Startling Surprises at Every Step

Bu Bu Jing Xin Chapter 8 (Part 7)

2011-11-07T22:40:00.005-06:00

步步惊心/ Bu Bu Jing Xin

Startling Surprises with Every Step

Written by Tong Hua

Chapter 8 (Part 7), Translated by Hoju!

Brought to you by the Magnolia Translation Team

Download link:

http://www.mediafire.com/?a10ck2cppjuec1y

Disclaimer

This work is an amateur fan-translation of original work by Tong Hua as available in free online format in Mandarin Chinese at:

http://vip.book.sina.com.cn/book/catalog.php?book=80155.

The translation is done as good will, so that fellow fans who do not read Mandarin may enjoy this lovely work. We declare that we do not profit monetarily in any way from this work, and also do not pretend to be professional translators. Hence, we apologize in advance for inadvertent translation errors. In addition, reposting of the translation must be done with explicit permission of all translators as contactable via spcnet.

Characters Introduced So Far

(In Alphabetical Order)

Crown Prince (Aisin-Gioro Yinreng): The second son of Emperor Kangxi. Currently the Crown Prince and thus next in line for the throne.

Dong Yun: One of Ruolan’s maids.

Fourteenth-prince (Aisin-Gioro Yinzheng): The fourteenth son of Emperor Kangxi. He is described as being quite handsome.

Fourth-prince (Asin-Gioro Yinzhen): The fourth son of Emperor Kangxi and the future Emperor Yongzheng. Slightly pale and has an impassive demeanour. Very close to the Thirteenth-prince

Eighth-prince (Aisin-Gioro Yinsi): The eighth son of Emperor Kangxi. Also known as the Eighth Bei’le. Ruolan is his Ce’fujin (Second Wife). Is often seen smiling out of the corners of his mouth as well as conducting himself with a calm and gentle disposition. Fell in love with Ruolan at first sight but unfortunately she does not return his love.

Kangxi: The current Emperor of China.

Li Dequan: The head eunuch who serves Kangxi directly. Seems to like Ruoxi and often secretly gives sound advices to her on how to survive in the Palace.

Luwu: A courtesan who seem to have an unclear relationship with the Thirteenth-prince. Luwu is one of the higher ranking courtesans who have the right to choose her clients and can “sell their talents but not their bodies”. She befriends Ruoxi through the introduction of the Thirteenth-prince.

Mingyu Ge’ge (Guoluoluo Mingyu): Younger sister of the Eighth-prince’s Di’fujin, Guoluoluo Minghui. Not on good terms with Ruoxi. Most likely the one who caused the original Ruoxi’s accident after an argument. During the Tenth-prince’s Birthday banquet, Ruoxi and Mingyu gets into a fight, resulting in quite a spectacle. Arranged to marry the Tenth-prince by Emperor Kangxi.

Ninth-prince (Aisin-Gioro Yintang): The ninth son of Emperor Kangxi. Currently not given a peerage title. Seems to have a more taciturn personality. Nicknamed “the venomous snake” by Ruoxi.

Qiao Hui: One of Ruolan’s maids. Qiao Hui used to serve Ruolan even before Ruolan’s marriage. When Ruolan married, Qiaohui accompanied Ruolan to Eighth-prince’s household. Seems to be concerned for her mistress especially regarding Ruolan and Eighth’s relationship.

Ruolan, Maertai: Ruoxi’s older sister. The two are especially close as they are born from the same mother. She is also the Ce’fujin (Second Wife) of the Eighth-prince. Mild and gentle in nature, Ruolan likes to spend a better part of her days reciting Buddhist scriptures. Has a deceased lover who was a soldier in her father’s army. The man was of Han descent and had taught Ruolan how to ride.

Ruoxi, Maertai (Zhang Xiao): The protagonist of the story. Originally a modern day, white collared professional named Zhang Xiao. Under certain unexplainable and supernatural occurrence, Zhang Xiao’s spirit travels through time upon her death and take over a young Manchurian girl’s body. Now stuck in ancient times, Ruoxi must navigate through an entirely foreign environment armed only with the little historical knowledge she remembers. Currently is employed as the head tea serving maid for Emperor Kangxi.

Tenth-prince (Aisin-Gioro Yin’e): The tenth son of Emperor Kangxi. Currently not given a peerage title. A bit of a simpleton. Likes to tease and bicker with Ruoxi. Nicknamed “the blockhead” by Ruoxi. Likes Ruoxi, but is forced to marry Mingyu Ge’ge.

Thirteenth-prince (Aisin-Gioro Yinxiang): The thirteenth son of the Emperor Kangxi. Nicknamed “the Death Challenging Thirteenth” by his brothers. Has a more carefree and unrestrained demeanour. Due to this, he has developed a great rapport with Ruoxi and they are close friends. Has an unexplained relationship with the beautiful courtesan Luwu. Very close to the Fourth-prince.

Wang Xi: A junior eunuch who is under the tutelage of Li Dequan. One of the eunuch that is quite close to Ruoxi and refers to her as Jie-jie.

Yunxiang: A tea serving maid who works under Ruoxi.

Yutan: A tea serving maid who works under Ruoxi. Very close to Ruoxi and the two have a sister-like relationship.

Glossary of Terms

(In Alphabetical Order)

An’da: The Mongolians term for sworn brothers. Due to the intermarriages between Manchu and Mongolian royalty to preserve relations, this Mongolian term was adopted into the Qing Dynasty. In this case, Ruoxi calling Li Dequan “Brother” indicates her close relationship with the senior eunuch.

Bei’le: Shortened from Duo’luo Bei’le. A peerage title that can be bestowed to those within the imperial family. It is the third rank in the Qing peerage system for the imperial line.

Ce’fujin: A title. Meaning second wife or ‘side’ wife in Manchurian.

Di’fujin: A title. Meaning first wife or main wife in Manchurian.

Ge’ge: A Manchurian word for young mistress, or lady. It is a title you would call an unmarried noblewoman (or before they are bestowed an official title by the Emperor) above a certain rank.

Imperial Father: What the children of the Emperor refer to their father as.

Jie-jie: Older sister in Chinese.

Ji’xiang: A standard greeting one of lower status uses to greet people with higher status in court. The word literally means auspicious and can be translated as, ‘I wish good fortunes, prosperity and happiness to you”

Shifu – Means Master or teacher. Someone who one is under the tutelage of.

Zha: A response that means “yes”. Used by the eunuchs in reply to instructions or orders made by the Imperial family.

Zhen: A word that the Emperor refers himself as.

Chapter 8 (Part 7)

I give a smile but do not say anything. He continues to ask, “Which palace do you work at?”

My attention still fixed on the butterflies, I counter unmindfully, “And where are you from?”

He protests, “I asked you first.”

I ignore him and continue to watch the butterflies. They are flying, one in front of the other, taking turns catching and overtaking one another as they flutter off until they are far away. How nice it would be if I could fly away like that.

He waits for a little while, but seeing that I am not paying attention to him, he has no choice but to respond first, “I am Aisin-Gioro Hongshi[1].” Startled, I quickly turn back and look him over carefully, thinking in my mind, this is Yongzheng’s son whom he later demotes to commoner status. After looking him over a few times, I lazily turn away again.

“You’re not going to pay respect to me?” he asks.

I turn my head back to look at him again as I muse, not even that old yet and you already make clear distinction between master and servant. I give a laugh. “I am not going to pay respect to you right now. I will wait until later, when you have grown up, and then I will pay respect to you.”

He gawks at me and remarks, “Other palace maids all pay respect to me now. When I ask you questions, you also don’t reply. You don’t act like a palace maid.”

I smile, my eyes still on him, and ask him, “Who brought you into the palace? How come you are by yourself?”

He does not answer me and only continues his questioning. “Who are you?” Taken aback for a moment, I do not immediately reply. In his ringing, clear voice, he repeats, “Who are you?”

I turn to look back at the lonely cluster of flowers in the glow of the setting sun and whisper to myself, “Who am I?” Maertai Ruoxi? Zhang Xiao? A palace maid in the Qing dynasty? A white-collar woman of modern times? For a while, my thoughts are in a chaotic tangle. “Indeed! Who am I? Even I do not know who I am.” With a lost smile, I look at him again and state, “I do not know who I am.”

He seems slightly startled by my smile as he gapes at me.

I am struck with alarm as I see his reaction, and I quickly pull myself together and put on a warm, friendly smile. Not wanting to scare a child because of my momentary lapse, I move to comfort him. A eunuch comes rushing over. “Oh! Good master, your servant has been looking for you. How did you run so far in just the blink of an eye?”

My gaze turns in his direction, and I see the Fourth-prince is following behind, approaching us with quick strides. I hurriedly rise and pay the ceremonial respects.

Fourth prince’s eyes look at Hongshi as he asks coolly, “What is going on?”

Hongshi seems very afraid of him and answers meekly, “I talked to her for a little while.” He suddenly appears to remember something and loudly complains, “Father, she won’t pay respect to me, and when I ask her questions, she doesn’t answer. And she says she doesn’t know who she is.”

When I hear this, I wish I could pass out in a coma on the spot. You little Hongshi! You just love tattling so much! No wonder people hate you! I do not know how I should respond, so in the end, I can only choose to not respond and stand there silently.

The Fourth-prince orders the eunuch beside him, “Take Hongshi back over to where Niangniang[2] is.” The eunuch answers submissively and quickly squats down and piggybacks Hongshi. Before Hongshi leaves, he looks at me as if he wants to say something, but seeing the cold expression on his father’s face, he does not dare make a sound and obediently leaves with the eunuch.

I had thought the Fourth-prince would leave with Hongshi, but he actually continues standing there motionless. Thinking that I probably will not be able to withdraw from here anyway, I decide to just stay and hear what he has to say. And so, I stand quietly with my head lowered, watching the setting sun stretch and pull the willow tree’s shadow.

He was silent for a while before he says indifferently, “Next time, if you want to know more about my personal matters, you may simply ask me directly.”

My heart leaps, and I start to grumble silently about the Thirteenth-prince. I inquired with him about the Fourth-prince’s private matters, but he was not able to answer more than a few questions. Somehow, though, he still managed to make the Fourth-prince aware of everything. If I had known, I would not have asked him. Now what should I do?

Seeing that I do not show even the slightest reaction, he straightens the hem of his gown and seats himself on the rock I had been sitting on not long ago. Squinting his eyes slightly as he looks at the flowerbed ahead, he states in a flat tone, “My favourite tea is Taiping Houkui tea, favourite dessert is yu’kou pastry[3], favourite colour is the blue of the sky after the rain, favourite style of chinaware is white porcelain embellished with flowers and butterflies that have been color-washed in paint. I like dogs, hate cats, hate eating spicy foods, dislike drinking too much wine…” He pauses briefly and thinks before continuing, “Thirteenth Brother has likely already told you all this. You had too many questions, though, and that is all I can recall at this moment. If there is anything else you want to know, ask now.”

Completely numb, I stand there dumbly in the spot. I really do not how to react to this. What was the meaning of this attitude of his? Should I fall onto my knees, declaring my crime and pleading for mercy? Or should I take advantage of this opportunity to get all my questions answered clearly?

My thinking is actually very simple. I only know that, in the entire palace, there are only two people that I absolutely cannot offend: one is Kangxi, the other is the Fourth-prince. The old shifus had told me hundreds and thousands of times what Kangxi’s preferences and aversions are, but there is no way to find out the Fourth-prince’s likes and dislikes. I thought that since the Thirteenth-prince is close to him, he should know, so I had asked him. However, the Thirteenth-prince had replied to me in shock, “I’m a man. Why would I know stuff like that?” I had no choice but to shamelessly pout, “I don’t care! You are going to find these out for me no matter what.” And I had painstakingly instructed over and over again that he could only secretly go about finding these things out and must not let anyone know about it. The result? The result is that the Thirteenth-prince managed to help me create this situation now. Alas!

