steward Su said helplessly, “Young Master, the Young Miss said she has something to say to you. She is just outside in the yard.”

There was no need to ask, they all knew what An Yu Zhi wanted to talk about.

An Zi Ran was silent for a moment. “Let her come in.”

Steward Su sighed and went out to call her in. Not long after, An Yu Zhi’s figure appeared in the entrance to the study. Softly she called out, “Brother.” An Zi Ran let her in.

“You wanted to know the Fu family’s answer?” An Zi Ran took a look at the restless An Yu Zhi. After hearing his words, her small face reddened, just like a red peach. She looked tender and particularly good looking. Indeed, a beautiful child. But he was not happy in his heart.

An Yu Zhi was blushing. It was really hard to tell her the answer. A girl like her running over to inquire about such matters, she must be feeling every embarrassed. If she said anymore he would not be able to answer her anymore.

An Zi Ran looked calm, as if he did not notice her distress, and then said, “Do you really want to marry into the Fu palace?”

“Brother!” An Yu Zhi’s pretty face burned even brighter. It seemed that her elder brother was very straightforward. Her little face was so bashful that if one were to pinch it, water would come out*. But there was a hint of happiness in her eyes.

[*T/N: No, I don’t understand this description either, but she’s essentially really embarrassed.]

“Tell me the answer.” An Zi Ran saw her response and knew what her answer would be, but he still wanted to hear it from her lips.

An Yu Zhi stomped her foot. Her little face was all pinched together. She saw that her brother was indifferent. She felt ashamed for a while, and finally said in a tiny inaudible voice, “Yes… I… I want to marry him…”
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With an expressionless face, An Zi Ran said, “Even if he could only give you the title of a concubine?”

An Yu Zhi stood in a daze.

“I talked to him already, and he said he could only name you his concubine. Even if it’s like this, you’re still willing?” An Zi Ran ignored her sudden pale face. Some things must be put out in the open before it could be solved.

An Yu Zhi’s face was pale and white. She was not a woman without a brain. The gap between a wang fei and a concubine wasn’t just the normal distance (between a main wife and concubine). Once she became a concubine it was almost impossible for her to rise from concubine to wife status*. Not to mention she was still the daughter of a landlord. The difference in position was too large. She had heard many stories like this when listening to the actresses talk.

[*T/N: The word used here is 扶正 which can mean “to set something upright or straight,” “to promote an employee from part-time to full-time (or from deputy to principal)” or in olden times “to raise from concubine to wife status.”

I chose the last meaning since it seems like a literal fit for the story and time period, but I’m actually not sure how the wife and concubine thing works. I thought concubines couldn’t become the main wife, period, unless by imperial decree. This was what I understood from reading Doomed to be Cannon Fodder.

If I choose the first meaning, then I would interpret it as the concubine’s power and status in the family is so low that she wouldn’t be able to set things/matters straight or argue for justice even if she were wronged.]

An Zi Ran said, “If you do not want this, I will not force you. I will make another trip to the Fu palace and reject the marriage.”

Merely the position of a concubine, it would seem that the other side does not want to marry his sister. He was also a man, so he could understand Fu Wu Tian’s thinking. Therefore, he knew that An Yu Zhi would not be happy after she marries into the Fu palace. Although it would impact his future plans, he could still settle for the second best plan*. On the condition that the marriage would be canceled, he could make Fu Wu Tian promise to put the An family under his protection. This was the best way he could think of.

[*T/N: 退而求其次 “to settle for second best/the next best thing”]

However, An Yu Zhi’s reaction stupefied him.

“What are you saying?” An Zi Ran thought he heard wrong.

“I… I’m willing…” An Yu Zhi lowered her head and repeated her response. The section of her neck exposed under her collar had become red. The handkerchief in her hand was twisted to the point of fraying.

An Zi Ran stared at her. “You are certain you want to marry him as his concubine?”

An Yu Zhi was silent for a long time before lifting her head. This time she finally had the courage to look at him directly. Slowly and firmly she nodded. “Brother, I… still want to marry him.”

…..

