Lady Kelpi Translations

Chapter Two:
It can be said that half of the martyrs who died in the line of duty were actually cast into this kind of birth. It’s time for the Yellow Stripes institution to fight against corruption and promote integrity.

Next to the Lotus Pond Park on the east side of the Sheng mansion, it was getting late. It was sweltering in the house and the yard was breezy. Several servant girls were chatting in the yard, eating melon seeds, and no one was left for them to wait on. Yao Yiyi was lying alone on a bed made of beech wood in the inner room, half dead and in a daze.
[Eating melon seeds is a term used when people are gossiping about drama that happened.]

Yao Yiyi buried her small body like a meatball in a pile of pillows, her short limbs stretched into a large shape, her expression dull and listless. Since she came to this world, Yao Yiyi had been in this state. She turned her small head and looked around the room, which was similar to an ancient room seen on TV. There was a Ruyi round table in the room, and Yao Yiyi couldn’t see what kind of wood it was, but the luster was very good. The bright hall was obviously a good quality, with a carved wooden top cabinet leaning against the wall, with patterns vaguely resembling the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, as well as several short tables and stools.

Yao Yiyi felt a little thirsty and got out of the bed barefoot. Southerners used to use wooden planks to pave the floor, so even stepping barefoot on the floor wasn’t too cold. When she arrived at the Ruyi table, she saw a small stool and a slightly taller one under the table. Yao Yiyi was amused. She stepped on the small stool and then climbed onto the higher one, and steadily reached for the table. She dragged a heavy teapot towards her and drank from the spout of the kettle.

After drinking, she crawled back to bed in the reverse order. Suddenly, she felt a lingering fragrance on her teeth and cheeks. Yao Yiyi’s dull mind thought, ‘Oh, today isn’t just boiled water, it’s tea. It seems like it’s a good tea.’

A few days ago, she had slept until her mouth was dry. She crawled out of bed to drink water on her own. Suddenly, a few people came in the door. The elderly mama in charge saw her climbing the table to drink water and it was like she had been struck by lightning. She seemed deeply struck, and on the spot, she scolded the maid and the mama in the yard while comforting Yao Yiyi. At this time, Yao Yiyi had only been in this world for two days and had not yet entered the state. After coming to this new world, she had no father, mother, wet nurse, or maidservant who would have appeared. It was like her room had become a revolving lantern. Every day there were so many people coming and going and she hadn’t recognized a single face, so she could only listen and watch in a daze, not speaking. The mama sighed, said ‘pitiful child’ a few times and left.

Yao Yiyi later realized that she was being sympathized with. In fact, she wanted to say that she was more comfortable alone in the room. As a fraud, she had to appear calm and pretend when she was in shock. That… was difficult to do.

She stretched out her legs alone in the room if she wanted to, and crouched like a frog if she wanted to, which was actually beneficial for the early emotional recovery after crossing through time. After the mama had left that day, the servants immediately improved their service, put some food on the table for her to eat, kept tea in the teapot, and yesterday put a pot of fresh grapes soaked in water. What’s more, they put several stools of differing heights according to Yao Yiyi’s height and physique, which formed a little staircase so she could climb up and down. Then they went out to play in the yard again.

Yao Yiyi was deeply moved.

There was a burst of voices from outside in the courtyard and Yao Yiyi could hear them clearly without pricking her ears up. In recent days, there had been ups and downs in the prosperous mansion, and the maids in this desolate courtyard were full of energy, carrying out the gossip in full swing.

“This morning, I heard from Laifu in front of Master that the decree has been made and our master was promoted to magistrate. He’ll be going to Dengzhou to take office at the end of the month. Concubine Lin has been busy these days and is in a hurry to sell some shops so the money can be taken away together,” Maid A said.

“My dear, do you know how much money Concubine Lin has made over the years? I saw that she always was wealthier than the Madam, and everyone says she comes from a young lady’s background. Because she admired Master, she became a concubine herself. It seems as if this is true,” Maid B said excitedly.

“Pah! You listen to that nonsense? My mother told me earlier that Concubine Lin was just an orphan of a fallen official family. When she first came to our Sheng Mansion, she only had a maidservant, a mama, and maybe five or six boxes and bags with her. She was not dressed as well as the first- or second-class maids in the mansion, where did she come from?” Maid C was a bit angry.

“Ah, Concubine Lin is so wealthy now. Master likes her so much; no wonder Madam is always unhappy. Along with Brother Feng and Miss Mo, the master has some preferences. Concubine Lin is really capable.” Maid D spoke with envy.

