#consort beautiful jiu

[sunderwight]

SV Malevolent AU where, due to a system error (Shen Jiu not actually dying from the qi deviation? Mu Qingfang being present and resuscitating him in time maybe?) Shen Yuan ends up only half-possessing SJ by gaining control of his eyes.

SJ, of course, fully believes that he's been possessed by a demon and wants to evict the creature in question as soon as possible. However, he's still a paranoid bastard before anything else, so his first attempt is to just quietly do it himself after chasing Yue Qingyuan and anyone else away from his house. He doesn't want either a reputation for being weak and susceptible to possession, or one for having ties to demonic influence. There's enough grime on his reputation and the ONE thing he has confidently never been at risk of adding to it was consorting with demons, and he'd like to keep it that way.

Except, of course, Shen Yuan's not a demonic spirit, so none of the efforts to "evict" him actually work. Much to Shen Yuan's relief. A blind cultivator is still plenty formidable, but after a few days of deadlock over the issue, and with Shen Yuan fully in control of Shen Jiu's eyesight but otherwise unable to do much, Shen Yuan negotiates with the system (which SJ cannot perceive at all) to be able to tell Shen Jiu some things. Enough to get him to do something other than crack and run out of his house to let the other peak lords try their hands at ousting SY.

He tells Shen Jiu that he's not a demon (not for the first time, not that SJ believed him) but that he IS a spirit from another realm, and that he got turned around somehow on his way to try and warn this world about an impending catastrophe. SJ is naturally still suspicious, but after SY provides him with enough tidbits of information to verify that he's not completely lying, he decides to at least entertain the idea that SY isn't a demon and that a more nuanced approach is called for (also this route is appealing for him because it means he can still avoid telling anyone else that there's anything wrong with him).

Thus, uneasily, the two Shens reach a truce. Shen Yuan offers to help SJ navigate the world by describing things to him (within the privacy of their now-shared mind, of course), and SJ just sort of gives up on destroying him. For now.

Shen Yuan also, of course, tries to stop SJ from abusing Luo Binghe. Both because he would do that regardless, but also because he's now co-piloting SJ's body, which means he has a vested interest in making sure it retains all of its limbs. This has varying degrees of success.

But mainly I think this would be hilarious because Shen Jiu would essentially be held hostage to Shen Yuan's descriptions of things. Flowery, detailed and fascinated descriptions of monsters (at least these are useful because SY also has encyclopedic knowledge of their weak points). Largely vibes-based descriptions of scenery and women. Glowing assessments of Luo Binghe. Constantly bringing up Liu Qingge's beauty. Shen Jiu doesn't need his own shidi described! He knows what the asshole looks like! Go possess his body instead if you like it so much! (SJ was maybe kind of hoping that would happen when the spirit did something during the debacle in Lingxi Caves -- but no, SY just saved Liu Qingge's life, like some kind of not-evil creature. Infuriating!)

[innerpalaces]

THE PRINCESS WEI YANG - 165 PART 2

CHAPTER 165: Above The Wedding Hall

At this time, the Ninth Princess pulled Li Wei Yang into the bridal chamber. Inside, there were several noble madams who were close to the royal family. When they saw the Ninth Princess and Li Wei Yang, they quickly stood up and paid their respects. The Ninth Princess waved her hand, walked over happily, and said to the bride: "Are you my seventh sister-in-law?"

The bride had just taken off her head covering, and she had a breathtakingly beautiful face. There is a light layer of rouge on her cheeks, which sets off her snow-white complexion, just like the rising clouds in the morning, so delicate and lovely that it makes people wondering if it will break if it's blown. Coupled with the slender eyebrows and the thick lashes, her large and clear phoenix eyes made people feel she's even more beautiful.

The Ninth Princess praised: "People say Princess Pinting is beautiful, but I have never had the chance to meet you. I have always been curious about what you look like. When I saw you today, I realized that seeing in person is better than listening to stories. You are even more beautiful than your reputation says!"

Hearing this, Pinting immediately laughed, showing her white teeth, and her beautiful phoenix eyes reflected a friendly light as she said, "Are you Jiu Mei?"

The Ninth Princess nodded. She was going to get married soon. Unfortunately, because the Empress suddenly died, she had to wait for three years. Fortunately, she was still young. Consort Rou was very happy to keep her for two more years, so she asked the Emperor to delay the marriage for the time. The Duke of Luo agreed, seeing that the engagement was finalized and could not be cancelled. In this way, the Ninth Princess suddenly felt like a wild horse running free.

Pinting saw Li Wei Yang and there was a hint of curiosity in her beautiful eyes: "Who is this?"

The Ninth Princess hurriedly said: "You were not in the capital before, so you don't know her. This is Princess Anping, the adopted daughter of the Empress Dowager."

Li Wei Yang is indeed the adopted daughter of the Empress Dowager in name, so there is no reason why she would not come to see the bride. In addition, she couldn't refuse the Ninth Princess, so she came with her, thinking that she would leave as soon as they saw the bride. This was to the best of etiquette, so that the bride wouldn't feel unhappy considering the rumors and gossip in the capital about Wei Yang and Tuoba Yu. But Pinting smiled without any grudge, stood up on her own initiative, and saluted Li Wei Yang: "Greetings to imperial aunt."

This time, Li Wei Yang was surprised. Princess Pinting raised her head and said: "Since she is the adopted daughter of the Empress Dowager, she is the aunt of me and the Seventh Prince. Proper respect cannot be ignored no matter what." There was no trace of impurity in her smile at this moment, it was that kind of pure joy.

For some reason, Li Wei Yang suddenly felt that Princess Pinting looked very much like a person, a friend she was very familiar with. Involuntarily, her eyes turned a little red. Pinting looked at her, confused at first, and then she seemed to have thought of something. She immediately showed a guilty expression, suddenly stopped smiling, and turned to the people around her: "You all should go out first. Just leave them here to accompany me."

 The people next to Princess Pinting looked at each other, and the Ninth Princess said quickly: "Didn't you hear what seventh sister-in-law said? Everyone, go out."

After hearing this, everyone immediately stood up and left one after another, leaving only Princess Pinting's confidants present.

Pinting glanced at Li Wei Yang, and there was a very uneasy look on her face. This look was not faked at all, but came from the worry in her heart. She went up and grabbed Li Wei Yang's hand and said: "I stole your marriage, right? I told my father, I don't want this but he said there was no other choice! Wei Yang, I didn't mean to—"

Li Wei Yang was completely stunned. She didn't expect Princess Pinting to say these words. When she came to her senses, she immediately explained: "No, that's not what's wrong. Princess Pinting, you are very similar to a good friend of mine, that's how I felt the first time I saw you."

The Ninth Princess had met Sun Yanjun, and she understood immediately and said, "Yes, I also think that Princess Pinting looks very similar to...your second young lady when she smiles." It's not so much that they have similar facial features, it's that kind of bright smile that has the power to infect others.

Pinting showed a puzzled expression and looked at the two people in front of her with some confusion. Li Wei Yang laughed first and said: "Today is your special day, I shouldn't say these words."

Pinting smiled sheepishly: "That day at the palace gate, I knelt down and begged the Empress Dowager to take back her decree, but none of them listened to me! Later, I fainted myself! If only I could hold on a little longer! "

The Ninth Princess and Li Wei Yang were completely stunned after hearing this. Didn't Princess Pinting strongly wish to marry Tuoba Yu? Did she go to the palace gate sincerely to stop the wedding? When Li Wei Yang thought of this, she suddenly felt a little regretful. The princess probably didn't know that the scene at the palace gate was directed by her father and husband.

Pinting didn't want to talk about these things anymore, so she took Li Wei Yang's hand and said: "Do you know, I like you very much! I know everything about your resistance to your legal mother and the Jiang family. Not only that, I even got people to tell me about it over and over again. I really admire you!"

Li Wei Yang never imagined that Princess Pinting's temperament was so out-of-the-box and naive. Pinting continued: "I'm not as brave as you. Not only did my father marry a concubine, he also said that her son would inherit his title, just because I am a daughter! They spend the whole day flaunting their power in front of my mother, angering her to death! I was young at the time, and I only dared to put frogs and bugs in that woman's skirt. I couldn't do anything else. I was always scolded by my father for this! If I were as powerful as you, I would have chased that woman out of the palace a long time ago!"

Li Wei Yang had no idea that her deeds had spread throughout the empire, and she was somewhat surprised at this moment. But the Ninth Princess listened with interest: "So you also know about Sister Wei Yang!" She didn't know how many times she had tried to change her address to aunt, but when the critical moment came, she couldn't remember to at all.

Li Wei Yang could see that what Pinting said was not false, but real. Moreover, because of Pinting's special experience, she has an inexplicable sense of admiration for Li Wei Yang. This is really the strangest thing in the world. She thought Pinting would listen to the rumors outside and become hostile to her... but the result was completely unexpected.

