Princess Agents Chapter 105, English novel translation

Princess Agents: 特工皇妃楚喬傳

Chapter 105 Becoming Parents

Translator's notes: Some stuff happens at the beginning of the chapter; a man (Yan Xun) gets news that everything has been "finished."  We learn that the camp that Chu Qiao was traveling in has been decimated and most of the people have been killed.  There is a brief cameo by Xiao Ce (prince of Liang/Tang) and Yan Xun in this chapter.  Yan Xun won't let a single one of the merchants go, not even a little boy.

-Kero (4/16/18)

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Now, in the deathly still mountain valley, curling tendrils of lit smoke trailed upward.  After a grand scale massacre the camp had been severely reduced.  Now, only roughly seven-hundred people remained, the others having been slaughtered overnight.

Zhuge Yue carried a bowl of rice porridge over to Chu Qiao's side, his complexion was still very unpleasant, but he had already calmed down.  The tent was quite small, with no means of him standing in it, so he could only squat down as he helped her sit up, and whispered, "Eat a little."

Chu Qiao's face had gone white, her entire body weakened, but she still asked quietly, "What's happening outside?"

"What else could be happening outside?" he said with contempt.  "Those who should have died have died, those who should not have died have died right alongside them.  The Liu clan's effortless seizure of all these rich people's possessions is as common as a theater play."

Chu Qiao frowned and slowly asked, "So Liu Xi has taken over the wealth of the other businessmen?  Doesn't he fear retaliation from the other families?"

Zhue Yue shook his head, "The merchants' families may no longer be among the living."

"You mean…."

"Precisely," nodded Zhuge Yue.  He said quietly, "If it were me, if I had to do it, I would do it so that the slate was wiped clean once and for all.  OuYang clan, Gu clan, and even though the Wu clan holdings that are not as impressive as the Liu clan; if they had united, the Liu clan would not have been able to compete against them.  Since Liu Xi decided to commandeer their holdings and wipe out their entire families, if that's the case, Xian Yang City must not have been peaceful last night."

Chu Qiao frowned and said, "So Liu MinJun is letting Liu Xi do this so their rivals' properties in Xian Yang will be thoroughly destroyed?"

"You think that Liu MinJun was directing all this?"  Zhuge Yue chuckled, "Xing'er you're smart, you have strong skills, your reaction fast, but you lack understanding of the human heart.  Liu Xi is going rogue, and if I haven't guessed wrong, last night the first person to see the King of Hell was Liu MinJun."

"Liu Xi betrayed him?" Chu Qiao said, slightly surprised.  She thought hard and searched the ocean of her memory to the first time she saw that young man in Xian Yang City.  His smile was a mouth full of pearly white teeth and he had acquired a proficiency in horsemanship.  When he introduced her to his nephew, Liu MinJun had laughed merrily, pleasantly clapped the young man's shoulder and proudly stated he was his half son….

"Why would Liu Xi want to betray his uncle?  Maybe he wasn't satisfied with only being rich and wanted to advance to an official post. A prominent family held the leading position and the possibility of him holding office lacked any foundation and if he wanted to advance in rank he wouldn't be promoted in fifty, let alone thirty years.  So he was desperate to gather all the wealth of Xian Yang as his foothold so he could enter the upper echelons of Bian Tang.  With such a large accumulation of fortune no one could look down on Liu Xi ever again."

Zhuge Yue murmured his analysis little by little.  However, as Chu Qiao listened his speech became more and more harsh.  Her analysis was not as simple as Zhuge Yue's because she knew the people who had died.  Her primary concern at the moment was that Liu Xi was from DaXia.  To eradicate the roots of the DaTong Association in Xian Yang, and occupy the wealth that the DaTong Association had managed for years, why then go to Bian Tang?  She had no idea.

Zhuge Yue was considered a very intelligent person.  After relaying the information to a passing Bian Tang scout he quickly transmitted the news to the officials of Bian Tang, they came to a nearly identical conclusion.  Liu Xi had destroyed the power of the other houses just so he could defect to Bian Tang and scheme to be an official.

***

"Ce'er," said the king to his son, his expression a bit ponderous, as he heavily pat his son's shoulders.  "This Liu Xi is not easy to control, if you're not careful, he will bite your hand.  Could a businessman from the merchant Liu House of Xian Yang actually have such talent?"

Li Ce looked up and smiled faintly and said, "Father, I prefer a wild horse."

***

However, what everyone didn't know was that as early as a few days ago, the real Liu Xi, whose envy of others ran deep, had been tied up and placed in a sack weighed down with stones, and was now at the bottom of the ChiSui River.

In this chaos, some quickly retreat, some remain ignorant, some coldly watch as bystanders, while some are in control of it all.  

The common people can only see the violent crackling surface, the ignorant only see villains robbing and killing their enemy clans.  Intelligent people such as Zhuge Yue and Li Ce can only follow the norm and conduct a painstaking investigation and doggedly try to gain insight on the cause.  And for those who truly control the situation, they can then tidy up the folding layers of all connecting aspects of these relationships; pressing down on the ultimate truth, waiting for the day they can reveal everything to the world.

***

Inside the large stretch of the ravine a man dressed in all white robes sat on a warm divan.  Outside stood a multitude of javelin wielding guards.  A man in his twenties wearing open leather attire went inside, knelt on the floor and said in a low voice, "Your Highness."

Yan Xun wore a gleaming white fur, beneath him hot coals were keeping his seat warm, and his forehead was damp with sweat but his face was still looking pale.  He heard his visitor but didn't bother to open his eyes.

"An accounting of the finances has been completed, Zuo Ting is bringing people to look it over.  All the other households and their servants have been handled and I ordered people to dig a giant pit behind the mountain and they've already been buried."

Yan Xun still did not speak, as though he were still sleeping.  The young man licked his lips slightly and continued, "Only…only the young son of the OuYang House has yet to be found." 

