HDWWA Chapter 34

You Can’t Get Married to Him!

Hua Manman stopped in her tracks.

She glanced around and saw no one else nearby.

Here there was only her, Hua Qingqing, and the four maidservants that were following behind them.

Hua Manman took a deep breath, suppressed her guilt deep in her heart, and whispered to Hua Qingqing:

“Elder Sister, I have something very important that I must tell you in private. Could I borrow you for a moment to speak?”

Time is running out, and she can’t delay any longer. She has to complete that swindling task as soon as possible.

Hua Qingqing immediately believed her when she saw the serious look on Hua Manman’s face.

Thankfully there was a rockery arranged like a mountain near them, and in the center of the rockery was a small and exquisite octagonal pavilion.

The two sisters walked up this fake mountain along the stairs, until they stood in the octagonal pavilion.

The four maidservants were left at the foot of the mountain.

At this angle and from this distance, even if the two sisters said or did anything, the maidservants would not know.

Hua Qingqing asked curiously: “What does Second Sister want to tell me?”

Hua Manman: “I heard that Elder Sister will marry Song Ding soon.”

Hua Qingqing was taken aback for a moment. She didn’t expect that Hua Manman would bring up this topic, so she immediately became embarrassed, her face flushing bright red.

“Yes, next month his period of observing filial piety will be over.

The two households are already discussing the wedding date. I’ll send someone to notify you once the specific time has been determined.

I hope you can take the time to come over and celebrate with us.”

Hua Manman gritted her teeth. Then, as if she had gathered all her determination, she said suddenly:

“You two can’t get married!”

Hua Qingqing was stunned: “Why?”

Hua Manman took a step forward and emphasized each word:

“Because the person Song Ding actually loves in his heart is me!”

Hua Qingqing couldn’t believe it: “How could this be? Second Sister, please don’t make these kinds of distasteful jokes!”

After she spoke, she couldn’t help but be a little angry.

Even though they’re sisters, Hua Qingqing couldn’t tolerate someone making fun of her upcoming wedding.

Hua Manman intentionally showed a proud and arrogant expression, like a beautiful little peacock displaying its feathers, and said haughtily:

“I’m not joking. To tell you the truth, I’ve always been in contact with Song Ding privately.

He even wrote me a letter in which he said that he was in love with me.

He also said that he only views you as a sibling, and that he never saw you as a woman.”

Seeing her speaking so confidently, Hua Qingqing couldn’t help but feel a little shaken in her heart. The blush on her face quickly faded, and she didn’t know what to do.

“How did this happen? How could he be like this?”

An image surfaced in Hua Qingqing’s mind about how she normally gets along well with Song Ding. When she thought of Song Ding’s gentle and considerate demeanor, she suddenly calmed down again.

“It’s impossible. Song Ding has always been considerate and taken care of me. He’s not the type of person you’re saying he is. You must be lying to me on purpose!

If you’re telling the truth, then you must show me evidence. I won’t believe you without evidence!”

Truth be told, Hua Manman didn’t have any physical evidence.

The letters Song Ding had written to the original owner of her body had long been burned to ashes.

Although the original owner didn’t have any brains to speak of, even she knew that these letters involved her reputation as well. If they somehow got out, they would cause great damage to her reputation.

So she had burned the letters as soon as she read them.

But Hua Manman isn’t panicked at all.

She raised her chin, saying dismissively:

“What evidence is needed for this kind of thing? If you don’t believe me, then just ask Song Ding directly.”

Hua Qingqing: “How could I possibly ask him something like this?”

Hua Manman retorted: “Are you unable to ask? Or are you afraid to ask?”

Hua Qingqing: “Of course I’m unable to ask…”

Hua Manman interrupted her defense: “How could you afford to be so timid at this point? What’s wrong with you just asking him? Are you this afraid of being dumped by him?!”

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HDWWA Chapter 33

She Wants to Live

The main reason why Song Ding and Hua Qingqing’s marriage failed in the end was due to Hua Manman, this vicious and brain-dead female supporting character.

Ever since she was a child, Hua Manman liked to compete with her sister over everything. Naturally, she wouldn’t let go of her sister’s beloved man.

That’s right, this story is full of dog blood!¹

In the original story, Hua Manman deliberately found an opportunity to get close to Song Ding in order to snatch away her sister’s fiancé. It just so happened that she was Song Ding’s type.

However, Hua Manman didn’t explain anything clearly, and deliberately led on Song Ding.

Song Ding was seduced by Hua Manman even up until two days before the wedding, when he suddenly asked to cancel his marriage with Hua Qingqing.

He publicly stated that he doesn’t like Hua Qingqing, but actually likes Hua Manman instead!

This was undoubtedly a huge slap to Hua Qingqing’s reputation, and also caused Hua Qingqing to lose face in the city of Shangjing.

Hua Qingqing was outraged and couldn’t stop herself from running to Hua Manman to argue with her, but she was severely slapped by Hua Manman instead.

This was the original backstory behind why Hua Manman slapped Hua Qingqing.

Ever since Hua Manman transmigrated here, she hadn’t seen Song Ding. If He-shi hadn’t mentioned him, she would have completely forgotten that he existed.

He-shi still had a lot to say to her daughter.