Steward Su entered, “Young Master, the Young Miss, she…”

He knew that the young master must’ve told the young miss about the answer that they got from the Fu palace. But just now, when the young miss brushed past his shoulder (while leaving the room), he seemed to have seen her face flushed red with a shy expression. She was not sad (like he’d expected). The old man was confused.
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An Zi Ran said lightly, “That’s her own decision.”

Steward Su stood there in a stupor for a long while. Finally he let out a long sigh. For the sake of the An family, this was truly a hardship for the young miss.

[T/N: I think the steward is misunderstanding something…]

Fu Palace

A piece of information about the An family was delivered to Fu Wu Tian in less than half a day. The contents were very detailed. Not only did it detail their every move while they were in Jun Zi City, it included their situation in An Yuan County, and also information about their ancestors from eighteen generations back.

[T/N: The last part is just an exaggerated figure of speech. It basically means they found out a lot about the An family.]

If An Zi Ran were to see this detailed report, he would be shocked. To be able to do this much in such a short amount of time, Fu Wu Tian was definitely not some scrub that just returned to the capital.

“Wang ye, this An Zi Ran has quite a lot of nerve,” said Ge Qian An, who was standing at the bottom of the stairs. This was the young man from before (the one that took the bloody body out of the great hall). He has already read through the report. At a glance, he realized An Zi Ran’s purpose for making Fu Wu Tian fulfill the marriage contract. He just wanted to take advantage of wang ye’s status. For a mere landlord, he sure had a lot of guts.

Fu Wu Tian looked at that piece of paper, “Don’t you think he’s amusing?”

Ge Qian An didn’t understand what he was saying.

Fu Wu Tian released the paper and watched it float to the ground. The writing on it was still clearly visible. Calmly, he said, “Will most people forego an IOU that has accumulated for more than ten years? Will they reduce the rent of an entire county without saying anything?”
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Ge Qian An nodded, “To meet gains or losses with equanimity*, direct and efficient**, he is indeed a person of talent. However, does wang ye really want to marry the landlord’s daughter?” He could not guess Fu Wu Tian’s thought, and thus wrinkled his brow.

[*T/N: 拿得起放得下 lit. can pick it up or put it down (idiom)]

[**T/N: 干脆利落 gan cui li luo (of speech or actions) direct and efficient]

“(My grandfather was) even willing to gift the mandarin duck pendant to the An family, what reason do I have to refuse?” Fu Wu Tian looked up at the clear sky. The white clouds seemed to form a person’s face. His black eyes flashed. Then he turned his head slowly towards the left corridor. “Am I right, grandfather?”

Without knowing when, suddenly the figure of Fu lao wang ye was standing there in the hallway.

Ge Qian An startled. He completely did not notice. He hurried saluted him, “Lao wang ye!”

With his hands behind his back, Fu lao wang ye just stood there looking at them. His expression was almost the same as his grandson, calm and cold. Hearing the words of his grandson, he responded, “Since you know that grandfather attaches great importance to this marriage with the An family, then take the An family’s girl as your wang fei. Do you have a problem?”

Fu Wu Tian stared at him for a long time. Suddenly, he said, “Of course, there is no problem.”

Fu lao wang ye nodded his head with satisfaction. Then he turned and left.

Ge Qian An let out a breath of relief. Fu lao wang ye’s illness really was unpredictable. Suddenly recovering memories at this critical moment. It seemed that even the heavens were assisting the An family. Only that, wang ye changed his tune without saying anything, and it really made him surprised. He really did not know how wang ye’s brain worked.

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Chapter 26 – Concubine

When those words were spoken the entire hall went quiet.

An Zi Ran took a deep breath and gently pulled his hands away. When he could not pull them away, he said patiently, “Lao wang ye, you misidentified, I am not your grandson.”

[T/N: I’m changing “old Fu wang ye” to “Fu lao wang ye” because I feel like the word “old” or “lao” here is meant to be a part of his title 老王爷 and not just a descriptor of his age. It was starting to feel weird translating 傅老王爷 as “old Fu wang ye.” And “Fu lao wang ye” is more compliant with the original order in Chinese.]

Your real grandson is watching you blanking from the side, An Zi Ran thought.

