Lady Kelpi Translations

Chapter Two:
Yan Lin

I love her, of course I’ll marry her.

Reborn.

Eighteen and a half years old.

It wasn’t at the beginning, nor was it after everything had happened.

When she was fourteen, she returned to the Capital and began dressing up as a man, pretending to be a distant cousin of a high-ranking official named Jiang. She followed Yan Lin around, drinking and having fun. In September of the year she turned eighteen, she had been summoned to the palace to accompany Princess Leyang in her studies. In November of the same year, there was an accident at the Yongyi Marquis’ residence.

Jiang Xuening remembered that in her previous life, Yan Lin was always by her side during her youth.

With Yan Lin, she wasn’t afraid of anything.

He was a young man from a distinguished military family, having spent time on the border, a spirit and vigor that most young men in the capital city lacked. Dressed in bright clothes, he rode with a sword at his side, always by her side, loving and protecting her.

If nothing unexpected happened, he would have married her in due time.

It was only this year that she began to follow Yan Lin when she unexpectedly met Shen Jie, the Prince of Linzi, who had come to find Yan Lin.

At that time, she had been unaware of Shen Jie’s identity.

Yet, when Yan Lin saw this gentle, elegant young man in splendid attire, the first thing he blurted out was, “How did you get out?”

What was Yan Lin’s status?

The Yongyi Marquis’ Mansion, a family of equal standing to the prestigious Xiao family, had an heir who had been appointed early on by the emperor himself. He was highly favored in the palace, and wherever he went, people would respectfully address him as “Little Marquis.”

There were very few people who could warrant him using the honorific “you.”

Jiang Xuening, who had dreamt of becoming empress in her previous life, became intrigued. She discreetly inquired and discovered that Shen Jie was actually the King of Linzi, and rumors were circulating in the capital that the emperor had no son and intended to make Shen Jie his heir apparent.¹

And so, what began as a casual encounter evolved into a deliberate pursuit.

Later, when the incident happened at the Yongyi Marquis’ mansion, she achieved her goal and married Shen Jie.

Within two years, the emperor passed away due to illness and the throne was passed to Shen Jie. She became the empress.

Although Shen Jie had grown up in the imperial court from a young age, he was different from his other brothers. He was too kind, too gentle, his soft nature bordering on weakness. He had the cunning to manipulate, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. As a result, even the civil and military officials in the court, and the public, couldn’t be controlled. The newly appointed Crown Prince’s Grand Tutor, Xie Wei, often had to handle affairs and navigate political situations on his behalf.

In the end, he was poisoned and killed.

Jiang Xuening was already under house arrest by Yan Lin at the time and couldn’t even see him one last time.

Someone too kind could never be a true emperor.

That was the only lesson Jiang Xuening had learned from Shen Jie’s tragic fate in her previous life.

Now, she had been reborn shortly after meeting Shen Jie, thankfully not yet entangled in his fate.

She would not enter the palace again in this life.

Kunning Palace was her tomb.

The room was simply decorated, yet it possessed a certain elegance.

The slightly cool air of early autumn still carried a faint scent of last night’s alcohol.

The sounds of a bustling market in the distance could faintly be heard outside the tightly closed window.

Yan Lin was still holding his sword. Although he was still young, he already possessed a clear, strong frame. When he pursed his lips and didn’t smile, his expression had a certain captivating intensity.

He paid no attention to Shen Jie for the moment.

He turned his head, the coldness in his eyes remaining even as he lowered his gaze. “Which hand did he touch you with?” he asked coldly.

Jiang Xuening finally regained her senses from the shock of realizing she’d been reborn. The young man’s eyes, bright like morning stars, were inches from hers. They hadn’t yet been dulled by the suffering of the Yan family, nor by the darkness of the palace’s power struggles.

Clean, bright, and dazzling.

Like the scorching sun high in the sky.

It’s just that this question…

It was as if he were ready to chop off Shen Jie’s hand if she gave him the wrong answer.

Jiang Xuening broke out in a cold sweat. She quickly grabbed his arm. “No, no! It was just a misunderstanding. I had a bad dream, a nightmare. When I woke up, I was confused and thought Young Master Shen was a bad person. I hit him out of panic. Quickly put down your sword before you hurt someone!”

Yan Lin’s brow furrowed. “Really?”

Shen Jie heard Jiang Xuening’s explanation, muttering to himself about how unlucky he was.

After all, Young Master Jiang was a friend of Yan Lin’s. While their statuses were vastly different, could he really hold a grudge over a slap?

He really wouldn’t want to appear ungentlemanly.

But Yan Lin’s skepticism made him want to laugh and cry at the same time. “Do you really not believe in my character? I had no intention of offending anyone. Even if I did, could you really chop off my hand?”

He was the King of Linzi.

A descendant of heavenly ancestors.

To his surprise, Yan Lin stared at him for a moment, then sheathed his sword with a swift, decisive motion. “I will,” he stated with unwavering conviction.

Shen Jie’s eye twitched. He immediately glanced up at him.

But Yan Lin had already turned to Jiang Xuening. His cold voice softened, as if years of ice and snow had suddenly melted. “Are you alright? You drank a lot last night while I wasn’t paying attention. Let me take you back to your mansion.”

The moment she heard Yan Lin’s “I will,” Jiang Xuening couldn’t help but recall her previous life. After Yan Lin returned to the court, he had joined forces with Xie Wei, effectively sidelining Shen Jie. Not long after, Shen Jie was poisoned and killed.

In her past life, she thought it was mostly caused by Xie Wei.

But now, she wondered if it might have been Yan Lin all along.

When she was younger, she regarded such feelings as ordinary. Now that she had a second chance, she realized how precious they are.

A young man’s sincerity was untamed, his feelings overflowing. If he loved someone, he would protect them, keeping them close.

