Princess Agents 特工皇妃楚喬傳 Chapter 125, 126 English novel translation

Princess Agents - 特工皇妃楚喬傳

Chapter 125: Not an Impractical Scholar

Chapter 126: Golden Summit
Chapter 127: Yan/Chu Different Paths One Goal (epilogue)

Translator's notes: 
If you're wondering why I have so much free time to do this, I'm wondering the same thing myself.  ^_^; But the story is getting better and better, so I thought I'd keep going.  

These chapters are the end of book 2, and I found them rather difficult to translate with my limited arsenal.  A lot of the phrases were complicated and it involved politics, some archaic terms and more fighting.  I had to switch some phrases and words to flow better in English, and some words had no single English meaning.  But still, I hope I got most of it right.

I was kind of surprised some of the fandom skipped this portion of the story.  It gives some closure to the 2nd installment and the characters introduced in this novel's arc.  It also has a brief Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue action scene, which is what I translated below.  

Chapter 126 is the epic conclusion to the 2nd novel (followed by Chapter 127 which is an epilogue of sorts), and it begins where this started, back with the Zhan family.

Synopsis:  After getting snared by the Luo gang (again) Chu Qiao and Liang Shaoqing have a political debate in a dingy slave cellar in Chapter 125.  The nerd says he can tell that Zhuge Yue is in love with her and shows some surprising clarity in this conversation (makes me wonder if his idiocy is an act).  Liang Shaoqing speaks of the great influence of the vassal families like Zhuge and Wei, and say essentially that they want to see Yan Bei and DaXia go to war.  They may in fact be instigating it.  No matter what, Yan Bei will lose, and DaXia will continue to rely on the these great families to exist.  Chu Qiao discusses the power of the people with Liang Shaoqing, something he has never considered in his political debates with fellow students.  He likens her to the DaTong Association, but she denies identifying with them, and considers herself more realistic.  She uses Yan Bei as her shining example, a land without slavery, and she sparks the interest of the others sitting in the cellar to believe in a better life.

Chu Qiao and Liang Shaoqing have apparently been thrown into a cellar at the Zhan family manor in Bian Tang.  They are set free by the Fifth Mistress, but not before learning that the Zhan family, like many noble families, had sent 100 slaves as human sacrifices for the prince's wedding, hence many of them had fled for their lives.  The Luo gang was hired to retrieve them.  Among their family slaves, the Jing sisters were the first to depart for the Meishan Mausoleum to be buried alive as virgin sacrifices.  

Chu Qiao is determined to save Jing Yue'er's sisters, especially Zisu, for whom she has a soft spot.  When she arrives, she mercilessly kills two guards who were raping one of the sacrifices and locates her sisters.  There at the temple, she can't rescue them all, so she encourages an uprising of a thousand virgins who greatly outnumber the guards as she frees Caiqin and Jinlian.  

Her sister Zisu was called to wait on Princess Zhao Chun'er, who is having a tryst with General Zhong Peng inside the temple.  Chu Qiao spies on them in the midst of rescuing her eldest sister.  In their throes of passion the general promises the princess that Li Ce is dead.  It's all a political ruse as the princess conspires with him against the Bian Tang throne if it means they will kill Chu Qiao and Yan Xun for her.  Peng spread news that Yan Bei, in league with the DaTong movement, has caused the deaths of both the Crown Prince and the Princess at Meishan.  At that moment, the Five Army Coalition (Northern Guard, Imperial Guard, Wei Contingent, Central Army, Bian Tang Army) were colliding into that one spot to meet the DaTong forces who were blamed for the sinister plot implemented by Zhong Peng.  Chu Qiao is caught when General Peng tries to assault her sister after laying with the princess, and Chun'er seizes the opportunity to hold Zisu hostage and take Chu Qiao captive.  (TN: Her sisters keep getting into trouble -__-;)

Li Ce was on his way to the temple, having lived through the assassination plot against him, but his father barely survived his own assassination attempt.  In the course of a day Bian Tang was sent into chaos.  General Peng faces DaTong on the field and routs them.  He holds an execution ceremony at Meishan of the DaTong rebels.  Chu Qiao could only watch as they were beheaded one by one after shouting their belief that DaTong would never die.  The crowd grew restless as it proves merely to be a celebration of martyrs.  The nobles present begin to doubt their purpose for gathering and the crowd seems to disagree with General Peng when he brings an adolescent boy onto the dais.  When the boy refuses to and admit his guilt in the conspiracy, Peng throws him into the fire.  That's where we begin….