Fu lao wang ye did not listen to him. Instead, he grinned and said in a dejected manner, “Grandson, is it that you dislike your grandfather? Speak, grandfather will change.”
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An Zi Ran suddenly felt a headache coming on. It looked like there was something wrong with Fu lao wang ye’s head. He even mistook someone else for his own grandson. Could An Zi Ran still count on him to remember something from ten years ago? No wonder Fu Wu Tian had his grandfather brought over so readily. Fu Wu Tian must’ve calculated that Fu lao wang ye wouldn’t be able to say anything (about the marriage contract). An Zi Ran did not think Fu lao wang ye was pretending, because it was not necessary.

An Zi Ran looked at Fu Wu Tian and said, “Wang ye, can Fu lao wang ye remember this matter?”

While staring at his face, Fu Wu Tian said, “He had a serious illness six years ago. When he recovered and woke up, he became like this. Sometimes his memory is there, and sometimes it is not. He often misidentified people.”

Intermittent amnesia!

An Zi Ran immediately reached this conclusion. This condition could also be called forgetfulness. The elderly are the most likely to get this disease. It is almost incurable. It was entirely up to luck, whether he could remember that agreement from ten years ago.

Fu Wu Tian looked at him calmly*. His eyes flashed. He wanted to see how An Zi Ran planned to prove his claim.

[*T/N: 好整以暇 “to be calm and unruffled in the midst of chaos or at a busy time” (idiom). MTL translated this as “awkwardness”… That’s like the polar opposite meaning, ah! o(╯□╰)o]

An Zi Ran thought for a bit, and still decided to give it a try, so he took the jade pendant over and presented it to Fu lao wang ye. “Lao wang ye, do you still remember this jade pendant? Ten years ago, you gave this to my grandfather, as a token of promise to make our two families in-laws. My grandfather is your soul mate (close friend). You were once sworn brothers. Do you remember?”
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Fu lao wang ye tilted his head for a moment as he looked. Suddenly, with pleasant surprise, he grabbed onto the jade pendant, and said with a definitive voice, “I remember!”

An Zi Ran felt a spark of delight.

Fu lao wang ye then said, “This is Dan Xue’s jade pendant. How come there is only one?”

An Zi Ran’s expression froze.

Who was Dan Xue?

Fu Wu Tian saw the distress on his face. It was like seeing something interesting. His eyes lit up, “Dan Xue is my* grandmother.”

[*T/N: He addressed himself as 本王 ben wang, which means “this prince.” In ancient China there are many ways to address oneself and other people. Depending on which pronoun or noun is used it denotes status and/or one’s attitude towards the person being addressed. I know this from watching copious amounts of Chinese drama, but I am not familiar with all the varied forms of address out there, only the more common ones.]

Looking at the way Fu lao wang ye was right now, it was likely that he did not remember Steward Su either. It’s probably hopeless to expect him to remember the agreement from ten years ago. But it’s impossible for An Zi Ran to leave like this. Just getting here was hard enough. He wasn’t going to return home empty handed.
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Steward Su once told him, Fu lao wang ye was a very outspoken and straightforward person. He was talented, but he was not like literati, instead having the character of a war general. He was not the type to say one thing and do another. He was also a loyal person. His insistence on tying the two families together as in-laws should not be an impulsive act. Originally, he thought that even if Fu Wu Tian did not acknowledge the marriage contract, he could still depend on Fu lao wang ye to achieve his objective, but he did not account for this point.

The plan was completely disrupted. It was going to be difficult to go on from here.

An Zi Ran frowned. He glimpsed the jade pendant that Fu lao wang ye loved too much to put down*, and a light bulb flashed in his head. Slightly distracted; he’d been going around in circles. How did he not see such an obvious point?

[*T/N: 爱不释手 “to love something too much to part with it” (idiom)]

“Wang ye, actually you already knew about the marriage contract, did you not?”

Fu Wu Tian saw An Zi Ran’s sudden confidence in attitude. The gaze that looked at Fu Wu Tian was particularly steady. It was completely different from the shifty way that other people looked at him*. Very refreshing. “Yes.”