Sadly, she didn’t deserve such affection.

Jiang Xuening stared at him, momentarily lost for words.

Shen Jie sensed the awkwardness and said, “Master Xie is giving a lecture at Wenhua Palace today. We need to be there soon. It’s getting late. You’re coming with me to the palace, aren’t you, Yan Lin?”

Jiang Xuening snapped out of her musings.

She wanted to return to her household.

Her mind was in a whirlwind, still reeling from the shock of her rebirth. She needed time to process it all, and she didn’t want Yan Lin to escort her back to her mansion. “Things in the palace can’t be delayed,” she quickly said. “I’d like to go home myself today.”

She had been notoriously spoiled in her previous life.   

Part of the reason was because her father, Official Jiang, felt guilty and didn’t dare to interfere with his daughter after she returned to the capital. The other part was because Yan Lin had always indulged her.

Therefore, if she wanted to head back on her own, there was no need to give a reason as to why.

As expected, Yan Lin didn’t ask why. He seemed accustomed to her stubbornness and spoiled nature. After all, she held a special place in his heart. “Then I’ll ask Qing Feng to follow you from a distance,” he said.

Qing Feng was one of his two personal attendants.

Jiang Xuening wanted to refuse, but seeing his expression, she suppressed the thought and nodded obediently.

The more Shen Jie watched, the more he sensed something amiss between the two.

He was naturally a good-tempered person and wasn’t easily angered.

To be honest, he was quite handsome.

Especially when he smiled, his eyes would crinkle slightly, his expression elegant and gentle, like a piece of jade.

Jiang Xuening never once argued with him after they married in their previous life.

The reason was simple. First, Shen Jie had a good temper. Second, he didn’t really like her. Third, she didn’t like him, either. She just liked the position of power, and nothing else could touch her heart.

To those who didn’t know the truth, it might have seemed like a picture of harmonious respect, a perfect match between emperor and empress.

It was her who had been rude, after all. Jiang Xuening looked at Shen Jie with an apologetic expression. “I offended you and even injured you just now. I hope you won’t take it to heart. I’ll set up a drink tomorrow as an apology to you.”

It’d be a lie if he said he wasn’t angry for being slapped for nothing.

And Yan Lin was also very overbearing.

Jiang Xuening’s voice was soft as she spoke, her eyes looking at him as though they had been soaked in spring water. She seemed like a delicate young man with a pink face, red lips, and white teeth. Perhaps because she was not yet old enough, but her facial contours were still very soft, which further accentuated her delicate facial features. She possessed a beauty that was indistinguishable between male and female.²

Shen Jie suddenly couldn’t bring himself to get angry.

He was never one to make things difficult for others. “You didn’t put much force into it, anyway,” he said, smiling. “Since you are offering, then I will not be polite and wait for you to invite me out for a drink in the future.”

Yan Lin suddenly felt the urge to beat the man up.

His expression turned cold. He gave Qing Feng a few instructions, then tidied up and left the inn with Shen Jie.

…

On their way back to the palace, Shen Jie couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right about what had happened at the inn. It was particularly unsettling when Yan Lin had drawn his sword and held it at his throat, defending the young master of the Jiang family.

And then, he thought about the young man’s delicate features and striking appearance…

Shen Jie furrowed his brow. He was a few years older than Yan Lin, and he felt it was his duty to offer some advice. He lifted the curtain of the carriage and said, “Yan Lin. While there are some scholars in the capital who are drawn to men, and the young master of the Jiang family is certainly handsome, you are the heir of the Yongyi Marquis. You will have to marry eventually…”

Shen Jie sat back in the carriage.

Yan Lin rode his horse alongside the carriage.

He looked even more handsome on horseback.

His expression darkened as he heard those words. “Your Highness,” he said, “I’m not attracted to men.”

“Then what about the young master of the Jiang family?” It was now Shen Jie’s turn to look at him with a skeptical gaze.

“He’s not the young master of the Jiang family.”

Yan Lin recalled what had happened earlier, particularly Jiang Xuening’s gaze towards Shen Jie. It had made him uncomfortable.

His dark eyes flickered with thought.

He turned to Shen Jie, a worried expression on his face. “She’s the second daughter of the Jiang family.”

Shen Jie, who had just picked up a cup of tea in the carriage, choked on his drink. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard.

“You, you…!”

Yan Lin, however, didn’t see anything unusual.

He sat atop his horse, his black robe accentuating his tall, upright figure.

“She enjoys lively places and freedom, so I brought her out to play,” he said. “Your Highness, you treat me like a brother and a friend, so I am telling you her identity now so that you know she’s a daughter from a good family. In the past, you were unaware, so naturally you thought nothing of it. Now that you know, please be more careful and avoid frightening her like what happened this morning.”

Shen Jie instinctively nodded.

But then, he realized something was wrong. “Aren’t you the one who should pay more attention to propriety?” he asked. “If this gets out, how can she ever get married?”

The young man’s eyes sharpened, and he smiled. “I love her. I will marry her.”

…

Chapter two! I have to say, compared to LLTG and SoML, the writing is so refreshing here. It’s simple, but in a good way.

Thank you guys so, so, so much for the response to the first chapter!!

Next Chapter: Returning Home

1. The term ‘heir apparent’ (皇太弟/huáng tài dì) refers to the designated successor to the throne, usually a younger brother or nephew of the emperor. ↩︎
2. So it’s a bit confusing with the pronouns here. He/him and she/her are pronounced exactly the same in Chinese and the only difference is the character. 他 (tā) is he/him and 她 (tā) is she/her. The perspective in this part of the chapter changes from Jiang Xuening and Shen Jie and so does the pronoun. To make it easier, I’ve simply kept Jiang Xuening as ‘she.’ ↩︎