But Hua Manman couldn’t delay any longer. The system was reminding her that there were only 20 minutes left before her mission deadline runs out.

“Mother, it’s rare for me to have a chance to come back. I haven’t even seen my grandmother yet. I should go and greet the Old Madam.”

He-shi agreed: “Yes, yes, you should go and say hello. Let’s go, I’ll accompany you.”

He-shi knew that neither she nor her daughter were favored or welcomed by the Old Madam, so she took the initiative to go with her daughter when visiting the Old Madam to give her daughter some courage, and so that her daughter would not experience any discomfort when visiting the Old Madam.

Thus, mother and daughter came together to Changsheng Court.

At this moment, Hua Qingqing was drinking tea and chatting with the Old Madam. When she saw that He-shi and Hua Manman had arrived, Hua Qingqing immediately put down her teacup, stood up, and greeted them gracefully.

“Greetings, Mother.”

He-shi brought Hua Manman to greet the Old Madam.

The Old Madam smiled and said: “You’re all a part of my family, there’s no need to be so polite. Let’s all sit down.”

Hua Manman sat down right next to He-shi.

She looked at Hua Qingqing, who was sitting next to the Old Madam, and felt extremely conflicted.

If she had a choice, she would never want to become an enemy of the heroine.

But right now she didn’t have the luxury of choosing.

If she doesn’t complete this task, she’ll be punished by the system.

As soon as she thought about that sensation of heart pain that hurt worse than dying, she could only brace herself and complete the task.

If she offends the heroine, she may die in the future.

But if she goes against the system, she’ll die right here!

She wants to live.

Even if she has to struggle to survive, she still wants to continue living.

Hua Manman said silently in her heart–

‘I can only apologize to you, Hua Qingqing’

As usual, the Old Madam exchanged a few words with Hua Manman.

Although she tried her best to act obedient and natural, the Old Madam still noticed that she was a little nervous.

The Old Madam thought that Hua Manman was uncomfortable because she didn’t know how to get along with the Old Madam, so she didn’t force her. Instead, the Old Madam sent her elsewhere to hang out with Hua Qingqing.

This was exactly what Hua Manman was waiting for.

She immediately stood up and followed Hua Qingqing out.

Today, Hua Qingqing was wearing an apricot colored dress with a long flowing skirt that fastened above her chest. Her hair was tied up in a falling horse bun³. With her beautifully drawn eyebrows and her elegant and demure temperament, she had a very gentle and ladylike demeanor.

She said with a smile: “Second sister, would you like to come sit in my room? While you’re here, you can also see Xiao Bai.”

Hua Manman nodded and said yes.

Hua Qingqing noticed her strangeness and couldn’t help but take a closer look at her.

“Why is my little sister so obedient today? Are you in some kind of trouble?”

At this time, Hua Manman received another reminder from the system.

[There are only 10 minutes left before the mission deadline. Please complete the mission as soon as possible!]

Notes

Dog blood = Chinese slang to describe a situation that’s overly dramatic or cliché. No animals were harmed in the making of this novel.
This specific dress/style is called Qixiong Ruqun, where the skirt is super long and fastens right above the chest.
It’s a popular hairstyle during the Wei and Jin dynasties, supposed to resemble the “carefree and loose hair of a woman who has just fallen from a horse”.

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HDWWA Chapter 32

Bringing About Her Own Doom

In the original novel <<Palace Scheming>>, there indeed was a scene where the supporting character Hua Manman slapped the heroine, Hua Qinqing.

This scene was meant to showcase Hua Manman’s arrogance and unreasonableness, as well as to incite the readers’ hatred.

Readers hated Hua Manman so much that after both sisters entered the imperial palace’s harem, commenters were looking forward to the heroine’s quick rise in both salary and rank until she reached the highest pinnacle of reputation and life, so that she could step all over Hua Manman in revenge for this incident.

Hua Manman didn’t expect this.

Even though she has already gotten rid of the plot of entering the palace as a concubine, she still can’t escape the fate of becoming the heroine’s enemy!

As readers all know well, anyone who becomes an enemy of the heroine will suffer a bad ending.

Isn’t this system forcing her to bring about her own doom?!

……

Hua Dingzong invited Zhao-wang to the martial arts training room in the name of asking Zhao-wang to critique Hua Dingzong’s two sons’ martial arts techniques.

Hua Manman, on the other hand, was taken to the Songquan Court.

Songquan Court is the place where Hua Dingzong and He-shi lived.

He-shi had been looking forward to this moment for a long time. The moment she saw her baby girl appear, her eyes lit up immediately.

She rushed up to greet her, held her daughter’s hands, and spoke excitedly:

“Manman, my sweet girl, I’ve been thinking of you every day for these past few days. Even in my dreams I’m worried about whether or not you’ve been wronged or bullied. Let me take a look, have you gotten even skinnier?”

Hua Manman’s mind was still full of that awful task assigned by that stupid system, so her reaction was delayed by half a beat.

He-shi examined Hua Manman from head to toe twice. Once she saw that Hua Manman didn’t look too thin at all, and that her complexion looked very rosy, He-shi felt relieved.

It looks like her daughter is doing well in her new residence.

