Chapter 337

Mu Nan Zhao entered the mansion quickly, and the servants all stopped and stepped aside.

Quickly entered the mansion. Servants all stopped and stepped aside.

Ok.

Now go through each line.

We'll need to be careful with proper nouns: Use given glossary forms.

Also note that Jing Lan appears as a name (Jing Lan) but also appears as He Jinglan. We'll treat Jing Lan as Jing Lan (maybe a nickname?). The glossary provides Jing Lan → Jing Lan. So use that.

Now translate each.

Murong Nan zhao quickly entered the mansion, and the servants all stopped and stepped aside.

=> Mu Nan Zhao entered the mansion quickly, and the servants all stopped and stepped aside.

He Jinghui chased from behind, saying, "Hey, it's just that guests have come to the house, why the rush?"

=> He Jinghui chased from behind, "Hey, it's just guests coming home, what's the rush?"

His tone was stern and serious, yet he couldn't keep the corners of his mouth from turning up.

=> His tone was serious and earnest, but he couldn't keep the corners of his mouth from turning up.

It's only because he can again personally witness Murong Nan zhao suffering a setback.

=> Just because he could again personally see Mu Nan Zhao suffer a setback.

Why use the word "again"? Because it happened once last night.

=> Why use the word "again"? Because it happened once last night.

After Murong Nan zhao carried Gu Xixi away,

=> After Mu Nan Zhao carried Gu Xixi away.

He Jinglan was restless, stubbornly waiting for the time it takes to burn an incense stick, then ran out to knock on the door.

=> Jing Lan was uneasy, she stubbornly waited the time it takes to burn an incense stick, then ran out to knock on the door.

The door opened quickly; through the inner curtain, one could see Gu Xixi lying neatly on the bed, fully clothed.

=> The door opened quickly, and through the inner room's screen curtain, Gu Xixi could be seen lying fully clothed on the bed.

He Jinglan said nothing and simply walked past Murong Nan zhao to check on Gu Xixi's condition.

=> Jing Lan said nothing, simply stepped past Mu Nan Zhao and went in to check on Gu Xixi's condition.

At the same time, Murong Nan zhao's hand hadn't yet lowered from the door panel when his face was suddenly struck with a punch.

=> At the same time, Mu Nan Zhao's hand hadn't yet lowered from the door panel when his face was hit with a bang.

He looked over in disbelief, "An Qinghe, what's gotten into you?"

=> He looked over in disbelief, "An Qinghe, what madness have you gone mad with!"

An Qinghe glared at Murong Nan zhao, eyes blazing, "I'm not crazy, I'm punching you!"

=> An Qinghe glared at Mu Nan Zhao, eyes blazing, "I'm not mad, I'm hitting you!"

He Jinghui sucked in a breath of cold air, feeling both amused and sentimental.

=> He Jinghui sucked in a breath of cold air, amused and sighing.

Who would have thought that in his lifetime he'd see Murong Nan zhao get slapped in the face?! Could it be that tomorrow will rain red?

=> In his lifetime he actually got to see Mu Nan Zhao get slapped in the face?! Surely tomorrow won't bring a rain of red.

For some reason, Murong Nan zhao looked somewhat irritable; the man who usually repays grudges with vengeance merely darkened his face and told An Qinghe to scram.

=> But for some reason, Mu Nan Zhao looked somewhat irritated; the person who usually repays grudges, at that moment merely kept a stern face and told An Qinghe to scram.

He Jinghui softened his theatrical expression and advised, "Brother An, what are you doing?"

=> He Jinghui gathered his spectator expression and advised, "Brother An, what are you doing?"

"You also saw that everything inside is fine, nothing happened."

=> "You also saw it, inside everything's fine, nothing happened."

An Qinghe continued staring at Murong Nan zhao, his eyes reddened, "I know nothing's wrong; if it weren't for listening to you all talk about the greater good, I would have fought him to the death just now."

