Ten months later, a cry resounded throughout the Virtuous King’s mansion, this time, Shan Qihuan was much stronger than when he first learned that his wife was pregnant, he waited until his wife gave birth safely and the child came into the world with a cry1呱呱墜地 (gū gū zhuì dì): lit. to fall onto the ground crying; come into the world with a cry; (of a baby) to be born; be born with a cry; come crying into the world; describe the birth of a baby or the birth of something. before he fainted.
After coming to ancient times, he had a wife and a child, Shan Qihuan’s life goal gradually became clear, he must create a comfortable and safe living environment for his family, but even if he is far away from the new emperor, he is still on guard, fearing that one day the new emperor will rise up against him, it is not that there are no such emperors in history, they are afraid of rebellions in various places, so their children are taken to the capital, claiming that they have better teachers in the capital, but in reality they are used as hostages.
Shan Qihuan didn’t want this kind of thing to happen to him, he had to make himself stronger before the new emperor could react.
The current new emperor is diligent and caring for the people, and has reduced taxes for farmers, these measures show that he is currently a wise emperor, however, with eunuchs and ministers around him, the beauties in the harem will become more and more abundant, who knows whether he will become confused when he gets old, most importantly, Shan Qihuan is determined not to let his own family be harmed in the slightest.
He has not been idle these days in the fiefdom, he has gained many loyal people, the matter of iron ore has also been put on the agenda, not only does he want to make great achievements2大展宏圖 (dà zhǎn hóng tú): to carry out one’s great plan; realize one’s ambition; spread one’s wings; metaphorically refers to grand strategies and plans, and the implementation of grand and ambitious plans or ambitions on a large scale., but he also wants to do things that the ancients have never been able to accomplish.
Modern smelting iron ore technology is naturally the pinnacle, however, it is not that easy to smelt in the current era, fortunately, Shan Qihuan was also the top scorer in the college entrance examination that year, and he has not forgotten any of the knowledge points that should be memorized.
Shan Qihuan asked Shen Yuhan if he would support him if he were to pursue a new endeavor.
Shen Yuhan said that he would support him, after listening to a lot of Shan Qihuan’s ideas and methods over the years, he felt that only people like his Lord Husband could become the ruler of a country, and now, if he was willing to endure hardships3臥薪嘗膽 (wò xīn cháng dǎn): lit. to sleep on brushwood and taste gall (like King Gou Jian of Yue, in order to recall one’s humiliations) (idiom); fig. to maintain one’s resolve for revenge; to undergo self-imposed hardships; to nurse vengeance; sleep on firewood and taste gall—undergo self-imposed hardships (to strengthen one’s resolve to wipe out a national humiliation or to accomplish some ambition); endure hardships and temper oneself in order to accomplish one’s ambition; From the story of the King Goujian of Yue [5th BCE], who forced himself to sleep on firewood and lick a gallbladder every day to remember the humiliation of his previous defeat by the State of Wu. The original meaning of this idiom refers to the story, later, it describes a person who is hardworking and self-motivated and strives to become stronger., it was not a bad idea.
After Shan Qihuan made up his mind to do this, Shen Yuhan wrote to the Shen family, the second brother of the Shen family secretly made a trip to the south in person, and saw that his younger brother and his nephew were safe and sound4安然無恙 (ān rán wú yàng): safe and sound (idiom); to come out unscathed (e.g. from an accident or illness); (escape) in/with a whole skin; be (all) in one piece., he knew that they were living a very good life, their brothers thought they would never see Shen Yuhan again, unexpectedly, there was a turning point5峰迴路轉 (fēng huí lù zhuǎn): winding path amidst high peaks; summit amidst surrounding elevations and winding paths—an unexpected turn in the situation or one’s fate; the path winds along mountain ridges; the path winds through high peaks; to see a turn for the better; a metaphor for a new turning point after things experience setbacks and failures. Also refers to a turning point. Describes the twists and turns of the scenic spots., he actually live so well, and marry a good man, this was something they never expected.
