反倒许了我官职
“he offered me an official position”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
可他竟未揭发
“Instead of reporting me,”
反倒许了我官职
“he offered me an official position”
“and appointed me as magistrate of Huarong County.”
“I was bracing for punishment, but he astonishingly bought my loyalty with rank instead.”
In imperial Chinese bureaucracy, leaders often co-opted potential liabilities or former adversaries by granting them rank rather than executing them, binding them through political debt.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
on the contrary / instead
Use this adverb to mark an unexpected turn of events that contradicts standard expectations.
promised / granted
A literary or formal spoken expression meaning to bestow or promise something desirable to someone.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“yet I didn't let him pass the imperial examination.”
“You're offering us wealth and fame now,”
“they reported her to the authorities.”
“How dare you treat me this way?”
“Did you live up to the court's trust?”
“Aren't you afraid I'll dismiss you from your post?”