DYING @lianhwa - Tumblr Blog

( peng xiaoran, cisfemale, she/her, 30) ** ♔ announcing LIANHUA STUART NÉE ZHU, the QUEEN OF SCOTLAND ! in a recent portrait they seem to resemble PENG XIAORAN. it is a miracle that SHE survived the last five years and for that reason, they are AGAINST the kingdoms working together. reflecting on them now, they remind me of A MOTHERLY EMBRACE, JUDGMENTAL GAZES, A JADE COMB, AND HIDDEN PLANS.

statistics

#1642hqintro

unholypenance:

PRIVATE. @lianhwa / lianhua

“ i heard the rumors about your husband’s … lovely mistress , though i feel as if everyone has by now . ” xianying speaks openly now that they’re in private , forgoing english for mandarin as she settles into a nearby chair . while she knows their own father had consorts of varying degrees , she couldn’t imagine similar practices being favorable in such different environments . “ if this child turns out to be his long awaited son , what exactly does that mean for your daughters ? ” she understands what it means traditionally . but , some traditions were meant to be broken . the joseon dynasty has an empress by birthright — yes they lost esteem over the years , however considering the worldwide devastation from the plague , xianying would hardly consider it to have any correlation . after all , even if she was still disgruntled that not even the joseons gave aid to them , she wasn’t about to discredit the rarity that seojeong was .

“of course you did,” lianhua muttered while she arranged herself on a sofa. ada and leana were with their governness, this sort of conversation was not meant to be had around children. she had tried her best to keep the affair hidden from her family, had not written a word of it to any of her siblings other than chenyu. when the conferences were organized, she had been excited to see her family once again & even more to be free of that woman for a time. but then, in her opinion, farlan had done something that was even more unforgivable than his infidelity. he had brought his pregnant mistress along with them. what a fool she was to believe that she could escape the humiliation. “it means nothing. if that woman’s bastard turns out to be a son, she can try to put him on the throne as much as she’d like. as long as i live, i will never allow her to succeed.” she would pluck the scottish crown with bloodied hands to be able to place it on her child’s head, whether it was for ada or a long-desired son of her own. “a-ying...please do not speak of this with the emperor. i would not want to push my burden on our brother.”

#c: xianying

r0yalbloods:

–

When she didn’t pull away, Farlan let himself smile for a moment. She wasn’t happy, he’d known that when she managed to avoid him for almost half the night. It had been obviously on purpose. Farlan was easy to find, the second he spoke everyone knew who he was and he made himself known. He’d give almost anything to make her happy, but the one thing she wanted was something he couldn’t give. He needed Joan and he Lianhua, he didn’t know how he could make her understand.

“I wouldn’t give up. You should know that by now.” After this long, he thought she would know him better than that. Even in the beginning, when he practically couldn’t stand her, he was still drawn to her. “Even if we’re just here to fight each other, you’re not usually this determined to avoid me.”

there are some things she still cannot convey in english or, rather, she does not wish to translate. either the meaning becomes too diluted, she ends up being misunderstood, or she does not want to be understood. when it came to farlan, it was typically the latter. “你笨蛋,” lianhua says with a shake of her head. did he expect her to act like everything was alright when it was certainly is not ? it felt as though she was enduring the incident of two years ago all over again. she had been told scotland did not do things this way long before she had arrived and had lived five years believing that was true. she was made a fool and now had to endure whispers that the child in that woman’s belly might one day be king. over her ada ? over any of her children ? “i do not wish to argue tonight. 白费口舌.”