Second Brother Shen is quite satisfied with the Virtuous King, he has an extraordinary bearing, speaks freely, has strategies, and he also could see the big picture. He is like an emperor, and the most important thing is that he is also very good to Shen Yuhan and his children, the inner courtyard is also very clean, he has never seen Han Ge’er follow someone with his eyes, and the admiration in his eyes is undeniable.
After returning to Qi Kingdom, Second Brother Shen described the exchanges with Shan Qihuan and his impression of this person to his father and brothers at home.
They all know that the Qi Kingdom may not be able to hold on, the emperor is old and often confused, the empress dowager of the harem holds the political power, it is estimated that after the emperor passes away, they will support the young prince to ascend to the throne, at that time, the Chu Kingdom will surely take advantage of the situation and enter the country, they don’t have to do anything now, they just need to save the Shen family.
As expected by Shan Qihuan, the Qi Kingdom did not survive6苟延殘喘 (gǒu yán cán chuǎn): lit. living on the last breath; to struggle on whilst at death’s door (idiom); to linger; to drag on one’s feeble existence; linger on in a steadily worsening condition; be on one’s last legs; the original meaning is to barely extend the breath before death. It is a metaphor for barely surviving for the time being. for long and soon fell.
The territory of the Qi Kingdom was incorporated into the territory of the Chu Kingdom, and in this world, there was no longer Qi Kingdom, this small country.
The Shen family had long been warned by Shan Qihuan, and had made sufficient preparations, after the Chu Kingdom invaded the Qi Kingdom, their family quietly avoided all this, without any major losses, and with the help of Shan Qihuan, they left the Qi Kingdom and went directly to Shan Qihuan’s fiefdom, and in the future, they would serve the Virtuous King.
Shan Qihuan combined historical experience, and with the help of the Shen family, supporting each other, his fiefdom grew stronger and stronger, but all this was done in a low-key manner, the current emperor was immersed in the joy of winning the Qi Kingdom, unfortunately, the emperor did not live long, because he was too diligent in his duties, one day, when he was reviewing the memorial, his head suddenly falls on the desk, and died.
At this time, Shan Qihuan was the only younger brother left by the emperor and the only prince with a fiefdom in the current dynasty, he would definitely return to the capital for the funeral, but many courtiers were unaware of his threat, and surprisingly, no one opposed him, Shan Qihuan just led his troops into the capital, by the time everyone realized what was happening, the Chu Kingdom had already fallen into Shan Qihuan’s hands7囊中之物 (náng zhōng zhī wù): sth in the bag; sth attainable; foregone conclusion; the thing in the pocket. It is a metaphor for something that can be obtained without much effort., effortlessly gaining everything others desired without expending a single soldier.
The emperor did not establish a posthumous edict, but Shan Qihuan had already prepared one in advance, and none of the three prime ministers noticed anything amiss.
To use a modern saying, opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared8機會是留給有準備的人 (jī huì shì liú gěi yǒu zhǔn bèi de rén): opportunity is for those who are prepared. It conveys the idea that success often comes to those who are ready and well-prepared..
Shan Qihuan has thus become the new Emperor of the Chu Kingdom, the courtiers are not familiar with the Virtuous King, who has been hidden for many years, and they have no understanding of his style of doing things, there is no use in flattering or anything else, compared with the diligent late emperor, this one was not only diligent in government, but also took care of his family, there are no women in the harem, and there is no need for them.
Similarly, Shen Yuhan, who suddenly became the Empress, did not show any stage fright when entertaining the wives of courtiers, he was more dignified than the original Empress, a motherly model of the country, he is the first ger Empress in history of the Chu Kingdom, and envied by all the gers.
Shan Qihuan spent a period of time rectifying his governing team, with the help of the Shen family father and son, he was able to get twice the result with half the effort.
When he returned to the harem, he saw his two sons clinging to his wife’s side after school and thoughtfully wondered whether to give them more homework.
“Imperial Father!”
One big and one small called people in a polite manner, Shan Qihuan hugged each one: “What did you learn today?”
The elder said: “Today is the second uncle’s lesson, I have to recite poems, it’s boring and uninteresting.”
The younger one had just just started enlightenment, and solemnly replied: “Answering the Imperial Father, learning to write characters.”