[*T/N: As in other people are too nervous to look the ML in the eyes, so their gazes always shift when talking to him.]

An Zi Ran’s breathing deepened. He should have guessed this earlier.

Fu lao wang ye only got sick six years ago. There was still four years before that. He couldn’t have hidden this matter from his grandson all that time. And when someone returns home they were sure to mention something like a marriage contract with their family. Fu lao wang ye was someone who took his words seriously, and definitely would not conceal the truth.

“Wang ye should be able to guess my motive for coming here. The promise token (jade pendant) is impossible to fake. I ask that wang ye fulfill the agreement made between lao wang ye and my grandfather.” An Zi Ran found that when dealing with people like Fu Wu Tian, if he over thought things too much, the easier it was for the other person to play him.

Fu Wu Tian stared at him with an unchanging expression. “How do you want me to fulfill it?”

An Zi Ran said, “Marry my sister.”

“Concubine?”

“Main wife.”

The An family was but the landlord of a small county, if Fu Wu Tian were to get married again in the future, then his sister’s status would be laughed at as nothing more than the daughter of a businessman. Thus, only the status of wang fei will keep her from being bullied. What he can do for An Yu Zhi was only this.
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Silence reigned in the hall.

Steward Su looked nervously between the two of them. Although he also wished that the third miss can marry the wang ye as his wang fei, he still felt that it was just a fantastical daydream. Just looking at the gap in status between the two families, how could the An family hope to climb so high up.

Fu Wu Tian said calmly, “If your sister wants to marry into the Fu family, she can only be a concubine.”

An Zi Ran’s expression became uncertain. Although Fu Wu Tian did not say it clearly, An Zi Ran understood the underlying meaning. The imperial family cannot have a businessman’s daughter as a wang fei. Otherwise, wouldn’t they be laughed at by the world? Although An Zi Ran thought it was ridiculous, the ancients seemed to be very concerned with face*.

[*T/N: The Chinese concept of face is like a mix of reputation, prestige, and respect.]

Fu Wu Tian’s words illustrated his attitude. An Zi Ran knew that even if he persisted it would not yield results. It would’ve still been okay if Fu lao wang ye had not gotten sick. Luck was not in accordance to him.

An Zi Ran retrieved the jade pendant from Fu lao wang ye. Then with Steward Su, he left the Fu palace.

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T/N: Shout Outs!!!

A special thank you to ElizabethLor and alix682 over on ko-fi. Thank you so much for supplying me the caffeine (and cake!) I needed when I was up translating this at the wee hours of the night. (๑╹o╹)φ

A super big thank you to Carmen Hall and Michelle ossiander for pledging to me on patreon. Woot! I didn’t think I would be getting patrons so quickly. You really surprised me and put a big smile on my face. o(^∀^)o

Once again, thank you to all the aforementioned people, you really made my day and you were a big motivator for kicking my butt into gear to pump out this special chapter for you all. (۶•̀ᴗ•́)۶ As this update is outside of my regular updating schedule, there will be another update tomorrow, on Monday, as per usual.
(๑ゝڡ◕๑)

Vanilla Muse: The author uses the “he” pronoun a lot without distinguishing who is being talked about, so I will be making my best guess, and occasionally changing out pronouns for names to make things less confusing.

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Chapter 25 – Which Grandson

His eyes were like cold stars, chilly as the edge of a blade.

Even though An Zi Ran was mentally prepared he couldn’t help the prickle that crept across his scalp. Out of all the people within that great hall, he could tell that the smell of blood was the strongest on this man. Seemed like this was the current lord of the Fu palace, Fu Wu Tian.

Fu Wu Tian, this was the man that was in charge of a hundred thousand troops. His imposing manner really lived up to his reputation. That gaze, it really looked like he did not put the law or the heavens in his eye*. From his body came an aura of killing intent that could not be ignored. Although Fu Wu Tian tried his best to suppress it, An Zi Ran could still feel it, and it was not far from the image in his imagination.