Chu Qiao let out a sorrowful cry, and watched the boy's figure flash before plunging into the depths of the raging fire.  His piercing screams reached the heavens, like a demonic screaming owl.  Even the battle-hardened veteran soldiers could not help but cover their ears.

"You lunatic!"

Chu Qiao shouted, "I will not let you live!"

"What, can't wait your turn?" Zhong Peng snorted derisively and took large steps forward.  The man's broad arm picked Chu Qiao up by the collar and said callously, "You're in such a hurry, just go next then."

"Men!  Do you know who this woman is?"  Zhong Peng pulled her up and shouted, "This is one of Yan Bei's rebel leaders, the one who killed the DaXia princess, the one who instigated a conspiracy to set the state for a war between us and DaXia, the one who confused the crown prince and then brutally killed His Royal Highness!  What say you, men, does she deserve to die?"

"Kill her!"

An indignant roar of furious rage resounded in the open air space before the temple dais.  Zhong Peng's eyes were alight and he said in a clear, loud voice, "Very well!  We will use her as an offering for our flag!"

"Stop!"

A clear voice suddenly rang out loudly, surprising the crowd that then turned around to see.  In the vast field dozens of fas horses rushed forward, the man leading them dressed in green, painted with a spray of bamboo, holding a sword as he rode his horse, shouting, "Put your sword down and spare them!"

They saw quickly who was approaching.  Slanted swordlike brows and bright eyes shining, it was none other than the DaXia noble of of the most prestigious vassal family of Zhuge who had recently visited Bian Tang for the celebration, the Fourth Master Zhuge.

In his heart Zhong Peng knew that this was not an encouraging sign, and at once he wanted to strike, but at this moment Chu Qiao agilely dodged and the blade smoothly slid down the side of her arm and at the same time cut the ropes that bound her!

"Capture her!"

Zhong Peng shouted at the top of his lungs, and the soldiers of the Central Army immediately rushed forward.

"Master!" cried Yue Qi, pulling his bow taut and letting the arrow fly, fiercely embedding itself into the cliff face above.

Zhuge Yue rode vertically atop his horse, and with a nimble leap his body pulled using the arrow as leverage and climbed upward like an ape.  Immediately thereafter, Zhuge Yue's subordinates shot arrows in succession, with amazing archery skills, using their powerful bows they literally created a pathway on the cliff face for him.

The tide of army forces suddenly seethed with excitement, flapping quickly in advance, wanting to obstruct the Zhuge family forces from coming closer.  The throng of three thousand imperial guards came forth to shield the Zhuge family forces.  The Five Nation Coalition forces held bows with arrows drawn at one another, their war horses blowing white puffs of breath.  It was a large-scale confrontation on the verge of breaking out at any moment.

"Everyone stop!"

In the blink of an eye, Zhuge Yue had already jumped onto the second level dais, his had gripping a golden emblem, took a deep breath, and shouted in a clear, loud voice, "I have the crown prince's gold emblem in my hand, by order of the crown prince, all forces lay down your arms, he will soon arrive!"

 The autumn wind rose intensely, large gusts whistling by his impressive green clothes, white jade complexion and bright eyes like stars, proudly standing on the platform with an indescribable heroic bearing.  The words he spoke were even more shocking, causing Liu Ge to suddenly step forward and ask in a loud voice, "What did you say?  His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will soon arrive?"

"Yes," Zhuge Yue turned around and cooly stared down Zhong Peng, saying in a deep voice, "Crown Prince Li is not dead.  He will soon arrive with his soldiers."

"You speak nonsense!"

Zhong Peng interjected forcefully, afraid he would say something else, and shouted, "Kill him!"

The second unit of the Central army suddenly rushed forward, and Zhuge Yue shouted deeply, "You all want to rebel?"

