太史丞应该不会是来安慰我的吧？
“You're here to comfort me, aren't you?”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
我根本没有这习惯
“I don't have such a habit.”
太史丞 应该不会 是 来 安慰我 的 吧 ？
“You're here to comfort me, aren't you?”
县主15年前便随内寺伯在内谒局
“You've been working cases at your bureau for 15 years.”
“Cut to the chase—we both know you are not here out of kindness.”
In imperial palace politics, directly accusing a peer of an ulterior motive is impolite; speakers use soft rhetorical questions to signal that they see through pretenses.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
most likely not / surely wouldn't
A polite, indirect way to soften an assertion or question another person's motives.
to comfort / to console
Commonly used when trying to soothe someone facing grief, distress, or setbacks.
Softens the rhetorical probe into an expectant guess, inviting the interlocutor to clarify their real motive.