Yan Xun frowned, yet still continued to close his eyes, and said lightly, "Then go find him."

"Yes!  Yes, sir!"

The young guard quickly added, "The child is only four, outside is a mountainous landscape, all of it a woodland. He won't get far."

"Cheng Yuan," the deep voice was so sudden it gave the young man a start that he quickly promised, and Yan Xun finally opened his eyes.  His eyes were dark and wise, his tone remained calm as he said, "Do you know why DaXia has fallen to this predicament?"

The one called Cheng Yuan was dumbfounded, opened his mouth but said nothing.

"That's because at the time they killed my entire house they weren't resolute, and left me as the remaining root.  Do you understand?"

*peng, peng*  The sound of the young man suddenly bowing his head against the ground was followed by a flustered voice, "Your servant understands.  I understand, sir."

"Good.  Then get to it."

Yan Xun waved his hand for the young man to withdraw and as Cheng Yuan was about to hurry out he added subtlety, "After you're done, remember to go to military court for punishment; it seems you need a deeper impression to help you remember who I am."

The young man was shocked, and hurriedly said, "Yes, your servant remembers, young master."

Inside the large canopy it was more quiet and young Yan Xun leaned against the soft sedan, the thick arm cushions almost burying him.

He frowned, and in a light, slightly disgusted tone said, "Damned southern savage…."

***

The next day, the camp did not make any movement to leave.  Zhuge Yue looked around and saw that with the exception of Liu Xi's people, all the others from the other houses' retinue were gone.  He was a little anxious but with Chu Qiao's situation, he couldn't make a mad dash with her at the moment.  He went to the carriage to retrieve some dry foods and when he returned he saw the little girl named Star.  She was hiding next to a small tent, timidly showing her small head, her cheeks a bit smudged with black, quietly looking him up and down, and side to side, as if looking for Chu Qiao.  Seeing Zhuge Yue looking at her, the little child was so happy she squinted her eyes and grinned to show her missing front teeth.

Zhuge Yue's face was suddenly serious, he stopped looking at her, turned around and headed back to his tent.  As soon as he walked a few steps, he heard the pitter-patter of footsteps behind him.  He turned his head and saw the child carefully following him in little steps.

"What are you doing? Want more meat?"

Zhuge Yue frowned and said, "If you keep following me I will cut off your legs!"   (TN: Dude… -__-;)

"Waaah!"

A sudden burst of crying suddenly sounded, and instead, startled Zhuge Yue as he only saw her gaping mouth loudly crying, weeping as she ran in the opposite direction.  The other servants in the camp looked at Zhuge Yue strangely, their collective expressions seemingly saying 'Look at that, putting on airs, getting all worked up over a kid.'

Zhuge Yue felt gloomy in that moment, since he only wanted to scare the child a little bit.  When he returned to the tent ChuQiao was still asleep.  She seemed especially able to sleep now, even when speaking, she would be in a daze and fall asleep again.  Zhuge Yue started to worry a bit; at great efforts she was barely able to walk when she wasn't sleeping. At the very least, this troubled experience gave her a bit of self assurance.  For example, even as he was sitting next to her she wouldn't suddenly leap up and point her dagger at his neck.

As the sky's color gradually faded Zhuge Yue took a deep breath, his mood very gloomy.

The tigress falls flat and the dog takes advantage of it, and at the moment they couldn't even leave this shabby camp.

"Hmmmm…."

He heard the sound of a soft, lethargic voice, and Chu Qiao opened her eyes.  When she suddenly noticed Zhuge Yue sitting next to her she couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed.  She subconsciously smoothed down her hair and noticed her voice sounded a bit nasal as she unnaturally asked, "What time is it? Well, I really slept for a while didn't I?"

Zhuge Yue said nothing and handed her the water skin. Chu Qiao took the water skin, and as soon as she took a sip, she noticed Zhuge Yue was still watching her, and in a moment of carelessness she choked.

*cough, cough, cough!*

"You're such an idiot," Zhuge Yue said, rolling his eyes, and patted her back gently.

Her long fit of coughing actually woke her up.  She firmly glared at Zhuge Yue, grabbed the water skin and gulped down two mouthfuls of water, then declared rather audaciously, "I'm hungry!"

In fact, Zhuge Yue had just retrieved some food, but seeing she was in such a rotten mood, he didn't want to give any to her.  He coldly answered, "Am I your slave?"

"Slave?"  Chu Qiao threw a sidelong glance at him, "You?  What are you capable of doing?  If I were to sell you at the slaver's market you wouldn't even be worth a gold piece."

Zhuge Yue threw her a sideways glare, filled with immediate contempt,  "And you're worth anything?"

"At least more than you."

Both were currently performing a compulsory activity on their daily agenda--bickering.  But as soon as they suddenly heard the rush of footsteps outside, headed exactly for their tent, they stopped.  The two were puzzled, and Zhuge Yue immediately was on his feet, dagger drawn.  

Just as he was about to go out, they heard a *peng* as two little bodies rushed in from outside, nearly dragging the tent flap down with them!

Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue froze, exchanged a glance, then she was the first to speak and gently asked, "Little rascals, what do you want?"

Little Star's face was blackened, her eyes red, and her hands pulled along a child even smaller than she.  As soon as she heard ChuQiao's voice, the little girl licked her lips and drops of tears began to fall, increasing in number as they fell.

Zhuge Yue's expression was unpleasant, impatiently staring at the two children who seemed to have rolled out of a coal pile, and said in a low voice, "No one let you in here, get out quickly."

"Hoo, hooooo…."

The child who looked to be only four or five years old suddenly raised his head.  In his dark little face his eyes were big and round, black and white and watery, staring at Zhuge Yue with trembling lips.  He made little whimpering noises like a little animal, and with a chubby little hand crawled up from the ground towards Zhue Yue.   

Zhuge Yue had gone into battle to defeat his enemies before, and when he strategized from the command tent, all these years he never once had an ounce of dread.  Yet in this moment he felt a bit alarmed, pointed at the little child and said loudly, "You, you stay there. D-don't come over, I command you, leave immediately!"

