a lil hopeless

I have come to report a grave offense.

Also the magistrate immediately turning nice when he sees someone in silk. All the rich people look so extremely out of place in Fan Changyu's neighborhood.

The pawn shop owner knew Fan Chengyu couldn't read that contract when she pawned her hairpin and took advantage of that.

It's funny that Xie Zheng has no idea what things cost and how little people live on but it's also terrifying that Xie Zheng has no idea what things cost and how little people live on because he is part of the ruling class. Money means almost nothing to him and it takes up most of Fan Changyu's mental energy.

Not only do I love it and find it fascinating and funny from a linguistic standpoint... and I adore this kind of linguistic/translation quandry... like howwww do you translate a joke like this that is essentially untranslatable because the forms of address on which the joke relies don't exist in other languages?

But also... I love that it again highlights the so very different life that Changyu has lead... the chasm in knowledge and experience between a commoner of the time and those in government/in the palace.

Because of course she would never before have heard someone referring to themselves as ben gong. Why would she? That form is used exclusively by royalty. When would she ever have come into contact with royalty.

She when she hears someone saying "You saved ben gong. Ben gong thanks you." of course she's going to think the person is referring to themselves in the 3rd person and that their name is Bengong.

Changyu: *processing*