The Ninth Princess obviously also likes the innocent Princess Pinting. She practically felt like they're already old friends, and started to exchange the pranks the two have done... Probably they don't have any good impressions of their fathers' women. The more they talked, the more they got to know each other. As they spoke, they actually forgot about Li Wei Yang. The maid next to Princess Pinting winked at Pinting, but Pinting said: "What's wrong? Are your eyes cramped?" When she looked again, she found that Li Wei Yang had left.

The maid said: "Princess, you and the Ninth Princess are busy chatting, and you didn't even notice that Princess Anping is gone!"

Pinting stood up quickly: "Why am I always so confused? No, I have to send someone out to find her quickly!"

The Ninth Princess smiled and said: "Don't worry, Princess Anping doesn't like overly lively occasions. If I hadn't forced her, she wouldn't have come! Maybe she left early because of something. I will bring her with me for a special visit another day!"

"Really?!" Pinting had a simple mind and became happy again after hearing these words.

Li Wei Yang walked out of the bridal champion, but her mood at the moment was very complicated. She seemed to be jealous of Princess Pinting. But this jealousy is not because of Tuoba Yu, but because of Pinting's innocence. She could see that Pinting had resentment towards King Chaoyang, but although King Chaoyang doted on his concubine, he never forgot Princess Pinting. Even though Princess Pinting did a lot of disrespectful things to that concubine, King Chaoyang only scolded her a few times, which shows that he actually cherishes her in his heart.

Not only that, King Chaoyang also tried every means to get this marriage - although Pinting is a bit naive, she is very smart. With the protection of King Chaoyang, she would do a good job as Seventh Princess. In the future, even if Tuoba Yu ascends the throne and becomes the Emperor, he will take great care of his wife for the sake of King Chaoyang. People say that the harem is dangerous, but if Princess Pinting is protected by Tuoba Yu, no one can hurt her. The wily King Chaoyang knows this better than anyone else.

Li Wei Yang smiled softly. Although Pinting's mother died when she was young, she has always been loved by her father. He even wanted to seek the noblest and best future for her even at the expense of destroying his original neutral position. With such a father, Princess Pinting was very blessed after all.

For a woman, the happiest thing is to be loved and pampered by someone. Whether it is Sun Yanjun or Princess Pinting, they can develop such innocent personalities because they grew up being pampered. This is what Li Wei Yang envies, but has never been able to truly possess.

Zhao Yue looked at Li Wei Yang's absent-minded look and couldn't help but worry: "Miss -" Halfway through her words, someone suddenly came. Zhao Yue stopped talking and looked at the person warily. But the other party knelt on the ground respectfully and said, "Princess Anping, His Highness the Seventh Prince invites you over."

Li Wei Yang smiled as she entered Tuoba Yu's study and said: "I went to see Princess Pinting. She is really a beauty. First of all, I want to congratulate His Highness Seventh Prince. Oh, no, it should be Grand Prince Jinrong."

Tuoba Yu looked at Li Wei Yang and his voice became lower involuntarily: "Have you just seen her?"

Li Wei Yang smiled without any grudge: "She is a very enthusiastic and frank person. Although she is of noble birth, she is not arrogant. I believe she will be a very good princess."

Tuobayu looked at her and suddenly sneered: "You are really hypocritical."

Li Wei Yang frowned. She didn't understand. What was Tuoba Yu talking about? Is she hypocritical? What does he mean?

Tuoba Yu said coldly: "You clearly know that the person I like is you and I don't like Pinting at all, but you still say such things to me."

Li Wei Yang's smile gradually disappeared from her face: "Seventh Prince, I have never interfered with your decision. Marrying a wife and consolidating power are all your own choices, but now you say such things and show such an attitude. Are you blaming me? Or are you blaming the innocent Princess Pinting?"

Indeed, everything was Tuoyu Yu's own decision. Although Li Wei Yang had been helping him, she had never had any say in his marriage - it was all his own doing, but everything he did was to get her! However, she smiled in front of him and said that Princess Pinting would be a good princess. Such words were like a poisonous snake circling and biting at his reason——

A voice emerged involuntarily in Tuoba Yu's mind. Tuoba Yu, do you think you can get her? ——Do you really think so? You're so stupid! Li Wei Yang is the most calculating woman in the world. No one can force her to do anything she doesn't want to do! Even if you become the Emperor, if she refuses to marry you, what can you do? Use the power of the Emperor to force her?

However, now there is no turning back for him. He married Pinting and pursued the throne. The arrow was on the string and he had to shoot.

"Let me say it again, your marriage has nothing to do with me. Don't force your feelings on me anymore. Princess Pinting is your wife. How you treat her is your freedom and has nothing to do with me. But I believe that since you you chose this path, you should continue to walk down it well. So don't say such strange words again, let alone implicate me, otherwise I will think that you deliberately want to give up our alliance." Li Wei Yang's expression was very chilly, and her voice was as cold as ice.

Tuoba Yu looked at Li Wei Yang's ancient well-like eyes, and his pupils shrank violently.

How cruel, she rejected him without any mercy and refused to give him any hope. Yes, she herself didn't realize that her attitude towards Li Minde was not like this at all. She would consider the other person's thoughts and find ways to reduce the possibility of him getting hurt. What about him, Tuoba Yu? Should he die? That's right, with Li Weiyang's help, he could ascend to the throne, but when he ascended the throne, the thing he wanted the most was her! The bitterness brought about by jealousy had always entered his internal organs and turned into an overwhelming resentment.

With a sullen face, he slammed the table, and the teacup beside him rolled to the ground. The tea splashed all the way to Li Wei Yang's skirt, but she just looked at him indifferently, unmoved. In Li Wei Yang's view, Tuoba Yu wanted to be the Emperor. He knew that she would not share a husband with others. From the time he decided to marry Princess Pinting, he had already made a decision. However, men always greedy, thinking that they can have both.

Tuoyu Yu has actually frozen his emotions and desires. He knows how to assess the situation and look at the bigger picture. Of course he knows that he cannot fall out with Li Wei Yang now, so when he realized that he had lost control, he reigned in his emotions in time. He moved his lips and actually smiled: "You are right. Since I can marry Princess Pinting, of course I will treat her well. After all, she is very helpful to my great cause, right?"

It has nothing to do with her. Li Wei Yang said lightly: "This is best."

Tuoba Yu looked at her. The curvature of her lips was extremely beautiful, and the corners of her lips were slightly upturned which seemed like a smile. In fact, she had been smiling the entire time, but when she smiled, there was no trace of him in her eyes.

"Don't worry." Tuoba Yu stared at her, and his voice became indifferent, "Since I have decided on this path, I must follow it to the end."

No matter what the price is, it's the same.

At this moment, there was a sudden movement outside the door. Tuoba Yu raised his eyebrows and said, "What's the matter?"

Reports from outside: "The Third Prince just broke into the hall and made a fuss to see His Majesty."

Tuoba Yu and Li Wei Yang's expressions changed. The two looked at each other, and Li Wei Yang said: "He finally took action."

She didn't know what the other party wanted to do, but today Tuoba Zhen broke into the auditorium for no reason, but his intentions would definitely be exposed. This was best. If he doesn't make a move, Li Wei Yang will not be able to understand his thoughts, but once he takes action, Li Wei Yang believes that she will be able to find clues.

She smiled and said: "Your Highness, it seems we should go back to the auditorium."

Tuobayu stood up slowly and said, "Yes, I also want to see what third brother wants to do."

Above the auditorium, everyone was whispering, wondering why Tuoba Zhen suddenly appeared here. Shouldn't he be under house arrest? However, the Emperor was the one with the ugliest expression. He was extremely angry: "Is my imperial decree child's play? Can just anyone break out of the Third Prince's Mansion?"

The Imperial Guards who were chasing after him could only kneel down and say: "Your Majesty, the Third Highness threatened us with his life. This servant and the others dare not——"

Li Wei Yang walked into the lobby and blended in among the women without drawing notice. She happened to hear this sentence and couldn't help but frown. It seemed the prince held a knife to his neck and forced the guards to let him go. Others would consider it too shameful to do such a thing, but Tuoba Zhen could do it. He was truly the kind of person who had evil intentions and a thick skin and didn't take such trivial matters to heart at all. However, what is worth him taking such a gamble, even risking being severely punished by the Emperor to appear here?

She heard Tuoba Zhen say solemnly: "Father, I know that it is impossible to enter the palace to see you, so I have to take this step. I know that today is the wedding of my seventh brother, but the country is in crisis and the people are suffering. I really can't sit by and say congratulations!"

As soon as these words came out, Li Wei Yang's eyes became sharp. What exactly did Tuoba Zhen want to do!

After passing through the crowd, Tuoba Zhen glanced at Li Wei Yang. Amidst all the heavily makeup-ed ladies, she stood quietly, her eyes dark and bottomless. At that moment, he suddenly wanted to laugh. Li Wei Yang, you will never be the winner. Then, he said loudly: "Father, although your son has been trapped in the palace, he knows that the urgent battle report in the southwest has reached the capital, and the rebellion has been going on for more than a month. Although my father has dispatched troops to extinguish the rebellion, so far, those rebels were extremely fierce, and the southwest was filled with mayhem. The three generals who were sent to the front line were killed one after another. Now the war has spread to Junzhou. Father, please issue an order to appoint your son as the commander-in-chief to kill the rebels and save the people who have been tortured by the war!"