As my thoughts reach this point, I suddenly feel that since the situation is already as it is, I might as well just throw caution to the wind and let it be. Things cannot get any worse anyway. So, in a wooden voice, I ask, “What is the color you hate the most?”

He is taken aback briefly, likely because he had not thought I would actually ask. He tilts his head and looks me over for a moment, as if trying to see whether I had eaten a bear’s heart or a leopard’s gallbladder[4], but then he turns his head back and gazes ahead. His voice flat as before, he answers, “Black.”

I nod and continue, “What incense do you hate the most?”

His answer comes rapidly, “Cape jasmine.”

“Your favourite flower?”

“Magnolia[5].”

“Your favourite fruit?”

“Grapes.”

“What weather makes you the happiest?”

“Light sprinkling rain.”

“What weather do you dislike the most?”

“Scorching sun.”

…….

I do not know what I am thinking. Probably I had read too many profiles or “stats” of modern idol actors and singers. The more I ask, the more naturally the questions come until I actually start asking questions like, the place he wants to visit the most, the happiest memory from his childhood, the most embarrassing situation he has been in, and so on. And he actually answers each question, one by one, as I ask them.

My brain feels as if it is stuffed, and I am not sure whether I have memorized it all or not. Finally, with nothing left to ask, I smack my lips together lightly and stop.

By now, the sky is dusky. The two of us remained there in silence for a little while until I lower myself in ceremonial respect and say, “Maidservant has asked all that she wishes to know. If Lord Bei’le does not have any other matters, maidservant shall take her leave.”

He rises, gazing down at me standing there with bent knees, and deliberates for a moment before saying in a calm voice, “Go then.” My mind feels numb as I straighten myself back up, turn around, and go.

[1] Third son of Emperor Yongzheng. Born in the 43rd year of Kangxi (the year Zhang Xiao arrives in the Qing dynasty). In the 3rd year of Yongzheng, he was banished from the palace and became the adopted son of his uncle, the Eighth-prince. In the 4th year of Yongzheng, Emperor Yongzheng removed his name from the Imperial family records for “improper conduct and undisciplined behavior as a young person,” therefore removing his status as a member of the Imperial family. Hongshi died in the 5^th year of Yongzheng. There is debate regarding whether his death was ordered by Emperor Yongzheng or was a result of depression in imprisonment.

[2] Orig, 娘娘- A word of respect that is used when referring to an imperial concubine, or the Empress. In this case, the Fourth-prince is referring to his own wife.

[3] Orig. 玉蔻糕. I have searched long and hard for what exactly is this pastry but unfortunately, have not turned up any specifics. Nutmeg is known in Chinese as rou’kou 肉蔻 or玉果 yu’guo, or, infrequently, yu’kou玉蔻 (the name of the pastry). Yu’kou could also be a combination of玉桂 (Chinese cinnamon) and肉蔻 (nutmeg). [Or, I could be completely off. J]

[4] Idiom that means one is extremely daring.

[5] Orig. 水泽木兰 (pinyin: shui’ze mu’lan). The flower name the Fourth-prince gives in the novel is “shui’ze magnolia” where “shui’ze” means “marshy land.” However, there is no such flower as “shui’ze magnolia” in reality. Tong Hua wrote this in her Weibo: “Since 2005, there have been people who have asked what flower is the “shui’ze magnolia” that the Fourth-prince likes, but I never answered. In reality, there is no such flower in the world. It is a flower that I fabricated. The use of the magnolia flower [in the story] was taken from the poem, Sorrow at Parting [in pinyin, Li Sao; by Qu Yuan], but at the time, it still felt as if a certain mood was missing. Therefore, I embellished it by calling it ‘shui’ze magnolia,’ adding a cold, solitary feeling. It is when one merely says ‘orchid,’ it does not conjure up much in terms of love songs or deeper meanings, but if one says ‘a hidden orchid in a deep, peaceful valley,’ it immediately brings out the gracefulness of the recluse flower.”

Bu Bu Jing Xin Chapter 8 (Part 4-6)

2011-10-25T23:46:00.004-05:00

步步惊心/ Bu Bu Jing Xin

Startling Surprises with Every Step

Written by Tong Hua

Chapter 8 (Part 4), Translated by Hoju!, Whitepaper and Plushie

Chapter 8 (Part 5-6), Translated by Hoju!

Brought to you by the Magnolia Translation Team

Download link:

http://www.mediafire.com/?n5sv514k25sxn5s

Disclaimer

This work is an amateur fan-translation of original work by Tong Hua as available in free online format in Mandarin Chinese at:

http://vip.book.sina.com.cn/book/catalog.php?book=80155.

Characters Introduced So Far

(In Alphabetical Order)

Crown Prince (Aisin-Gioro Yinreng): The second son of Emperor Kangxi. Currently the Crown Prince and thus next in line for the throne.

Dong Yun: One of Ruolan’s maids.

Fourteenth-prince (Aisin-Gioro Yinzheng): The fourteenth son of Emperor Kangxi. He is described as being quite handsome.

Fourth-prince (Asin-Gioro Yinzhen): The fourth son of Emperor Kangxi and the future Emperor Yongzheng. Slightly pale and has an impassive demeanour. Very close to the Thirteenth-prince

Kangxi: The current Emperor of China.

Li Dequan: The head eunuch who serves Kangxi directly. Seems to like Ruoxi and often secretly gives sound advices to her on how to survive in the Palace.

Ninth-prince (Aisin-Gioro Yintang): The ninth son of Emperor Kangxi. Currently not given a peerage title. Seems to have a more taciturn personality. Nicknamed “the venomous snake” by Ruoxi.

Wang Xi: A junior eunuch who is under the tutelage of Li Dequan. One of the eunuch that is quite close to Ruoxi and refers to her as Jie-jie.

Yunxiang: A tea serving maid who works under Ruoxi.

Yutan: A tea serving maid who works under Ruoxi. Very close to Ruoxi and the two have a sister-like relationship.

Glossary of Terms

(In Alphabetical Order)

Bei’le: Shortened from Duo’luo Bei’le. A peerage title that can be bestowed to those within the imperial family. It is the third rank in the Qing peerage system for the imperial line.

Ce’fujin: A title. Meaning second wife or ‘side’ wife in Manchurian.

Di’fujin: A title. Meaning first wife or main wife in Manchurian.

Ge’ge: A Manchurian word for young mistress, or lady. It is a title you would call an unmarried noblewoman (or before they are bestowed an official title by the Emperor) above a certain rank.

Imperial Father: What the children of the Emperor refer to their father as.

Jie-jie: Older sister in Chinese.

Shifu – Means Master, someone who one is under the tutelage of.

Zha: A response that means “yes”. Used by the eunuchs in reply to instructions or orders made by the Imperial family.

Zhen: A word that the Emperor refers himself as.

Chapter 8 (Part4 - 6)

I was just reading the part, “People of today recommend tea balls. This is wrong and borders on being uncouth. Even the higher quality types have still lost their true flavor. Furthermore, the tea balls must be dropped [into water] using a spoon. If the spoon is made of gold or silver, these materials are not natural, and copper will leave a metallic taste. The Northern people of old, therefore, would add curdled milk, while the Shu people added salt. These are all merely primitive ways to drink tea so should not be criticized,[1]” when Wang Xi calls quietly from outside the door, “Jie-jie, are you inside the house?”

I sit up straight and ask in reply, “The lights are lit; of course there is someone here. What is the matter?”

Wang Xi answers, “My shifu requests Jie-jie to come.”

Hearing this, I hurriedly put aside the book to look in the mirror. I fix my hair and straighten my clothes before blowing out the lights. Pulling open the door, I step outside.

When Wang Xi sees me coming out, he quickly bends over in a ceremonial bow. As he turns around and begins walking, he explains, “His Imperial Majesty is addicted to working on that thing the Westerners taught him. My shifu probed several times whether dinner should be brought in, but his Imperial Majesty only answered ‘fine’ without thinking but made no other movements. It is already so late. Shifu said to ask Miss to think of a method to help.”

There is a slight smile on the corner of my lips as I muse silently, indeed, capable people do more work. I recall that night, more than half a year after I had first entered the palace, when I was on duty in the warm room. Kangxi was reading and marking official documents late into the night. It was not that Kangxi had not previously done this before, but in this case, Kangxi had stayed up late to process official documents for three or four nights in a row. Beside him, his eunuch, Li Dequan’s eyebrows were furrowed tightly together. He was worried about his master’s health, but did not dare to say anything hastily. He could only accompany Kangxi off to the side with a pained expression on his face.

At the time, everything was still new and fresh to me. I was thinking that it truly was not easy to be this wise ruler of the ages, while at the same time, I was secretly looking over Kangxi. He was, after all, a man past the age of fifty, plus, after several nights in a row of being up late and then rising early in the morning to attend the imperial court, his face was showing signs of exhaustion and haggardness. I did not know whether my mind was possessed or some other reason, but my eyes suddenly started stinging with tears as I recalled that I used to frequently watch my father, a teacher of a middle school graduating class, working under the lamp, preparing lessons and marking homework deep into the night. Sometimes, when my mother got anxious, she would simply turn off the lamp and force my father to go to bed – Kangxi very likely does not have a wife like that.

While I was thinking this, I did not know what happened, but a sudden dizziness hit me and I opened my mouth and said, “It’s late. Rest first. Otherwise, you will exhaust yourself and that will interfere with things even more.” The words had just slipped out of my lips when, inside that quiet room, everyone stared at me with faces covered in shock. All at once, an atmosphere of alarm and dread settled over the room.

I, too, immediately recovered and reacted – I’m in big trouble now! Hurriedly, I dropped to my knees. Li Dequan face was pulled taut and he was about to punish me when we heard Kangxi exhale a sigh and say smilingly, “Before Zhen’s Tenth Ge’ge left the palace, she also would always pester Zhen to rest.” He tilts his head to the side, lost in thought for a moment before shaking his head lightly and instructing Li Dequan, “Put away these documents. We will rest for today.”

When Li Dequan heard this, his face lit up with joy and he quickly answered in a loud voice, “Zha!”

He then hurried over to help Kangxi get up.

As Kangxi walked past me, he looked down at where I was still kneeling on the ground and said, “You may rise.”

I kowtowed and answered, “Thank you, Imperial Majesty,” before I straightened myself.

Kangxi looked me over before asking Li Dequan with a laugh, “Is this not the ‘Death Challenging Thirteenth’s Sister of the Maertai family?”

Li Dequan replied, “Precisely.”

Kangxi did not say any more and left the room directly after. Only then did I realize that my entire back was soaked in sweat. So I was actually that scared of death! I had thought to myself, I really should thank that Tenth Ge’ge whom I had never actually met before. It seemed Kangxi loved and cherished her very much. However, the moment I thought to the fact that even though he loved her that much, he still married her off to the far, barren North, I had felt a sliver of chill seep into my heart.

After that incident, Li Dequan seems to assume I’m a mascot of good fortune. If there happens to be similar situations, he would always get me to come up with ideas to help. Luckily, even though every time I’d always have to wreck my brains apart and take big risks, in the end I was able to make some use out of my ideas.

As I arrive in front of the Hall, Wang Xi stood to one side and says quietly, “Jie-jie, you can go in by yourself.”

I nod my head and gently step into the room.

Just as I step into the room, I can see Li Dequan, who is standing off to one side behind Kangxi, giving me a nod. I nod back with a barely perceivable nod and lightly walk towards Kangxi, pretending to be coming to change the water to his tea. Picking up the tea cup, I quickly take a few glances at the geometry question that Kangxi is working on and then slowly back out.

I return to the tea preparation room.

