Chapter 574: then title translation, then ===GLOSSARY=== with list

~19 min read 3,643 words

What he hates most is the petty, sordid attitude Zongzheng Langri shows toward his mother.

He hates most the petty, sordid attitude of Zongzheng Langri toward his mother.

What he hates most is the petty, sordid attitude Zongzheng Langri shows toward his mother.

He is my own biological older brother!

He is his own biological older brother!

He is my own biological older brother!

He is the biological older brother who witnessed his mother's birth and personally raised her to adulthood!!

He is the biological older brother who watched his mother be born and personally raised her to adulthood!!

He is the biological older brother who witnessed his mother's birth and personally raised her to adulthood!!

They should have been the closest kin in the world, but he himself destroyed it all!

Translation: "They should have been the closest kin in the world, but he himself destroyed it all!"

Mother clearly ought to have been the carefree princess of Great Chu, marrying a good husband, with no need to take part in DaLiang's convoluted, deceitful palace intrigues, nor to share a husband with other women!

She ought to have been the principal wife.

She should have been the proper wife.

She ought to have been the principal wife.

Translation: "She ought to have been the principal wife."

She should have enjoyed the honor and glory of a princess, living peacefully in Great Chu for her entire life.

She ought to have enjoyed the honor and glory of a princess, living peacefully and securely in Great Chu for her entire life.

Translation: "She ought to have enjoyed the honor and glory of a princess, living peacefully and securely in Great Chu for her entire life."

As a result, she died in a foreign land.

In the end, she died in a foreign land.

Translation: "In the end, she died in a foreign land."

She died amid everyone's plots against her!

She died amid the murderous schemes of everyone against her!

Translation: "She died amid the murderous schemes of everyone against her!"

Zongzheng Langri is the very source of all misfortune!

Zongzheng Langri is the very source of all calamity!

Translation: "Zongzheng Langri is the very source of all calamity!"

His petty, filthy nature makes Mother feel utterly embarrassed when facing him!!

His petty, sordid filth makes Mother feel utterly humiliated whenever she faces him!!

Translation: "His petty, sordid filth makes Mother feel utterly humiliated whenever she faces him!!"

Whenever Duan Rongshi thinks of his mother's plight, his chest feels as if being sliced by death‑by‑a‑thousand‑cuts, cut after cut, bloody and aching.

Whenever Duan Rongshi recalls his mother's plight, his chest feels as if being sliced by lingchi, cut cut by cut, bloody and aching.

Whenever Duan Rongshi recalls his mother's plight, his chest feels as if being sliced by death‑by‑a‑thousand‑cuts, cut after cut, bloody and aching.

Zongzheng Langri: "No!"

Translation: "Zongzheng Langri: 'No!'"

"No, it's not, Rongshi!"

"Not so, Rongshi!"

Translation: "'Not so, Rongshi!'"

"You've misunderstood your uncle."

Translation: "'You've misunderstood your uncle.'"

"I will simply no longer turn a blind eye to you."

"I merely will no longer ignore you."

"I will simply no longer turn a blind eye to you."

"I will surely support you in secret, and I will not treat you coldly just because you are of the Duan clan—not even if you die will I be indifferent!"

"If I had known earlier that you and your mother look so alike, no matter what, uncle would never have ignored you——"

"If I had known early on that you resemble your mother so closely, no matter what, your uncle would never have ignored you——"

Translation: "'If I had known early on that you resemble your mother so closely, no matter what, your uncle would never have ignored you——'"

"Just because of this face."

Just because of this face.

Translation: "Just because of this face."

"Would he then change his attitude toward himself?"

Would he then change his attitude toward himself?

"If you truly cared for her, why, upon hearing of her death back then, did you show not a shred of manly vigor to avenge her?"

Duan Rongshi immediately finds it laughable, yet feels even more disgusted.

Duan Rongshi instantly finds it laughable, yet feels even more nauseated.

Translation: "Duan Rongshi instantly finds it laughable, yet feels even more nauseated."

He points his sword at Zongzheng Langri's brow.

Translation: "He points his sword at Zongzheng Langri's brow."

"Shut up!"

Translation: "'Shut up!'"

"How I am is none of your business."

Translation: "'How I am is none of your business.'"