[*T/N: There is a Chinese pun happening here. The ML’s name is 傅无天 and the idiom that the MC then used to describe his gaze is 无法无天, which means “regardless of the law and of natural morality” or “maverick”]

The man’s tall, upright body is like a poplar tree. Standing in the middle of the hall, his presence was impossible to ignore. His facial features were handsome and stalwart*. He had a pair of heroic sword eyebrows. There was not a single soft line on his entire body. His broad shoulders looked like they could hold up the heavens. Such a person really did lived up to the imagination one would have of a hero, if he were not stepping on a bloody person that is.

[*T/N: 五管英俊刚毅 “five sense organs of TCM (nose, eyes, lips, tongue, ears) are handsome and resolute/steadfast/stalwart”]

If An Yu Zhi saw this scene, An Zi Ran wasn’t sure if she would still be willing to marry Fu Wu Tian.
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He was unable to guess at a girl’s heart. Although An Yu Zhi seemed soft and weak, her inner heart was not something that could be perceived based on her outer appearance. This he knew from experience.

Carelessly he had dropped his awareness, but An Zi Ran quickly regained his senses. In a flash, he realized that Fu Wu Tian and his men were all watching him. There was a hint of surprise in most of those gazes, as if they were seeing something inconceivable. An Zi Ran frowned slightly, but then he calmed down as if nothing had happened.

The man in the middle of the hall stared blankly at An Zi Ran for a moment. Then suddenly, to one of the young men on the side he said, “Take this person away.”

Steward Su froze, thinking that the man was talking about them.

An Zi Ran was afraid that Steward Su was going to slip and fall down, so he patted him on the shoulder in a placating manner.

The young man didn’t even look at them, and instead instructed two other men to lift the bloody person and drag him out of the great hall. Others simply cleared the blood on the ground and then withdrew.

The heavy smell of blood in the hall lightened a bit.

The man turned and walked over to sit on the main seat*. Then he leisurely** drank the hot tea that a servant poured for him. The man was not anxious or hurried, and gave other people the feeling of being pressured.

[*T/N: An elevated seat at one end of the hall that’s for the host or head of the family.]

[**T/N: 不疾不徐 bu ji bu xu: neither too fast nor too slow (idiom)]

An Zi Ran did not feel anything. Before coming here, he was already mentally prepared. But Steward Su was different, and his expression revealed his inner consternation. After all, he was already at such an old age and the opponent was no ordinary wang ye. The fact that he did not crumple to the floor in desolation or flee from the hall was already a great show of courage on his part. If An Zi Ran knew that the situation would turn out like this, he would’ve had Steward Su wait outside.
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Just as he was thinking this, the sound of the man’s voice rang out in the hall.

“Where is the jade pendant?”

An Zi Ran looked up at the man to find that the man was watching him. There was not a single waver in those black eyes. They were excessively tranquil. An Zi Ran could not pick out any thoughts from those eyes. For the first time, he felt off kilter. An Zi Ran was used to observing other people’s expressions first before coming up with a plan to react according.

He was not used to procrastinating, so he brought out the jade pendant, and said in a decisive manner*, “Does wang ye recognize this jade pendant?”

[*T/N: 快刀斩乱麻 lit. quick sword cuts through tangled hemp (idiom); decisive action in a complex situation / cutting the Gordian knot]

Fu Wu Tian saw him without a trace of fear. His deep eyes paused on An Zi Ran’s face for a moment, and then flickered to the pendant. At one glance, he recognized that this piece of jade was indeed one half of his grandmother’s pair of jade pendants.

This mandarin duck pendant was made from top quality white jade. This type of jade was extremely rare. Only the royal family could own it. And the person who carved this piece of jade was a very famous sculptor. But that sculptor passed away more than ten years ago. Thus, this mandarin duck jade pendant had become a unique treasure, and no one could forge it.

“You have a lot of nerve. You dare to steal the jade pendant of Fu palace?”

A voice of anger suddenly rang out. An Zi Ran’s heart grew cold and thumped quickly once. Looking up, he saw that Fu Wu Tian’s dark eyes were staring at him. A sense of oppression washed over him in a wave. An Zi Ran steadied himself, and then said, “Wang ye, ten years ago the old wang ye gave this jade pendant to the An family as a token of marriage. If you do not believe, you can go ask the old wang ye. I believe he will give you an answer.
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He had just finished speaking, when he saw the corners of Fu Wu Tian’s mouth turn down slightly. It was a short-lived illusion. Then he heard his honest voice ring out in the hall.