#c: farlan #translation : you stupid egg/idiot #translation : wasted speech

courtesies:

** closed starter for – @lianhwa

the dregs of her tea swirled around the bottom of her cup alongside with the last of ceyla’s patience. enrichment came cheaply except for when it came at great cost. looking from her cup to a tray of french pastries ceyla thought that in that moment it was liable to come with a cost. whether or not she’d be the one paying it would be seen later. “i have a personal question, how is it you don’t gouge out the eyes of your husband? or better yet, poison both he and the mistress he’s parading around? you must have the patience of a saint – the kind my mother prayed that i would have.”

lianhua is strangely pleased by the princess’s question. patience. as an older sister to many siblings, she has had plenty of it since a young age. she was a mother figure long before she became a mother when she looked after her younger brother, chenyu. in her mind, of course, she had imagined doing all of those terrible things and more. but, his mistress was now pregnant and she would sooner die than harm a child. “i was raised in the forbidden city. i witnessed my father take many wives, have twice as many children, and do nothing as they tore each other apart. they poisoned, fought, killed, for even the smallest taste of power. 我受够了.” she takes a pastry from the tray and bites into it to keep herself from saying more.

#c: ceyla #translation : i've had enough

expctance:

archie would be lying if he said he wasn’t intimidated by all of his betrothed’s family… except lianhua. when he first heard of all the rumors that surrounded the king of scotland and his mistress, he honestly pitied her. he couldn’t wrap his mind around it.. in it’s core, it was betrayal, wasn’t it? to marry someone who you’d been promised to for years, only to completely go back on that promise and be with someone else. from the first moment he’d been promised to davina, essentially from the first moment he saw her, he knew he wanted no one else. her wildness, the surety she felt in herself. even at the thought of being with someone else behind her back made him feel sick.

archie must have dazed off, it took a moment to become present again at the sound of the queen consort’s voice. he smiled over at her, trying not to put the sadness he felt for her in his eyes. “yes, i’d love tea.” he hated tea, but he nodded at her question, as the last thing he wanted was to offend her. “i apologize, your majesty, i was off somewhere else for a moment. i don’t want to offend you like i have your husband already.”

the queen shakes her head at his apology, seeing no need for it. “rest assured, you would have to do much worse to offend me. i myself am distracted these days,” lianhua does not intend to elaborate further on the reason, but she knows that the truth speaks for itself. farlan might as well parade his mistress out in the open for all to see. she takes a quiet, steadying, breath and distracts herself with pouring the tea. first adding the hot water to each cup & then the leaves of dragon well tea, her favorite, to steep. “i am certain that whatever transpired can be remedied. my husband is easily offended, whether it is necessary or not.” she would even speak to farlan on his behalf if need be -- clearly there was no use in her trying to avoid him.

#c: archie

@ofdevotiions

it was days after she spat with farlan and lianhua was still in a sour mood. it was lightened, somewhat, by his behavior at the masquerade. but even then she was still holding onto her anger of the situation. why must that woman be here ? could he not have sent her to an estate where she would be looked after ? so many why’s filled her thoughts that she might as well have drowned in them. it wasn’t until she felt her daughter squeeze her hand that she remembered where she was. ada sat beside her, enjoying the snacks that had been placed on the table. the princess was wearing another one of her mother’s hair ornaments today that matched the pattern of her dress. across from them was her sister-in-law, the only stuart she was always glad to see if you excluded her children.

“my apologies, sister, what were you saying ?” lianhua asked, mildly embarrassed. this was not the sort of example she was supposed to be giving.

#c: davina

@expctance

there was not much lianhua personally knew of archibald von holland. many of lianhua’s observations were from afar or from questions she had asked her sister-in-law. now that they were all gathered at the french court, there was time to connect. he was to be family soon, another uncle for her girls to cherish. there hadn’t been a new family member since the birth of leana and it was a much-needed distraction from what her husband was putting her through. thus, an invitation to the stuart apartments was long overdue. “archie...would you like tea ?” she asked from her seat in the boudoir ; a box of tea imported from her home sat on the table. the girls were playing about the room. or, rather, young leana was ordering her older sister to recite her favorite nursery rhyme. it was one from her own childhood and helped the girls practice their mandarin. this meant they had time before leana realized they had a guest and began interrogating him with her baby babble.