As I am brewing tea, I am thinking, the problem really is not that difficult. Kangxi simply added the auxiliary line in the wrong place. But that is what happens when doing geometric proofs: once your mind is stuck on a certain path, you always need some effort to recover and get out of that mindset. Actually, if he would just set it aside and not work on the problem right now, likely, when he looks at it again tomorrow, he will end up lamenting over why he was so foolish the day before, because simply modifying the position of the auxiliary line would have solved it.

It is fine for me to think this, but in any case, I cannot go up and tell him how to draw the auxiliary line and solve the problem. After all, people like the French Jesuits, Joachim Bouvet and Jean-Francois Gerbillon, or the Portuguese Jesuit, Tomas Pereira[2] have never taught me mathematics. If Kangxi asks how did I know how to solve it, how will I answer?

I walk back in carrying the tea and place it gently on the desk. I first compose myself before quietly addressing, “Imperial Majesty.” Kangxi does not lift his head and only answers with an unthinking, “hmm.” After pausing briefly, I carry on, “I am afraid those Westerners will not dare to explain geometry to your Imperial Majesty anymore.” Kangxi gives another “hmm,” but does not give any other response and continues to look at the problem.

A short time passes before he suddenly whips his head up to look at me. Hurriedly, I bend myself over in a bow and say softly, “They taught these ideas to your Imperial Majesty primarily because they believe they are beneficial, but because of them, your Imperial Majesty has no time for even thoughts of food or drink. If you ruin your health, they will end up having to bear the responsibility for that crime.” I pause for a moment, but seeing that Kangxi does not show any response, I add, “Plus, didn’t those Westerners say that if you allow your mind to quiet down and rest, sometimes these geometric proofs may actually be easier to solve?” As I finish speaking, my heart grows anxious, and I close my hands to cold sweat in my palms.

After a little while, Kangxi drops his writing brush, stands up, stretches out his back, and chides, “Li Dequan, this mischief is your doing.”

Li Dequan quickly bends over and explains with an apologetic smile, “Your servant truly did it out of worry for your Imperial Majesty’s health.”

With a chuckle, Kangxi orders, “Fine. Ready the meal.”

Li Dequan answers hurriedly, “Zha!” He strides swiftly out the door and gives instructions to Wang Xi.

Kangxi lowers his head to look at me. “You are getting more and more bold, letting Li Dequan order you about.”

I drop to my knees quickly. “Maidservant was also worried about your Imperial Majesty’s health,” I say before kowtowing.

“Rise,” Kangxi instructs. I stand up, and he continues, “You are very attentive. You only served off to the side those few times and yet you are able to remember their words.”

Hastily, I explain, “It is only because, when I heard them at the time, those ideas were new and interesting so I paid more attention.”

Kangxi pays no more heed to me. Walking out of the room, he says, “If people of the Great Qing Empire all had the same enthusiasm for new ideas, there would be no worries that the four corners would not come to pay respect.” By the time he finishes speaking, he is already out of the room.

I heave a sigh as I reflect, easier said than done. For several thousand years, China has believed that it is a great land of vast resources and the center of the world. To change such a way of thinking to one that accepts new ideas, is not something that would happen simply because of an emperor’s desire. It is only after experiencing pain that cuts to the very core, and the near destruction of the country, when the Chinese can truly understand that we must actually learn from the outside world. It is not only because Kangxi addresses himself as “the lonely and few[3]” that he feels alone, but it is also because he understands too much and can see and think too far forward that he is lonely. It has always been the wise that are lonely, not to mention that he is also the emperor.

I am not supposed to be on duty today, but I suddenly remember that some new tea will be

arriving this afternoon. Worried that Yunxiang and Yutan may not put them away properly and damage their taste, I decide that I will go out to check on them.

While strolling along the tree-lined path, I see the Tenth and the Fourteenth-prince approaching me directly. I hurriedly turn, stand off to the side, and give them the ceremonial greeting. The Tenth-prince remarks gruffly, “There’s no one else here anyway. Why all the formalities?” The Fourteenth-prince only gives a cool “hmph” and does not say anything.

Straightening back up into a standing position, I smile at the Tenth-prince and inquire, “Are you returning to your manor?”

He grins, “I’m leaving the palace, but I’m not going back to the manor yet. We’re going to Eighth Brother’s place.”

I think for a moment before saying, “It has been quite a while since I have seen the Eighth-prince. Please send my greetings and auspicious wishes to him.”

The Tenth-prince does not even have time to respond when we hear the Fourteenth-prince, who has been standing to the side with a chilly expression, retort, “If you truly care about Eighth Brother, there is no need for those empty formalities of greetings and well wishes. If your heart is thinking about someone else, why bother doing these things just for people to see?”

The Tenth-prince and I are both taken aback, not knowing what the cause of these words was. We exchange a baffled glance with one another before staring at the Fourteenth-prince with looks of complete incomprehension. However the Fourteenth-prince is extremely impatient after he finishes speaking and snaps, “Tenth Brother, are you going or not? If you are not going yet, then I will leave first.” When he is done, he strides away without even waiting for a reply.

The Tenth-prince throws another bewildered look at me, but then hurries after the Fourteenth-prince. With furrowed brows, I stare at their outlines that are already off to the distance, wondering, when did I offend the Fourteenth-prince? Could it be because of the Thirteenth-prince again? But over these last few years, he already knows long ago that the Thirteenth-prince and I are very close. So why did he get so angry?

As I continue walking, I unconsciously touch the jade bracelet around my wrist. Do I carry him in my heart or not? This is the question he asks me every year. How am I going to answer him this year? Or maybe I should say, he has asked this for three years already; will he ask again this year? Perhaps he has already grown weary of asking.

Completely absorbed in my thoughts, I suddenly walk right into someone. I am thrown off balance and nearly falls over, but fortunately, the other person stretches out a hand and supports me until I am firm on my feet again. Seeing that it is the Thirteenth-prince, I cannot help cursing, “You rascal! You saw me but didn’t say anything.”

He snickers, “Seeing that you were so lost in thought, I wanted to see if you would really run into someone; and what better way give you a friendly reminder to be more careful.” He pauses, puts a fist under his chin, holds back a grin and says, “It’s no big deal if you want to throw yourself into my arms, but if other people see such a great beauty suddenly jump into my embrace, I’m afraid they’ll get the wrong idea.”

I pull my lips into a little pout, and then jokingly glower at him, ignoring his words.

He asks me, “What were you thinking?”

With a smirk, I respond, “Not telling you. I still have important things to do. Not going to make any pointless talk with you.”

He laughs, “Go then. Just don’t walk and think at the same time anymore.”

I do not answer and begin walking away. As I brush past his side, I suddenly jab my elbow into him. I hear him behind me let out an exaggerated “ouch!”

Chortling, I walk away with speedy steps, and from behind me, the sound of laughter rings out.

I have not gone far, though, when all of a sudden I hear the sound of running catching up to my rear. Quickly, I turn around to see the Thirteenth-prince coming towards me with large strides. With a puzzled look, I ask him, “What is it?”

He rushes forward another couple of steps before coming to a standstill. “I have been meaning to ask you something, but there hasn’t been an appropriate time in the last while. I actually almost forgot about it.”

I tell him, “Ask now.”

Chuckling, he complies, “Why did you help Fourth Brother that time?”

I stare blankly at him. My mind spins as I try to call something up, but I still do not know what he is talking about and can only respond by inquiring, “When did I ever help the Fourth-prince? Besides, what could the Fourth-prince possibly need my help with?”

He smiles and shakes his head. “The incident with the tribute items. You spilled tea onto Tenth Brother.”

I inhale sharply, my mind feeling as if a clap of thunder has gone off inside it. I finally understand now why the Fourteenth prince did not want to be around me. After a long time, like an eggplant struck by frost[4], I answer dully, “That was simply an unintentional mistake. Just a coincidence.”

He laughs, “Regardless of whether it was intentional or not, I am here to thank you anyway; otherwise, I don’t know what else that mouth of Tenth Brother was going to say. It is not even that we are afraid of him, but to have to explain it to Imperial Father would have been troublesome.” When he finishes saying this, he waits a moment. Seeing that I do not show any response, he adds, “I’m going now. You go do your own thing as well.” I nod woodenly, turning and listlessly walk away.

I do not really know what I am thinking. I am only aware that my one hand is stroking the bracelet while I am slowly walking. If even the Fourteenth-prince has gotten the wrong idea, did he misunderstand as well? Perhaps he will understand that the one I was really trying to help was the Tenth-prince, not the Fourth-prince.

By the time I snap out of my thoughts with a start, I find that I made a turn in the wrong direction a long time ago and am very far away from the Palace of Heavenly Purity. I heave an inward sigh. Feeling that I no longer have the energy to care about tea and whatnots, I turn around and head back to my room.

The sun is gradually setting in the west. I sit on a rock, leaning against the willow tree beside it. My eyes are half-closed as I watch two butterflies dancing lightly over the cluster of flowers before me. The gladiolas, with the color of purple mixed with white, have already passed their full magnificence and are starting to wilt, providing a not so gratifying picture. However, because of these two butterflies that are fluttering together up and down in the light of the setting sun, as if they are infinitely in love, it gives observers the feeling that the sight before them is particularly beautiful.

A childish but clear voice rings out from behind me. “What are you doing? Why aren’t you moving at all?”

I turn my head to the side to look. It turns out it is a six or seven year old little boy, chubby and very cute. Judging from his attire, his status should not be low. I point in front of me and say, “I’m watching butterflies.”

He walks up beside me and glances at the butterflies. “What’s so good about watching butterflies? Catching butterflies is what’s fun.”

[1] Excerpt from Tian Yiheng’s 《煮泉小品》

[2] Jesuits who lived in the capital and worked for the emperor in various capacities. These three worked particularly closely with Kangxi, tutoring him in subjects such as mathematics and astronomy.

[3] Orig.称孤道寡 (pinyin: cheng gu dao gua). In ancient times, kings and emperors used this to describe themselves. “Gu” means “lonely” while “gua’ means “few.” Prior to Qin Shihuang, kings addressed themselves as “gu” or “gua ren” (where “ren” means “person”). It is meant to describe the loneliness that comes with the throne.

[4] An eggplant struck by frost is lifeless and withered. This is a common saying used to describe a person who is weary, unenergetic, lifeless, etc.

Bu Bu Jing Xin Chapter 8 (Part 3)

2011-09-19T23:37:00.003-05:00

步步惊心/ Bu Bu Jing Xin

Startling Surprises with Every Step

Written by Tong Hua

Chapter 8(Part 3)

Translated by wuxiagurl

Brought to you by the Magnolia Translation Team

Please give wuxiagurl a good round of applause as she helps out with our live translations this week. =D

Download link:

http://www.mediafire.com/?s65qb2fvatan8q4

Disclaimer

This work is an amateur fan-translation of original work by Tong Hua as available in free online format in Mandarin Chinese at:

http://vip.book.sina.com.cn/book/catalog.php?book=80155.

Characters Introduced So Far

(In Alphabetical Order)

Crown Prince (Aisin-Gioro Yinreng): The second son of Emperor Kangxi. Currently the Crown Prince and thus next in line for the throne.

Dong Yun: One of Ruolan’s maids.

Fourteenth-prince (Aisin-Gioro Yinzheng): The fourteenth son of Emperor Kangxi. He is described as being quite handsome.

Fourth-prince (Asin-Gioro Yinzhen): The fourth son of Emperor Kangxi and the future Emperor Yongzheng. Slightly pale and has an impassive demeanour. Very close to the Thirteenth-prince

Kangxi: The current Emperor of China.

Li Dequan: The head eunuch who serves Kangxi directly. Seems to like Ruoxi and often secretly gives sound advices to her on how to survive in the Palace.

Ninth-prince (Aisin-Gioro Yintang): The ninth son of Emperor Kangxi. Currently not given a peerage title. Seems to have a more taciturn personality. Nicknamed “the venomous snake” by Ruoxi.