"Master Zhuge you are a government official of DaXia yet you are not here to take revenge for your country's princess, instead you speak strongly in favor of Yan Bei, time and again interfering in the affairs of my country.  What exactly are you plotting?"

"Zhong Peng!  You are also a government official of your country but you are neither loyal nor do you protect its interests. Instead you have conspired to sew chaos, using soldiers to depose the emperor.  What are you plotting?" 

Zhong Peng wiped his bloodthirsty mouth, "I see you are just like the prince, both of you have been so mystified by this demon girl that you've lost all reason!"

Zhuge Yue's expression went cold, and suddenly drew his sword, his movement incredibly fast!  The Central Army's soldiers could barely believe their eyes.  Spattered drops of blood were cheap as his figure spun round and turned.  In a few moves Zhuge Yue had forced his way to Chu Qiao's side.  Taking up a sword from the ground he handed it to her and shouted, "Charge with me!"

Zhuge Yue's graceful figure was like that of a demon.  When he first plunged toward the crowd he was a pallid sparkling light in the tide of soldiers with killing red eyes, in brutal hand to hand combat and enemies everywhere.  Chu Qiao was behind him, her arms still numb from being tied, but she remained swift as always and able to adjust herself, tightly following behind Zhuge Yue.

Their breathing became heavier, their strength gradually consumed.  Yue Qi and the other guards were being pressed by the the army below, and seeing them in danger above, they wanted to charge upward.  They were helpless on the narrow path below the cliff face, clashing with layer upon layer of the Northern Guard contingent, while the imperial guards were still guarding against the other coalition forces twenty times larger in size in addition to clashing with the Northern Guard; it was momentarily in a difficult position.

The forceful collision of their charge left a stream of defeated troops in their wake, and the pair saw they were approaching the inner shrine.  Zhuge Yue uttered a long cry, the cutting edge of his sword drawing a circle, causing a bloody splash mark to fly.  The man pulled Chu Qiao by the arm, springing upwards in one leap into the shrine.

Zhong Peng and the others were quite shocked.  They never thought the two would cut through such tight defenses and quickly chased after them.

"Zhuge Yue! DaXia will punish you!"

Behind them was a large crowd of pursing soldiers, and Chu Qiao was yelling as she ran.

Zhuge Yue's color was ashen, one hand wielding his sword, and the other tightly clasping Chu Qiao's hand.  In the narrow corridor extending in all directions he traveled back and forth, avoiding making any response.

"Your family will punish you!"

Chu Qiao continued to shout, "You must leave immediately!  They will not touch you!  Do not throw your life away with me!"

*pang*  The two burst into a spacious chamber.  Zhuge Yue used his foot to push the deadbolt in place after closing the door, which was immediately followed by loud pounding behind it.  Fortunately every door in the place was made of cast iron and it would be impossible for anyone to break it in a short time.

"Are you insane?  Why did you come?  Did you forget what you said to me from the outset?  Time and time again why do you bother with my affairs?"

Chu Qiao planted a fist in Zhuge Yue's face, like an angry lioness, her eyes were red with rage, and she shouted at him, "You will die!  You will die, don't you know??" 

"Then do you know that if I was one step too late you would have already been a corpse?"

The man's anger finally exploded.  The place where Chu Qiao had punched him was swollen with a few traces of blood.  With one arm he pinned Chu Qiao against the wall.  His voice was low but it was infused with fury, "What do you think you are?  The savior of the world?  Buddha incarnate? You stinking woman, you are a simpleton, you are an idiot, you are a moron!" (TN: ^_^ he literally calls her an idiot three different ways….)

Chu Qiao's eyes were seeing red, so agitated that she couldn't control herself, "So what if I am?  I am an idiot, what of it?  And you still came back for me? I would have rather died fighting on that dais instead of watching you throw your life away with me!"

Zhuge Yue's eyes suddenly calmed, he heavily closed his eyes, and then slowly turned his head away, smiling with a self-deprecating tone, "Because I am a greater idiot than you are."

The air inside suddenly became more calm, regardless of the soldiers fast on their heels like wild wolves in pursuit, and the repeated, rhythmic sound of pounding as they rammed the door, one after another.  Chu Qiao's eyes stung and she felt as though she were about to cry.  She weakly turned her head and emphasized her words, "I don't want to owe you."

