TL Corner: 2/2 for this week.
One fine afternoon, Su Jin and her entourage finally arrived at the capital after a month of travel. Paying extra attention to the elderly and young kids, they journeyed at a slow and comfortable pace, making frequent interim stops to avoid fatigue and burnout.
One of Liao Ping’s subordinate was already been waiting outside the gates to receive them. Since Liao Ping had no idea when his boss was expected to arrive, he had arranged for his men to take turns waiting at the gates every day.
Su Jin instructed her housekeeper to complete the registration for their entry permits, which took a considerable amount of time due to the size of their entourage.
Upon hearing news of Su Jin’s arrival, Liao Ping put down his tasks and rushed over to greet her in person.
……
“Boss…”
Wiping the perspiration off his forehead, he broke into a smile.
His long-awaited boss had finally arrived!
Su Jin casually waved her hand to return his greeting, “Let’s settle down first. Has our accommodation been prepared?”
“Affirmative! As per your instructions, we have purchased several plots of land, placing higher emphasis on the size and area. All preparations are complete and the mansion is ready for moving-in. In addition, the restaurants and shops are all set to open for business at any moment’s notice.”
Su Jin turned and faced her family with a smile.
“Let’s not delay any longer… to our new home we go!”
(It’s time to shake things up in the capital!)
……
The estate prepared by Liao Ping was located at the prime area of the western district in the capital, just a street away from the most prestigious Boyuan Academy in the capital. Considering the convenience of commuting to school from this location after Su Nian moves in in the future, Liao Ping finally decided on this area.
The mansion had undergone major renovation and was now affixed with the brand new plaque of its new owner. While their new home was spacious and comfortable, the overall size paled in comparison to their former estate back at Fengyuan County.
Making up her mind to expand her estate, especially for the sake of growing crops, Su Jin planned to work extra hard to afford the hefty price tag of such land in the capital.
Noticing that the Su family had started to unpack their belongings, Chen Beiqing, who had been accompanying them throughout the entire trip, took a step forward and asked Su Jin, “When do you plan to accompany big brother to the Chen residence? I am sure our mother would be elated with your visit.”
He had an anxious look, seemingly afraid that Su Jin might change her mind.
Qin Shi’s hands ceased moving and fell into a silent daze as soon as she heard his question.
She had only found out recently, that the man who had been travelling with them turned out to be Su Jin’s biological elder brother. Although Su Jin had tried to reassure her, it failed to alleviate Qin Shi’s worries.
Catching a glimpse of the state of her mother, who had been listening to their conversation, Su Jin sighed internally, realizing that she had been lacking in tact.
Su Jin moved to the back and hooked her arm around Qin Shi, as she replied with a grin, “I will definitely make a trip there, but at a later date. After all, certain matters are best clarified upfront to avoid any potential entanglements in the future. Don’t you agree as well, Mom?”
Su Jin hugged and snuggled up to Qin Shi. She wanted to make up for her mistake of failing to address her mother’s insecurities.
Chen Beiqing was able to read the mood and did not pursue any further. He nodded towards Qin Shi and headed out of the mansion.
Leaning her head against Qin Shi’s shoulder, Su Jin affectionately consoled her.
“I won’t be going anywhere, Mom. This will always be my home, and you will always be my mother.”
Feeling awkward with the sudden mushy atmosphere, Qin Shi lightly smacked Su Jin on her forehead, pretending to be irritated, “You’re already a grown up. Don’t you feel embarrassed to behave in such manner? Move aside, there are plenty of belongings left to be unpacked. Don’t get in the way.”
As she told Su Jin off, Qin Shi briskly walked out of the hall, subconsciously leaking a smile on her face.
……
It was almost sunset by the time they finished packing and settled down. Too exhausted to cook for dinner, they headed towards a nearby restaurant.
Upon Su Jin’s request, the waiter led them to a large private suite, where Su Jin casually ordered various signature dishes while she wiped her children’s hands.
As everyone was waiting for their food to arrive, a sudden burst of cheers and applause came from downstairs.
Su Jin adjusted the blinds of the window in their private suite and glanced outside, while her two little kids squeezed over with her, showing interest in the sudden commotion.
What came to their view was a gentleman dressed like a bard, standing on an elevated platform in the centre. Clad in a long robe with a folding fan in his hands, he spoke eloquently, capturing the attention and enthusiasm of the crowd as they applauded from time to time.
Su Jin was bored by the performance and quickly lost interest. But at that very next moment, she heard a familiar poem recited by that gentleman.
“The wind has ceased as dusts settled; yet the fragrant flowers have long since withered.
The cycle of dawn and dusk repeated endlessly; and far too languid I have become to groom my hair…” 1TL Note: Poetry makes it appearance again. This time, it’s a work by Li Qingzhao, titled Wulingchun. 李清照·《武陵春·风住尘香花已尽》 Original poem in the raw – ‘风住尘香花已尽，日晚倦梳头……’
Su Jin: “…”
(Hold up… isn’t that a modern work? Is this poet a transmigrated person too? Could it be that… transmigration had become the trending craze now?)
Her doubts grew as she fixated her gaze on the gentleman, considering whether to keep him under surveillance until she heard his following words.
“I am certain that everyone present must have heard of this amazing work. That’s right! This is one of the masterpiece composed by none other than the capital’s number one most talented young lady, the unprecedented and unparalleled, Miss Xinyue!”
The surrounding scholars were fascinated by the beauty and depth of the poem, rhythmically swaying their heads as they savoured the profound meaning of the literature.