“It’s natural. Otherwise, how could she coax Master to like her so much? He ignores Madam’s face and broke the rules of the house for her,” Maid E said. “Although Old Madam was unhappy about it, she couldn’t bother herself to do anything about it. She’s competitive, her children are both good, of course she has the backing of Master. Oh, it’s not good to look at our yard. Concubine Wei was fine at the time, and the master came around often. When she died, this place was immediately deserted. I don’t know where our sisters will be placed. It would be nice if we could go to Concubine Lin’s side. They all say that the sister there eats, wears, and pays better than the others.”

“Little hussy, let me tell you, Concubine Lin is not a good person.” Yao Yiyi recognized the sneering voice of Maid C again. “When she first entered the family, it was fine. After giving birth to Brother Feng, she slowly began to demote several qualified maids and mamas without any trace. My mother, Aunt Lai, as well as Cuixi’s sister and mother were all sent away. Why do you think so? It’s because these people had seen her in poverty before!”

“Ah! Is that true? Concubine Lin is so powerful,” Maid E, who wanted to be transferred, was very surprised.

“If I talk nonsense, call me a rotten tongue!” Maid C said with hatred. “Nowadays, when it comes to good times, a mother with status can’t speak about it. Everyone who knew has been demoted out of the mansion. No one here actually talks about her past, only those black-hearted ghosts who have benefitted from her. They speak well of her everywhere… everything from music, chess, calligraphy, and painting to poetry. Her heart is kind and temperament pure and honest. I’m sorry! The truly kind and honest one has just died, and it’s our honest Concubine Wei!”

“Sister Cui, please keep your voice down, you’ll be punished if you’re heard!” Maid F kindly reminded.

“Hmph! What am I afraid of? I was married long ago, and my mother is in front of Old Madam and has left the village long ago. The day before yesterday, my mother already asked Old Madam for grace. This time, when Master moves to Dengzhou, I won’t follow, and I will help with some work in the village. Then I won’t have to see these bad things again.”

Maid C, Cui, had already found a way out, no wonder she was so fearless, Yao Yiyi thought.

“Well, if it weren’t for Concubine Wei’s incident this time, who would have known that Concubine Lin’s heart is so cruel? Look at how polite she speaks, how kind she is to others, no one would have thought of it. As soon as Concubine Wei died, she kicked Sister Die’er, and even our young mistress’s nanny was sent away, leaving only us. We’re third-class maids who don’t know anything…” Maid A whispered.

“They were the most capable of Concubine Wei’s, and they were very close to her every day. They must have been driven away, otherwise when Master asks, what can we do if we find a clue?” Cui, Maid C, said.

“What clues? What are you talking about?” Maid B whispered softly.

Maid C, Cui, spoke in a deep voice. “Although we are third-class maids, we are not blind, either. When Concubine Wei went into labour that day, she was in pain immediately. Sister Die’er was eager to go to Concubine Lin to ask for a midwife. There were also many midwives at home who knew how to deliver babies. They were all off for the past few days and Concubine Wei couldn’t bear it. Sister Die’er was eager to get clean cloths and boil waters. Why were we all called to serve someone, or sent to run errands? When it was critical, there was no one in the yard to help. You know, Master and Madam had left the house a few days ago. The old madam in the west courtyard doesn’t care about anything. Concubine Lin had the final say on all matters in the house. What do you think is the clue?! After returning home, Master saw Concubine Wei swallowing her last breath. He asked Sister Die’er a few words and immediately lost his temper. If he came back a few days later, Concubine Lin might have cleaned everything up!”

After saying this, the courtyard was quiet with only a few heavy sighs from the girls. Yao Yiyi let out a gentle breath and changed her posture, waiting to listen to the second half. After a while, someone said, “But I haven’t seen Master lose his temper for the past decade or so? Living in the study, Concubine Lin is still doing well. In Master’s heart, Concubine Lin is heavier than Concubine Wei.”

Maid C, Cui, sneered briefly and stopped speaking.

“If you ask me, Concubine Lin is the same. Why argue with Concubine Wei? How can she compare to her? Just like Concubine Ping and Concubine Xiang, just ignore her,” Maid D sighed.

“You don’t know how Concubine Ping and Concubine Xiang could compare to Concubine Wei. Although Concubine Wei didn’t know much about poetry or painting, she wasn’t a lowly girl. She was brought into the family in a serious manner. She was born very well, young and considerate, and since then, Master had been very fond of her. She had already given birth to a girl, but if she had a boy, she wouldn’t be worse than Concubine Lin.” Maid F had a voice of someone coming over.

