#eunuch su eunuch su!

[nemainofthewater]

They foil plots against them for breakfast, receive a bit of light bribery for lunch, and finish off the day with widescale manipulation.

These characters may nominally be servants, but they hold all the power in the Palace and are going to live long, long lives.

Write-ins, propaganda, and images are welcome!

[chinesehanfu]

[China Tang Dynasty]Chinese Armor:The Dunhuang Heroes | 敦煌英雄

The ShaZhou/沙洲(China Dunhuang, old name) is still there, and the Tang Dynasty is still there!

The yellow sand flowing through fingers represents the lost youth and blood and tears of the Guiyi Army(归义军) of the Tang Dynasty in Dunhuang. They are not quicksand but the shining golden soul of the Tang Dynasty army.

This series of works is inspired by the upcoming Chinese Tang Dynasty historical film "Heroes of Dunhuang/敦煌英雄".

The film tells the story of the Guiyi Army in the Tang Dynasty. After the An Lushan rebellion broke out, the Tubo/吐蕃 invaded Shazhou/沙洲 (now Dunhuang City, Gansu Province China). In 848, Zhang Yichao/张议潮 led his people to revolt and drive out the Tubo rulers, recovering Shazhou and starting the tragic story of the Guiyi Army for 200 years.

The story revolves around Zhang Yichao, a general in the late Tang Dynasty of China, who led the people of Shazhou and other places to break free from the rule of the Tubo/吐蕃 nobles.

Zhang Yichao (Chinese: 張議潮 or 張義朝; pinyin: Zhāng Yìcháo; 799−872) was a Chinese military general and politician of the Tang dynasty who was a resident of Sha Prefecture (Chinese: 沙州; pinyin: Shāzhōu, in modern Dunhuang, Gansu,China). When the Tibetan Empire/吐蕃 plunged into civil war, he led a rebellion, capturing several cities and reverted the area's allegiance to the Tang dynasty. He subsequently conquered the Hexi Corridor and governed it as the military commissioner (jiedushi) of Guiyi Circuit (headquartered in modern Dunhuang) under nominal authority of the Tang emperors.

Following the An Lushan Rebellion, the Tibetan Empire conquered the Sha and Gua prefectures of the Tang dynasty in 781. Han population of the locality remained. By 851, the Tibetan Empire which had ruled the southern Tarim Basin and modern Gansu region since 790 was being torn by civil war.

In the second year of Jianzhong (781),Sha Prefecture, which had held out for many years, also fell. After the fall, the people of Hexi were ravaged by Tubo. Adult males became slaves, farming and grazing; the elderly and weak were killed, and some were "cut off their hands and eyes" and then abandoned. The people wanted to return to the Tang Dynasty day and night.

During his growing years, Zhang Yichao personally experienced the brutal rule of Tubo, which aroused his anger. Feeling the desolate scene of the people's livelihood under the rule of Tibetan Empire/吐蕃, Zhang Yichao sympathized with the people's suffering and had great respect for Feng Changqing, a famous general who was framed by the eunuch Bian Lingcheng in the suppression of the " An Lushan Rebellion". He personally write a"Feng Changqing Death Letter"

The "Zhang Huaishen Monument/张淮深碑" records that Zhang Yichao "discussed military affairs and swordplay, and studied martial arts classics" on Sha Prefecture. He believed that "the fate of Tibetan Empire was over", so he "vowed to return to his country, with no doubt in his determination." To this end, he began to accumulate power and seek support from many parties, such as:

1.Dunhuang's prestigious and influential families such as the Su, Zhang, and Li clans had numerous members and substantial strength. They made significant contributions during Zhang Yichao's uprising and the reconquest of Hexi Corridor.

2.Buddhist monks and disciples. Despite being highly respected by the Tubo for his profound knowledge of Buddhism, the eminent monk Hong Bian of Hexi was appointed 'Chief Executor of the Vinaya and Teacher of Conduct' but 'longed for his homeland and wished to be under the Imperial wind,' so he did his utmost to assist Zhang Yichao in reclaiming Shazhou. Buddhism in the Western Regions was thriving, with a large number of followers, and the extensive influence of these monks among the people instilled a deep-seated spirit of resistance against Tubo, driven by their influence;

3.Heroes and righteous men. Figures such as Zhang Yichao's trusted subordinates Deputy Anjing and tribal leader Yan Yingda (also known as Shang Yanshin) were renowned local heroes.

↑Mural commemorating victory of General Zhang Yichao over the Tibetans in 848. Mogao cave 156, Late Tang dynasty

↑<Zhang Yichao Leading the Army Mural>: The man on the left, wearing red, is Zhang Yichao.

It was with the great help of these people that Zhang Yichao clearly put forward the slogan of "returning to the country" and widely organized and united forces from all sides.

After the 9th century, the strength of the Tibetan Tubo Empire continuously declined, with frequent internal turmoil. During the Huichang era (841-846 AD), Tubo Empire suffered consecutive years of disasters and famines, leading to widespread starvation and epidemic, with corpses lying next to each other.

During this period, the Tibetan Tubo general Lun Kongre led five thousand cavalry to Gua Prefecture, plundering the eight prefectures of Hexi including Shanshan and Kuo. This action not only stirred great resentment among the people of Hexi but also caused discontent among his subordinates, who all desired to rebel against him.

↑China Dunhuang Mural Showing Zhang Yichao departure

When the time was ripe, Zhang Yichao launched a rebellion in Sha Prefecture in the second year of Dazhong (848 AD), leading his forces in a fierce battle to expel the Tibetan garrison. After the Tibetan army retreated, they gathered reinforcements from the surrounding areas and besieged Sha Prefecture again. Zhang Yichao led his troops out of the city and defeated the Tibetans, finally establishing a foothold in Sha Prefecture

This unrest quickly spread like wildfire and even caused major turmoil within the Tibetan Empire. Tibetan historical texts record that this rebellion '起于康，遍及全藏，如鸟飞百影，四面楚歌，天下大乱' Lun Kongre also rebelled, seized power within Tibet, proclaimed himself prime minister, and engaged in mutual slaughter with the Tibetan military governor of Shanshan, Shang Bipib."

In 863, Zhang Yichao led a group of 7,000 Han and non-Han soldiers to capture Liang Prefecture (涼州, in modern Wuwei, Gansu).

In 866, Zhang submitted a report stating that the Uyghur chieftain Pugu Jun (僕固俊) had recaptured from the Tibetan Empire Xi Prefecture, Ting Prefecture (庭州, in modern Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang), Luntai (輪台, in modern Ürümqi, Xinjiang), and Qingzhen (清鎮, modern location unknown)—apparently implying that Pugu Jun did so under his command.