He-shi led her daughter to sit down, then began to ask her questions about trivial matters regarding her marriage.

Hua Manman occasionally nodded to agree, but her entire person seemed distraught.

Seeing how worried her daughter was He-shi couldn’t help but ask:

“Are you in any trouble? Or is someone bothering you? Don’t be afraid, if there’s anything going on just tell me, and I’ll help you solve it!”

What Hua Manman was worried about was the task assigned by the system.

But she couldn’t tell anyone about this.

She opened and closed her mouth, hesitating again and again, but in the end she finally asked:

“Mother, how is Elder Sister doing recently?”

He Shi: “She’s doing pretty good. Lately, the Old Madam has been preparing a dowry for her. It seems like her marriage with that boy from the Song family will be arranged soon. When it happens, you should also come back to celebrate and drink.”

Hua Manman replied absent-mindedly: “Okay.”

He-shi knew that the relationship between her daughter and Hua Qingqing wasn’t very good. She was afraid that her daughter would have some bad thoughts, so she comforted her in a low voice:

“Although people outside say that Song Ding is a rare and exceptional young talent, compared to Zhao-wang he is still lacking.

You can tell just by looking at your father.

When he knew that you were coming back today, he woke up at the crack of dawn to fix his appearance, and repeatedly told me to prepare meals that you like.

If it was Song Ding, your father would definitely not be so considerate.”

After He-shi finished speaking, she couldn’t stop the corners of her lips from curling up. Even in her tone there was a hint of sarcasm.

No one knows who exactly she’s mocking.

When Hua Manman heard the name “Song Ding” her heart moved slightly.

She remembered that Song Ding was the name of a cannon fodder, a male supporting character in <<Palace Scheming>>

Song Ding was originally supposed to be married to Hua Qingqing. The two of them were childhood sweethearts and had a very good relationship.

The two families had originally agreed to plan to have Hua Qingqing marry Song Ding after Hua Qingqing reached a marriageable age.

Unexpectedly, Song Ding’s father suddenly passed away.

Song Ding had to mourn for three years to observe filial piety.

This year marked the third year, and soon his period of observing filial piety will be over.

Song Ding and Hua Qingqing’s marriage was now in the midst of being scheduled, and they were just waiting for an auspicious day to hold the marriage ceremony and officially become husband and wife.

But Hua Manman knew that this marriage between these two people would never work out.

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HDWWA Chapter 31

A New Task

Rouwan-junzhu had rushed for nothing, and could only return home in defeat.

After she returned home, the more she thought about it the angrier she became, and soon her already weak body fell ill.

When Grand Eldest Ningyang-gongzhu heard about what had happened, she rushed to Duke Zhen’s Residence to visit her daughter, and sent a message to the imperial palace to ask for an imperial physician on her daughter’s behalf.

The Emperor naturally agreed.

Soon an imperial physician arrived at Duke Zhen’s Residence.

But no matter how upset Rouwan-junzhu was today, on Hua Manman and Li Ji’s side, both of them were in a pretty good mood.

Hua Manman was lying on the window of the carriage, with her head slightly poking out to look at the outside scenery. There were many shops on both sides of the road, with plenty of people coming and going, painting a prosperous image of the area.

The wound on her arm had already scabbed over and didn’t bother her much, aside from the occasional itchiness.

While passing by the local charity center, Hua Manman saw a long line of people waiting near the entrance.

These were the orphans, widows, sick and disabled people who lived in the area. They had no means of supporting themselves and could only rely on the generosity of the charity center in order to survive.

The charity center hands out porridge twice every day, once in the morning and once in the evening. The people in line had been waiting since early in the morning to receive their portion of porridge.

Seeing Li Ji staring at the people lined up in front of the charity center, Li Ji casually spoke:

“Everything I brought out from the Haiyan Mansion has already been exchanged for money and donated to this charity center.”

He paused for a moment then added another sentence.

“In your name.”

Hua Manman turned her head and looked at Zhao-wang in surprise.

“Why did you donate it in my name? The money was donated by Wangye, so it should have been under Wangye‘s name.”

Li Ji said lazily: “I find it troublesome.”

Hua Manman said embarrassingly: “Obviously Wangye was the one who contributed all the money and effort, yet I’m the one who received all the credit, I’m a bit ashamed.”

Li Ji wasn’t very interested in such trivial matters, so he simply closed his eyes and began to fall asleep.

The carriage stopped at the gates of the Zhongan Bo Residence.

The head servant in charge of household affairs of the Bo Residence had already been waiting by the gates for a long time. Upon seeing Zhao-wang‘s carriage arriving at the gates, he quickly stepped forward to welcome the guests.

The head servant originally thought that only the Second Miss had come back this time.

But he didn’t expect that Zhao-wang would be the first person to step off the carriage! Zhao-wang had also come to visit!

The head servant froze.

But he reacted very quickly and hid his surprise deep in his heart before bowing respectfully.

“Welcome, honored Wangye and Ruren.”

This time, Hua Manman had not only brought back Zhao-wang himself, but had also brought back lots of gifts with her.

Yesterday, Ningyang-gongzhu had sent lots of silk and medicinal tonics to her. She didn’t have a need for all of these things, so she brought them all back with her to give to Zhongan Bo Residence.

