Chapter 1

Southern Sea pearls (南海珠)

In the fifth month of the lunar calendar, spring was barely over, but the hot weather was already eager to arrive. Please read this at bloomingtranslation blog, any other site is stealing our work and reposting without permission.

The sun's hot rays shone in the capital city of Yanjing. All the street peddlers rested under the shade of trees to avoid the heat. In this kind of blistering hot weather, both the young misses and young masters of rich households loathed to go out and suffer the harshness of the sun's rays. Roaming on the streets where only the laborers, who carried things over their shoulders. At the well in the city center, they would immerse rice wine to make it ice-cold. They spared no effort in going back and forth to each and every gambling den and tea house, hoping for a thirsty and weary person to spare five copper coins to buy a bowl. With these coppers they would be able to buy a bag of rice. And this bag of rice, when boiled, would give them two pots of porridge, which was equal to three days of hard labor.

At a turn in the corner of the east city wall, there was a brand-new residence. A board was hung high in the middle of the door with four characters written on it: "Imperial Examination Top Scorer". Bright and dazzling, the residence together with the board were bestowed by the Emperor to represent the utmost honor and glory of being the top scorer in the imperial examinations. For a scholar to be able to achieve this much, made the whole family cry in tears and thank the ancestors for their blessings.

A brand-new residence, a board bestowed by the emperor. In the middle of a courtyard, people moved back and forth hurriedly. Despite the scorching heat outside, the interior of the residence was comfortably cool thanks to the ice cubes that were placed inside to relieve the heat. However, if one went beyond the courtyard towards the end of the garden, one would feel a chill at once.

Leaning against the wall, there was a room tucked at the foremost end. At that moment, three people were sitting outside the door: two young servant girls wearing pink, thin skirts, together with a plump middle-aged woman. The three people were facing a small stool where a pile of red-skinned melon seeds and a pot of pickled plum soup were placed. One hand eating while gossiping at the same time. Unexpectedly free and unrestrained in the presence of their master.

The servant girl on the left turned around to glance at the window and said: "Today, the smell of medicine still drifts off without fail; suffering yet not dying, really don't know when this will end."

"You little hussy1, talking behind madam's back?" the middle-aged woman admonished her, "Be careful not to have your skin peeled by the madam."

The servant girl objected: "How is that possible? The master hasn't set foot inside madam's courtyard for three months already." She continued while lowering her voice, "that affair caused such a ruckus outside. Our master can be considered kind-hearted, had it been anyone else..." She curled her lips, "I say, it would be better to kill herself straight away. In any case, her reputation is already completely ruined, leading this kind of life, isn't it just to burden other people."

The middle-aged woman hadn't replied yet when the other servant girl said: "Actually, madam is also pitiful, to be born so beautiful and talented with a sweet temper. Who would have imagined, she would face this kind of matter..."

Although they spoke in low voice, the afternoon was extremely quiet. With the partition not being too far away, each word and each sentence was transmitted clearly into the ear of the person inside the room.

On top of the bed, Xue Fang Fei was lying on her back. Clear, dried stains of tears could be seen at the outer corner of her eyes. Her thinning face was wan and sallow, drained of all color. Despite her sickly look, her quiet courage shook one to the core and made her look increasingly lovely.

In the past, she had a beautiful complexion, otherwise, she wouldn't have obtained the reputation of being the number one beauty of Yanjing. When she got married, a bored young master ordered a beggar to crash into her bridal sedan chair. Her veil slipped and revealed a delicate and beautiful face, which caused the people on both sides of the street to be unable to look away. Her father, Xue Huaiyuan, was the county deputy of Tongxiang, in Xiangyang province. At that time, he was deeply worried before sending her off to marry to the capital city of Yanjing, and said: "Ah2 Lî, with your good looks, I'm afraid Shen Yurong won't be able to protect you all the time."

Shen Yurong was her husband.

Before Shen Yurong became the top scorer in the imperial examinations, he merely was a poor scholar. His family lived in Yanjing. However, his maternal grandmother Old Madam Cao lived in Xiangyang. Before the end of the New Year, Madam Cao passed away due to illness. He became acquainted with Xue Fang Fei when Shen Yurong returned to Xiangyang to attend the funeral.

Tongxiang was a small county in Xiangyang province. Xue Huaiyuan was just a minor government official and Xue Fang Fei's mother passed away after giving birth to her younger brother, Xue Zhao. After her mother's death, Xue Huaiyuan did not remarry. Their family was very simple with only the brother and sister together with their father, and they all depended on each other.

