Chapter 3.1

[This is my first time translating and I would like to emphasize that I am not a professional translator and I don’t speak the Chinese language and English is not my language as well. I just want to share some good novels that I have MTL-ed. If you don’t mind these things, then feel free to read and if you don’t just go away (don’t be a meanie XD).]

The second madam sighed repeatedly. It’s hard for Liu Mama to comment about this for she is just a lowly servant. This matter is both the imperial title and are the crown prince’s formal concubine.

However, in the backyard dispute, either the east wind prevails over the west wind, or the west wind prevails over the east wind. The prince has rules and regulations in his life and works, and respects his wife, but he can’t stand the royal family’s dominance over his offspring.

The seventh girl has been married to the East Palace for five years. She has only given birth to one daughter and haven’t conceive again. In the recent years, people have been entering the East Palace one by one. Especially after Hu ^[1] Liangdi gave birth to a daughter and now she is pregnant again. If the other party gives birth to the eldest son, the position of the crown princess will be in danger.

The second madam is worried about her daughter’s situation. Recently, she has been preoccupied with many things. She is also not thorough enough so the news leak accidentally leaked. The eldest madam has always been a smiling Bodhisattva so she turn around and tell the old lady about it. If the old madam knows about it, of course the other two branches know about too it.

Now the other three rooms are playing the sign of relieving the prince and concubine’s worries every day, looking for a daughter of the right age in their relatives to come home. Said to be a guest, but not for the old madam to see, they just want to divide a cup from the crown princess in the second branch.

For the Chen family, this is a family’s honor and disgrace. But for the second madam, sharing her daughter’s favor is to drink her blood and dig her flesh.

Even if she wants to find someone to help her daughter, she will find a good one. How could she choose the niece who is turning the corner at the sister-in-law’s house? It’s not to lift a stone and hit her foot? But her sister-in-laws said well that only when they went to battle with their father and son and fought with their brothers and sisters could they help each other.

Help?

Who can’t see their dirty thoughts!

However, the old madam’s attitude is ambiguous. The second madam can only send a letter to Pei Yong Chang, her son-in-law, to find a perfect match in the south of the Yangtze River, so that’s how Pan Er entered Beijing.

“Since the eldest son-in-law also came from ^[2] Jiangnan, so it must be a good one. The madam doesn’t have the right person now. Does madam really want choose from the servant girls at home? Those ^[3] little hooves are good in the surface, but if they enter the palace, this servant is not sure what will happen.”

You need to know that all the beautiful women in the world are gathered in the palace. You really need to choose someone to fix the crown princess’s favor. How can you choose one that can be justified?

“I’ll take a closer look at the girl. Call her in.”

Soon, Pan Er was led to the second madam by the servant girl.

A while ago, looking through the window, the second madam only thought that the girl was okay. At this time, she looked carefully. She seemed to understand why her son-in-law chose such a person to send her.

Not to mention the appearance, the most remarkable thing is the delicate and weak state of this woman. There is a gentle and timid look between her eyebrows, but there is a gentle and elegant demeanor, which makes people feel pity. Making people wish that they could give her all the best things in the world.

The second madam unconsciously frowned and recalled some bad memories.

In her memory, there was once such a person, the hypocrite she hated.

When the second madam was watching Pan Er, while Pan Er was also taking a glimpse of the other.

Her current mood is very strange and complicated. She has not forgotten who is responsible for her past life’s ups and downs, that is, Mrs. Chen and her daughter.

She thought of the news that concubine Chen died in the cold palace before she fell asleep.

There are too many enmities and grudges between her and Chen’s family, and the time line is too long. If there has been hatred, it will not be good with the time and their fate. Those hatred has been blown away, leaving only complexity. But she has this kind of understanding, even if she comes back again, she can’t get rid of the persistent entanglement.

All these emotions are hidden under Pan Er’s half drooping eyelids. The second lady looks at Pan Er again, and the more she looks at her eyebrows, the tighter she frowns.

Liu Mama, who has been observing her look, screams in her heart. She is trying to say something to ease the atmosphere. Then, the second madam suddenly made a noise.

“Let her be led down.”

Pan Er appropriately shows a touch of panic and fear, and let the little girl lead her down.

As she walked back, Pan Er was still thinking about something.

Does it mean that she lives again to experience what she had experienced before?

Maybe one day in the future, she will be able to sit in the position of Empress Dowager. But when she first entered the palace, her life was not easy, even difficult. It was hard work and great luck that made her survive to the end. Several times of her life, she really didn’t want to experience it again.

Naturally, Pan Er is not an ignorant girl. She knows that in her current situation, she has no choice at all.

She doesn’t even need to think about running away. She is just a weak woman. She’s afraid that if her front foot runs out, her back foot will be sold into brothel by abductors, let alone go home. First, she was bought by Pei Yong Chang. Second, even if she went home, she could only be sold again by her family.

Of course, she can also deliberately make a fool of herself to make the second madam hate herself, but Pan Er doesn’t forget that if the Chen family’s business fails, there are only two ways for her to end up. She would follow Pei Yong Chang or would be sent to others by Pei Yong Chang.

Compared with the outstanding Crown Prince, she would not choose anyone else.

After all, that man doted on herself for most of his life. If it wasn’t for her heart had been consumed in a long and difficult court career, she was pleased with her only man.

Pan Er thought of the disgusting look of the second madam just now. Somehow the second madam didn’t take a fancy to her.

Just why was she chosen in the first place, and what happened in between?

Pan Er remembered that they were very hasty to send her to the palace in her previous life. At that time, she was full of anxiety, worried about the future, wept for the unknown road ahead, and lived in ignorance all day long. Many things were sent to the palace without being clear.

But after a lifetime, Pan Er knows that things are not so simple.

Chen’s family is a family of scholars and officials. How can they help the Crown Princess to fix her family’s affairs?

It seems to be a matter of personal choice, but in fact, it involves a great deal. There are four branches in the Chen’s family. Chen second master is not the best in Chen family. However, there is a crowned princess with gold and jade in the second branch. How many people should be envious of this and wish to could bite off a piece this fragrant meat.

So this can’t be decided by the second madam alone.

However, Pan Er also knew that she has a little time. She was new here, and she was in such an awkward position. Now she had to wait for careful planning. In any case, she would not let herself fall into such a difficult situation like her previous life.

She should think about it like this. Pan Er calmed down and decided to take advantage of the limited time to take good care of her body.

T/N: It’s way too long to use south of Yangtze River so I’ll just use Jiangnan instead.
I am not familiar with the cities and provinces in Jiangnan and I was confused when I was reading this novel. The ‘south of Yangtze River’ (Jiangnan) has been mentioned a lot in this novel and they always mention that Pei Yong Chang and Pan Er were from here. However, it was mentioned that they are from Yangzhou City but, isn’t Yangzhou in the north of Yangtze river? (´−｀) ﾝｰ
So I asked google. (⌒▽⌒)ゞ

• [1] Liangdi – < liáng dì > [良娣]In the ancient times, Liangdi was the title of the concubine of the crown prince, generally referring the higher grade concubine of the prince, second only to the prince consort [crown princess].
• [2] Jiangnan or Jiang Nan (Chinese: 江南; pinyin: Jiāngnán; formerly romanized Kiang-nan, literally “South of the Yangtze”) is a geographic area in China referring to lands immediately to the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, including the southern part of its delta.
• [3] Little hooves – < Xiǎo tízi > [小蹄子] – an ancient abusive reference to a woman [hussy]

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