Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage: Chapter 30

March 18, 2017 By in CNovel, Translation Tags: , 65 Comments

2nd additional chapter of the week!! THANK YOU DONORS!!!

Chapter 30: Drawing Lots

Fu Xiu Yi belonged to the Imperial family and naturally would not be ignorant to the methods that the Imperial family used. The clear sound of the teacup might seem like an accident but it had disrupted the musicians rhythm and could no longer stir up everyone feelings. He naturally want to know who was the initiator. Fu Xiu Yi has a cautious and suspicious temperament thus he did not think that the other did it unintentionally.

The purple clad female was talking to others with her chin resting on her hand. She look indifferent and afar but there was an indescribable air about her that clearly set her apart from others.

“Who is Ninth Younger Brother looking at?” Prince Zhuo, Fu Xiu An followed Fu Xiu Yi sight and revealed an evident smile. “Talking about among us brothers, it is only Ninth Younger Brother who have yet to take a wife. Imperial father had mentioned many times of the selection of a wife for Ninth Younger Brother. So, which family’s young lady do that female below to? She looks pretty good. Not sure which are her relatives and if we know any one of them?”

“It is the Fifth Young Lady of the formidable Great General residence and this one’s student.” Pei Lang stood not far away and replied after hearing what was said.

“The Fifth Young Lady of the formidable Great General residence?” Prince Jing, Fu Xiu Xuan, memory was good but perhaps Shen Miao’s reputation was so huge that the Imperial family were no strangers to her name. He said, “Isn’t that the Di daughter of General Shen Xin? Seemed to be called Shen Miao?”

“How could it be Shen Miao?” Fu Xiu An smile without a care, “The matter of Shen Miao chasing our Ninth Younger Brother was something the entire capital knows about and a few days back didn’t she fell into the water just to look at Ninth Younger Brother? If Ninth Younger Brother was truly pleased with Shen Miao, it would not be so troublesome. Moreover, Shen Miao is an idiot but you see the young lady at the other side has an elegant and noble air. How could she be Shen Miao?”

“Forth Older Brother should speak cautiously as Xiu Yi did not have such intentions.” Fu Xiu Yi shook his head but his sight was firmly on the purple clad young lady far at the other side of the female section of the banquet.

In his heart, it was not that he was not shocked. Shen Miao in his eyes was of no difference to the other young ladies that admire him. Those young ladies that like him would pretend to be modest on the surface and understood the etiquette and advance or retreat appropriately but Shen Miao… Most likely other that looking at him foolishly, she did not know anything else. He obviously would not take into consideration of an idiot that the entire Ding capital laugh about. If it was not due to Shen Xin, he would have clearly show the disgust on his face.

Moreover his memories of Shen Miao was someone who always love to wear bright red or green robes and love to put on gold jewellery as she ferociously wear thick rouge on her face, like those clown characters on a countryside stage. But the purple clad young lady had a clear and fair complexion and graceful brows and that air of nobility sets her apart from the surround female. How could that be Shen Miao?

He was not the only one who was perplexed. So was Pei Lang.

As Shen Miao’s teacher of two years, Pei Lang undoubtedly understood Shen Miao more than Fu Xiu Yi. It is supposedly said that one can change the appearance and clothes can be switched but the personality traits were different. Pei Lang was a scholar and scholars value personality traits more than others. Shen Miao practically became another person overnight. How would there be such a thing?

He did not think about the matter of the teacup although he felt that there was something wrong about the music piece as in his mind, how would a young lady would be able to hear the problem out of it. Not to mention Shen Miao was never an expert in qin.

Everyone were in their own thoughts when the musician ended their performance. The academy examinations were about to start.

This year’s academy examination was different from the previous. It did not differentiate between male and female but separates scholarly and military arts. Even though Guang Wen Tang require its students to be proficient in both scholarly and military arts and both arts were in the curriculum, but with the hundred years of regulations, very little females would choose military arts and in the scholarly arts, most males would commonly discuss about economics and taxation. This was because this was the way the court select their talents, just like one of the Daren had said, “It is common knowledge that successful talented candidates would often become generals and officials.”

