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Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Princess Agents: Chapter 95 English Translation

My focus is going to be on the XingYue ship.  I would love to translate the whole novel but I do actually work for a living, lol, and that would be too time consuming.  

Chapter 95 is the precursor to the bath scene (episode 44 in the drama) that I couldn't stop ogling and fangirling over.  8+ years have passed since the demise of Yan Xun's house.  Xing'er/Chu Qiao is now 17-ish, taller than most girls, extremely pretty in face, but thin with no figure ^_^; (there is a chapter where she laments this, but let's move on.) 

The drama and the book are essentially aligned and Chu Qiao has been biding her time on a boat with the bookworm she meets after escorting the prince and princess back to the capital.  They are now slaves of the Zhan family, who bought her and nursed her back to health when she was wounded fighting off the slavers.  Somehow, there are more Jing children in the world, and Chu Qiao finds out that Jing Yu'er has three living sisters on this boat sailing towards Liang/Bian Tang (that flamboyant prince's Liang Ce's/Xiao Ce's country). She plans to escape to Northern Yan (where she presumes Yan Xun is) when they dock.  The news is Prince Ce of Liang will marry Princess Chun'er of DaXia, and many powers are converging in this place, including Yan Xun.  She even runs into a DaXia prince along the way on this boat trip.

Somehow one of her sisters gets in trouble and ends up locked up in the city of Peng Shou/WuPeng, where the ship has docked. (Don't ask me what eventually happens to her sibs, they always end up dropping off the page, just like in the drama)  Chu Qiao is contemplating her next move.

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Chapter 95: So Unlucky

As Yan Xun was gazing upon the rural outskirts of the DaXia border town, the whole Zhan household was plunged into disarray.  A messenger had just come, and Zhan's Fifth Mistress was out to receive visitors, but by the docks of Pencheng City the minister's wife, the Lady Tian of Peng Shou, intercepted and detained her.  No one had any clue what that was all about.

When Zhan Zhi-yu heard the news, he cloistered himself in his cabin and played his zither, consulted with Zhan Zhi-kui for a good while, before saying a single word to others. 

The gentleman, dressed all in white, stayed his hand and gave a wrinkled frown.  

"Zhi-yu, especially if Fifth Sister is in trouble, you have to think of a way.  That  Lady Tian is a scorpion…what if--?"

"All right, I know."  Zhan Zi-yu closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and said, "Second sister, you may leave."

"But--"

"Go."

When the door closed, Zhan Zi-yu sighed deeply then slowly leaned back into his chair.

In the afternoon, the atmosphere on the boat was very strange.  As soon as the boat docked, the prince had taken a second boat and was no longer on board.  An hour later, Zhan Zi-yu, accompanied by two men, disembarked and left in a carriage that had been arranged for him much earlier in the day.

Into the evening the lamps were still lit, and it wasn't until the people down below were already gathering on deck for their meal when the driver could be heard returning in the distance.

The servants lifted Zhan Zi-yu from the carriage first, followed by a splendidly dressed Zhan Zi-ming, whose hair was a bit tousled, holding up a thick face cloth.  All the servants moved away as they approached, and with the small night breeze, Chu Qiao could see the lady's cheeks were bright red under the cloth.

Zhan Zi-ming returned alone, without a single servant girl.  So when her sister Jing Zisu came to her after the evening meal was finished Chu Qiao already knew what had happened.

Since the cabin was very small, her sister Zisu sat on Liang Shaoqing's bed, her eyes quietly bristling with anger.  Even when Chu Qiao offered her a cup of tea, her sister was barely aware.

"Older sister," said Chu Qiao quietly.  Zisu noticed the cup and took a shallow drink.

Chu Qiao took a deep breath and asked, "Sister, is there something you needed?"

"Huh?" her sister's words stumbled, "I…I…I'm fine."

The room suddenly cooled and neither of them knew what else to say.  At that moment, Lian Shao-qing suddenly knocked on the door with a pot of water.  "Xiao-qiao, your water."

"Mm," Chu Qiao nodded and went over to pick it up.  Liang Shaoqing made a polite greeting to her sister and left.

Chu Qiao sat on the seat, with the basin on the ground and started to take off her shoes.  When her sister Zhisu saw, she squat down and helped with the other shoe.

"Sister!" exclaimed Chu Qiao in surprise.  "What are you doing?"

