#imagine Auntie Xu in Ningshuo

[orsuliya]

I think many of us were wondering why Daddy Wang seemed so very eager to be rid of Auntie Xu, weren't we? It turns out that the answer was right there in the open this entire time. The only catch? You have to use any subs but Chinazone's.

After Awu's (un)fortunate fall in episode 4 she falls unconscious; Princess Jinmin keeps watch over her daughter. At one point Auntie Xu informs her mistress that Daddy Wang came by not that long ago while Jinruo herself was asleep. Going by Chinazone subs this short exchange is not at all memorable and for good reason. Let's see...

Auntie Xu: Princess, the Lord has just been here.

Jinruo: After all these years, you still call him the Lord. He doesn't like to be called as the royal position. Do not call him the Lord.

Auntie Xu: Yes. I remember.

How perfectly innocent, don't you think? Surely this 'Lord' title cannot be that bad. If it were otherwise, would Princess Jinmin dole out only the mildest of rebukes, even as Auntie Xu's sheepish smile tells us it's far from the first time this issue has been brought up? Auntie Xu did nothing wrong; Daddy Wang's dislike of this mode of address must be one of his many peccadilloes and nothing but.

Meanwhile, Viki subs give us this lovely conversation:

Auntie Xu: Princess, the Prince Consort came just now.

Jinruo: It's been so many years now, yet you still call him "Prince Consort". He dislikes being addressed by these titles of the royal family. Don't call him "Prince Consort" anymore.

Auntie Xu: Yes, I shall remember.

"Prince Consort", huh? That's strange and somewhat passive-aggressive. Could it be that for more than twenty years Auntie Xu has only ever acknowledged Daddy Wang as Jinruo's husband? Her Princess' Consort -> Prince Consort. Yikes! But fair enough; she became Jinruo's attendant well before her marriage to Daddy Wang, so if that's the way she wants to differentiate herself from other Wang servants, more power to her. Still awkward, but it's hardly an offense worthy of capital punishment, right?

Well, Fireflame subs say something very different:

Auntie Xu: Принцесса, только что приходил зять Императора.

Jinruo: Столько лет прошло, а ты все еще зовешь его зятем Императора. Он очень не любит, когда его называют, отталкиваясь от императорского имени. Не зови его так.

Auntie Xu: Хорошо, я запомнила.

...which roughly translates into...

Auntie Xu: Princess, the Emperor's brother-in-law came by a moment ago.

Jinruo: So many years have passed and you still call him the Emperor's brother-in-law. He really doesn't like being titled using the Emperor's name. Don't call him that.

Auntie Xu: Very well, I will remember.

Mind you, Imperial Brother-in-Law is a legitimate title and a very lofty one at that. Seeing as that's the case I strongly suspect that FSG Fireflame - as always - got the closest to the original. Technically speaking, Auntie Xu is not doing anything wrong... or is she? Daddy Wang has good reason for having issues with his place in the imperial family; I'd think Auntie Xu should know everything there is to know about Concubine Han's death and if not, then isn't Jinruo supposed to feel all contrite about that tragic event to this very day?

Great job baiting Daddy Wang by reminding him of the price he had to pay for his lofty title! Moreover, had Concubine Han never existed in the first place, Wang Lin would still have more that enough reason to abhor this particular mode of address. It's not like he hasn't proven his worth outside of his role as Jinruo's husband. Imperial Brother-In-Law probably trumps a mere Duke, but does it trump Prime Minister (Minister of the Right, Grand Chancellor, whatever you choose name his position)? I'm not that sure. Even if it does, it would still jar to hear daily that one's status depends solely on one's relationship to the Emperor... when the Emperor in question got the throne only thanks to Daddy (or Granddaddy?) Wang's considerable assistance.

Our lovely Auntie Xu kept calling him by a title he actively dislikes. For. More. Than. Twenty. Years. Perhaps not all the time, but don't tell me it didn't slip out on a regular basis. And on purpose, going by that placating smile of hers. And now imagine... If this is the level of respect she accorded him while living under his roof, what other little acts of spiteful bitchiness might she have come up with?

P.S. If anyone can tell us more about how this conversation comes over in Chinese, well, that would be just swell!

P.P.S. Thank you for providing such an excellent explanation in the comments below, @krispyllamasweets!

#the rebel princess #was Daddy Wang a saint? not reallly #a martyr on the other hand... #a martyr in his own home I tell you! #Xiao Qi doesn't know his own luck #imagine Auntie Xu in Ningshuo #sneering at him and his soldiers day and night #I shudder to even think of it #THE Wang was not good enough #so what chance stands our poor Dawang

[orsuliya]

Really don’t like aunt Xu, why didn’t she die with Jinruo? Wasn’t usually maid follows their masters when they died in ancient China drama, to continue serving them in au-de la

Well, she followed her in a sense? Their graves are not far from each other, that’s for sure. Unfortunately she had to linger around first, ostensibly to protect Jinruo’s daughter. Well, we all know how that went.

I am not sure if you can tell, but I don’t like her much either. Thank cdramagods for Daddy Wang, otherwise our perfect happy ending could have been indelibly spoiled! Just imagine Auntie Xu joining Awu and Xiao Qi in Ningshuo. Or, better yet, do not.

#ask and answer #the rebel princess #sorry but not sorry that she got shanked #it was Daddy Wang's good deed of the year