After returning to the hotel, the first thing Liu Man did was to find Yu Zhan in his room.
As Yu Zhan opened the door, he looked at her unduly reticently. He did not say anything and opened the door to let her in. He must have drunk coffee just now, for an aroma of coffee had not yet dissipated in the room.
Liu Man turned around to face the man walking towards her and introduced herself as if it were the first time they were meeting,
“My name is Liu Man.”
Yu Zhan said, “Mhm.” He knew very well that this Liu Man was not the other one, “Sit down before you talk,” He let Liu Man sit on his bed while he sat on a chair in a listening posture.
“My mother isn’t Zhang Pei, but an unknown ge ji in the Han Dynasty surnamed Zhao. My father was Liu Kan, Emperor Ping of the Han Dynasty. Other people hated my mother and her sister for being overly favored, and both were demoted to the cold palace. She was already pregnant then, and conditions in the cold palace were difficult. She died while giving birth to me, so I was raised by my aunt and Madam Xu. Madam Xu was initially a high-ranking concubine who entered the cold palace because of her father. Madam Xu taught me calligraphy and how to play the Guqin…”
TL’s Note: Ge ji was a name used for beauties, mostly servants, who entertain and sing.
“I was seventeen when my aunt caught a cold. Because there was no medication available, the minor illness eventually turned into a lung disease and caused her to pass away.”
“Madam Xu passed away after three years, too. She was originally a pampered young lady from a well-off family and the most talented woman in the world, but she spent twenty arduous years in the cold palace. She became ill from overwork and died of depression.”
“I lived alone for four years. Perhaps seeing my loneliness, the servants despised me more and more. The night before I came to this world was coincidentally Laba. The palace held a banquet, and cheering and laughter were everywhere. Only the cold palace was dead silent. I was so cold that I lost consciousness, and at that time, I thought it would be nice to die so I could reunite with my loved ones. I didn’t expect that when I opened my eyes again, I would turn into this modern girl with the same name.”
TL’s Note: Laba is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated at the beginning of the Chinese New Year period.
“This is my story.”
Liu Man told the whole truth about her background in an understating tone. If he had not seen her childhood living environment with his own eyes, Yu Zhan would have thought she was telling the plot of a TV series. He could never understand the resentment she felt when she sent Little Zhao away and the sadness when she accompanied Madam Xu in her dying moments. Neither could he ever imagine how she survived the last four years alone in the cold palace.
All Yu Zhan’s self-blame and regret turned into a sigh, “I should have brought you with me back then.”
Liu Man smiled and shook her head,
“If I had left with you, who would attend to my aunt and Madam Xu when they passed away? Besides, I lived a happy life when they were alive.”
Yu Zhan stepped forward and took her in his arms, feeling distressed and embracing her tightly, “I finally understand why you try to be so strong.”
“Not strong enough to survive in the cold palace. Many people die after coming in before living past their first year. They commit suicide, die of illness, get murdered… I heard that when I was just born, the emperor planned to poison me. Later, the queen persuaded him to let me stay in the cold palace to fend for myself. How lucky I was to live to be 24 years old.”
Yu Zhan recalled the leader he had seen meeting with ministers in the main hall. He could not comment on Liu Man’s biological father. The nature of “being a poisonous tiger but not eating its own child” did not exist in the royal family.
TL’s Note: “A poisonous tiger not eating its own child” is an idiom that indicates even villains would not kill their children.
“Have you realized? I am the same age as you,” Liu Man, in Yu Zhan’s arms, raised her head to look at him. She blinked and smiled.
Yu Zhan stared into her eyes. These big eyes aligned with modern people’s aesthetics but were completely different from the little girl’s upslanting eyes, “What did you look like when you grew up?”
“Not prettier than this Liu Man,” She said honestly, “Compared with her, I’m a servant, and she seems more like a princess.”
Liu Man could not help but laugh, “Silly girl, some things are more noble than appearance. If this Liu Man was so good, why was she unknown to people before you came, failing countless academic exams and not having many friends? You’re useless if you only have good looks.”
“Honestly, she is much stronger than I. She ascended to the position of queen using my body, and the difficulties and obstacles she encountered were much greater than mine. I admire her very much. Maybe her personality suits my era better.”
Liu Man also told Yu Zhan about what Zhang Pei dreamed of.
As she mentioned the body’s original owner, Liu Man suddenly recalled something and clarified, “Oh, right. I said before that I had a crush on Tang Tu, but truthfully, this Liu Man liked him, but I didn’t. I had never come into contact with men, so who could I have a crush on? You are the first person I have ever liked…”
He stroked her long hair and said, “I disagree with what you just said. Not only am I the first person you’ve liked, but I’m also the first man you were in contact with.”
“But I’ve always thought you are a ‘eunuch.’”
Yu Zhan: “…”
“Looks like I haven’t made you understand what it means to be a real man yet.”
“No, no, no,” Liu Man hurriedly buried her head into his arms, afraid that he would kiss her again, “I was young then, and twenty years have passed, so I’ve long forgotten what you look like. Besides, how could a man openly appear in the imperial harem? You are probably the only person in history who has wandered around in the imperial palace in pajamas and slippers.”
TL’s Note: See the Author’s Note at the bottom of this chapter.
“If I had only brought my phone to take photos, film videos, and upload them to the internet, I would certainly become famous.”
Liu Man burst into laughter.
Yu Zhan pinched her blushing cheeks, “I’m regretting not taking pictures of what you looked like when you were little.”
“I don’t remember it myself.”
“I still remember it; it’s fresh in my mind.”
Yu Zhan thought he must have been the only person in this world to know Liu Man’s true appearance as a child.
Author’s Note: Here is the third update today! ML and FL initially had their first kiss in this chapter, but this has been modified. It’s just a tiny change and will not affect the plot.
TL’s Note: Dang it. My guess is that the kiss happened right after Liu Man told Yu Zhan that he was the first man she liked. ;-;
Next Chapter
Translated by: Sydney
Vandez Translations 