In addition, Li Ji had also ordered his servants to buy some gifts.

Thus, the two of them had brought quite a few gifts with them.

Zhongan Bo’s master, Hua Dingzong, rushed over after hearing the news.

He also didn’t expect that Zhao-wang would accompany Hua Manman in person during their visit, so he was both surprised and happy.

It seems like his second daughter is very favored by Zhao-wang.

Otherwise, with Zhao-wang‘s disposition, how could he lower himself to personally accompany a little Ruren during her maternal house visit?

Soon after, Hua Dingzong couldn’t help but be overjoyed when he saw all the congratulatory gifts brought back by his second daughter. There were more than 20 boxes of gifts altogether.

He bent his waist in a deep bow to Zhao-wang, and beamed as he invited the guests into the Bo Residence.

As soon as she stepped past the gates of the Bo Residence, the long-lost system notification sound beeped in Hua Manman’s ears–

[The host has triggered an important plot mission!]

[The host is asked to slap Hua Qingqing once, hard. The time limit is one hour, and a lucky bag will be rewarded after completing the task.]

[If the task is not completed within the time limit, the host will be punished with heart pain.]

[Please finish the task as soon as possible!]

Hua Manman’s feet stopped in their place, and ten thousand ‘f*ck you’s ran through her heart.

‘This stupid system, you deserve a thousand knives to the gut! You’re about to kill me again!’

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HDWWA Chapter 30

It’s Over!

Li Ji spoke leisurely.

“Now you know to be afraid? When you were out there spreading rumors about me, did it never occur to you that this would happen?”

Li Lou didn’t expect for him to find out the truth so soon, so he was in a panic.

But on the outside, Li Lou pretended to be calm and denied it.

“I don’t know anything, what are you talking about? You must have made a mistake, let me go!”

Li Ji glanced sideways and gave a meaningful look at Chen Wangbei, who was standing behind him.

Chen Wangbei understood, and immediately asked the guards outside to bring in their special guest.

Once Li Lou saw the face of the person who was brought in, his complexion changed drastically, an explosion seemed to go off in his brain, and only two words were left in his mind–

It’s over!

The person who was brought in was none other than Li Lou’s personal manservant.

Li Lou trusted this young man very much and entrusted him with many important tasks, such as the task spreading rumors about Zhao-wang being unfilial to Rouwan-junzhu.

The wounded servant knelt on the ground, his face overflowing with snot and tears as he cried.

“I’m so sorry young master, I didn’t mean to betray you. I was forced, there was nothing else I could do.

If this servant hadn’t told the truth, not only would I have been killed, but my parents and family members would have been exiled and forced to join the army.

I could only… could only spill everything.

I’m so sorry young master, this servant deserves to die!”

After he finished speaking, he began to kowtow vigorously.

Li Lou was furious. He can’t wait to rush up and tear this lowly servant into pieces!

However, he was tightly bound and unable to move, and he could only curse at the top of his lungs.

Although he came from a noble family, he was able to spew some truly filthy curses.

Chen Wangbei didn’t want his Wangye to dirty his ears, so he said in a low voice:

“Wangye, you should go outside to get some fresh air. Please allow us subordinates to handle this here.”

Li Ji didn’t want to waste too much time on this raving clown, so he left the room.

The door closed behind him.

In the next moment, Li Lou’s piercing screams could be heard coming from the room.

Truth be told, Li Ji has many ways to make Li Lou quietly disappear from this world.

But he chose not to do that.

He just chose the simplest and crudest method.

As for how much trouble this might bring him, he didn’t care at all.

Sitting in his wheelchair, Li Ji slightly raised his head and narrowed his eyes, enjoying the comfort brought by a light breeze.

In this world, there’s no longer anything worthy of his attention.

After a long time, Li Lou’s screams gradually weakened.

Until all that remained was silence.

The room’s door was opened, and Chen Wangbei stepped out. His hands and the hem of his clothes were stained with blood. Coupled with his cold expression, he painted a frightening picture.

He clasped his fists in a salute:

“Reporting to Wangye; Li Lou has already passed out. Would you like us to wake him up and continue torturing him?”

“No need,” Li Ji said casually. “Send him back.”

“Understood!”

Li Lou, who was covered in blood, was carried out by the guards and sent back to Duke Zhen’s Residence.

When Rouwan-junzhu next saw Li Lou, it was already the next morning.

She was taken aback by the horrible and bloody state of his body.

After Li Lou woke up, Rouwan-junzhu asked him about what happened in order to get to the bottom of the matter. When she found out Li Ji had done this, she immediately became furious and scolded Li Ji for being inhuman!

Ignoring the dissuasion of everyone around her, she rushed out of Duke Zhen’s Residence and hurried to Zhao-wang‘s Residence in a carriage.

In her heart, she secretly swore that she would teach this rebellious son Li Ji a lesson so that he would never harm another person ever again.

However, once she arrived at Zhao-wang‘s Residence, she was told that Zhao-wang himself was no longer on the premises.

Gao Shan spoke politely:

“Today marks the third day after his wedding with Hua-ruren, and is the day when Hua-ruren returns home. Wangye has accompanied her back to her maternal household. I’m afraid they won’t return until very late, would you like to come back another day, Junzhu?“

…..