Shan Qihuan asked a few questions about learning and then stopped asking, he couldn’t deprive the children of their rest and playtime, so he asked Shen Yuhan what to eat in the evening.
Shen Yuhan looked at them with a smile, and the joy on his face could not be hidden, he reported the name of the dishes: “I’ll stew mutton9燉羊肉 (dùn yáng ròu): Stewed Mutton. 
for you tonight, stewed chicken soup with bamboo fungus10竹蓀燉雞湯 (zhú sūn dùn jī tāng): Stewed Chicken Soup with Bamboo Fungus. 
, chicken marrow bamboo shoots11雞髓筍 (jī suǐ sǔn): Chicken Marrow Bamboo Shoots. 
, almond taro fries12酥黃獨 (sū huáng dú): Almond Taro Fries. 
, and there’s also sweet-scented osmanthus cakes with lotus root powder13藕粉桂花糖糕 (ǒu fěn guì huā gāo táng): Sweet-scented Osmanthus Cakes with Lotus Root Powder. 
.”
When they heard that there was a sweet cake, the two little ones jumped for joy, Shan Qihuan patted their little shoulders: “You two should eat less sugar, or you will get cavities.”
The eldest prince, who has already started losing baby teeth, covered his mouth and said: “No way, Imperial Father, I brush my teeth morning and night and keep my teeth in good condition.”
The younger one also raised his hand: “I brush my teeth too, so I don’t get cavities.”
Shen Yuhan has the dignity of the Empress in front of others but is very gentle in front of his husband and children, of course, he will not spoil the children blindly, he will be strict when he needs to be strict, and loving, when it’s time to be loving, unlike his Lord Husband, who simply wants to spoil the two children to the sky.
Many people told him that they were afraid that the Virtuous King would expand his harem after he became the emperor, but who would have known that the harem was not expanded, but all the land where the concubines once lived was demolished instead, half of it was turned into a playground for children, and the other half was given to Shen Yuhan to grow some fruits from the Western Regions, he had land for entertainment, which no one else had access to.
Everyone thinks that the emperor has gone too far, but as Shan Qihuan said, is it wrong to implement his ideas and show love for his family on his own territory?
Everyone was unable to respond, it seemed that there was nothing wrong, but it did not conform to propriety and law.
Shan Qihuan argued that propriety and law are all set by people, and some people will definitely change them, to be practical and pragmatic14實事求是 (shí shì qiú shì): to seek truth from facts (idiom); to be practical and pragmatic; to be practical and realistic; base oneself on facts; be true to facts; originally meant seeking true knowledge based on empirical evidence; now it is mostly used to act in accordance with actual conditions, without exaggerating or minimizing., these words and actions also laid the foundation for his implementation of monogamy.
At this time, Shan Qihuan was coaxing the two children to sleep, he was telling them a bedtime story, this was something Shen Yuhan couldn’t do, because Shen Yuhan was also one of the people listening to the story, the family of four was sitting on the bed, listening to Shan Qihuan telling the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves15阿巴巴與四十個海盜 (ā bā bā yǔ sì shí gè hǎi dào): “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves” is a folk tale in Arabic added to the One Thousand and One Nights in the 18th century by its French translator Antoine Galland, who heard it from Syrian storyteller Hanna Diyab. As one of the most popular Arabian Nights tales, it has been widely retold and performed in many media across the world, especially for children (for whom the more violent aspects of the story are often suppressed)..
After the story was finished, the children were left wanting more, Shan Qihuan told them that they could continue the story tomorrow night.
However, after he and Shen Yuhan went back to their rooms, his wife begged him to tell the second half of the story, Shan Qihuan chuckled, saying that it would have to be exchanged with a kiss, Shen Yuhan held his face and kissed him, and then it became impossible to stop him, how could it stopped at just a kiss.