When Xue Fang Fei reached the marriageable age, her appearance was extremely beautiful, making many noble and rich families' young masters come from near and far to propose marriage. Even Xue Huaiyuan's superior wanted Xue Fang Fei to be his second wife. Naturally, Xue Huaiyuan was not willing. Since his wife had passed away when Xue Fang Fei was still small, he especially doted on this daughter. In addition, Xue Fang Fei was an intelligent and lovable child, and he had never shorted her of any food or drink.

Since Xue Huaiyuan treasured her like a pearl in his palm3, he was extremely worried about Xue Fang Fei's wedding. Entering the door of a rich family would provide a life of luxury, but regretfully, Xue Fang Fei took a fancy to Shen Yurong.

Shen Yurong looked bright and with good moral conduct, and he was brimming over with talent. Taking a single look showed a talented person with attractive looks, and it was a matter of time for him to stand out among his peers. But if this happened, then Xue Fang Fei would have no choice but to follow Shen Yurong to Yanjing when she got married. Furthermore, Xue Fang Fei's looks were just too beautiful. There was Xue Huaiyuan to protect her in Tongxiang. However, one just couldn't count how many nobles lived in Yanjing. In the event that there was any evil intention from them, Shen Yurong might not be able to protect her.

In the end, Xue Huaiyuan still let Xue Fang Fei marry Shen Yurong because she was in love with him.

Although Xue Fang Fei's mother-in-law was harsh and she suffered many grievances after marrying Shen Yurong and moving to Yanjing, Shen Yurong was considerate to her in every possible way. Therefore, those hardships vanished into thin air right away.

At the beginning of spring last year, Shen Yurong passed brilliantly the imperial examinations and became the top scorer. The Emperor gifted an official residence and personally bestowed a name board. Not long after, Shen Yurong was appointed as an official in the Ministry of Rites. In the ninth month of the lunar year, Xue Fang Fei also got pregnant, which coincided with Old Madam Shen's birthday. The Jia family invited guests from Yanjing's nobility to celebrate the two simultaneous happy events.

That day became Xue Fang Fei's worst nightmare.

In truth, Xue Fang Fei also did not know what and how it happened. She only drank a little bit of plum wine during the banquet, but soon after she felt sleepy. In her dazed state, she was assisted by a servant girl to return to her room to rest. A moment later, she was woken up by a shriek. She opened her eyes and saw an unfamiliar man in her room, and her clothes were in disarray. Her mother-in-law and all the female guests were all standing in the doorway. Everyone looked at her with different expressions, some mocking, some disgusted, while others looked like they were rejoicing in another's misfortune.

Originally, she was really ashamed and unable to show her face. Being caught in such a predicament, no matter what, there wasn't any way that she could explain herself. In the presence of a room full of guests, the first wife4 of the new top scholar had an affair. This matter would definitely be spread outside.

In this kind of situation, the wife would usually be divorced and then driven out of the household. However, Shen Yurong stubbornly went against it. Xue Fang Fei was deeply anxious and worried, which caused her to miscarry. After being in bed for some time, she heard someone mention that Xue Zhao had hurried to Yanjing after hearing her matter. Not having yet arrived at the Shen residence, he encountered bandits during the night. In the midst of the attack, he was killed, and his corpse was thrown into the river.

Hearing these grievous news, Xue Fang Fei did not dare to send word back to Tongxiang. She was forced to suddenly accept that she could no longer see Xue Zhao, and also had to make arrangements for his funeral. Soon afterward, she fell ill. And for the next three months - during the whole three months-, Shen Yurong never came to see her even once.

At her sickbed, Xue Fang Fei's thoughts ran wild. To even refuse to see her, Shen Yurong must have misunderstood. Or maybe he deliberately gave her the cold shoulder to vent his anger? However, after laying down for so long and hearing some bits and pieces from the passing servants, she soon figured out a few things. A truth that was much uglier and more unbearable than what could be seen on the surface.

Xue Fang Fei struggled to sit on the bed. At the bedside, there was a bowl of medicine that had turned cold and gave out a bitter and astringent smell. She took the bowl of medicine and stretched her body forward to pour the medicine out into the pot of a cherry-apple tree.

Suddenly, a creaking from the door opening was heard.

Xue Fang Fei lifted her head and the corner of a dress came into view.

A young woman wearing a luxurious garment, with slightly raised eyebrows that gave out a haughty air, came into the room. Her gaze fell on Xue Fang Fei's hand holding the medicine bowl, and in a flash, understanding dawned on her face. She laughed and said: "So it was like that."