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HDWWA Chapter 29

So Moving

Li Ji didn’t want the mastermind to succeed, so the best solution was to pretend like nothing had happened and to deal with these two female assassins quietly in order to minimize the impact of this incident.

Hua Manman let out a heavy sigh. She never thought that Zhao-wang, who looked so beautiful, would be surrounded by so many hidden dangers.

‘It seems like being a villain isn’t easy!’

Li Ji raised his eyebrows. It turns out that in this woman’s heart, he’s a villain.

Instead of finding it annoying, he was rather amused.

“Were you scared by what happened just now?” he asked with a smile.

Hua Manman immediately entered her acting mode and spoke shyly:

“As long as Wangye is around, I’m not afraid of anything.”

If she had to score her answer, she’d give herself full marks!

With such a perfect answer, she almost manage to stir her own emotions!

She refused to believe that Zhao-wang wouldn’t be moved!

Li Ji stretched out his hand, brushing her chin with his fingertips, and spoke with a half-smile:

“Tomorrow marks the third day after our wedding, so it will be the day you return to your mother’s home. When you leave to make your visit, I will accompany you.”

It stands to reason that Zhao-wang would normally not need to personally accompany a mere Ruren during her visit home.

At this time, for him to offer to accompany her, this was clearly meant to support her.

Hua Manman felt flattered.

Li Ji’s fingertips rested on her chin.

He lifted her chin, exposing her fragile neck.

This position made her feel very vulnerable.

“I’m treating you so well. Don’t you feel moved?” Li Ji asked.

Hua Manman stiffened: “I d-don’t dare to move.¹“

Li Ji: “Hm?”

Hua Manman: “Moved! I’m very moved, so touched!”

Only then did Li Ji show a satisfied smile, and his fingertips let go of her chin.

… …

Li Lou is in a bad mood today.

He had deliberately spread rumors everywhere that Zhao-wang had done something to his own biological mother. He had wanted to use this incident to discredit Zhao-wang, and eventually disqualify Zhao-wang from inheriting the title of Duke.

Who would have thought that the Emperor would just summon Zhao-wang into the palace to say a few words, and then lightly resolve the matter so easily?

Li Lou’s schemes all came to nothing.

How could his heart feel settled like this?

It just so happened that Ningyang-gongzhu came to visit Rouwan-junzhu today at Duke Zhen’s Residence, so Li Lou pulled himself together and tried to win Ningyang-gongzhu‘s favor. Instead, he was mercilessly reprimanded by Ningyang-gongzhu.

Li Lou left Duke Zhen’s Residence feeling disheartened.

He took a manservant with him into a flower building, intent on using drinking to vent his frustration and resentment.

He downed cup after cup of alcohol.

Instead of being appeased, the resentment in Li Lou’s heart only increased.

He slammed his wine cup on the table forcefully, saying bitterly:

“He’s already a cripple and a waste, why does the Emperor still favor him so much?!”

Before, it could be said that the reason was because Zhao-wang was brave and talented at fighting and warfare. The Emperor cherishes talents, so he had a special preference for Zhao-wang.

But now that Zhao-wang is already disabled, why does the Emperor still go around favoring him?

Is it possible that the Emperor is too old and confused?!

Before he knew it, Li Lou was already drunk.

His mind was like a muddled mess.

He couldn’t help but fall asleep right there on the table.

When he woke up, he found himself in a small dark room.

His hands and feet were tightly bound, and he was unable to move.

A strong sense of unease permeated through his heart, so he opened his mouth and shouted with all his strength:

“Someone come! Help! Is there anyone outside?”

The door swung open from an outside force.

Li Ji entered, with someone pushing his wheelchair.

The moment he saw Li Ji, Li Lou’s face trembled violently, and his complexion became extremely ugly.

“You’re the one who tied me up here? What are you planning to do?

I’m warning you, if you dare to do anything to me, I’ll definitely tell Aunt! I’ll make sure you won’t have a good life in the future!

Notes

A pun that also works in Chinese; “感动” (meaning “emotionally moved” or “touched”) is phonetically similar to “敢动”(meaning “dare to/have the guts to move). Both are pronounced “gǎndòng”

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HDWWA Chapter 28

Assassins

Li Ji gave clear instructions to Chen Wangbei, who was standing beside him:

“Drag these two women out, and beat them to death with paddles.”

Hearing this, the expressions of the two women changed drastically.

“Wangye, please spare our lives!” they hurriedly begged.

Chen Wangbei ordered two personal guards to step forward and capture them.

Seeing that they were doomed, the two girls steeled their nerves. They suddenly pulled out sharp daggers from hidden compartments in their sleeves, and recklessly rushed towards Li Ji!

‘If we’re going to die anyway, why not make one last attack!‘

Even though they may not be able to kill him, as long as they hurt him and cause a big scene, it can still count as having completed the task that was assigned by their Master.

However, Li Ji was already prepared.

Almost as soon as they moved, he pressed a hidden mechanism on his wheelchair.

WHOOSH WHOOSH

Two crossbow arrows shot out from both armrests of the wheelchair, piercing the two girls right in their hearts.

