Here is the translation:
When I first arrived in the north from the south, I wasn’t used to the dry weather. But being young, I didn’t have much homesickness and diligently followed the elder palace maid. I was just a teenage girl, still unsure of how to dress myself and show off my beauty, but I looked like a flower nonetheless.
After Taishang Huang retired, he didn’t have much interest in anything else except for wine, music, and women. One day, he saw me and thought I was quite lovely, so he had me brought to serve him. Unbeknownst to him, I got pregnant that very night.
Taishang Huang had many children in the past, but recently, his health had declined, and he hadn’t had any more children in a while. So, when he heard that I was pregnant, he was overjoyed. He even wanted to move out of the Daxing Palace and into the Da’an Palace, but that plan was eventually scrapped.
After giving birth to a son, I became known as Lady Liu. Since there were no other women pregnant in the Da’an Palace, the child became Taishang Huang’s youngest son, Li Yuanying. People say that the youngest son is the most beloved, and Taishang Huang indeed doted on him. He would often have the child brought to him, and he was delighted to see him play and cause mischief.
As the child grew older, he became more and more mischievous. One time, I saw him climb onto Emperor Li’s lap and try to pull his beard, which made me so nervous that I almost knelt down to beg for mercy. Thankfully, Emperor Li was very magnanimous and didn’t scold him, only commenting that the child had a lot of energy.
We lived like this for five years until Taishang Huang passed away. I thought that I and my son would be settled in a small place, but unexpectedly, the Empress Dowager decided to keep my son in the Daxing Palace.
I had been to the Daxing Palace before, when Taishang Huang was still in power, and there were many officials who came to visit him. Later, as Taishang Huang’s health declined, fewer officials came to visit, and he eventually moved out of the Daxing Palace.
I never thought I’d have the opportunity to return there. Compared to when Taishang Huang was alive, my life with my son was much more restricted. I had to discipline him and make sure he didn’t get too spoiled. My son didn’t seem to understand, and only after I cried several times did he start listening to me. Every day, he would obediently learn to read and draw.
I gradually let my guard down. As my son grew older, his thoughts became more complicated, and I was worried about how he would turn out. After the Empress Dowager passed away, Emperor Li didn’t pay much attention to my son, leaving him to play with his friends.
One day, my son’s intelligence and wisdom began to shine, and Emperor Li started paying attention to him again. I was a bit uneasy, but my son would only tell me happy stories and never mentioned any troubles.
There were some things that we both understood but couldn’t say out loud. We lived in the Daxing Palace, and there were only a few people who had been with us from the beginning.
Although it was unlikely that anyone would notice our conversations, there were some things that were better left unsaid. Even my young son understood this principle.
In those years in Tengzhou, I experienced a freedom and relaxation that I had never felt before. My son even got married.
However, my son was a bit biased towards his daughters-in-law, saying that they should spoil his sons rotten. I felt sorry for my unborn grandsons and decided to take good care of them.
My two grandsons were born in Huating. At that time, the weather was bad outside, and my son wasn’t around. I was worried sick and couldn’t settle down until the two grandsons were born.
When the skies cleared, I heard the sound of the babies crying in the delivery room. I was overjoyed and rushed in to see my daughter-in-law and the two grandsons. My son had instructed that anyone who entered the delivery room had to change their clothes and wash their hands, as newborns and mothers were very vulnerable and couldn’t be exposed to external illnesses.
I had held my son when he was just a baby, and now, holding my grandsons in my arms, I felt an indescribable emotion. These were my grandsons!
As my son grew older, I couldn’t be too close to him anymore. I had almost forgotten what he looked like as a child, and now, as I held my two precious grandsons, I felt that I had nothing left to wish for in life except to take good care of them.
I thought my son would be disappointed, but he turned out to be very fond of his grandsons, often playing with them and even taking them on outings. It was tiring for my daughter-in-law, who had to handle all the household chores.
The two grandsons were named by Emperor Li, with the elder one named Xun Qi and the younger one named Xun Jin. The brothers were different from the start, with Xun Qi taking after his mother and Xun Jin taking after his father.
Whether in Huating or Chang’an, the Wang mansion was always bustling with activity. Once the children grew a bit older, my son would take them back to Tengzhou to show them how prosperous it had become. This would make Xun Qi and Xun Jin extremely proud, and they would boast to everyone that they were from Tengzhou.
Many people would tease them, saying they had never heard of Tengzhou, and the children would get upset and insist on telling them about how great Tengzhou was. It was amusing to see them arguing with others.
Compared to when we first arrived in Chang’an, I was no longer as worried. My son had grown up, and his wings were strong enough to protect us.
My son had his own ambitions, and as a mother, I couldn’t help him much. I could only try not to hold him back.
The two grandsons grew up carefree until they were four or five years old. The Wang mansion finally welcomed a new member, another grandson named Xun Yu, given to him by Emperor Li.
When my son heard that it was another grandson, he was overjoyed and started crying, saying it was the happiest day of his life.
Everyone knew that he had been waiting for a daughter for so long, and they all came to congratulate him and drink with him. The next morning, my son went to see his grandsons, holding them in his arms and cooing over them like they were the most precious treasure in the world.
Everyone was touched by the scene, but they let him enjoy the moment.
I smiled as I watched my son play with his grandsons, feeling that I had no more regrets in life.
—
Author’s note:
I’ve had a grandson! Update!
These past few days, I’ve been feeling a bit anxious. I discovered that someone had bought a lot of cheap chapters (half-price) to get bonus rewards (a bottle of nourishing fluid), and it seems that this method has been used for a long time.
It’s hard to change anything, so I’ll just focus on writing each chapter to the best of my ability.
Yesterday, on Thursday, the rankings changed, and my mood was affected again. I’ve already written over 80,000 words, and I’ve basically reached the top of all the rankings. There’s nothing more to expect, but two weeks ago, my editor told me to write more side stories, saying that they would help me reach the top of the rankings.
I’ve written over ten side stories, but I still haven’t reached the top. Maybe it’s because my writing isn’t good enough. I’ve basically given up on expecting anything. Without expectations, there’s no disappointment.
I’ll just continue writing and not bother the editor. Who knows, maybe I’ll get lucky.
It’s been said that there’s a strange rule in ancient times, where the top three rankings on Jinjiang are the app rankings, wap rankings, and library rankings. Right now, the library ranking is the best, but my editor said that the rules prohibit us from reaching it because the revenue is too high.
So, I’m feeling anxious.
I’ve never reached the library ranking on Jinjiang, and I’ve always wanted to. I thought I was writing a slow-paced ancient novel, but it turns out that the reason I haven’t reached the top is because the revenue is too high.
Maybe I’ll start writing a new novel, “Da Guo Yi,” and change the theme to something else. I’ve been writing similar novels for a while now, so I’ll take a break and start again.
I’ll wait for a few months before starting “Huan Xi San Guo.” Give me a few months, and I’ll try to reach the top rankings again.
I’ve been writing for so many years, spanning genres from BL to fantasy to ancient times. I’ve never reached the top rankings, and it’s really frustrating.
But I’ll keep going, and I hope that everyone will continue to support me. Without you, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Please give me another chance!
(Note: The author is expressing their frustration with the rankings and revenue system on Jinjiang, a popular Chinese novel platform. They are feeling anxious and defeated but will continue to write and try to reach the top rankings.)
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