=> An Qinghe kept glaring at Mu Nan Zhao, his eyes reddened, "I know it's fine, but if not for listening to you all talk about the greater good, I would have fought him to the death just now."

"This punch is something I've been saving up; anyway, I've wanted to hit him for a long time."

=> "This punch I'd been saving up; anyway I'd long wanted to hit him."

He Jinghui glanced at Murong Nan zhao's expression and said solemnly, "Even if you say you wanted to hit him, you still need a reason, right?"

=> He Jinghui glanced at Mu Nan Zhao's expression and said seriously, "Even if you say you wanted to hit him, you need a reason, right?"

Curious, curious—any gossip about Murong Nan zhao, just spill more!

=> Curious, curious, if there's gossip about Mu Nan Zhao, say more!

At that moment, Murong Nan zhao glanced at He Jinghui; his gaze clearly showed he understood He Jinghui's "scheme".

=> At that moment, Mu Nan Zhao glanced at He Jinghui, his gaze clearly showing he understood his "conspiracy."

He Jinghui rubbed his nose, looked elsewhere, and stayed silent.

=> He Jinghui rubbed his nose, looked elsewhere, and stayed silent.

Murong Nan zhao told An Qinghe, "Not wanting to hit me? Find a place."

=> Mu Nan Zhao said to An Qinghe, "You want to hit me? Find a place."

An Qinghe rolled up his sleeves, "Sure, let's go, right now!"

=> An Qinghe rolled up his sleeves, "Alright, let's go, right now!"

He Jinghui watched the two about to get serious, still hesitating whether to advise them again.

=> He Jinghui saw the two were about to get serious, still hesitating whether to advise again.

He wasn't just going along to watch the fun; mainly he didn't want to cause a loss of life.

=> He wasn't just following to watch the fun; mainly he didn't want to cause loss of life.

After all, An Qinghe is a foreigner; this involves state relations, which could be big or small…

=> After all, An Qinghe is a foreigner, involving state relations, could be big or small...

But before He Jinghui lifted his foot, Murong Nan zhao turned back and said, "Stay."

=> But Mu Nan Zhao, before He Jinghui lifted his foot, looked back and said, "Stay."

"Let everyone here tonight know that things that shouldn't be remembered should be forgotten as soon as possible."

=> "Let everyone here tonight know that things that shouldn't be remembered are better forgotten as soon as possible."

The pair of rivals just left like that, leaving He Jinghui to tidy up at the Miahua Pavilion, busy all night.

=> A pair of rivals just left like that, leaving He Jinghui to tidy up at the Flower-Planting Hall, busy half the night.

In the meantime, An Qinghe returned alone.

=> In the meantime, An Qinghe came back, alone.

He Jinghui saw that his face only had a few bruises, felt relieved that Murong Nan zhao was still jealous, that when facing a rival he still exercised restraint, and that even though his martial prowess overwhelmingly dominated, he didn't deliver a killing blow.

=> He Jinghui saw only a slight bruise on his face, felt relieved that Mu Nan Zhao was jealous again, still had restraint against rivals, and though his martial prowess overwhelmingly dominated, he didn't deal a killing blow.

Until the next morning on the way to court, He Jinghui casually patted Murong Nan zhao's shoulder and noticed he furrowed his brows, as if in pain.

=> Until this morning on the way to court, He Jinghui casually patted Mu Nan Zhao's shoulder and noticed he furrowed his brows, seeming to be in pain.

He Jinghui exclaimed, "You were also hit by him?"

=> He Jinghui was shocked, "You were hit by him too?"

"Apart from that punch last night that you didn't guard against, could you let him get the better of you?"

=> "Aside from that punch last night you didn't guard against, could you let him get away with it?"

Murong Nan zhao's face showed no emotion; it was impossible to tell if he was angry or not, "No weapons were used, just fists and feet sparring—each had their wins."

=> Mu Nan Zhao's face was expressionless, impossible to tell if he was angry, "No weapons were used, just fists and feet sparring, each had wins and losses."