Their eyes were opened wide as they looked down in disbelief at their bleeding wounds.

In the next moment, they staggered and fell into a pool of blood.

“Throw their bodies out to feed the dogs,” Li Ji said coldly. “Let it be known to those outside the residence that these two attempted to steal property of this Royal Residence, so they were beaten to death with paddles.”

“Understood!” Chen Wangbei said.

The two corpses were carried out by guards, and the blood on the ground was quickly cleaned up by servants.

Whether it was Chen Wangbei, Gao Shan, or any other servant in the residence, none of them said a word about this incident.

All of them maintained a high degree of silence and obedience.

It was as if the two who were killed just now weren’t two living and breathing adults, but rather two small insignificant ants.

Only the four maidservants that Hua Manman brought with her from the Bo Residence were frightened by what had happened.

They had never seen such a scene before, so all of them were so frightened that their faces turned pale and their hands and feet went cold.

Of course, they had all heard the rumors about Zhao-wang before, but they had all believed that these rumors were just fabricated or exaggerated. They never would have believed that the rumors were all true, and that this Zhao-wang really is an ill-tempered person who kills without batting an eye.

At this moment, none of them had the courage to look at Zhao-wang, and endless fear filled their hearts.

Seeing them like this, Hua Manman made up an excuse to send them all away.

The four maidservants retreated in a panic, like they had received a royal pardon.

Eventually, everyone else in the room also retreated.

In the end, only Hua Manman and Li Ji were left.

Hua Manman hesitated for a moment, but she was still unable to swallow down the curiosity in her heart. She asked curiously:

“How did Wangye know that those two were assassins?”

Li Ji leaned back, his entire body in a relaxed posture, as he answered lazily:

“Take a guess.”

“Could it be because they showed some flaws that gave them away just now?” Hua Manman guessed. “But this concubine didn’t see any problems with them.”

Li Ji: “That’s because you’re blind.”

Hua Manman: “…………..”

Her expression looked resentful, and she secretly sneered at him in her heart.

‘That’s right, if I wasn’t blind then how could I marry a dog like you?!’

Li Ji narrowed his eyes, and his gaze became dangerous.

Hua Manman inexplicably felt that his appearance was a bit scary at this moment, so she hurriedly changed the subject:

“Since Wangye knew that they were assassins, why didn’t you keep them alive to interrogate them? Maybe you could have asked about the mastermind behind them.”

Li Ji smiled inexplicably. “You can tell from their skills that they’ve received professional training. Even if they were captured alive, they wouldn’t tell the truth. They would probably take the opportunity to bite back and stir the water to make more trouble.”

There was one more thing he didn’t mention.

The fact that these two women were given to him by the Emperor.

No matter who their actual master was, as long as their identities as assassins were exposed, the Emperor would be implicated.

Although the mastermind seemed to be aiming at him, the actual target was the current Emperor.

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HDWWA Chapter 27

So That was Their Goal!

The two girls knelt down in front of Hua Manman, pleading tearfully.

“We servants are willing to stay by the Ruren‘s side and work like horses and cattle. Our only hope is that the Ruren keeps us as servants, and don’t drive us back to our quarters.”

Seeing them cry so loudly, Hua Manman assumed they must have suffered misfortune in the residence’s inner court.

Usually Gao Shan handles these trivial matters, so Hua Manman asked someone to call Gao Shan over to ask him personally. Just how did Gao Shan arrange these girls?

Gao Shan answered truthfully:

“Wangye thought that they were annoying and he didn’t want to see them, so he asked this humble servant to have them settle down somewhere farther away. I placed them in the west courtyard of the residence.

The west courtyard is located the furthest from the Shanhai Quarters, where Wangye lives, and the west courtyard has a separate corner door from the main entrance.If these girls want to go outside, they can leave through the corner door instead of having to go through the front courtyard and potentially affecting Wangye‘s mood.

As for the monthly allowance for these girls, it’s arranged according to the standard amount that housemaids reserve, so they receive two taels of silver every month and two sets of new clothes every season.”

“Have you ever done anything to slight them?” Hua Manman asked again.

Gao Shan denied it hastily:

“Of course not! Although Wangye doesn’t want to see them, they were still sent by the Emperor, the Empress, and the Grand Eldest Gongzhu. How could this servant dare to neglect them?

Ever since they entered the household, the servants have been properly providing them with food and drinks, and they’ve never been asked to do anything.

If you don’t believe me, you may also ask other people in the residence.”

Hua Manman believed that a man of Gao Shan’s shrewdness wouldn’t lie about such trivial matters.

She appeased Gao Shan, then looked at the two girls kneeling on the ground, her eyes full of puzzlement.

“This royal residence provides you with delicious food and drink, and not only doesn’t require you to work for anything, but also gives you an allowance to buy clothes for yourself. You can even go outside whenever you want, and your personal freedom isn’t restricted.

Yet, instead of accepting such a comfortable life, here you girls are crying and shouting for me to work you like horses and cattle.

Are you sure there’s nothing wrong with your brains?”

Hua Manman had always dreamed of a life with food, drinks, no work, money, and beautiful clothes!

The two girls were left speechless by her question.

Gao Shan was almost accused of neglecting the people he was in charge of because of these two girls.