Wang Xi: A junior eunuch who is under the tutelage of Li Dequan. One of the eunuch that is quite close to Ruoxi and refers to her as Jie-jie.

Yunxiang: A tea serving maid who works under Ruoxi.

Yutan: A tea serving maid who works under Ruoxi. Very close to Ruoxi and the two have a sister-like relationship.

Glossary of Terms

(In Alphabetical Order)

Bei’le: Shortened from Duo’luo Bei’le. A peerage title that can be bestowed to those within the imperial family. It is the third rank in the Qing peerage system for the imperial line.

Ce’fujin: A title. Meaning second wife or ‘side’ wife in Manchurian.

Di’fujin: A title. Meaning first wife or main wife in Manchurian.

Ge’ge: A Manchurian word for young mistress, or lady. It is a title you would call an unmarried noblewoman (or before they are bestowed an official title by the Emperor) above a certain rank.

Imperial Father: What the children of the Emperor refer to their father as.

Jie-jie: Older sister in Chinese.

Shifu: Means Master, someone who one is under the tutelage of.

Zhen: A word that the Emperor refers himself as.

Chapter 8 (Part 3)

While sitting in silence, Wang Xi enters. He approaches me, performs a ceremonial bow and says, “Jie-jie, shifu[1] is calling you to see him. “ Yunxiang and Yutan, who are both listening in, stand up in panic when they hear this. I ignore them and stand up to follow Wang Xi to exit the side hall.

Wang Xi leads the way for only a short while when I see Li Dequan standing under a tree in front of us. After approaching closer, Wang Xi withdraws. I perform a ceremonial greeting and stands there silently. After a long time, Li Dequan clears his throat and says, “I thought that you’ve always been a careful person, so how come you’re so careless today?”

I answer, “Please punish me, An’da[2]”

He sighs and says “Next month’s wages will be completely deducted.”

I hurriedly kneel and say, “Thank you, Li An’da.”

He does not respond, only turning around to walk away, while whispering vaguely, “The palace cannot tolerate so many good intentions[3].”

After he leaves, I remain standing there silently. A hint of sadness mixed with fear gradually oozes out from my heart, creeping inch by inch throughout my whole body, slowly consuming my strength. I can feel that I cannot stand properly anymore and stagger for a few steps before ending up sitting on the ground. I hold my head with my hands while burrowing between my legs. I bite my lower lip hard as tears well up in my eyes, only to be finally forced back by me.

While I am burying my head and sitting there in rumination, I suddenly hear a voice overhead asking, “What’re you doing sitting there?”

From the voice, I can tell it is the Tenth-prince. I didn’t want to pay any attention to him so I continue to hold my head in silence. He kneels down by my side and says, “Hey! I haven’t blamed you for scalding me, yet you here are throwing a tantrum.”

I continue to ignore him. He remains quiet for a moment, but suddenly feels something is wrong. He hurriedly lifts my head, with surprise showing on his face, he exclaims, “Why did you bite your lips till they’re bleeding? How did Li Dequan punish you?”

I raise my head and suddenly spot that it was not only the Tenth-prince that stands beside me; the Fourth-prince, the Eighth-prince, the Ninth-prince, the Thirteenth-prince, and the Fourteenth-prince are all standing to one side. Surprised, I hurriedly wipe my lips with one hand while jumping up to perform a ceremonial greeting.

The Tenth-prince, seeing that I am only busily performing the ceremonial greeting and not answering his question, says irritably, “I am going to find Li Dequan for an explanation.” As he finishes speaking and starts to leave, I quickly whisper, “Come back.”

He halts his steps and says, “Then tell me yourself.”

As I gaze at him, the feelings in my heart are mixed. On one hand I’m irritated at his rashness but on the other, I am touched by his panicked concern. I stare at him for a little while before finally giving him a small glare, “I’m fined a month’s wages.”

The Tenth-prince slaps his thigh and cries, “Just for a mere month’s wage. Is that worth getting so angry over?”

Pouting, I say, “Why not? Those silver ingots may not mean much to you, but I’ve been looking forward to those silvers. Besides, I have never been punished before. This loss of face is a bit difficult on my pride.

Laughingly he says, “Well, don’t be angry anymore. If there’s something you want, I’ll buy it for you.”

Hearing this, I smile but do not say another word. None of the princes speaks either. As usual, the Fourth-prince and the Eighth-prince remain in their respective trademark expressions: one eternally cold and impassive and the other eternally gentle and dignified. Meanwhile, the Ninth-prince looks at me darkly. When the Thirteenth-prince sees that I am looking at him, he smiles, winks at me, and makes a puzzled expression. I return his smile but then I see the Fourteenth-prince with knitted eyebrows looking sullenly at a random direction.

Looking around and noticing nobody wants to speak; I smile apologetically and say, “If there’s nothing else, your humble servant will leave now.”

The Fourth-prince lightly dismisses me, saying, “You may go.”

I curtsey and leave.

Last night I worked the night shift until dawn. Even though I slept in the morning, I still feel tied. Plus I did not dare to sleep too much in the morning; for fear that I will sleep even later tonight and feel worse the next day. I lay sideways on the couch; casually grabbing a book titled “Essays on Brewing Spring Water”[4] by Tian Yiheng of the Ming Dynasty, and starts to read it intently under the lamp.

These days, the books on my shelves are basically all on the topic of tea. I now fully regard this as a proper job. The food, living arrangements, wages, and benefits are excellent. However, there’s not enough freedom. The rules are very severe; any mistakes will be dealt with corporal punishment and even worse, the death penalty.

But these past three years have allowed me to figure out some of the rules of the game, to find a sort of freedom while staying within the regulations. My attitude is as such: since I am doing this, I may as well do my best. Although I started the job without any experience or training, currently in the palace, if there’s anything that is tea related, I’m afraid no one would dare to disparage me.

[1] Means Master, someone one is under the tutelage of.

[2] Orig. 谙达. It is the term Mongolians used for sworn brothers. Due to the intermarriages between Manchu and Mongolian royalty to preserve relations, this Mongolian term was adopted into the Qing Dynasty. In this case, Ruoxi calling Li Dequan “Brother” indicates her close relationship with the senior eunuch.

[3] Li Dequan knew Ruoxi’s good intention of saving the Tenth/Fourth prince, but is warning her that in the cutthroat environment of the Palace, she could easily lose her life if she interfered in the palace politics.

[4] Orig. 《煮泉小品》. Tian Yiheng wrote a book endorsing the ‘natural’, simpler method of tea preparation that became popular during the Ming Dynasty. The tea was to be prepared as loose tea leaves rather than the tea balls that was previously popular. The tea was ideally to be dried in the sun rather than baking it in the fire to preserve the natural flavor.

Bu Bu Jing Xin Chapter 8 (Part 2)

2011-09-13T22:45:00.006-05:00

步步惊心/ Bu Bu Jing Xin

Startling Surprises with Every Step

Written by Tong Hua

Chapter 8(Part 2)

Translated by Hoju!

Brought to you by the Magnolia Translation Team

Hey everyone. We are still scrambling to try to translate chapter 8, so unfortunately, updates will slow down quite a bit. Nevertheless we will try to keep our weekly updates to the best of our abilities.

Good news is, the Bu Bu Jin Xin Drama is out on full force! Have you all been watching? =)

Download link:

http://www.mediafire.com/?dalkucnifrmkuot

Disclaimer

This work is an amateur fan-translation of original work by Tong Hua as available in free online format in Mandarin Chinese at:

http://vip.book.sina.com.cn/book/catalog.php?book=80155.

Characters Introduced So Far

(In Alphabetical Order)

Crown Prince (Aisin-Gioro Yinreng): The second son of Emperor Kangxi. Currently the Crown Prince and thus next in line for the throne.

Dong Yun: One of Ruolan’s maids.

Fourteenth-prince (Aisin-Gioro Yinzheng): The fourteenth son of Emperor Kangxi. He is described as being quite handsome. Is currently around fourteen to fifteen years of age.

Fourth-prince (Asin-Gioro Yinzhen): The fourth son of Emperor Kangxi and the future Emperor Yongzheng. Slightly pale and has an impassive demeanour. Very close to the Thirteenth-prince

Kangxi: The current Emperor of China.

Luwu: A courtesan who seem to have an unclear relationship with the Thirteenth-prince. Luwu is one of the more high ranking courtesans who has the right to choose her clients. She befriends Ruoxi through the introduction of the Thirteenth-prince.

Ninth-prince (Aisin-Gioro Yintang): The ninth son of Emperor Kangxi. Currently not given a peerage title. Seems to have a more taciturn personality. Nicknamed “the venomous snake” by Ruoxi.

Ruoxi, Maertai (Zhang Xiao): Protagonist of the story. Originally a modern day, white collar professional named Zhang Xiao. Under certain unexplainable, supernatural occurrence, Zhang Xiao’s spirit travelled through time upon her death and took over a young Manchurian girl’s body. Now stuck in ancient times, Ruoxi must navigate through an entirely foreign environment armed only with the little historical knowledge she remembers.

Glossary of Terms

(In Alphabetical Order)

Bei’le: Shortened from Duo’luo Bei’le. A peerage title that can be bestowed to those within the royal family. It is the third rank in the Qing peerage system for the imperial line.

Ce’fujin: A title. Meaning second wife or ‘side’ wife in Manchurian.

Di’fujin: A title. Meaning first wife or main wife in Manchurian.

Ge’ge: A Manchurian word for young mistress, or lady. It is a title you would call an unmarried noblewoman (or before they are bestowed an official title by the Emperor) above a certain rank.

Imperial Father: What the children of the Emperor refer to their father as.

Jie-jie: Older sister in Chinese.

Zhen: A word that the Emperor refers himself as.

Chapter 8 (Part 2)

When I retreated to the other side of the curtain, I finally released the breath I had been holding, while at the same time inquired a eunuch next to me, “Who is inside?”

The junior eunuch lowered his voice to reply, “The Fourth, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Thirteenth, and Fourteenth prince.”

I thought, other gatherings have never been this complete before. It seems Kangxi wants to ask for their opinions. I hurried back to tell Yunxiang and Yutan to prepare tea. I have not even opened my mouth, however, when I heard Yutan laugh, “The tea is prepared already. Right after you left, Wang Xi came and told us the princes had arrived, so I quickly made all the preparations first.”

I nodded approvingly at her before walking over to inspect everything. As I looked things over, Yutan quickly pipes up again, “We’ve remembered all the rules! The Fourth-prince likes Taiping Houkui tea[1], the Eighth-prince likes Sun-Infused Snow Bud tea, the Ninth-prince likes Pre-Qingming Dragon Well[2], the Tenth-prince does not have any particular preference, and the Thirteenth-prince likes…”

I quickly waved her off while laughing, “Enough, enough. As long as I know that you remember.”

Yunxiang smiled, “No wonder people in the palace say that Miss is detailed and attentive. The people who previously served the emperor directly only needed to remember his Imperial Majesty’s preferences. Now, though, Miss requires that we memorize all the prince’s preferences as well.” I arranged the tea bowls, all the while thought, I have my own reasons, just that I cannot say what they are.

Yunxiang held the tea tray and followed behind me. Right as we arrive outside the curtain, I heard Kangxi ask, “What are your opinions on the accounts submitted in court today by the Ministry of Rites[3]?”

I cannot help but halt in my tracks and mull silently, Crown Prince had committed so many offenses, which one is it this time? Seeing I had suddenly stopped, the eunuch beside me holding the curtain open looked at me in surprise. I hastily stride in.

I headed slowly over to the Fourth-prince and gently set his tea down on the table, then turned and headed over towards the Eighth-prince’s table. As I placed the tea down with my head lowered, I heard the Fourth-prince reply, “From what subject-son has seen, Second Brother is usually magnanimous to his subordinates. There are those shady people, though, who would embezzle money and property behind Second Brother’s back while acting in Second Brother’s name.”