"Wah!"  A cry to shock heaven and earth, ghosts and gods, suddenly filled the air.  Like a ferocious dog pouncing on food the child clung onto Zhuge Yue's thigh, smearing tears and snot onto his clothes, and cried, "Daddy!"

At that time Zhuge Yue's picture perfect handsome face seemed congested with blood, a fiery red shade.  For a moment his expression could almost be described with the phrase, 'scared out of his wits,' and with that same gaping expression glanced at Chu Qiao.  He hurriedly said, "Who is your daddy? Let go! Or I'll beat you!"

"Daddy!" The little one was not tall enough to reach Zhuge Yue's upper thigh, but though he was small his grip was strong, arms and legs clinging for dear life, his entire body attached, crying as he wailed, "Daddy!  Daddy!"

Zhuge Yue possibly could have killed such a small child with a kick, but he dared not raise a hand against him, nor could he push the child away, and finally he turned his head towards Chu Qiao and said, aggrieved, "I'm really not his dad."

Even he didn't know why he felt the need to explain it to Chu Qiao, but once he saw her brief display of astonishment was tinged with delight in his misfortune, he was all the more mad.

Chu Qiao laughed and laughed, but she did feel the situation was a bit strange.  Since she would not be able to ask anything of the smaller child, she turned her head toward Star and asked, "Little Star, who is he?  What happened?"

Before Star could respond, the wailing child suddenly turned around, as if realizing for the first time Chu Qiao was also present.  He only saw that this woman was smiling and pleasant, seemingly very gentle.  The child's little mouth shrunk, and cried unhappily as he reached out to Chu Qiao sobbing loudly, "Mommy!"

Bam!

The entire world had gone insane.

Princess Agents Chapter 104 English novel translation

Princess Agents: 特工皇妃楚喬傳

Chapter 104: Lifelong Faith

The next morning, even though Zhuge Yue went out early and had plenty of money to spend, after searching throughout the city he was unable to buy a horse or a carriage.  Even the traders' own mounts were all taken the prior evening.  Frustrated, Zhuge Yue tried to buy other means of transport, such as donkeys, mules, and even condescended to ask about cows, no matter the price.  [TN: ^_^;;]

The result was all the same.

At the same time Chu Qiao was sitting in the upper rooms of the second floor of the inn.  She watched the members of the escort coming and going, shouting loudly, and lightly creased her brow as she then felt a trace of discouragement.

When Zhuge Yue returned, they stared at one another without saying a word.

When the caravan left the city, it was far from the four to five hundred members escort leader Yu had mentioned.  Those in front had already departed the gates while those behind had yet to leave: it was altogether more than two-thousand people.  They had a large number of supplies and armed gear, hay, gold and silver and cash commodity loaded onto more than three-hundred wagons.  There were countless heads of women and children further than the eye could see dressed in noble clothing, bustling in diversity, horse carriages clustered one after another from front to back--a magnificent spectacle.

Zhuge Yue and Chu Qiao were relegated to the back of the entourage in a relatively worn carriage, apparently just purchased, and inside lingered an unpleasant odor.  Their original worries were simply unnecessary as there was no chance of them even getting close to young Master Liu based on their current status.

In the morning Chu Qiao followed behind the servants carrying the luggage out, and from a distance she saw a man dressed in lake blue robes under guard enter a carriage.  AnBai's weather was very hot but the man wore a large cloak.   His physique bordered on lean, his hood partly covered his face, but amid the half hiding and half revealing morning mist Chu Qiao's heart startled.

Unwittingly she stopped mid-step, staring at the back of the man's figure, watching him enter that magnificent carriage that had been there for a long time.

"What is it?"

Zhuge Yue walked in front of her and turned back to ask her quietly.

"Oh, it's nothing."  Chu Qiao gave a self-mocking laugh, and shook her head as if she wanted to shake off some ridiculous notion from her head.  "Let's go."  

As the carriage slowly pulled out of AnBai, Chu Qiao knelt in front of the window and lifted the curtain, pushing the partition outward and looked past the thin veil.

"Oh, that's right," she said as she suddenly thought of something. Chu Qiao took out a small bundle for Zhuge Yue and said very calmly, "I had the inn's attendant go out and buy this in the morning."  Zhuge Yue took hold of the bundle, opened the bag and saw a hood used to block the wind and sand.  Even though wearing it at this time would be a bit unsuitable, but the workmanship was rather refined and the materials used were thin, and wearing it would not be stifling.

"Careful is always good," Chu Qiao said softly, and then smiled lightly, "Although there may not be an opportunity to use it."

With more than 2,000 men and horses, and hundreds of heavy carriages on the main road, seeming continuous and unending form their position, they couldn't even see the front of the entourage.  

Zhuge Yue placed the hood aside, but he did not withdraw his hand, and instead, kept touching it.

"Xian Yang's merchants want to flee."

Chu Qiao smiled faintly, "You've seen it."

"Yan Bei and DaXia will start their war soon and these old foxes want to hide away in the lands of Sui and Tang.  They dare not start en masse from Xian Yang, so they can only break it up in parts, only to regroup in An Bai, and go together to Tang Jing.  All these wagons and horses are probably carrying their lifelong savings."

Chu Qiao nodded slightly and said softly, "Yes, they refuse to be drawn into war."

Unlike Zhuge Yue, Chu Qiao's heart suddenly felt a flurry of panic, she knew the identities of several large merchants in Xian Yang, and even more so knew how they prospered these past years, and just like that, they were now fleeing.  Remembering the figure she saw earlier, Chu Qiao suddenly felt a large conflagration in her heart.  She really wanted to leave the carriage and go see.  But she only laughed at herself, shook her head, and leaned against the rocking carriage and closed her eyes.

Chu Qiao are you too tired?  From the beginning of your uprising against Zhen Huang, you've been unable to handle the journey, so now you've started to indulge in unrealistic fantasies?