#c: archie

r0yalbloods:

Lianhua had done a decent job of hiding herself from him, she’d done her best to insert herself within her families own court with her dress and mask. If he’d not known her as well as he did he’d maybe have missed the hair and baubles he’d seen decorating her hair. These were new, but he’d seen Ada trying to put one of them in her own hair before her mother had taken them and put them in the little girl’s hair for her. She’d been angry about Joan coming along with them, no amount of explaining did anything but anger Lianhua. But Farlan was selfish. As much as they fought, he needed Lianhua by his side. She was his wife, his challenger, he might even love her if he let himself admit it.

Finally catching her alone he approached her, “You planned to hide from me all night?” He questioned, his hand coming to her waist as he stood next to her. He’d never blend in and he knew that, his hair, his voice, everything stood out too much, she’d not have any question who he was even if he never spoke to her. “I’ve been trying to get you alone for far too long, M’eudail.” He understood, of course he understood, she let him know about her anger enough. But he wanted the woman, in all of her anger and annoyance with him he wanted her. @lianhwa

lianhua felt strange being here ; without her girls, unknown, and distanced from scotland with her mask. those who knew her as queen of scotland might catch a glimpse of her & think she was only a member of the ming court. the girls had been sent to bed hours ago, with little leana protesting the most. perhaps she sensed that her mother would be gone for quite some time tonight. admittedly, lianhua had been allowing her youngest to sleep in her bed when she wished to and that may have influenced her as well. her life was dedicated to her children & her daughters clung to her in turn.

lianhua felt farlan’s presence before he spoke and brought his hand to her waist. it was one she knew well after their many years of marriage & so she did not pull away. instead, she felt her anger bubble up within her, eyes refusing to leave the spot on the floor she had picked. “perhaps,” lianhua vaguely answered before she finally deigned to give her husband a glance. she would have avoided him for the rest of their lives if bitterness allowed her, but her heart would not. even now she felt the damn thing skip a beat when m’eudail left his lips. “i noticed...you were easy to avoid. i thought you may have given up.”

#c: farlan

lianhwa

( peng xiaoran, cisfemale, she/her, 30) ** ♔ announcing LIANHUA STUART NÉE ZHU, the QUEEN OF SCOTLAND ! in a recent portrait they seem to resemble PENG XIAORAN. it is a miracle that SHE survived the last five years and for that reason, they are AGAINST the kingdoms working together. reflecting on them now, they remind me of A MOTHERLY EMBRACE, JUDGMENTAL GAZES, A JADE COMB, AND HIDDEN PLANS.

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Keep reading

#1642hqintro

mydaylight

PENG XIAO RAN as QU XIAO FENG in Goodbye My Princess (2019) dr. Li Muge

r0yalbloods:

Farlan walked towards the governess carrying both Ada and Leana, their laughter loud as he swung them around, prolonging having to let them go off to sleep. If they were home he’d have probably kept them up but appearances here were everything and as much as the Scottish King wanted to keep his girls up and let them do as they pleased, he had to let them sleep. Kissing both of their heads before their governess bowed to him and lead them to start getting ready for bed, Farlan was left alone. Something he was never fond of.

His mind thought instantly of his wife. It would have been shocking if he’d told himself he’d be seeking out Lianhua’s company in the first years of their marriage, but now, now he did. Even if it was just to argue with her he wanted to be near her. Something that had grown since they were locked away together during the plague.

Waving the guards away when he reached her door he didn’t bother knocking before he entered her room, it would annoy her but then again she was probably used to that from him. It wasn’t his only purpose, but it gave them something to talk about. “I hope you’re not terribly busy.” he grinned at the woman, “The girls wanted me to tell you they could stay awake longer but I decided that was a fight for another day, we can’t have the Scottish Princesses running the castle like they own it.” No matter how much he would love to see that. @lianhwa

the late ming empress was a beauty to behold. beloved by her people, her emperor, but lianhua liked to think she loved her mother the most. she could still recall, as a child, watching her mother before a large bronze mirror as she prepared for bed. her eyes were always attentive as her mother’s ladies slid each pin from her headpiece, eventually revealing the river of tresses underneath. she would then comb her hair in a repetitive trance while lianhua looked on in awe. the empress would allow her to help from time to time and she was always eager to do so. her locks felt as soft as the silk hanfu they wore, so much that one could hardly ever find a tangle. it did not take long before lianhua followed this routine herself. first, as a princess, and then as queen. it comforted her in the first few years in scotland, she would close her eyes and imagine the familiar feel of silk belonging to her mother.

it was in the middle of this routine that she found herself interrupted, unfortunately, by her husband. despite the increase of time they spent in each other’s company, he still had a way of making an entrance that got on her nerves.