Xue Fang Fei calmly put down the bowl and looked at the person who came into the room. Two tall and sturdy servants followed in and closed the door. She didn't know since when the servants who had been chatting outside had disappeared. There wasn't any noise that could be heard inside the room, except for the occasional chirping of insects coming from outside. As if something important was about to take place.

Xue Fang Fei saluted: "Princess Yong Ning."

As Princess Yong Ning smiled, the thumb-sized Southern Sea pearl on top of her hairpin swayed alongside her single smile. Their brilliant luster was enough to dazzle the eyes.

A single pearl from the Southern Sea was worth around 4000 hectares of fertile land. The imperial family would always get the best things. They led a life of luxury and did not know the suffering of the common people; possessing what others people may not have, and may not even dare to imagine to have throughout their entire lives.

Hi, everyone! I'm Nigaria, the editor ^^ you will frequently see me commenting here after the chapter. Lime, the translator, is usually much quieter, but if she has anything to say she will do so in the space before the chapter, or sometimes a short comment in between the chapter if she can't resist x)

Marriage of the Di Daughter was actually the first project we worked on together, but some things happened due to our carelessness, so in the end, we took Who Moved My Mountain, our current main project, instead. However, seeing that MDD was discontinued enough to be considered 'dropped', we decided to offer the chapters we had already translated (up till 8.1) to the readers. But then again, we felt that you readers would end up heart-aching even more if we just gave you a taste of it and then stopped delivering (especially seeing the ending of chap 8.1, which made me jump straight to MTL the rest of the novel >.<)... so we decided that we would continue translating this novel for the time being.

We will be releasing 1x week (1 part, meaning 1 whole chapter every 2 weeks), not sure if this will change in the future, but at least it won't be soon. As I said, chapters are very long, and also very flowery wording so it takes quite long to TLate them, and also long to edit them... we have other novels we're working on and also a real life that requires us for many hours a day, so for now we all will need to be patient, thanks for your understanding and please be kind to us ^^

So yeah that's it, 1 release x week which will be on Sundays 2:00 PM (UCT+2). We are very happy to be able to work in this novel since as I said it was our first project together, and we kinda have a... broken fate? with it xD and this novel really deserves to be translated, it's really really good Wishing you all enjoy it as much as we do ^^

Footnotes:

1: Xiao Ti Zi (小蹄子)- lit. little hoof, it's a way to curse someone but in an endearing way, in this case it indicates that the middle-aged servant and the young girl have a rather close relationship.

2: Ah (阿) - a prefix placed before someone's name to call them in an intimate way, indicating a close relationship. Frequently used with family and children/younger people, similar to the use of Xiao (小).

3: A pearl in the palm (掌上明珠) - idiom meaning the apple of one's eyes, a beloved person (especially a daughter).

4: The first wife (发妻), also known as the official, legal or Di (嫡) wife. In Ancient China, influential men could have several wives. The first wife was the one ranked highest, and theoretically was the one who was in charge of the household. The other wives were concubines, and they could actually be considered bed servants of the master, they also had to obey the main wife. The children of the main wife were Di-born, the ones that would inherit the prestige of the house, while the children born from concubines were Shu-born (庶), and they were regarded much lower than the Di-born. Only the Di wife and Di children were entered into the family genealogy.

You can also find a compilation of idioms in the Glossary, and the pinyin terms and cultural notes in the Ancient China & Pinyin Glossary.

Names:

Xue Fang Fei (薛芳菲), Xue means wormwood (absinthe, an aromatic plant), Fang Fei means fragrant, rich in aroma. Ah Lî (阿狸), Ah is an endearing term and Lî is racoon or fox-like animal. I think Ah Lî must have been her baby name (Chinese give nicknames to their babies and call them by that instead of their actual name when they're young, i.e. 'Jiao Jiao' for Shen Miao in RME). Xue Huaiyuan (薛怀远), Huaiyuan means profound heart. Shen Yurong (沈玉容), Shen means liquid, Yurong means countenance like jade. Xue Zhao (薛昭), Zhao means bright, clear. Princess Yong Ning (永宁), name meaning forever peaceful (author, are you kidding me?! this b*tch? I hope it's peaceful as in RIP tch).

Potted cherry-apple tree (海棠)

"You don't seem surprised." Princess Yong Ning said, "Could it be that my dear Shen has already told you?"

My dear Shen... the way she called him was so intimate, Xue Fang Fei felt something sweet in her throat, and she almost couldn't hold it back1. After a short moment, she weakly said: "I am waiting. I am waiting for him to tell me himself."

