Advertisement

Quick Transmigration: Snatching Golden Fingers

Chapters List

Chapter 72: Bringing Taobao to the Ancient Times [2]

On the day of the full moon banquet, almost all the prominent families in the capital came. Regardless of what was in their hearts, they still had to give face to the Duke of Zhen. Even if they didn't want to show respect to the Duke, what about the Emperor? The emperor had unabashedly expressed his love for the An Guo County princess, and the people underneath naturally had to go along with his wishes.

Wen Qing was dressed up by Zhao Wan like a festive blessing doll in the morning. And when the time came, she held Wen Qing out for the noblewomen outside to have a look.

"Aigoo, the little princess is so beautiful, just like the little fairy under the throne of Guanyin Bodhisattva!"

"This rare small face looks so rosy and tender that it truly attracts people!"

"Sure enough, a child born with an auspicious omen will definitely have a great fate."

Whether the group of people was complimenting sincerely or falsely, they did not hug the child. Newborn children are very fragile. In case something happened to the child, it would be hard to explain. The higher the family status, the more they refrained from doing so.

However, when they looked at the little princess, she didn't look short-lived like the outside world said. Her little face was ruddy and moist, a look on her face could tell that she was extremely healthy. The bright black eyes full of aura looked particularly beautiful on an adorably snow white face. It was unknown where it was rumored from, that the little princess could die prematurely.

Zhao Wan was about to instruct the mid-nurse to take Wen Qing back when a maid hurried in to report, "Princess, His Majesty is coming to see the little princess."

The people in the hall were shocked; a personal visit from the Emperor himself? It seemed that the status of the little princess in the Emperor's heart had to be reassessed.

Zhao Wan looked calm. After tidying up her appearance, she personally carried Wen Qing towards the front yard. Next to her was the eldest daughter-in-law of the Duke of Zhen, who was also Zhao Wan's sister-in-law. Then all the noblewomen closely followed and the group majestically headed towards the front hall.

In the front yard, Emperor Yuan Chang was sitting in the main seat, while the ministers and nobles stood on both sides. After Zhao Wan and her party saluted, Emperor Yuan Chang happily extended his hand towards Zhao Wan, "Quick, let me see!"

Zhao Wan smiled and joked while handing the child over, "The Emperor Brother should be more careful. If you hurt my baby, I'll be angry with you."

Zhao Wan and Emperor Yuan Chang were from the same mother and always had a good relationship, so no one felt rude when she said that. The Emperor agreed and carefully looked at the child in his arms. The little girl had beautiful eyebrows and a rosy face, so it was foreseeable that she would be a great beauty when she grew up. However, what pleased Emperor Yuan Chang most was that the little girl looked almost exactly like the Xuannü in his dream, just a smaller version.

This made him even more sure that this niece was the reincarnation of the Goddess of the Ninth Heaven, Xuannü!

May God always bless Da Zhao (Great Zhao)! The more he looked at Wen Qing, the more he felt fond of her. If not for the fact that she was just born, he would have wanted to take her back to the palace.

Wen Qing kept her eyes closed and to outsiders, it looked like she was sound asleep. However, when she noticed Emperor Yuan Chang's undisguised fondness with her divine consciousness, she felt touched and transferred a ray of aura into the jade pendant that the Emperor carried with him.

Originally, Emperor Yuan Chang was born weak. Despite having so many imperial doctors in the palace to help medicate, he only lived to 40 years old. And most of the time he was lingering on his deathbed. However, the previous emperor had only one son and he was still the son of the Empress. Even if he was weak and frail, the throne still belonged to him.

However, because of his frailty, he did not have many descendants. Emperor Yuan Chang had only one son until his death. Therefore, he really loved this daughter of his only sister, and this love was undeniably pure.

The death of the original owner had nothing to do with him. The annihilation of the Duke of Zhen's family was not his decree. It was the handiwork of the new emperor and the male protagonist.

Therefore, Wen Qing gave him an aura to slowly nourish his body. Although it can't extend his life, it can reduce his suffering from illness. It wasn't that Wen Qing didn't want to extend his life, but this was the mortal world where all life and death were all predetermined. This was especially true in the case of the Emperor, who had been given the mandate of heaven. It was impossible to change the destiny of an emperor at will.