Straight-up hand-to-hand combat? He Jinghui felt his imagination was too poor to picture what that scene would look like.

=> Direct hand-to-hand combat? He Jinghui deeply felt his imagination too lacking, really couldn't picture what that scene would be like.

Time shifted back to the present.

=> Time shifted back to the present.

In the reception hall of the Regent Prince's mansion, three uninvited guests were seated awaiting the host.

=> In the reception hall of the Regent Prince's mansion, three uninvited guests were sitting waiting for the host.

Since the guests were women, the mansion only had servants; after serving tea and snacks, they withdrew to the doorway, ready to be summoned whenever needed.

=> Because the guests were female, the prince's mansion had only servants; after serving tea and snacks, they withdrew to the doorway, ready to be summoned if needed.

Gu Xixi also noticed this phenomenon, but didn't feel like thinking about it further.

=> Gu Xixi also noticed this phenomenon, but had no mind to think further.

At that moment, her mind was filled with locusts and grain.

=> At that moment her mind was full of locusts and grain.

Finally, someone outside called, "Your Lordship."

=> Finally she heard someone outside call, "Prince."

Gu Xixi immediately rose and turned toward the door, "You're back!"

=> Gu Xixi immediately stood up and turned toward the door, "You're back!"

Murong Nan zhao stared, having never seen her look like this—anxious, hopeful, and even a hint of helplessness.

=> Mu Nan Zhao was stunned; he had never seen her eyes like that— anxious, hopeful, even a bit helpless.

Although he didn't yet know the reason, he could be certain that she needed him right now.

=> Although he still didn't know the reason, he could be certain she needed him now!

Murong Nan zhao's heart stirred; his stone-like heart softened into a gentle tenderness.

=> Mu Nan Zhao's heart rippled, his stone-like heart turned into pliable tenderness.

He tried to stay calm, stepped over the threshold, "You came to find me; surely there's something."

=> He tried to steady himself, stepped over the threshold, "You came to find me, surely there's something."

As he spoke, he walked to the seat of honor and sat down, speaking as if he could see through everything, plainly,

=> While speaking, he walked to the seat of honor and sat down, speaking as if he saw through everything in a calm tone,

"Is it again for Miss Lü?"

=> "Again for that Miss Lü?"

"Although the Jingzhao Prefecture won't reconvene court for a while, if you're in a hurry, I can…"

=> "Although the Prefecture of Jingzhao won't reconvene court for a while yet, if you're anxious, I could..."

Gu Xixi hurriedly said, "It's not that; although equally important, there's something even more urgent right now."

=> Gu Xixi hurriedly said, "No, it's not that; although equally important, right now there's something even more urgent."

He Jinghui followed in, panting, and asked, "What's more urgent? Oh right, you two weren't supposed to go see the peach blossoms today, so why are you back so early?"

=> He Jinghui followed in, panting, asked, "What's more urgent? Oh right, you weren't supposed to go see peach blossoms today, why did you come back so early?"

He looked questioningly at his own sister.

=> He looked questioningly at his own sister.

He Jinglan pointed at Gu Xixi and said, "Brother, keep quiet and listen to Xixi!"

=> Jing Lan pointed at Gu Xixi, "Brother, quiet down and listen to Xixi!"

He Jinghui resignedly found himself a seat.

=> He Jinghui resigned, had to find a place to sit himself.

Gu Xixi recounted in detail how she discovered locust eggs in Xian Guo Village, including her own judgment.

=> Gu Xixi recounted in detail the discovery of locust eggs in Xian-guo Village, including her own judgment.

Murong Nan zhao's expression grew solemn.

=> Mu Nan Zhao's expression grew solemn.

Looking at He Jinghui, his face turned deathly pale, as if he had suddenly suffered a heavy blow.

=> Looking at He Jinghui, his face turned deathly pale, as if he had suddenly suffered a heavy blow.

