ChinesePod
@ 51224 小太監進宮四
A: 小順子，那件事調查得怎麼樣了？
Xiǎoshùnzi, nà jiàn shì diàochá de zěnmeyàng le?
Xiao Shunzi, how is your investigation of that matter going?
B: 娘娘指的是......
niángniang zhǐ de shì......
My lady is speaking of...?
A: 什麼時候學會在本宮面前裝蒜了？
shénme shíhou xué huì zài běngōng miànqián zhuāngsuàn le?
When did you learn to play dumb with me?
B: 哦，是容娘娘的事吧？奴才正想向您稟報呢。奴才費了九牛二虎之力，冒著掉腦袋的風險，終於找到了確鑿的證據！
ò, shì Róng niángniang de shì ba? núcai zhèng xiǎng xiàng nín bǐngbào ne. núcai fèi le jiǔniú èrhǔzhīlì, màozhe diào nǎodài de fēngxiǎn, zhōngyú zhǎodào le quèzáo de zhèngjù!
Oh, the matter concerning Lady Rong, yes? Your humble slave was just thinking of making a report to you. After making a supreme effort, and risking the loss of his head, your humble slave has finally found solid proof!
A: 喲，小順子，如果你手上真的掌握了能把那狐狸精置於死地的證據，本宮絕不會虧待你。
yō, Xiǎoshùnzi, rúguǒ nǐ shǒu shàng zhēnde zhǎngwò le néng bǎ nà húlijīng zhìyúsǐdì de zhèngjù, běngōng jué bù huì kuīdài nǐ.
Ah, Xiao Shunzi-- if indeed you really have in your hands the proof that will finish off that vixen, I absolutely will not treat you poorly.
B: 謝娘娘！奴才從太醫那兒偷偷抄了一份皇后喝的龍鳳保胎湯的藥方，讓民間的大夫看了一下。結果發現藥方上有一味叫紅花的藥。
xiè niángniang! núcai cóng tàiyī nàr tōutōu chāo le yāo fèn huánghòu hē de lóngfèng bǎotāitāng de yàofāng, ràng mínjiān de dàifu kàn le yīxià. jiéguǒ fāxiàn yàofāng shàng yǒu yī wèi jiào hónghuā de yào.
Thank you, my lady! Your humble slave made a copy of the formula for the Imperial Physician's Dragon-Phoenix fertility soup, and had a folk doctor take a look at it. It turns out that the formula includes a drug called "the red flower."
A: 紅花？那可是民間專門用來打胎的藥！哪個太醫這麼昏庸？
hónghuā? nà kě shì mínjiān zhuānmén yònglái dǎtāi de yào! něige tàiyī zhème hūnyōng?
"The Red Flower?" Isn't that a folk remedy used specially for inducing a miscarriage? Which Imperial Physician could be so foolish?
B: 不是昏庸，是有人故意做了手腳。這個人就是......
bù shì hūnyūn, shì yǒurén gùyì zuòleshǒujiǎo. zhège rén jiùshì......
It's not stupidity-- it's someone intentionally tampering with it. That person is...
A: 小順子，你還跟我賣關子。快說！
Xiǎoshùnzi, nǐ hái gēn wǒ màiguānzi. kuài shuō!
Xiao Shunzi, don't keep me in suspense. Hurry up and say it!
B: 這個人就是江太醫，這江太醫就是容娘娘的義父。
zhège rén jiùshì Jiāng tàiyī, zhè Jiāng tàiyī jiùshì Róng niángniang de yìfù.
This person is Imperial Physician Jiang. This Dr. Jiang is Lady Rong's foster father.
A: 哈哈，小順子，幹得好！咱們馬上把證據交給皇上，除掉這個眼中釘。
hāhā, Xiǎoshùnzi, gàn de hǎo! zánmen mǎshàng bǎ zhèngjù jiāogěi huángshang, chúdiào zhège yǎnzhōngdīng.
Well done, Xiao Shunzi! Let's give this proof to the Emperor immediately, and get rid of this thorn in our sides.
B: 娘娘別衝動。這個時候我們要對付的不是容娘娘，而是皇后！
niángniang bié chōngdòng. zhège shíhou wǒmen yào duìfù de bù shì Róng niángniang, érshì huánghòu!
Don't be impulsive, my Lady. The person we need to take care of now isn't Lady Rong, it's the Empress!