The Southwest Rebels - Tuoba Zhen is actually planning this! Li Wei Yang's eyes slowly turned cold. In fact, the southwest border has always been unstable. The Miao people have always been exploited by Dali. It is said that this time, because the strict official Du Jing once again raised their taxes, the Miao people resisted on a large scale for a while. Du Jing, afraid that things would become too big to deal with, tried his best to quell the rebellion while attempting to hide the news. Because the southwest is remote and has many high mountains, it would be difficult for local officials to get the word out.

Du Jing originally thought that the rebellion could be suppressed quickly, but unexpectedly, the leader of the Dali rebel army colluded with the Miao people. The rebel army continued to grow, and soon it reached a point where he could not deal with it. Du Jing was so frightened that he rode a fast horse for three hundred miles overnight. He dared not stop until he reached a safe city. The local officials listened to his words and instead of providing shelter, they immediately detained him and sent a letter to the Emperor. When the Emperor learned of this, he immediately sent someone to behead Du Jing, bring it to appease the rebels, and start negotiations with them in an attempt to calm the situation. However, it was too late. The rebel leader Guo Chengzai occupied the entire southwest border. After that, he began to ambitiously try to open up his own country.

As a result, the Emperor could not tolerate him, so he sent a fierce general from Huacheng to the southwest border. Unexpectedly, when this talent arrived at the southwest border, he died of illness due to the unique miasma in the southwest. The Emperor had to send two more Generals, but the result is the same, either they are poisoned by miasma, or they are tricked by the southwest rebels. Seeing that the generals of Dali were unable to stop hip, Guo Cheng became more and more arrogant. He no longer only occupied the southwest region, but began to send people to attack the central cities of Dali. Countless people had been displaced and fled. However, the treasury was empty due to the previous earthquake. There is not enough food and funding to launch a large-scale war to completely calm the situation. The troops of Duke Jiang in the south and Duke Luo in the east are eyeing each other, and no one can easily make a move. The Emperor has been worried about this recently...

Tuoba Zhen suddenly made this suggestion. Ha! Li Wei Yang smiled coldly, Tuoba Zhen, Tuoba Zhen, you really know how to grasp the most favorable time...

－－－－－－Digression－－－－－

Xiao Qin: This chapter is a foreshadowing. The war is about to begin. Do you want Tuoba Zhen and Anguo to die together or separately... Well, this is a good question, hahaha

Editor: Stop talking nonsense and get rid of Anguo quickly!

Xiao Qin: (⊙o⊙)...Does this mean that a scumbag boy and a scumbag girl die in the same grave? Seeing the monthly ticket results, Xiao Qin said shamelessly, I hope everyone will continue to support me without hesitation on monthly tickets! Hahaha!

Editor: Get out!

Xiao Qin: You are becoming more and more violent——

Editor: I'm as beautiful as a tiger, gentle and scary, and it's all your fault!

[chaoticgoodlawyerwrites]

Preview for Siren Song Ch 16!

Liu Qingge, before he knew it, had ushered both of them to the carriage with their day’s previous purchases. Both of his staff bowed to him before greeting Shang Qinghua and Shen Yuan and only exchanged a small glance at the confirmation of their destination being Qing Jing Inn. Shang Qinghua was the first to be seated and Shen Yuan hesitated before climbing in herself.

She put her hand in Liu Qingge’s and said, “I would love to discuss my husband at a later time. Write to me your availability and I will attempt to send you back a corresponding time. As the lead in a quickly developing production, my time is extremely limited, but I would not neglect my friend.”

“As you wish, Shen Yuan,” Liu Qingge promised with bright cheeks as Shen Yuan used his support to climb in after Shang Qinghua. The footman closed the door behind her and they were quickly on their way.

“So,” Shen Yuan asked as they fully pulled away. “What’s your verdict on Liu Qingge’s affections?”

“...would you like me to be polite?” Shang Qinghua asked. “Junshang would like for me to state her displeasure at the man.”

“Be as you would like,” Shen Yuan said wryly as she sat back against the cushions. She looked at a nervous Ning Yingying and added, “Both of you.”

“...his affections appear unwavering to me, Mistress,” Ning Yingying said diplomatically.

“I would guess he had the names of your first three children picked out already,” Shang Qinghua said dryly. 

That had Shen Yuan’s eyebrows raised. “First three?”

“If Gongyi Xiao looked at you during rehearsals with infatuation, Count Liu Qingge looked at you like you were his future.” Shang Qinghua sighed as she slouched back slightly, hand flicking some loose hair from her face. 

Shen Yuan frowned at her. “No, he doesn’t. He’s always looked at me like that, even as children. He just has a very intense personality towards people he favors.”

Both Shang Qinghua and Ning Yingying stared at her. Shang Qinghua said, “He looked at you like that. When you were both children.”

“Yes. I supposed I never explained, but our families were close, with my parents being business and personal associates of the Liu estate. The four of us, Liu Qingge, Liu Mingyan, my brother Shen Jiu, and myself, were put in close proximity often enough. I was often preoccupied with the baby, Mingyan, but Liu Qingge was always particularly kind to me because his finicky sister liked me as well. I recall asking my– my brother why we had not simply gone to the Lius’ after our parents’ passing, especially as they were always kind to us. He chose to go to Yue Qingyuan instead with the understanding that he would be able to control him, but… Well, I was the only one to make it to the Yue estate.

“Anyway, Liu Qingge has always treated me with kindness and loyalty, giving me far more respect than many women receive from other men, let alone those of his birth. How he looks at me is not novel or noteworthy, I promise you.”

“Ah, Junshang is saying… actually, if it would be no bother–”

Shang Qinghua took a deep breath in and straightened with it. Luo Binghe opened her vassal’s eyes and stated calmly, “He is like the Raoul in this production, maish’kl. He sees you as a childhood love returned to his acquaintance after tragedy took you from him. You were a lovely child and now you appear to him a beautiful woman in an impossible situation. He wished to save you, then for you to fall into his arms and bed in gratitude. Unlike many men of this time, he sees your strengths and thus would savor your surrender all the more. You are more than an object to him; you are a fantasy plucked straight from folktales, and he desires your happily ever after.” 

“Mistresses, if I may?” Ning Yingying said shyly. Both Shen Yuan and Luo Binghe looked at the girl and nodded. She cleared her throat and said, “This lowly one agrees with Empress Luo. Cout Liu heard of Consort Shen’s marriage and immediately feared that she was being taken advantage of, missing or dismissing her true happiness as she spoke of her spouse. If this one had to guess, Count Liu might see the jewelry Consort Shen wears, see the wealth she now spends freely, and assume that she was blinded to a rogue by the material freedom from Yue Qingyuan. Perhaps he believes what he says is true, but this one doubts that he would be satisfied until Consort Shen appears beside Empress Luo physically.”

“Well said, young Yingying,” Luo Binghe softly praised before turning back to look at Shen Yuan. “I will not attempt to restrict who you spend your time with, my love. I trust you, but know I do not trust him. I would beg you to keep Queen Shang by your side, to never be alone with him, at least until your abilities are within your grasp.”

Shen Yuan wished she could reach out and hold her wife to her, but that would have to wait. “Of course, Binghe. I would never have been alone with him in any case but I will remember the words of everyone here. Perhaps our history has blinded me to his motives, but I would not jeopardize this peace for anything.”

Luo Binghe sighed and said, “Will you come to me after eating?”

“I will rush to your side, my love.”

“Until then.” 

Shang Qinghua shivered as she came back to herself and winced. “Whew. Okay, Junshang has withdrawn fully from my mind and wow, I’m going to sleep well tonight! But, yes, please take me with you when you go anywhere! I know I may not look like much but I can hold my own against any human!”

“Calm, Qinghua. I’ll be careful.”

“Excellent, because I really like you and think you’ll be a great change to court and Junshang would like. Lose her shit and wipe out this continent's coastline if anything happens to you.”

[dreamingsushi]

Eternal Love of Dream - Episode 13

The episode just started, like... it has not been more than a minute and I am already heartbroken. Fengjiu becomes a girl all over again and... YOU SHOULD SEE THE FACE OF THAT POOR QINGTI. I am so sad. Poor little baby. He was doubting his feelings for Xiaojiu and now he realizes she’s a woman. And if she decided to reveal herself, than probably she has feelings for Xuanren, aka his best friend, sworn brother and master. That is just sooooo cruel.

Arrrgh. That Xuanren annoys me so much. And poor Qingti in the back. I hope she won’t keep on falling in love with Xuanren as he is somewhat Dijun and actually will notice how Qingti is better for her. And that they will die together for betraying his majesty. At least, I would be satisfied, even though I absolutely don’t want Qingti to die. He’s my favorite TT

Fengjiu get to chose a maid to take her of her and she choses one that has a butterfly mark on her neck. Seems she’s the reincarnation of that butterfly she liked back at the palace. While talking with her, Fengjiu realizes she might have to sleep with Xuanren hahaha. It’s okay, Qing qiu people aren’t so strict about that. But I believe Fengjiu never spent the night with any guy, so she must be startled.

