Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage: Chapter 35

March 27, 2017 By in CNovel, Translation Tags: , 145 Comments

Chapter 35: Understanding

The discussion continued while the examiners on stage showed the crowd the paintings to view and to display the fairness of the results.

Fan Liu-er’s and Zhao Yan’s painting was a road of a blooming garden scene. In all fairness, it was pretty but was too ordinary thus they naturally were ranked the lower.

Qin Qing painted a large ‘red fairy’ Chrysanthemum. Most probably she was mostly familiar with this breed of Chrysanthemum and the entire painting only depicted this one. Every fibre of it was drawn, making it look exceptionally lifelike. It can be considered that in a way that she totally ignored the artistic conception and focused entirely on her drawing ability. A ‘red fairy’ drawing that appeared vividly on the paper was very beautiful, but the academy examinations weren’t just to test one’s painting techniques but also to examine the intention of the painting. Thus no matter how beautiful this Chrysanthemum was, it could only be ranked third.

Very quickly it was Shen Yue’s piece. Shen Yue bit her lips as she sat by Chen Rou Qiu’s side, with a barely maintained smile on her face but her fist was firmly tighten. If it was the usual, she would definitely smile lightly like clouds and breeze as she accepted everyone’s sincere praise and envy. But now, this ‘second rank’ was like a deep sarcasm which made her feel that everyone was looking at her with eyes filled with taunts and ridicule.

Shen Yue’s painting was on residual Chrysanthemum. The rain and wind came and many of the Chrysanthemum petals had fallen but there were still sporadic petals that were firmly attached to the bud and the stem still remained straight, as if it was the integrity of a great person. There was also two sentences at the side, ‘Would rather die with fragrance on the branch, than fly away with the Northern wind.’

This painting’s thoughts were considered lofty. Generally, painting was an extension of a person and as the residual Chrysanthemum was noble, one could tell that the person drawing it definitely had a lofty integrity. The chief examiners’ favourite was such people with talent and character, thus if Shen Yue’s painting was unable to achieve ‘first rank’, it was really impossible to imagine what Shen Miao had drawn.

“The painting is that good? How was this at second rank?” Bai Wei cried out, “I really do not understand at all.”

Chen Rou Qiu also did not comprehend. Initially she thought that Shen Yue was somewhat nervous and strayed off the path. Who knew that when the painting was brought out, she now knew that her own daughter did not do anything wrong. As in previous years, this would be indeed be a well-deserved first rank. But why was there a different result this time?

Ren Wan Yun was somewhat rejoicing in their misfortune. Shen Yue was outstanding in her talents and would suppress Shen Qing in the academy examinations in every category thus to see Shen Yue suffering this time, even though Shen Miao winning first rank made her unhappy, it also did not matter to her. She was overall happy to watch the fun in front of her.

The examiner on stage instructed the two pages to open the painting scroll and the noises stopped short.

The drawing paper was very large and Shen Miao’s painting had many white areas. Her drawing skills were originally not outstanding so she only painted a vague scene but unexpectedly it had a magnificent atmosphere on it.

In the scroll, the yellow sand was endless with a bloody setting sun that seemed to overflow and a broken sword stood up in the middle of the yellow earth with a white Chrysanthemum at the end of it.

In there, the Chrysanthemum was just for show as it was so small that one cannot even see the flower petals. However in this picture it was like painting a dragon and dotting the eyes, making it bring out the desolate sense of desired gorgeousness.

Everyone present quieten down for a moment. The paper and ink separated it but one could feel the desolation and misery of a powerless struggle.

That was war.

Chen Rou Qiu and Shen Yue trembled at the same time. Seeing clearly what was painted in the scroll, they knew that in this match there was definitely no possibility of a comeback for them.

It was indeed true that Shen Yue’s piece was indeed elegant, the strength of her piece flowed throughout without being gaudy and it has character and felt noble. But Shen Miao’s painting was like it has stripped the ‘person’ away. If one were to say that Shen Yue was borrowing the Chrysanthemum to sing to other, then Shen Miao was borrowing the flower to speak about one’s purpose. How could a person’s emotions be compared to the brutality of war?

No wonder those examiners were disputing just now and delayed reaching a verdict. They mostly likely did not think that such a magnificent painting was actually drawn by the hands of Shen Miao, an idiot.

The chief examiner, professor from the government cabinet, Zhong Zi Qi spoke, “Student Shen Miao, come up and speak of the rationale of drawing this painting.”

Every student who achieved ‘first rank’ would have to talk about the sentiment before the event. However today the main reason for letting Shen Miao talk about the origin of the painting was naturally because everyone did not believe that she could come out with such a painting and feared that it was an idea she heard about.

Shen Qing smiled and whispered to Yi Pei Lan, who was sitting beside her, “The cat will be out of the bag.”

“Is this really not her painting?” Yi Pei Lan was puzzled, “Just now we have all seen that she herself drew every single stroke.”

“Her drawing skills were not outstanding and as for the intention of the painting, who knows if there was someone advising her.” Shen Qing looked in disdain towards Shen Miao as she walked to the stage, “I have been living with her for so many years, I still don’t know what she can do. The examiners want her to speak about the origins of the painting and if she is unable to say anything, I fear that she will lose all of her face there.”

