pls no

call me awa. I am very tired. 

[thatswhatsushesaid]

every time meng-dage says ‘aiyah!’ to cope with an uncomfortable social situation, my brain pops out enough serotonin and dopamine units to temporarily offset my need for my medication

i mean it’s either that or the second-hand embarrassment

[awano]

And yet, just as the lamps are being lit for the evening, as he picks up a book at random to settle into the night, the bookshelf in the inner room slides open all by itself, revealing a crack in the wall. The crack splits, growing wider and wider, and then standing there in a secret passageway is a tall and slender man, the very person whose manner of arrival he has been guessing and guessing at. 

Peerless (倾国): Chapter 6 on AO3

[awano]

As emperor, he is much the same as he was, and doesn't have a lot to say to the eunuchs. But the friendship he has with Gao Zhan is no different to the one he has with Shen Zhui. He rarely asks Gao Zhan anything, but each time he does, he receives only the plainest truth in answer. That sly old fox, who has lived through three successive reigns in the Palace, is a fawning toady to a foolish master, and an edifying mirror to a wise one.

Gao Zhan pauses for a second. Then, indeed, he gives him the unflinching truth. "You have been remiss, Your Majesty."

Xiao Jingyan looks at Gao Zhan, his gaze unwavering, and waits for him to continue. 

Stooped at the waist, Gao Zhan chooses his gentlest, yet gravest tone of voice when he says, "Your Majesty's heart has not been in the Palace; therefore have you been remiss."

Peerless (倾国): Chapter 5 on AO3

[sable-pigeon]

episode 33

[awano]

Tingsheng turns seventeen this year. The blood of emperors in his marrow has welled forth into plain sight; a jade pin binds his hair in a neat topknot, and a jade belt adorns his waist; there is a vivid light in his curious eyes, and a poised elegance in his bearing. As he walks along the corridor, he carries the providential grace of kings in his wake. With a clever dodge he evades Fei Liu's hawk-like assault, nearly catching even Zhen Ping and Li Gang flat-footed. Mei Changsu gets to his feet and calls off Fei Liu. Then, just as he might greet an old friend, he smiles at the visitor in his courtyard: "You've come."

Peerless (倾国): Chapter 4 on AO3

[circumference-pie]

anyway I think it's hilarious how Jingyan spends an entire fifty episodes sighing and longing to see xiao-Shu one more time. and once he gets xiao-Shu back and has an actual genuine interaction with him, immediately rolls his eyes.

like, ah, yes. my bratty cousin. how did I think this was going to go

[zhoudadudugongjin]

[awano]

Li Gang quietly sighs at Zhen Ping. "Look at Chief and Young Master Lin— two of the greatest minds in the world— don't they say great minds think alike? And these two have been close friends for that many years, so you'd think they'd be at least somewhat alike. But why are they so different? When Young Master Lin gets stressed, he turns everyone else upside down. But Chief? The bigger his problems, the quieter and calmer he seems to get."

Zhen Ping gazes levelly at the palace wall before them and says nothing. Li Gang pokes him with an elbow. "What do you think?"

Zhen Ping says, "Yeah."

Peerless: Chapter 3 on AO3

[awano]

"Mother, you know this — to me, xiao-Shu has become more than Lin Shu, the boy who perished in the Chiyan atrocity. With fourteen years of his life, he reclaimed justice for the lost souls of the Chiyan army, forged a path for me onto the throne, and in the end, for the sake of all of Daliang's people, he flung the last of himself to the flames, and now lies amongst the fallen on the battlefield. For such a man, for such a heart, what does it matter, even if I should bend the might of a nation to his mourning?"

Peerless: Chapter 2 on AO3

[awano]

I have begun to translate 倾国 (Peerless) by 寂寞屠城, a classic Nirvana in Fire sequel!fic.

"...Besides, unless we set the price this way, are you all really going to watch His Majesty make trip after trip to Langya Hall? In time, when the people find out, they're going to tell each other that Langya Hall isn't so much a renowned house in the jianghu, as a place that bewitches and corrupts the Emperor's mind. Which of you is going to explain yourselves to the old Master then?"

