Note: The names are retained in traditional Chinese characters as the RAWs I’m translating from are in traditional Chinese and it also makes it easier for me when I’m translating. The new vocabulary terms on the other hand are in simplified Chinese.Characters Shown / Mentioned in this Chapter:
葉璃璃兒 – Ye LiLi er – Main Female Protagonist – first di daughter of the Ye family, but the third child in the family.
定王定國王墨修堯 – Ding w.a.n.gDing guow.a.n.g Mo Xiu Yao – Imperial Prince Ding of the highest rank
黎王 墨景黎 – Li w.a.n.g Mo Jing Li – Imperial Prince LiImperial Family Members + Subjects:Nanzhao
棲霞公主 – Xi Xia gongzhu – Zhao Yang Chang gongzhu‘s fuma‘s nieceOthers:
秦箏 – Qin Zheng – second daughter of Qin YushiYe Li‘s new friend
華天香 – Hua Tianxiang – young miss of the Hua Guo Gong fuYe Li‘s new friendBold – Names of people, placesItalic – Chinese terms in pinyinUnderline – UnknownChapter 30: Xi Xia gongzhu
Chu Xiang Pavilion Second Floor
A gorgeous figure of a woman very quickly rushed out from the private room and was soon about to collide with a waiter who was slowly carrying a tray of dishes. Murong Ting at the same time had leapt out and wanted to pull that young lady, but was still slow by half a beat and let that splendidly red sleeve slip through her fingers.
“Be careful!” At the same time as when the waiter got b.u.mped into by that young lady in red, Ye Li had practically calculated the direction in which the steaming hot soup within the tray would head towards once collided. She conveniently picked up the empty bowl placed on the table and threw it over. Due to the accurate position and amount of strength used, it rigidly knocked the pot of soup that had just left flying from the tray and had been heading towards someone’s head somewhat to the left. With a peal of ‘ping ping pang pang’ sounds, the pot of soup fell on a vacant spot on the ground not far away. And because the waiter had been rigidly protecting the tray, the several remaining dishes except for one fell on the ground in front and the soup had splashed onto a guest’s clothes, but didn’t at all bring about an even more serious damage.
The entire second floor immediately turned quiet. The waiter’s face was deathly pale as he glanced at the soup on the floor and gratefully looked towards the young lady dressed in blue-green clothing sitting at the side. If it weren’t for that young lady immediately throwing out the bowl, the waiter clearly understood that the boiling hot soup of the pot that had just got off the fire might have very possibly landed on the head of the seated young man leaning against the side of the staircase and with his back facing towards him and that it could have even possibly fell one level lower and smash against the customers below.
The young lady in red clearly wasn’t at all conscious of the kind of accident she herself could bring about; after getting pulled back a step from behind by Murong Ting, she had even angrily shook off her hand and rebuked, “Impudent! You actually dared to block this gongzhu‘s[1] path!”
At this, Qin Zheng and the rest only then saw clearly that the young lady in red was in fact Nanzhao‘s Xi Xia gongzhu whom they have met at the Hundred Flowers Event several days ago.
Murong Ting didn’t abide by this behaviour of hers as she coldly laughed and said, “If you want to display your airs as a gongzhu, display them back over to Nanzhao. There are people coming and going inside this restaurant and yet you still charge around violently. If someone were to get hurt, what’s to be done?”
Xi Xia gongzhu‘s complexion looked unsightly; it was obvious that she wasn’t at all feeling absolutely wonderful. She disdainfully scoffed and said, “It was merely a couple of riffraffs. If this gongzhu were to get hurt, what’s to be done about that then?”
Once these words were said out loud, the expressions of all the customers on the second floor changed. It had to be known that this Chu Xiang Pavilion was the best restaurant among the rest in the capital; the high cost for eating there absolutely wasn’t something the ordinary and common ma.s.ses could afford. Among those who goes in and out, if they weren’t rich, they would be n.o.ble personages. For Xi Xia gongzhu to say a lot of such nonsense here, it had without a doubt completely offended all the people who were present.
Hua Tianxiang got up, her beautiful and good-looking face with an added trace of cold indifference and her smile still as reserved and n.o.ble as before, “Even if they were riffraffs, they are still my Da Chu‘s riffraffs; it seemingly still isn’t the turn for a gongzhu from merely a small country like Nanzhou to come and belittle them.” The civilians of Nanzhao were weak; if it weren’t for the several hundred years’ worth of kind efforts of the three big and powerful countries, going on punitive expeditions continuously as well as mutually restraining one another, the very small Nanzhao would have long been annexed earlier.
“You have a lot of nerve!” Xi Xia gongzhu‘s face darkened, looking entirely angry as she stared down Hua Tianxiang. Hua Tianxiang slightly lifted her chin, looking her face to face without the least bit intention of taking it lying down. Never mind a gongzhu of a small country, respecting her to some degree was due to looking upon Zhao Yang zhang gongzhu‘s[2][a] face; did she really think that Da Chu‘s influential bigwigs were all scared of her?
