Pampered Consort's Acting Awards - Chapter 5

“Even when crying, one has to be sultry.”

 A woman had thrown 800 taels away to bring home a female entertainer, it was a very rare occurrence.
It had also caused a huge ruckus in Qingfeng Pavilion on that day.

Some people said that this was an act of chivalry, while some others said that this was the hobbies of noble families—it was difficult to think about. Whether one was just being extravagant or trying to be chivalrous, in any case, it was probably done so on a whim.

A whim.
At first, Si Yue had also believed it that way.

That was why when she first learned that Qin Ling had bought her using her entire wealth, her expression turned grave in an instant.

The sky was heavy with dark clouds, even the shadow of the moon disappeared.
Su Ling was sitting on a stool in the courtyard, while Si Yue was standing in the middle of the room.

After a long time, Si Yue started softly: “It seems like what the lady has done today was not based on a whim.”

Su Ling nodded and calmly said: “Yes.”

Si Yue slowly spoke: “Si Yue is merely a singer from Fengyue Alley. Aside from performing in opera shows, she can only do some tricks that men like, I don’t know for what reason did Miss Qin redeem me?”

Su Ling answered: “Lady Si is proficient in the four arts, also good at acting and singing, there’s no need to undervalue yourself. I invited you to my residence today because I need your guidance on some things.”

“My guidance?” Si Yue smiled and said: “Miss is a young lady of an official family, you can find a well-known teacher to compare notes on qin, painting, and other cultural arts. Now that the general election is within sight, there are many virtuous and talented women in the capital, so why…”
Speaking up here, Si Yue paused for a moment.

Qin Ling was the eldest daughter of a grand scribe, she was 16 years old.

“Miss Qin will be joining the palace draft?”

“Correct.” Su Ling slowly stood up and delivered Si Yue’s slave deed directly into her hands, then said softly: “The things that I want to learn, only Lady Si can teach me. This can be considered as the payment for tutoring.”

***

The matter of Su Ling spending a huge sum of money to buy a female entertainer was finally passed on to Qin Wang’s ears when the roosters crowed in the morning.

Qin Wang was so angry that his hands were shaking from the anger. With a flick of his long sleeves, he burst into Qin Ling’s courtyard in large strides.

The door was pushed open with a “bang” sound.

“I’ve truly underestimated you. 800 taels… You, a mere girl, had gone as far as taking home a female entertainer for 800 tales! What do you think the Qin residence is? A brothel where you can take in any kind of people?!” Qin Wang said while clutching his chest.

Su Ling stood and said to Qin Wang: “Can Father let me explain some things first?”

“Explain what?! What do you want to explain?!” Qin Wang took a clear look at the woman standing behind Su Ling, and suddenly felt dark in front of him. While gasping for breath, he said: “You don’t have to explain anything to me, send her back immediately at once!”

Su Ling looked at Qin Wang who was seething in anger and said patiently: “Lady Si’s nature is clean, if not for the misfortune that befell her family when she was young, she wouldn’t be at Qingfeng Pavilion to sell her skills…”

Qin Wang immediately interrupted her: “Ah Ling, so what? So what if she had a miserable past? In this world, there are many pitiful people. Could it be that you want to take all of them in? You only know how to have fun these days, someday in the future, you might bring misfortune upon Qin family!”

Hearing what was said, Su Ling slowly spoke: “Then, at that time, why couldn’t Father bear it? Why did you take in an outsider??”

As soon as the voice fell, the entire face of Jiang Lanyue who was standing behind the door blackened.

This outsider remark.
It was pointing at Jiang Lanyue’s “miserable past”.

Qin Wang choked.
Even though everything that Su Ling had said was fact, however in Qin Wang’s eyes, a father is a father, a child is a child. If he says something, then you have to do it, if you say something, then it will be considered as being unfilial.

He was so angry that he turned around the room, lifted his hand, and prepared to call out the servants when Jiang Lanyue came over with reddened eyes: “Master, don’t be angry.”

Qin Wang said sternly: “Why did you come! Don’t talk for her anymore! Even if you talk until your mouth gets ruined, she won’t appreciate it.”

Jiang Lanyue’s tears came down, “Master, Eldest Miss is still young, the temper is still unstable, it is also possible that she is being deceived. This matter has been done without the elders’ knowledge, your esteemed self doesn’t have to be angry ah.”

“16 years old is still young? Then when will she grow up? She’s taking part in the draft like this, once she enters the palace, don’t say that I might lose the black hat, I won’t even find it strange if my head falls off on that day! Since it is like this, it will be better to let Rong’er enters the palace instead!”

[black hat: official post]

Jiang Lanyue said while wiping her tears: “Master, don’t speak of these words. A legitimate child is different from an illegitimate child, don’t let these words be heard by the people outside.”

Su Ling looked at Jiang Lanyue. All of sudden, she could somewhat understand why Wen Shuanghua and Qin Ling had gone insane.

She really could not stand it, so she directly said: “Lady Si is proficient in the four arts, I’ve invited her because of the palace draft.”

Qin Wang was still angry but also found it somewhat laughable, “I’ve found you so many teachers but you didn’t want to learn, now that it’s an entertainer, you suddenly want to learn?”

Eldest Miss Qin and Qin Wang were as incompatible as fire and water, she confronted him on anything.
If Qin Wang told her to do something, she would do the opposite, even when it came to her shallow and sparse skills. Aside from being able to play 2 tunes, when compared to Qin Rong who was born by Jiang Lanyue, it could even be said that the difference was like heaven and earth.