He was still a little upset at heart, so at this moment he smiled strangely.

“Ruren may not know, but these two girls are not out of their minds. They’re just unwilling to be trapped in the west courtyard, and want to use you as a stepping stone to get closer to the Wangye.”

Hua Manman came to a sudden realization. So that was their goal!

The two girls’ faces turned pale after their motives were laid out by Gao Shan.

They kowtowed to Hua-ruren as their beautiful faces were stained with tears, like raindrops on pear blossoms, and begged her to not punish them for their crimes.

It just so happened that Zhao-wang came back at this time.

When he entered the Liuli Pavilion, he immediately saw the sight of two strange women kowtowing to Hua Manman.

These two women were crying a river, looking very pitiful.

Anyone with a shred of compassion in their hearts would normally feel sympathy for these two women when seeing this scene, and would be left with the bad impression that Hua Manman is being arrogant and bullying them.

However, Li Ji clearly heard the inner thoughts of these two women–

‘So this is Zhao-wang. He really is a cripple. What a pity, his face is handsome but it’s wasted.‘

‘Whether you look at figure or appearance, neither of us are inferior to Hua-ruren. Zhao-wang will definitely take a liking to us. Once we get the chance to get close to him, we’ll be able to complete the task Master assigned for us.‘

Li Ji lifted the corners of his thin lips. Just look, here are two more idiots trying to scheme against him.

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HDWWA Chapter 26

Unwilling to Lose Either the Palm or the Back of One’s Hands¹

Seeing his response or lack thereof, Grand Eldest Gongzhu Ningyang felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

On the one hand Rouwan-junzhu is her biological daughter, but the other is her grandson.

As they say, both the palm and the back of one’s hands are made of flesh.

She was reluctant to part with either side, and wanted to protect them both.

But things didn’t go according to her wishes, and the mother-child relationship between Rouwan-junzhu and Li Ji has all but completely broken down.

Even if she used all her strength and influence to deal with this matter, she still couldn’t mend the relationship between this mother and son.

Ningyang-gongzhu is already very old.

Even though she took good care of herself, there were still many deep lines on her face, her hair had already gone white, and her pupils were slightly glassy.

She let out a long sigh, her tone full of helplessness and the gravity of one who has lived through many great changes in life.

“Never mind. You should try to go back to Duke Zhen’s Residence as little as possible in the future. Perhaps after a while, your mother’s mind will become clear again, and you’ll be able to have a good chat.

Li Ji didn’t respond to this.

Ningyang-gongzhu fiddled with the white jade beads on her wrist and sighed.

“I heard that Hua-ruren stepped forward to protect you this time. It seems like the scholar Zhili from the Bureau of Astronomy was correct. You’ve killed too much, and the evil energy you’ve accumulated is too strong, which can easily lead to disasters.

Fortunately you married Hua-ruren in time, and she was able to prevent this disaster for you.

She deserves credit for this matter. I’ll ask someone to send her some rewards later.”

Li Ji didn’t believe a word of what those quacks at the Bureau of Astronomy had to say.

But he didn’t refute his grandmother’s words either. Instead, he responded casually:

“Mn.”

Ningyang-gongzhu earnestly reassured him:

“You don’t have to worry about Li Lou potentially taking your place. Even though you both have the Li surname, you are the only one who can inherit the title and residence of Duke Zhen.

Later, I will personally go to Duke Zhen’s Residence to have a good talk with your mother, and send Li Lou back to where he belongs.”

“There’s no need for you to worry about such a trivial matter,” Li Ji replied casually. “I can handle it myself.”

Ningyang-gongzhu didn’t insist, and instead changed the topic to discuss other matters.

“The two Han-shi² will enter your household and arrive at your residence in two days. You should prepare well after you return. Once the Han-shi enters your household, they’ll be able to help serve you alongside Hua-ruren.

In the future, you can entrust all the trivial matters of the inner court³ to them. You can just focus on resting in peace and recuperating.”

Originally she was planning on sending the two concubines to Zhao-wang‘s residence tonight, but in consideration of Hua-ruren who was injured after saving Zhao-wang, she decided to give Hua-ruren some face and send the two concubines after Hua-ruren recovered from her injuries.

This way, Hua-ruren will also have more opportunities to spend time alone with Zhao-wang, which can be considered a reward in disguise for her.

Li Ji responded indifferently:

“Mn.”

There were already many women in his inner court. Most of them were arranged by Ningyang-gongzhu, others were sent by the Emperor and Empress.

After those women arrived at his residence, Li Ji immediately sent them all into the inner court, so they’ve never even seen his face.

At this moment, these women were gathering in front of the Liuli Pavilion where Hua Manman lives.

They were all dressed gorgeously and painted a picture of swaying flowering branches, and they had come to pay respects to Hua-ruren who had just officially entered the household.

Hua Manman looked at this large group of orioles and swallows⁴ chattering pleasantly, gathered over single man, in front of her. She couldn’t help but sigh in her heart. To be a Wangye in ancient times really is fortunate; to think that one man can have so many beautiful young ladies.

Ever since they were sent to Zhao-wang‘s residence, they haven’t even seen Zhao-wang‘s face, so naturally none of them have a rank or title.

