IBTSOME Chapter 39 Part 2: Second Qian

I BECAME THE STEPMOTHER OF MY EX-HUSBAND

 

Chapter 39 Part 2: Second Qian

 

^^

 

This was not the first time Lin Wei Xi entered the palace, but it was the first time she entered the palace as Yan Wangfei. Wangfei would be put into imperial genealogy, so after Lin Wei Xi and Yan Wang get married, they also have to enter the palace to thank the Empress Dowager and the Empress. Now the Emperor was young and the harem was vacant, Lin Wei Xi was saved a lot of trouble and came directly to Cining Palace to kowtow to the Empress Dowager.

 

Gu Hui Yan took Gu Cheng Yao to see the emperor directly, Lin Wei Xi and Gao Ran were the only ones who went to Cining Palace. Lin Wei Xi saluted the Empress Dowager Qian under the guidance of palace eunuch in red: "This servant¹ is Yan Wangfei Lin shi, pay respect to the Empress Dowager. May the empress dowager flooded with good fortune that fills the sky, to have ten thousands blessing and good health."

 

Empress Dowager Qian sat on the throne. She was over thirty years old and not much older than Gu Hui Yan, but she already looked aged. Empress Dowager Qian’s appearance was not outstanding, and her temperament tends to be negative and bland. It was unknown whether she could not be favored by Emperor Muzong had anything to do with this.

 

Lin Wei Xi just got down to kneel, and Empress Dowager Qian said with a smile: "So this is Yan Wangfei, please get up quickly."

 

The palace maid next to Empress Dowager came to help Lin Wei Xi up. Lin Wei Xi firmly saluted, only then she stood up: "This servant is nervous, thanking the empress dowager niangniang² for her compassion."

 

Lin Wei Xi resolutely gave a full set of etiquette before getting up. Empress Dowager Qian didn't say anything about it, merely smiled and let people showed Lin Wei Xi a seat. After Lin Wei Xi sat down, Empress Dowager Qian took her eyes away from Lin Wei Xi, and cast a second glance at Gao Ran behind her, and smiled: "Aijia³ is old and useless, the palace hall also lifeless all day long. Yan Wangfei’s visit letting Aijia here be lively again. Look at you beautiful people. If you don’t tell me, who can guess that you two are mother-in-law and daughter-in-law? Even if you said you are sisters, people will believe it."

 

Gao Ran accompanied Lin Wei Xi to kowtow and saluted. Now that Lin Wei Xi could sit down, she still had to stand behind Lin Wei Xi and wait on her. Gao Ran was a little unhappy at first, but now hearing the words of the Empress Dowager, her mouth couldn't help stiffening.

 

Age is a woman’s Achilles hill. Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were said to looks like sisters. Of course, the mother-in-law would be proud of herself, but for the daughter-in-law, afraid it was not a happy thing.

 

Especially Lin Wei Xi and Gao Ran were about the same age, but Lin Wei Xi was a generation higher than Gao Ran. On all occasions, Lin Wei Xi was sitting and Gao Ran was standing. When Lin Wei Xi, the empress dowager and the others were talking, Gao Ran could only listen to them like a wooden stake. As long as there was Lin Wei Xi in the place, Gao Ran could only be the foil. When everyone came to say hello, Lin Wei Xi must be the first one to look at.

 

This was undoubtedly a huge gap for Gao Ran, who was accustomed to enjoying the honorable status as Yan Wang Shizi Consort. Gao Ran stood silently behind Lin Wei Xi, and felt an extremely absurd feeling for some reason, as if the situation had returned to before she got married, when she was a shu daughter and Gao Xi was a di daughter. Obviously the two were standing together, but all madams could only see Gao Xi and only Gao Xi. The same father but different fate, it was vividly shown with her and Gao Xi.

 

After Gao Ran managed to surpassed Gao Xi, inherited Gao Xi's generous dowry, and her noble husband, Gao Ran was finally able to replace her faintly jealous self and become the "Shizi Consort".

 

Gao Ran thought that this was like the saying after the cloud passed, the moon was bright, after bitterness finishes, the sweetness begin, but who would have thought that after less than a few months of comfortable life, Lin Wei Xi appeared. What's more absurd was that after five months, Lin Wei Xi became Gao Ran's mother-in-law. The power and position that Gao Ran scrambled to get hold of, already been taken away again. And this time it was even sadder. Gao Xi and she were sisters, but Lin Wei Xi was her mother-in-law.

 

After working hard to work out a strategy only to be beaten back to the original point after a few days without enjoying it, this feeling was extremely hard to bear.

 

Lin Wei Xi glanced to the back, didn't care about Gao Ran's mood at all, pursed her lips and smiled: "The Empress Dowager speak too highly of this servant. This servant’s insubstantial appearance how can it compared with Empress Dowager who has a blessed person splendor? Shizi Consort had receive empress dowager’s honor, but her aptitude is dull, still had many things to learn, and cannot live up Empress Dowager niangniang’s praise. This servant is also young, and still hope for the Empress Dowager niangniang to teach me."

 

The Empress Dowager Qian’s mentality had become old over the years, she believes in Gods and Buddhas, and liked to hear people say she was blessed. Hearing this Empress Dowager Qian's bland face burst with little vitality, she smiled and said: "Yan Wangfei is really clever, used to coaxing Aijia this old woman."

 

"How can this be coaxing?" Lin Wei Xi had dealt with Empress Dowager Qian in her previous life, and knew her preferences very well. Lin Wei Xi smiled more sincerely and said, "If Empress Dowager doesn't believe me, you might as well ask the people in the hall and let everyone say, whether or not the Empress Dowager is a person with long lasting happiness and profound grace?"

 

How could the people that served in Cining Palace dared to say no, of course they all agreed with a smile. Empress Dowager Qian was all smile, and her grudges towards Lin Wei Xi because Second Qian’s matters were also lessened a lot.

 

The Empress Dowager thought this way, but she still couldn't completely let go, so she said directly: "Two days ago, my sister-in-law came to the palace and talked to Aijia about Shizi Consort. Shizi Consort also really. Since Yan Wang already has the intention, why still promise to others?"

 

Gao Ran's heart suddenly dropped. Why Empress Dowager Qian suddenly talked about it on this occasion?

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1 It’s actually qie shen, it’s how an ancient woman called herself modestly, qiè (妾) means this concubine or this servant, shēn (身) means body, it should be translated as ‘this concubine body’ or ‘this servant body’, but that’s so awkward so I shorten it to ‘this servant’.^↩
2 Niangniang (娘娘) is actually has so many meaning, empress, mother, goddess, etc. in here it means the honorific name for the empress and imperial concubine.^↩
3 Aijia (哀家), it’s how the empress dowager referring to herself.^↩

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