"I have come to Great Chu for nothing else but to take your life with my own hands."

Translation: "'I have come to Great Chu for nothing else but to take your life with my own hands.'"

"I also have a question for you."

"And I also have a question for you."

Translation: "'And I also have a question for you.'"

"Do you know that you killed my mother consort?"

"Do you know that it was you who killed my mother, the consort?"

Translation: "'Do you know that it was you who killed my mother, the consort?'"

"If you truly cared for her, why, upon hearing of her death back then, did you show not a shred of manly vigor to avenge her?"

Translation: "'If you truly cared for her, why, upon hearing of her death back then, did you show not a shred of manly vigor to avenge her?'"

"I heard that when you first ascended the throne, you gradually built up your power, then rooted out every person and family who had ever harmed the Empress's maternal grandmother."

"What has made you lose your manly vigor, growing ever more cowardly and fearful."

"What is it that has made you lose your manly vigor, growing ever more cowardly and fearful?"

Translation: "'What is it that has made you lose your manly vigor, growing ever more cowardly and fearful?'"

"Clearly you are a tyrant addicted to killing, yet these years your foreign policy has become ever more feeble and weak—even the Qin King's two thousand troops would tremble in fear."

"What secret do you truly hide?"

"What secret exactly do you harbor?"

Translation: "'What secret exactly do you harbor?'"

When Duan Rongshi posed this question, Li Qingluo, who was watching the play, also felt a slight startle.

When Duan Rongshi uttered these words, the onlooker Li Qingluo also felt a slight start in her heart.

We need to use Li Qingluo per glossary. So translation: "When Duan Rongshi uttered these words, the onlooker Li Qingluo also felt a slight start in her heart."

"Given this, why didn't she think of it?"

Why, for this reason, had she not thought of it?

Translation: "Why, for this reason, had she not thought of it?"

She merely felt that the Chu emperor's conduct and his foreign policy were utterly disjointed.

She merely felt that the conduct of this Chu emperor and his foreign policy were utterly disjointed.

Translation: "She merely felt that the conduct of this Chu emperor and his foreign policy were utterly disjointed."

Given his cruel, bloodthirsty nature, he should be extremely warlike!

Given his cruel, bloodthirsty nature, he ought to be extremely warlike!

Translation: "Given his cruel, bloodthirsty nature, he ought to be extremely warlike!"

Yet these years, he dares not attack the Western Regions.

Translation: "Yet these years, he dares not attack the Western Regions."

He dares not attack DaLiang.

We must use DaLiang per glossary. So translation: "He dares not attack DaLiang."

His own sister died in DaLiang.

Translation: "His own sister died in DaLiang."

His own daughter also died in DaLiang.

Translation: "His own daughter also died in DaLiang."

Even the legs of his sixth son, Zongzheng Wuheng, were crippled in DaLiang.

Originally Li Qingluo thought that Great Chu would actively launch war against DaLiang.

Originally Li Qingluo thought that Great Chu would take the initiative to launch war against DaLiang.

Translation: "Originally Li Qingluo thought that Great Chu would take the initiative to launch war against DaLiang."

But there was none.

But it did not happen.

Translation: "But it did not happen."

Faced with repeated provocations from the Western Regions and frequent sparks of conflict, he continually yielded, even unwilling to cede territory to provoke war.

It is said that the Western Region peoples even slaughtered a city on the border.

Yet he seemed as if he hadn't heard at all, continuing to indulge in his drunken, dreamlike life of luxury.

Translation: "Yet he seemed as if he hadn't heard at all, continuing to indulge in his drunken, dreamlike life of luxury."

Even, he brutally wiped out the Wei Wu Hou family, killing all of Great Chu's finest generals.

Is he doing this intentionally, or is he merely foolish?

Is he doing this intentionally, or is he merely stupid?

Translation: "Is he doing this intentionally, or is he merely stupid?"

Yet within the palace, he seems to possess an inexhaustible rage, ready at any moment to kill and vent his anger.

Yet within the palace, he seems to possess an inexhaustible rage that drives him to kill and vent his anger at any moment.

Translation: "Yet within the palace, he seems to possess an inexhaustible rage that drives him to kill and vent his anger at any moment."

