Time travel to the daily life of the Qing Dynasty Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I mtl and I am only doing the 1st chapter bc I wanted to be able to add this to NU lol. Tbh I'm not "translating" this bc I think this is so incredible that everyone has to read it. I'm adding it so I can remember I read some of it by being able to add it my NU list 😂.

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I didn't read too far, but I think you'll only like this if:

a. You like food-loving relaxed chill MC who is just enjoying life after time traveling here from modern times

b. You are interested in the Qing Dynasty & like realistic interpretations of royalty's backhouse

c. But with an ML who (according to other descriptions) loves the MC the most while still doing his "duty" too with his other woman that he has in the backhouse.

d. Aka he's not just having sex with the MC be aware, but everyone knows he loves her the most... (I conceptually get it.. sure..)

e. There are pretty well described scenes of sex. It's not explicit but it's by no means that vague. Idk I put the mature / r-18 tag but I don't even think it's that hardcore. I just didn't know a better tag. The mc is 14 i think & the ml is 17.

(This is largely left unedited bc it's too long of a chapter & I don't care enough about it. Feel free to retranslate the 1st chapter.)

() <-- my occasional comments

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Chapter 1

Autumn, the 34th year of Kangxi's reign. The Forbidden City (I'm skipping a word here)

The palace maid Yu Ping asked Li Wei with some worry: "Gege (master?), are you really eating mutton today?" Without waiting for Li Wei's answer, she went on by herself and said, "What if the fourth brother comes? It's good to eat something vegetarian in this weather." "The mutton is so dry. You still have to eat grilled meat skewers, drink some melon and vegetable soup, and eat black fungus mixed with it. Wouldn't it be nice? It's refreshing and appetizing."

Li Wei put down the embroidery sample booklet in her hand and said nothing.

In order to explain to her, she directly ordered: "I want to eat it. You can go directly to the dining room and tell them to put more chili powder and cumin powder. The meat should be cut into pieces as big as the belly of a finger, and the fat should be divided into half and thin. It should be roasted. Drip oil, salty sesame oil is the best! No Sichuan peppercorns are allowed, just add a pot of mutton soup base with it, add some vermicelli , vermicelli, fried tofu, day lily, and let them watch the rest. Just sesame scones."

With a grimace, Yu Ping went to the dining room to order the night market food stall menu. On the way, she happened to meet Fujin's maid, Pomegranate(Shiliu?? Idk), who also went to the dining room to order, and the two of them walked together. Although the dining room is still in the elder brother's house, even if it is outside after the fourth elder brother's yard, the two young maids are still a little scared. 　

　Shiliu is older than Yuping. She is sixteen, and she is one of the top people in Fujin's house, but there are too many capable people around Fujin to make her stand out. The two of them arrived at the dining room one after another. Yuping stepped back and let Shiliu speak first. Shiliu ordered two cold and four hot, two soups and four pastries and then left. However, she was not in a hurry to leave and stood on the third floor. Waiting for the jade bottle far away.

Yu Ping explained Li Wei's night market food stalls in detail, and the eunuch in the kitchen listened carefully. In the past two years, Li Wei had only ordered a few things, so the kitchen specially hired a young eunuch to learn how to cook this . The more he did it, the better he got. Tasty. "Look, miss, let's leave it to Xiao Lizi. He is used to doing this. Do you want anything else, Gege?" the old eunuch said with a smile. Yu Ping didn't say anything and Li Wei changed the menu but was a little frustrated and said: "You guys watch and serve the rest. Gege really loves the sour plum soup you served. Just let me carry a jar and leave." The old eunuch turned around and waved.

The middle-aged eunuch with a pale face and beard took a small purple-red pottery urn from the little eunuch on the side, but did not hand it to the jade vase. The old eunuch took it and turned around and gave it to a little eunuch who was eleven or twelve years old and said: "Where can I work?" The girl can carry it with her own hands? Let the child follow the girl."

Yu Ping didn't insist. She was also quite respectable among the palace maids. Carrying a pottery urn with her own hands was indeed not very impressive. It would be best to have someone do it for her. She also paid her respects to him . He smiled slightly like an eunuch and said, "Thank you, grandpa, for loving me."