Naturally, when she comes back from her bath, Xuanren is there waiting for her. Ayo. Poor lady. Oh god. They are sitting on the bed and Fengjiu is just so uncomfortable and Xuanren keeps on touching her. And he’s... why so unoriginal? “the more I look at you, the more I think you’re beautiful” Please. We know you think she’s gorgeous, you saw her like three second and decided that you were in love with her. And he’s just... so confident that she likes him back. Well she kind of does, but... dude, you’re the king, she doesn’t really have a choice. She then starts coughing and says she’s worried she would transmit the disease to him and he seems so disappointed that he has to leave now.

Next thing you know, Fengjiu is baking sweet potatoes again and as you would expect, mister King wants to have a taste. Then she explains why she loves sweet potatoes more than anything else, as it was someone who baked it for her once and he gets all jealous and unhappy. Well, that person is you, but also not you, but you, so don’t be too unhappy.

Ji Heng tricks Xuanren into giving her attention by making him think of his deceased mother. Then, on her way to see the empress dowager, she bumps into Xuanren’s big brother who intercepted her letter to Nie Chuyin. He threatens her a little bit, but that’s about it.

Then as he promised, Xuanren goes to keep company to consort Chuwan for her mother’s death anniversary, but he doesn’t really look like he wants to be there and not long after, there are news that Xiaojiu fainted so he rushes to her. Sorry Ji Heng, you won’t have the opportunity to keep his majesty’s company. He’s not interested at all into you.

An episode rather slow, not a lot of action, just Fengjiu being a consort and a little sick. Absolutely not enough of Ye Qingti. I hope we will see him later. And that Fengjiu elopes with him. And then kills herself when Xuanren catches them because he killed Ye Qingti. That would be enough of a love trial for Donghua and I would be satisfied about my poor baby. I am not really into fanfics, the last time I ever wrote one I was probably thirteen year old (makes me feel so old now), but if I am too displeased with the development of that story, I might as well just do it and ease my heart on that matter. Anyone else wishing for Ye Qingti and Fengjiu to be together? Or am I just the crazy one because I love the guy so much? Actually, Fengjiu is probably no good for him. He deserves much better but the heart choses where it belongs and doesn’t listen to the brain...

[the-ethereal-serpent]

Lunar Goddesses

☽⦁──────── ⦁⧊⦁ ────────⦁☾

☽⦁──────── ⦁⧊⦁ ────────⦁☾

Aega

(Greek)

A beautiful moon deity. Her mother Gaia, the ancient earth Goddess, hid her in a cave during a Titan attack on the Olympic deities to prevent her from being taken away.

Aine

(Celtic)

Goddess of love, growth, cattle and light. The name of this Celtic Goddess means "bright" as she lights up the dark. Celebrations to this Goddess were held on Midsummer night

Anahita

(Persian)

A river Goddess who was also Goddess of Venus and the moon. Her name means "pure" Or immaculate one" as she represented the cleansing and fertilizing flow of the cosmos.

Andromeda

(Greek)

Although today she is linked with the stars many scholars believe that Andromeda was a pre-Hellenic moon deity.

Anunit

(Babylonian)

Goddess of the moon and battle. She was also associated with the evening star and later became known as Ishtar.

Arianrhod

(Celtic)

Goddess of the moon and stars, her name means "silver- wheel" the wheel of the year and the web of fate.

Artemis

(Greek)

The Greek Goddess of the hunt, nature and birth. This maiden Goddess is symbolized by the crescent moon.

Arawa

(African)

Lunar Goddess of the Suk and Pokot tribes of Kenya and Uganda. Her parents were the creator God Tororut and his consort Seta.

Athenesic

(Native North American)

A moon Goddess of several north central Native American tribes,

Auchimalgen

(South American)

This moon Goddess was a Deity of divination and a protectress from evil spirits.

Bendis

(Greek)

Bendis was the consort of the sun God Sabazius. Her cult flourished in Athens during the fifth century BCE.

Britomartis

(Crete)

In addition to her lunar attributes she was also the patron Goddess of Cretan sailors.

Candi

(Indian)

The female counterpart to Chandra, ancient Hindu lord of the Moon. The two were said to take turns: one month the Candi would become the moon and the next Chandra fulfill the role.

Cerridwen

(Celtic)

This crone, Goddess is most famous for her cauldron of wisdom. She was the mother of the great bard Taliesin, and is deeply linked to the image of the waning moon.

Chang- O

(Chinese)

The Chinese Goddess who lived on the moon She is celebrated to this day on full moon night of the 8th lunar month.

Coyolxauhqui

(Aztec)

Aztec moon Goddess, her name means "Golden Bells." She was the daughter of the Earth goddess, Coatlicue and the sister of the Sun god, Huitzilopochtli.

Dae-Soon

(Korean)

Lunar Goddess.

Diana

(Roman)

Diana was the Goddess of the hunt and wild animals. She later took over from Luna as the Roman Goddess of the moon, responsible for fertility and childbirth.

Gnatoo

(Japanese)

One of twelve Buddhist deities called the Jiu No O, adopted from Hindu mythology.

Gwaten

(Hindu)

She is derived from the Hindu God Soma, and is portrayed as a woman holding in her right hand, a disk symbolizing the Moon.

Epona

(Roman/Celtic)

This horse Goddess was associated with the night and dreams. In western Ireland,legends still abound of hearing the hoof-beats of her horse as she rides west to escape the rays of the rising sun. She was also a Goddess of magic, fertility and feminine power.

Hanwi

(Native North American)

Goddess of the Oglala Sioux, she once lived with the sun God Wi. Due to a transgression, she was forced by him to become a creature of the night.

Hekate

(Greek)

A crone Moon Goddess, deeply associated with the waning and dark moons. She is depicted as haunting crossroads with her two large hounds, and carrying a torch, symbolic of her great wisdom.

Hina Hine

(Polynesian)

This Hawaiian Goddesses name means 'woman who works the moon'. In her myths it is said that she grew tired of working for her brother and fled to the moon to live in peace.

Hina-Ika

("lady of the fish")

Once again we see the link between the lunar Goddess to the tides.

Huitaco

(South American)

This Colombian Goddess was a protectress of women as well as a deity of pleasure and happiness who was always battling with her male counterpart Bochica, a God of hard work and sorrow.

Ishtar

(Babylonian)

Some myths say she is the daughter of the moon, others the mother.

Isis

(Egyptian)

This powerful and widely worshipped Goddess was not only a moon deity, but a Goddess of the sun as well.

Ix Chel

(Mayan)

A Central American moon Goddess and the lover of the sun. Poisonous snakes were her totem animal. She was also Goddess of childbirth.

Izanami

(Japanese)

This Goddess controlled the tides, fishing and all destructive sea phenomena.

Jezanna

(Central African)

Goddess of the moon and healing.

Juna

(Roman)

A Goddess of the new moon. She was worshipped mainly by women as she was the Goddess of marriage, pregnancy and childbirth. Her Greek equivalent was Hera.

Jyotsna

(Indian)

A Hindu Goddess of twilight and the autumn moons.

Komorkis

(Native North American)

The Blackfoot tribe celebrated her as the Goddess of the moon.

Kuan Yin

(Chinese)

A Buddhist Goddess. Modern feminist Pagans believe she far pre-dates Buddhist origins. She was a Goddess of the moon, compassion, and healing,

Lasya

(Tibetan)

Goddess of the moon and beauty who carried a mirror.

Lucina

(Roman)

Goddess of light with both solar and lunar attributes. She was Christianised as St. Lucia, a saint still honoured at Yule in many parts of Europe.

Luna

(Roman)

An ancient moon Goddess, the namesake for the Latin word luna meaning 'moon'. Her name also forms the root of the English words 'lunar' and 'lunatic'.

Mama Quilla

(Inkan)

As the Goddess of the moon she was the protectress of married women. A large temple to her was erected at the Inkan capitol of Cuzco. She was associated with the metal silver. Eclipses were said to occur when she was eaten and the regurgitated by the Jaguar Woman.

Mawu

(African)

She ruled the sky with her twin bother, the sun God Lisa. To her people she symbolized both wisdom and knowledge.

Metzli

(Aztec)

In Aztec mythology mother moon leapt into a blazing fire and gave birth to the sun and the sky.

Rhiannon

(Celtic)

A Goddess of fertility, the moon, night, and death. Her name means 'night queen'. She is also known as Rigantona.

Sadarnuna

(Sumerian)

Goddess of the new moon.

Sarpandit

(Sumerian)

Goddess of moonrise. This pregnant Goddess's name means "silver shining" referring to the reflective quality of the moon.

Sefkhet

(Egyptian)

According to some myths this lunar Goddess was the wife of Thoth. She was also the deity of time, the stars, and architecture.