Emperor Yuan Chang reluctantly returned Wen Qing to Zhao Wan, and his performance shocked the ministers underneath who were minutely observing him. His Majesty really loved this child born with a heavenly vision! It was also true that her birth was accompanied by the auspiciousness of hundreds of flowers blooming and withered trees coming to life. All these auspicious signs were heavenly rewards for the Emperor. Besides, this child was the Emperor's own niece, not an outsider.

Perhaps, His Majesty thought that this child could bring blessings? Otherwise, how could she get ennobled and be conferred with a fiefdom! Even the prince in the palace did not have this treatment.

But fortunately, it was just a girl.

Regardless of what the people underneath thought, after Emperor Yuan Chang returned Wen Qing to Zhao Wan, he talked for a while and then went back to the palace. While he was here, the crowd was always on edge, so there was no way for the banquet to continue. Although he wanted to spend more time with his little niece, Emperor Yuan Chang did not want to spoil her full moon banquet by staying here longer.

After Emperor Yuan Chang left, the banquet became lively again. With the exchange of cups and glasses, it soon became a festive atmosphere. But this had nothing to do with Wen Qing, who was carried off by her nanny to rest.

The presence of His Majesty in person enhanced Wen Qing's popularity, but from the moment Wen Qing chose to be born with the auspicious omen, she could no longer keep a low profile.

***

Winter of the 19th year of Yuan Chang's reign.

It had just snowed and the capital was covered in silver, as if the sky and earth were turning white with snow. Wen Qing, who was already ten years old, walked around the overhanging flowery patterned door to pay respects to her mother.

Zhao Wan and Wei Dongyang were chatting in the warm bedroom, "I wonder how many people will suffer from this heavy snowfall."

"Yeah, I can't agree with you more. At this time, the people of Da Zhao are having a hard time and the barbarians in the north should also be restless. I am afraid that this snow is going to kill a lot of livestock animals. Therefore, when the barbarians have nothing to eat, they will come to rob Da Zhao!"

Zhao Wan's face turned cold and the aura of a royal princess was revealed, "These people must be eliminated sooner or later! If they have nothing to eat, they just come here to rob. Do the people of Da Zhao owe them anything?"

"There's no way out. The barbarians are all fierce. They often walk on the edge of the sword and have high bloodlust. Our Zhao country soldiers really don't have their barbarity. And once the Zhao army passed, they would just immediately run towards the deserted prairie. After that, finding them is nearly impossible!" Wei Dongyang paused, and said, "Because of such a heavy snowfall, the barbarians will certainly come to rob by the end of the year. The emperor has already planned to send someone to the border and I think eight or nine out of ten chances, it will fall on my head!"

[T/N: 刀口上舔血 (dao kou shang tian xue) – Hunters used to bury sharp knives, coated with sheep's blood in the snow. A hungry wolf would lick the knife, and unknowingly cause its own blood to flow thus also increasing its bloodlust. But the wolf would not realize it until it faints or dies from blood loss. It, therefore, is used to describe a life that is full of danger, and cruelty.]

Zhao Wan's moral anger at the barbarians immediately turned into concern for her husband. Although she didn't want Wei Dongyang to go to war, she had realized some things couldn't be avoided simply because she did not want them. As the Grand Princess and a royal daughter, she must set an example for the women in the world.

Therefore, she could only suppress her worries and said, "Now, it's October.* I'm afraid we won't be able to reunite for the New Year......"

[T/N: Here, the author used the term 十月 (shíyuè) which is the modern name used for the 10th month, i.e. between 23 October – 22 November.]

Wei Dongyang smiled and comforted her, "Don't worry, it's all just my guess, maybe it won't be my turn at all?" Wei Dongyang said, and sighed while thinking how he had been the fiercest before his marriage. When he heard that the barbarians were coming to invade, he could not wait to fly to the battlefield. But after marriage, he had a wife and young daughter to care about. Therefore, he dare not be as careless as in the past.

As he was thinking, the curtain was lifted and Wen Qing entered the room.

Zhao Wan immediately greeted her with a smile, "Qing Qing came to mother earlier today! Why did you get up so early on such a cold day? You must be freezing."

Zhao Wan could not help but rejoice at the sight of her daughter. The young girl, who was only ten years old, already had the appearance capable of causing the downfall of a city. With the picturesque eyebrows and smooth, snow-like skin with calm and refined demeanor, she didn't look like she was born by her, but more like the daughter of immortals in heaven.