Su Ling said seriously: “If Father doesn’t believe me, then just see in half a month. In the next half a month, Father can personally inspect my studies and palace etiquette. If there’s no improvement, Daughter will have no more objections and will listen to Father’s arrangements.”

Jiang Lanyue frowned after taking a glance at Su Ling.

Seeing her said that, Qin Wang’s expression changed slightly and said in a deep voice: “Alright, remember the words you’ve said today. After half a month, if you’re still the same as you are today, this person must leave!”

Su Ling answered: “This is natural.”

After Qin Wang and Jiang Lanyue left, Si Yue quickly spoke: “Miss Qin, Si Yue can teach you the four arts, however, I’m really unfamiliar with the palace etiquette.”
“No worries.”
When it came to palace etiquette, Su Ling did not need to learn a single one. After all, it was none other than her that hand-picked these etiquettes.

Su Ling changed the topic: “Did Lady Si see that Concubine Jiang just now?”
Si Yue answered: “Yes.”
Su Ling said again: “Then for now, why don’t you teach me how to shed tears in the blink of an eye, how about it?”
Hearing what was said, Si Yue could not help but laugh: “Then… I don’t know if Miss Qin will be able to bear the hardships of an actor?”
Su Ling replied: “Even so, teach me.”

Su Ling naturally understood the truth behind ten years of work, so she merely said that as a joke.
She really did not expect that there was such a thing as tear-provoking cream in this world.

Si Yue took out a brown porcelain bottle and said: “This is the tear-provoking cream. Si Yue used to be a thin horse and had been sold four times before she met Master and learned these skills to make a living. As such, she doesn’t need to use this thing. Recalling her past experience is enough to make her shed tears, however, Miss Qin is a noble lady, surely you haven’t experienced many hardships. Why don’t you try it first? Dip your finger in and smear it on the inside corner of your eyes.”

[thin horse: “Nurturing Thin Horses” is a distorted business in China during Ming and Qing Dynasties in China. First, invest money to buy good-looking girls from poor families and then retrain them, teach them singing, dancing, qin and go, calligraphy and painting, and then sell them to be concubines of the rich or enter the brothel in order to profit from them. Because the poor women are so thin and weak, the name “thin horse” comes from this]

[Master 师父 (shīfu): as in teacher, not owner.]

Su Ling stretched her hand, dipped her finger in the bottle, and smeared it under her eyes. Tears immediately flowed like a breached dam.

Si Yue took the copper mirror at the side, “Miss Qin, take a look?”

After a glimpse, Su Ling’s eyes seemed to be shaking.
The corners of the two eyes were flushed red and teardrops hung on the eyelashes.

One who saw would feel pity, as she looked like she was suffering from heavy grievance.

Si Yue smiled again, “Miss Qin, is the 800 taels worth it?”
Su Ling nodded.

Worth.

***

In the beginning, Si Yue had also been unable to guess what Su Ling was doing.
For example, Su Ling obviously could write characters very well, but she wanted to change her calligraphy style with another one; another example, her bearing was clearly dignified and courteous, bright and magnanimous, but she insisted on learning the charming nature unique to female entertainers whose every gesture was delicate.

But among intelligent people, there might be some kind of unspeakable tacit understanding.

Si Yue did not ask, and Su Ling did not mention it.
What she wanted to learn, she taught her.

Every day, Su Ling shut herself in the room to practice calligraphy, her wrist seemed to be worn out. Sometimes she wrote until early morning and fell asleep on the desk.
Si Yue also did not know why she was this desperate.
She used to be a thin horse. She had seen many men and women in her life, but she had never seen a woman like this Eldest Miss Qin before.

Su Ling asked her to be stricter, so Si Yue adopted the attitude of her master when she had been taught by her.
She brought a lot of drama scripts for Su Ling to study. She had originally thought that a young lady of an official family would look down on these, and just two days would be enough.
But Su Ling was unexpectedly dedicated. No matter how embarrassing and unspeakable the dialogues were, she never said “no”.

However, acting skill depended on two things; first, was practice, second, was enlightenment. Many people had been practicing their whole life, but still unable to perform on the stage.
She knew in which area Su Ling was lacking, but she did not dare to say.

In the end, it was Su Ling who tore this sheet of paper. She smiled and said: “Lady Si, just out with it.”

Si Yue hesitated for a long time before she leaned over Su Ling’s ear and whispered: “If Miss Qin wants to become someone else, she must first forget who she is. If the script tells a happy story, you must be happy, if the script tells a sad story, you must be sad.”

If you want to become someone else, you must first forget who you are.

Su Ling and Si Yue looked at each other, and after a long silence, she said: “Many thanks.”

Every day, the sun leaped from the east window to the west window.

Si Yue looked on as, within Qin Ling’s two bright eyes, there was an extra layer of glistening wave and an extra layer of raging billows.
Proud and willful, dignified and virtuous, ready to turn on the waterworks, charming and sultry. Each and every single one was her.

Su Ling put down the script in her hand. A smile escaped from the corners of her mouth: Since she had already become the daughter of the Qin family, then she was Qin Ling from now on.

Time passed by. Half a month later—

 The author has something to say:
[Small Theater]
Shen Zhen: There is such a thing as tear-provoking cream in this world.
Lu Yan: … …

<<Shen Zhen and Lu Yan are the leads of Chang’an First Beauty. Be sure to read that one too and support the translator! They’re doing a very good job at it!>>

And the name will be Qin Ling starting from the next chapter!