Therefore, when they all bowed to Hua Manman, they all addressed themselves as “servant”.

Hua Manman didn’t waste time putting on airs. After she exchanged greetings with them with a smile, she signaled for them to leave.

However, two girls were unwilling to leave.

Notes

“unwilling to lose either the palm or the back of one’s hands” = an idiom meaning that means you cannot choose between one or the other because you’re fond of both options. The literal translation is “both the palm and back of one’s hands are made of flesh”. I’d love to know the story behind this idiom if there is one.
-shi = suffix that denotes a person’s family name. Think of it like how you’d use “Miss [Last Name]”. This is also the same -shi suffix of Hua Manman’s mother, He-shi.
Inner Court = basically the personal apartments where everyone officially registered in the household resides. Managing an inner court includes managing a household’s personnel and concubines. Can also be translated as “back palace”.
“orioles and swallows” = originally this just meant “a crowd of women chattering pleasantly, like the sounds of orioles and swallows.” Now it has a more derogatory meaning of “a crowd of women all going after the same goal/man”.

Whew, lots of notes this time!

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HDWWA Chapter 25

Must be Severely Punished!

Hua Manman had thought that she was out of her mind when she had rushed forward so foolishly to protect Zhao-wang.

But after waking up from her dream, she realized that she hadn’t lost her mind at all.

She had seen a familiar shadow in Rouwan-junzhu‘s expression.

A shadow of her father.

With open jaws and piercing claws, full of ferocity and violence, just like a man-eating monster.

Back when she was being abused by her father, she always held hope that someone would come to save her.

It turns out this hope turned into a lingering obsession.

It prompted her to rush forward when Rouwan-junzhu tried to attack.

No one was able to become her savior.

Then she’ll be the one to fulfill this obsessive wish in her heart.

The next day, rumors about the fight between Zhao-wang and Rouwan-junzhu spread all over the capital.

For outsiders who didn’t know the details of what happened, when they first heard that Zhao-wang dared to stir trouble with his own biological mother, they thought it was incredibly treasonous.

There were even officials who immediately submitted an impeachment of Zhao-wang.

‘The current Emperor rules the country with filial piety. Such a disobedient and unfilial person must be severely punished!’

Under such pressure, the Emperor sent someone to summon Zhao-wang into the palace in order to inquire about the truth of the matter in person.

Although he was facing the Emperor with supreme authority, Li Ji didn’t feel very nervous. He sat in his wheelchair with a blank expression on his face.

The Emperor first inquired about Li Ji’s injury, then asked an imperial physician to check on Li Ji.

With the pleasantries out of the way, the Emperor only then seemed to have remembered to ask about the matter with Rouwan-junzhu.

“I heard that you went back to Duke Zhen’s Residence yesterday and had an unpleasant quarrel with your mother?”

“Mn¹,” Li Ji responded calmly.

The Emperor sighed helplessly.

“I know that Duke Zhen’s death has nothing to do with you, but your mother refuses to believe this fact. She seems to be convinced that you’re responsible for Duke Zhen’s death.

I even asked the Empress to persuade her, but she wouldn’t listen.

There’s really nothing I can do about this.

Fortunately, you’ve already moved out of Duke Zhen’s Residence now, so you don’t have to live with her every day.”

“My apologies for troubling Your Majesty with this,” Li Ji said in an emotionless voice.

“The rumors this time arose very strangely,” the Emperor said. “Would you like me to help you investigate the circumstances?”

“No need, I know who did it,” Li Ji said.

Hearing this, the Emperor stopped discussing this matter. He offered some gentle words as comfort, and in the end even permitted Li Ji to remain in the palace for lunch.

By the time Li Ji left the palace it was already afternoon.

At the gates of the palace, there was already a carriage from the Grand Eldest Gongzhu² Ningyang’s Residence waiting for him.

The servant stepped forward to salute him, respectful and sincere.

“Wangye, Her Highness the Grand Eldest Gongzhu invites you to her residence to have a meeting.”

Li Ji gave a slight nod in response.

He knew that for Ningyang-gongzhu to invite him over at this time, it must be to discuss the matter with Rouwan-junzhu.

Sure enough, he was correct.

Once Ningyang-gongzhu saw him, she began playing peacemaker as soon as she opened her mouth.

“The blow that Duke Zhen’s death dealt to your mother was too heavy, it was too much for her to bear, so something went wrong with her mind.

No matter what she says, don’t take any of it to heart.

You are still her child that she bore for 10 months, and her cherished darling. She has always loved you.”

Li Ji smiled lightly, but it was a mocking smile.

“Really?”

He had also once believed that there was no mother in this world who could not love her children.

But the facts proved to him that he was too naïve.

Rouwan-junzhu never loved him.

In this world, there is no one who could ever love him unconditionally.

Ningyang-gongzhu tried to persuade him for a long time, until her mouth became dry from talking, but Li Ji’s expression remained calm and unmoved, obviously not listening to what she was saying.

Notes

Mn = an onomatopoeia, more like a grunt of affirmation. A very casual/informal way of saying yes, just to show how casual Li Ji is being to the Emperor.
Gongzhu = Princess, just figured I should try to be consistent with italicizing titles.

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