After the end of the storm16翻雲覆雨 (fān yún fù yǔ): lit. to produce clouds with one turn of the hand and rain with another (idiom); (figurative) to be fickle; to shift one’s grounds constantly; to play politics; to be tricky and inconstant; behave in a fickle manner; blow hot and cold about; play fast and loose; be wilfully capricious; to make love; describing a person who is capricious or habitual of playing tricks. From a line in 《貧交行》 by Du Fu (杜甫): 翻手作雲覆手雨，紛紛輕薄何須數？, Turning the hand is like clouds, covering the hand is like rain, why bother to count the frivolous things?, Shen Yuhan said before he fell asleep in his husband’s arms, Lord Husband is really cunning.
–
When the Chu Kingdom became more and more powerful, Shan Qihuan began to carry out his next plan, all the surrounding small countries were annexed and incorporated into the territory of the Chu Kingdom, and then finally the northern territory was taken over, and the surrounding countries were unified.
During his reign, the Chu Kingdom was at its most prosperous, unparalleled in history, praised by all, and loved by the people, apart from this, the Empress was also a major topic, but Shan Qihuan deliberately weakened Shen Yuhan’s influence, because he knew that the number of men of this 『nature』 was too small, and would eventually face elimination. Of course, he also implemented many preferential treatment policies for both ger and women, allowing everyone to pursue their own aspirations, while changes may not happen immediately, he has his own children who can continue his initiatives.
Of course, Shan Qihuan’s two children are not taught behind closed doors17閉門造車 (bì mén zào chē): lit. build a cart (behind) closed doors; make a cart behind closed doors—work without any knowledge of the actual process; do something irrespective of external circumstances; to operate in a vacuum; to be overly subjective and disregard the outside world (idiom); divorce oneself from reality in carrying out a project; act blindly; originally meant that although the cart was built behind closed doors according to the same specifications, it would inevitably fit in with the ruts of the road. In modern Chinese, it is often used as a metaphor for doing things based on subjective wishes regardless of the objective situation., he took them to experience the hardships of life, teaching them to approach issues from the perspectives of different groups of people, the elder prince had an out-of-the-box 『nature』, and was suitable for leading the army and being in charge of the national defense, while the younger prince was calm and wise from a young age, receiving guidance from various teachers, he had a calm 『nature』, intelligent and extremely dignified, even the eldest prince would sometimes defer to him, in the end, the throne was passed to the second prince, and the two brothers jointly ruled the Chu Kingdom.
Of course, all of this is not without the assistance of the wise ministers.
The Shen family has always kept a low profile, although Shan Qihuan believed that they had their share of contributions to the country, they understood the principle that doing too much is just as bad as not doing enough18過猶不及 (guò yóu bù jí): too far is as bad as not enough (idiom); doing too much is just as bad as not doing enough; going beyond is just as wrong as not going far enough; too much is as bad as too little; From the Analects, Book 11 (《論語·先進》): 子貢問：「師與商也孰賢？」子曰：「師也過，商也不及。」曰：「然則師愈與？」子曰：「過猶不及。」, Zigong asked which of the two, Shi or Shang, was the superior. The Master said, “Shi goes beyond the due mean, and Shang does not come up to it.” “Then,” said Zigong, “the superiority is with Shi, I suppose.” The Master said, “To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short.”, and retired early, descendants are engaged in all trades and professions, although not everyone in the Shen family is standing in the court, there are legends about the Shen family everywhere.
When the two children had grown up to the point where they could take charge of their own affairs, Shan Qihuan took Shen Yuhan to tour mountains and rivers to enjoy the beauty of nature19遊山玩水 (yóu shān wán shuǐ): tour mountains and rivers to enjoy the beauty of nature―make pleasure trips; to tour the scenic spots; to travel through nature; make a sightseeing tour; travel from one beauty spot to another; to visit and enjoy the mountains and rivers., and took him to see a wider world, which was what he had promised when they first got married.
Nowadays, the roads in the Chu Kingdom are widened, and official roads can be extended further.
Shan Qihuan finally took Shen Yuhan to the seaside to feel the breath of the seaside and accompany him to watch the sunrise at sea.
At this time, the two of them, one was forty-five years old, and the other was nearly forty years old, both maintained their youthful appearance, but with the added composure of having seen the world.
Early morning waves crashed against the reef.