Yi Pei Lan also laughed when she heard it, “I’ll say, how can it be possible to become a talented female. I am afraid that it was all done to attract that person…” Her eyes ambiguously swept towards the area where Prince Ding was sitting, “To request guidance of someone superior, Shen Miao has left no stone unturned for him.”

Shen Qing’s expression stiffened as she suppressed the unhappiness in her heart and said, “Just watch.”

Up on stage, Shen Miao quietly looked at the opened scroll. Her hand slowly reached out and stroked the picture, surprising everyone.

“The reason for painting this scene was only because of listening to what my father previously said. Every year in the battlefield, there was countless number of brave warriors’ corpses that were wrapped in cloth as they perished on the yellow sand that they fell. The distant was far-flung thus they could only bury them in the battlefield and at that time there were no Chrysanthemum in the North-western desert and the Northern plains. Chrysanthemums blossoms in the warmer south, bloom in the flourishing Ding capital. The songs and dances were of peace and happiness and where food and clothing were not a thing to worry about but this was at the cost of the lives of the soldiers that were protecting the borders.”

As the discussions gradually stopped, everyone’s eyes were gathered on the purple clad young lady.

Her eyes were calm and she spoke like she was telling a story, “My father once spoke that because of the war, the soldiers that had perished would not have a single Chrysanthemum. There would not be any flower blooming in the battlefields and the soldiers would not even have the time to grieve. And their wives and children can only be separated far away and wear a white Chrysanthemum on their head while white Chrysanthemums are presented to them.”

“I was thinking that for everyone to could calmly enjoy and appreciate Chrysanthemum today, the reason was because there are brave warriors that are guarding the borders. It is a pity that I am unable to do anything for them but to paint a white Chrysanthemum in a scene of the yellow soil to comfort their brave souls.”

The young lady stood in the wind with a pair of clear eyes and resounding voice, as if in the heaven and earth only her words were sweet sounding but were like a morning bell and evening drums, beating in everyone’s heart.

Shen Miao’s eyes slightly droop down.

Didn’t the Heavenly family of Ming Qi want to deal with the large and influential aristocratic families and deal with the Shen family? But the world was large and everyone’s eyes could see and everyone’s ears could listen. Stopping people’s mouth was more difficult than damming rivers so she would preemptively strike first. Since the Heavenly family want to use the General residence as an example, then she would want the entire world to watch.

Look, the Shen family risk their lives to achieve meritorious services, the Shen family used their lives to defends the walls of Ming Qi. The peace and prosperity that you noble youths were enjoying now were all built on the blood and flesh of those that were cut down in the battlefield!

Trampling on the blood of the soldiers, did the Ming Qi Imperial family still dared to suppress them with great fanfare?

If you dared then don’t be afraid of the eyes of everyone in the world!

145 responses

  1. Ah, so it adds a layer protection for her father and family. Nicely done. If the imperial family goes against them then they’ll have to deal with public opinion. Thank you!

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  3. !!!!!!!!!!!!! <– that's literally all that's going through my mind once I finished this chapter. I'm so kfksjdkdn, I can't even write, and just want to squeal lol!!! Our little empress delivered, oh how she delivered, even more fantastically than I imagined! That painting, although maybe not spectacular in technique, definitely had more ambience and raw feelings than the others, and I suspect it's because SM truly feels what she painted. In comparison, the other paintings are shallow, especially SY's – it's beautiful and lofty, but ultimately empty (just like her LOL!). And the way she explained it was so sensible and graceful, I'm so proud of our little empress! It was so touching and noble, as well as the fact that it fits her position as a general's daughter so perfectly – it shows that she truly cares about more than just riches and power like the rest of the nobles. It sort of also sadly highlights what she could've become with the right guidance in her first lifetime y'know?

    And the fact that at the same time the painting is also a plan to protect her family — ? That's just beautiful and amazing ! I'm just in awe, this completely exceeded how I thought it would go, and the examinations aren't even over! Can't wait to see how she continues to shock these pompous losers, and how they will react in the next chapter and the ones to come lol!!!

    Thank you very much for the chapter! ^.^

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    • Exactly!!! You never know what is going to happen till everything presents itself… It makes me feel like the audience even though we supposedly have a wider view of things

      Thanks for supporting!!

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  8. Watta girl. You done it. Give them the shock, displeasure, and disbelieve.
    She so great. The author have splendid way to describe what mc want to say, with beautiful word. I’m more in love with this novel.

    Thx for ur hardwork ^^

    Liked by 2 people

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  13. Thanks for the chapter!!

    Wow that was a really wonderful way to put it…Receiving great respect and protecting her family..While using it as a weapon to to defend against the imperial family using the public.. thats nice..

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  16. I predicted that Shen Miao would paint something related to war. But what I did not predict was, for what reason she did that. Very Intelligent! After this, the nobles and aristocrat of the kingdom would surely think twice if something were to happen to their Generals because of the awareness Shen Miao had instilled in them prior. It might not be much, but there would certainly be an outcome. The imperial family really should watch their backs for although this is Shen Miao’s first public confrontation, their future is bound to be shaky if they don’t stay in line. . .