"You already owe me quite a bit."

Chu Qiao immediately turned her head and cried, "I don't want to owe you!"

"If you don't want to owe me then stay alive to repay me!"  Zhuge Yue turned his head around, his eyebrows arched upward at the ends like swords, as he sternly shouted, "Listen you and listen well; if you even dare die, I will hunt you down in the palace of Hell's emperor and kill you myself!"

But I'd already be dead, why would I be afraid of you killing me?  Chu Qiao silently argued back at him. (TN:  ^_^; these two….. I think Chu Qiao is missing the point. I think he means to tell her that if she dies he will follow her into Hell….)

She strongly held back the urge to cry, she turned her head away, and coldly said, "I know where Zhao Chun'er is, as long as I bring her out, the rumors about her will be disproven."

"Fine.  I'll lead our pursuers away, you go find her."

Chu Qiao nodded her head, and as she was about to turn away, Zhuge Yue suddenly pulled her back.

The man's eyes were deep, as if there was something hidden in their depths.  Very deep, so very deep, making one unable to think clearly.  He suddenly stretched out his arms and gently embraced Chu Qiao's shoulders.  Then he took the Breaking Moon sword in his hand and placed it into hers, saying in a low voice, "Be careful."

Chu Qiao's nose slightly tingled, and her voice sounded thick as she nodded vigorously, "If you die, I will set off a hundred strings of firecrackers, to celebrate my not having to remember year after year what I still owe you."

Zhuge Yue nevertheless smiled, unrestrained, and gently curled his fist, "I'm afraid you will never have the chance to set off those firecrackers."  

"Take care."

Zhuge Yue nodded, "You go first, after you leave I will open the door and lead them away in a different direction."

Chu Qiao nodded, and after one last look, she immediately turned away and ran off.

Her eyes felt wet but she shed no tears.

"It will be fine.  Nothing will happen."  Chu Qiao whispered to herself, and the hurried back into the temple, returning to the place where she last overheard the princess.

*Peng*  With a gust of air the door to the chamber was kicked open and the young girl rushed in.  She took the head of one of the guards and plunged her dagger into his neck, and before the other guard could draw his weapon she immediately let her silver sword fly into his chest.

Chu Qiao was covered in blood, making her figure in black gold robes all the more slender and graceful.  She brushed off her hands, looking back at her handiwork with dagger and blade, then coldly stared at Zhao Chun'er sitting on the bed whose expression remained unchanged, and cooly said, "Never thought we would see one another again so soon."  (TN: These were the words the princess said when she held Zisu hostage)

Synopsis: In the end, Chu Qiao presents the princess to the Central Army from the top of the temple, telling everyone that they've been deceived.  She tells the DaTong faction that Yan Bei would never deceive them or let them perish and that was a rather cringeworthy read considering what happened to the DaTong merchants earlier in the novel.  The Central Army wavers now that they no longer have a reason to fight, and the Bian Tang army just abandons their posts.  Chu Qiao reiterates to Princess Chun'er that the princess will never be her rival, and she can at least choose how to die.  At that, Chu Qiao leaps from the temple peak.  But just as she does, Yan Xun's army comes into view.  She uses her grappling hook to slow her fall and he rescues her.

Their reunion is quietly touching and it's obvious that she is still devoted to Yan Xun, having been separated for so long.  For now, he is everything she thinks he is.  

Epilogue -- After the incident at the Mausoleum, Chu Qiao and Li Ce have a nice talk about everything before he sends her off.  He tells her his scheme to delay any marriage with DaXia for as long as possible, and that he will not follow DaXia into war with Yan Bei for at least 5 years, giving Yan Xun enough time to solidify his force there. She and Li Ce know they will not have an opportunity to see one another again for a long time, and so fill the time with chatter and semi-serious discussions about politics, life and love.  He tells her to remember she is also a woman, and there are more things in life than just living for her beliefs, (i.e. shopping, make-up, hobbies, love).  TN: I love Li Ce, he's like her BFF.