"I'll help you wash your feet."

Chu Qiao was suddenly perturbed, lifted her brow and angrily retorted, "Who said I let you do such a thing."

Zhisu was surprised for a moment, even a bit scared, and shyly withdrew her hands.  Squatting on the ground her hands were still dripping as she looked blankly around her, not daring to move.

Chu Qiao put her shoes back on, frowned and said, "Sit."

Her sister Zhisu returned to her seat on the other bed with such consternation that Chu Qiao's heart soured her frown and she said, "Speak.  What is wrong?"

Zhisu chewed her lip for a while before shaking her head, "Nothing.  There is nothing the matter with me."  When she finished she stood up soft footed, and almost continued forward, but Chu Qiao quickly held her.  Through her clothes she could feel this woman's frame, bony and jagged, thin to the point of astonishment.

Jing Zhisu went to the door, opened it and a strong gust of wind from the river tousled her already withered hair. Her sister was actually not that old, not yet twenty five, and yet she already had wrinkles around her eyes, and her skin was uncannily sallow.

"Yue'er, sleep well tonight.  The night wind is strong, so remember to cover up under the quilt."

That was all she said, then she turned away and left.  Chu Qiao's eyes followed her out, thin clothes and thin shape seemingly so fragile, as if a gust of wind could suddenly blow her away.

A trace of sadness suddenly rose from the bottom of her heart, and she stood in the doorway for some time, finally took a deep breath and made a very irrational decision.  She obviously knew why her sister Zhisu had come.  Miss Zhan Zi-ming was the only one to return to the ship, but did not bring back a single person who accompanied her.  The servants had all been appropriated and were being kept in the minister's mansion. When one thought about it, Zhan Zi-yu brought Zhan Zi-ming back but likely allowed her to keep the servants to appease the anger of Peng Shou's Lady Tian.

The Zhan family would not go out of their way to retrieve the servants, so the girl Caiqin even if she wasn't half dead now she would be beaten until she was half dead. The Jing sisters would be separated once again like this, and afterwards, how the other continues to live, whether they will meet again, remains an unknown.

Zhisu had no other option, among those she knew, only this recently reunited sister seemed to have even the slightest ability to do anything about it.  This sister who had won over the Zhan family and even seemed to have a flirting relationship with a prince.

Originally, Chu Qiao had no intention of interfering with this matter, having a clear understanding of her own ability, on top of being ensnared by Prince Jing Han, she could barely worry about herself let alone what's in front of her.  She had no time to worry about right and wrong so she never intended to make a move.  However what made her help was her sister Zhisu not asking anything, fretful sitting, trying to speak but ultimately not saying a thing, and finally leaving without a word.

Perhaps she understood the power and influence of the enemy, understood that what she wanted to ask would be difficult for even a powerful person, understood that even if she asked it would be futile, understood that this recently reunited little sister would be cursed as well.

With a frown Chu Qiao sat on the chair and put on her good leggings, inserted a sharp dagger into her boot, opened the door and left.

Chu Qiao was possibly this type of person; she could be sane, she could be rational, she could put all of her powerful relationships on the table to the forefront, but she could not stand someone being kind to her.

It was with this kind of character that made her follow Yan Xun through life and death for eight years.  It was also this disposition that allowed the anxious and restless Zhisu to soften her ruthless heart.

The dark clouds blocked the moon, a vast sheet of darkness between heaven and earth, and Chu Qiao deftly dropped herself off the boat, only sparing a backwards glance at the two guards left behind by Prince Jin Han, already fast asleep, and immediately turned to run off.

An hour later, without even gods or ghosts noticing, Chu Qiao snuck into TianCheng keep, inside the manor.  But for the occasional passing of sentries, and the rounds of the aggressive dogs of the watch, in the eyes of Chu Qiao this ancient manor seemed more like a large, undefended play ground.

The sound of loaches splashing under the tree, a woman quietly retreats into the back garden.

The city's manor had interconnected buildings, quite a few of them seemed to be barracks.  It was said that Minister Tian was quite a well-known general, and by the looks of it, that seemed to be true.  Chu Qiao's positioned her body sensitively against the rock formation, her ear listening the movement of those getting closer, and seemingly in her direction.