===TITLE=== Stone Heart and Silken Tenderness

Stone Heart and Silken Tenderness

Now

He Jinghui chased after from behind, "Hey, it's just that guests came to the house, what's the rush?"

His tone was solemn and serious, but he couldn't keep the corners of his mouth from turning up.

Just because he could again personally witness Mu Nan Zhao suffering a setback.

Why use the word "again"? Because it happened once last night.

After Mu Nan Zhao carried Gu Xixi away.

Jing Lan could not sit or stand still, she stubbornly waited the time it takes to burn an incense stick, then rushed out to knock on the door.

The door opened quickly, and through the inner room's screen curtain, one could see Gu Xixi lying on the bed fully clothed.

Jing Lan said nothing, simply stepped past Mu Nan Zhao and went in to check on Gu Xixi's condition.

At the same moment, Mu Nan Zhao's hand hadn't yet lowered from the door panel when his face was slammed with a bang by a punch.

He looked over in disbelief, "An Qinghe, what madness have you taken?"

An Qinghe glared at Mu Nan Zhao, eyes blazing, "I'm not crazy, I'm punching you!"

He Jinghui sucked in a breath of cold air, feeling both amused and sentimental.

In his lifetime he actually got to see Mu Nan Zhao get slapped in the face?! Tomorrow maybe it'll rain blood.

But for some reason, Mu Nan Zhao looked somewhat irritable; the man who usually exacts revenge for the slightest grudge merely gave An Qinghe a dark face and told him to get lost.

He Jinghui restrained his spectator expression and advised, "Brother An, what are you doing?"

"You also saw it, inside everything's fine, nothing happened."

An Qinghe continued staring at Mu Nan Zhao, his eyes reddened, "I know there's nothing wrong; if it weren't for listening to you all talk about the greater good, I would have fought him to the death just now."

"This punch was saved up from before; anyway I've long wanted to hit him."

He Jinghui glanced at Mu Nan Zhao's expression and said solemnly, "Even if you say you wanted to hit him, you'd need a reason, right?"

Curious, curious—if there's gossip about Mu Nan Zhao, spill more!

At that moment, Mu Nan Zhao glanced at He Jinghui, his eyes clearly showing he understood his "scheme."

He Jinghui rubbed his nose, looked elsewhere, and stayed silent.

Mu Nan Zhao said to An Qinghe, "You want to hit me? Find a place."

An Qinghe rolled up his sleeves, "Sure, let's go, right now!"

He Jinghui saw the two were about to get serious, still hesitating whether to advise them again.

He wasn't just following to watch the fun; mainly he didn't want to cause a loss of life.

After all, An Qinghe is a foreigner, involving state relations, which could be big or small…

But Mu Nan Zhao, before He Jinghui lifted his foot, looked back and said, "Stay."

"Let everyone here tonight know that things that shouldn't be remembered are better forgotten as soon as possible."

The pair of romantic rivals just left like that, leaving He Jinghui to tidy up at the Flower-Planting Pavilion, keeping him busy half the night.

In the meantime, An Qinghe returned, alone.

He Jinghui saw only a slight bruise on his face, felt relieved that Mu Nan Zhao was jealous again, that when facing a romantic rival he still exercised restraint, and though his martial prowess overwhelmingly dominated, he didn't strike a killing blow.

Until this morning on the way to court, He Jinghui casually patted Mu Nan Zhao's shoulder and noticed he furrowed his brows, as if in pain.

He Jinghui was shocked, "You got hit by him too?"

"Aside from that punch last night when you were off guard, could you call it him getting the better of you?"

Mu Nan Zhao's face was expressionless, impossible to tell if he was angry or not, "No weapons were used, just fists and feet sparring, each had wins and losses."

"Direct hand-to-hand combat?" He Jinghui deeply felt his imagination too poor, really couldn't picture what that scene would look like.

Time then returned to the present.

In the Regent Prince's mansion reception hall, three uninvited guests were sitting waiting for the host.