A: 你的意思是？
nǐ de yìsi shì?
What do you mean?
B: 我們即便除掉了容娘娘，以後還會冒出無數個容娘娘來爭寵。而皇后卻只有一個。她雖然沒能生育龍種，可地位依然穩如泰山。這說明皇上非常信任她。娘娘自己看，她是不是您最大的敵人呢？
wǒmen jíbiàn chúdiào le Róng niángniang, yǐhòu hái huì mào chū wúshù gè Róng niángniang lái zhēngchǒng. ér huánghòu què zhǐyǒu yāo gè. tā suīrán méi néng shēngyù lóngzhǒng, kě dìwèi yīrán wěnrútàishān. zhè shuōmíng huángshang fēicháng xìnrèn tā. niángniang zìjǐ kàn, tā shì bù shì nín zuì dà de dírén ne?
Even if we got rid of Lady Rong, an endless number of Lady Rongs would spring up to compete for the Emperor's favor. But there's only one Empress. Even though she's never given birth to a son, her status is as secure as Mount Tai. That means that the Emperor really trusts her. Look, my lady-- isn't she your biggest enemy?
A: 小順子，說的是。那依你看，我們下一步該怎麼做呢？
Xiǎoshùnzi, shuōdeshì. nà yī nǐ kàn, wǒmen xiàyībù gāi zěnme zuò ne?
You're right, Xiao Shunzi. In your opinion, what should our next step be?
B: 要是容娘娘的事情敗露了，反而會讓皇后更警覺。所以奴才覺得，咱們可以借容娘娘之手，除掉皇后。
yàoshì Róng niángniang de shìqing bàilù le, fǎnér huì ràng huánghòu gèng jǐngjué. suǒyǐ núcai juéde, zánmen kěyǐ jiè Róng niángniang zhī shǒu, chúdiào huánghòu.
If the matter involving Lady Rong became known, it would actually make the Empress even more aware of the danger. So, your humble slave thinks that we should make use of Lady Rong to get rid of the Empress.
A: 怎麼借？
zěnme jiè?
How can we make use of her?
B: 這您就不用操心了。
zhè nín jiù bùyòng cāoxīn le.
Don't worry about that...
A: 小順子，你可比後宮的娘娘們還要狠毒呢！
Xiǎoshùnzi, nǐ kě bǐ hòugōng de niángniang men hái yào hěndú ne!
Xiao Shunzi, you're even more vicious than the imperial concubines!
B: 您這是誇奴才還是罵奴才呢？
nín zhè shì kuā núcai háishi mà núcai ne?
Are you praising your humble slave or scolding him?
Key Vocabulary
裝蒜 zhuāngsuàn to play dumb
稟報 bǐngbào to report to one's superiors
九牛二虎之力 jiǔniú èrhǔzhīlì great amount of energy or power
掉腦袋 diào nǎodài to lose one's head (by execution)
確鑿 quèzáo conclusive
狐狸精 húlíjīng vixen, temptress, strumpet
置於死地 zhìyúsǐdì to doom; to do in
虧待 kuīdài to treat shabbily
龍鳳保胎湯 lóngfèng bǎotāitāng Imperial fertility soup
民間 mínjiān folk, of the common people
味 wèi measure word for drugs
紅花 hónghuā red flower
打胎 dǎtāi to induce a miscarriage
昏庸 hūnyōng foolish; stupid
做了手腳 zuòleshǒujiǎo tampered with
賣關子 màiguānzi to keep people in suspense
義父 yìfù adoptive (foster) father
眼中釘 yǎnzhōngdīng a thorn in one's side (lit: a nail in one's eye)
爭寵 zhēngchǒng to compete for a superior's favor
龍種 lóngzhǒng an emperor's heirs and descendants
穩如泰山 wěnrútàishān extremely stable and secure (as stable as Mount Tai)
敗露 bàilù to reveal or expose
警覺 jǐngjué vigilance; awareness of danger
借.....之手 jiè to make use of
Supplementary Vocabulary
借刀殺人 jièdāoshārén to play enemies against each other for one's own advantage
偏方 piānfāng prescription for traditional Chinese medicine
陰謀 yīnmóu conspiracy
勾心鬥角 gōuxīndòujiǎo to vie for position; schemes and plots
點子 diǎnzi idea or plan
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