There was a thick grassy lawn in front, and the wooded area to the right seemed the best choice, but Chu Qiao was pretty sure that was where all the hidden guards were ready to ambush. One wrong step and a storm of chaotic arrows would pierce through her heart with nothing spared.  Obviously, a bad end.

Eyes tracking the southeastern tower Chu Qiao's eyes narrowed slightly and she frowned. She dodged outwards, and using the sudden force of her feet, ran towards the right long corridor.  As soon as she saw she was about to reach a pillar Chu Qiao lifted her foot to use it as leverage to hoist her body upwards in three steps.  Just as she was about to lose momentum her hands reached out and grabbed the top of the tiled roof deftly, and swung her legs up in one fluid movement, just as a lantern light approached to turn the corner.  Like a gecko her body quickly lay on the roof tiles.

"This way," said a sharp voice suddenly, coated in flattery and caution and  obsequiousness, followed by the disjointed footsteps of about twenty people.  Chu Qiao's brow furrowed tight as she lay quietly dormant, motionless.

"My lord your reputation precedes you as a martial arts superior, both wise and courageous, a dragon among men; now that I meet you in person the rumors don't do you justice and don't reach even a portion of your graceful bearing."

Suddenly the man laughed out loud, seemingly pleased with his own remarks, but the subject of his praise remained silent, and the yard only echoed the man's exaggerated laugh, and it seemed extremely awkward.

After laughing a while, seeing no one responding, the man laughed dryly twice and stopped.  Then he suddenly seemed to think of something, and gave an insignificant smile, "This way, we're almost there. You will find someone I just bought for this occasion in XianYang, a female slave -- very unique, flirtatious and well groomed, waiting for you to enjoy her."

A deep voice slowly joined in, the speaker seemed to be suffering from a cold, his voice reduced to a dull and thick nasal sound, but it did not detract from his impressive authority.
"From XianYang?"
"Yes."  The man smiled: "My Lord also knows that DaXia's rules of mingling with slaves is somewhat relaxed, and the prices there are much cheaper than in Bian Tang.  Cui Sima went to XianYang for work and offhandedly gave me a few.  Would you like to try?"

The aristocrat was silent for a while, then said in a low voice, "I'll go and see."

The minister suddenly brightened, smiling as he led everyone away.  

Chu Qiao was a bit relieved that Minister Tian was entertaining some high level guest, so no wonder the security was a little lax.  It seemed she picked the right time to come.  She just wasn't sure what kind of guest required such an extension of an entire city's courtesy, not to mention he was from DaXia.

She didn't give it further thought at that point, slowly got up and walked in the opposite direction.  The key tonight was to find the city prison, find where CaiQin was being kept, and rescue her.

Like a leopard blending into the darkness Chu Qiao was swift and light footed.  But as she was about to cross another corridor her foot suddenly slipped forward and she frowned.  She squat down deftly and her fingers reached down to touch moss.

At this height it was unlikely anyone heard, but Chu Qiao's heart accelerated just as she was thinking this when a cold voice called out: "Who's there?"

The voice was low, coming from the corridor below and she realized it was the silent aristocrat from earlier!

Chu Qiao clutched her dagger, took a deep breath, frowning silently.

Seeing that she was silent, he sneered and mounted the pillar in two steps and with a single back-handed move used one arm to hoist himself onto the roof.

An island of clouds covered the moon, amidst the veil of darkness only the man's tall stature and his clothing fluttering in the wind were visible.  A long breeze blowing that blurred his sharp edges was about to subside.

Chu Qiao's eyes darted everywhere, angry from the depths of her heart, knowing that the longer she waited for him to move, the more time she allowed reinforcements to arrive.  Wasting no more time, she volleyed upward leaping with dagger in hand.  Her opponent was no slouch, and immediately moved to block Chu Qiao's arm, suddenly dragging her towards him, his other hand moving in to strike at her neck.  Fast!  So fast!  The pinnacle of speed!

However, Chu Qiao's movements were also deft and she backed away just in time as they both avoided each other's offensive.  After the backwards retreat in that moment with a turn of their palms, they each struck the other's shoulder.  Almost simultaneously, the sound of a hiss, and Chu Qiao forcefully dragged him and kicked out despite the burning pain in her shoulder.  Her kick met his with a *bang,* each kicking the middle of the leg, the opposite legs taut at the calf until numbness set in, followed by a linear retreat, cold eyes staring the other down.

