In the city of Mocheng, not far from Jiangling, a wealthy man from the capital named Qin arrived five years ago.
Why do we call him a wealthy man? Because half of the real estate shops in Mocheng are registered under the name of the Qin family. It is said that the head of the Qin family used to be an official, although it is unclear what position he held. However, he often had to go out on official business.
He was not accustomed to staying in inns, so whenever he arrived at a place, he would acquire properties as a habit. During the Ming Yin dynasty, wherever he went, there would be his businesses, and his wealth continued to grow.
“So, he’s a corrupt official,” a passerby commented upon hearing the storyteller mention some rumors about Mocheng.
Others said, “Who knows? Have you heard that another street over there has been bought by the Qin family? It seems that it’s because Mrs. Qin mentioned one day that she liked the view of the lake across the street in the teahouse at the marketplace.”
“Wow, she must be extremely favored. I bet that lady must be as beautiful as a celestial being.”
“Hahaha.”
***
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Rd vbl xykd byzz sq vbl Ckd qyxkzu’p xydpksd, Kkyd Zwfwl yde Fw Yk pyv qynkdt lynb svbla. Jsvb sq vblx bye pkxkzya yrrlyaydnlp, cwv sdl oyp bydepsxl obkzl vbl svbla oyp tzyxsaswp yde rzlypkdt vs vbl lul. Fkvvkdt vblal, vblu alplxczle y rykdvkdt.
“Rp swa xsvbla eskdt olzz dso?” Fw Yk zssjle wr yv Kkyd Zwfwl. Mbl qkhl ulyap bye dsv zlqv ydu xyajp sd bla qynl cwv kdpvlye ldbydnle bla qlxkdkdl nbyax.
“Elzz, pbl yde Gwdv Nyd yal csvb eskdt olzz,” Kkyd Zwfwl rywple yde nsdvkdwle, “Mbl Fw qyxkzu kp tskdt vs lzlhyvl Gwdvkl Nw vs vbl rspkvksd sq vbl xykd okql. Mblu lhld pldv kdhkvyvksdp, cwv R eked’v ts.”
Fw Ckdtdkydt dlhla alvwadle vs vbl Fw alpkeldnl; Fw Yk jdlo vbyv. Tsolhla, ds xyvvla obyv, pbl pwrrsavle vbl elnkpksd xyel cu Yap. Zw. Gp qsa Kkyd Zwfwl, bl pllxle vs yzoyup xykdvykd y ekpvydv yde kdekqqlaldv alzyvksdpbkr okvb Fw Ykdtel.
Fsxl vbkdtp nyddsv cl qsanle, sa rlabyrp vblu aliwkal xsal vkxl. Fw Yk eked’v oydv vs nsdvkdwl ekpnwppkdt vbl sze xyvvlap sq vbl Fw qyxkzu, ps pbl nbydtle vbl vsrkn yde nypwyzzu ypjle ycswv svbla vbkdtp byrrldkdt kd vbl nyrkvyz.
Kkyd Zwfwl zssjle yv vbl pju swvpkel yde tldvzu pyke, “Rv’p tlvvkdt zyvl, yde R dlle vs plv sqq.”
“Gald’v usw oykvkdt qsa Hbld’la yde Dwd’la vs nsxl cynj? Mblu okzz cl qkdkpbkdt pnbssz pssd.”
Kkyd Zwfwl tzydnle yv vbl poyukdt pnalldp kd vbl pkel byzz yde pxkzle, pbyjkdt bkp blye. “Ls, R pvkzz dlle vs ts vs Kkydtdyd yde xllv yd sze qaklde.”
After Su Mi bid farewell to Jian Yujue, Qin Yan emerged from the side hall and frowned. “What were you two talking about for so long, dear?”
“It has been over a year since we last met. There were many things to discuss.”
The year Su Mi left the capital was the same year she became pregnant with Zhen’er. Later, she had Xun’er, and with so much going on, she didn’t have many opportunities to visit the Jian Yujue Residence.