A few even went as far as to record the poem on the spot with their personal writing materials.
“Living up to her fame as the most talented woman in the entire capital, her literary competence truly knows no bounds!”
“A lady blessed with both beauty and talent… I wonder who could possibly have the honour of becoming her husband in the future.”
“Rumour has it that the young scion from the Earl Chengyuan household had sent out three marriage proposals till date, but all of them were flatly rejected by the Chen family. There are only a handful of eligible bachelors with status exceeding an Earl household.”
“Commoners like us with insignificant family background can only dream of it.”
Another round of sigh echoed throughout the crowd, as those scholars lamented their poor luck of not being born with a golden spoon.
Su Jin watched the entire incident through the “live broadcast” screen projected by the System.
Su Jin: “…”
(That Xin… whatever her name was again… Did she transmigrate here as well? She sure had it good… Could she perhaps be a secret child of the god of transmigration?)
(Wait up… Chen Family? Chen Xinyue?!)
A thought flashed across Su Jin’s mind, as she recalled what the system had said to her in the past.
“System, I have a question for you,” Su Jin spoke in a formal tone.
Unaccustomed to her serious manner of speech, the System was puzzled and started to feel nervous with guilt.
(Did she find out that I had been skiving at work?)
The System replied in a hushed voice, “What’s… up?”
With her keen ears, Su Jin could tell from its guilt-ridden tone that the System was thinking about something dumb again. She sighed, feeling glad that this little fool had fallen into her hands instead. Anyone else would have been easily fooled by that act .
“Who was the person you were supposed to bind with initially?”
The system froze up and fell into a trance.
What could its host be talking about?
After thinking for a while, the System finally snapped back to reality. That’s right… it used to be designed for palace politics and conflicts.
Why did its host bring this up at this timing? Did she want to settle old scores?
(Does she no longer need me?)
“I have been bound to you…” The System secretly took a peek at Su Jin, before crossing its hands and declaring to her, “You can’t get rid of me!”
(Hell no!)
Su Jin facepalmed.
“Dial back your wild imagination! I merely wanted to know who it was, since I might have an encounter with her soon. ”
“Ah… ehehe… So that’s what it was about… I misunderstood you for a moment. Just to be clear, I have sworn my unwavering loyalty to you till eternity and beyond!”
The System proudly declared with its chest puffed out, seizing the opportunity to reiterate its fealty with a straight face, as if afraid that Su Jin might suspect something from its earlier behaviour.
“Alright, fine, good child. So, do you remember what her name was?”
“No idea. I recognize the host based on the soul’s fluctuation. I… it was my first time too, you know.”
“Okay then, we will investigate tonight. I have a feeling that it might be the same young lady from the Chen family whom I have a score to settle with.”
“Okie dokie!”
……
After finishing their meal, the Su family returned home straight to have an early rest.
Leveraging on the cover provided by the darkness, Su Jin sneaked out alone and made her way to the Chen family residence, based off the information she had inquired in advance.
“System, keep an eye on the surroundings.”
“No problem, leave it to me!”
Under the shade of the night, the entire vicinity of the Chen residence was serene and noiseless, in contrast to the hustle and bustle during daytime. Su Jin retraced the old path she had taken years ago from her memory and arrived at the deserted outer courtyard.
With an effortless flip over the wall, she managed to infiltrate the interior of the manor.
For unknown reasons, the outer courtyard had been completely cordoned off, devoid of any source of artificial light. Under the dim moonlight, the entire area gave off an eerie atmosphere.
This was accompanied by the intermittent moaning and groaning sounds in the background, originating from a distance away. As a gust of cold wind blew past, one of the abandoned rooms echoed back with faint ‘wooo’-ing sounds. Any faint hearted individual would have been scared out of their wits!
Su Jin, who had only done the deed once across her several lifetimes, felt a little perplexed as she scratched her head. She became curious, wondering if she should have a quick peek.
The System scanned the interior of that room ahead of its host, its eyes widened as it uncontrollably sneaked a peek. But in the next moment, it quickly covered its face with its little hands.
(How indecent! My eyes have been tainted!)
Turning back to its approaching host, the System sounded a little awkward.
“Host, there is nothing interesting to see here. Shall we investigate elsewhere?”
It was a suggestion that someone of Su Jin’s personality would never accept. How could she allow the System to keep all the fun to itself?
She sneakily took a peek, squinting her eyes as she looked inside through the gaps of the broken door frame.
Su Jin: “…”
(Damn… that’s quite stimulating! So we can even do it with that kind of posture?)
Her eyes flashed as she seemed to gain some form of enlightenment.
“Oi… host. Stop peeking… Come on … Let’s go.” The System half-heartedly urged Su Jin to leave with an embarrassed expression, while taking another peek for itself.
Su Jin took one final glance at the appearance of the man and woman, before turning away.
She cleared her throat and put up a serious guise. “Don’t speak nonsense. Under the darkness of the night, how could I manage to see anything? Or do you mean… you were able to see something?”
She squinted her eyes and scrutinized the System.
System: “…”
Clenching its tiny fist, the System quietly endured, deciding not to argue back about its host’s excellent night vision ability.
Straightening its back, the System loudly proclaimed, “I am a prim and pious System! Don’t you dare slander the pure and innocent me!”
Su Jin: “…”
Both of them tacitly agreed to let the matter rest, as they shifted their attention to continue with their investigations.
TL Corner: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Do let me know in the comments or discord if there are any errors or mistakes.
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Thank you!