Chu Qiao was holding a silk strap in her hand, and without even looking at it tossed it at her feet.  When her opponent struck her in the shoulder she had retaliated with a strike to the chest, and they both struck out with their legs, neither of them gaining an advantage.

The footsteps below gradually come closer.  Obviously the watch has come back around again.  Chu Qiao's heart fell and she cursed silently, never thinking she would encounter a martial arts expert in this city.  Perhaps he was just toying with her to let them encircle her tonight.

Eyes narrowed, he stood firm, not wanting to launch an immediate attack.  His opponent's method was extremely ruthless, swift and violent, each move meant to kill!

However, her opponent was not the kind to play fair, and with a sneer he suddenly threw something in her direction, actually a folding fan.

Her offensive was caught off guard, without time to even cry out "bastard," she saw her opponent quickly moving forward, his hand twisting to catch Chu Qiao's wrist, hoisting her body upright.

Chu Qiao eyed him coldly, instantly bent her body unnaturally, her left leg coming up from behind to land a ruthless kick to his shoulder and the man let out a muffled grunt, the scent of a mouthful of breathy alcohol blown into her face.

She was however unable to force him back with her foot, and with one step he tightly grasped her waist on the moss covered rooftop and the two dropped towards the eaves and fell over together!

The corridor was not necessarily very high, but higher than a few meters, and a fall, while not fatal, could cause injury.

The two had a tacit understanding to let go of the other, and with one hand each grasped the roof.  The man suddenly cross-kicked to bind her legs and just as she was about to retaliate his body recoiled, gained momentum, and landed a heavy elbow to her chest.

Surprised, Chu Qaio wrenched a leg free with an deathly glare, if this man attacked in such an underhanded way, she would make sure he could not call himself a man for the remainder of his lifetime.  [TN: CQ may be aiming below the belt at this point ^_^;] Sure enough, the aristocrat saw Chu Qiao's intent and changed positions in midair!

The two muffled grunts at the same time as they struck one another, the sharp pain instantaneous as he ruthlessly elbowed Chu Qiao's shoulders and she delivered a merciless kick to his thighs.

They continued to pummel one another like the strikes of a hammer, the dagger clattered onto the ground as they fell from the top of the sloping corridor.

It was too difficult for Chu Qiao to get up, her feet not yet firmly grounded, and like a gust of wind lifting the tip of her brow, a roundhouse kick came flying in her direction.  When faced with such extraordinary skill, it was spine tingling. Before she could even grunt, he came closer with one hand.  While one dextrous hand countered the move, his other hand grabbed Chu Qiao's chest! [TN: O_O;]

In that moment, they both stood dumbfounded.

Soft and not too tall, amazingly flexible and surprisingly skilled!  

Even without seeing it with his own eyes he knew the gender of the assailant.  He was so suddenly shocked not only did he forget the next covert follow through strike, he completely forgot to retract his hand.

"Do you want to die," Chu Qiao hissed coldly.  With the lift of one hand she grasped his belt and followed through with a whirlwind side kick directly in the middle of his waist.

Her opponent let out a bleak grunt and backed away.  Just as Chu Qiao was going to redouble her effort she heard the footsteps of the guards hurrying in their direction.  Leaving him with only a gleaming glare, she deftly turned and with a few leaps she jumped up and over the corridor, taking advantage of the fact the guards had not yet arrived and disappeared into the darkness.

The city guards in pursuit were climbing up ladders to get over the corridor, while Minister Tian came tottering forward, wiping the cold sweat from his brow, and carefully inquired, "My lord, who was that?"

Surrounded by climbing soldiers and torches everywhere, the handsome aristocrat with dark eyes, dressed in a plush purple robe but oddly missing a piece of cloth at the chest, looked dangerously attractive, right down to his red vermillion lips.

"Assassin," he replied slowly and quietly.  
Minister Tian suddenly shouted in exclamation, "Ah! There are assassins!  Alert the guard, go catch the intruders!"

Giant gongs sounded throughout the city keep and the whole city was awakened at this burst of sound and soon the streets were instantly lit with torches, and it was bright as daylight in the mansion.

"Minister Tian," the man turned to look at him.  "Notify your guards that they must catch the assailant alive, and not to pierce the intruder with arrows or knives."  Minister Tian looked a bit surprised for a moment, then replied, "As you say, my lord."