This emperor, Zongzheng Langri, is indeed somewhat strange.

This emperor Zongzheng Langri is indeed somewhat strange.

Translation: "This emperor Zongzheng Langri is indeed somewhat strange."

After hearing Duan Rongshi's questioning, Zongzheng Langri's face changed dramatically.

Upon hearing Duan Rongshi's questioning, Zongzheng Langri's complexion underwent a drastic change.

Translation: "Upon hearing Duan Rongshi's questioning, Zongzheng Langri's complexion underwent a drastic change."

He couldn't care less about questions concerning himself.

He pays no heed to questions about himself.

Translation: "He pays no heed to questions about himself."

He half‑rose, his emotions intense, and asked: "What are you saying?"

He merely rose halfway, his emotions intense, and asked: "What are you saying?"

We need to keep quotes. So translation: "He merely rose halfway, his emotions intense, and asked: 'What are you saying?'"

"How could Yue'er die because of me—I killed her?"

"What on earth is going on? Tell me quickly!"

"What on earth is this? Tell me quickly!"

Translation: "'What on earth is this? Tell me quickly!'"

"Or is this simply you deceiving me?"

"Or is this simply you deceiving me, the emperor?"

"Or is this simply you deceiving me?"

Duan Rongshi moved the sword tip forward an inch.

Duan Rongshi moved the sword tip forward by an inch.

Translation: "Duan Rongshi moved the sword tip forward by an inch."

A mere touch, and the Chu emperor's brow split open.

With just a light touch, the Chu emperor's brow was already split open.

Translation: "With just a light touch, the Chu emperor's brow was already split open."

Blood flowed down thereafter.

His forehead had already been split and bleeding from just having fallen out of the stone coffin, and now his whole face is covered with bloodstains, looking like a demonic ghost—his countenance fierce and terrifying.

Even so, Duan Rongshi's sword did not waver a hair.

Instead, he continued to stare coldly at the Chu Emperor, uttering the truth word by word: "The people around you conspired with Imperial Minister Zhi Yuan, who once harmed your mother; they stole your handwriting from the letters and sent it to DaLiang."

"At that time, DaLiang Emperor Duan Changyan still adored my mother greatly."

"For my mother, he also favored a single person above the six palaces."

"Thus every concubine and the empress in DaLiang's harem despised my mother beyond measure. They used your handwriting to forge correspondence between you, fabricating lies about an impure relationship."

"If you were truly innocent, Duan Changyan would not have sent agents to Great Chu to investigate and still conclude that my mother's heart was impure!"

"He is a brute, and you are the one who ruined my mother's very life."

"Therefore, under Duan Changyan's indulgence and tacit approval, my mother ultimately died from the poison of everyone in the palace."

"Do you know by what means my mother died?"

"By venomous snakes."

"By toxic medicine."

"By sharp blades."

"By white silk."

"By humiliation and flogging!"

"And a fire that burned her to death in Gui Fu Palace."

Imperial Minister Langri could not accept this truth.

He kept shaking his head, murmuring low: "No, it's not…."

"You have been deceiving me."

"You hate me, so you fabricated this to deceive me!"

"I clearly sent people to investigate, saying Yue Er died in an accidental fire. Yue Er… Yue Er was not…"

"You deceived me!!"

Imperial Minister Langri let out a hoarse, desperate roar.

He seized the soft sword pointing at his own brow.

"Rongshi, you hate your uncle, so you fabricated these to trick your uncle, right?"

Duan Rongshi: "Shut up! I don't have an uncle like yours!"

Imperial Minister Langri saw his expression gradually understand that every word Duan Rongshi said was probably true!

His complexion turned completely pale as he slumped weakly.

"It was I who harmed Yue Er."

"It was me!"

"It was me!!"

"Why, why me?"

"I have been blinded for so many years, never knowing the truth!"

"They all deceived me, deceived me—"

"Why!!"

"I finally accepted the fact that Yue Er died by accident, only to find that I was the one who killed her."

"She suffered so many sins, and I still dared not stand up for her and avenge her."

"Indeed, I am the one who deserves death, the one who ought to be torn apart by a thousand knives!"