“Since An gong zi wants a confrontation, let’s invite the old wang ye to come here.”

Immediately outside the hall, the response of Steward Li Nuo Nuo was heard. His footsteps quickly hurried away.

An Zi Ran saw Fu Wu Tian’s straightforward response, and instead felt a spark of doubt in his heart. No matter how one looked at it, it did not seem like he was aware of the situation concerning the jade pendant and the marriage contract. Could it be true that the old Fu wang ye did not talk to him about this matter? Before he could figure it out, a loud noise was heard outside the hall. Then a resounding and bold voice came in.

“Which grandson is looking for me?”

An Zi Ran turned around and saw a fat old man striding in from the outside. With his head held high, his chest pushed out*, and a dignified face, it was an awe-inspiring look. He walked with exaggerated steps, swinging his legs out left and right. An Zi Ran was tempted to laugh. Obviously, this was an old urchin with a ruddy face and an overstated character.

[*T/N: 昂首挺胸 head high, chest out (idiom)]

[T/N: Yes, the raws said “old urchin”… I can’t tell if the description is supposed to be positive or negative anymore…]

This person can’t possibly be the old Fu wang ye, right?

Old Fu wang ye entered through the door. His seemingly weird eyeballs passed over his own grandson and landed on An Zi Ran. Suddenly, he ran over and happily took An Zi Ran’s hands. With his eyes bright, he said something shocking*, “Grandson, for what matter did you seek grandfather?”

[*T/N: 一鸣惊人 to amaze the world with a single brilliant feat (idiom)]

An Zi Ran: “…”

Steward Su fainted.

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Chapter 24 – First Meeting

Ever since jun wang brought his army back to the capital, everyone in the Fu palace cheered. For an entire month, the royal palace had a festive atmosphere, but today there was one place that was not the same.

The solemn silence entangled the palace’s hall. Only the sound of lashing sounded from time to time. The pa pa sound of flesh being whipped caused one’s skin to break out in gooseflesh. None of the palace servants dared to go near the main hall. They’d rather take a detour than go through that place.

The center of the hall.

A person who was whipped until their flesh was a mess could not endure anymore and fell down. Fresh blood was splattered on the ground. The bloodied man with disheveled hair looked particularly miserable, but no one sympathized with him.
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The people standing around the hall looked on blankly at this scene. They all exuded a forbidding atmosphere. One glance revealed that they were all soldiers who have fought through bloody battles. On the battlefield, what kind of misery have they not witnessed? Missing limbs and eviscerated organs were all common occurrences.

The bloodied man was lying breathless on the floor. His vision was blurred by blood. A lash mark ran vertically down his left eye. The mark traced down his eye and halfway down his face. He vaguely saw a tall figure coming towards him. A sense of oppression followed.

He opened his mouth, letting out a haa haa sound, as if he wanted to say something. A foot suddenly stepped down on his chest. With little effort (from the foot), he coughed up a bit of blood and a few drops of blood spilled over the edge of the man’s shoes.

“I… aah…” The bloodied man’s face scrunched up and he vomited another mouth full of blood.

The foot on his chest suddenly exerted more strength. The force was almost enough to crush his sternum and drilled into his opened wound. His entire face turned paper white.

Not only did the man not have any sympathy, but he also continued to exert pressure. The person beneath his foot twisted with pain and started to struggle, but that only hurt himself more. With more blood spilling, the big hall was filled with the iron stench of blood. If this went on the bloodied man was likely to be trampled to death.
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Seeing him on the verge of death, the others were still indifferent. To them, even if this man were to die a thousand, ten thousand deaths, it would not be enough. Because betrayers did not need sympathy!

At this moment, a rush of footsteps came in from outside the hall.

The people in the hall finally reacted, but it was with a wrinkling of their brows. The general had commanded that no one were to disturb them. Didn’t expect that there was someone dumb enough to do so.