The topics for military arts would include horse riding and shooting of arrows but that was not a really considered a success as performing military exercises as well as other specifics were not required.

Whereas for females, most of the topics on scholarly arts would be traditionally be in the four categories of literary and poetry. It was much more demanding for females not only in Ming Qi, but all the other countries. Female’s place was at home to support one’s husband and educate one’s children and to sing of the wind and moon.

Ming Qi’s examinations were all divided into three parts for one to draw out, one to select and one to challenge.

Everyone need to draw out but the school wrecked the order and made everyone who participate to draw out the topic of the academy examinations. In order to avoid getting too or extremely difficult ones, females would select in the four scholarly arts whereas the males will draw out from either the military and scholarly areas.

As this was something that cannot be avoided, Shen Miao would be humiliated in this regard as she did not know any of the four scholarly arts.

As for the second part of selecting, one can select an area which one was good at to exhibit. Like Shen Yue would often choose to play the qin and Shen Qing would choose calculation.

As for the final part which was to challenge, this was not about challenging a topic but challenging others. One would be able to go up on stage to challenge one of the students as an opponent on a particular area. Such scenes were often done when both talents are evenly match. As for Shen Miao, those who challenge her would only insult their own strength. There were also others who want to watch Shen Miao make a fool of herself and would purposely challenge Shen Miao up the stage and attack her in another way. The outcome was one that did not require much guesswork, no matter which topic, Shen Miao would suffer a crushing defeat.

That was why to Shen Miao the yearly academy examinations were like a nightmare as she would be treated as a joke by everyone. These kind of days were countless.

And it was likewise the same this year.

Like in previous years, the main examiners went up onto the stage and said a bunch of stuff while the other two came out from the back with two small wooden barrels filled with paper. These paper all had the topic of the academy examinations and it was the students who would draw it out themselves.

Both male and female would need to draw. One person walked over to the male side of the banquet and one by one the male students started to draw. The other tall female carried the wooden barrel over to the female side of the banquet and the female students started drawing orderly.

Feng An Ning blinked her eyes, “May the Gods give their blessing. I only hope to draw qin or poetry topics. I really do not know anything about painting and chess.” She looked towards Shen Miao, “You really seem not worried at all. Do you have a card up in your sleeve? Or just go with the flow of things?” She did not mean to be too harsh but Shen Miao was a fool who did not have much knowledge on anything.

Shen Miao decline to comment. What was the purpose of drawing? Qin, chess, poetry and painting were things that she could not do.

When the wooden barrel reached to Shen Miao’s table, Feng An Ning drew first and could not wait to open up the paper she drew up. She was relieved, “It’s qin! It’s qin! This is good. The qin practises these days were not wasted. Shen Miao, what is yours?”

Shen Miao’s hand was just taken out from the barrel and there was a white piece of paper in her palm that was folded to a long piece. She opened it out and there was just a word on it.

Painting.

65 responses

  3. oh my.. what will she do?does she know painting or is it ture that she really doesn’t know anything in the four scholary?..SM what will you do?

    thanks for the chapter!! :3

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  4. Ahh.. Couldn’t wait for the next chapter..
    Of course I believe that our MC could slay this exam..
    For our translator-sama and the generous donors, thank you for the chapter… 😀

    Liked by 3 people

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  5. Oooo. . . Painting! I thought she would have gotten chess, but I’m still excited to see her performance. Go show them who’s boss Shen Miao! How many chapters will this Chrysanthemum event span up to?

    Thanks for translating~

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  15. Ok so I’ve been wondering, when Shen Miao as empress had already become so intelligent, noble, elegant and well versed in scholarly arts, why dafuq did that idiot emperor let go of such a loyal and polished gem? I know that she’d lost her looks on account of all the stress and wars. But the fact that he would kill a smart and loyal woman for the sake of empty flower vases stumps me. Perhaps due to political pressure from the side branch families? but that’s like giving away 1 good apple for 20 rotting bananas.