“it is rude to barge into a woman’s chambers,” lianhua answered with a disappointed sigh, catching his reflection behind her in the mirror. she was in a simple nightgown and her hair was free, falling long past her shoulders, but she carried herself as though she were in full dress. eventually, she set her jade comb down on the vanity table and turned to face farlan, indulging him at the mention of their daughters. “i have been allowing ada to stay up a bit later, but it will do her some good to have an early night’s rest. leana has been the one acting like she owns the castle. i had to keep her from clinging to a stranger’s legs the other day.”

#c: farlan

cristo-drystane:

-

it was very rare for cristo to be caught off guard, especially when he’s on duty. perhaps it was because the child’s tiny were feet were still too small to make much noise that she was able to sneak up on him. his body gave a tiny jolt when he felt her cling to his legs, but he was quick to realize she was no threat. instead, he looked down at her curiously. “now who do you belong to?”

his answer comes running right after her, scooping up the little one in her arms as she apologizes for her behavior. cristo shakes his head. “it’s quite alright, no need to apologize,” he assures her. the little one is about the age of some of the orphans he’s been looking after since he arrived in france. he smiles at the queen. “at that age they seem to have an unlimited supply of energy. it’s easier to take on a bear that put a child to sleep.”

lianhua assumed it was the excitement that had leana delaying her nap, but the toddler was regrettably hours overdue now. earlier she was insistent on locating her sister, but refused to follow her mother’s directions in favor of creating her own. if only she had caught up sooner. because, despite the man’s assurance, she still felt a twinge of guilt. “you speak from experience i see,” lianhua mused. perhaps he would have some words of wisdom for her -- lord knows she was in need of it. “i often ponder if i have given birth to a bear with the way this one growls,” the queen confessed, a jest for the most part. she would always take the opportunity to make a small dig at her husband, especially if no one would catch on.

#c: cristo

gudandewangzi:

@lianhwa .||. 讖玉&蓮花 .||. 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕥𝕦𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝕃𝕠𝕕𝕘𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤 .||. ℂ𝕝𝕠𝕤𝕖𝕕

Lianhua was very much like her name; elegant, fragrant, and beautiful. She had about her an aura which reminded Chenyu of summers in his childhood, when the Forbidden City sweltered in summer heat, and the short nights were alive with the buzz of insects. In her name were memories of her helping him trace characters in water upon the pavements, memorising their strokes. Memories of her adjusting his hair when it came loose. Of her tutting, indulgent, and letting him take a bite of her food.

Where Wen Fei was as close to Chenyu as a twin must be, Lianhua was close like a mother. When he fell from climbing walls, Wen Fei hugged him and wiped his tears away, but Lianhua was the one who told him to learn from his mistakes and fetched his nursemaid to clean his wounds. When he was scolded by a teacher and found himself weeping, Wen Fei was the one who fed him cake to cheer his mood, but Lianhua was the one who sat with him for an hour every day to make sure he memorised his poems.

He supposes that he knew, the moment that Lianhua left for Scotland, that she would one day become a mother, and that guiding brilliance would be given to another child. He rejoiced for her when her letter arrived announcing the birth of Ada, and again for Leana several or so years later. But with Scotland so far away, just as with Wen Fei Chenyu doubted that he would ever see his 大姐 again, nor meet her children. France, therefore, was an incredibly exciting opportunity.