“Then why don’t you talk to me on a regular basis?”
Su Mi truly didn’t understand where Qin Yan’s strange jealousy was coming from. Every time he saw Jian Yujue, he would act this way. She held Qin Yan’s hand and gently shook it, saying, “I see you every day, and we talk every day. Why would you be jealous of Yujue? There’s nothing to be jealous about.”
Qin Yan looked at Su Mi’s tender and gentle appearance, feeling a warmth in his heart. He picked her up and headed towards the inner courtyard in big strides.
“Mi’er, a couple of days ago, Zhen’er told me that she wants a little sister.”
***
On the way back from the academy, Qin Zhen, accompanied by her younger brother, Qin Xun, walked step by step with their short legs.
Qin Zhen was delicately beautiful, but her expression was cold and somewhat colorful. As she walked, she occasionally complained about Qin Xun, who was walking slower behind her.
“Sister, our father has been in a bad mood recently. If he finds out that you got into a fight, he’ll definitely punish you,” little Qin Xun’s tear-stained face was rosy as he sobbed and said.
“I knew you would cry. I only fought with the boy next door because he was bullying you.” Qin Zhen frowned when she saw her brother crying, and her tone of speech was exactly like Qin Yan’s. “Why do you cry so easily? Just like our mother, it’s really annoying.”
Upon hearing his sister say that he was annoying, Qin Xun cried even harder, unable to stop himself.
Qin Zhen had to take something out of her pocket and put it in Qin Xun’s hand. “Here.”
“What is this?” Qin Xun cried while asking, pinching the object in his palm.
“Chestnut candy—our mother gave it to me, but I don’t like it. Didn’t you finish it all last night? Here, have it.”
“Wow!” Little Qin Xun went from sobbing to laughing,taking a bite, and forgetting about the incident when Qin Zhen had found him annoying. “Sister, why don’t we go to Uncle’s house? That way, our father won’t see your injury.”
“No, mother said Auntie has a little brother now, so we can’t go and play.”
“Okay, but if our father punishes you, can I accompany you and share the punishment?”
“I don’t want that. It’s too troublesome when you start crying… Oh, why are you crying again!”
~~~~Finish YEAHHHHH!!!!!~~~~~~
It sure was a rollercoaster!! Truly loved this story! Thank you for all your hard work! lol forward to your next project!!
😀 I thought Prince Qi wasn’t such a jerk and it turns out right. Since he wants the throne he can have it. It’s too much work.
But Auntie has a little brother? Why would she be raising her little brother? I wonder what happen to Su Qi. He was pretty nice to Su Mi but was forced to marry. I actually like him.
I’m preeeeetty sure it’s referring to Zheng Yue, likely wife of Qin Yan’s brother and therefore aunt. None of them want to be around Xian, Zheng, or their husbands and they all live back in the other province.
I thought they were referring to Zheng Yue too but the wording were aunt has a little brother. Wouldn’t it be that auntie has a little son? Else she be really rising her younger brother.
Yeah.. the working theory I have is that there might be mild confusion caused by terminology surrounding family structure, because otherwise it makes no sense to me. But I don’t feel like digging around for the raw to sort it out, so my brain just… “fixed” it so it made sense.
I admit, this is partly because if they allowed pretty much anyone else they could be referring to back into their lives at that point I would be *incredibly* annoyed with the ending. Someone should correct me if I’m wrong so I can be appropriately annoyed if that’s the case, but I’m happier to think everyone who should have been cut out has been.
Hi..
Some of you are not familiar with the sentence, “Mom said Aunt has a little brother; we can’t go play.”.. This is actually more like a metaphor or some sort of figure of speech, the author puts it so that the words are more ‘colorful’.. hehe… It literally means that Zhang Yue’er is pregnant with a baby boy. I just translate it as it is… hehe.. thus hope can clarify some of your doubts.