Kangxi nodded slightly while listening. I think to myself, it seems this is about the Crown Prince taking without authorization for himself items of tribute to Kangxi. History records had noted that even though this greatly angered Kangxi, in the end, the Crown Prince was still not disciplined for it, and only the other people involved were punished. If that is the case, it looks like Kangxi’s emotional side will prevail this time.

As I am setting down the Ninth-prince’s tea and the Fourth-prince has just finished what he was saying, the Tenth-prince pipes up, “Even if a lackey has the gall as great as the heavens, if no one is backing him, do you think he would dare take imperial tributes that were meant for Imperial Father?”

I sighed inwardly, This Tenth never seem to be able to restrain himself. I walked up beside the Tenth-prince’s table and turn around to pick up, from the tea tray that Yunxiang was holding, the tea that had been prepared for him. As I am about to set it onto the table, I heard him add, “Fourth Brother’s words are rather peculiar. But, Fourth Brother has always had a good relationship with Second Brother, so, with this whole situation, maybe Fourth Brother is also…” Before he could finish his thought, he let out a loud cry and leaped up from his seat.

It turns out, when I was holding the saucer; I had accidentally spilled all the hot tea onto his shoulder. A junior eunuch, who had been attending off to the side, was already there helping to wipe him off and to check to see whether he has been scalded.

I kneeled on the floor crying, “Maidservant deserves death! Maidservant deserves death!” At the same time, I say in my mind, it doesn’t matter if you offend the Crown Prince. He is going to be removed sooner or later anyway. But if you cross the Fourth prince, your end will be terrible. While I know the outcome is not reversible, I still cannot bear to have the entire progression play itself out right before my eyes. I sigh secretly; if I can prevent even one little part, then that will be one little part that does not have to happen.

Seeing it is me, the Tenth-prince couldn’t let out his anger, and he is also afraid that if the situation blows out of hand, I will suffer, so he can only say, “It is of no matter.”

The head chief of the eunuchs who directly serve Kangxi, Li Dequan, came over and rebuked, “Clumsy! Hurry and leave now!”

I quickly stood up and backed out. As I reach the curtain, I hear Kangxi say, “Zhen is tired today. All of you, be dismissed.” I mused secretly, it seems a decision has been made, and so with my mind at ease, I returned to the teahouse.

I have been back for not very long when Yunxiang came in carrying the tea tray, and with an anxious expression, exclaimed, “What was going on with you today? You scared me to death.”

I sat there with my head down, not uttering a word. In my mind I thought, first, Kangxi is a virtuous and benevolent emperor, and so long as it is not a mistake regarding a matter of principle, he has always been kind and lenient to servants. Second, the person I scalded was the Tenth-prince, and no matter what, he will always plead for mercy for me. Therefore, although I was very tense, I reckoned that the worst that could happen was that I am taken out and made to suffer a round of beating by plank. At least there wouldn’t be any fear for my life. Furthermore, at that moment, I was so anxious that I did not have time to worry about the consequences. My only thought was to take care of the situation at hand first.

[1] Also known as the Monkey King Tea. The Taiping “Monkey King” is a type of green tea and is considered to be one of the top 10 teas of China.

[2] The Qingming here is referring to the Qingming Festival. Pre-Qingming Dragon well is Dragon well tea that is harvested right before the time of the Qingming Festival. The quality of the tea leaves tend to be the best right before the festival and decline as time passes, and since the window of time between the tea’s maturity and the Qingming festival is short, it also means the quantity of Dragon well tea that gets harvested before Qingming Festival is very limited; many end up harvested afterwards. Therefore, the tea is prized but also very expensive.

[3] Orig. 礼部 ‘Li Bu.’ In Qing feudal China, six government ministries (or ‘bu’ 部) reported directly to the emperor. The Ministry of Rites managed all state ceremonies and rituals, imperial examinations, receiving foreign emissaries, etc.

Hiatus for Chapter 8

2011-09-06T18:26:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately, we still are not able to contact our translator for chapter 8. Because of the time restraint, we are unable to provide you with the next part today. Rest assured, we already have another translator for part 2 (please give thanks to the wonderful Hoju who is willing to take on this extra part), but as for when it will be released we cannot to say as of now. We will try to update as soon as possible and ask our readers to please understand our situation and be patient. Thank you and hope to see you soon.

Bu Bu Jing Xin Chapter 8 (Part 1) UPDATED

2011-08-30T18:06:00.001-05:00

步步惊心/ Bu Bu Jing Xin

Startling Surprises with Every Step

Written by Tong Hua

Chapter 8 (Part 1)

Translated by Hoju

Brought to you by the Magnolia Translation Team

As of right now, we are unable to contact our translator for chapter 8. Therefore what will happen is that we will have one of our other translators translate a part of chapter 8 for each week until we can get in touch with the original translator or have another translator take over. Hope everyone will be patient and understanding. Thank you.

Download link: http://www.mediafire.com/?j6w4ryr8jso3ubl

Disclaimer

This work is an amateur fan-translation of original work by Tong Hua as available in free online format in Mandarin Chinese at:

http://vip.book.sina.com.cn/book/catalog.php?book=80155.

Characters Introduced So Far

(In Alphabetical Order)

Crown Prince (Aisin-Gioro Yinreng): The second son of Emperor Kangxi. Currently the Crown Prince and thus next in line for the throne.

Dong Yun: One of Ruolan’s maids.

Fourteenth-prince (Aisin-Gioro Yinzheng): The fourteenth son of Emperor Kangxi. He is described as being quite handsome. Is currently around fourteen to fifteen years of age.

Fourth-prince (Asin-Gioro Yinzhen): The fourth son of Emperor Kangxi and the future Emperor Yongzheng. Slightly pale and has an impassive demeanour.

Kangxi: The current Emperor of China.

Ninth-prince (Aisin-Gioro Yintang): The ninth son of Emperor Kangxi. Currently not given a peerage title. Seems to have a more taciturn personality. Nicknamed “the venomous snake” by Ruoxi.

Ruolan, Maertai: Ruoxi’s older sister. The two are especially close as they are born from the same mother.She is also the Ce’fujin (Second Wife) of the Eighth-prince. Mild and gentle in nature, Ruolan likes to spend a better part of her days reciting Buddhist scriptures. Has a deceased lover who was a soldier in her father’s army. The man was of Han descent and had taught Ruolan how to ride.

Glossary of Terms

(In Alphabetical Order)

Bei’le: Shortened from Duo’luo Bei’le. A peerage title that can be bestowed to those within the royal family. It is the third rank in the Qing peerage system for the imperial line.

Ce’fujin: A title. Meaning second wife or ‘side’ wife in Manchurian.

Di’fujin: A title. Meaning first wife or main wife in Manchurian.

Ge’ge: A Manchurian word for young mistress, or lady. It is a title you would call an unmarried noblewoman (or before they are bestowed an official title by the Emperor) above a certain rank.

Jie-jie: Older sister in Chinese.

Chapter 8 (Part 1)

It is into early summer, and the flowers have all passed their time of blooming. Only various dark and light shades of green can be seen sprouting amongst one another. Although the weather is starting to get hotter, the nights still have a coolness that seeps into the bone. As I lean against the bridge railing, gazing into the water at the crescent moon that is undulating with the ripples, I murmur, “Having only just welcomed Spring but is now sending Spring off.”

Spring comes, then spring goes. I have been in the palace for three years already.

The concubine selection event had not been as I expected where Kangxi would personally make the selections, but rather, the noble consort who had the highest status at the time, Lady Tunggiya[1], and other consorts of respected status had first created a shortlist of candidates, which they submitted to Kangxi. Kangxi had made his selections from this list. It was in this stage where I was left off the shortlist.

Afterwards, I had heard that when the various niangniang[2] were selecting their female attendants, there were actually two niangniang who specifically requested me – First prince’s mother, Consort Hui of the Nara clan, and Fourth and Fourteenth prince’s mother, Consort De of the Wuya clan. Caught in a dilemma, the head eunuch reported this to Noble Consort Lady Tunggiya, who, after much thought, assigned me to the Palace of Heavenly Purity[3] with the specific responsibility of serving tea to the emperor.

Serving tea appears to be very simple work, but anything that involves the emperor in any way, even if very simple, will become very complicated. Even though I have known all along that tea drinking is an art in itself, I had never thought there would be so many rules. I had to learn everything one by one from the very top: distinguishing the different types of teas, discerning water quality, controlling water temperature, testing for poisons, using proper hand technique when pouring tea, using proper form when walking while carrying tea, as well as learning Kangxi’s own particular preferences and habits. Every one of these must be committed to memory. There is absolutely no room for error. It took me three entire months before the master in charge of teaching finally gave his nod of approval.

Since my placement in the Palace of Heavenly Purity was quite mysterious, all the eunuchs and palace maids, high or low position, dared not cross me and were amicable towards me. Furthermore, I have indeed been very cautious with everything I do and say and have carried myself in a humble and amiable manner, so the people around me accepted me very quickly. Now, I am already the head of the twelve palace maids in charge of serving tea and taking care of daily needs in the Palace of Heavenly Purity.

As I reflect on the last three years, I cannot help sighing at the moon’s reflection in the water. I turn around and slowly head back to my dwelling. I still have to be on duty tomorrow!

I am in the side room directing Yunxiang and Yutan on the tea selection when the young eunuch, Wang Xi sprints in and hastily performs a ceremonial bow before hurriedly announcing, “His Imperial Majesty is done court now.”

I laugh, “So court is done! Why are you flustered like a monkey? Be careful your shifu[4] doesn’t see you and reprimand you.”

Catching his breath, he pants, “But this time, it is shifu who sent me over. He said to warn jie-jie[5] to be careful as you wait on His Imperial Majesty. In the court session today, someone brought forward allegations against the Crown Prince.”

When I hear this, I quickly pull my laughter back in. “Thank your shifu for me.” He hurriedly gives another customary bow and rushes off again.

Turning around, I instruct Yunxiang and Yutan, “You heard that? Today, be especially focused and careful while serving.”

The two of them hurriedly answer yes.

I mull silently, since Crown Prince Yinreng’s great uncle, Songgotu[6] was jailed and had all his possessions confiscated by the state for plotting rebellion against the throne, while on the surface the Crown Prince was not affected by this, his position was no longer as secure as before. He is Kangxi’s favourite son, taught personally by Kangxi since he was young. However, perhaps for the very reason that he has been doted on since he was a child, in comparison to the other princes, Crown Prince does not have any outstanding qualities. Add on to that the fact that the other princes have been eyeing his position like a tiger its prey, his position as heir apparent to the throne is in jeopardy.

Kangxi is caught in a struggle between his rational and emotional sides. On one hand, he already sees that Yinreng is not the appropriate person to succeed the throne. On the other hand, Yinreng was the only one of his children he had personally raised, and coupled with his love for his first wife, Empress Xiaochengren of the Heseri clan[7], Kangxi is now caught in the decision of whether to take away his status as Crown Prince or not. As I reach this thought, I cannot hold back a sigh. Kangxi is going to have to face this painful issue again today.

I suddenly hear the voices giving the customary welcome for the imperial arrival and know that Kangxi has returned. Hastily, I say to Yunxiang, “Brew the tea.” The two of them quickly busy themselves in their work. As I go about readying the tea ware, I think silently, Kangxi’s mood is not very good today and probably does not want to see any bright colors, so I select a blue glazed tea set embellished with chrysanthemum petals. According to modern psychology, blue has the property of being calming and peaceful.

Carrying the tea tray, I walk slowly into the room. The chairs throughout the room are occupied, but all around, it is quiet. Looking straight ahead, I walk to the table, lightly set down the tea bowl, and then slowly back out with head lowered.

[1] Orig.佟佳氏. The text states the name as ‘woman of the Tunggiya clan.’ (In pinyin, the Tongjia clan.) In ancient China, women were often referred to in this way, only by their surname or clan name.

