Chapter 12: Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Bringing the Prince Back Home (3)

I was confused . Was it possible that these things weren’t what was really in his heart?

Thus, I quickly hastened to add another sentence: “But I advise you, it’s really best not to bring Jiang-shi into the palace to play with her . This woman ah, the moment you bring her into the house she’ll change……”

Pa!

Qi Sheng suddenly smacked the top of the table with the scroll in his hands as he looked at me with an ashen face .

See, didn’t I say I had no clue how to advise people?

Qi Sheng asked me with a cold voice: “Who exactly are you?”

This question shocked me into a bout of cold sweat . Though I don’t have any previous experience in transmigration, I have read a few transmigration novels before . The little lolis who transmigrated all knew to hide the truth of their transmigration . In any case, I’m an old man so how could I dare to tell him that I’m a transmigrator?

I should tell him: Truth to be told, I am actually the real Zhang-shi . Originally, I’ve always used her body and Zhang-shi used my body, but now, it is me using my body that she’s used for more than ten years, and her using her body that I’ve used for more than twenty years . If you do the math, I’ve used her body for a lot longer, so I got the cheaper end of the deal .

This thing where I used her and she used me, even if I said it clearly, that Qi Sheng, would he even understand?

This kind of person, he easily makes two kinds of mistakes:

一One is overestimating his own IQ;

Two is overestimating other people’s IQ .

……

Qi Sheng was still staring at me coldly .

I quickly used both hands to prop up Zhang-shi’s proud breasts, and slowly said in a soft voice: “Your Highness, I’m your Crown Princess ah . ”

Hey! My hands feel heavy . If I were to continue to go without a bra, sooner or later they would start to sag!

Qi Sheng darkly laughed twice, but didn’t say any words .

My forehead was starting to sweat, and I used a lot of effort to maintain a calm expression .

Qi Sheng stared at me for a long time . I guess he didn’t notice anything peculiar, because he just scoffed a bit before opening a drawer on the carriage’s upper wall and withdrawing a book . Throwing it at me, he said: “Memorize it as fast as possible!”

I received the book and opened it to look . Inside were the many biographies of the Zhang family ranging from the ones at the top to the bottom, from the old to the young, all 90+ individuals!

I raised my head to look at Qi Sheng, and then lowered my head to look at the biographies, before raising my head to look at Qi Sheng again……

Was it that I didn’t see right? Or did I make a third mistake?

Did I underestimate Qi Sheng’s IQ?

Qi Sheng stared at me with a severe look as he coldly said: “If you make even the slightest error, after we return I will prolong your confinement . ”

I quickly nodded: “Okay . ”

Qi Sheng continued: “If the day comes when I become the emperor, you will be my empress . If I don’t become the emperor, you……”

I quickly finished his sentence: “I’ll become a widow!”

Qi Sheng expressionlessly looked at me for a while, but did not say anything .

I was anxious . I had already sincerely bared my heart, but could it be that I still didn’t gain his favor?

Qi Sheng lowered his head to earnestly read his book, no longer paying attention to me .

Hey, it’s really a handmade picture book, and the make of it was of superior quality .

Using this kind of craftmanship to make a cheat sheet was really a waste……

Cough……the things I say……you understand……

I couldn’t stand it and gave two hollow laughs .

Qi Sheng lifted his eyes to give me a glance and I quickly withdrew my smile . Lowering my head, I deliberately gave the pretense of studying the book of biographies .

Qi Sheng’s eyes stared at his scroll as he leisurely said: “It’s estimated that there’s about slightly more than one ‘shichen’ remaining before reaching the Zhang residence, it’ll be more than enough time to completely memorize that book . ”

I first had to calculate the time difference between the older way of saying hour, ‘shichen1’, with modern hour . One ‘shichen’ was two modern-time hours . To completely memorize all these biographies would still be of some difficulty, however, they were still biographies . Remembering most of it would be enough and just not confusing people with each other would be good .

I opened the book to study it carefully . In the first page there was a old man dressed as a general . Beside the picture was a few tiny words stating: Country Protector General Zhang Sheng, deceased .

Good, since he’s already dead, I reckon I won’t meet him this time when we return .

Let’s just skip him and flip the page .

The second page had an old lady dressed up grandly, and I guessed it was the wife of Zhang Sheng, the esteemed grandmother of the fu . I turned to meticulously look at her biography, but just one glance left me a bit stunned .

Yan-shi wife of the great general who protected this country came from the He Xi Yan Clan became ancestral concubine Yan-shi after marrying into the clan beautiful looks and a jealous nature when a female servant first enters the household she says with a smile, “If I spot any selfish female servants in the future, they will immediately be flogged to death” ……

I can turn a blind eye even if they’re traditional chinese characters, because even if you don’t know them you can still recognize ⅞ . I can also withstand the vertical reading format of the book, as I can use my hands to cover up the lines on either side so that I won’t confuse the lines .

The problem was: I don’t need all your punctuation to be right, but having some pauses would be good too ah .

It didn’t have any .

Fully packed into the page in small cursive script, vertical reading format, traditional characters, no punctuation, incomplete sentences……

Aiya ya, it really causes a headache ah!

Reading the sentences was really too hard, so I could only go slowly from one word at a time . I unknowingly read aloud: “Yan-shi……general who protected the country……from……from the He Xi… . . He Xi Yan Clan and became ancestral……concubine Yan-shi……bride of the family with good looks and jealous nature……first time meeting a servant……full of smiles……spot a personal……servant girl……”

A private servant? Born to be a private servant?

Could it have been written down wrong?

Qi Sheng suddenly said coldly: “Yan-shi, wife of the great general who protected this country, came from the He Xi Yan Clan, became ancestral concubine Yan-shi after marrying into the clan, beautiful looks and a jealous nature . When a female servant first enters the household, she says with a smile, “If I spot any selfish female servants in the future, they will immediately be flogged to death . ”

I raised my head and stared at Qi Sheng with considerable bewilderment .

