Your Majesty is Poisonous

Footnotes

1. Hanzi: 姚喜 | Pinyin: Yáo Xǐ
2. Hanzi: 嫂子 | Pinyin: sǎozi | Context: The term for an older brother’s wife.
3. Hanzi: 太监 | Pinyin: tàijiàn | Context: Castrated male servants who served the imperial family in ancient China. They were the only adult males allowed in the inner court, which housed the emperor’s harem, to ensure the legitimacy of any offspring.
4. Hanzi: 宫 | Pinyin: gōng | Context: Refers to the imperial palace, a vast, walled complex of buildings that served as the residence of the emperor and his household, as well as the political and ceremonial center of the government.
5. Hanzi: 太后 | Pinyin: Tàihòu | Context: The title for the mother of the reigning emperor, or the widow of the previous emperor. She often held significant political power and influence, especially if the emperor was young.
6. Hanzi: 妖后 | Pinyin: Yāo hòu | Context: A derogatory title combining “yāo” (妖), meaning demon, monster, or bewitching, and “hòu” (后), meaning empress. It implies she is unnaturally beautiful, dangerously seductive, or malevolently cruel, like a demon in human form.
7. Hanzi: 小姚子 | Pinyin: Xiǎo Yáozi | Context: A diminutive nickname. “Xiǎo” (小) means “little,” and adding “-zi” (子) is a common way to form familiar names for servants or young people. It’s a typical way to address a young eunuch.
8. Hanzi: 哀家 | Pinyin: āijiā | Context: A royal pronoun used exclusively by a widowed empress or empress dowager. “Āi” (哀) means “sorrowful” or “grieving,” so the term literally translates to “the sorrowful one,” signifying her status as a widow.
9. Hanzi: 试毒 | Pinyin: shì dú | Context: The practice of having a servant, often a eunuch, taste the emperor’s or empress’s food before they eat to ensure it hasn’t been poisoned. It was a dangerous but common duty in the imperial court.
10. Hanzi: 挡刀 | Pinyin: dǎng dāo | Context: Literally “to block/obstruct a knife/blade.” It refers to the act of physically intercepting an attack meant for someone else, effectively serving as a human shield.
11. Hanzi: 宫女 | Pinyin: gōngnǚ | Context: Female servants who lived and worked within the imperial palace, serving the emperor and his consorts. Their lives were often highly restricted.
12. Hanzi: 娘娘 | Pinyin: Niángniang | Context: A formal address for an empress, empress dowager, or high-ranking imperial consort. It is a respectful title used by servants and subjects.
13. Hanzi: 深宫苦寂 | Pinyin: shēn gōng kǔ jì | Context: Literally: “deep palace, bitter and lonely.” A common phrase describing the profound isolation, emotional hardship, and oppressive atmosphere of life within the inner sanctums of the imperial palace, cut off from the outside world.
14. Hanzi: 对食 | Pinyin: duì shí | Context: Literally: “to eat opposite/facing each other.” This was a term for a unique arrangement in the imperial palace where a eunuch and a palace maid would form a close, non-sexual, and often romantic partnership to alleviate the loneliness of palace life. It was a form of companionship or platonic marriage.
15. Hanzi: 乔装改扮 | Pinyin: qiáozhuāng gǎibàn | Context: Literally: “to disguise one’s appearance and change one’s attire.” A four-character idiom (chengyu) meaning to disguise oneself to avoid being recognized.
16. Hanzi: 穿越时空 | Pinyin: chuānyuè shíkōng | Context: Literally: “to pass through time and space.” This is the standard term for the transmigration or time-travel genre in Chinese web novels, where a character is transported to a different era, world, or even into the body of another person.
17. Hanzi: 甜文 | Pinyin: tián wén | Context: Literally: “sweet text/writing.” A popular web novel genre tag that indicates the story is light-hearted, focuses on fluffy and sweet romantic interactions, and has minimal angst or drama.