Yan Xun, they're all fleeing before my eyes.  What should I do? How do I stop it?

What can we do?  [TN: Chu Qiao recognized the members of the DaTong Association in this crowd and realized they protect their possessions before their beliefs]

It was already midsummer, and the days were long, everyone had followed the sun due west until they reached a ravine and set up camp and lit cooking fires.

Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue were assigned a small tent, short and small, where your head could reach the top even when sitting up. 

Those who lived on the outskirts of the camp with them were a few servants.  After a brief exchange, they found out this group was not only made up of Xian Yang's Liu family, but also Wang, Jia, OuYang, and so forth.

After being jostled about for a day, Chu Qiao's body became more and more weak, and the air inside the tent wasn't good, so Zhuge Yue helped her out onto a low tree stump.  Then he personally exchanged money with the escorts for a freshly hunted rabbit and in no time set up a fire to cook it, and the delicious aroma of barbecued meat floated in the air, enough to feed a few people.

He tore off a piece and lowered it to Chu Qiao's mouth.  Chu Qiao opened her mouth to bite but felt a pain on her forehead.  Zhuge Yue had flicked her forehead and he said calmly, "It'll burn your mouth!"

"Oh," Chu Qiao grinned, puffed her cheeks and twice blew on it gently, then used her fingers to pick it up.  It was delicious and Chu Qiao couldn't help but give it a thumbs up as she said, "I would never have thought you had this skill."

"I learned it from the years I spent on the mountain," Zhuge Yue said casually and pulled out a dagger, cut up the rabbit into smaller pieces, and gave them to Chu Qiao a piece at a time.

It was presently nightfall, the sunlight had slowly been engulfed by darkness.  She sat on a patch of green grass under the resplendent starry sky, the cicadas chirping, with the occasional lark or cuckoo returning in the night; the entire ravine a slice of tranquility.

In the distance, a large number of guards were hustling and bustling about, along with the sound of people collectively, giving a sense of calm and warmth.

 Chu Qiao took a deep breath and smiled as if drunk with happiness, like a simple child, suddenly sighing, "How I missed this!"

Zhuge Yue was inclined to interrupt, "Missed what?"

"I miss this feeling," Chu Qiao said as she leaned against the stump. Her expression was serene and she even smiled as she said, "I miss the long grass, the green trees, camping in the wild, a group of people making a fire together, cooking; and after dinner making up the campfire and chatting, drinking wine and eating the rabbit we caught.  I miss the days when I didn't have worry about tomorrow, when I didn't have to spend my days fighting for survival."

Zhuge Yue looked at her quietly and asked, "Have you ever lived like this?"

"Of course," Chu Qiao lifted her head and smiled gently.  "It was a very long time ago, with me and three of my good friends, in a ravine just like this, eating a roasted hare.  But our skills were better and our seasoning was definitely tastier than yours."

"Humph!" Zhuge Yue harrumphed disdainfully and turned his head away.

"Xiao Shi learned her cooking from a French chef, her skills were first-rate, and her roast meat was the best."

Zhuge Yue up-ticked his brow and asked softly, "French? Is that a dining establishment?"

"Huh?" Chu Qiao smiled and nodded, "Sure.  It's a restaurant."

Zhuge Yue's lips disdainfully curled, "I've never even heard of that place, so it must not be a well known restaurant."

In the distance a large bonfire ignited, followed by the sounds of hoots and hollers, a slice of merriment in the night.

"Continue."

"Huh?" Chu Qiao asked, dazed.

"Continue, since free time is idly spent anyway."  Zhuge Yue looked down and continued to cut up the rabbit.  "Continue to talk about your friends."

"Oh."  For some reason, Chu Qiao's mood was a bit heavy tonight, or perhaps it was the actions of the DaTong Association elders that hurt her and she had to talk about something else to divert her attention.  The grass swayed, the gathering darkness on the western border, and she said quietly and calmly, "All of their kung fu was better than mine."

Zhuge Yue's brows lifted upward, "They were all women?"

"Right," said Chu Qiao casting a sidelong glance at him. "You probably look down on women."

Zhuge Yue didn't make a sound, and Chu Qiao continued to say, "But that was back then.  If we were to compete now I would estimate I'd be around the same level as them.

"Xiao Huan was an excellent markswoman, yes, even with a bow and arrow.  Xiao Shi excelled in hand-to-hand combat, and once she even single-handedly defeat seventeen skilled, brawny men.  Mao'er wasn't good at either of those things, but if we're talking about killing technique, she had the best."

Zhuge Yue raised his brows slightly, "And what about you?"

"Me?" Chu Qiao laughed out loud. "I am a well-rounded talent."

The man glanced at her impatiently, "Shameless braggart."

Chu Qiao wasn't angry, and turned to ask, "Zhuge Yue, what is it you wish for?"

Zhuge Yue frowned at her and finally said coldly, "I wish you would hurry up and beat it, and never let me see you again, and then burrow yourself in a Yan Bei mountain gully, never to come out in this lifetime."

"Impossible," smiled Chu Qiao, as if they were talking about something very common.  "Even if you all don't bring the fight to Yan Bei, we would bring the fight down to you."

"Then I hope Yan Xun brings utter shame and ruin upon himself,  Yan Bei will be annexed by the Batuha Clan, and you will wander around until you finally come begging for a meal at my doorstep."

Chu Qiao shot him a glance, "What a cruel man.

"But this is not possible," Chu Qiao smiled gently.  "If there really came such a day I would likely have already been killed in battle and would not be able to come to such a meal."

Zhuge Yue was suddenly stunned in the moment, and stopped speaking.