Then end is a little rushed but I’m happy that it’s an happy ending. It’s painful for the former emperor and now he can be happy. Qin yan has his own family. Everyone is happy
Finally the Happy Ending…bit nervous when Qin Yan want to kill the Prince Qi, and it only 2 chapters to end this novel. So i was relieveeed
Anw still hope for Su Qi to hv a great life, and what happen back then in the childgood of Qin Yan and his younger brother the emperor? How come the one ended up to be the emperor was his brother not QY?
I was a bit dissapointed about the character of Su Mi too tender. ANW I LIKE THE WHOLE STORY, and thx u a bunch for the hardwork TRANSLATOR
I think it isn’t QY because he was born before the dead emperor stole his mother from his father. It sounds like his mother was already carrying the ex-emperor before the dead emperor kidnapped his mother to the palace. I think the dead previous chief is their father. It surprises me that the dead emperor would allow such a thing unless he didn’t know.
Yep, it’s way harder to convince people that a child that’s already born when the Emperor met its mom is his. The dead previous chief *is* their father, but it’s unclear to me if they (former chief and Qin Yan) actually got to have any contact with their mother, who was already clearly deeply traumatized by her situation by the time the little one was born. :/
So when they start talking about preserving their father’s name I’m like “…why though.” I know the answer practically speaking is that civil war is bad, but to me it doesn’t feel like a name worth saving.
Overall I really like novel. But they’re still unanswered questions…..well at least to that is. Like what’s the backstory about Qin Yan and his brother? I know Qin Yan had to pretend to be a eunuch to protect his brother…..but why? Then there’s also the Prince Qi there’s so much mystery surrounding him that wasn’t answered. Then there’s the aftermath of the Su family, what happened afterwards? Then there’s also Su Mi brother too. What is he doing now?
Wow, ended. Gosh wish there’s more extras. Abit about all the side characters. But the children so cute. Thank you for translating.
Some Happy Ending scenes I imagined:
After realizing Mrs. Yu is nothing like Su Mingde, but instead was truly a victim in his abandonment, and seeing that she is determined not to return to Su Mingde’s side, Jian Yujue reconciles with Mrs. Yu and asks Mrs. Yu (Yu Qingniang) and Aunt Lan to move in with Grandma Jian, Uncle Li and himself to live as one family.
Because Uncle Li took good care of Jian Yujue and the book store, Su Mi “sells” the book store (at a steeply discounted rate) to Uncle Li and Jian Yujue in a 50/50 split, knowing that Jian Yujue will need some side income. Even though Jian Yujue was given a position after becoming top scholar, he is a honest, upright official and the Yu family is known to be poor (ie. Yu Zhiqiu being a poor scholar). Jian Yujue is proud and stubborn, unwilling to accept charity, so this is the only way Su Mi can give her assistance.
While visiting Shangguan, Jian Yujue learns that it was Qin Yan who tipped off the Shangguan family to avoid the taxes confiscation, and they both speculate it’s due to Shangguan helping Su Mi’s twin brother with the Imperial Exam scandal.
Shangguan takes over his family business, is very prosperous and even partners with Jian Yujue in various business endeavors, enabling Jian Yujue to become financial independent. They’re friendship is strong and long lasting. Due to this close family friendship, Yujue’s son and Shangguan’s daughter are married to each other, combining the two families into one.
Su Qi divorces Zhou Caiwei and with “behind the scenes” help of Qin Yan, establishes his own silk trading company, finds love and lives a happy life. (Qin Yan is willing to help Su Qi because QY was impressed that Su Qi stood up for Su Mi that time and that he was kind to her growing up).
Zhou Caiwei, being divorced and still a virgin, is finally able to marry the young man she was secretly in love with but was forced to separate from, when she was forced to marry Su Qi. The young man is the third young master of a less than prominent merchant family. The couple successfully branches out into their own business with the help of Su Qi, who feels he owes Zhou Caiwei, realizing she also had no power to refuse the marriage and was innocent in the whole scheme, and because they are distantly related via his biological mother and Aunty Zhao.