“Xi Xia gongzhu, you presumably are also clear about what kind of place Chu Xiang Pavilion is. If someone were to get hurt, I only fear that zhang gongzhu would also be put in a very difficult position.” Qin Zheng laughed lightly as she spoke, the eyes with which she looked at Xi Xia gongzhu not containing the usual gentleness within them.
Xi Xia gongzhu‘s complexion slightly changed, giving a light humph as she cast a glance over to the rear view of the man whose head was nearly spilled with the boiling hot soup, saying, “Isn’t he alright? Who needs you guys to meddle in other people’s business?”
Hua Tianxiang retrieved the gaze with which she stared down Xi Xia gongzhu, smiling towards Murong Ting as she said, “Murong, let it be. In the end, it’s a gongzhu from a foreign country who can’t even apologize. When we go walking normally and come across such, it’s better to just turn around; who knows who will be unlucky next time.”
Murong Ting acted as though she took it seriously as she looked Xi Xia gongzhu up and down and nodded, saying, “Tianxiang, what you said is right. Furthermore, everyone here today acknowledges it as being unlucky. Who would cause our grand Xi Xia gongzhu‘s mood to become bad? Waiter, you haven’t been scared silly, have you? Still not tidying it up?” The waiter who had been scared by these sudden circ.u.mstances promptly apologized towards the affected customers and hurriedly cleared up the mess.
's.l.u.t!” Xi Xia gongzhu‘s face turned green with anger (enraged expression), pulling the long whip from her waist and pelted it down towards Hua Tian Xiang.
“Tianxiang!” Qin Zheng cried out in alarm.
A blue-green figure brandished the incoming roll of the long whip; with one hand, Ye Li pulled Hua Tianxiang aside and with her other hand, she rigidly grabbed the whip somewhat before her eyes. The slight pain in her palm caused Ye Li to frown; due to the problem with the seats, she could only pull Hua Tianxiang to get away to the side a bit and then receive Xi Xia gongzhu‘s whip herself.
However, her palm didn’t at all hurt as much as she had predicted. Ye Li looked over and it turned out that the whip had already been wrested from Xi Xia gongzhu‘s hands at an unknown time and whose face had gone pale and was covering the back of her hand as she glared at Ye Li.
Ye Li‘s beautiful eyebrows slightly raised and she swept a glance over the surrounding diners and finally landed her gaze upon that man leaning against the staircase who had not once turned his head around.
“Xi Xia gongzhu, people who come are visitors. My Da Chu‘s subjects respect you somewhat. I’m afraid this habit of yours of carrying a whip and brandishing it everywhere isn’t at all suited to Da Chu. I still ask that you conduct yourself with dignity according to your status.” Retrieving her somewhat uncertain gaze, Ye Li‘s cold gaze landed on Xi Xia gongzhu.((This translation is originally found on: h t t p : / / g u q i n t r a n s l a t i o n s . w o r d p r e s s . c o m))
Slowly taking back her hand from the long whip, Ye Li didn’t at all have the intention of returning the item to her. Even if the young ladies of this era were carefree and lively like Murong, they were also aware of one’s propriety; how could this Xi Xia gongzhu play with such a dangerous plaything? “For this, I will have someone send it over to the zhang gongzhu fu[3] .
“Ye Li, did you think that by getting some Hundred Flowers‘ first place that you can be proud of yourself? Weren’t you still abandoned by Li w.a.n.g[4] ? Aren’t you still going to get married to that rubbish w.a.n.gye[5] of the Ding guow.a.n.g[6] fu? Hmph, this gongzhu even feels pity for you.”
Ye Li‘s eyes looked cold, “I suppose with Xi Xia gongzhu‘s experience and brains, I fear you cannot comprehend Ding guow.a.n.g fu‘s significance and status within Da Chu. Naturally, you would be even more unable to comprehend the current Holy One’s deep benevolence. Perhaps Xi Xia gongzhu‘s forgetful brain had long forgotten that that person whom you’ve described to be rubbish, had at the age of fifteen once swept across the southern border. Nanzhao was also one of those right? Even such rubbish couldn’t compare with Nanzhao‘s royal highness gongzhu, you…how can you live on shamelessly? You could even say a lot of such nonsense here? As for the gongzhu‘s pity, I’m most probably unable to bear it. It would be better to leave it for yourself to use.” Ye Li‘s intonation wasn’t at all indignant nor was it hurried and brief, but it was precisely this kind of slow and seemingly leisurely words that caused Xi Xia gongzhu who had a proud look of schadenfreude to turn green then purple and then turn from purple to black. A lot of customers also started sn.i.g.g.e.ring.