In 867, Zhang Yichao visited Chang'an and paid homage to Emperor Yizong of Tang. Yizong made him a general of the imperial guards and kept him at Chang'an. Yizong also commissioned Zhang's nephew Zhang Huaishen (張淮深) to serve as the acting military governor of Guiyi.He died in 872, probably while residing at Chang'an.

↑Zhang Yichao's wife, Lady Song, in "Mural of Lady Song of Henei County, Song State, Going Out"

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📸Photography post-production :@小何力

⚔️Armor：天权 苍梧 ​​​

💄 Makeup：百丽

👨Model：@麒小麟_kylin

🔗 Weibo:https://weibo.com/1615560544/Oo0berhKj

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[tomorrowsdrama]

Man, if the drama wanted us to believe that Su Rongqing was the finest gentleman in the capital, they shouldn’t have cast Zhang Linghe as the husband because his face is a wall that few can surpass. Seriously. Zhang Linghe is really, really, really, really good looking it’s almost distracting.

Also, I’m sure there are plot reasons/explanations as to why Li Rong would pine after Su Rongqing but really girl? You have THAT waiting for you at home but you chase after a eunuch instead?

[shijiujun]

some extra tidbits from the ending of the princess royal in the novel

i do so love when dramas drop the last 8 episodes in a fit a week in advance heh - binge watched the last 10 episodes and ZHAO JINMAI she's so underrated - she 500% portrayed every single crying scene so fucking well omg hard stan istg she needs to be in more historical dramas!! ANYWAY since they ended only on the wedding, here're some cute tidbits from the novel:

li chuan does come back with zhen zhen and THEIR SON li xun a few years later when he's done recording the map, and li rong tries to convince him to leave li xun in the imperial city but li chuan knows imperial city life is not for him, his son, or his little fam so they leave after

as having a female emperor is way too scandalous right, so as with the last episode, li chuan actually takes the throne but on the official day of him taking over, he leaves and leaves a note for li rong to basically be princess regent, and then the excuse he uses is that he will lock himself up in some temple or something to recuperate and rest, and this excuse works for YEARS lmao - then after he comes back and leaves, think he realizes that he really needs to make it official for his sister, so he leaves a edict that passes the throne on to li rong for reals

li rong's first kid is a princess!!! second kid is a son, and princess is actually the crown princess in the future!!!

it's not really shown and i think they changed the script from the lines in the novel, but the last part when li rong asks the emperor's eunuch laifu/fulai (?) who he actually works for or is loyal to, in the drama he said he of course is loyal for the emperor, but in the novel, he said he's loyal to "First Young Master" - and then afterwards when everything has sort of finished he seems to call Pei Wenxuan "First Young Master" (?!) maybe i was hallucinating by then but i recalled being real intrigued LOL and it would explain why the eunuch so readily admitted to PWX that the emperor's health is deteriorating. there's no backstory for that tho hmm

su ronghua actually has to leave the imperial city for a few years because he is after all now head of a criminal family due to su rongqing's rebellion, and as promised, he takes the su family out of the city and he trains the next head of the su family for a few years, and once that's done, he returns to shangguan ya and marries her then

pei wenxuan and li rong continue to bicker and banter for decades after - their younger son who sees his parents arguing for the first time and li rong threatening to divorce pei wenxuan runs to his older sister in a panic, and the older sister is like what? that's normal and everything's fine, but at the boy's insistence, she goes with him to try to "mediate" the argument btw their parents only to arrive and see their parents already PDA-ing with each other, thread of divorce forgotten and their daughter rolls her eyes and tells her brother "all these years do you know how many divorce threats i've heard coming from our parents" LOL

anw super happy with this little sunshine of a drama!! a little sads for su rongqing ;-; UNREQUITED LOVE i cri cri and all the suffering he went through ;-; but every other bad guy who died yall deserve it

[dangermousie]

The way Li Rong CANNOT READ THE ROOM and is refusing to see that young Su Rongqing does not want anything to do with her and would prefer to be about 1000mi away and is just too cognizant of her status to ever voice it is SPECIAL.

Heh.

Girl, he's pre his poisoning eunuch era, he doesn't want you.

[silviakundera]

The Princess Royal ep 23 thoughts

Finally the devoted couple era! I DESERVE THIS. ❤

we got a split second glimpse of Su Ronghua's death in life 1, right??????

Big fan of including a Su family scene w horrorshow montage to remind the audience of Su Rongqing's #1 goal, to stop the crown prince from gaining the throne.

As much as Li Rong would tell him that she is going to change the future, that everything she is doing is to set up a better reign for her brother... as much as she already promised him that she will stop unfair clan exterminations and proved she could save the Qin... It's hard to blame him for being unable to take this on faith when he has lived the horrible consequences of her failure.

Just like we can't blame Li Rong for believing change is possible and for relentlessly striving to prevent the emperor from deposing her the crown prince - which almost led to her and her brother's death in the 1st life.

And we see how precarious their position remains, as the less favored heirs. And the influence LR has already had on her brother.

In the same episode that we see SQR and LR perform together in an echo of their history, reminded that there was a time when they were united on Li Chuan's side and helping him consolidate power...

We see the inevitable clash of wills. A fight that neither will back down from.

He can admire all the rabbit lanterns he wants but..;

There is a deeper conflict than just 1 crown prince (as we saw in Su Ronghua explaining why he wants to aid LR and SY - not aligning to Li Chuan but to LI RONG!!)

Su Rongqing has (understandably) made Li Chuan into the sole adversary. If he can just stop THIS ONE EVENT (Li Chuan's rise to emperor) from happening then nothing has to change and everything can play out Like It Was Supposed To™. The aristocracy can be safe and have a nice regency with a disposable lil puppet emperor.

And it makes sense! (face palm) In the original timeline, LR became the face of the nobility as she used all their power to protect herself & her brother (and then was cannibalized by that same system & family). SRQ has come back and from his PoV he's fighting his girlfriend's old fight! But with foresight! He'll throw away the Su's neutrality and go all in. He's gonna FIX STUFF and make this a world where she and his family are secure and the right people are in charge. Our kind of people. He will use his decades of sinister eunuch skills to keep all the pieces under his control and this time no one they love needs to die.

But Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan have come back too and have been growing & changing, not mired in the past.

(I think perhaps that when that horrific family annihilation happened to SRQ, he just got stuck - encased in amber & trapped there as the person he was when the world was still a place he understood)

It physically PAINS me that they cast such a wet blanket as Su Rongqing. A great actor would be doing so much more with this material. 😭 whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy😭

Setting up imperial examinations case scheme vs scheme!! I know a lot of this subplot will be simplied but I'm low key hyped to see it play out.

Per ep 24 preview, the promotions plot is coming next! LR and SRQ digging pits for each other and PWX strategically faints!