Zhao Wan was used to seeing beauties in the palace, but she had never seen a more brilliant person than her own daughter. Her looks and temperament were all superb!

Wen Qing bowed to her parents before she went to sit beside Zhao Wan and turned to look at Wei Dongyang, "Is father going on a campaign?"

Wei Dongyang looked at his precious baby daughter, and his heart was also really fond of her. He stretched out his rough palm and wanted to rub her head, but he retracted it halfway when he suddenly remembered that his daughter was much older now. He couldn't be as carefree as he was when she was a child. He coughed awkwardly, "Call Dad! Why do you call father, huh? There is no need to be so alienated!"

[T/N: 父亲 (fù qīn): A formal and polite word for "father", not usual for daily use. 爹 (diē) is much more of a traditional and authentic Chinese way of saying "dad." It is literally not used in today's context. 爸 (bà) is the modern term used for dad, pa, or papa.]

Wen Qing obeyed, "Dad."

Zhao Wan angrily scolded him, "What not to call, huh? Can it be the same as when she was a child?"

Wei Dongyang touched his nose, he knew that once his daughter came, his position in Zhao Wan's heart would have to go down the list. Thinking of the topic his daughter had asked him about just now, he couldn't help but say dejectedly, "I'm afraid that I won't be able to accompany Qing Qing to celebrate this New Year."

"Is it because of the barbarians?"

"Mhm," Wei Dongyang nodded, "This year the snowfall is too heavy. A lot of livestock would be frozen to death in the grassland areas. In the absence of food, those barbarians will have to come to Da Zhao to rob."

Wen Qing thought this war should be the one amidst which Wei Dongyang was framed as collaborating with the enemy and betraying the country.

The Wei family was full of loyalty so it wasn't that easy to bring them down. Therefore, even if both parties, i.e. the main protagonist who wanted to kill them and the new emperor who coveted the military power of the Wei family, wanted to eliminate them, there must be a valid crime to charge to do so.

So, this war of Wei Dongyang was taken out to make an issue out of it.

According to the original story, Wei Dongyang led the troops stationed at the border, and immediately noticed when the barbarians came to attack. But, because the snow had been falling incessantly, the weather was so bad that the soldiers of Da Zhao could not adapt to that climate at all. However, the barbarians had long been accustomed to it, so although Da Zhao soldiers were prepared for this battle, it was still very difficult to fight, and a city was even plundered by the barbarians.

In the end, it was Wei Dongyang who risked his life to infiltrate the enemy army with a team of elite soldiers and killed one of their leaders before forcing them to retreat.

However, risking his life to force back the enemy army became evidence that Wei Dongyang was collaborating with the enemy and betrayed the country.

By fabricating a few letters between Wei Dongyang and the enemy's chief, the new emperor convicted Wei Dongyang of collaborating with the enemy and betraying the country, and then a large family was simply decimated this way. And all this was just because Wei Wen Qing found out the secret of the heroine, then the heroine panicked, and the hero took a shot in anger.

Haha!

Wen Qing felt that this male lead was a lunatic, paranoid and conscienceless person! But since it was the male lead, there must be a reason behind what he did.

[T/N: 蛇精病 (shé jīng bìng) - lit. Snake spirit disease. (slang) (a pun on) a crazy person, nutjob, lunatic. It can refer to a neurotic person or a person with a mental disorder.]

The main protagonist, as a child, could be said to be very pitiful. His mother died early and his father not only didn't love him a bit, but also married a stepmother back. The stepmother treated him really badly. She used to talk sweetly like honey but always wanted to kill him, so he blackened. From then on, he did not trust anyone, and must eradicate the grass from its roots, because he had suffered from not eradicating the grass from its roots....... He was really too poor, the whole world was sorry for him. He was so pitiful, therefore what he did was certainly right!

[T/N: 斩草除根 (zhǎn cǎo chú gēn) - To destroy root and branch / to eliminate completely. When weeding weeds, we must even root them so that the grass can no longer grow / Metaphor to remove the bane, to avoid future troubles.]

MMP!

When Wen Qing thought of the whitewashing of the hero in the original book, she couldn't help but want to chop him! Fortunately, this time was not far away!

[T/N: 媽賣批 - mā mài pī (vulgar) <Expletive>This is a sexist expletive phrase. It means your mom's a prost*****. something like "your mother is a b****" which equals to "son of b****"]


Take the poll and help us prioritize the novels.

Previous Next