Hua Tianxiang who had just been frightened of nearly getting disfigured recomposed herself at this moment and walked over to Ye Li‘s side and laughed as she said, “Ah Li, you had been sold short. How could the small country of Nanzhao understand so much? I only hope that from now on with zhang gongzhu‘s teaching, certain people would know what is truly a gongzhu‘s demeanor. After all…zhang gongzhu is my female role model.”
Murong Ting walked over, fuming. Awhile ago, she didn’t make it in time to save Hua Tianxiang and got scared to the point that she nearly lost her nerve; reacting at this time, how could she still have a good facial expression toward Xi Xia gongzhu. “What Tianxiang said is right. Xi Xia gongzhu is merely envying Ah Li and nothing more. Although Ah Li is unable to become Li w.a.n.gfei[7] , she is able to become Ding w.a.n.gfei. Not like a certain gongzhu coming from distant parts…hee hee…” Getting secretly pinched by Qin Zheng, Murong Ting forced herself to swallow back the remaining words and subst.i.tuted them with two sounds of laughter. However, the parts of the unfinished meaning that ought to be understood was understood.
“You guys…You guys…”
“What happened? Xi Xia, what are you making a noise for?”
The private room’s door was once again opened; with a cold face and his sword-like eyebrows furrowed, Mo Jing Li looked at the scene before him, his complexion darkening even further as his gaze landed on Ye Li.
“Jing Li elder brother, they’re bullying Xia er[8]!” Seeing Mo Jing Li coming out, Xi Xia gongzhu promptly leaned(?) over, her face also revealing an added trace of a young girl’s charming att.i.tude.
Oh…
Everyone present conscientiously gave out an impression of eating, yet their ears were all erect (listening attentively). Wasn’t His Highness Li w.a.n.g going to have a big wedding next month? How could he be having a tryst with Xi Xia gongzhu in a restaurant? Could it be that after abandoning the Ye family’s third xiaojie[9], Li w.a.n.g in the end was once again preparing to abandon the Ye family’s fourth xiaojie?
Mo Jing Li‘s eyebrows creased, staring fixedly at Ye Li as he said, “Just a small matter, is there any need to treat it lightly[b]? Or is it that you Ye Li want to grandstand? Just give up, benw.a.n.g[10] will never marry you!”
If she weren’t in a public place with numerous people, Ye Li absolutely would’ve given him an unforgettable lesson. If you weren’t narcissistic, would you die?
“Has His Highness Li w.a.n.g seen an imperial physician?”
“What?” Mo Jing Li was surprised for a moment.
Ye Li indifferently said, “Having unconstrained delusions anytime and anywhere is an illness, get it treated as early as possible.”
Puchi—–didn’t know who at last couldn’t hold back from laughing out loud.
“Audacious!” Mo Jing Li was never the type of person who had a good temper; being made fun of brazenly like this by a woman he himself had abandoned, he was immediately and agitatedly indignant. His gloomy and cold pair of eyes bursting out a trace of a violent aura, he reached out a hand to Ye Li to grab ahold of her.
A cold gleam flashed in Ye Li‘s eyes, secretly rummaging within the sleeve of her right hand where an item was already fastened, only waiting for Mo Jing Li to arrive in front of her.
A shadow very quickly flitted across, Mo Jing Li‘s hand halted a step away from Ye Li and was no longer able to budge further.
A deep and gentle voice indifferently said, “Li w.a.n.g, do you have any discontentment towards benw.a.n.g‘s future w.a.n.gfei?”Glossary:Gongzhu (公主 – imperial princess)Zhang gongzhu (長公主 – the emperor’s sisters who were formerly t.i.tled ‘gongzhu’ / elder princess / princess royal)Fu (府 – official residence / family residence compound / household / term for family and home put together)w.a.n.g (王 – imperial prince)w.a.n.gye (王爺 – term for addressing an imperial prince)Guow.a.n.g (国王 – former appellation for '亲王 – qinw.a.n.g' which is the highest rank of a prince, used from Han to Ming dynasty)w.a.n.gfei (王妃 – consort princess / wife of an imperial prince or “王 – w.a.n.g“)Er (儿 – term of endearment for one’s child / child)Xiaojie (小姐 – Young miss / lady)Benw.a.n.g (本王 – this imperial prince / term for an imperial prince to refer to himself, subst.i.tuting 'I')More Info:a) It has come to my attention that “長 – chang/zhang” is not part of the name as I had formerly thought, so from this chapter onwards, it will be referred to as the t.i.tle, “zhang gongzhu” – the emperor’s sisters who were formerly t.i.tled ‘gongzhu’ / elder princess.b) The sentence Mo Jing Li uses here is “些許小事何必大題小做。”. However, “大題小做” apparently means to treat a major issue lightly–which doesn’t seem to fit in this context. I would’ve expected him to say instead something along the lines of making a mountain out of a molehill.