At the end of the novel I was like…so is Ye Yunshuang the sister of Qin Yan and Zhu Jingyu since she’s the daughter of the old master, Master Ye, because in Chapter 31 this passage says: “Miss Yunshuang was the daughter of the old master before he entered the palace. When the old master found our master on the street, he raised him up with Miss Yunshuang. So Miss Yunshuang knows our Master.”
And we now know that Ye Qing (Eunuch Ye) is Qin Yan and Zhu Jingyu’s father. Doesn’t she know? Is she in love with her brother?
Then I remembered this passage in Chapter 29: Qin Yan stood in front of the tombstone, pouring the first cup of wine and then the second…”Yesterday was the day I got married,” Qin Yan smiled, “but the person I married was not the one you prepared for me.”
So I’m figuring Ye Yunshuang is a girl Ye Qing falsely claimed as a daughter to arrange a marriage for Qin Yan. The lie is that Qin Yan is adopted, and Ye Yunshuang is the biological daughter. Ye Yunshuang has no blood relation to Ye Qing, Qin Yan or Zhu Jingyu.
I was wondering about this. Thanks for the explanation!
Why I think Prince Qi let the brothers live:
~When Prince Qi says: “As for their matters, they are the mistakes of my father back then. It has nothing to do with me.”, he seems to know that the brothers are innocent victims of his father, the previous emperor. Prince Qi’s father is the one who kidnapped a pregnant, married woman into the palace out of lust. Ye Qing, the brothers’ father, had no way of saving his wife and unborn child other than to enter the palace and help hide his son’s identity. If it was made known that Zhu Jingyu wasn’t the emperor’s child, the innocent baby would have been murdered. But once the lie was told, it had to be continued. It’s not like they could say, “oh yeah, I’m not really the emperor’s son” and expect to just walk away from it all. Maybe, Prince Qi saw Zhu Jingyu take the shot from the arrow and realized that Zhu Jingyu wasn’t greedy for the throne, and would like a way out, and that’s when he came up with the plan to “achieve his goal” of “becoming the emperor peacefully”. I think Prince Qi realizes that while Zhu Jingyu isn’t of the previous emperors bloodline, he’s been a good emperor. Zhu Jingyu and Qin Yan have been doing their best for the people all this time. Also, while everyone knows that Prince Qi’s uncle, the Prime Minister has been trying to kill both Zhu Jingyu and Qin Yan, neither of them have taken it out on Prince Qi. The brothers never tried to assinate Prince Qi in retaliation or to stabilize their situation. Perhaps Prince Qi realizes that Zhu Jingyu and Qin Yan wouldn’t fight him for the throne if he let them peacefully survive.
I remember the part where they had a spring hunt and the Prime Minister attempted to assassinate Zhu Jingyu, and as the concubine that was chosen to accompany him, Zhang Yue’er was caught in the crossfire. Prince Qi protected Yue’er and apologized to her, knowing his uncle was the one behind it. It’s quite refreshing to read about an actual level headed and logical Prince😆
In the majority of Asian novel and dramas I’ve seen, cousins seem to call each other brothers and sisters. So my takeaway from the line “No, mother said Auntie has a little brother now, so we can’t go and play.” means that after 5 years, Zhu Jingyu has finally gotten over his childhood trauma and aversion to physical intimacy, and Zhang Yue (his wife) is now pregnant with a child ( the common assumption being a male child).
Which make me so happy because I really loved both these characters. Yay!!!
I can’t believe I finally reached the end of this novel. I had fun and enjoyed the different perspectives of each character and I’m happy they all had a happy ending. It’s adorable that Qin Yan and Su Mi’s daughter got Qin Yan’s temperament and the son got Su Mi’s😆 Now, I’ll be off to find another good story to binge on.