(lmao all during that royal family banquet I just kept imagining LR 🔪 🔪 🔪 over at Li Cheng while SRQ imagines dumping Li Chuan on a boat set for Greenland)

(Pei Wenxuan: and someone was making eyes AT MY WIFE

(Me: bro that is so not your biggest problem)

(like, I would venture it's not even a problem)

(please I beg of u, focus more of your energies on murder)

(YES, the imperial relatives. OMG DO I NEED TO DO EVERYTHING AROUND HERE.)

[minsarasarahair]

I don't know if its just me but Eunuch Jin Xian reminds me of Su Muyu. They are similar in a way both of them can be corrupted in a place where they work at. Court politics and Assassin organization? But somehow they are not tainted and manage to be still righteous in their own way? The way Jin Xian emphatize with his fellow eunuch and want to avenge them reminds me of Su Muyu feeling bad about Su Changli's death saying the youth is not an assassin but more like a warrior so he don't deserve that death?

[hobunaga]

Wow!!!! I finally watched all of Blood of Youth live action!

I'd rate it a 8/10. I felt like some scenes were so drawn out, the villain was pretty dumb but hey, his outfit was always on point. Diss Xiao Yu all you want but you can never diss his outfit.

I like that Sikong Qianluo and Xiao Se's relationship is much more revealed in the live-action than in the donghua. My God Sikong Qianluo is so under appreciated there by Xiao Se... but Live Action is still a really subtle kind of romance and I still saw them as friends at the end.

Lei Wujie and Ye Ruoyi have a decent relationship in both the donghua and live action and I think they're cute together.

Tang Lian and Fairy Rui deserved better.

Consort Xuan got that Gucci pussy grip I swear. She able to sway men and I applaud her for that.

Xiao Chong weirdly ended up as my favorite in the end and I hope he gets to kiss his attendant everyday.

Hua Jin precious baby.

Wushuang, I thought he was kinda annoying until the Mu Yumo scene. He a good boy.

Li Fansong and his martial brother deserves the world.

Su Muyu, perfect. Wasn't that prevalent in the live-action compared to the Donghua but my God he served cunt every scene. His actor was not playing around, he said he gonna put his whole pussy into each entrance. Served, ate, devoured.

Mu Yumo, idk her motherly instincts kicked in when she talked to Wushuang and it was so nice to see. Mother is mothering.

The most attractive I think in the series is Luo Mingyan's master. I forgot her name but I ship her with Li Hanyi... and for guys it's uhhh..... Lei Yunhe or maybe Wushuangs shixiong whatever that guy's name is. His actor has perfect bone structure wtf.

The Eunuchs' internal affairs was the most invested I was in the political drama. These ball-less men were single handedly moving the entire plot, it was so funny. The pearls I was clutching when the 3 princess came to proposition him to giving up the list and Xiao Se showed up. gasssspppppppppppppp.

Anyways. Good show!!!! I finally finished it.

[randomingoftherandomness]

Fic: Oh, he looks so cute wrapped around my finger

Duke Su x Emperor

This one is for @kingsandbastardz who is an enabler (affectionate)

Yes, it's that Espresso song lyric :D

--

"I would ask, but I assume you're thinking about your pawn."

Xiao Heng wastes no time in schooling his expression into something more appropriate for the present company -- a carefully practised curl of his lips, lowering his eyes, all wrapped up in a well-crafted relaxed demeanour. Pushing himself off the edge of the study desk, he tilts his gaze up just in time to see the Emperor wave his attendants a distance away.

A glance at the tight corners of his jawline has Xiao Heng relaxing more genuinely.

Another glance, sterner and much less genial, aimed at the court historian currently scribbling away by the head eunuch's side all while doing his level best to not look like he's craning his neck too much, has the said court historian taking a shuffling step back. Good, Xiao Heng smiles, moving smoothly to draw the inner doors shut.

"This isn't going to stop that man from writing everything down," The Emperor starts to say, even as he allows himself to be tugged closer to Xiao Heng. "Sometimes I wish my predecessors were less inclined to glorify and commemorate their reigns."

His Majesty-- no. Zhao Ye, sighs. Xiao Heng curls a hand to the side of his neck, gratified when the man practically melts under his touch.

"That bad, huh?"

"If you had to stop two of your ministers from tearing each other's faces off before you had to negotiate the tributary routes, and then fend off yet another pile of impeachment letters, you would too." Zhao Ye hums, sliding a hand over Xiao Heng's waist. "And it's barely noon."

Smiling, Xiao Heng closes the remaining distance between them. "How much time do we have?"

"Half a shichen. Maybe a little more. I'm meant to have a private audience with some diplomats from the Western Regions," Zhao Ye says, already closing his eyes as Xiao Heng wraps him tighter in an embrace. "They want me to marry one of their princesses."

Xiao Heng feels a gentle tug in his chest. It's not a sensation he can linger on, not when Zhao Ye arches against him, rocking their bodies together.

"But enough of that," Zhao Ye murmurs. Moving his lips to the corner of Xiao Heng's, he shapes his kisses into a smile. "I don't want to talk anymore."

"As you wish." Xiao Heng purrs.

[serpentinesheldonserpentine]

Attitude. Duende. SWAGGER.

Pete Hamil and Jimmy Breslin. When giants walked the earth.

"Back in the day, I mean, you would buy the paper to see what Jimmy Breslin's saying. You know, what Pete Hamill [says]. I mean, those guys were like superstars.”– Spike Lee.

For the better part of four decades they roamed the city, talking to regular people and pounding out hundreds of thousands of words on deadline, becoming as noisy and funny and infuriating and integral a part of the city as the subway. What Breslin and Hamill did not do was wait around in hallways to be handed the official version of events. — Chris Smith writing in Vulture, 2019

Our friend @culturaloffering lamented the absence of swagger in today’s newspaper writers. While Breslin and Hamill were columnists, not newspaper beat writers, they both worked at major dailies and on deadline.

Today Breslin never could have an exchange in the pages of his paper with the at-large Son of Sam Killer, complimenting him on his use of a semicolon and asking him to surrender. “Too risky, an editor would advise. Legal says we might get sued”.

And Hamill? Oh, my. Adam Gopnik captured Pete perfectly: "A storyteller and man of the world, civil-rights activist and music critic, Brooklyn-bred but Manhattan-bound (as the Brooklyn-bred were for so long), Pete was the kind of figure who could be called, on the morning of his death, and in the Daily News, no less, “the Bard of the five boroughs”—called that straight up, no chaser, without the least trace of an ironic wink."

In Philadelphia we had Pete Dexter, a guy who appeared seemingly from nowhere, actually from the Dakotas and later, Florida. Dexter was a must read in a tabloid of must-reads. I remember the erudite and wise Chuck Stone, former aid to Adam Clayton Powell and tireless advocate for civil rights. Many on the lam Black criminals surrendered to Chuck, fearful of the notorious Philly cops. Jack McKinney, friend of boxer Sonny Liston. Jack would go away to The Troubles in Northern Ireland and write what he saw. Or to Latin America. Or the Greater Northeast ( a Philly neighborhood). He also hosted radio and TV shoes where he specialized in making everyone feel seen, heard, respected. He was a giant.