"Back then the four of us asked that same question."  Chu Qiao's gaze had a far away look, quietly recalling a past that now only existed in her mind.  She propped her chin with both hands and whispered, "Xiao Shi looked cold on the outside, but in truth she was the most fragile among us all.  She liked to collect dolls, really expensive dolls, always straining her monthly budget because of this expense.  Her greatest wish was to have a giant nest egg after she left the organization, and then marry an ordinary and good man and become a good housewife.  She had a friend she grew up with since childhood and if other matters hadn't come up, she probably would have had her wish."

Chu Qiao's smile was suddenly sad, and lightly pursed her lips.  "Xiao Huang was the noisiest one, her family background was good, and she was a big risk taker.  At the time she wanted to climb a mountain, and her wish was to carve her name at the top of it.

"Mao'er's wish was always very simple: to make a lot of money."  Chu Qiao smiled gently and added, "She was greedy and she was bold.  She would dare to pick up any business and had no sense of loyalty to the organization.  The way she put it, it was just scraping a living to raise her family."

Zhuge Yue gently lifted his brow and asked, "What about you?"

"Me?" Chu Qiao was taken aback by the question.  After a long while she answered slowly, "I don't know.  I was planning an action at the time, and I only hoped everything would go smoothly and the mission was completed as soon as possible."

Zhuge Yue grunted disdainfully. 

Chu Qiao turned around and said with a light smile, "In fact, I've always been this way.  I have no desires and I've always been dogmatic and rigid.  I only hope that my belief is correct, that it's worth spending my lifetime having this goal, and it's worth the struggle and my best efforts.

"For example," Chu Qiao pondered over their meeting, "If you owe me, I will take it back.  If I owe you, I will pay it back."

"I think I appreciate Mao'er the best," said Zhuge Yue blandly.  "This organization you speak of must be the DaTong Association then?  If you have the opportunity you must introduce her to me."

Chu Qiao shook her head silently, and forced a laugh, "I'm really strange that I would even say these things to you."

Zhuge Yue grunted, "I didn't force you to say these things."

At that moment they suddenly heard the sound of careful footsteps approaching from a distance. Both of them raised their heads in alert and simultaneously noticed a girl of five or six, dressed completely in red, with two pigtails and a chubby little face, staring at the pieces of rabbit in Zhuge Yue's hands. 

They were aware that in this group, aside from the masters of the escorts, there were also many slaves of those masters, and some of those slaves even brought their families.  This child must have been from a slave family.

Zhuge Yue furrowed his brow and was about to speak but Chu Qiao suddenly waved and said, "Come over here."

The child was suddenly happy and opened her hands, running over in a swaying waddle.  The little girl's eyes were like grapes, large and shiny.  Chu Qiao grinned and asked, "How old are you?"

The little girl looked nervously at Zhuge Yue but then answered thereafter, "I'm six."

"What's your name?"

The little girl though this big sister was quite amiable, and put a finger in her mouth as she answered, "I'm called Star."  As soon as she spoke the two were a bit shocked.

Zhuge Yue looked at the child in irritation and said in a low voice, "Go back and tell your parents to never call you this name again!"

The little girl looked frightened as she looked at Zhuge Yue's calm face, her smile withered, blinking her eyes as if she were about to cry.

"Why are you scaring children?!" Chu Qiao frowned, pulled the child closer to her and started to whisper in her ear.  After a moment, the child started to laugh.  

Zhuge Yue sat to one side, watching the laughing merriment between Chu Qiao and the child and felt it was a bit strange. The Chu Qiao of his memory was not like this; she was calm, taciturn, unruffled even in the face of danger, intelligent and cunning -- seemingly as if she should never have any of the moods a normal woman would have.

But now in reuniting with her again, he saw more and more sides of her.  He laughed at himself, or perhaps she had been putting on an act all along.  She had always considered him an enemy, never showing any trace of authenticity that was more than necessary.  Even now, it may not really be her true self.  Otherwise why would she still have her weapon at her side, carefully taking precaution even when heavily injured?

Zhuge Yue's mouth sneered and his eyes grew dark.

But damn it all to hell, he was really infatuated with this feeling right now.

At that moment the child suddenly approached him, shamelessly holding his sleeve, pointing at the roasted rabbit meat in his possession and asked in a really cute voice, "Are you gonna eat that?"

Zhuge Yue impatiently handed what he had in his hands to her and the little girl smiled broadly, turned to him and said, "You're really nice!"  Then she returned to Chu Qiao's side, stretched out her plump little legs onto the ground and sat down to generously share her rabbit meat with Chu Qiao.

Zhuge Yue was slightly stunned that the little girl had actually called him "nice."  The man smiled cooly in spite of himself for he had long not been able to shoulder that word. 

A while later someone called the child's name, and she jumped up and ran to them but turned around to say goodbye to Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue with a brilliantly sweet smile, her giggles reverberating on the night breeze.

Chu Qiao pointed at the child in front, turned towards Zhuge Yue and smiled resolutely, pausing between words, "I wish that someday all the children in the land will smile like that."

The night breeze blew in the gentle scent of grass.  DaXia learned the hundred schools of thought in this era, and he had already heard words like these thousands of times.  But this time, he suddenly didn't know how to refute it.  Not because of the underlying significance of the words, not because of her resolution or her yearning expression, but he suddenly felt that she could really do it.

Although he immediately quashed his own notion.

What he didn't know was that many years later this world would go through changing upheaval because of this sentence, that the old world order would combust, the flames would burn, and the man who held the torch aloft, step by step towards her ideal, would have the blood of those cut down like wheat at his feet serving as oblations for the burial of the old hegemony.  At that time, all the people on that high alter would only wear pale faces, their lips never to smile with this same longing again.  [TN: That's really a beautiful and dark sentence… TT__TT;]

The road ahead had so many extreme dangers, and in order to reach the opposite shore one had to brave the waves, and after passing the icy river would be baptized by storm, gain experience by the flames of war, ground down and tempered, overcoming opposition, overcoming betrayal, overcoming slaughter, overcoming despair, overcoming all the weakness and kindness of one's character, only to become a sharp sword.  Only then would it be possible to stand atop the summit and rule the world.