Xue Fang Fei was not stupid at all; she was extremely smart and Xue Huaiyuan had taught her well. After she fell ill, she realized that she was under house arrest, and her every move was monitored by someone. Thus, she made the connection from beginning to end. What happened to her, and even the death of Xue Zhao, she found that there was something amiss about it.

She tried to gather bits and pieces from the mouth of the servants, and finally understood what had happened.

Shen Yurong passed brilliantly as the top scorer in the imperial examinations, achieving great success at a young age, and now his identity was no longer the same. Although Xue Fang Fei was talented and a beauty, in the end, she was just a county deputy's daughter. Shen Yurong caught the eye of Princess Yong Ning, or perhaps they had already met under the cover of the night long before that. In short, Xue Fang Fei had become the stumbling block preventing him to take the golden branch offered by the princess's household.

Xue Fang Fei recalled the incident and the guests invited by Madam Shen on that day. Princess Yong Ning was also part of the guests. Thinking back, she remembered that the corner of Princess Yong Ning's mouth was raised, a pleased smile on her face.

At this point, the truth came to light.

"My dear Shen is soft-hearted," Princess Yong Ning sat down carelessly, looking at her, "This princess2 is not a ruthless person and originally wanted to help you. Who would have known that you were not willing to comply." She glanced at the bowl of medicine on top of the table, then sighed and said: "Why must you do this to yourself?"

Xue Fang Fei couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

Receiving a daily bowl of medicine, she had already felt that something was wrong. Once she realized that, she poured the medicine into the flower pot. They wanted her to look like she had died from an illness, which would naturally allow Princess Yong Ning to marry into the family. Contrary to their expectations, she did not die easily. Since young, Xue Huaiyuan had taught her, if you haven't reached the end yet, you must find a way to survive. Furthermore, for what reason? For what reason should she comply with this adulterous couple, who schemed to frame her yet asked her to take the initiative to seek her own death? In their dreams!

With a voice filled with ridicule, she said: "To forcibly break two people's marriage apart, murdering the original in order to replace it, killing the wife and harming the offspring, for Your Highness's "kindness", Fang Fei thanks you."

In a split second, Princess Yong Ning's fury flared up, but she quickly calmed down after a moment. Standing up from her seat, she walked to the front of the table and picked up the pot of already withered cherry-apple tree. The palm-sized pot of cherry-apple flower was lovely. Princess Yong Ning turned it around in her hand while smilingly said: "Do you know how your younger brother died?"

Xue Fang Fei's back stiffened at once.

"Despite his young age and against all expectations, your brother," princess Yong Ning had a look of admiration in her face, "He was unexpectedly able to find something amiss in this matter, and even managed to find evidence. He said he was going to file a suit, and almost uncovered the involvement of this princess in the root of the matter." Princess Yong Ning patted her stomach as if she had a lingering fear. "He could be considered smart, and that same night he was able to find the Governor. But he didn't know that the Governor has a good relationship with me. So he immediately informed me about this matter." Princess Yong Ning spread her hands and regretfully said: "A pity, his age was still very small, and this princess feels that his literary and martial ability were not bad. If not for this matter, maybe he would have been a prominent official. What a pity."

Xue Fang Fei gritted her teeth until they nearly broke!

Xue Zhao! Xue Zhao! She had suspected that there was something strange about Xue Zhao's death. In Tongxiang, Xue Zhao learned martial arts under a master. He was skilled since young, how could he die in the hands of mere bandits! But she really did not expect the truth to be like this! It turned out that her brother died in order to find justice for her after discovering Princess Yong Ning and Shen Yurong's affair. With his blood boiling, he thought of looking for an official to file a lawsuit. Who would have imagined that the official was covering for others. That official was, in fact, the enemy!

She shouted: "Shameless! Shameless!"

Princess Yong Ning's eyebrows raised, then coldly ridiculed: "So what if you are of noble and virtuous character? Every day you stayed here and didn't go out. I'm afraid you haven't received news of your father. When your father found out about the matter of you ruining the family name as well as your younger brother's death, he died from anger!"

Xue Fang Fei froze and involuntarily shouted: "Impossible!"

"Impossible?" Princess Yong Ning laughingly said: "You may go out and ask the servant girl, ask them yourself whether it's possible or not!"

Xue Fang Fei's mind was in a state of chaos. Xue Huaiyuan did not care about fame and fortune3. Throughout his life, he was peacefully working as the county deputy in Tongxiang, he clearly was an upright person. How did he end up this way? To have his own child pass away before himself, upset to the point he died from anger. Xue Fang Fei really couldn't imagine how Xue Huaiyuan must have felt after hearing the news.

This was indeed "those who harm and kill others get rich, while those who work hard die without proper burial".