The night breeze stirred the man's fine clothes, and he looked in the direction Chu Qiao had disappeared, recalling her moves and gestures before leaving the noise behind with a quiet frown.

Chu Qiao was in a pickle.  The entire outdoors were now brightly lit, full of walking soldiers and horses.  Even if she used her skills it would still be hard to escape.  Just then remembered the evil aristocrat who had impeded her, and muttered through clenched teeth, "You better not let me see you again."  She held his diamond-shaped jade, something she had pulled down from his waist as she was fighting him.  Though she did not see his face, with this trinket she could identify him.  All she had to do was ask around about the dinner tonight, those working inside the mansion would know, and his identify would be revealed. 

When she remembered how he had grabbed her chest, Chu Qiao's face turned a livid green.  
This conflict was at an end.

A sudden, charming voice approached Chu Qiao as she was hiding behind a screen in a magnificent room.  It was obvious that this chamber was occupied by a female who was just waking up.  The woman was half naked, legs long and white as flowers as she lazily stretched, then proceeded towards the screen.

Chu Qiao suddenly panicked, as she had no time to escape, and the woman stared wide-eyed down at her as she looked up squinting.

The woman opened her mouth about to scream, but before she could make a sound Chu Qiao quickly struck at her neck.  The woman's eyes rolled back, and collapsed softly onto the floor, fainted.

It seemed Chu Qiao would be staying here for the night.

Just as she finished binding the woman, she heard the sound of approaching footsteps outside.  She was surprised in that moment that she kept hearing Minister Tian's repulsive voice outside.

"My lord, the room where I keep the new slave I bought, but I am an honest man, she has not yet been touched.  I hope you enjoy her well."

F***!

Stunned, Chu Qiao could only watch the light outside, her eyes stupefied.


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TN: The hardest part of translating a novel like this is the martial arts.  There are so many fists and legs flying, so many icy glares and too much wind blowing, that it makes it difficult to determine who is doing what when the phrases are gender neutral.  There are also a lot of complex words that have no English translation that I could find that made sense in the context of the scene.  That's where my language skills are limited.  Idioms at least I could look up.  All in all, I hope I got the gist of who was doing what and when/where.  - K (2/27/18) 





An Introduction to Princess Agents Novel (with translation links by chapter)

Hello again! Long time no post!  I've emerged to tell about my new obsession....

The Drama

For those who are Princess Agents fans out there, we were all captivated by the kung fu choreography that was like dancing, the high stakes battle scenes where it looks like the stunt horses were working overtime (hopefully no creatures were injured in the process) and the handsome and beautiful cast.

The story revolves around a young woman who lost her memory and finds herself in the employ of the dynastic Yuwen Clan.  She is actually the heir to a renown martial arts secret society, and her hidden powers are triggered by the cold.  The Fourth son of the Yuwen Clan, Yuwen Yue, trains her to be a spy within his grandfather's intelligence network.  She ends up rebelling against the Yuwen Clan and throws her lot in with the fallen Yan Bei prince, Yan Xun, who is Yuewn Yue's best friend.  Yan Xun's family was betrayed by the emperor and he is out for revenge.

The first season ends on a complete cliffhanger where we aren't sure if our OTP will survive and Chu Qiao's powers are activated.  [Fade to black]  AAARRRRGGGHH!

I watched the drama on Viki last winter holiday in 2017.  The series ended in August 2017 and there is no mention of the second season being in production and the actors have all gone off to do more amazing dramas.  In early 2018 I found out the drama series was based on a series of novels [11处特工皇妃: 楚喬傳] by "Xiao Xiang Dong Er."  Princess Agent super fans have been obsessed ever since the first season ended August 2017 with episode 58 on a complete cliffhanger.  Those dissatisfied with the wait time for a probable Season 2 have turned to the original source material to take their fandom to new heights.  

The Novels

I've never translated a novel before, and most of my translation skills are limited to translating comics ("Chihayafuru" and TV shows on You Tube ("Hakuoki SSL") and Viki ("Nirvana in Fire") so bear with me.  There's going to be things lost in translation because of the cultural differences and use of Chinese idioms that English just can't fully describe.  But thanks to Sue Lee [link] I found parts of the novel online and realized source material existed!  So I found a complete copy of the original chapter-by-chapter release [here] that is divided in chapters 1 - 191, to translate fully the really funny parts between the two drama leads, Zhuge/Yuwen Yue and Xing'er/Chu Qiao/Jing Yue.  The witty banter, the fighting and the interaction between them is both hilarious and fascinating.  After reading Sue Lee's summaries, I wanted to know how the author made such a cold man like Zhuge/Yuwen Yue fall so completely in love for an upstart, willful woman like Chu Qiao.