Chu Qiao stared at the far away figure of that child in front, and suddenly remembered many years ago, amidst the heavily falling snow on the JiuYou Terrace, she looked up gazing into the hidden, heavy shadow, the sacred golden oath of high office.  [TN: ?? Don't really know what I translated….but I think she was this way even in her past modern life.]

"In fact, I've always been this way.  I have no desires, and I've always been dogmatic and rigid.  I only hope that my belief is correct, that it's worth spending my lifetime having this goal, and it's worth the struggle and my best efforts." 

…..

It was in this moment a panic-stricken scream pierced everyone's ears like a sudden clap of thunder exploding.  Zhuge Yue stood up but at that moment countless multitudes of sabers were pulled from their scabbards, and hundreds of archers held their notched bows aloft and entered the defensively lax camp.  

In a split second the cold edge of swords countered with a state of mutual hostility.

"You!"

A haughty looking, young imperial captain pointed a single finger at Zhuge Yue and coldly said, "Kneel!"

Translator's notes: Well that turned very bad, fast…. 

Princess Agents Chapter 103 English novel translation

Princess Agents: 特工皇妃楚喬傳

Chapter 103: Watching You

"Liu Xi?"

After closing the door Zhuge Yue turned to Chu Qiao and asked, "Do you know this person?"

Chu Qiao frowned slightly and said quietly, "We probably crossed paths."

"We should leave now," Zhuge Yue said decisively.  He walked over to Chu Qiao, lifted her by the waist and turned around to head outside.

"Hold on a second!" Chu Qiao said hurriedly. "We've only ever seen each other from a distance and I couldn't even tell you what he looks like up close.  I didn't even say anything.  It was so many years ago."

Zhuge Yue frowned tightly and Chu Qiao was aware of his concern and said, "Those outside only see us as ordinary people traveling with a heavy illness.  It seems absolutely unlikely that they would offer greetings to us.  As long as I'm careful it shouldn't be a problem."

"He's the nephew of Liu MingJun?"

"Correct."

Zhuge Yue contemplated this for a while, and said slowly, "The Liu family is still a large house in Xian Yang.  When I entered Xian Yang I don't know if any of them were part of the welcome party."

Chu Qiao was suddenly surprised upon hearing this, and Zhuge Yue said in a low voice, "We should still be cautious.  Tomorrow morning I'll go to the main street market and buy horses, then we'll drive ourselves to Tian Jing."

Chu Qiao nodded, for her current situation was a bit awkward.  Liu Xi was Liu MingJun's nephew, which meant he was also a member of the DaTong Association.  Since they were on the same side, for them to recognize one another at this time would naturally lead to making convenient arrangements to return to Yan Bei together.  However, since she was with Zhuge Yue, she could not reveal herself to Liu Xi.  Moreover, Liu MingJun is the eldest among the elders of the Association, and his thinking was rigid.  Now that Zhuge Yue was without his escort, if Liu Xi wanted to be malicious….

"You should rest first," he said, putting her back onto the bed.  "I'll call the attendant for some food.  What do you want to eat?"

Chu Qiao shook her head and responded, "Anything is fine."

Zhuge Yue turned around, and muttered as he walked, "We'll have to settle for anything, in a shabby place like this, there isn't much to expect."

She saw he was about to exit but he suddenly spun back round and pulled the quilt over Chu Qiao.  Seeing that she was staring at him, his expression suddenly looked a little awkward, his brows locked together, and without warning he angrily said, "What are you looking at?  Hurry up and get better.  I have no desire to drag you around like a stray dog hiding from everything longer than I have to.  Hmph!"

Watching the man leave Chu Qiao was a bit dazed, then the corners of her lips pulled upwards in a faint smile.

With the Zhuge family's power, the entire west, Mongolia and mainland likely had their connections, properties, and their subordinate and affiliated houses' manpower.  As one of the houses that controls the lifeline of the empire, it most certainly was not only visible political power they possessed.  In the entire realm between heaven and earth, how many hidden lines of influence stemmed from the hands of the Zhuge family?  How many lay in the grip of the Wei clan?  How many were affiliated with DaXia?  How many with Bian Tang?  And Huai Song?  Who could clearly delineate it all?

Chu Qiao knew that behind every influential family and large clan, there was a hundred years of family power struggles.  Even if Zhao Zhengde (the emperor) unleashed hell [TN: literally, the translation means to unleash wind, fire and lightning] to uproot the Mu clan, was it certain that he had also eradicated the Mu clan's hundred year old influence in DaXia?

The forces of the Zhuge family were by no means inferior to Yan Xun's on the Yan Bei Plateau, and moreover, as imperial family members, their political status influenced farther than Yan Bei could reach.

Hidden behind tens of thousands of family soldiers was this clan's age old imperceptible influence strategically planted in the empire, in the numerous officials both high and low all surnamed Zhuge in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. From these roads their money flowed, to grant favors for those whose loyalty can be purchased, the profits tied up in that influence, the information that can be used against them -- all of it in the hands of one clan.

Because YanBei allegedly openly rebelled, all of YanBei stood against the empire.  But if one day the Zhuge clan conceivably decided to rebel, if given enough time to plan, if they were willing to raise their banners in defiance like YanBei, what a catastrophe the imperial Zhao clan would face!

Therefore, with this type of influence from the Zhuge family, and considering Zhuge Yue's position in that clan, no matter where he was all he needed to do was say the word and a large contingency of his family would appear at once.  As they say the cunning rabbit has at least three burrows, considering the size of the Zhuge clan, that logic would follow exponentially.  However Zhuge Yue apparently had no such intention, going so far as to conceal his identity during the journey, personally taking care of her daily needs, never notifying his family and instead, waited for his personal subordinates to act.

Perhaps he was afraid a family member not of the direct bloodline would leak Chu Qiao's identity and have his family's opponents make a big fuss about it.