Princess Yong Ning had spoken for quite some time and was starting to get impatient. She put the pot of cherry-apple flower down on the table and gestured for the two sturdy old servants to step forward.

When Xue Fang Fei finally regained her focus, she shouted: "What are you trying to do?"

With a proud and carefree smile on her lips, Princess Yong Ning said: "Xue Fang Fei, you have a noble and virtuous moral character, with incomparable looks and talents, naturally you couldn't stand the crime of having an illicit affair with another man. These past few months have been a painful struggle. Although my dear Shen has treated you just like he did before, you couldn't forgive yourself. Taking advantage of the time when my dear Shen wasn't home, you hung yourself." After saying this, she lightly stood up, "How is it? Won't this version return some of your face4?" Then Princess Yong Ning's facial expression changed and she ruthlessly said: "If it weren't for my dear Shen's reputation, this princess wouldn't be so lenient on you."

"How dare you? How dare you!" Xue Fang Fei burst out in anger. Seeing her movements, the two servants quickly suppressed her firmly.

"This princess has an affinity with darling Shen. It's a pity that you are in the way. Naturally, this princess cannot tolerate you. If you had belonged to a noble family, maybe this princess would have needed to exert more effort. However, your father is just a minor county deputy. How many counties and provinces are there? You people of the Xue family, are nothing more than a strand of grass. In your next life, before you reincarnate, think carefully and remember to pick being born in a distinguished family."

Desperation grew in Xue Fang Fei. She refused to accept the current situation and struggled while looking at death's door, grasping for any opportunity to turn her situation around. Yet, she absolutely had no way out of this, not against the power and the disparity of social hierarchies!

Through a gap in the window, Xue Fang Fei glimpsed the shadow of a familiar person. She clearly recognized it as her husband, the person she had shared a bed with.

Once again, a glimmer of hope rose in Xue Fang Fei's heart and she called loudly: "Shen Yurong! Shen Yurong, you treating me like this, heaven won't tolerate it! Shen Yurong!"

That shadow outside the window disappeared in an instant, as if fleeing to hide. Princess Yong Ning cursed: "What are you waiting for? Do it now!"

The two servants bent forward and bound the snow-white silk around Xue Fang Fei's neck. The fabric used to wrap around the beauty's neck was Songjian's Madam Zhao's yearly tribute to the palace - a bolt was worth a thousand gold. During her struggle, Xue Fang Fei wistfully thought that even the chosen murder weapon was so ridiculously precious.

Princess Yong Ning stood a meter away, her eyes cold and indifferent, looking at her struggle just like a fish nearing its death. She mockingly said: "Remember, you may have an unparalleled appearance and talents, but in the end, you are merely a small official's daughter. For this princess to crush you, it's as simple as crushing an ant!"

The pot of cherry-apple tree was knocked during her struggle. When it fell on the ground, the pot broke and an astringent fragrance floated out. The withered branches fell out from inside, showing a hard-to-bear portrayal of a shattered beauty.

In the fourth month of the lunar year, Fang Fei's life reached its end.

How I hate to have to edit/read these initial chapters again, where so much injustice is done to her my blood is boiling! At least it's not as horrible as in Ill-fated consort shivers. Fang Fei, may you rest in peace, your tragic and short life that only lasted one chapter will surely be avenged!

If I'm not wrong, the Prince Consort (aka Princess's husband) cannot be given an official post in order to maintain the balance of political power (and prolly to not become a threat to the Emperor's heirs)... so Shen Yu Rong and Princess Yong Ning getting together it's actually not that good of an idea for him (well, at least marrying each other, which is not exactly the same) >.< but well I'm not sure if that might have changed in different dynasties or... maybe it's different here just for the plot's convenience... or maybe...

1: Here I'm guessing this 'something sweet' actually refers to blood. In China, if someone is told something outrageous or victim of venomous slander, they would spit blood (血口喷人), and they often refer to it as a warm, sweet feeling in their mouth. Here, XFF wants to vomit blood after hearing the princess call her own husband 'my dear' but she is able to hold it back.

2:本宫 (bengong), lit. this palace (aka this one from the palace), used by an imperial princess or the empress to refer to herself in 3rd person, showing their arrogance and superior standing.

3: 淡泊名利, lit. to be indifferent to worldly rewards.

4: In Chinese, face (脸面) represents sth like your dignity, reputation, prestige or the respect others ought to have towards you. In this case, committing suicide (which equals to herself admitting her wrongdoings) would atone a bit for her misdeeds (having an affair) so that would return her a bit of her face (reputation/dignity).