We also see more varied personalities with side characters such as Li Ce (the crown prince of the neighboring kingdom known as Xiao Ce in the drama), He Xiao (leader of the XiuLi Army), Ping An (the little soldier boy she meets while defending a Yan Bei city, Liang Shaoqing (the nerd scholar she runs into while fleeing DaXia).

The chapters eventually became four novels in total.  The first, "DaXia," deals with the main characters growing up as adolescents in the imperial capital.  The second, "Bian Tang," tells of how Chu Qiao is on her own for a while after escaping the capital, but she keeps running into Zhuge Yue, who goes out of his way to save her every time.  The third novel, "Yan Bei," deals with Chu Qiao making herself a legend in the north, and Yan Xun eventually betraying her.  The final novel, "QingHai," deals with how she and Zhuge Yue reconcile their feelings for one another and find a place for themselves in their chaotic world.

Differences between the Drama and the Novels

It would be too much to translate the whole thing, but I want people to know how lovely and well written the source material is.  The TV drama drops the modern life storyline for Chu Qiao and makes her the daughter of a Jianghu kung fu expert, Luo He, instead.  Chu Qiao becomes a member of the Yuwen family spy network, hence the "agent" in the title.

In the novels, she was literally a secret agent from the 21st century future.  Chu Qiao's soul belongs to a modern (2009) Chinese military special agent ( I finally understood what the drama title "Special Agent Queen: Legend of Chu Qiao" [特工皇妃楚喬傳 ] means) who dies and ends up sharing a body with a dying 8 year old girl on the Hunting Fields of DaXia in ancient China.  It's not clear if they become two souls sharing the same body but there are references in the novel of her conflicting personality traits; light and dark, peaceful and violent, aggressive and passive, caring and cold.  Her journey, I suppose, is to reconcile the two and find balance.

Chu Qiao becomes an avenger for the girl (Jing Yue'er) and the Jing family.  They were once of noble descent but have since been enslaved, abused and/or killed by their masters in Northern Wei (aka DaXia - Great Summer Dynasty) during hostile take-overs of territory by the current emperor.  Jing Yue was only 6 when they were enslaved, and Chu Qiao (age 27) becomes Jing Yue at age 8.  She retains the memories of her modern past life in 2009 (including military and special agent training which makes her a superior fighter) but retains no memories of this little girl's short, tragic life.

Yuwen Yue is Zhuge Yue in the novels.  He is not at the hunting grounds in the first scene.  His older brother is Yuwen Huai/Zhuge Huai. This one is a boor but he's not prominent in the story and he's not that bad.  The Yuwen/Zhuge patriarch, Yue's paternal grandfather, is the pervert who kills little girls in JingLe Pavilion.  Yue's father is a general, mostly out of the picture but he approves all the political maneuvers of the family, with Huai and Yue holding government positions at young ages.  The Zhuge family even manages to get a concubine into the palace by the time Yan Xun leaves the capital.

Yue and Yan Xun are acquaintances, but not besties.  Yue at age 13 was a cold little twerp who is indifferent towards slaves before meeting Jing Yue'er/Chu Qiao.  He is either directly or indirectly involved in most of the demise of the rest of the Jing family siblings, who all die horrible deaths in that household.  As Zhuge/Yuwen Yue continues to protect her, she plans the demise of all the evil servants in the Zhuge/Yuwen household and ultimately beheads the old pervert patriarch (like in the drama), all at the tender age of 7/8.  Really, she did his family a favor….

In the novel, Yan Xun is more dark, more crafty and more heartless than in the drama.  Though he does care for Chu Qiao, he is a true political player and uses everyone, even her, to his advantage.

