While translating the three previous arcs, I found it somewhat hard to relate to the stories. The first arc is set in an inner palace, which is a piece of long-gone history to us today; the second arc's conflict focuses a lot on the grown-ups' relationships; the third arc is set in a fantasy *wuxia* world. This fourth arc, however, hits very close to reality to me. Despite it being set in the historical past, just like the first arc, the realities and emotions that the arc shows feel so close to me.

Nanzhi (and Erya), as the child, is set at the centre of the conflict, and she bears the brunt of so many people's resentment throughout this arc without anyone to actually stand up for her. She doesn't have anyone like her Aunt Lian, her senior brother, or her master to protect her here. For a large part of the arc, her parents won't really stand up for her, while her older sister can't.

It was because of this that translating this arc felt so hard, and I had to take repeated breaks while doing it.

The only thing that fell short to me in this arc is the comeuppance part. My morals won't allow me to like such an ending for Jiang Le'an. She's only nine at the beginning of the arc, only five years older than Nanzhi/Erya, and is it really her fault that her parents and youngest brother are so partial to her? I wish her parents were punished more badly, and I wish she wasn't 'punished' in such a harsh way.