Chu Qiao smirked and poked fun at her own push to fool herself.  She understood there was but one reason for everything that had happened thus far, but she was neither willing to admit nor face it, and thus ran away from it by closing her eyes, silently waiting for time to flow past.

Perhaps he just wanted to keep each other company in a relatively calm environment, where he wasn't the son of the Zhuge House and he didn't have anything to do with Yan Xun; where he was just an ordinary person without enemies, without existing enmities and irreconcilable differences needing to be addressed and no unavoidable responsibilities.

This type of opportunity likely only appeared once in a lifetime.

Chu Qiao slowly closed her eyes and hoped that sleep would come quickly.  Some things were too dangerous to ponder.  She understood it all, but had no means of responding.

They lived in this world, each with their own paths.  From the very beginning they had two very different starting points and eight years later their paths diverged even further as they continued.  To be human also means to be somewhat calm and rational.

Chu Qiao's body was weak and in a short while she started to slowly fall asleep, her eyelids seemingly a thousand weights heavy.  Before she slept she laughed wryly at herself at having thought it out and done so much, yet at the very least, she was still unable to draw that boundary with him.

When Zhuge Yue returned Chu Qiao was already deeply sleeping. Her shallow breath in room gave off a faint feminine scent.  Zhuge Yue carried a tray with an array of dishes and a large pot of wine.  He set the table, sat down, and poured himself a cup.  The establishment was small but the dishes seemed tasty, even if the lids were still covering them, their rich aromas still floated towards his nose.  The wine was mellow, clear and translucent with a strong fragrance; with one sip his entire body was warmed.

The sunset was flaming red, and the light projecting in on him cast a long silhouette. 

He simply continued to sit and sip his wine slowly until the sun set behind the mountain and the street lanterns were lit.  The bustle of people coming and going eventually faded when the market finally closed up.  The whole city became quiet under the night sky, the whole population dreaming, except for him, without light, without speaking, quietly sitting in the darkness.  Still like a sculpture but for his arm moving back and forth between the wine jug and his cup and only then could one tell there was a person there.

Chu Qiao woke up in the deep night, her head throbbing as if pounded by a thousand hammers all at once.  Amidst her half-sleeping state she wanted a drink of water but immediately noticed the figure in the darkness.  Her immediate reaction was to reach for the small dagger at her calf; even in her weakened state she was ready to pounce like an agile leopard.

But then she regained her consciousness and slowly lowered her dagger, stared puzzled at the figure in the darkness and asked, "Zhuge Yue?"

"Mm."

He answered her with a faint nasally sound, the man seemed to have ingested a lot of alcohol and the air in the room was thick with it.

"A drink of water?"

Chu Qiao nodded, but at that moment realized he probably couldn't see anything, but just as she was about to speak, a cup of water reached her lips.

"Drink then, it's not poisoned."  

As she took it the cup handle was warm and even a bit hot.  The cup was rather small, but with two hands Chu Qiao lifted it and after taking a sip.  After licking her dry lips and with her throat still hoarse with sleep she asked softly, "Why don't you make a light?"

The room was so quiet she could even hear the wine gurgling down his throat, and after a while a faint voice slowly responded, "The darkness is fine."

Then she asked in earnest, "Zhuge Yue, when will you call me Chu Qiao?"

The man answered cooly, "Keep dreaming."

"You really are stubborn," she said in a lowered voice, and Chu Qiao suddenly laughed at herself and said, "Actually, like you, I'm also really stubborn, so the things I firmly believe do not change."

Zhuge Yue said nothing, Chu Qiao seemed much better tonight, her voice was light, and though she was still weak from the poison, she continued to speak. "In fact, you are not really a bad person.  Although you are a bit unsociable, and you can be cruel, and at times you seem to lack sympathy, and um, your dark expressions can be really annoying, but aside from that there's really nothing.  In this world who hasn't been cruel; whose hands haven't spilled blood?  That's how this world works.  If you don't eat others, others will eat you.  By now I can't even remember how many lives I've taken.

"Zhuge Yue, do you recall?"

As soon as her voice fell, she answered her own question, "You really should recall, as a general, even on the battlefield as a strategist within the command tent, those you've killed personally; or those who are nothing more than people who've offended you.  But I can't even remember.  In the half year that's passed those who've died by my hand are greater in number than the people I've spoken to in this world.  Every time I raise my weapon to cut someone down it was a head, and the blood from the severed body was always hot, always spraying on my face, as hot as burning embers.

In the northwest they even gave me a nickname, the 'Blood Gathering Butcher' or something like that.  The consulate general of Yao Sheng called…called Qi Something-rather, even ordered them to erect a stone statue of me, built right in front of the city gates, mandating everyone who entered the city to spit on it or otherwise be barred from entering.  In this period of time I was fleeing my own demise, aside from government soldiers, I was also careful to avoid commoners.  From when I escaped Zhen Huang, there was one time I was injured and saved by an elderly couple.  They were both probably older than eighty, a very kind and amiable couple.  They bound my wounds and even killed their only hen to make soup for me.  They never asked where I was from but they probably thought I had been robbed and kept encouraging me to report it to the authorities.  On the second day the old man went to town to buy me medicine, but when he returned his expression had greatly changed and at the time I had no idea what happened.  That night they secretly took a sickle and rushed into my room, and like two crazy people they wildly hacked  at the bed.  I knew that their son had been recruited by the empire long ago, he took part in the campaign against Yan Bei and later died on the northern plateau."

Chu Qiao's expression went cold and she sneered, "And then I killed them.  They were really too rash and there was no other way I could get rid of them, so I had to kill them."

"Pretended benevolence and false righteousness," a cold voice suddenly sounded, Zhuge still sitting there.  He said sarcastically, "With your level of skill, tying up an elderly couple would be as easy as falling off a log.  It was nothing but the fear of them going to the authorities, and you just insisted on making up this nauseating excuse for yourself."