The old eunuch stood and accepted it, took two steps away with a smile, and watched the Pomegranate and the Yuping go away together. Pomegranate and Yuping walked into Si Age's courtyard and separated. Pomegranate went to the main courtyard, and Yu Ping turned onto a side road.

　　There are many elder brothers living in the courtyard of the elder brother's house now. among the elder brothers, only the eldest elder brother has left the palace and built a mansion. The third elder brother to the eighth elder brother all live here, but the ninth elder brother and the tenth prince is still living with the concubine in the harem when he is young, but it is time for him to come in next year.

　　Because the brothers live in a crowded place, the yards are not built exactly the same, so there are some big and some small, the location is good and bad, and the scenery inside is also good and bad.

　　The fourth elder brother has followed his adoptive mother, Queen Xiao Yiren, since he was a child. When queen xiao yiren died, his biological mother Wu Ya was granted the title of Concubine De, and she already gave birth to two sons and two daughters. No one dared to look down upon him, so the fourth elder brother the courtyard is not the largest in my elder brother's house, but it has the best view and the best location.

　　The third elder brother who entered the elder brother's house two years earlier than him had already fallen out of favor with the emperor because of his mother's concubine ma jia, and the courtyard was not as good as his. The only one left who can compare with the fourth elder brother is the fifth elder brother from Guo Luoluo's Yi Fei. Not to mention the seventh and eighth princes.

　　Therefore, the main courtyard where fourth brother Fujin (I believe correct me if I'm wrong, this is the term for official wife) lived had two entrances and eighteen rooms. From the door came a wide road with various exquisite flowers and trees on both sides of the road. There are eight large tanks filled with water in the corner, with bowls of lotus floating on them, and various rare goldfish raised below.

　　Pomegranate came in from the corridor on the right and walked lightly in front of the main room. There was a young eunuch and a young palace maid standing guard in front of the house. When they saw her coming, they immediately lowered their body and saluted, but this was not called a blessing. When serving in front of the master, the maids and eunuchs are not allowed to make a sound unless the master speaks.

　　Pomegranate (a servant's name by which I can't be bothered to find what is her actual non mtl name is) waved her hand and gently opened the curtain and went in.

　　There were also two palace maids standing in the main room. When they saw her, they were also squatting half-full. Shiliu waved her hands and went to the study on the left. just before she came out, Fujin was copying scriptures here. Before going in, she glanced at the table. The large western clock in the hall had just chimed 11 noon, and the eunuch had already pinched it. It was good for telling time, but it was too big and sounded too loud when telling time.

　　In the study room, in addition to Fujin who was standing in front of the desk copying scriptures, there were also two maids and a nun guarding one side.

　　Shiliu thought about reporting Li Gege's order to Fujin, so she stood on the side of the desk.

　　Fujin Ulanala was only fourteen years old. although she was not much lower than Pomegranate and the other two palace maids in the room, her face still looked childish. She wore a long cheongsam of deep maroon with sky blue trim. Her figure had no curves. She wore a pair of half-inch-high flowerpot-soled shoes. She did not wear a flag on her head. she only had a comb on the back of her head. the front temples were smooth and smooth, with no stray hair in sight.

　　She has a serious face, and although she is young, no one dares to underestimate her. She had already seen Pomegranate when she came in just now and saw her standing there. after writing this chapter, she put down her pen and turned to sit on the couch. She took a sip of tea to moisten her throat before looking at pomegranate and waiting for her reply.

　　Pomegranate stepped forward and did a deep squat of wanfu, then stood up neatly, took two steps forward and whispered the menu on the jade bottle, then stepped back without saying a word, said wanfu again, and returned to stand in front of the two palace maids.

　　After hearing Pomegranate's words, Fujin acted as if he hadn't heard anything. She put down her tea bowl and went back to copy the scriptures. She took a deep breath after she finished copying the volume.