“It’s said that he was very handsome, whose eyebrows and eyes were the same as Master’s. It’s a pity he suffocated in his mother’s womb… it’s wicked.” Maid B said in a very soft voice. “What if things are found out? Is it possible that Master will let Concubine Lin die? For the sake of Brother Feng and little Mo girl, there’s nothing to do but vent anger on maidservants.”

The yard became quiet again. Yao Yiyi nodded. This girl had a good understanding.

“Sister Cui, it’s better for you. My mother and several brothers are capable. You will be blessed when you leave the house later. I wonder where our sisters will be going. Seeing the yard is going to be scattered, we don’t know where anyone will go.” Maid E always kept in mind the employment problem.

“What kind of happiness do you enjoy? It’s just a matter of working in a different place, but being closer to your parents and brothers, you can enjoy some family happiness. Don’t worry, you’re all third-class girls. Even if Concubine Lin gets angry, it won’t be our fault. We just will have a new boss to serve,” Maid C said proudly.

“I don’t know if the new boss will be as easy as it was to talk to as Concubine Wei. She was a kind person and never blushed at us. That year when my sister fell ill, she even gave me a few taels of silver,” Maid A said.

“Honesty is honesty, but it’s also too cowardly. It’s impolite in our house. Others come when they like, the mamas in the courtyard dare to secretly plot against their concubine. She was always patient, but she wasn’t good enough. Except for Sister Die’er, who dared stand up for her? Who dared to care about her? There should be some money from the master. If you want to do everything well, you just don’t distinguish right from wrong,” Maid B said.

These topics were too heavy, and soon the maids shifted their focus to the matter of Cui, Maid C’s, life, and the yard became lively again. Classmate Yao Yiyi lay on her back on the bed, staring at the green lotus tent on the carved frame in a daze. She had been listening to endless conversations for more than ten days. Currently, her body was that of the sixth Miss in the Sheng Mansion, and her name was Sheng Minglan.

A concubine-born lady who had lost her dependent now seemed to have burned her head and was foolish and unable to speak. Naturally, the servants didn’t pay attention to her. In addition, during these days, the prosperous mansion was bustling with people who are either busy moving or tidying up. Some old mamas and others in charge were too busy to touch the ground, so no one could take care of those little girls. Most of them were born in the family, young, and their family background was short, but they were the clearest. Those third-class maids were already lax in their rules and never shied away from gossiping. That was a great advantage for Yao Yiyi, who had been listening to the trivial goings on in this prosperous mansion for more than ten days, just like listening to a TV series.  

Sheng Minglan’s biological father, also known as Sheng Hong, was the head of the Sheng family. He came from the second rank of Jinshi* and was currently in the sixth rank of official rank. He was about to be promoted to the magistrate of Dengzhou. He was originally concubine-born, but the Old Madam in the west courtyard was his legitimate mother. He had a wife and numerous concubines. Don’t ask how many concubines. The stories told by those little girls were very disorganized, and Yao Yiyi was not clear about them.
[A jinshi is a candidate in the highest imperial civil service examination.]

To begin with, let’s talk about the Madam, Madam Wang, wife in chief of the Sheng family. She was originally a young lady from the left handmaid family of the Ministry of Household. The marriage was said to have been promoted by the Sheng family. The Wang family was a noble family of officials who had been officials for generations. At that time, the old master of the Sheng family, also known as Sheng Hong’s father, had already passed away, and he was just a small jinshi. That was okay. With Old Madam Sheng there, who came from a better family background than the Wang family. She was the legitimate eldest daughter of the brave and resolute Hou Ye’s mansion. In addition, the deceased old man was once a world-renowned third place in the imperial examinations. So, the master of the Wang family grabbed his head, thought about it twice, and the marriage was completed.

After marriage, Madam Wang had their eldest daughter, Sheng Hualan, who was just about the age of marriage. Their eldest son, Sheng Changbai, was about the same age as someone who had just graduated from elementary school. There was also a younger daughter, Sheng Rulan, who seemed to be similar in age to Yao Yiyi’s current body.

As for the concubines, the first to talk about was, of course, Concubine Lin, who was the most famous in Jianghu (applause, please). Although she had the surname of Lin, she was more than a little stronger than Sister Daiyo. The strength of the two of them were simply not on the same level, just like the distance between Ye Yuqing and Wang Zuxian. Sister Daiyu had the protection of her grandmother and the family wealth of her father. In the end, only the fragrance disappeared. But look at Concubine Lin, who entered the Sheng family shabbily and began from scratch. She built an oppressed semi-feudal and semi-colonial land into a preliminary developed country, successfully completing the transformation from poverty to prosperity, which was even more astonishing than the results of reform and opening up. This Concubine Lin had a son and daughter, Sheng Changfeng and Sheng Molan, ages unknown, although they were probably between the range of Sheng Changbai and Sheng Rulan.
[Sister Daiyo is a character from the novel Dream of the Red Chamber, which is a novel written in the 18th century.
Ye Yuqing and Wang Zuxian are both Hong Kong actors.]