Because the visitors were female, the mansion only had servant boys; after serving tea and snacks, they withdrew to the doorway, ready to be summoned whenever the guests needed something.

Gu Xixi also noticed this phenomenon, but she had no mind to ponder it further.

At this moment her mind was full of locusts and grain.

Finally she heard someone outside call, "Prince."

Gu Xixi immediately stood up and turned toward the door, "You're back!"

Mu Nan Zhao froze; he had never seen her look like that—anxious, expectant, even a bit helpless.

Although he still didn't know the reason, he could be certain she needed him right now!

Ripples spread through Mu Nan Zhao's heart; his stone-like heart turned into gentle tenderness winding around his fingers.

He tried to steady himself, stepped over the threshold, "You came to find me, there must be something."

As he spoke, he walked to the seat of honor and sat down, speaking in a calm tone as if he could see through everything,

"Is it again for that Miss Lü?"

"Although the Prefecture of Jingzhao won't reconvene court for a while yet, if you're anxious, I could…"

Gu Xixi hurriedly said, "No, it's not that; although it's also important, right now there's something even more urgent."

He Jinghui followed in, panting, and asked, "What's more urgent? Oh right, you weren't supposed to go see peach blossoms today, why did you come back so early?"

He looked inquiringly at his own sister.

Jing Lan pointed at Gu Xixi, "Brother, be quiet and listen to Xixi!"

He Jinghui felt helpless and had to find a place to sit himself.

Gu Xixi recounted in detail the discovery of locust eggs in Xian-guo Village, including her own judgment.

Mu Nan Zhao's expression grew solemn.

Looking at He Jinghui again, his face turned deathly pale, as if he had suddenly suffered a heavy blow.

He Jinglan said worriedly, "Brother, what's wrong?"

The hall was so quiet that a falling needle could be heard.

After waiting a while, He Jinghui finally raised his head and gave everyone a grim smile.

We were already barely making ends meet; another locust plague, and it's happening in the outskirts of the capital region.

Hehe...

He laughed a few times, as if mad, "I, the newly appointed Minister of Revenue, will probably only last a few more months."

"Minister of Revenue?" He Jinglan said in shock, "Brother, what's going on today?"

He Jinghui nodded, "I think it's better to resign as soon as possible; not being an official is better than having the whole family executed."

The Ministry of Revenue controls financial authority, and the nation's agriculture also falls under it.

Although the locust outbreak is a natural disaster.

But the national treasury's money and grain are already insufficient.

If another major locust plague occurs, not only will we be unable to replenish official grain supplies, but it will also cause famine among the people.

By then, starving people from the surrounding areas will surely flood into the capital, triggering a series of chain reactions.

The crucial point is that the new emperor's throne is not yet secure.

If someone takes advantage to rebel, the current treasury's money and grain would hardly sustain another round of warfare.

Mu Nan Zhao glanced at Gu Xixi, his expression unexpectedly relaxing, "Lord He, instead of thinking about resigning, you might as well ask Boss Gu."

He Jinghui turned blankly toward Gu Xixi, thought for a moment, and said, "I've heard that Boss Gu studied under a reclusive divine doctor; you should know how to make me fall ill—just appear seriously ill enough to pass an imperial physician's pulse diagnosis?"

Gu Xixi was startled, "Ah?"

On Mu Nan Zhao's calm face appeared an invisible crack; unable to bear it any longer, he said, "I asked you for a solution! Not to pretend to be sick!"

He Jinghui thought he had misheard, "A locust plague! If it could be solved, there wouldn't be so many records in history of total crop loss and corpses strewn everywhere."

"Moreover, Boss Gu is a farmer; don't make her deal with this locust plague mess."

"Or let me think of a solution myself."

Gu Xixi was puzzled, furrowed her brows and asked, "Since Lord He believes there will be a locust plague, why won't you exterminate the locusts?"

"Exterminate locusts?" He Jinghui gave a bitter smile, "Easier said than done."