The group of men all immediately turned to look at the man that was stepping on the traitor. That man’s eyebrows did not move at all.

The other party hesitated for a moment outside the hall and seemed to finally gather the courage to walk in. Seeing the bloody scene within the hall, the newcomer kept his head low and did not look about. It was the Fu palace’s old Steward Li.

The man’s threatening eyes fell on him as if to say ‘if you don’t give me a satisfactory answer, I will deal with you.’ Steward Li couldn’t help feeling afraid. Although it has been a month, he still could not get use to this man. Wang ye’s eyes always scared him, so he was always careful, afraid of being caught (doing something wrong) and penalized.

“Wang- wang ye, someone outside is asking for an audience,” Steward Li stuttered.

At this time, a young man standing to the right side, with a black band tied around his forehead, gave Steward Li a cutting glance and said in a cold voice, “Wang ye commanded that no one should be allowed to come in and disturb us. Knowing this, you still went against his order, you sure have guts!”

Steward Li immediately knelt down in fright. He looked anxiously at the man. “Wang ye please forgive me. This little person truly has an urgent matter. The two people outside have the old wang fei’s* keepsake and are asking to see you. That keepsake is a jade pendant of mandarin ducks**, so this little person dare not delay. That’s why…” He has been in the Fu palace for more than ten years, so he deeply understood the importance of that jade pendant to the old wang fei. Reportedly, the old wang fei had intended to leave that jade pendant for her future grandson’s wife. Such an important thing, he dare not delay!

[*T/N: 王妃 wang fei: princess. This is referring to the ML’s grandmother.]

[**T/N: 鸳鸯 yuan yang: mandarin duck. A pair of them signifies an affectionate (and/or happily married) couple in China.]

“You are certain that it is the mandarin duck pendant?”

The man slowly opened his mouth to speak. His deep and solid voice was not as cold as his appearance.

Steward Li nodded quickly. “This little person had personally seen the jade pendant before, so I should not be mistaken.”

“Let them come in.”

Once he received an answer, Steward Li immediately left that oppressive feeling hall. After he left, he realized that his back was soaked through with sweat, and in his heart he still felt a thread of anxiety. Not daring to think about it again, he tried to erase the image from his mind.
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Outside the Fu palace, An Zi Ran, who had just received permission to enter, looked over at Steward Li to see that the steward’s forehead was covered in sweat. There was some doubt in his heart, but he still pressed down that feeling of unease and stepped into the palace with Steward Su at his side. They headed towards the main hall.

Seeing the hall in front, An Zi Ran’s face suddenly changed slightly.

He could smell a hint of blood in the air, and as they got closer to the main hall, the smell grew stronger. He was almost certain that some bloody incident took place in the Fu palace, and it most likely resulted in someone’s death.

Once they arrived at the entrance to the main hall, An Zi Ran rearranged the expression on his face to something more neutral, not revealing the slightest peculiarity. Then together with Steward Li they entered.

The thick smell of blood slapped them in the faces. The first sight that greeted them was the bloody and mangled* body lying on the floor.

[*T/N: 血肉模糊 to be badly mangled or mutilated (idiom)]

Steward Su’s legs turned to jelly. It was his first time seeing such a cruel and bloody scene, so it was normal that he could not accept the reality of it right away. An Zi Ran immediately moved to support the elderly man.

After a short while, An Zi Ran could feel eyes on his body. It was a gaze that gave off a presence that could not be ignored. Unable to resist, he lifted his head to look. In a split second, his eyes clashed with a pair of deep and chilly black eyes that were like a swirling maelstrom.

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T/N: The ML is finally here! As I was translating, I chuckled a bit at how hard the author was trying to make him come across as cold and cruel. We all know he’s going to be whipped by the MC eventually. Huuhuu~

For a newbie translator like me I don’t think I could’ve made it here without the amazing support of the community. You have all been wonderful and patient readers. I would like to thank you again for all the kind and supportive comments you’ve given me. It’s especially fun when I see readers interacting in the comments section and speculating about the story together. I feel like I might really be able to see this story through to the end with all of you. So let’s enjoy this ride together!
~ Muse ♡