　　At this time, the four people in the room started to move. Shiliu and another eldest maid, Putao, went out and asked the little girl to fetch hot water and come in to wash Fujin's hands and face. Aunt fu in the room helped Fujin sit down carefully on the couch, and the rest the eldest palace maid, Hulu, knelt in front of the couch and took off the bottom of the flower pot for Fujin, and then gently rubbed her feet.

　　Fujin closed his eyes and rested for a while. Aunt fu kept looking at her lovingly. when she opened her eyes, she stepped forward and asked, "Should fujin get up now or take a rest?"

"Get up and let them pass the news.

After dinner, I have to copy another volume."

Fujin washed her face with a hot towel, cheered up and asked Hulu to put her shoes on again.

　　Aunt fu said distressedly: "FuJin, let's take a nap first after dinner." The waist, back, legs and feet were the most affected while standing while copying scriptures. After copying two volumes of scriptures a day, my legs were swollen by night.

　　"Mommy," Fujin shook his head in disapproval, "This is my filial piety, how can I complain about being tired? Besides, I am tired like this, so what can I say about being more pious?" The more pious one is to kneel down and copy.

　　It's not that Fujin couldn't kneel down and copy, she was just afraid that people would say she was showing off her filial piety. In the palace, copying techniques like hers is just a matter of not losing anything. It’s not that there are people who don’t copy at all, but after all, copying is still better than not copying at all.

　　Aunt Fu clasped her hands together and said, "Amitabha! Don't blame the Buddha!" But she didn't dare to persuade him any more. She was afraid that if she continued to persuade Fujin, he would kneel down and copy. Then he wouldn't need his legs after kneeling for a day.

　　After a while, meals came to the dining room like a dragon, and three tables were set with cups, plates, and bowls. Fourth brother didn't come back at noon, and Fujin didn't let herself set up a large table to eat. She sat on the couch. The small kang table in front of her was filled with her favorite food, and the two small tables under the couch were also full. But she could barely move a chopstick.

　　After picking up a few bites of vegetables, eating a bowl of rice, and a bowl of soup, Fujin asked to leave. Aunt Fu stepped forward and advised: "Fu Jin has been tired all morning, why don't you use it more?"

　　Fujin waved his hand: "Remove, you can go and eat too. These dishes are all good and I haven't touched them. If you withdraw, you can share some of them."

　　The grapes and pomegranates were brought out together with the small table and handed over to the palace maids outside. , someone will naturally leave the good food inside for them. After waiting for Fujin to rinse his mouth, Aunt Fu brought two large pillows and placed them behind Fujin's back. She also moved the small kang table on the couch and said, "Fujin is a little crooked, please stop for a moment and copy again."

　　After finishing the meal, Fujin was also a little tired, but she was always used to finishing things first and then resting, otherwise she would not be able to rest properly, so she got up from the couch and said, "No need, it's the same as resting after copying." Aunt Fu

　　Aunt Fu tried her best to persuade her, but she was well aware of Fujin's habits, so she had to help her spread the paper and ask the gourd to grind the ink. But she thought in her heart that after she finished copying the scriptures, it would be time for the fourth elder brother to come back from his study. At that time, she would really not be able to rest. But she also understood that Fujin wanted to wait until the fourth elder brother came back, and she had just finished copying the scriptures, so that she could express her merits to the fourth elder brother. Otherwise, Fujin would only copy one volume a day, which would make her look slack and lazy.

　　Fujin copied the Lotus Sutra a hundred times after entering the palace, but she was thinking about what Pomegranate said about the roast lamb with extra chili that Li Gege specially asked for at noon.

　　After entering the palace, she had been dealing with the woman in the fourth elder brother's backyard for more than half a year. Song Gege was a gentle and a bit boring woman. Fourth elder brother only treated her lightly, but this Li Gege, she did not fight for the first place or pinch the point. She didn't like to show off her merits in front of the fourth elder brother, nor did she like to be attentive in front of her, but she just fell in the eyes of the fourth elder brother.

　　Fujin didn't take her seriously at first, but now she thinks she is a smart person. But with this intelligence, not only did she understand it, but Brother Si (the ML) also understood it clearly. It was precisely because Si Age (the ML) understood it that he took her to heart. But after she understood it, she didn't know what to do with Li Gege.