Where did I come in? Oh, yeah. Dexter. Pete Dexter wrote columns that delighted and infuriated people in equal measure. Pete was so good that he was beaten, almost to death, by a crowd of unhappy readers. It happened in a Grays Ferry Bar Pete visited to further explain his viewpoint from a recent column. Rather than complaining to the paper Ombudsman, the patrons locked the door and went at Dexter, some swinging rebar. They rarely missed.

I have a short honor roll of columnists I read as a man in my twenties. Breslin. Hamill. Dexter. McKinney. Jim Murray, the baseball sage from California. His column about losing his vision still produces a catch in my throat: "I lost an old friend the other day. He was blue-eyed, impish; he cried a lot with me, saw a great many things with me. I don’t know why he left me. Boredom perhaps.”

I don't think the Soy Boy Eunuch crowd at what passes for "the papers” as we called them can stomach reading these greats, much less trying to emulate them.

Great writing is always in short supply, but my God has it deserted the dailies?

[wangsejabin]

Chapter 124

Xiang Pu was a clever one. Knowing that the master was going to Kun Ning Palace, ran back in advance, called several eunuchs and palace maids to come.

Originally were stopped outside, but Su Guifei was determined to break in, the palace maid and eunuchs below did not dare to block her, and if something happened, the Empress would certainly fine, however their own fates would be difficult to predict. So on the one hand it was really barging in, on the other hand it was pretending to barricade, and so they eventually allowed Pan'er to lead the people to barge straight into the hall.

The moment Empress Chen saw Pan'er, she sat up straight, and at the same time, she also put away the furious expression on her face. Hearing Pan'er's words, her face was just a little grim as she said, "Fu Chun, you answer Noble Consort Su."

Fu Chun busily stood straight, hands folded by her lower abdomen, her head half lowered, as if the one who hit the person just now wasn't her, this respectful posture and this mannerism could not be faulted by anyone, worthy of being a senior palace maid beside the Empress.

"Replying to Your Highness words, Bai Jie was summoned to come because not long ago she was in the house of internal affairs to receive something, in which there were some mistakes, who knows Bai Jie came over and spoke out of turn, offending the Empress, the Empress ordered the servant girl to teach her a lesson."

"Bai Jie is a person from Jingren Palace, if she received something wrongly a while ago, it was not someone from the House of Internal Affairs who stepped in to handle, but instead, Her Majesty the Empress herself had to personally deal with this matter? Besides, Jingren Palace received the wrong things, how come this palace was not aware of it, when did this happen, how come nothing was said at that time, but afterwards, you raised an accusation instead?"

Fu Chun's words were clearly a cover story, and since it was a cover story, it could not stand to be scrutinised.

But it was obvious that Fu Chun wasn't without some measures, so she didn't panic.

"Bai Jie received two purple sable skins in the House of Internal Affairs, according to the rules of the Harem, there is no superior purple sable skins in the Noble Consort's sub-regulation, only the Empress and the Empress Dowager and the Grand Empress Dowager have them, which is a usurpation, Bai Jie as a Noble Consort's Grand Palace Maiden shouldn't be unaware of this rule, that is why Her Majesty the Empress summoned her over for questioning."

This matter Pan'er actually was aware of, although the days weren't cold yet, but the palace maids below are already preparing her winter supplies. Such as household clothes, hats and shoes, unless it is auspicious clothes, usually are sent back to let the palace maids below who are good at needle and thread to make.

Bai Jie was usually prudent and proper, so Jingren Palace and the Department of Internal Affairs dealings was her responsibility, a while ago she had told Pan'er, she was going to receive the sable fur to do her hats and gloves, unexpectedly the Department of Internal Affairs received a batch of superior sable fur,and sent two of these as tribute to Jingren Palace.

Such things on the surface was a violation of the rules, but were actually a common occurrence in the palace. The Department of Internal Affairs will look at the favour of the ladies of the Palace, and will inevitably pay tribute with some of the things that are not included in the regulations.

Pan'er also did not take it to heart, after all, she received many things that were not within regulations, as Zong Cong let people send it to her to make a cloak, even items better than the first-class sable skin is not unheard of, who could have expected Fu Chun would take advantage of that.

It seemed that Kunning Palace had been waiting to catch her shortcomings, not just a day or two days, or else whether she obtained two sable skins from the Ministry of Internal Affairs was Fu Chun, a palace maid to know? But Pan'er was not without a response approach, before she came she knew that this matter couldn't end well, but she didn't care, anyway, she wasn't the one who should be afraid of making a big scene.

Pan'er didn't even look at Fu Chun and put on the noble consort's attitude: "Bai Jie, how should a servant girl speak to her master?"

Originally knocked to the ground, after Pan'er came in, Bai Jie, had gotten up and stood with her head lowered at the side, replied, "Replying to Your Highness, in order to show respect, servant girls should speak to their masters with respect, and their words should be referred to as replying to the words of their masters."

"Good then, she has offended this palace, teach her a lesson for this palace!" Bai Jie didn't hold back, and took two steps forward and yanked on Fu Chun's lapel.

Fu Chun was still in a state of shock: "You can't hit me ......"

"A servant girl, can't even address herself as servant girl, reward her with a few more slaps from this palace and teach her the rules."

"Yes."

Empress Chen sharply and angrily said, "What are you trying to do, Noble Consort Su?"

At this time, Pan'er had already gone to sit on the chair next to her, Empress Chen was in the main position on the phoenix throne, and she randomly chose a position to sit down near the end, seemingly one on top and one underneath, but she did not lose any imposing force.

"Replying to the Empress' words, this concubine originally came to find the Empress to talk about family matters, who would have thought that this Fu Chun was so ignorant of the rules, in order to avoid such things from happening again in the future, and going out to disgrace the Empress' face, this concubine will overstep her authority to teach her a lesson on behalf of the Empress, teach her the rules, lest she go out and cause trouble for the Empress in the future."

Between words, Bai Jie's slaps had already swung over.Yes, swung. This was how Fu Chun had hit her before, and now that Her Highness had risked a complete falling out with the Empress to save her, she naturally had to hit her back in the same way.

Fu Chun didn't cry out in a ghostly manner, just in the end, the slaps were very hard, and it was inevitable that she suffered pain for a while. It was Empress Chen who couldn't stand it. She was so old, no one ever dared to be so reckless in front of her, and never did anyone disgrace her face so much.

Empress Chen was suffering these two days, of course she knew that it was not wise for her to call Bai Jie over, but instead of ordering someone to go home and ask, this move gave her more room to manoeuvre.

