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.
Bam!
The entire world had gone insane.
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