Also, in the novel, there is no real bad guy, or Big Bad.  There is no Afterlife Camp.  Meng Feng is just a character in passing in these novels. While Liang Shaoqing was downplayed in the drama, as was Li Ce, they play fairly sizable roles in the novels.   Chu Qiao is a lot more naive in the novel than she is in the drama and she is fully devoted to Yan Xun until the 3rd novel when he shows his true colors. Also Chu Qiao has a whole group of living blood relatives in the Jing family, and, she picks up a lot of stray people as part of her extended 'family' throughout the novel.  In this life, and her past life, she was an orphan.


History in Context

"DaXia" actually does refer to a Hellenistic kingdom named Bactria 550 - 330 BC, but that's not the period we're talking about here.  There are references to Buddhism which came to China in early 150 BC, so the story definitely takes place after that.

The story should take place after the first Qin Dynasty (the guy who built the Wall).  Originally I thought this story happened between the Three Kingdoms period (Romance of the Three Kingdoms with Zhuge Liang and Cao Cao) and sometime around the Sixteen Kingdoms period (aka total chaos).   However the geopolitical turmoil looks a lot more like the Northern and Southern Dynasties period, 420 - 589 CE/AD.  But there are references to gunpowder and fireworks, an invention of the Tang Dynasty in 700CE/AD, and parts of the story cite years in the 700's which would fit squarely into the Tang Dynasty.  But with all the wars going on in the story the year 700 seems too far ahead, since the country isn't unified under a single dynasty yet, but the country of Bian Tang is often referred to in the novels as the Tang Dynasty.

We also have magical artifacts, souls traveling the space-time continuum, heroes and heroines who have super-human strength and magic swords in the novels so I guess we don't have to take things too literally.  Insert giant shrug emoji here:  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Persons, Places and Things

In the book, the names, the relationships and the places are all different and it's super confusing. I wish that a glossary of people/places existed!   I have to thank a lot of the super fans for reference though.  (There exists a [novel summary] from Yunsheng's Blog that was useful for context.)

I started reading the first book summary translated by Angela Chua here.  But I'm starting with Chapter 95 in the second book, after Chu Qiao escapes DaXia, which is the first real interaction the heroine Chu Qiao has with the main male romantic lead, Zhuge/Yuwen Yue since leaving his household that was more than just shooting arrows at each other in the dark.  My focus is on the two leads, but I also translate some miscellaneous chapters as well, for context.  I hope you all get the chance to watch the drama, and I can't wait for season 2.

-KERO
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Links to chapter translations and summaries: (this list will be continuously updated as I add more translations)


2nd Novel: Bian Tang

Chapter 95 - Very Unlucky: Chu Qiao has escaped the capital and is on a mission to save a sister, but encounters Zhuge Yue in a port town near the Bian Tang border

Chapter 96 -  Bath Spring Tide: Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue have a very heated fight in the bath....

Chapter 97 - A Life Owed: Though still enemies, Chu Qiao vows she owes a life to Zhuge Yue

Chapter 101 - Fighting Side By Side: Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue are hunting his former servant through a marsh to make him pay for his crimes

Chapter 102 - Paired Touch: Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue finally learn how to work together, but she is poisoned trying to save him

Chapter 103 - Watching You: Zhuge Yue takes care of Chu Qiao and they join a merchant caravan headed towards Bian Tang to find a cure

Chapter 104 - Lifelong Faith: Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue get to know one another better on the road, and they meet a girl named Star

Chapter 105 - Becoming Parents: Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue are caught in the middle of a plot that decimates the merchant caravan

Chapter 106 - The Coming Storm: Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue decide to look after Mo'er, the sole survivor of the merchant massacre by Liu Xi

Chapter 107 - Stormy Night Ops: Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue confront the instigator of the massacre and protect Mo'er from Liu Xi's guards

Chapter 108 - To See Yan Xun: Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue meet Liu Xi

Chapter 109 - I Can't Do It: Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue part ways

Chapter 121 - Men Dispute, Women Battle: Chu Qiao escapes the clutches of the DaXia princess and unexpectedly runs into Zhuge Yue in Tang Jing

Chapter 122 - Tang Jing Massacre: Bath scene redux ///O_O/// between Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue, but despite his efforts to dissuade her, she decides to return to Yan Xun

Chapter 124 - Knight in Shining Armor Arrives: Chu Qiao finds herself in a Bian Tang jail with the scholar Liang Shaoqing.  Unexpectedly, her knight in shining armor comes to save her