Shan Qihuan hugged his wife, put a cloak on his shoulders, and quietly told him a secret: “Yuhan, do you know? In fact, I’m not a person from here, I’m a person from the future.”
He thought Shen Yuhan would be surprised or afraid of himself, but instead, Shen Yuhan smiled, the sea breeze blew his hair, and Shan Qihuan skillfully brushed his hair aside.
Shen Yuhan stared at him and said: “I know.”
Shan Qihuan said: “You know?” It seemed like his wife had never doubted him ever since he met him, and he was quite cooperative, “How did you know it?”
Shen Yuhan nodded: “Um, do you remember when you went to the Qi Kingdom to pick up the bride? The night you drove away the bandits from the north, I had a dream, I dreamed that the bandits 『forced』 me to die on a cliff. After death, I went to a strange place, married a person, and lived with that person, he helped me a lot, and loved me very much.”
Shan Qihuan started to get jealous: “Why did you dream of someone else earlier?”
Shen Yuhan snuggled into his arms, they had been married for so many years, but he was still so jealous!
“Listen to the end, Lord Husband.” Shen Yuhan laughed softly, “I lived very happily in that world, and then I woke up from the dream, and the next day, I saw you, you looked exactly the same as the person I met in the dream, your 『nature』 and speaking style didn’t change, and at that time, I thought, maybe God allowed us to meet, this is fate and destiny, and you’re here to save me.”
No one can tell how the fates are intertwined, but it is the two of them who are going round and round.
“Perhaps,” it wasn’t he who saved him, it was his wife who saved him, “There are many things in this world that are hard to explain, but I’m glad to have met you, and it can only be you.”
Shen Yuhan hugged his waist tightly and said: “That’s right, on the day I met you, I made a wish not to marry the emperor, but to marry the third prince, and then, by a twist of fate20陰差陽錯 (yīn chā yáng cuò): lit. both yin and yang are wrong; an accident arising from many causes (idiom); a freak combination of factors; an accident, mistake or event arising from many different unforeseen causes; a strange combination of circumstances; accidentally; serendipitously; mistake or error due to a strange combination of circumstances., I became your wife.” After the marriage, he discovered that his Lord Husband and the person in his dream were exactly the same, as if they were one and the same person, after many years of living together, he understood that God was telling him that his Lord Husband came from outside the world, and was very extraordinary, he had found a treasure.
He turned his head to look at the endless sea, and excitedly pointed at the sun rising from the sea: “Lord Husband, the sun is rising!”
Shan Qihuan kissed his hair and looked at him with love in his eyes, he slightly raised the corners of his lips: “It looks good.”
My wife really looks good.
Shan Qihuan leaned into his ear and said: “Wife, love you.”
This is the last extra chapter, and now TAB is officially completed.
Thank you to everyone who has supported me, left comments, added the chapter link to NU, and everyone who has read and loved this story. If you can, please leave some comments & ratings on NU so that more people will discover this lovely story. ^^
The author really goes all out with the idiom, believe it or not, this whole novel has no less than 869 non-repeated idioms. Not to mention proverbs and slang. (I didn’t count those LoL)
This is my third completed novel. I’m still lacking, but I promise I’ll improve. If you can, please support the original author, you can look at this link for a detailed guide, and if you have spare, I’d very much appreciate some Ko-fi.
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This will be a slow-going project; I decided to spend more time correcting the grammar and making the novel easier to read. The title is ‘The Susceptible Period is Drawn Out by the Sworn Enemy‘. This is an ABO novel, but the pairing is AA. You can check it out if it interests you.
I also decided to retranslate another novel I love; ‘Beloved Marriage in High Society‘. I decided to retranslate it from the first chapter because as a reader myself, I hate jumping sites to chase chapters. I promise to pay more attention to readability and use as few footnotes as possible.
I recently made a carrd~ You can check it out for a full lists of my projects.
![The Cannon Fodder Gong Suddenly Became a Heartthrob [Quick Transmigration].](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/photo_2024-08-11_00-57-09-1.jpg "The Cannon Fodder Gong Suddenly Became a Heartthrob [Quick Transmigration].")