He was more prepared for this reunion than he was his last. When greeting Wen Fei for the first time in so many years, Chenyu had felt like an open wound; raw, exposed. He had sobbed until his nose had blocked and his eyes had turned puffy and red. He had barely wanted to part from her, struck with some childish fear that as soon as they were parted Wen Fei would disappear again for another 8 years, as she did so long ago. This time, for Lianhua, there was still sadness, but excitement overwhelmed it. Chenyu bounced on his feet, his steps springing him through the halls of the Chateau as he neared his sister’s lodgings. Finally he would see her again, finally he would meet her Children, perhaps her husband, and certainly the people who were now a part of her family.

Nearing the door to the Stuart apartments, Chenyu took a moment to make sure his appearance was neat, and wiped some of the anxious sweat from his palms on the inside of his sleeves. Then he raised a hand and knocked upon the door, almost squirming with excitement.

“ada, 不要作弊,” a motherly tone scolds behind a flush of intricately painted playing cards. they were playing maw, a card game she had taken a liking to shortly after her arrival at the scottish court. her eldest had become a participant within the last year & played well for her age, but she still resorted to childish tricks every once in a while. at times she reminded her of her younger siblings when they would play dominoes. perhaps it was only children being children, but it comforted her to be reminded of the family she had left behind.

they had been in the middle of a rather interesting round when a knock came at the door, pulling her out of focus on her cards. she craned her head towards the sound, noticing her ladies headed to greet the visitor, and dismissed them in favor of answering herself. since their arrival in france she had been waiting for a visit from one of her siblings & hoped it was them on the other side. lianhua would not allow the first face they saw to be a stranger’s. “wait for me a moment. if you peek at my cards i will know,” she teased her daughter as she placed said cards on the table and made haste for the door.

once opened it took her a moment to register who stood there. though the man before her resembled chenyu, he had matured from the boy she left in the palace eight years ago. she had kept the memory of her 小弟弟 in her mind for so long. the one she had mended clothes for, fixed his hairpin, & mothered alongside mingxia. he was no longer that young. yet, it could not be anyone else but him. “ 讖玉...you are so grown,” lianhua remarks in disbelief & reaches a hand out to briefly cup his cheek. yes, it was him. “come inside, please,” she is quick to insist and makes way for him. her ladies, always efficient, were already in the process of setting out snacks in the boudoir.

then she hears her daughter call out behind her, reminded of their paused game, and turns her attention to the girl. “ada, come greet your uncle,” she beckons her forth & encourages her through her uncertainty. “do not be shy, darling, this is the uncle i have been writing to.”

#c: chenyu #弟弟

firstsensibility

misbehaviorisms:

***

Objectively, Ella didn’t care about children. That wasn’t to say she disliked them, it was just that she tended to think of them more as non-entities than actual people. Typically, she’d walk around a child, leave them to their own devices and all that, but this specific child had run straight for her. She could hear someone calling out a name – “Lea?” she tried, kneeling before her in an attempt to keep her near until whoever was looking for her caught up. The giggle that escaped the child served to prove her right.

“I’m Ella – that’s almost the same name, isn’t it? Lea, Ella?” she reached out her hand, mostly because the child looked amendable to taking it and straightened as a dark-haired woman rounded the corner and started purposefully striding towards them. “Not at all, I was just wandering,” she grinned at Lea, now safely back in her mother’s arms. “I imagine a moment is all they need when they’re so tiny and fast. What was she running away from? I’ve been told I was particularly difficult around bath and bed times.”

“i am relieved to hear it. being a mother has taught me the benefits of sending them to a private household to be raised,” lianhua replied with light-hearted laughter. the one in which their girls were raised was not far from edinburgh castle, allowing lianhua the ease of seeing her children every day. her belief was that it was important for them to see her each day -- she would not be a cold & distant mother like some she had heard of. “she is searching for her older sister, ada,” she explained. “i allowed her to go play with the other children at court. although, leana is also rather slippery around her bed and bath times. am i right in thinking you do not have children of your own ?”

#c: ella

iyassus:

With each day, Iyasu became more and more able and accustomed to being on his feet for long stretches of time. His sick bed was becoming a memory, something he was more than happy to leave in the past, yet his physician continued to remind him of it through their advice. Exercise frequently, but only shortly. Do not overindulge in wine. Do not overtax yourself whilst socialising. Had Iyasu not been sure that they had his best interests in mind, he would not be forcing himself for his seventh short walk around the chateau corridors.