Selene

(Greek)

A mother Goddess linked to the full moon. She is widely worshipped by Pagans today.

Sina

(Polynesian)

This moon Goddess was the sister of the sun God Maui. She was sometimes called Ina.

Teczistecatl

(Aztec)

A Goddess of sex, symbolised by the four phases of the moon: dark, waxing, full, and waning.

Trivia

(Roman)

She is the equivalent Goddess to Selene in Roman mythology.

Xochhiquetzal

(Aztec)

This magical moon Goddess was the deity of flowers, spring, sex, love, and marriage. She was the wife of storm God Tlaloc. She is also the patroness of artisans, prostitutes, pregnant women and birth.

Yemanja

(Native South American)

She was the Brazilian Goddess of the oceans symbolized by a waxing crescent moon. Yemanja was also considered to represent the essence of motherhood and a protector of children.

Yolkai Estsan

(Native North American)

A Navajo moon deity fashioned from an abalone shell by her sister Yolkai, the Goddess of the sky. She was the Navaho Goddess of the earth and the seasons, and is also known as White Shell Woman.

Zirna

(Etruscan)

A Goddess of the waxing moon. She is always depicted with a half-moon hanging from her neck, indicating that she was probably honored at the beginning of the second quarter phase of the moon.

☽⦁──────── ⦁⧊⦁ ────────⦁☾

Sources : http://aminoapps.com/p/3ncaq4

[aemondhightower]

what’s in a name - shen qingqiu 

沈清秋 / 沈九 (shen qingqiu/shen jiu)

surname: 沈 - to move (冘) with water the water (氵) radical = to submerge, to sink, poss. to drown as in trad. (瀋) 審 to test/examine since shen doesnt have a clear meaning courtesy: 清秋 - clear autumn, deep autumn 

if we ignore the “given” name as jiu typically denotes his caste+very low status, essentially shen qingqiu poetically could mean “to drown in clear autumn.” and what especially is interesting is that 沈 and 清 both keep water radicals to 秋 which utilizes the fire radical. in this essay, i’m focusing more on the original shen qingqiu as qingqiu’s name was given to shen jiu. 

that being said, shen qingqiu's name derives actually (in true mxtx fashion) from a classic chinese poem...or rather many chinese poems. while qingqiu (清秋) shows up in a number of literati poetry, the one that stands out the most is 雨霖铃 (yulinling bells ringing in the rain) by 柳永 one of the most famous love poetry but also one of loss, desolation and tragedy. yulinling is the most famous of the ci-poems. most ci-poetry of the song dynasty are quite interesting dealing with heartbrekaing love, parting sorrow, spring regret (chunshan) and autumn bitterness (qingqiu).

多情自古伤离别，更那堪⑽，冷落清秋节 translates to passions have made partings more painful since ancient times, even moreso during this bleak autumn! the poem itself, according to baidu, is the lamentations of an emperor who was fleeing the anlushan rebellion and hoping to retake a city. his beloved consort Yang Guifei, one of the Four Great Beauties, was deeply and widely detested due to her familial relationships and was eventually strangled by his own tropes by the orders of the emperor in order to preserve harmony within his troops and retake his city. the lamentations of 雨霖铃 conveys the sorrowful tragedy and the emperor’s deep feelings for his lost lover which lbr here big qijiu vibes 

essentially the poem is an examination of grief and the pain from being separated from a beloved which if we look at both shen qingqius and their respective significant others, both carry an element of sacrifice for the sake of the other’s power. both yue qingyuan and shen jiu sacrificed everything for the other though ultimately it was futile while shen yuan (as sqq) explodes his core in order to bring stability to binghe’s cultivation. 

though looking at the usage of qingqiu in the poem, it could also refer to the mid-autumn festival, the name qingqiu has massive autumn vibes not actually unlike another one of mxtx’s figures also with autumnal connotations jiang cheng) borrowing from the post linked, autumn in chinese history particularly late autumn is used to depict longing. 秋水 is quite a famous idiom/phrase in poetry meaning longing/to await one’s beloved anxiously not unlike shen jiu waiting for yue qi/yue qingyuan in the qiu (秋) or autumn household only to eventually realize that he would never arrive. 

the etymology of qiu itself too is quite interesting, the left side made up of like 禾, one radical above 木 (wood) meaning crops/grain. the right side is 火 meaning fire with the very etymology of qiu represented in shen jiu’s eventual act of vengeance, setting the qiu household aflame before escaping into the dark. 

disclaimer: if anyone who is better versed in mandarin than I have better or differing ideas, i would LOVE to hear it. there are other poems that uses the phrase qingqiu, i just used the one that was more famous and seemed to convey sqq’s themes the best. most of my knowledge is from like a 5-7th grade chinese student + using beidu’s version of sparknotes. i am by NO MEANS a scholar of chinese literature. 

[sifeng]

Long Dramas for Your Quarantined Soul

Stuck at home with nothing to do? Watch a long, angsty drama and find yourself crying over fictional characters! 

1. Goodbye My Princess (东宫)

Episodes: 52

Genres: Historical/Romance

A young prince striving for power decides to use the ninth princess of Xi Zhou as a pawn in his game, but he finds himself falling for her in the process. Thus sets forth a tragic romance that even forgotten memories cannot stop from spiraling into chaos. Add in some beautiful cinematography, gorgeous costumes and great actors and you get a fantastic drama!

This will be you after the finale (spoiler alert!)

2. The Untamed (陈情令)

Episodes: 50

Genres: Wuxia/Mystery

During his training, Wei WuXian of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect met Lan WangJi of the Gusu Lan Sect. Even though they are polar opposite, the two are suddenly tied together after discovering a plot by the land dominated Wen clan to acquire all the pieces of the Yin Iron. However, during a battle against Wei WuXian, now known as the infamous Yiling Patriarch, he is presumed dead after falling off a cliff due to Jiang Cheng, who was like a brother to him. Sixteen years later, Wei WuXian suddenly wakes up after a crazy cultivator called Mo XuanYu performed a ritual sacrificing his body in exchange for bringing back Wei WuXian to fulfill his revenge plan. To hide his real identity, Wei WuXian pretends to be Mo XuanYu. However, he is soon reunited with Lan WangJi and the pair then works together to solve a series of mysteries and expose the secret figure pulling the strings behind the evildoings now wreaking havoc in the land. 

3. Ashes of Love (香蜜沉沉烬如霜)

Episodes: 63

Genres: Xianxia/Romance

A story of many lifetimes of romance between the flower deity and the fire deity. She might not be able to love, but he loves her with all his heart, and so does his brother. As secret identities are revealed, love begins to develop, and age old promises end up causing massive chaos and destruction. (sorry for the bad intro, but I wanted to include all the angst I could)

4. Eternal Love (三生三世十里桃花)

Episodes: 58

Genres: Xianxia/Romance

After a devastating war, the immortal tribe paid a heavy price to seal the demon lord. 70000 years later, in an attempt to re-seal the demon lord who broke free, Bai Qian was sent to the mortal realm. In the mortal world, she meets Ye Hua and falls in love with him after forgetting about her life as a goddess. Ye Hua gifts her the name of Su Su. Su Jin, who is jealous of Ye Hua's love for Bai Qian, intentionally creates a series of misunderstanding between them and causes Bai Qian to lose her eyes. Thinking that Ye Hua has betrayed her, the devastated Bai Qian jumps off from the Zhu Xian Terrace. At her request, all her memories have been erased and she forgets Ye Hua. 300 years  later, the two meets again as deities. Another lifetime another world, Ye Hua recognizes Bai Qian but the latter remains indifferent. Three lives three worlds, her and him, are they fated to bear an entangling love?

5. The Rise of Phoenixes (天盛长歌)

Episodes: 70

Genres: Political/Romance

Feng Zhi Wei is the unfavored illegitimate daughter of the Qiu Family, who is then banished from the clan after being falsely accused of a crime. Zhi Wei cross-dresses as a man to attend the prestigious Qingming Academy and stuns the world with her talent and knowledge. She remains loyal and honest to the reigning Emperor during the princes’ fight for the throne, yet soon finds out she is the only surviving royalty of a fallen kingdom. Manipulated into thinking that the current dynasty was built upon the corpses of her loved ones, Zhi Wei ultimately decides to take revenge against her enemies, including her lover Ning Yi. Will they be able to put their vengeance behind them and live a life without hatred?