"I wasn't looking for an excuse," refuted Chu Qiao quietly, though she was not angry.  "I was actually seriously injured at the time.  An arrow had shot through my thigh, I wasn't mobile at all.  I had only two choices: to kill them or let them kill me."

Zhuge Yue smiled slightly in disapproval, "Xing'er, in doing that how are you different from me?"

"Yes, I had thought that in the beginning,"  Chu Qiao said quietly, "But then later I didn't think that way.  When General Meng went to Yan Bei to fight it was just aggression and massacre, all of it unjustified oppression.  Their son had joined the army to invade someone else's homeland, would it be wrong to fight back?  During the first year of the war, Yan Bei suffered countless deaths and injuries, commoners and soldiers alike.  All of their forces were wiped clean away and Yan Bei's losses far exceeded those of DaXia.  And I, who hadn't done anything to them and was just recovering from my injury.  I took revenge for Yan Bei, but they just wanted to hurt me, simply because of a hatred that had nothing to do with me.  Was I supposed to just sit there and await death?  I kill people, but I don't do it indiscriminately.  I sympathize with commoners, but I'm no saint."

Chu Qiao's voice gradually strengthened as she said, "The war between Yan Bei and DaXia is necessary and it will be drawn out.  But everyone who dies in this war will not die in vain.  They fight for justice and their own freedom.  This country will have freedom and equality, a legal system and prosperity, it will be different.  Casual killing is unspeakably inhumane.  For that day, everything I do will be worth it."

"Ha, ha!" Zhuge Yue suddenly burst into laughter.  He said with indifference, "Xing'er, to my detriment I have always overestimated you, but I would never have thought you would utter such ridiculous words.  Freedom and equality? A legal system and tranquility?  What, have you become a believer of the 'DaTong' philosophy as well?  [TN: "Da Tong" or "Great Community" is the idea of a perfect society, a teaching of Neo-Confucianism]  Have you started to dream of that illusory fool's paradise as well?"

"No, I have not.  I am quite sober.  I know that as long as this world is based in profits there will never be true equality.  But we can improve everything slowly, one step at a time."

Chu Qiao looked at Zhuge Yue and said in a low voice, "At the very least, there will never be all those things that happened when I first came to the Zhuge House, random cold-blooded murder, sadism and treating people like dogs!"

"Do you really think Yan Xun can accomplish this?" asked Zhuge Yue, lightly raising his brow and smiling disdainfully as he added, "or do you think the old bastards in the Da ong Alliance will really be a selfless as their slogans?  Those who have tasted power will not easily relinquish the things they possess.  Even if Yan Xun one day overthrew DaXia and became emperor, it will be nothing more than a change of dynasties and by no means an end to an era.  Xing'er, if you can't accept that Yan Xun's ambition for hegemony is greater, then just say that he's out for revenge.  At least that sounds a bit better.  Don't wear such a pretentiously high hat on your head; speaking like a saint or a Buddha really makes one want to vomit."

Chu Qiao's expression changed slightly, and it took a while for her to firmly say, "I believe in him."

Zhuge Yue furrowed his brow and stared steadfastly at her.

"I believe he won't let me down," Chu Qiao faintly laughed.  "I will be beside him, helping him and watching him complete his great cause by his own hand.  Zhuge Yue, you'll see."

At that moment it seemed a small lamp lit up in the dark, dazzling amid the current gloom.  Zhuge Yue suddenly thought this woman was both fragile and silly, yet he did not want to laugh at her stubbornness again.  He only wanted to ask, "If there comes a day when he really does disappoint you, what will you do?"

But he could not find it in him to say the words for he thought that would be too cruel…indeed, too cruel.

This girl, still not quite seventeen, what were her younger sisters doing at this time?  Inside Zhen Huang's city what were the noble ladies doing?  Applying make-up, enjoying flowers and poetry, discussing the young talents of other noble families, or perhaps being carried off by someone somewhere onto a large, extravagant bed only to be tricked by some unsavory men….

And her, through years of foul wind and blood rain, for the sake of nothing more than a belief, without right or power, without friends or family, this was probably her hope for living.

"Very well, Xing'er.  I will watch.  I will watch whether that man in the end can accomplish all you say he can.  If that day really comes, I will spend my family's fortune and set off a million fireworks blossoms to celebrate the fulfillment of your heart's desire!

"To Yan Bei," he tilted his head and emptied a cup of wine, the spicy flavor rolling down his throat, cutting him like a knife.  His eyes looked westward, and he said softly, "I will be watching you."

Translator's Notes:  So this is the first chapter I've read where Chu Qiao and Zhuge/Yuwen Yue actually have a heart-to-heart.    It was cute how Zhuge/Yuwen Yue pulled up her blanket and got a whole platter of food for her.  At first I was disappointed that he waited for her to wake up and no one ate the food  TT__TT.  It's certainly a complicated relationship at this point and I expected her to dredge up old grievances (i.e. it was because of him or his family that half of her siblings died).  

Zhuge/Yuwen Yue is much more sarcastic and pessimistic in the novel than Lin GenXin's portrayal of him in the series, but I enjoy his literary source material equally, if not more so.  I suppose this would be the start of something new for his character as he lives unfettered by his family responsibilities for the first time while talking with his former house servant now turned assassin/radical philosopher. They really do seem like polar opposites and it's difficult to believe at this point that they would ever be on the same side.  Regardless, his "watching her" can also mean that he doesn't disagree with her ideal, unrealistic as it is, and that he would also be "watching over her/taking care of her" from a distance as she tries to fulfill her dream.  Here, behind his sarcasm and pessimism, we catch a glimpse of how deeply he feels (or will feel) for her.

I found her deep belief in Yan Xun a little too idealistic.  Having lived as an adult in the modern era I was surprised she was still so idealistic and naive, putting all her hope in one man.  But perhaps 8 years of life and death situations with Yan Xun colored her perception of him as some great person.  But we all know she'll eat her words eventually which makes her idealism also a character flaw.  She is not perfect, which makes her character more meaningful.