    Thanks for the translation~

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  17. SY, don’t even with that painting. Your shallowness is like sand in the wind against something with substance, just like this competition. You think that your looks and “great” talents will make you invincible? Let Big Sis Miao teach you what regret is! See where your petty schemes get you against the mother of a nation that has gone through the test of time, fought for her country, and lost both her children to you and that son of a b*tch who shall not be named.

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    • *HUGS* Just a flower and she thinks she can win? Our SM sees the big picture!!! When our SM takes any action, you will not see it coming and can never compete with her!!!

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  21. A heroine worth of praises. She’s too brave on her own, what more if her family is with her? I hope the little marquis have the qualifications to match hers. Thanks again for the hardwork 😊.

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  24. Oh oh.. So magnificent.. Wish someone with skill would willing enough to draw of Shen Miao’s painting.. It would be so amazing..

    Thank you translator-sama for this amazing chapter.. Your translation so beautifully written which made us fellow readers could enjoy this chapter.. 😘😘😘

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  26. Oh burrnnn!!! Take that you royal mongrels! Empress Shen Miao has dictate a warning, dare you defy?😤😤😤
    Gosh, that’s the most amazing speech I read! Subtle, elegant yet so moving and commanding😍

    Thank u so much for your dedication upon translating these chapters!🙏🙏

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  30. Very well done, Shen Miao! Put your cousins to shame! They and their mothers should be aware of their utter shamelessness! Hypocrites.. I hope the next problem we tackle is cleaning house~
    Thank you for the new chapter 🙂

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  31. Ohhh, so that’s what she painted. It feels like she dissed the entire gathering. You guys are enjoying these chrysanthemums but soldiers are dying in the battlefield, away from their loved ones. Hahaha what a party downer. xD

    But where’s our main lead? I haven’t seen him mentioned. Maybe next chapter? ;P

    Thank you so much for the update! The story is moving along nicely.

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  32. Great! Thank you for this chapter, this is really a touching event. T-T
    Dying really is one sad things that happened in a great war there are no certain assurance that someone will come out alive after.
    My grandpa died just because a simple dispute in our territory in Surigao. What for a great war is? Surely a thousand soldiers died and sacrifice their life for that imperial family, then that family … Oooh really what kind of respond is that?
    Will let make assurance that SM family will be protected in the future from the EPAL emperial family.

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  34. Shen Miao is going to ruffle feathers.

    For one thing… her words can be interpreted as, you guys are playing around with your pretty flowers toys and banquets never sparing a thought for those whose sacrifices allow you to maintain your lifestyle. They don’t even have a single chrysanthemum for their graves, but here you are, so pampered and proud.

    Depending on how you interpret it, one could say she’s so patriotic and noble, or one could say that she is arrogant and disdains everyone else for their gaudy clothing and useless ornaments. Something praiseworthy, or a slap to the face, and knowing some people… there’s going to be some petty people who will consider it a slap to the face.

    Trouble is brewing. Shen Miao… I hope your experience as an Empress will be up to the task. Many pitfalls are ahead.

    Then again… she’s been through a lot. Fought, became a hostage for her country and her husband, lost everything to war, her children, her youth, her everything. As thanks she gets 3 chi of white silk silk. It is her own chrysanthemum I suppose, to accompany the broken sword.

    Thanks for the chapter!

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    • I like how you feel that this chrysanthemum is her own…. Somehow it seems poetic —she being pure and innocent white chrysanthemum that was sacrificed on the sword of others greed.

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  35. I am speechless 😶 ……. I thought her painting would be something beautiful with some good meaning. Who knew that she’d draw a simple painting could invoking such raw emotions …… and also device a way to protect her family with it….. I am now even more excited to see how she’ll perform in the other exams….
    Thanks for the translation 😊😊

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  40. Oh well done!!! Make them understand the importance of a warrior family! Slap the faces of who didn’t believe you! I’m really proud of you!! I really love this empress: she’s really different from the usually female lead. She has a charme that attracts not only the characters of the book but also us readers.

    Thank you for translating this masterpiece! I’ m looking forward to see what will happen in the next chapter.

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  42. It’s interesting to see that not only does her painting blow people away with its deep and subtle meanings, but it is the very act of explaining her thoughts that really grabs people’s attention. Not only do you have to be good at the arts(or at least have a bit of skill), but you have to be eloquent about it too. XD

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  49. I’m quite impressed with this story. I’ve read many stories along the lines of rebirths and having the chance to relive their lives but rarely do they focus realistically on the character maturity. Most authors tend to over dramatise their talents after reliving their life so I found refreshing that she doesn’t develop over the top skills all of a sudden but instead uses her experience as a former empress to make an impressible impression.
    Hopefully you are seeing this Main male lead! I haen’t gotten a good enough impression on you to root for you or not yet.

    Thank you for the dedicated releases! Enjoy every moment I see a update!

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    • 😀 I felt that this novel is the best rebirth story of those I have read. The ML will only come out as required in the beginning but once those who needs to be punished are gone, the love line will blossoms 🙂

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