If the Chen family did not know, but instead she asked a bad thing, is when things spread to the surface, she is no longer the only daughter of the Chen family in the palace, is not cheap surnamed Su this bitch! Chen family tenth girl died a long time ago, since her surname is Su, it is best to be surnamed Su for the rest of her life!

"You know?"

Empress Chen's eyes kind of scared Pan'er, such eyes she had only seen on Empress Chen in her previous life when she was at the end of her rope and was about to be locked up in the Cold Palace, she didn't think that she would be at the end of her rope so early in this life.

"Know what?"

With the sound of slapping in the background, such a dialogue was extremely bizarre.

"You know exactly what this palace is talking about!"

"You're afraid?"

"What is this palace afraid of, this palace is his majesty's primary wife, this palace is the empress of the middle palace, as long as this palace doesn't make a mistake for one day, his majesty won't be able to abolish me for one day, and you're just a noble consort, this palace is afraid of you?" Empress Chen laughed coldly, but something in her eyes couldn't fool Pan'er, her old rival of two lives.

"My surname is Su, not Chen. The things you fought tooth and nail for are actually not worth mentioning to others."

Saying that, Pan'er stood up with some disinterest and walked towards the door. Bai Jiu also halted in her punishment of Fu Chun and followed behind.

"I don't believe that you don't covet a prosperous family lineage!" Empress Chen stood up from the phoenix seat and hissed as she squeezed the armrest.

When Emperor Jianping first ascended the throne, he only appointed Pan'er to the position of Noble Concubine, not with the meaning that her status was too low to be promoted too high at once. His intention had only been to preserve the stability of the Empress.

Pan'er stopped her in tracks and looked back at the Empress, "Do you think that the Chen family is truly a good thing for either of us?"

If they were that great, why did Emperor Jianping refrain from setting up a crown prince all this time?

This reasoning also applied to Pan'er as well, she already had three children and the position of Noble Consort, she really didn't need the Chen family at all.

Empress Chen collapsed onto her arse on the phoenix throne. She naturally understood the meaning of Su-shi's words, it wasn't that she hadn't thought about the possibility that it was because of the Chen family that His Majesty hadn't been appointing Duo'er as the crown prince.

The Chen family already had a Prime Minister, a Minister of Rites, and an Empress, if there was also a Crown Prince, in a few years, would this kingdom be surnamed Zong or Chen?

But what could she do?

The Chen surname for her was a boon and a constraint, if not because of the surname Chen, she would not have been chosen as the Crown Princess, in the same way had she not been surnamed Chen she may have long been suppressed by Su-shi.

Her surname can only be Chen, and that's all she's known as.

--

The road back was very quiet, although as they walked the long distance, the palace maids and eunuchs quietly glanced at eachother, but did not dare to speak.

When they returned to Jingren Palace, Bai Jie said, "If it were not for this servant girl ......"

Pan'er shook her head, smiled and said: "Sooner or later this day would come, I have no intention of recognising the Chen family as my maternal clan, this will avoid making the emperor suspicious, and it is probably better to simply speak the truth."

In fact, Pan'er was deliberately saying the words publicly, she had been waiting for this opportunity for a while, and hadn't thought that the opportunity would come so soon.

"Quickly go and let Xiang Pu rub some medicine on you, in the end you are a girl, don't ruin your face." Xiang Pu pulled Bai Jie away, and deliberately made jokes with her.

Bai Jie didn't say anything but her eyes softened a lot when she looked at Xiang Pu. Today if it were not for Xiang Pu alerting their mistress to come barge in to save her, then her fate could only be one of death, fortunately, Xiang Pu was once again 'meddlesome'.

Pan'er also did not go to the Qianqing Palace, waited until the evening meal to see Zong Cong had not come, she was relieved, thinking that he must be very busy with political affairs, temporarily unable to care about this small matter, but also to give her some buffer room, giving her time to think about how to explain the matter.

So she let someone pass the meal, and the three children ate together with her. As the homework in the study is getting heavier, Zong Yue does not come to Jingren Palace for meals every day, and the girls' school in the East Palace was moved to the palace by Zong Cong, into the Princess' Courtyard near the Ning Shou Palace in a long row of courtyards.

Now that Wan Yin were getting older, the lady teacher instructed her, in addition to teaching her to read and write, even embroidery and qin, chess and painting had also been put on the schedule.

Wan Yin did not dare to say that she would not learn, but with the experience of having her fingers pierced before, she is now reluctant to learn those things. She was very interested in painting, which was surprising to Pan'er.

As for Zong Lin, he was about to turn five, and once he turned five, he had to enter the upper study room, so he was moved to the southern third house in advance. However, since he was old enough to know things, he loved to pester his elder brothers and sisters, and lived in Pan'er's palace less often, so as soon as he heard that he had to move to a new courtyard, he was happier than anyone else, which made Pan'er, as his mother, sigh with the feeling that her children were no longer small.

Usually, they never had a quiet meal together, but today, somehow Zong Yue and Wan Yin didn't talk much, and even Zong Lin, who was always rowdy, had very few things to say.

"What's wrong, why are you children acting like this?"

Zong Yue looked a little worried and said, " Son heard that Mother and the Empress had a conflict because a palace maid violated the rules in Kunning Palace?"

The news has travelled really fast, even Zong Yue has heard about it.

Pan'er looked at both Wan Yin and Zong Lin, and it was clear that these two knew about it as well.

"It's nothing much, it's just that your Empress Mother had detained Bai Jie, and Mother Consort went over to ask for her back."

"Then why did she detain Bai Jie, the people of our Jingren Palace are not people that her Kunning Palace can just arbitrarily detain!" Wan Yin said indignantly.

Pan'er tapped her forehead: "Look, Mother spoiled you, what words can be said, what words can not be said, you are also not young, you should be well aware? Although I understand your heart, you can't talk nonsense, the empress as the head of the six palaces, the supreme power of the harem, it's only natural for her to call a maid for questioning, but it's only because Bai Jie is mother's personal maid that mother went through the trouble her to ask for her return."

"Then she knows that Bai Jie is mother's personal palace maid, and she still arbitrarily detains her, it is clearly bullying mother!"

It wasn't unreasonable for Wan (婉婤) to say that, but it was hard to say who was bullying who this time.

"Mother is as helpless as you say, casually being bullied? Besides, there's still your father, the Empress wouldn't dare to bully me as she pleases. Well, this is all grown-ups' business, you guys are only how old and you worry about grown-ups' business, you're not afraid of aging before your time. I'm fine, you should not be bothered with these matters, it would be better to pay more attention to schoolwork, don't be mischievous please, the rest will be dealt with by Mother."

This naughty and mischievous person was naturally Zong Lin, who was quite unconvinced, and his little mouth deflated. As for Zong Yue and Wan Yin, they exchanged glances and didn't say anything else.