Chapters 125, 126, 127 - The conclusion to the 2nd novel.  Chu Qiao rescues her sisters, is nearly killed, then saved (again) by Zhuge Yue.  She finally leaves Bian Tang with Yan Xun

3rd Novel: Yan Bei

Chapters 128 - 138 - A synopsis of the Northern Expedition story arc or how Chu Qiao becomes a legend in the north

Chapter 146 - Good People are Saved: Cheng Yuan plans to get rid of the Southwest Garrison forces and Chu Qiao rushes in to save them, receiving unexpected help from Zhuge Yue

Chapter 148 - Heart Like a Mulberry Path: One year later, Chu Qiao unexpectedly runs into Zhuge Yue and they catch up and have dinner together

Chapter 151 - If the Heart Was Dead Ash: Zhuge Yue loses to Yan Xun after he tricks Zhuge Yue into believing Chu Qiao was in trouble.  Chu Qiao breaks up with Yan Xun and is determined to save Zhuge Yue

Chapter 152 - The Yellow Springs Are Near: The frozen lake scene at the end of Season One

4th Novel: QingHai (final)

Chapter 159 - A Tide of People: Two years later, Yan Xun would rather kill Chu Qiao than let her go; but a last minute tag team rescue coordinated by the Emperor of Bian Tang and the King of QingHai saves her and the XiuLi Army.  Contains a synopsis of Chapters 153 - 158 and the end of the 3rd novel

Chapter 161 - Where the Light Ends: After four months of recovery, Chu Qiao leaves Bian Tang to sojourn and ends up in XiangYang, in time for the Lantern Festival where she finally meets the man she has been searching for in her dreams

Chapter 162 - It's Good to Live: Zhuge Yue and Chu Qiao go on their first date ^__^

Chapter 166 - From Dawn to Dusk: Chu Qiao stays with him in his private manor and spends the rest of the New Year celebrations with Zhuge Yue, but the world is calling again

Chapter 167 - North and South: Chu Qiao sees Zhuge Yue off in XiangYang as he must return to his kingdom of QingHai, while she continues her sojourn

Chapter 171 - We Meet Again: One and half years later, Fate brings her in the path of Zhuge Yue, now the most powerful man on the continent, and he asks her to elope with him....sort of....

Chapter 172 - Waiting for Your Return: Chu Qiao sees the light and decides to let go of the past.  She and Zhuge Yue share a tender moment where she promises she will wait for him to finish what he needs to do before coming back for her

Chapter 176 - Tang Dynasty Melting Point:  Tragedy befalls Bian Tang and Chu Qiao rises to awesomeness once more  (Contains a synopsis of chapters 173 - 175)

Chapter 178 - Country's High Stakes Gamble: Keeping her promise to her best friend, Chu Qiao ensures his legacy and his dynasty will live on, then she finally reunites with Zhuge Yue for good

Chapter 179 - Be Honest and Open: On the boat to DaXia, Chu Qiao reminisces about her time in this world, honestly tells Zhuge Yue who she really is, and makes demands of their relationship

Chapter 180 - Wedding Night:  Zhuge Yue answers all her demands (rated 'S' for spicy)

Chapter 181 - Autumn Wind and Dewdrops: Zhuge Yue and Chu Qiao return to DaXia

Chapter 182 - Reunion With An Old Friend: Chu Qiao runs into her younger sister in the capital

Chapter 183 - Life's Fallen Expectations: Chu Qiao says goodbye to her sister and her old friend

Chapter 184 - With You There Is Nothing to Fear: As New Year approaches, DaXia is on the brink of collapse, and Zhuge Yue and Chu Qiao are embarrassing when drunk (rated 'SS' for surprisingly spicy)

Chapter 185 - The Yan Family Memorial: Chu Qiao gets waylaid by a snowstorm during the Lantern Festival, and an old man with familiar piercing eyes interrupt her thoughts of Yan Xun

Chapter 186 - The Winds of Yan Are Coming: While drinking a few cups of wine with the old man, Chu Qiao dozes off and has ominous dreams of the future

Chapter 187 (1) - Rivals In Love Meet Face to Face (translation in progress)

Chapter 187 (2) - The Death of DaXia

Chapter 188 - Yan Army Frenzy

Chapter 189 - Inevitable Turbulent Times

Chapter 190 - Reunion Once Again

Chapter 191 - The World's Choice (Finale)