[2] Orig. 娘娘. In the Qing court, this is how one would address the empress or imperial consorts. Often, it is preceded by the formal title of the person.

[3] Orig. 乾清宫. A palace within the Forbidden City. During the Ming and early Qing dynasty (including during the reign of Kangxi), this was the residence of the emperor. Emperor Yongzheng did not wish to inhabit this palace and hence, it became the emperor’s audience hall henceforth. During Kangxi’s reign, those assigned to work in the Palace of Heavenly Purity would be attending to the emperor personally.

[4] Orig. 师傅. Teacher.

[5] ‘Older sister.’ This is the same as what Ruoxi calls Ruolan. However, in the context here, where there is no blood relation, it is a familiar address to someone older or of higher position.

[6] Orig. 索额图 (pinyin: Suoetu). A minister during Kangxi’s reign. Uncle to Kangxi’s official wife, Empress Xiaochengren, mother of Yinreng.

[7] Orig. 孝诚仁皇后赫舍里氏. Kangxi’s first empress and official wife. She died at the young age of 20 while giving birth to Yinreng. Kangxi loved her very much and greatly missed her after she died.

Chapter 7 Complete (With Parts 5-6)

2011-08-23T01:29:00.007-05:00

步步惊心/ Bu Bu Jing Xin

Startling Surprises with Every Step

Written by Tong Hua

Chapter 7 (Complete)

Translated by Cutzie

Brought to you by the Magnolia Translation Team

EDIT: so the online version of chapter 7, parts 5-6 is now up under the cut. For the complete chapter 7, use the link below to download.

Download link:

http://www.mediafire.com/?r475xjd1p7361mi

I've compiled the entire chapter 7, and re-edited it along with this week's updates (parts 5-6). Some translations were tweaked etc.

Enjoy guys~ =D

PS. It's very late on my end right now so I'll post the online version of chapter 7, parts 5-6 tomorrow. If you cannot wait, just click the link above! =P

Disclaimer

This work is an amateur fan-translation of original work by Tong Hua as available in free online format in Mandarin Chinese at:

http://vip.book.sina.com.cn/book/catalog.php?book=80155.

Characters Introduced So Far

(In Alphabetical Order)

Crown Prince (Aisin-Gioro Yinreng): The second son of Emperor Kangxi. Currently the Crown Prince and thus next in line for the throne.

Dong Yun: One of Ruolan’s maids.

Fourteenth-prince (Aisin-Gioro Yinzheng): The fourteenth son of Emperor Kangxi. He is described as being quite handsome. Is currently around fourteen to fifteen years of age.

Fourth-prince (Asin-Gioro Yinzhen): The fourth son of Emperor Kangxi and the future Emperor Yongzheng. Slightly pale and has an impassive demeanour.

Kangxi: The current Emperor of China.

Ninth-prince (Aisin-Gioro Yintang): The ninth son of Emperor Kangxi. Currently not given a peerage title. Seems to have a more taciturn personality. Nicknamed “the venomous snake” by Ruoxi.

Glossary of Terms

(In Alphabetical Order)

Bei’le: Shortened from Duo’luo Bei’le. A peerage title that can be bestowed to those within the royal family. It is the third rank in the Qing peerage system for the imperial line.

Ce’fujin: A title. Meaning second wife or ‘side’ wife in Manchurian.

Di’fujin: A title. Meaning first wife or main wife in Manchurian.

Ge’ge: A Manchurian word for young mistress, or lady. It is a title you would call an unmarried noblewoman (or before they are bestowed an official title by the Emperor) above a certain rank.

Jie-jie: Older sister in Chinese.

Chapter 7 (Parts5-6)

I stared at him, “What kind of books I’m reading, my father and sister can ask but it definitely not your place to speak!”

Seeing how the Fourteenth-prince and I was glowering at each other, the Eighth-prince couldn’t help but to chuckle, shaking his head, “Stop glaring Fourteenth brother, you should go back now. This matter with Ruoxi, I will deal with it.”

The Fourteenth-prince stared at me, and then looked back at the Eighth-prince. He started to say something but stopped. He turned to stare at me once more before flinging his sleeves back and left.

Facing the Fourteenth-prince, I did not feel any fear, but now that he has left leaving me alone with the Eighth-prince, I began to feel tense. I stood with my head lowered, playing with the ribbon on my cloak, unsure of what to do.

The Eighth-prince looked at me and smilingly said, “The Crown Prince’s joke is actually very accurate. I feel that not only is your vigor the same as Thirteenth brother, but also your respect for the lower class as well as your free and inhibited character is the same as well.” He smiling he continued, “Don’t just keep standing there.”

I was about to sit down when he said, “Come sit over here. I have some things to discuss with you.” I became even more nervous, but since I cannot disobey, I slowly walked over and sat down next to him.

He watched me sit down and sighed before facing forward again in silence.

The two of us sat silently for a while when he suddenly said, “Scared?”

Startled and not knowing what he meant, I looked at him in confusion.

He turned to me, “The concubine selection, are you scared?”

After hearing that, the fear that already filled my body welled up. I quietly nodded, then lowered my head, frowning worriedly.

After a while, he suddenly began to talk softly, as if to himself, “The first time I saw your sister was when she was fifteen.”

I hurriedly swept my fears to the side and listened with rapt attention.

“That year, your father had come to Beijing, and your sister had come along with him. It was springtime and the weather was exceptionally nice. The blue sky seemed like it had just been washed by water and the breeze was filled with the fragrance of flowers, blowing right through people’s hearts. I went with two servants to the outskirts for some horseback riding. From far, I could see a young lady riding her horse on a hill,” he stopped and smiled, “You’ve seen Ruolan ride; you should also know how beautiful and exquisite she is.”

I recalled my sister’s elegance at the racecourse and unconsciously nodded.

He continued, “Her riding that day was even better than at the racecourse. Her laughter was like silver bells, ringing through the wind. It was filled with so much happiness, that it makes anyone who has heard it filled with happiness as well, instilling the desire to laugh along with her.” He stopped for a bit before resuming, “I couldn’t believe what I saw. There were many beautiful ladies in the Forbidden City, but Ruolan was different.”

I thought, Jie-jie at that time was a young girl in love, believing that she and her lover would stay forever on cloud nine. Her happiness glowed from within. Of course the girls in the Forbidden City who have never experience true love before cannot compare.

He went on, “After I came back, I hurriedly went and inquired about your sister. I kept thinking about how I can get Imperial Father to grant her to me when my mother told me that Imperial Father decided to make the Maertai family’s eldest daughter my Ce’Fujin. At that time, I thought that my life had never been so happy before. The very next day after Imperial Father’s announcement, I went all over the capital in search of a gift. It took me more than six months to be able to find a Phoenix Blood bracelet. I had intended to give it to her on the day of our marriage.”

I looked down at the bracelet on my wrist and couldn’t help but raise it, asking, “Is this the one? That you wanted to give to Jie-jie?”

He looked at the bracelet on my wrist, reached out to hold my hand, then said, “I waited night and day; finally, my wedding day had arrived. But when I lifted the wedding veil, I felt as if nothing was as I had imagined. The person that I’ve been missing for two years and the person sitting in front of me were like two complete different people. She never goes riding and rarely smiles. I kept asking myself, how did things become like this? Could it be that I have the wrong person? Later I sent someone to the Northwest to investigate, and, after many obstacles, I finally found the reason.” He smiled wryly, not saying anything else.

I sighed heavily, how Fate played us humans! I was deep in thought for a while when my heart suddenly raced. I let out a small breath, and nervously asked, “How did that person die?”

He was quiet for a minute then replied, “My sending someone to inquire about your sister alerted your father. He wanted to send that person away and therefore made him a frontline soldier[1]. After that…” He stopped, not saying anything further.

I could only feel my heart still racing vigorously. You did not kill him, but he did die because of you.

I pulled at my wrist, wanting to take off the bracelet and give it back to him. He suddenly grabbed my hand, “Don’t take it off.”

I looked down, staring at the bracelet, “This is for my sister.”

He tightened his hold on my hand and whispered, “This is for the one I love.” He used his other hand to lift my chin up and, staring in my eyes, said, “Promise me, never to take this off.”

I looked deep into his bottomless black eyes. There was gentleness in them that I have never seen before. At the same time, they were filled with so much sadness that it seemed as if it would overflow. I was unable to restrain the confusion in my heart, mixed with a strange bitterness, therefore slowly nodded. He saw that I’ve agreed and couldn’t help but beam.

He smilingly said, “Don’t be afraid. I will think of a way for Imperial Father to bestow you to me.”

I stared at him, stunned. He smiled at me. I quickly shook my head, exclaiming, “Don’t!”

He looked at me, his smile fading, his face turning pale, and suddenly asked, “You’re actually willing to be Imperial Father’s woman?”

I’ve became panic-stricken, hurriedly shook my head. I’m not willing, I’m not willing to do anything. I only wanted to live well, to find someone who truly loves me, who will take care of me, and not just viewed me as a plaything. There’s no need to bestow me; I am a person, not a thing.

He stared at me for a while, suddenly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, reopened them, and, sighed, “I will not force you. As you will!” Saying that, he released me, called Li Fu to come in and instructed him to bring me back to Jie-jie’s place.

I was at the door when he suddenly spoke out from behind, “After entering the palace, don’t dress up like how you did at Ol’ Ten’s birthday.”

I couldn’t understand and turned around to look at him. He looked down and slowly said, “If you don’t want Imperial Father’s attention, then the plainer you look, the better.” I finally understood. I didn’t know whether to be happy or sad, and merely turned around to follow Li Fu.

After returning to the room, Jie-jie saw that I looked pale and thought that the Eighth-prince had lectured me. She came to caress my face, then, sighed, and told Dongyun to help me prepare for bed.

I lay in bed but couldn’t fall asleep. I thought about Jie-jie then thought about myself. I kept wondering whether or not Jie-jie knew of the Eighth-prince’s feelings for her. Then, I suddenly felt stupid. In fact, it was not difficult to see proof of the Eighth-prince’s feelings for Jie-jie.

For example, the Eighth prince was surprised when he first saw me, but was disappointed when he found out that I don’t know how to ride. Jie-jie rarely went to pay respect to Di’Fujin but she didn’t directly made things difficult for Jie-jie. Another example is, on the surface, it looked as if Jie-jie wasn’t well-favored; the servants even gossiped about it in secret. However, from the food and clothing to everyday things, even the most snobbish eunuchs don’t dare to make any mistakes or treat Jie-jie unwell. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how clearly things were laid out in front of me. It was just that I never considered it.

But what about me? What was I? A substitute for Jie-jie? Why did I keep the bracelet? Why didn’t I give it back to him? Was it only because I was softhearted for a moment?

I just couldn’t sleep.

[1] A frontline soldier heads a military formation and is often the first one into battle, therefore the most easily targeted and killed.

Bu Bu Jing Xin Chapter 7 (Part 3 - 4)

2011-08-16T20:58:00.001-05:00

步步惊心/ Bu Bu Jing Xin

Startling Surprises with Every Step

Written by Tong Hua

Chapter 7 (Part 3-4)

Translated by Cutzie

Brought to you by the Magnolia Translation Team

Download link: http://www.mediafire.com/?48r25677iz38wqr

Disclaimer

This work is an amateur fan-translation of original work by Tong Hua as available in free online format in Mandarin Chinese at:

http://vip.book.sina.com.cn/book/catalog.php?book=80155.

Characters Introduced So Far

(In Alphabetical Order)

Crown Prince (Aisin-Gioro Yinreng): The second son of Emperor Kangxi. Currently the Crown Prince and thus next in line for the throne.

Dong Yun: One of Ruolan’s maids.

Fourteenth-prince (Aisin-Gioro Yinzheng): The fourteenth son of Emperor Kangxi. He is described as being quite handsome. Is currently around fourteen to fifteen years of age.