After dinner, they stayed behind to accompany Pan'er, and deliberately joked and entertained her.

In the end they were still small children, who could not hide their thoughts, often looking out of the window, probably wondering why Father didn't come today, but they didn't say it openly.

When Pan'er told them to go back to rest, Wan Yin even gave Zong Lin a wink, so that he could stay to sleep with his mother because he was small, but Zong Lin was a person who didn't know how to wink or what it meant, and asked his big sister what she was doing by squeezing her own eyes, and whether she was uncomfortable with her eyes.

Wan Yin got angry with her ignorant younger brother, and Pan'er was in tears trying to contain her laughter as she drove them away, just at that moment Zong Cong arrived.

"Father."

Zong Cong sat down, looked around at the children, and looked at Pan'er, only to say: "It is this late, why have you not gone back to rest, Zong Yue still have to go to the study tomorrow, in the morning, but will you even be able to get up in the morning?"

Zong Yue grinned and scratched his head and said, "Accompanying mother consort to talk for a moment and forgot, son will immediately return."

The three children left together, Pan'er specially instructed someone to light more lanterns on the road back so they didn't fall.

After the children had left, she asked Zong Cong if he had had dinner yet. Sure enough, it was he had not.

"The border was inadvertently attacked by the Jin people at the Guanwai Pass, although fortunately they did not break through the line of defence, but the General Hu Bingcheng was seriously injured, and now the border is in a state of chaos, how would I have the heart to have dinner."

[indigowriting]

@mjjune very late because i got sidetracked into another task but here's a breakdown of the named characters in my [REDACTED] wip and their names! (under the cut because this is a little long.)

Yu Xiyan; 俞夕烟 - Yú Xìyān; yu is a common hui surname as, and a common chinese name generally; yu xiyan's father is hui chinese, and the name xiyan is taken from the literary term for the evening mist. it also is pronounced the same as 吸烟, to smoke, unfortunately for her. she is turkish-chinese and her turkish name is Süheyla.

Yu Xifang; 俞夕纺 - Yú Xīfǎng; yu xiyan's younger sister; they share a generational marker for their given names, and the fang portion of her name is the character for a thin, woven silk. her turkish name is Sultan.

Su Minye; 苏旻夜 - Sū Mínyè; her given name is comprised of min (sky) and ye (night), together forming a literary name meaning "night sky". her surname, su, is a common hui surname. she is yu xiyan's ex and her closest friend.

Zhu Xuanshu/Nie Sangliang: 朱轩姝 - Zhū Xuānshū/聂丧良 - Niè Sàngliáng; zxs is the second daughter of the wanli emperor, and her given name is made up of the characters xuan, a literary word for lofty or high, and shu, which appears in 丽姝, a literary term for a beautiful woman. the name nie sangliang comes from the phrase 丧尽天良, used to describe one devoid of consciousness. she went under this alias starting after she was almost assassinated and began to pose as a eunuch, rising in the ranks to become the head of the eastern depot.

Ma Yitan; 马一叹 - Mǎ Yītàn; illegitimate daughter of a fourth-rank civil official and a courtesan, her name comes from the phrase 付之一叹, meaning "to dismiss with a sigh" and describing a hopeless case. her surname ma comes from the sinicisation of a number of islamic surnames, common among the hui precursor group in the ming dynasty, the huihui.

An Jiaofeng; 俺娇奉 - Ǎn Jiāofèng; an being a kaifeng jewish surname, and his given name, jiaofeng, is comprised of jiao, meaning tender or pampered, and feng, to believe in or esteem, conveying the affection his parents hold for him and their hopes for his future.

Wang Ye; 汪烨 - Wāng Yè; a eunuch in the eastern depot and nie sangliang's right-hand man; his given name is comprised of the character ye, a literary word refering to bright light, especially sunlight and firelight.

Xi Congze; 昔璁泽 - Xī Cōngzé; a eunuch in the eastern depot in competition with wang ye, who holds the favour of the empress; his name is comprised of the characters cong, a term for jadeite, and ze, a descriptor of the luster of items such as pearls.

Piaopiao; 漂漂 - Piàopiao; a courtesan and ma yitan's partner, her name means elegant or polished.

Zubeyda Ayhan; sinicised as 俞珇北 - Yú Zǔběi, she is yu xiyan and yu xifang's mother, and is turkish.

Su Runqing; 苏润清 - Sū Rùnqīng; su minye's younger sister; her name is comprised of run, profit or benefit, and qing, meaning clear.

Su Zilie; 苏自烈 - Sū Zìliè; su minye's younger brother, his name is comprised of zi, meaning natural, and lie, meaning achievement.

[daycourtofficial]

“it’s a compliment eris, i love su-“

“get away from me you heathen, i must castrate myself this instant!”

“will you still love me if i were a eunuch?”

“no”

“😧😔”

“.. maybe if it was an accident.”

💀💀

But then she’s aghast when she asks if he’d love her if she were a worm and he says no

[youremyheaven]

I know this Ardra Sun, Hasta Moon guy who's got it all thanks to his mom. He is a celebrity for being born into a well known family. Also seems down to earth and humble but I have my suspicions. Idk why. I really don't like it when this happens because more times than not I'm right and I wanna be wrong this once cause he seems like a nice person. 🥲

is he bi or flamboyant (no offence, im just curious)

i say this because ive noticed how Ardra individuals tend to be androgynous regardless of their gender (probably bc of their Mercury influence as Mercury is a eunuch planet and Rahu is a yin one)

Lunar men are very flamboyant/not very masculine etc

You're right to have your suspicions girlieee, Rahu + Moon is sus af

AJJSJD i swear to god girls will gaslight themselves if they like someone

[duhdumb89]

A Forbidden Happiness | Chapter 1

The fifth month of the 19th year of the Chaoxiang Emperor, 17xx

It was the dead of summer in the Forbidden City but, 18 year old Xi Jiayi still felt cold sweat running down her neck. The sun had set and she could smell and hear the rest of the bondslaves eating the nightly meal. Jiayi was starving, but Su gonggong* was at the door of the mess hall.

Since her arrival five years ago, Jiayi lived her life as a slave quietly. She went where she was told and did what she was told from dusk til dawn. She would've been content to do so until the day she died, if not for one thing:

Su gonggong.

In the last few months, the overseeing eunuch had been approaching her. At first Jiayi didn't understand it. Her bunkmates weren't shy in letting her know that her looks came nowhere close to something that could be called beautiful. So when Su gonggong began to appear near her at all times, Jiayi assumed someone thought she was stealing and he was forced to keep watch. Then, one night before they were all sent to bed, Su gonggong told Jiayi to follow him. Even if she suspected something, she couldn't disobey him. Su gonggong has pushed her up against a wall and began to grope her. Stunned, Jiayi tossed him to the ground and ran back to her rooms. The small bit of violence did nothing to deter the middle-aged eunuch. Any chance he got, he would try to touch her. It drove her mad.