6. Nirvana in Fire (琅琊榜)

Episodes: 58

Genres: Wuxia/Political

In sixth-century China, during a war between Southern Liang and Northern Wei dynasties, General Lin Xie took his only child, the 17-year-old Lin Shu, to the battlefield to fight the Wei army. Unexpectedly, General Lin Xie was framed by a political rival, causing the unjust deaths of 7,000 army soldiers and the poisoning of his son. Lin Shu survived the war but to be cured of the poison, he underwent a treatment that changed his appearance completely and left him in a weakened state unable to perform martial arts again. Lin Shu change his name to Mei Chang Su and later became the chief of the pugilist world and established the Jiangzuo Alliance. Twelve years later, Lin Shu returned to the capital, Jinling, with a secret plan after being sought after by Prince Yu and Prince Xian during their fight for the throne. He then decides to covertly assist Prince Jing, the unfavoured son of Emperor Wu, and wisely rids the court of all scheming officials. (there might not be romance, but the genius of this show is more than enough to make up for it)

7. Legend of Concubine Zhen Huan (甄嬛传)

Episodes: 76

Genres: Historical/Political

A young woman born of Eight Banners family marries the Emperor. After surviving through many murderous scandals and betrayals, she prevails as the most powerful woman in the Emperor's harem, the Empress dowager. In the process, she transforms from a kind-hearted, clever girl to a power hungry, manipulative woman. (again no romance, but so genius!)

8. Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace (如懿传)

Episodes: 87

Genres: Historical/Romance

The road to becoming an empress is paved with treachery. Ruyi (Zhou Xun) is a consort who quickly learns to navigate the treacherous politics of the the royal court and move up the ranks. After becoming Empress, Ruyi still must survive the many conspiracies against her. Her relationship with Emperor Qianlong (Wallace Huo) becomes eroded even when Ruyi is able to overcome the challenges. Can Ruyi maintain her role as Empress under such difficult circumstances?

9. Eternal Love of Dream (三生三世枕上书)

Episodes: 56

Genres: Xianxia/Romance

Two thousand years of enduring love and obsession between the female monarch of Qing Qiu and the ancient god of the Heavenly Kingdom. When Feng Jiu was practising immortal cultivation alone in the wilderness, she was attacked by a beast and rescued by Dong Hua Di Jun of the Heavenly Kingdom. The encounter becomes deeply ingrained in Feng Jiu's heart and to repay her debts, she decides to follow Dong Hua into battle. She soon realizes that her good feelings towards him have evolved into love, but Dong Hua is a god who has forgotten what love means. In order to protect Feng Jiu, Dong Hua sends her to the human realm which results in the death of a friend. Feng Jiu enters the Winged Tribe Princess Ah Lan Ruo's dream sequence in search of a sacred fruit that can bring the dead back to life but gets trapped to relive Ah Lan Ruo's life for eternity. Dong Hua finds a way to save Feng Jiu and realizes that he already reciprocates her love for him, but another hurdle crosses their path.

10. Find Yourself (下一站是幸福)

Episodes: 41

Genres: Slice-of-Life/Romance

He Fan Xing's company is at risk of being acquired while her relationship with Yuan Song faces societal pressures due to their age difference. The consecutive blows in her work and love life push her to an emotional quagmire and it is during this time that Ye Lu Ming  enters her life. Being older in age, he is mature, stable and knowledgeable. He becomes He Fan Xing's life coach and the source of conflict between the couple. For He Fan Xing, it's not merely a matter of choosing the man that she loves but considering the contradictions of adopting the traditional mindset on marriage.

If You’ve Already Watched Those: Royal Nirvana (60 eps; political/romance), Return of the Condor Heroes (41 eps; wuxia/romance), The Story of Yanxi Palace (70 eps; political/romance), Joy of Life (46 eps; wuxia/political), Love and Destiny (60 eps; xianxia/romance), Glory of the Tang Dynasty (60 eps; historical/romance), Siege in Fog (50 eps; historical/romance)

[threelivesthreeworlds]

EXCERPT FROM PILLOWBOOK, CHAPTER 21, BOOK 2. IN WHICH YE QINGTI’S FIRST (AND LAST) LOVE IS A GODDESS.

Ye Qingti never thought one day he would cultivate into an immortal, and yet he had only to wash away the dust of the mortal world in the Jade Pool, and go see Da Luo Heaven Qing Yun Hall's Eastern Lord, and he would become an immortal.

Ye Qingti remembered that the lifetime during which he was a human was four hundred years ago. He was born to the Ye family during the Jin Dynasty, and was the first son of the Marquis of Yong Ning. The house of Yong Ning was a militaristic one. Every generation of the Marquis of Yong Ning died at war, and his father spilled his blood on the battlefield when he was thirty five, and so he was only seventeen when he became the marquis.

At that time, the Jin Dynasty was at the end of its strength - sons of great families were predominantly good-for-nothings, but the sons of the Ye family were the best out of a rotten lot, and Ye Qingti was the best of this best. According to common practice, since Ye Qingti was handsome, had a good personality and a great house, he ought to be first on the list of every house looking for a son-in-law. However, since the start of the Jin Dynasty, the Yong Ning peerage produced an infamous amount of widows, and the great families that truly cared for their daughters usually did not wish to marry them, and so for every generation the Marquis of Yong Ning had a hard time getting married and could only hope for the Emperor to arrange a marriage.

When Ye Qingti became the Marquis, conflicts at the border were endless and troubling, and so the new, young Marquis could not wait till the Emperor arranged a marriage before he went off to patrol the border, and stayed there for five years, driving away the the Da Tan tribe that was causing trouble at the border in the process.

Ye Qingti made incredible progress, and the Emperor was very happy, and not only rewarded the house of Yong Ning greatly once he returned to the city, but also arranged a marriage with Councilor Qi's eldest daughter, and then gave him a beauty to be a second wife. In this dynasty, past emperors sometimes liked to give beauties to their subordinates, but the current Majesty lived for forty something years and was on the throne for twenty something, but never gave a beauty to a subordinate. Even though he was a general, and did not think as much of the atmosphere at court as the civil officials did, he thought this matter was somewhat bizarre.

After a few rounds of secret investigation, he found out that the beauty that had been given to him was a Consort Chen that had been living in the Emperor's palace, who had not at first been particularly noticed, but had saved the Emperor from the water at the Wei Tuo Hu Fa Dan four years ago, and earned His Majesty's interest. According to the rumors, Consort Chen loved His Majesty ridiculously deeply when she was unfavored, but without reason, when His Majesty became deeply in love with her, she was very cold with him and made him angry constantly. An even more private secret was that even though Consort Chen was so cold, His Majesty still favored her greatly for four years, and no night in those four years did Consort Chen ever let him near her.

Ye Qingti was sat on the wall drinking and watching the moon, and hearing the spy say this, dropped the jar in his hand, shattering it on the floor, paused for a long moment, and said, "What a curious woman. If His Majesty has tolerated even that, what great mistake could she have made that cause His Majesty to give her to me as a second wife?"

The spy paused for a moment, and said: "She...wrote Her Highness the Noble Consort a love letter."

To take a second wife was not like marrying a first one, from engagement presents to meeting the bridal party, carrying all out according to the etiquettes. To marrying a wife took up many months, and to take a second wife was only to pick a day, and lead her in through the back door. Ye Qingti's whole heart had been on the battlefield since he was young, and rarely took an interest in matters of romance, but he was rather curious about this Consort Chen. The day Consort Chen came to the house, even though Ye Qingti left the study late at night, he decided to go to Bi Yun Courtyard to meet this curious woman.

Because he was too lazy to get maids to come open the door, Marquis Ye flipped over the wall directly, and without even touching the ground, he heard a light laugh like a silver bell, and looking toward the sound, saw a blue lotus pond, full of lotus leaves, and a great distance away there was a white-clad woman with light footsteps walking between the water and the lotuses to chase the fireflies in the pond.

Beneath the silver moonlight, that woman suddenly turned her face, and between relaxed, dark eyebrows there was a flower, bright eyes as if the stars were melted in them, the smile touching her lips adding to an already beautiful face. Marquis Ye heard a great noise in his mind, and two phrases from a text he'd read as a young man crashed into his heart: like the moon concealed by light clouds, floating and swaying like the snow on a flowing breeze.

When he flipped over the wall and landed beneath an old pear tree, he stepped subconsciously and broke a branch, and in the silent night the sound was especially attention grabbing. As expected, the woman in the pond appeared alarmed, a warm white light shooting straight into the pavilion in the middle of the lotus pond, and after, the woman was gone.

He hurried to the pavilion, and within, a green-clad woman rubbing her eyes stood up from a stone stool. The green-clad woman had a round face and could only count as somewhat good looking, looking at him blankly for a moment, and then said: "Marquis Ye?" But he noticed the flower on the woman's forehead. No, it wasn't a flower - it seemed more like a birthmark in the shape of a beautiful flower, like spread phoenix feathers, like the one on the white-clad woman's forehead a moment ago.

He stayed at the borders for long years and had seen all sorts of bizarre things, and thought her playing dumb was adorable and laughable, narrowing his eyes and asking her plainly: "You're a demon?"

He thought she would deny it, like a snake demon that had married a hunter of a border village that he had encountered when he had been twenty, who denied it to the end even when her tail came out. But she only paused half a moment, and asked him with a distressed expression: "Someone like me looks like a demon?" Before he could respond, she sighed. "This is getting ridiculous. Before, they just thought the flower on my forehead was a demon flower, and now my real body is being thought to be a demon." After sighing, she continued to ask him: "Do I really seem like a demon? Why do I seem like a demon? Have you seen a demon as pretty as I am?"