He took a large breath as he finally neared the hall in which he planned to sit for a while. A breath which quickly turned into an expression of surprise when he experienced the unmistakable feeling of two small hands grabbing at his robes and the trousers beneath them. Lifting his arm, he peered round the length of his body to see two large eyes staring up at him from a small, round face. “ሰላም,” he managed to say, before a woman’s voice rang out and suddenly a slender and well dressed woman - clearly of high stature - tugged the child from him.

Righting his robes where they had been tugged by little fingers, Iyasu let out a few sounds of protest. “Not at all, not at all,” he said, turning to face the woman before him. For a moment he struggled to place her, but supposed from her appearance and dress that she must be from the Ming Dynasty. “If anything, this little one may have opened the door to discussion between our great kingdoms,” Iyasu continued, and smiled as he peered into the face of the young girl, doing his best to catch her eye. Lea, if he had heard correctly.

lianhua gave a polite tilt of her head, the best that propriety would allow with leana now clinging to the outer robes of her gown. “lianhua stuart, queen of scotland. i am hardly the woman to discuss politics with, but i am always open to an engaging conversation. which kingdom do you speak of ?” introductions had initially skipped her mind with her focus on wrangling her toddler, something which she was quick to correct. her memory had been worse lately than it was during her pregnancies and she feared manners would start to lack in turn if she did not discipline herself.

the princess seemed to have taken nicely to the man as she met his eyes with a curious gaze. after taking a moment think the babe then gave an echoed garble of his earlier greeting to her and reached out with a spit-covered hand. “wee leana here has been somewhat of a parrot these days,” the queen elaborated, amusement in her tone, as she smoothed the girl’s ginger locks.

#c: iyasu

fcreverrcyals:

charlotte had found herself venturing out of the four walls of the castle and into the garden where she spent most afternoons. the sky may have been grey and gloomy on that warm day, but she still believed there was a sort of beauty in spending her afternoons in the garden. these very walks reminded her of when she was young. she would sneak out of her lessons and hide until her siblings or servants were sent out after her.

how she missed childhood years. she would often still wish to have the freedom she dreamt of as a child. however, she knew now that acting like a proper princess was the most important thing for her. so, the fleeting wishes of freedom had to be good enough to satisfy her. with these thoughts still rolling around in her mind, she passed the foliage and noticed another person in the garden.

as she continued with her stroll, she attempted to remain silent in an effort not to draw attention to herself. though, fate had other plans when a stick broke underneath the young woman’s foot. “ i apologize. i did not mean to disturb you.” the blue-eyed woman spoke softly in a kind voice as she came up to another who was seemed to be. looking around once more before returning her gaze to the other. “ peaceful out here, is it not ? ” she spoke, donning the same smile she typically wore.

it was rare for lianhua to be found without one or both of her children, however it had reached a point in the day that even seven year-old ada was in need of an afternoon nap. the girls had been enjoying france thus far, especially since it would be their first winter away from scotland, and their excitement warmed her heart. even little leana’s baby babble was evolving into words about her new environment.

with some time to herself she felt drawn to the outdoors and found a spot that allowed her to best enjoy the weather. it was a far cry from the imperial gardens of nanjing. she longed to see them once again, the bower of crimson snow in particular. the trees, when in full bloom, dropped petals that appeared as blood-red snowfall. they had stood there for the last two hundred years and it was her hope that they would remain for thousands more. though this did not make the french gardens any less lovely, they were certainly a colorful improvement from the Li’s of green fields that surrounded her in scotland.

a crunch of a twig and footsteps was all it took to catch her attention. at first, she thought it may be her husband but the sound was far too light. the woman that met her line of sight & the soft voice that accompanied her confirmed this. “please, do not apologize. your company is welcomed,” lianhua assured and gestured to the bench nearby. “shall we sit and chatter a moment ? even peacefulness as beautiful as this deserves some conversation.”

#c: charlotte

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