Fourth-prince (Asin-Gioro Yinzhen): The fourth son of Emperor Kangxi and the future Emperor Yongzheng. Slightly pale and has an impassive demeanour.

Kangxi: The current Emperor of China.

Ninth-prince (Aisin-Gioro Yintang): The ninth son of Emperor Kangxi. Currently not given a peerage title. Seems to have a more taciturn personality. Nicknamed “the venomous snake” by Ruoxi.

Ruolan, Maertai: Ruoxi’s older sister. The two are especially close as they are born from the same mother.She is also the Ce’fujin (Second Wife) of the Eighth-prince. Mild and gentle in nature, Ruolan likes to spend a better part of her days reciting Buddhist scriptures. Has a deceased lover who was a soldier in her father’s army. The man was of Han descent and had taught Ruolan how to ride.

Glossary of Terms

(In Alphabetical Order)

Bei’le: Shortened from Duo’luo Bei’le. A peerage title that can be bestowed to those within the royal family. It is the third rank in the Qing peerage system for the imperial line.

Ce’fujin: A title. Meaning second wife or ‘side’ wife in Manchurian.

Di’fujin: A title. Meaning first wife or main wife in Manchurian.

Ge’ge: A Manchurian word for young mistress, or lady. It is a title you would call an unmarried noblewoman (or before they are bestowed an official title by the Emperor) above a certain rank.

Jie-jie: Older sister in Chinese.

Chapter 7 (Part 3-4)

It was not night yet but I have already told Dongyun to do my hair, put on my new yellow jacket, and rushed Qiaohui to go change.

Qiaohui laughed, “My dear Miss, you still have to wait for the night to be able to view the lanterns and solve the riddles.”

I ignored her and persisted. Qiaohui, finally submitting to my urgency, hurriedly go change, then, taking along two jackets, left the manor with me.

I had just gone several steps away from the front door when I heard someone called behind me, “Thirteenth sister!” I frowned, although this nickname of mine was well known throughout the Forbidden City, no one had actually dared to use it in front of me. Who could be this insolent? I turned around to see Thirteenth prince, in a light blue robe, looking like an ordinary scholar, along with a delicate male servant, walking slowly towards me.

I was extremely happy to see him, smiled and asked, “How can there be such a coincidence?”

He laughed, “If one has the intention, then of course there can be such coincidence.”

I realized that he came specially to wait for me and immediately asked, “How do you know that I would come out to play today?”

He smiled, “Such a festive day, would you just sit and rot in your room?”

The two of us walked side by side while Qiaohui followed from behind with the Thirteenth’s servant. We walked for a while, Thirteenth prince then said, “I invited Miss Lu to come and enjoy the festival with us.”

I thought back, “She’s the girl from the courtyard that we went to last time?”

He nodded. I laughed and said, “Very good! I was just thinking that it would be boring with so few people. Not to mention that I haven’t got a chance to thank her for letting me borrowed her cloak last time.”

Thirteenth prince heard my answered, suddenly stopped, smiled, turned back to his servant and said, “Did I not say so?”

I also stopped, confused, and turned around.

The young servant smiled, walked forward two steps, and, with both hand clasped, bowed and said, “Thirteenth Lord told me that you were not an ordinary girl, but I didn’t believe it. Today, after meeting, I see that what he said is definitely right.”

I also smiled and said, “This must be Luwu jie-jie. I didn’t know that you would be coming today, or else I would have brought the cloak to give back to you.” As I was saying this, I remembered back to the decoration of the room and realized that, though she was a courtesan, she was still a proud individual, afraid to be look down upon, and therefore, did not make direct acquaintance with me.

The sky gradually darkened, the lanterns hanging on both sides of the street seemed endless, as if it was a sea of stars. More and more people filled the streets, with many extravagantly dressed women, drowned in noisy laughter. I tried to take in each and every new sight. Even if it’s just a girl passing by, I couldn’t help but turned around to have a second look. The other three laughed. Luwu teased, “You looked as if you have never been out on the streets before.”

I shook my head, sighing, “Is that not the case? Every day I trapped in the manor, as if I am in jail.” She was stunned for a moment, then started to chuckle.

I have never solved riddles before and therefore just stick to gazing at the lanterns. Thirteenth prince and Luwu also didn’t seem too interested so the four of us just walked along casually.

Thirteenth prince then led us to a small restaurant. The waiter, recognizing Thirteenth prince, hurriedly went to find us a seat near the window, saying, “When the lion dance starts, you can watch clearly from here, where it’s not crowded.”

The four of us sat there, watching the people below and chatting with one another. Suddenly a voice called out, “Thirteenth brother is also here?”

We turned around to see Fourteenth prince standing with a few young men behind us. The young men hurried to perform the ceremonial greetings to Thirteenth prince while Qiaohui and I stood to greet Fourteenth prince, creating a lively scene. However, both Thirteenth and Fourteenth prince did not wait for us to speak, but wave their hands, saying, “We are dressed in civilian clothes, don’t have keep so many customs.”

The atmosphere suddenly became extremely quiet. Luwu was next to me, staring out the window while Qiaohui stood with her head down. I looked at Thirteenth prince then at Fourteenth prince. Though both of them were smiling, the meaning behind those smiles may be totally different. Thirteenth prince smiled lazily, looking as if nothing had happened. On the other hand, though Fourteenth prince’s smile was very refined, the corner of his mouth bought on a certain chill. He saw me looking at him and glared at me coldly. I pouted and lowered my head.

As we were standing there, a thin young man with Fourteenth prince called out, “Is this not Miss Luwu?” Luwu at this time turned around to look at the speaker, her face pale, said nothing, and dropped her head. Fourteenth prince just then noticed that Luwu was a woman and stared at her intently. Luwu kept her head down, her expression indifferent. I reached under the table to lightly take her hand, she leaned her head to look at me, I smiled briefly at her before letting go.

At this time, a short and pudgy boy, his face mocking, said, “To not be romantic is definitely a waste of youth. Thirteenth Lord is surrounded by beautiful ladies left and right. You’re truly fortunate.”

He barely finished talking; Thirteenth prince’s eyes had already hardened, haven’t got a chance to retort when Fourteenth prince let out a cough, and, his face serious, coldly said, “Chacha Lin, what nonsense are you saying?”

Chacha Lin obviously does not understand how his attempt at flattery had annoyed Fourteenth prince and could only stand there dumbly. The people next to him had recognized me, wanted to warn him but was too late.

I secretly smiled. I was, after all, part of the royal family. It was alright for the princes to tease me, but definitely not outsiders.

Thirteenth prince and Fourteenth prince were still standing, facing each other. I looked up and asked, “Are you here to view the lanterns or to gaze at people?” Finally, everyone sat down.

The lion dance wasn’t bad, the dragon dance was also rather pretty, but of all the people on the scene, the only ones watching were just me and Qiaohui. The others seemed deep in thought, some secretly look at me, a few glanced at Luwu.

Finally, all that should be seen was seen, all that should be played was played; it had become late and was time for us to return to the manor. Fourteenth prince was the first to say, “I will take Ruoxi back.” I heard this and, taking advantage of when Fourteenth wasn’t looking, look at Thirteenth prince and shrugged. Thirteenth prince smiled. After that, Thirteenth prince left with Luwu and Fourteenth took me and Qiaohui, while the rest scattered off by themselves.

The night had become chilly; lucky Qiaohui had brought extra coats for me to wear. I walked side by side with Fourteenth prince while Qiaohui followed behind, all of us silent the entire way back to the manor.

A young male servant opened the door, then, seeing me with Fourteenth prince, hurriedly bowed, and, smiling said, “Miss is finally back. Master Lan had sent people to ask several times.”

Fourteenth prince let him rise, “Is Eight brother in?”

The servant quickly answered, “He’s at Di’Fu’jin’s place. Does Fourteenth Lord want your servant to go tell him you’re here?”

Fourteenth prince walked ahead, “Tell Eight brother I’m waiting for him in the study.”

I was going back to Jie-jie’s when Fourteenth prince called out, his face serious, “Come with me to the study.”

I thought for a minute, why do I have to go to the study with him, but still nodded. I told Qiaohui to go and let Jie-jie know, then followed Fourteenth prince to the study.

We sat in the study for a bit when Li Fu opened the curtain and Eight prince, smiling, walked in. Seeing that I was also sitting there, a hint of surprise flashed across his face.

Fourteenth prince didn’t bother with the greetings, stood up, and said hurriedly, “Eight brother, guess who I saw Ruoxi with today.” Eight prince, still smiling, glanced at Li Fu. Li Fu quickly left, closing the door behind him.

Eight prince sat down and, at the same time, asked, “Who?”

Fourteenth prince looked at me and said, “Don’t know when she and Thirteenth brother became so close that she and Thirteenth brother were in the same place.” He grunted then continued, “As if that wasn’t enough, she was also with a lady from the brothel.”

The more I listened, the angrier I’ve become. Who was he to me, that he could control my actions? I retorted, “So what if I was with Thirteenth prince? So what if I was with a lady from the brothel?”

Fourteenth prince looked at me angrily and asked, “So what? Do you know how many how many young ladies and Ge’ge are in the Forbidden City, why must you hang out with a prostitute?”

I’ve become even more angry, stood up to look at him, sneering, “I only know that Liu Rushi was a prostitute who jumped off a building to preserve her love[1], that Liang Hongyu[2] was a prostitute who beat a drum to fight against the Jins[3], that Li ShiShi was a prostitute who rather swallowed a hairpin to die than serve the Jins[4], that Lin SiNiang was a prostitute who risked her life to save the emperor, that Yuan Bao’er was a prostitute who gladly die…” I suddenly remembered that Yuan Bao’er was from the Ming Dynasty who protested against the Manchus, therefore abruptly stopped talking but continued to scowl at Fourteenth prince.

Fourteenth prince obviously didn’t expect that his two sentences would make me explode like that. He was still angry, but doesn’t know how to refute, could only glare at me, clenched his teeth, and nodded to Eight prince, “Eight brother, you hear? She’s really studious but what kind of nonsense books is she reading?”

[1] Liu Rushi was a famous prostitute who married Qian Qianyi and committed suicide upon his death

[2] Liang Hongyu was a prostitute during the Ming Dynasty, famous for her drums-playing skills. She and Han Shizhong met and fell in love, but, because of Han’s low rank, could not marry until he was made general. Hongyu was said to have a heart of steel and often followed her husband into battle. At Huangtian Lake, Han’s army of 8,000 was badly outnumbered against the Jin’s 100,000. Hongyu then devised a plan for her husband and a small number of men to lure the Jin’s warships away from their main force, where the rest of the Song’s armies would attack with flaming arrows. Hongyu climbed onto a mountain to have clear view of the battle and used her drum to guide the soldiers. One drumbeat was to signal the start of the attack, two meant to lure them deeper into ambush, and three let the hiding soldiers know to release the arrows. Thanks to Hongyu, the battle was won and the Jins suffered heavy losses.

[3] Referring to Korea

[4] Li ShiShi was a famous prostitute during the Northern Song Dynasty and was known to serve even the emperor. When the Dynasty fell, the king of Jin wanted to have her. Li ShiShi refused and tried to kill herself by stabbing her throat with a hairpin. This failed and she thus proceeded to swallow that hairpin to die.

Bu Bu Jing Xin Chapter 7 (Part 1-2) and Link for BBJX Subbing Team

2011-08-09T23:20:00.000-05:00

步步惊心/ Bu Bu Jing Xin

Startling Surprises with Every Step

Written by Tong Hua

Chapter 6 Part (4-6)

Translated by Cutzie

Brought to you by the Magnolia Translation Team

As everyone here are fans of Bu Bu Jing Xin, I'm assuming that you are excited for the drama as well. So I wanted to let everyone know that a new fansubbing team, Faeries, is planning to sub the show once it airs. They are the only subbing team I know (besides Viki) that are taking on this project. I will be joining them as a guest translator for the drama, mainly doing some editing and QC'ing. This is the link to their blog: http://dramafairyland.blogspot.com/

Hope to see everyone there :)

Download link (Chapter 7 part 1-2): http://www.mediafire.com/?234656219lrmo4a

Disclaimer

This work is an amateur fan-translation of original work by Tong Hua as available in free online format in Mandarin Chinese at:

http://vip.book.sina.com.cn/book/catalog.php?book=80155.