It was because she was so beautiful it seemed impossible she was human, that he was sure she was a demon, but she asked him if he had ever seen a demon as pretty a demon as her, and so his heart was moved, and though he thought the hypothesis was somewhat ridiculous, asked her with a smile in his eyes: "What, are you a god from the heavens?" 

She pursed her lips a little: "Do you mortals think there are only gods in the heavens? I'm not a god from the heavens - I'm a god from the country of Qingqiu. Have you heard of the Eastern Wilderness? I am the goddess of the Eastern Wilderness, Feng Jiu."

When she said this, her clear eyes danced with teasing, and even though she wore the round face of Consort Chen, one forgot her face and only saw her clear eyes.

The heart in his chest began, violently, to beat.

Ye Qingti had lived twenty three years, and had not known what love was. The first time he tasted love was to fall in love with a god. This god was very beautiful, lively and gentle, was an excellent cook, liked to mess around with weapons, and made good conversation with him. According to her, she came to the mortal realm to make a love calamity for the current Emperor.

She asked him: "Do you know what it means to create a calamity? I'm actually not a professional at creating calamities, but I have such bad luck. I came to the mortal realm to to repay a debt of gratitude, but then I met my aunt who was here to change someone's fate and got roped into it." She complained about the Emperor to him: "Siming made me create a love calamity for him last minute. Do you understand how difficult that is? Siming gave me a play, and I used all the ways the horrible ladies use to hurt men written on there, and he still loved me deeply without regret." She shuddered. "I didn't have any other choice than to go with a bad idea and write his Noble Consort a love letter." She sighed: "I did something like that, don't you think he should've given me a noose or some poisoned wine? What was he thinking, to give me to you as a second wife? Now even if I want to leave, I don't dare to, for fear of implicating you!"

She took him for a friend, and sincerely complained to him, and so he held a jar of wine, drank and smiled. He remembered hearing someone say that gods had no feelings, that those who were gods had neither the seven emotions nor the six desires. That he fell in love with a god meant there would be no conclusion. Sometimes he hated that his heart was moved that night, hated that that moment of being moved could last for five years, taking root deep inside so that he could not remove it if he wished to. He had been lost, and had struggled, listened to Taoist lectures from the Councilor, and meditated with Buddhist monks, but after all that still wanted to return to her side, even just to watch her from afar. She said she was here to create a love calamity for the Emperor, but it seemed she also created a love calamity for him.

He didn't want to burden her, in actuality, thought to bury his feelings until he too, grew old and died and would be buried, but when it came to the moment of death, he couldn't keep it inside.

After Consort Chen hurt the Emperor, the Emperor began to take a liking to studying Taoism, trusting especially an old Taoist, giving him the rank of royal advisor and constructing an Imperial Tao Temple, discussing Taoism with him on the fifteenth of every month.

He only knew that night that this Taoist was an evil demon, who had wanted to take the Emperor's soul to create a magical pill with it, plotted for five years and thought to take the Emperor's life during that rare astronomical period of yin, and took a demon blade, Lan Yu, to attack the Emperor when he came to the temple as usual.

He hadn't thought the silver bell always attached to her wrist was a magic item that could tell when the Emperor was in danger, and he hadn't thought that a god could have feelings. When the demon blade Lan Yu was flying toward the Emperor, her face was clearly pale, and when she put herself in the path of the blade in front of the emperor, her voice seemed as if her heart was ripping out of her chest when she called "Donghua!" The Emperor's name was not Donghua, that was the first time he had heard such a name. Without hesitation, she threw herself in front of the Emperor, and without hesitation, he threw himself in front of her. 

The tip of the blade stabbed into his chest, but he held it tightly in his hand. 

He was afraid the point of the sword would travel through his heart and hurt the woman standing behind him. 

The demon Taoist died under her sword, and when the guardes belatedly formed a protective circle around the Emperor, he finally collapsed into her arms.

When she chattered to him, he always liked to smile, and even at his death, his pale face held the trace of a smile. "They say...Gods have no feeling, and I...believed it. But...Gods can have feelings....yes?"

He saw her nodding as she cried, and wishfulness blossomed in his heart: "This life...our fate has ended...Can we...make a promise....for the next life?"

She was still crying, the tears falling on his face, but did not give him the answer he wanted. Choked with tears, she said, "Qingti, I owe you a life. I will pay you back."

"Qingti, I'll observe mourning three hundred years for you."

"Qingti, please rest in peace."

He loved her so deeply, he gave his life for her. But there was nothing in the world that said one could exchange a life for a feeling.

He thought, she said gods could have feelings, but refused to feel for him. She cried and said she would pay him back - a life, yes, but could someone pay back a feeling?

[su-gege]

“I should’ve recognized him”

All those times when Jing Yan almost figured out Mei Chang Su’s real identity and made my heart squee (in vain)

Restless fingers

Not enough to put two and two together but enough to remind Jing Yan of his beloved Xiao Shu. Off-topic note: Hu Ge’s hands are so beautiful.

Water buffalo

Squee moment for me and it was such a strong clue because only Lin Shu called him that. But Mei Chang Su diverted it to Ni Huang. Jing Yan, why are you so gullible?

Jiu An mountain

Royal Consort Jing’s reaction and the way Mei Chang Su drew his sword to explain his strategy and knowing the secret passageways in the mountains... Jing Yan didn’t buy the Ni Huang excuse this time. I was so excited!

Mei Shi Nan

This broke my heart. I was 99% sure Jing Yan had it all figured out. Even the way he replied Mei Chang Su, “After asking you, I’ll go ask my mother as well”, almost like he’s saying, “Don’t try to bluff me anymore, I got you cornered.” Even Lin Shu was uncertain if he could maintain the pretense. I was so happy until his mother’s response and seeing Jing Yan's shock because he was so sure that his wildest hope had come true. ☹️

On the other side of things, Lin Shu’s expressions are hard to watch too, the way his fist clenches in order to suppress his own emotions. He probably longs for that friendship to go back to what it once was but having chosen a one-minded pursuit of justice and clearing his family name, he was ready to give that up as well.

[dreamingsushi]

Eternal Love of Dream - Episode 15

Xuanren is taking a walk in the palace and Chuwan happens to be lighting lanterns on the pond, asking her mother to help the king her husband disperse his troubles. Just... magically there, it’s a pure coincidence. Of couuuuse. So it’s supposed to be her mother’s death anniversary. Wasn’t that the same thing a few days ago? Or so much time already went by? I don’t get it? Anyways, he praises her for being so filial and asks her why did she bring her guqin with her. She says her mother liked to listen to music, so he tells her to play for her mom and he will also listen.

Am I the only one? But I love the sound of guqin so much. I really wish I knew how to play that instrument. When I have a little extra money, I am definitely buying a guqin and learning how to play. If it’s not too late for me haha.

In the dungeon, Xiaojiu and her maid hears the sound of music and wonder what is Xuanren up to.

Qingti reports to Xuanren and says he didn’t find any proof of their innocence yet and the delay is almost up. He begs Xuanren to free Xiaojiu, because it’s impossible that she did it. Xuanren knows that too, but all the evidence points towards her doing it. He doesn’t know how to protect her anymore. Qingti gets a little to overwhelmed and blames without doing it on purpose Xuanren. Xuanren then gets angry and says he wants the proof and not his words only. Qingti gets on the ground and promises to find the evidence.

DON’T FIND IT AND RUN AWAY WITH FENGJIU. Can’t I have it my ways? That’s easy, Donghua gets his love trial, Qingti gets a little happiness. All would  be perfect. But I am not hoping too much. I never get what I want.

Qingti begs her to tell him how to make the cake, even if he wants to protect and save her, without the evidence, he can’t do anything. She tells him that the main ingredient is the wuyou flower which comes from her home town. Then he asks her where it is, but... hard to tell that she comes from the nine heavens (well not exactly, but close to). He begs her to tell him, and she won’t and tells him to leave. Since she won’t trust him, he doesn’t have any ways to help her. She promises Mu Yun that she will not let her die.

Chuwan goes to pay a visit to Xuanren and she gives him a sleeping soup so she can search for the jade. However she didn’t find it. Then... I believe Xuanren has his doubts, because he’s really surprised he fell asleep and orders the eunuch to follow Chuwan.

After having a nightmare in which she dies, Xuanren goes and meet with Fengjiu in jail. He says he’s taking her away. Only if she tells him where the flower comes from, where is she from. She tells him she can’t tell him and tries again to convince her otherwise he can’t save her. He asks why did she come to the palace, but she won’t answer, because she really can’t. He’s hurt, she’s hurt, he thinks she lied to him. Well, not really, ever. Xiaojiu thinks that this should be enough of a love trial, so that’s why she keeps silent.

Back in the Nine Heavens, knowing of that, Chengyu is super mad and since Siming won’t help Fengjiu, she decides she will go and help her. Well, actually save her. Siming stops her from doing so, because it would ruin Donghua’s mortal trial and thus Xiaojiu would have suffered for nothing. He says that when the time is right, he will help her.