Peerless: Chapter One, on AO3

[awano]

Since QJJ has been officially licensed, does that mean the extras will be translated too? I've been trying to find the English translations for the extras forever but to no avail :(

Hey anon, I'm definitely not the person to ask about this, lol! Let me know when you find out 😅

[awano]

Raise a Glass by Tang Jiuqing, Chapter 71: Trickery

"Shen Zechuan’s eyes were cool. He said, “I serve in the Brocade Guard. What would I want an army for? My only path to salvation is in Qu capital. Outside the bounds of this city, I lose all of my leverage. I am Shen Wei’s eighth baseborn son, and you are the Wei family’s second trueborn son, but has your life been easy, or has mine? It seems that the hierarchy of one’s birth doesn’t make much of a difference after all. That’s the thing with people— before we’ve reached the end of our roads, no one has the last word on us, not even the heavens.”"

Next chapter, Li Jianheng continues to drive Hai Liangyi towards an early grave.

[awano]

Raise a Glass by Tang Jiuqing, Chapter 70: The Temple Reopens

Shen Zechuan was his trim and immaculate self again, clad once more in his quadruped-dragon robes and tasseled belt. Sword at his waist and badge in place, he stood before the gates. Xiao Chi’ye had tidied himself up as well, dressed in his scarlet robes embellished with fiery lions, looking very tall and long in the legs.

The two of them made a little disingenuous charade of bidding each other farewell.

Next chapter, Xi Hongxuan vs Shen Zechuan (humpty dumpty doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell)

[awano]

Raise a Glass by Tang Jiuqing, Chapter 69: Credit Where Credit's Due

Shen Zechuan looked at him. “Where’s my fan gone?”

Chen Yang was coming in through the curtains with a tray, and without a moment’s thought Xiao Chi’ye said, “It’s lost, Chen Yang lost it.”

Shen Zechuan looked towards Chen Yang, and Chen Yang, thunderstruck, recovered enough to nod once, then began desolately, “Master Adjudicator, I…”

“It’s just a fan, Er-gongzi will compensate you on his behalf,” Xiao Chi’ye said breezily. “That ivory fan was tacky as all hell. I’ll give you another one.”

Next chapter, Lanzhou gains a camp follower.

[awano]

Raise a Glass by Tang Jiuqing, Chapter 68: To Summon Clouds and Conjure Rain

“His roving hands drew soft pants from Shen Zechuan. It had been a long time since either of them had had any relief, and in that moment of aftermath, having come through disaster by the skin of their teeth, all that just-unwound tension came to coil up low in their bellies. And in all this kneading and cuddling they were doing, they’d somehow set that little lick of flame ablaze.

“Chaste and sober Shen Zechuan,” Xiao Chi’ye sighed softly. “Why don’t I know him?””

Next chapter, Qian Tianya has a love affair with potatoes.

[awano]

Raise a Glass by Tang Jiuqing, Chapter 67: Pillow Talk “You’re too thin,” Xiao Chi’ye said as he ran his hands over him. “You’re all knobbly to hold. In autumn, when the wild game from Libei comes in, we’ll have to feed you up properly then. That way, you’ll be fattened up by winter.” Xiao Chi’ye’s breathing deepened slightly. His eyes were very heavy, and he turned his head to the side, nudging the tip of his nose into Shen Zechuan’s hair, just by his ear. With the last of his energy he managed a smile as he said, “……Come sleep awhile with your Er-gongzi.”

Next chapter, these two have no compunctions about talking about other men in bed at all.

[awano]

Raise a Glass by Tang Jiuqing, Chapter 65: The Plague

He had no love for snow days, nor overcast or rainy days. The cold and wet made him think of the Chashi sinkhole, of Ji Mu, and of all those days he had spent on his knees, living at the mercy of other men. And the cold and wet made him uneasy, turned him bitter, turned all of the inside of him to ice-cold repression and rage.

Shen Zechuan drowsed a while like that, leaning against the wall, but his head only grew heavier as time went by, until he actually fell asleep there in that corner.

Next chapter, even more ghastly infection control measures. Don’t try this at home, children. Don’t make someone half-dead from a virulent infectious disease call you “daddy” in bed.