Qi Sheng looked at me and asked: “Before we get to the Zhang fu, will you be able to finish this one page?”

I lowered my head to seriously consider the amount of words, before I lifted my head to face Qi Sheng: “If I don’t it wouldn’t be by much . ”

The furrows between Qi Sheng’s eyebrows tightened as he carelessly threw away the book in his hands and reached out to me: “Give it to me!”

To tell you the truth, I was very annoyed by this guy’s tone so I said: “It’s fine, I can read it myself . ”

Qi Sheng who blanked for a moment as his eyebrows twitched said: “Then okay, don’t read aloud . ”

After saying that he closed both of his eyes, and unexpectedly leaned back onto his soft pillow .

F***! You uncle, what are you trying to pull? Isn’t it just that I’m not used to reading it? I’ll write you a page of English, and you won’t even be as well off as me!

I lowered my head and started to go through the sh**……

One ‘shichen’ later, I went through the sh**……and the result……was that I couldn’t finish……

Looking at how I still had yet to read half of the biographies, I was anxious to the point my eyes turned red .

Qi Sheng opened his eyes: “Give the book to me . ”

This time, I obediently gave it to him .

He randomly opened the book and only showed me the pages with colored pictures before asking: “Who is this?”

F***! So it wasn’t to tutor me, it was a classroom check!

My heart immediately sank and it felt as if I had returned to my classroom . My geography teacher was holding a map as he asked me: what province is this?

I stood there with a head full of sweat, wondering if it was Liaoning? Henan? Or was it Hunan?

The geography teacher had a bad habit . He always liked walking around in the classroom as he lectured, before standing beside your desk to ask a question .

He had an even worse habit, and it was that if you answered wrongly, he always liked casually picking up anything on your desk to use to hit your head with……

That’s why, in that time, wherever the geography teacher neared the students there would all feel nervous .

Everytime he was close to nearing my desk, the person sitting at the same table as me would always use a low voice to remind me: SB2! Why aren’t you quicker in hiding your pencils and your pencil case! SB! Be careful of him using your pencil case to hit you!

That’s why, I would then hastily start tidying the table, hating the fact that I couldn’t also put my geography textbook into the drawer . It would be great if I could just leave a sheet of paper on my desk……

Qi Sheng shook the book in front of me once before asking again: “Who is she?”

I used my hands to scratch my head before probingly saying: “The second aunt3 from father’s side? Or, no, the wife of father’s second brother?”

Qi Sheng closed his mouth tightly and did not speak .

I quickly changed my words: “Oh, I remembered, it’s third paternal aunt!”

Qi Sheng’s eyebrow twitched .

I changed tactics: “Then……who does it look like to you?”

Qi Sheng looked at me, and it took a while before he faintly said: “She could be your father’s elder cousin’s wife . ”

I patted my forehead: “Isn’t it? Only now that you said that did I remember, the drawing seems to be a bit old……”

The colour of Qi Sheng’s face changed . “Pa!” He slapped the book against me saying: “This is your own blood mother, Fan-shi!”

Well, this could really be considered as not recognizing my own mother!

After being thrashed by him like this, my face fell a bit as I cried: “I just……haven’t seen her yet……”

Qi Sheng laughed angrily: “Good, good, good……but she is the one you’ll meet first!”

I picked up the biographies from the ground with some fire in my heart . The meeting will happen soon, why couldn’t you be earlier? Who ever heard of giving the cheat sheet right before entering the exam room?

My face sank and I also became silent .

Qi Sheng’s mood seemed to have cooled down as he paused for a moment, before he suddenly told me in a cold voice: “Get over here!”

I didn’t understand and looked at Qi Sheng .

Qi Sheng used his hand to rub his forehead as he rather helplessly said: “I’ll first quickly tell you about the people you’ll have to meet soon . Quickly remember . If later you cannot remember properly, just shut up and don’t speak . Anyway, no one would dare to ask you to your face . ”

It seems like there’s only the option of temporarily hugging his smelly feet .

I was very reluctant, but I still crawled two steps closer to Qi Sheng .

Qi Sheng frowned at me and didn’t say anything .

Helpless, I could only crawl forward another two steps .

To tell the truth, I’m really not that used to sitting so close beside such a big gentleman .

Qi Sheng was still a bit unsatisfied, but it could be considered that I had forced a pass . He took the biographies from my hands and from beginning to end, gave me a simple explanation for each picture . In the beginning it was all of Zhang’s important males, and Qi Sheng only simply said their names and stuff like my relationship . But when we got to the female members in the back, he started to carefully explain the details .

I was astonished and couldn’t help taking a look at Qi Sheng . I inwardly speculated on how this guy was rather familiar with all my jiejies and meimeis4 .

Qi Sheng saw that I was looking at him and stopped, quite weakly explaining: “These ladies are the ones you’re going to be in contact with the most, you cannot mix them up . ”

I wondered out loud: “How are you so familiar with all of this?”

Qi Sheng’s eyebrow jumped again and visibly forced down his temper: “I’ve read this book once before . ”

Ha, is this the legendary photographic memory?

1 . Instead of 24 hour days, ancient Chinese people separated the day into 12 ‘shichens’, so, one shichen is two hours long . ”

2 . SB = Chinese way of calling people stupid . ” . ”

3 . These two aunts are titled quite differently in Chinese language . The first one is for an aunt that is older than your mother, the second is for the aunt the same age as your mother . ”

4 .  Jiejie means older sister while meimei means younger sister . In China, these terms don’t have to be blood-related and you can call and women older or younger than yourself as jiejie or meimei . ” . ”