Lately, Su gonggong has been bragging about the reward he was allowed after serving in the Forbidden City after so many years. For his 50th year, he was going to ask to be rewarded with a wife. Jiayi didn't have to look at him know where his eyes were when he said it. If Jiayi ended up tied to that man as a reward, she had no shame in killing herself. Death would be better than Su gonggong, gaunt, sallow face for the rest of her life.

Stomach grumbling, Jiayi went back to women's barracks. She'd have to satisfy herself with sleep for dinner.

"Yi'er,"

Jiayi froze as the slimly voice called out from behind her. Su gonggong had spotted her from across the courtyard.

"Yi'er," he said again as she turned around, "I have wonderful news,"

"Oh," Jiayi blurted out, her tongue thick in her mouth.

Su gonggong put a gnarled hand on her shoulder and grinned widely, showing off his blackened gums, "Thanks to the grace of His Majesty, we can finally be married. The Astronomy Department is searching for an auspicious date for us,"

"No," Jiayi said as she curled away from him, "Su gonggong, a lowly sinjeku† has no right,"

Su gonggong laughed and grasped her hands, "Don't worry, don't worry! When we marry, I'll give you a new name and make a true Manchu clanswoman,"

Seeing the lack of joy on her face, Su gonggong tightened his grip around her hands, "You have a chance to change your fate Jiayi. Don't waste it,"

Jiayi went to bed, belly full to the brim with fear.

–––-

The next morning Jiayi and a dozen other slaves were taken out to weed the cobblestone roads. Jiayi dug into the ground the sun beat down on her. She imagined that it Su gonggong's neck she was squeezing instead of the green weeds in the ground.

"Did you hear, The Empress is actually letting a prostitute inside the back palace††?"

"Really?"

The servants began to chatter excitedly.

"I heard that she's so beautiful that she caused a cart accident by just sticking her hand out of the window," said a eunuch.

"I heard that His Majesty asked her to enter the palace as soon as he saw her. Love at first sight!"

The chatter grew in intensity.

"Apparently she's going to be given the rank of gui ren," said a maid.

"And an honorary name! No woman has ever gotten one without a great merit to the Imperial Family!"

"If I were one of His Majesty's wives I wouldn't take kindly to that. To be the same rank or lower than a woman who's been ridden by more men than a cart-horse? It's shameful!"

At that point, Jiayi went back to fantasy of wringing Su gonggong's neck. Why should she care that The Emperor was getting a new woman? He owned the world.

"I hear the Imperial Household Department is having trouble finding maids to serve her,"

"You're surprised? Those uppity maids won't stand having to walk behind such a famous lean horse§,"

"I've been here for 40 years and its never happened before! I hear they've had to cover up a lot of suicides because of this,"

"How many? I heard 10 maids have gone off these last few months,"

"10?! The girls at the hothouse said it was close to 20! I heard one was the daughter of junior deputy. They had to lie and say she died from a snake bite,"

"And they don't dare send the bodies out. They burn them, right away!"

A dizzyingly daring thought popped in Jiayi's head. If she served The Emperor's favored woman, Su gonggong wouldn't disrespect her by approaching her for marriage.

Yes, she was a slave.

Yes, the entirety of her clan was executed for distributing slanderous materials.

Yes, she only fit to clean the shit buckets that were brought in every night.

It didn't matter.

Su gonggong was right. Jiayi wasn't going to waste the one chance she had to change her fate. 

__________________________

* eunuch † State slave. Of a lower status than bond slaves or bond servants. Usually a status of punishment †† Lit. translation of harem  § Slang, prostitute

Next Chapter

(You can vote for this story on wattpad here)

[silviakundera]

again with my The Grand Princess / The Princess Royal bullshit but really, Pei Wenxuan, the way his insecurities had him stubbornly persisting in shoving LR to SRQ in the beginning of the story. (head in hands) my god man, why are you like this??? The fact that she was spitting facts from day 1 and he still turns his whole wedding into a LR/SRQ shipper event.

They really toned down how absolutely deranged he was about this 😂😭

Pei Wenxuan @ Su Rongqing

Li Rong @ Pei Wenxuan on Su Rongqing

______

She could hear Pei Wenxuan’s persistent tone as he started to say, “Does Your Highness not have anything to ask this humble official?”

“Hm?” Li Rong returned to her senses. After hearing Pei Wenxuan’s question, she decisively said, “I don’t want to ask, I’m not interested.”

Pei Wenxuan: “……”

Li Rong’s thoughts continued to roam in each and every direction. Pei Wenxuan held back for a while before saying, “But this humble official wants to talk about it.”

“I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop you,” Li Rong sighed, “Just say it. Otherwise, I’m afraid you’ll suffocate to death.”

“These words of Your Highness,” Pei Wenxuan was neither indignant nor indifferent, “Are enough to suffocate this humble official to death.”

“And wouldn’t you keep suffocating from holding it in?” Li Rong sincerely suggested.

Pei Wenxuan couldn’t help it anymore and candidly said it: “I feel that Su Rongqing has special feelings for you.”

“Really?” Li Rong’s tone of voice was flat, “I’m so happy.”

“Li Rong,” Pei Wenxuan called her by name, “I’m being serious. Su Rongqing is very good to you.”

Upon hearing Pei Wenxuan’s words, Li Rong decided to stop playing around with him. The chief eunuch’s voice could be heard, announcing the beginning of the morning court session. As she watched the ministers filing in, she calmly asked, “Pei Wenxuan, do you know what the biggest difference between you and Su Rongqing is?”

Pei Wenxuan said nothing. He followed Li Rong’s line of sight and looked at the ministers standing under the early morning light that looked to be perhaps worried, pleased, apathetic or affront. Li Rong tonelessly said, “He is crueler than you.”

“Family, glory, and tradition.” At the same time, their gaze stopped on the youth standing in the distance. The youth under the early morning rays was dressed in crimson official robes, holding a hu tablet in his hand with grace and poise, and emanating a noble and upright temperament. He followed the stream of people, ascending the white jade steps and stepping foot into the palace hall that signified the vortex of power of a country.

“This is what Su Rongqing has been carrying on his shoulders all his life. Under these things, what he has learned since childhood is restraint, composure, and the patience to endure.”

Li Rong’s voice was a bit distant, wavering with a twinge of pity and vague sympathy.

“He won’t have the kind of feelings that you’re thinking of.”

“He won’t be good to me because of his feelings,” Li Rong said rather calmly.

//

Li Rong leaned forward to reach for a cup of tea and raised the small cup to her lips when she suddenly heard Pei Wenxuan say, “Why do you think Su Rongqing came?”