Qingti comes to get Xiaojiu. He looks so sad. Is he taking her away? He asks her if she’s going to give up like this and she says well the king gave up on me. So he’s like, so what if he gave up on you, is that a reason to give up on yourself? Yeah Qingti! Good boy <3 See, Fengjiu, that’s the guy who truly loves you. Not that mighty king. Then he tells her, if there’s something different, to think of all the details. Then she remembers. The cake she made only had 5 petals. Then the one that were served didn’t have the same number. He runs out even before she finishes speaking.

Chuwan takes care of his majesty and while she’s getting the ink ready for him, she asks him about the jade. He says it’s just a legend, that stone doesn’t exist. If she likes jewels, he will just get it for her.

So it’s the day of the trial and Qingti has proof that Xiaojiu isn’t the culprit. And he’s going to eat the cake, because there is no poison in the cake.  So he eats it and he’s fine. Well he eats a part in the middle. Then he gives a piece of the same cake to a dog. I don’t especially like dogs but.. Poor doggy. It was cute and it’s going to die ): It has nothing to do with the humans’ games for power. So the poison was actually on the plates, so it has nothing to do with the one who made the cakes. They ask if he has the plates to prove it. Then he says, of course, they have been thrown away. So they tell him, then it’s just his guessing, there’s no proof buuuuut. That’s my Qingti. He found a broken plate from that evening. And it wasn’t the plate coming from Xiaojiu’s palace and a plate coming from Chuwan’s palace. Then that maid says she did it because Xuanren shouldn’t be the king. She then grabs a sword and tries to kill the king. But she’s stopped by the elder son who kills her. Wow. Such a pernicious guy. She obviously worked for him...

The king goes to take Fengjiu back home. He says he’s sorry for not believing in her. Then she hugs him and cries. And Qingti is in the back seeing this. He’s the one who saved you. Gosh. Xiaojiu, you are hugging the wrong person. My heart is so sad for my poor general. And they don’t stop being lovey-dovey in front of Qingti. He wants to appoint her as his wife (so more than just a consort) and move her to a better palace. Because he feels he owes her too much. Poor Qingti in the back. He now has no chance to ever have a little love with Xiaojiu. He liked her first for who she was, not just because she’s beautiful. I DON’T LIKE THE KING. I hope he gets his heart extremely broken and shattered to pieces. There you go love trial. MAKE IT HARD.

Poor Qingti. He’s alone in his room, looking at the moon and smelling Xiaojiu made for him ointment. And he blames himself for being greedy by wanting Xiaojiu TT I’m so heartbroken for this guy. He deserves better. He tells himself to give up. Don’t give up. Take her away before that ugly king hurts her again and again. Because there will be next time. I can feel it.

And I don’t like it.

[dreamingsushi]

Eternal Love of Dream - Episode 14

Fengjiu is worried about the fact that she fainted earlier and she thinks to herself that she has to leave this place as soon as possible. Her maid wonders if she’s not eating because she doesn’t like the food and wether if she would like sweet potatoes instead. But right when she’s about to leave, the king comes with baked sweet potatoes. Wow. He even cooked himself. She’s so happy. To the point that she’s crying and the king worries that it’s not tasty. She says it’s just because she’s thankful that he cooked it for her. Then he asks her if his sweet potato is tastier than the one she ate before. She notices that he hurt his hand and she runs to get medicine for him. He follows her and hugs her. Then when he’s about to kiss her, she moves back and says she will help him to put on the medicine for his burns. He looks really disappointed. And she keeps thinking of the past.

The next, Xuanren takes Fengjiu out on a hunt. They even ride the horse together. Then she thinks about how every time she gets closer to Dong Hua, it’s in a fate that doesn’t belong to her.

Qingti comes to se the king and Xuanren asks him to smell the incense he’s making so Fengjiu won’t faint again. Poor Qingti. I like him better. I think I will write a fiction someday about him and Xiao Jiu. Because he breaks my heart. I love him so much. I think it’s second lead syndrome coming out again. Anyways, Qingti says he’s coming from a too poor background to understand anything like that. He came to talk about the weapon Fengjiu “designed”. Anyways, they don’t understand some parts of the design and wish to ask more to Fengjiu if he would allow it. Xuanren allows it without thinking and Qingti looks happy. Cutie. Seduce Fengjiu and then run away together <3 Before he finishes looking at his things and come to see the plans too. I mean, Xuanren. I don’t like him... He’s not bad, but he’s just... well he’s just too much like a king and believes that the world belongs to him which is annoying.

Qingti is just the cutest. He comes to ask Fengjiu about the weapon and she explains very well to him. Then he tells her that her face is a little dirty and he can’t keep his eyes off her. He deserves her more. He liked her even when they thought she was a boy. She’s like is still there? Since he’s still staring but he says no and he looks so shy. Then she asks him if he used the cream she gave him for his wound, but he says he can’t bear to use it. Hard to translate, but basically he means it’s too precious fo him to use it. She’s like what? Use it, I made it for you and if you use it all, I’ll just get you more. Then she asks how he got injured. It was on the battlefield, just before she came in and saved Xuanren. Then she asks him what kind of deserts those the king likes and Qingti says he doesn’t really any sweets. She wants him to taste the desert she made but since his fingers are a little dirty she’s about to feed him. And right then, Xuanren comes by the door. Ooooops. I hope he doesn’t punish Qingti.

He just leaves without letting them know he was there. Then Qingti asks Xiaojiu if this a specialty dish from her hometown and she says yes, but it’s weird, because he never encountered such deserts.  Then she says she traveled a lot in the past and learnt a lot of dishes from everywhere and to her they all count as home dishes. Qingti seems to think there’s something odd.

Fengjiu brings the cake for Xuanren and he likes how it looks like and the smell of it. Then he asks if she ever made that cake for someone else and she hesitates before admitting she did. She’s thinking about Dong Hua, naturally, she already forgot she asked Qingti to taste it, and says she made it for a friend to whom she’s indebted to. She describes him as a person who doesn’t really talk a lot, but has a nice heart. Xuanren thinks she’s talking about Qingti and gets jealous I believe. He says he should be the first one to taste it and when Xiaojiu tries to explain, he won’t listen to what she has to say. Well, it’s better if he misunderstand because this way he will go through his romance trial and Fengjiu can go back faster to Qingqiu. He kicked her out and she felt sad so she did leave and he’s like... she really left. He was just sulking. Of course Fengjiu won’t realize that. He then eats to cake out of anger and thinks it’s so delicious that he regrets sending her away.

Later, he goes to see Chuwan-Ji Heng. She made cakes for him, but he didn’t eat anything of it. He makes her in charge of a party for the empress dowager. She asks to have the help of Xiaojiu on that matter and he agrees, then he leaves. Nope. He’s never going to sleep with you and give an opportunity to get close to him.

Ling Xiang is asked to go check on the cakes and when she’s about to put poison in Fengjiu’s cakes, Ji Heng comes in and stops her. Even if the king likes Fengjiu better, he still entrusted the party to her and if it is a success than he will trust her more. So she shouldn’t do things like that, and most likely somebody would realize that she did it and then it would be bad for them.

But it seems like the elder prince poisoned the cakes because he anticipates very much that the eunuch tastes it and  not long after, he falls on the ground. The imperial doctor comes and confirms that there was poison in the cake. The first prince says to put Fengjiu in jail since she’s the only one who knows how to make those cakes. Xuanren has no other choice but to investigate Fengjiu. So he orders Qingti to take her to the dungeon for investigation. She’s heartbroken. Poor her. Leave with Qingti. that’s for the best.

Qingti speaks up for Fengjiu in private with Xuanren and says somebody tried to frame her. Xuanren says he obviously knows. So without any proof, she can’t escape from it. Qingti tries to convince Xuanren to do something, but his hands are tied because as long as his mom decided that Xiaojiu is the culprit, there’s no way to save her since she won’t say anything about her family and where she comes from. Qingti talks again about how even though her origins aren’t clear, she definitely doesn’t have the heart to hurt anybody. Since he believes that she’s probably innocent, he still has doubts, Xuanren gives him 7 days to investigate the case and prove her innocence. I hope he can’t do it. And then they escape together. And die, jumping off a cliff. That would be a perfect ending for this stupid human romance. And then they don’t really die because Fengjiu is a nine-tail fox and she brings back Qingti to Qingqiu and they get married together and live happily ever after.

In the dungeon, they whip Xiaojiu’s maid and seeing in how much pain she is, Fengjiu hugs her and take the hits in her stead. Such a nice girl though. Right when the soldier is about to hit them again, Qingti stops him. This guy <3 I love him so much and my heart hurts so much for him. Fengjiu begs him to help her prove her innocence and Qingti promises he will make the truth come out.

The empress dowager comes to warn Xuanren that he shouldn’t be to lenient. And gives him a new eunuch to serve him.

I want more Qingti and I wish for him to have a little happiness. And wish the human story part doesn’t end too soon. Because I already miss Qingti.