There were also Concubine Ping and Concubine Xiang, among which Concubine Sheng had a son named Sheng Changdong, age still unknown.  As for the other concubines with no children, Yao Yiyi didn’t know. Please don’t blame Yao Yiyi for her lazy attitude towards time traveling, as her journey was truly tragic.

Have you watched the Hong Kong drama series ‘File of Justice?” Speeches and swords, you come and go, love and hate, what a challenging workplace. Did you see the beautiful woman wearing a lawyer’s robe? No, no, Yao Yiyi was not that lawyer. Did you see the upright judge in front of the lawyer? No, no, she didn’t have that qualification yet. Please move your line of sight down. There was a figure buried in typing and writing at the bottom right of the judge. By the way, Yao Yiyi was a glorious clerk of the People’s Court.

After graduating from XX University of Political Science and Law, Yao Yiyi participated in the civil service exam, killed thousands of soldiers, squeezed through a single wooden bridge, and finally successfully entered a local court close to home. This iron rice bowl made her good female classmates envious. The court consisted of a case filing court, a criminal court, a civil court, a trial supervision court, and an executive bureau. Yao Yiyi was fortunate enough to be favored by an old woman who was passionate about forming a woman’s army, and was appointed as clerk in the busiest civil court.

The world of the court was completely different from that in Hong Kong dramas. Yao Yiyi didn’t need to speak or make judgements in court. Apart from constantly recording and writing, she could almost be considered an invisible witness. However, her name would be included in the final judgement, and the most important matters she handled are property division and inheritance disputes, which had left Yao Yiyi’s young soul full of ups and downs.

However, occasionally, Yao Yiyi would meet a handsome lawyer or a charismatic lawyer. Unfortunately, in front of the imposing beautiful lawyer, Yao Yiyi had no chance to shine. Therefore, on the day when the two lawyers both reported they had girlfriends, Yao Yiyi, who had been elevated in her heart, bravely expressed to the judge that she was willing to support her for a year.

There was a type of ‘immediate court,’ which was extremely inconvenient for transportation in impoverished mountain areas. It takes several days or weeks to go to the city at once. If the plaintiff did not have the perseverance of Madam Qiu Ju, they usually calmed things down. Therefore, this type of immediate court emerged. In the early days, dedicated judges would bring teams of members, lead a few horses or mules with the necessary documents, seals, and other things. Hiking through villages and mountains to a place where even cars couldn’t drive, and following a subpoena to hold a court session in the local area was a difficult task. Local courts were often understaffed, and therefore required the support of courts in surrounding cities.

Yao Yiyi’s immediate supervisor, the old woman, could also be rated as the deputy department level cadre in one breath. So, she gritted her teeth and wanted to go, but other girls in the unit didn’t want to. The one who didn’t have a boyfriend but wanted one didn’t want to go. The one with the boyfriend and wanted to keep a close eye on him so she refused to go. At that moment, Yao Yiyi stepped forward, and the old lady was deeply moved.

As soon as Mother Yao, who had been a women’s director for more than a decade, heard her daughter’s decision, she immediately took her daughter to the hospital to have her brain checked. Her capable brother, who was working hard in a big city, roared at her on the phone. Only Father Yao, who worked for the government, had a noble mindset and felt that his daughter was idealistic and moral. After carefully analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of the situation, Mother Yao finally agreed.

In fact, Yao Yiyi was not aiming for a possible promotion opportunity in a year’s time. She just felt that her life was too rigid, completely following the national plan; complete primary school, high school, and university, and then finding a job, getting married, and having children in the future. To live a step-by-step environment for her whole life. Although life was comfortable, she lacked the necessary life experience. She hoped to go to different places to see and walk around and meet and understand people who came from different worlds than hers.

One year later, Yao Yiyi suffered a lot and finally returned to the city full of satisfaction and pride. Suddenly, there was a rainstorm for several days in the local area. It was not easy for the rain to clear up on one day. The old woman hurriedly took her team members and drove a van to hurry home. On the way, they met with a deadly mudslide.

Lying in bed, Yao Yiyi, who had changed her shell, only wanted to say, “Protecting the mountains and forests is everyone’s responsibility, chopping and logging indiscriminately, cutting off children and having no descendants.”

…

Next Chapter: The Story that the Legitimate Wife and Concubine Have to Tell