Characters Introduced So Far

(In Alphabetical Order)

Crown Prince (Aisin-Gioro Yinreng): The second son of Emperor Kangxi. Currently the Crown Prince and thus next in line for the throne.

Dong Yun: One of Ruolan’s maids.

Fourteenth-prince (Aisin-Gioro Yinzheng): The fourteenth son of Emperor Kangxi. He is described as being quite handsome. Is currently around fourteen to fifteen years of age.

Fourth-prince (Asin-Gioro Yinzhen): The fourth son of Emperor Kangxi and the future Emperor Yongzheng. Slightly pale and has an impassive demeanour.

Kangxi: The current Emperor of China.

Mingyu Ge’ge (Guoluoluo Mingyu): Younger sister of the Eighth-prince’s Di’fujin, Guoluoluo Minghui. Not on good terms with Ruoxi. Most likely the one who caused the original Ruoxi’s accident after an argument. During the Tenth’s Birthday banquet, Ruoxi and Mingyu gets into a fight, resulting in quite a spectacle.

Ninth-prince (Aisin-Gioro Yintang): The ninth son of Emperor Kangxi. Currently not given a peerage title. Seems to have a more taciturn personality. Nicknamed “the venomous snake” by Ruoxi.

Ruolan, Maertai: Ruoxi’s older sister. The two are especially close as they are born from the same mother.She is also the Ce’fujin (Second Wife) of the Eighth-prince. Mild and gentle in nature, Ruolan likes to spend a better part of her days reciting Buddhist scriptures. Has a deceased lover who was a soldier in her father’s army. The man was of Han descent and had taught Ruolan how to ride.

Glossary of Terms

(In Alphabetical Order)

Bei’le: Shortened from Duo’luo Bei’le. A peerage title that can be bestowed to those within the royal family. It is the third rank in the Qing peerage system for the imperial line.

Ce’fujin: A title. Meaning second wife or ‘side’ wife in Manchurian.

Di’fujin: A title. Meaning first wife or main wife in Manchurian.

Ge’ge: A Manchurian word for young mistress, or lady. It is a title you would call an unmarried noblewoman (or before they are bestowed an official title by the Emperor) above a certain rank.

Jie-jie: Older sister in Chinese.

Chapter 7 (Parts 1-2)

The Lunar New Year was approaching, filling everyone with anticipation. I, however, was getting more desolated by each day. After the New Year passed, there would be the Lantern Festival, and after that, the Concubine Selection would start. No matter how many times I counted, the truth was that there was barely a month left. I was not happy, therefore, about the impending holiday, and wished that it would never come. But there were many things in life that doesn’t go the way people wanted. So, as unwilling as I was, I still had to welcome the forty fourth year of Kangxi’s reign.

In celebration of the New Year, the Palace had planned a lavishing party. For the past six months, I had already attended many kinds of Palace parties, big and small, so there wasn’t that sense of novelty as there was in the beginning. Not to mention that I was troubled at heart, and therefore was feeling rather lazy. That night, I allowed Dongyun to pack as she liked then followed Jie-jie and Eight prince to the Palace.

As my mood wasn’t very good, all the beautiful and exquisite decorations of our surrounding were lost on me. Tell me to curtsy, and I curtsied; tell me to rise, and I rised. Order me to sit, and I sat; just like a puppet to be control by everyone. At least this way, I was sure not to make any mistakes.

This party was unlike the one at Mid Autumn. Almost all the court officials and their wives were there, creating a livelier atmosphere. I thought that this was good, that no one would notice me in this crowd and I would be allowed to wallow in my own thoughts. However, what did the elders said? “In life, eight to nine times out of ten, things will not go as you wished.” Tenth prince and his wife was the prime example of this saying.

First, Tenth prince stared at me, not minding that his Fujin was sitting right next to him, and looked at me from top to bottom. I had to endure two pairs of eyes, one full of fire, the other of ice. The combination of the two made me felt as if I was sitting on pins and needles, leaving a bad taste in my mouth. Finally, I couldn’t take it any longer, raised my head, and glared fiercely at Tenth prince. He saw that I looked as if I wanted to eat someone and hastily looked away. Tenth Fujin, seeing that he was no longer looking at me, shot me a disdain glance, and also steered her gaze somewhere else.

The world was at last at peace. I sighed and settled back into my daze. After a little while, I once again felt as if someone was looking at me. My heart burned in anger. Old Tenth, would you stop! I looked up with what I imagined as my most evil glare, only to be greeted with Thirteenth prince’s smiling face. His friendly smile froze the moment he saw my face.

I quickly smiled back at him. My expression changed so quickly that it actually hurt my face. I laughed, looking at him helplessly, not sure if he understood. Regardless, he laughed along and held his cup toward me in a toast. I happily picked up my cup and return his toast from a distance.

Just as I finished drinking and was preparing to go back to my thoughts, I saw that the Eight prince had been looking at me, a faint smile on his face. I felt flustered and did not know how to react. I quickly pour myself another cup of wine and held it out in a toast to him. With a smile, he also picked up his cup and drank with me.

I put the cup down, thinking that I could finally rest now. But then my gaze fell upon Fourteenth prince who was staring at me thoughtfully. I didn’t know what he was thinking, or even bother to care, but merely made a face at him. He saw my ugly expression and shook his head slightly, his mouth curving in a small smile.

I also turned my head to smile, only to discover sitting right next to Fourteenth prince was Fourth prince, who had seemingly witnessed all that had occurred. Though his expression was calm, his eyes seemed to be gazing into me with some sort of intense pondering. I thought to myself that this was definitely someone I couldn’t offend or else it would be hard to survive later. Therefore, I smiled sweetly at him then quickly turned my head away, not daring to look up.

After the party was over and we returned to the mansion, I was extremely tired. My heart felt disturbed. It wasn’t wise for me to play around with government officials, not to mention these people has dragon blood in them[1].

As soon as I followed Jie-jie back to the room, I immediately told the maid to help me wash my face, thinking that I could finally go to sleep. Jie-jie saw that I looked as if I haven’t seen my bed in three hundred years, laughed and said, “You’re not allowed to go to sleep so early tonight. You have to stay up and greet the New Year with me.”

I was stunned for a moment after hearing that. It had been many years since I’ve participated in New Year’s Eve celebration. However, as I was in the ancient times, I had to do as the ancients did. Jie-jie ordered the maids to bring the prepared fruit pastries out, pulled Qiaohui and Dongyun to sit and chat while waiting for the New Year. Qiaohui saw my sleepy state and quickly went to find a rope for me to play with.

Jie-jie and Dongyun continued to chat while watching and laughing at Qiaohui and me playing jump rope. Suddenly the maid outside called out, “Beil’e, ji’xiang!” Qiaohui and Dongyun quickly got on their feet. Jie-jie and I looked at each other in surprise but also stood up.

We hadn’t had the time to go out before Eight prince entered the rom. Everyone hurriedly performed the ceremonial greetings. Eight prince smiled and allowed for us to rise. With their heads down, Qiaohui and Dongyun left the room. Eight prince saw Jie-jie and I standing there motionlessly, smiled and asked, “Do you not welcome me here to greet New Year together?”

Jie-jie immediately laughed, “I just didn’t think that you’ll be coming, and therefore was just a bit surprised.” As she spoke, she went to help him sit down.

Eight prince smiled, “Everybody, sit. It’s rare for us to be able to welcome the New Year together.”

I quietly sat down and conveniently grabbed a few snacks.

Eight prince and Jie-jie laughed and said a few words. But after a while, Jie-jie talked less and stayed quiet more, so the conversation eventually ceased. The three of us sat in silent, my head began to feel heavy and my eyelids as if they’re about to shut at any second. Jie-jie saw my sluggish condition, pulled me into her arms, and said, “Sleep for a while, when it’s time, I’ll wake you up.”

I leaned on Jie-jie to sleep, drowsily I heard Jie-jie and Eight prince talking, the topic revolving around me. Although my eyes were closed, my mind was becoming more and more awake.

Jie-jie whispered, “I have a presumptuous request. Ruoxi grew up in the military compound and cannot compare to the young ladies in the Capital. I’m afraid that after she enters the Palace, she will cause some kind of trouble. I want to ask milord[2] to help, to have some knowledgeable servant in the Palace look after her.”

“That is not a presumptuous request. Even if you do not ask, I would have still done so.”

Jie-jie’s hands stroked my head, I didn’t have to look up to feel her hesitation and sadness.

Eight prince could also see her heart, “There’s something else you wish to say.”

“If Ruoxi can luckily escape the concubine selection and Imperial Father is willing to grant her a marriage, I felt that she and Thirteenth brother get along really well. As for Thirteenth prince’s side, he and Fourth brother’s relationship is good. If we can ask Crown Prince to talk to Fourth brother, and milord were to put in a few words, the situation can easily be arranged.”

The corner of my eye became wet. Jie-jie had always been lukewarm to Eight prince, refused to even say an extra word to him. But, for my sake, she could even beg him.

Eight prince was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, “It’s still too early to discuss these matters.” After a while, perhaps seeing that Jie-jie looked sad, he added, “But don’t worry, I will not watch her suffer.”

“Thank you, milord.”

There were no more words coming from the two; they merely continued to sit in silent depression. Suddenly there were several loud firecracker bangs. I was caught off-guard, and, startled, sat up from my sister’s embrace. Jie-jie brushed back my hair for me, “It’s New Year.”

Eight prince also looked at me and laughed, “Yes, it is.”

I quickly stood up, “Good. Since everything is done, I want to go to bed.” I did not wait for them to respond and ran to my room, jump on my bed, and was soon deep asleep.

___________

When I woke up the next day, I realized that my first New Year in the ancient times had gone by just like that. There was a bit of regret, but, thinking it over, if every New Year here can passed like this one, it wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

Dongyun stood behind me, brushing my hair. I asked, “Did Eight Bei’le stayed here last night?”

Dongyun’s hands stopped, then sighing, she replied, “No, a bit after Ge’ge went back, Master also left.”

I silently looked in the mirror, not saying another word.

___________

The festive atmosphere of New Year has yet to dissipate, but Lantern Festival was already here. Although there were still many worries in my heart, I was definitely interested in the Lantern Festival. On this day, every household must hang decorative lanterns, and, at night, there are lion dances, dragon dances, as well as lantern riddles[3] and fireworks. Normally, females rarely have a chance to go outside, but on that day, they’re allowed to go with another female companion, solving riddles and looking at lanterns. For that reason, this was the festival that every girl here anticipated for the most. In addition, many ancient poems have described the holiday, the beautiful meetings of men and women beneath the romantic moon. I hoped that the festival this year would be no exception.

[1] A term to describe royalty (i.e. children of the emperor)

[2] Referring to Eight prince.

[3] Solving riddles written on lanterns was a custom established since the Song Dynasty and continued on until today. The riddle usually has the challenger guessing a word, poem, or phrase, from the clues it gave.

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Bu Bu Jing Xin Chapter 8 (Part 7)

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Bu Bu Jing Xin Chapter 8 (Part 3)

Bu Bu Jing Xin Chapter 8 (Part 2)

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Bu Bu Jing Xin Chapter 8 (Part 1) *UPDATED*

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Bu Bu Jing Xin Chapter 7 (Part 3 - 4)

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Bu Bu Jing Xin Chapter 8 (Part 1) UPDATED