Translating Sloth

Truthfully since leaving Xihua palace the emperor was slightly regretful, the cold night wind blowing against his body was particularly cold, the towering palace in the distance was illuminated in the darkness, a kind of insurmountable coldness and alienation, this was the imperial palace…, it’s n exploitative place, and a place that makes people yearn for endlessly, like how everyone praised of exaltation, a noble and spotless moral character, wasn’t it for this position that launched a waste of manpower and resources, a war which engulfed your life? The emperor felt increasingly cold, even if he wrapped the fur clothing around him tightly it still didn’t warm up his heart at all, because there was someone missing by his side. These past few days he seemed like a youngster led by his first urges, ignited anytime and anywhere, like a ball of fire was burning in his chest, making him irritatingly hot beyond tolerable, in fact…, before her, this palace ought to have been like h...

Zhao Jin Yu’s crowning ceremony was arranged for a month’s time on an ecliptic propitious day. Zhao Jin Yu and the emperor nestled together in the room for the afternoon, for dinner again they fed each other, seeming very content and sweet, after dinner the emperor also took Zhao Jin Yu on a stroll around the palace, hand in hand they went to the imperial garden, very harmonious all the way, however this sort of feeling did not continue onto the night. When they were going to bed, the emperor saw the long-shaped pillow in the middle of the bed, a little ashamed into anger he said, “Must you be like this?” Afterwards he stared at Zhao Jin Yu, an expression challenging her to say it if she dared, I will show you. Nanny Li was just helping the two people pull close the muslin canopy, there were also two maids to the side, one was extinguishing the surplus lanterns in the palace, only one small lantern remained lit, another maid placed a rattan handled pot filled with hot w...

Zhao Jin Yu and the emperor had a very delicious lunch together, because not only were they her favourite food, they also carried the memories of her and the stone from start to finish. Including the cured meat stewed with radish when Zhao Jin Yu and the stone had first met face to face. The atmosphere during the meal was warm and happy, the two people took a bite then glanced at each other, even though Zhao Jin Yu’s eyes still held a bashfulness, but it was clearly already a lot better than yesterday. These familiar dishes, familiar feeling made Zhao Jin Yu slowly regain the way she usually interacted with the stone. After eating, the emperor asked, “I heard you took a walk around the small garden at the back today?” Zhao Jin Yu was just drinking digestion tea, the imperial palace’s chefs were too amazing…, just the meat wedged in steamed bun had contained dozens of flavours, the beef, mutton, pork, chicken…, of course there was also fish, as for the noodles there were...

Zhao Jin Yu was placed in the Xihua palace, actually in accordance to Zhao Jin Yu’s current identity it wasn’t too fitting, because this ought to be the residence of an imperial consort, but because the emperor did not have a complete consort, [1] the position of empress had continuously been empty, there were only two consorts out of four, amongst these consort Yu had just been ordered to commit suicide, and left behind was the former empress’s younger sister consort Shu, other concubines, zhaoyi and those sorts didn’t add up to much. The emperor held Zhao Jin Yu’s hand saying, “Before the title is conferred upon you, bear it and stay here.” Zhao Jin Yu face turned red, after the initial joy of recognising each other was over, she gradually regained her rationality, the man in front of her was both familiar yet unfamiliar, so long as she doesn’t look at the emperor’s face, she could pretend he was a stone, because the emperor’s manner of speaking and intonation did not cha...