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    • From the earlier chapters I think the Emperor became envious of Shen Miao’s ability. He felt useless since he got the throne because of Shen Miao and maintained peace in the country and continued holding on the throne also because of Shen Miao. He felt he was not in control and felt being a puppet. But what an ungrateful man! Shen Miao did all her best so that the throne would be his and he returned the favor by killing her.

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    • Well… It did say that Prince Ding hated her. And if not for her family background, he wouldn’t have hodden his disgust for her. Forced to marry her, of course eliminating her had been a plan of his all along. Being the emperor during a time of peace – provided by sacrificing SM and everyone else dear to her – what did he need her for?

      He’s the emperor. He can have any beautiful and “genuinely talented” woman by his side if he wanted her to. Plus the whisperings of his favored consorts… It was quite a foregone conclusion that she’d end that way.

      In fact, I think he was more than happy to have gotten rid of her when she was convinced to be a hostage to an enemy country. She doesn’t really have to go you know? In any situation where a hostage is needed, it is usually a crown prince or an emperor’s son that is required to go, never an empress. From the moment she was asked to go, it already carried the scent of conspirancy and elimination.

      So yeah. It doesn’t matter if she had improved herself. Right from the start in his eyes she was dispensible. Trash he’d throw the first moment he gets.

      And that being the case, I really wanna see him fall from grace, desperate as he falls in love with a woman who will never be his, even dreaming and planning his demise in the end. I really wish he would fall for our little empress, and she’d make him as miserable if not more than what he made her. Despite the fact that he hasn’t done anything to her yet in this life, reading this update, he had the beginnings to do so… And the mind is already set to deal with her in such a manner if things progressed further. The hint was there.

      Besides, none of them deserve to sit on the throne anyway… The more this story reveals about the imperial family, the more it gets justified that they don’t deserve such priviledge.

      Shame on their kin.

      Anyways… Thanks for the update~ and the sponsors~

      😘😘😘

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  18. Thank you for the new chapter!
    Aaaah I’m waiting for Shen Miao’s revenge on all of her family and that disgusting prince. I want her to shame them so bad.

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  21. The author is sadistic. Each chapter ended in a cliffhanger which caused me to pick my brain wondering what is going to happen next. And I have to wait 48 hours to find out😩

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  22. Thank you so much for this story!!! Omg ofjdkdnskdn I wonder what SM will do!!! Our little empress surely has something up her sleeve, and I refuse to think that she’s as bad at the scholarly arts as she keeps saying! Can’t wait to find out what she does !!!!!

    And ugh the princes are so awful. They treat our poor SM so badly….but don’t worry all of you will be in awe by the end of these examinations hehehe 😈 And all of you will probably want her as a wife, but no~ only one man is worthy~

    Also…I have a sneaking suspicion that SM will choose the military arts in the second part…..since she knows how to lead troops or something like that right? That would be amazing AND so fitting considering she’s a great general’s di daughter ^.^ I really hope she does and challenges that stupid ex of hers and wipes the floor with his ass!

    Thank you for the chapter 💖💖💖 See you Monday!

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    • Thanks for supporting!!! Yes, SM have something up her sleeves and its sth no one expected 😛 Cannot wait for u to read it and comment on it… So hard to resisting from giving any spoilers

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  25. Thanks for the chapter! I’m certain she’ll make waves. I just don’t know if she’s actually way better at the four arts now that she’s returned, or if she really never learned any of it even when she was the empress.

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  28. Feng an ning is a really good friend…i like her i’m wondering though she doesn’t know the four arts right? Will she be ok or will she show a sudden heaven bending talent in painting and in the four arts? At first i thought she was gonna go for the military one. Maybe later she will.

    Anyway, Thanks for the Chappy!!

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