　　Fujin thought in her heart, no matter how smart Li Gege was, she would be shrewd, and the fourth elder brother would naturally not like him. If he was dumber, he would not be smart enough. She also has ways to treat her. This is really embarrassing for her now. (Even if I wanted to edit this I'd be confused as hell.)

　　Because Li Gege now really sticks to his duty, he knows how to stay away from her Fujin, and he is respectful and considerate even to Song Gege, who served the fourth elder brother before her. If she was pretending, Fujin would definitely find an opportunity to expose her, but she was sincere.

　　Fujin's pen couldn't help but become three points heavier. The last word of the sentence "With this wonderful wisdom, seek the supreme way" was written particularly sharply. It didn't look right when I looked at it from left to right, so I had to cut it out and copy it again.

　　Be calm, be calm. Fujin repeatedly warned himself that it was better for Li Gege to be really well-behaved than to be fake and naive. A sensible person can always negotiate.

　　Besides, she is just a Han woman.

　　On the other side, Li Wei devoured more than twenty skewers of mutton skewers at noon and drank two large bowls of mutton soup. Before dusk, she had two blisters on her mouth.

　　Yuping was anxious and angry, so she quickly picked up the aloe vera and jasper ointment with a hairpin and applied it to the corner of her mouth. He said with a sad face: "My dear Princess, why are you suffering from this? Not to mention the pain you will suffer after eating this, how many more people will you suffer?" God can no longer serve Fourth Brother!"

　　Li Wei now felt a tearing pain when she opened her mouth. She didn't even dare to speak, and said vaguely: "This is my only hobby, so don't read it."

　　Yu Ping, stomping her feet lightly, she said hurriedly: "Gege...!"

　　Li Wei looked in the mirror. She just washed her face before applying the medicine, and all the makeup and powder were washed away. She didn't apply any more, and only moisturized her lips with some lipstick.

　　She waved her hand casually to the jade bottle and said, "Stop standing there. I won't have any snacks tonight. Just drink some sour plum soup. You should go and tell Zhang Desheng now and let him remember to tell his master." There is one thing about the Yu Ping.

　　The good thing is that she is obedient. Even though she felt sorry for her, Li Wei hurriedly went there. The concubine was ill, especially on the visible parts of her face and body. She could not wait on her, so as not to make the noble look indecent and unhappy, and make the noble become unclean. .

　　She first went to the study room to find Zhang Desheng, and then went to the main courtyard to talk to any one of Fujin's four eldest girls. Although Li Gege was her master, she was not qualified to talk to Fujin directly due to her status. Just tell the girl next to you.

　　Ever since Fujin married Si Age, Li Gege had been greedy and got angry from eating mutton more than once or twice, so Yu Ping saw Pomegranates as soon as he entered the main courtyard and just told her.

　　After coming out, I went to the dining room again. This time, the old eunuch was busy. It was time for the fourth elder brother to come back from the study for snacks. The person who received the jade bottle was a young eunuch. Yu Ping didn't say anything about Li Wei getting angry after eating mutton, although everyone knew it. She just said that Gege shouldn't be late. At most, she would like a bowl of clear porridge and a few side dishes to go with the porridge. Tomorrow's breakfast would only be served with clear porridge. Let’s talk about what to eat for lunch.

　　Although the little eunuchs are small, they are very smart. The servants like them treat the affairs of their masters as if they are just watching the fun. The masters don't know anything about it, but they know everything. When the old eunuch came to have dinner with a few confidants in the morning, he said that yesterday Fujin went to pay his respects to Concubine De, and today Li Gege would order mutton, and within three to five days he would only eat porridge and nothing else.

　　He also told people to pick out the big and beautiful salted duck eggs in the morning, wash them and prepare them for Li Gege to use with porridge. In the afternoon, he also asked people to say hello to Qingfeng Division, and asked for two good old ducks tomorrow. , I will keep two of them every day from now on, just to make soup and heat up Li Gege.

　　After all, Li Gege can only serve clear porridge, but they can't just serve Gege clear porridge.