"Rongshi, kill me, kill me—"

Imperial Minister Langri realized his nephew now hated his uncle to the point of bone‑deep hatred.

Thus, even with his palm already blood‑soaked, he still gripped the sword tightly and thrust it straight into his own heart!

Duan Rongshi let his own force take over, watching the sword plunge into his chest with a 'Poof' sound.

But as the blade entered, he promptly pulled it out again.

Only because Li Qingluo shouted, "Ah Shi!"

Therefore, the Chu Emperor only suffered superficial wounds and was not truly killed by the sword.

However, he still turned over and, with a successive 'Wa—', vomited three mouthfuls of fresh blood.

"Yue Er…"

"Brother, I'm sorry to you!"

"I once thought I had saved you, that I had atoned for you…"

"But I didn't expect that I still pushed you into a place of endless ruin!"

"Had I known earlier, when you returned to Great Chu to visit the family, I should have used every means to keep you."

"What does it matter if I die?"

"But you should still be alive… it's all my fault, I was too afraid to die, that's my brother's mistake!"

Li Qingluo hurried forward, coming to Duan Rongshi's side.

She snatched the sword from his hand.

"I sense from his words that there may be another hidden matter concerning the mother‑consort on his part."

"Shall we listen to a few more of his words?"

Duan Rongshi strained to suppress and endure his emotions.

He only clenched his fists tightly.

Li Qingluo looked at the Chu Emperor on the ground, already drenched in blood, his body covered with wounds.

Without a hint of pity in her eyes, she asked each word with a resonant tone: "What exactly happened when the mother‑consort returned to Great Chu for a family visit?"

Isn't it just the Qin King who wants to use the Mother Consort to ruin your two's clean reputation?

Your disposition has changed greatly; it was only after the Mother Consort returned to Great Chu once that such a noticeable change occurred.

What... has happened to you?

Zongzheng Langri lifted his head, his gaze dazed as he looked at Li Qingluo.

Li Qingluo felt there was nothing more to hide at this point.

She first looked at Duan Rongshi, and after seeing his silent assent, she pulled down her mask in one motion.

After seeing who she was, Zongzheng Langri's expression shifted in shock: 'It's you!'

So... Rongshi, you are Li Wu?

Duan Rongshi said nothing, merely staring at Zongzheng Langri with icy, hateful eyes.

Zongzheng Langri threw his head back and laughed 'hahaha'.

Tears mixed with the blood on his face streamed down.

As expected.

To avenge your mother, you could forsake DaLiang's wealth and honor, fame and profit. Even if you faked your death to escape, you would still come to Great Chu to personally take revenge.

Furthermore, by changing your identity and painstakingly approaching me, you gradually let me see your abilities and gain my trust and reliance.

If I hadn't suddenly captured your wife, you wouldn't have come back so quickly to turn against me, would you?

Saying this, the Chu Emperor's eyes also showed a hint of relief: 'You are a filial good child; even if you die by your hand, your maternal uncle would die without regret.'

Your mother having a child like you is her blessing.

It's you; even if you know the truth, what then?

Saying this, Zongzheng Langri's mouth curled into a bitter smile.

What showed in his eyes was the deepest, most painful memory of the past, something too painful to recall or even want to think about.

Back then, the Empress Dowager died in the Cold Palace, and I relied on Yue'er for several more years.

Perhaps because childhood memories were too bitter and deep, even after I became the Son of Heaven I still had nightmares every night.

Only by seeing Yue'er would my heart feel somewhat at ease.

I regard your mother as the closest person in the world; she is a child I personally raised; how could I harm her?

So I could tell at a glance that Xie Huaiyuan was not a good person.

But your mother still grew more distant from me; sometimes I wouldn't see her for three or five days.

She wasn't like that before!

She no longer clung to my arm, affectionately calling me 'brother'.

Nor did she still prioritize me as her brother in everything; she no longer cared about me, nor stayed by my side.

My temperament sometimes uncontrollably turns sinister; I want to get angry, to lash out, to firmly grasp your mother again in my hands.

I indeed have selfish motives; I would rather your mother never marry and stay by my side; my control and dependence on her are certainly not as simple as ordinary sibling relations.

In this matter, I am guilty; I cannot deny it.

But I, I only have her.

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End of Chapter

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