Li Rong did not answer and listened as Pei Wenxuan said: “With his cleverness, how could he take his chances and venture deep into the palace?”

“What do you ultimately want to say?”

Li Rong put down the cup of tea and smiled helplessly. Pei Wenxuan looked at her and asked, “Have you ever thought about…”

“I haven’t.” Li Rong interrupted him.

She looked at him and earnestly said, “I know what you are going to say. You want to say that Su Rongqing likes me, but regardless of whether it was the previous life or this life—at this moment, it doesn’t matter if he likes me or not.”

“Because you have to marry me.”

Pei Wenxuan calmly looked at her. Li Rong was a little irritated and waved her fan, “Yes, this is already an established fact, so Pei Wenxuan, I will ask you to put your clever little head into the lake and wash it out. Don’t always be thinking about things that don’t exist. Never mind the fact that Su Rongqing likes me or not because even if he does like me,” Li Rong looked up at him and just said, “His admiration can only exist in his heart. He will never do anything detrimental to his clan’s interests. Is that clear?”

Pei Wenxuan was silent. Li Rong lifted her hand to hold her forehead, “If you don’t have any other business, then quickly be on your way. I get a headache whenever I see you. Also,” Li Rong raised her head and looked straight at him, “You and I might be quarreling right now, but don’t go back and start randomly spending money.”

....

When he reached the doorway, Pei Wenxuan suddenly stopped, his back to Li Rong as he looked down the corridor and suddenly asked, “Li Rong, do you think you have always been right?”

Li Rong was taken aback. Pei Wenxuan continued, “If Su Rongqing truly is the kind of person you think he is, he would not have entered the Palace today. So do you truly know what kind of person Su Rongqing is at the age of twenty?”

“What kind of person he is,” Li Rong coldly said, “Has nothing to do with me. If you bring up another word ‘Su,’ I’ll have someone throw you into the lake today!”

“Su Rongqing, Su Rongqing, Su Rongqing.” Pei Wenxuan spoke very quickly and repeated it three times, then he turned back to look at her, “You can have people come and throw me into the lake now.”

Li Rong: “…”

“Pei Wenxuan,” Li Rong let out a laugh as she tightly squeezed her fan, “If you have the courage, then don’t marry me. As long as you enter my Princess’s mansion…”

“I will jump into Jing Xin Lake myself.” Pei Wenxuan turned around to leave and indifferently said, “Jumping in once every day.”

Jing Xin Lake was the lake in the rear courtyard of the Princess’s mansion. Li Rong nearly fainted out of anger when she heard this. She pushed herself up on her feet and wanted to chase after Pei Wenxuan to scold him. It was only when she got up that she regained some composure. She was currently in the Imperial Garden, and she wasn’t some kind of shrew either, so why would she lower herself to his level?

Li Rong urgently fanned herself and tried to calm herself down with the cool breeze. Jing Lan walked in and saw the state that Li Rong was in and couldn’t help but smile and ask, “Did Pei daren make you angry again?”

“Wicked official.”

Li Rong shook her head: “Bengong cannot lower herself to the same level as a wicked official.”

//

“On my big wedding day,” Li Rong smacked her fan against the bed and furiously asked, “You had Su Rongqing come to escort me, just who are you trying to humiliate?! Do you still think that would make me happy?!”

“It’s only because there’s no fate to bring you and him together,” Pei Wenxuan lifted his head and looked at Li Rong in all seriousness, “There was no suitable opportunity in the previous life, but in this life, you can have it, can’t you?”

In the end, Li Rong was a little alarmed after hearing what Pei Wenxuan said. She paused for what seemed to be half a day and felt that she clearly heard every word Pei Wenxuan just said, but she still didn’t understand what he meant.

“Can’t you just…” Li Rong wrinkled her eyebrows, “Tell me what you’re trying to say in words that I can understand?”

“What I mean is that you can start over with Su Rongqing in this life.”

“Why should I start over with him?” Li Rong subconsciously retorted.

“Because you love him.” Pei Wenxuan answered in earnest.

“I… I love him?” Pei Wenxuan gave Li Rong such a fright that it made her stammer. She clutched her fan and blankly said, “I… How could I not know?”

... “Before the wedding, I asked him…” Pei Wenxuan had somewhat of a smile on his face, “I asked who he would choose if there was a conflict between his wife and his family. He told me that his wife is also a member of the family, and he will choose to stand by reason. He’s not like what you thought, and he can give you the kind of love you yearn for.”

“He can give me that,” Li Rong felt a little helpless, “But why would I want it?”

... “Don’t keep thinking that you’re too old. You’re just eighteen now, you’re in the best time of your life, so why do you want to close off all the possibilities? When Su Rongqing came to escort you today, didn’t you have thoughts of when there would be a day when the two of you get married, wouldn’t you be happy then?”

“I…I never really thought about it…” Li Rong heard Pei Wenxuan’s impassioned speech and felt a little embarrassed for a moment because she never had anything like that in mind and failed to live up to Pei Wenxuan’s good intentions.

Li Rong immediately wanted to lie down again, but Pei Wenxuan stopped her midway once again and pulled Li Rong up into a sitting positionn “Don’t make trouble. Listen to me, you need to be honest with your feelings. This is going to be the first step in opening up your heart. You have to start being honest with yourself because only then will you be able to live a good life this time.”

Li Rong’s head went completely blank after hearing these words. She took a deep breath and sat with her legs crossed, then lifted her sleeves: “Alright. Tell me, and I will hear you out. I want to see who will be the first to give in and fall asleep tonight. If you have any high-sounding truths to preach, you better throw it all out! First of all, tell me, what good would it do if I were to marry Su Rongqing?

...Pei Wenxuan brought out the fullest extent of his talents and channeled the presence he had in the imperial court. He told Li Rong about Su Rongqing’s best qualities one by one, describing the bright and beautiful future they would share after marriage.

Li Rong’s eyes widened as she continued to blankly stare at Pei Wenxuan.

She couldn’t believe it. Pei Wenxuan was so sleepy just now, but at the moment, he hardly seemed sleepy at all.

However, Pei Wenxuan was fully aware of Li Rong’s intentions, but he was the kind of person who would be just as stubborn when faced with a stubborn person. If Li Rong wanted to compete with him to see who would fall asleep first, then he would never let Li Rong succeed.

So, that was why he gathered all of his strength and fixed his gaze on Li Rong, racking his brains to earnestly discuss and fully demonstrate the necessity of Li Rong marrying Su Rongqing.

... Pei Wenxuan could speak very eloquently. He took to the stage by himself, slowly talking through his points, and he would not stop until the rooster crowed. Li Rong had her head propped up in her hands, dozing off as she listened to the sound of Pei Wenxuan’s voice pouring into her ears like the whispers of evil spirits.