　　So after listening to Yu Ping's words, the little eunuch just agreed. After sending people away respectfully, he turned back to the dining room to see the old eunuch and said with a smile: "Let grandpa talk about it, what are you doing tonight, Master Li?" No need, I just want porridge tomorrow morning."

　　The old eunuch just stared at making the pastry and just hummed when he heard the words.

　　The little eunuch retreated well, and when he turned around, he saw his master setting up a food box. There was a layer of ice on the lower level, covered with cotton cloth, and three white porcelain round bowls with lids the size of oranges were placed on the upper level. The bowls were curved. Smooth, without a trace of decoration on the top and bottom, the entire white porcelain bowl looks like a white jade ball, completely white.

　　The little eunuch quickly stepped forward to help his master. When his master saw his attentiveness, he smiled and said, "Don't say that master doesn't love you. Just stop for a moment and bring this food box to Li Gege." The little eunuch was curious: "Master, what is this?"

　　The chef opened a bowl, and when he saw it, it was actually yogurt, and it was still giving off a cold air, which showed that it had just been taken out of the freezer. It was also dotted with purple-red rose marinade. The little eunuch almost drooled when he saw it, but he turned around and thought that the girl Yuping just came and didn't order this.

　　So this is his master's filial piety?

　　The little eunuch thought so, and after waiting for a moment to send it over, he thought that he must demonstrate his talents to the master at the Jade Ping Girl. As a result, when he passed by with the food box, he didn't see the Yuping girl at all. He was stopped at the door. A little girl next to him took the food box from his hand, took a purse and stuffed six pieces with five yuan each. reward him with silver coins.

　　He wanted to stop and chat a few more words, but the little girl waved her hand, raised her finger to her mouth, and shooed him away with a loud hiss.

　　The little eunuch went back in confusion and saw his master. He felt aggrieved and did not show success to him. His master stuffed his mouth with the freshly baked longan buns and said with a smile: "Silly son, you didn't see the grandpa standing in the room." What color robe are you wearing?" After that, he kicked him out to play.

　　The little eunuch made the buns so hot that his tongue hurt and he couldn't bear to spit them out. While inhaling, he went to the house to find some herbal tea to drink. While drinking, he recalled that when he went there just now, he could only see the robe of a big eunuch standing by the door through the curtain. The hem and boots, the hem of the robe is a bit unclear, but the boots are two and a half inches high...

　　huh? !

　　The little eunuch almost choked to death when he took a mouthful of steamed bun herbal tea! ! He looked down at the soles of his own boots, and then thought about the soles of the grandfathers' boots in the dining room, and then he understood what the master meant! No wonder the master asked him to wait a moment before leaving!

　　Those kind of boot soles are only worn by the eunuch next to my brother in this courtyard!

(I don't understand lol ??)

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If you decide you like this & you're a translator, feel free to pick it up & change the title, description, tags, this chapter lol etcs to the appropriate translations!

Sidenote PSA: I can't control u but I can say if you're making money off your translations, it better be amazing translations & you better be charging a reasonable price (not money per chapter part(!!) smh) & you better be constantly pointing back at the original author for people to send their money to support. But obviously I'm in the camp for not unofficially profiting of these authors at all but whatever. Just my righteous opinion. ESPECIALLY FOR BL CN novels. I heard the bl authors have an income cap they can make off bl/gl works in China, but maybe I heard wrong. Hope so.

Anywaysssss WIX site editing app sucks don't recommend.

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if u wanna know i dropped this novel bc i let the curiosity get the best of me. I read up on the history of "manchu qing dynasty" (which is so interesting so find that china's last dynasty was not even the same ethnic group (Han) as the vast majority of what most ppl know to be Chinese dynasties). ok so what made me drop it was learning about the enforced Manchu's hairstyles D: for males. Look im used to imagining a good looking chinese ml with elegant ethereal long full hair, blowing in the night when its free. I DONT WANT TO IMAGINE THEM WITH RECEDING HAIRLINES that they did to themselves willingly!! theyd be better off bald imo. i cant do it. the mc calls the ml handsome and i cant agree with her no more knowing what i know now ..so i dropped it LOL. it was a chill but strangely realistic feeling book up until my google search.