Li Ce makes fun of both Yan Xun who is so inexperienced he probably sees Chu Qiao as the only woman in the world, and Zhuge Yue who passes a thousand beauties with a frigid stare but treats a raggedy thing like her as if she were a treasure.  ^_^;  He asks if she's had a change of heart about Zhuge Yue and she asks if he would believe her if she said no.  He affirms he would believe her and she explains that she doesn't like to owe Zhuge Yue.  Li Ce suggests that it would be best if she never saw him again then, if she didn't like to be reminded of what she owes.  Whether or not she cared or worried about him, Zhuge Yue was smart and will most likely overcome any obstacles he faces.

He warns her that she will have to fend for herself in Yan Bei, far from his protection or Zhuge Yue's.  When she says she will have Yan Xun there, he looks a bit surprised, but then plays it off saying jokingly that of course she will marry him and he will give her a giant wedding present.  As if he is foretelling that she will be unhappy there, he half jokes that if Yan Xun's three wives and four concubines get too tiresome, she is welcome to come back to Bian Tang and live off of him instead.  She says it will never happen though she doesn't deny that she will marry Yan Xun.  Then as she leaves he adds a few quips saying she shouldn't trust people so easily, eat more meat since her body frame makes people lose their appetite, etc.  ^_^  Then when she finally leaves he says quietly, "I hope you have chosen the path that is right for you."

When she returns to Yan Xun his immediate reaction to her long conversation is jealousy and suspicion.  When she questions it he reveals that he discovered someone wanted something of his, something he's been guarding for almost a decade, and he won't have it.  TN: Allusion to Zhuge Yue, perhaps?  Then they gallop away to Yan Bei.

Tranlator's notes:  So, Zhuge Yue risks his life and his reputation in bringing his own contingent to rescue her.  It seems he listened to her words before they parted, most likely saved the crown prince, and worked with Li Ce to retrieve her.  There would most likely be retribution from the empire and from his family, which he expects, but doesn't care.  That is hardcore devotion.  When they part she feels great sorrow and tries to convince herself that he will be fine and that nothing will happen to him, but it seems she doesn't understand what it is she feels for him.


What I love about the interaction between Zhuge Yue and Chu Qiao is that they are building their feelings through their trials together.  Many things they say to one another are a repeat of a prior conversation or event, parallel and reciprocal, with hidden meanings and memories only they share (i.e. the conversation about firecrackers is reminiscent of his saying he would spend his wealth and set off fireworks if she accomplished her dream of making a utopia, and now at the temple her telling him she will light firecrackers if he dies is her way of telling him not to die; the way he gives her the Breaking Moon sword was similar to what she did before she left him in the cave) to show how their relationship is growing.

When I read the next few chapters of Yan Bei's introduction I realize how much I missed Li Ce!  Yan Bei is drab and desolate compared to the bright and beautiful Bian Tang, and the people there are much less interesting than the flamboyant Li Ce.

Princess Agents 特工皇妃楚喬傳 Chapter 124 English novel translation

Princess Agents - 特工皇妃楚喬傳

Chapter 124:  Knight in Shining Armor Arrives

Translator's notes: Here's a little snippet I didn't know existed until recently.  On her way to Yan Bei, Chu Qiao runs into Liang Shaoqing again.  The scholar/nerd who begins this story arc with her, gets her into trouble (again).  She finds out that Liu Xi/Yan Xun is in Bian Tang, but has no idea what he's conspiring. For whatever reason she ends up dressed like a man in a Bian Tang jail with Liang Shaoqing.  And guess who rescues her….?  Heh.  I found this very hilarious because it provides some levity after the last scene.  I wish Chu Qiao would figure out her feelings, but I know she doesn't….

The dark cells reeked of noxious odors everywhere.

As soon as Chu Qiao and Liang Shaoqing entered, they immediately heard the other cell mates from all directions whistling and shouting, "Hey! Hurry and look!  That guy came back!"

The prison warden took his leather whip and fiercely smashed it against the cells and shouted, "His mother was being honest, he needed a spanking!"

Chu Qiao looked back at Liang Shaoqing who in turn laughed back at her awkwardly, "Haha, they're all acquaintances.  Recently I've dithered a few days here."

Every time she reaches this point, Chu Qiao always wants to take a deep breath and sigh in lament at God's mysteries.  She just looked at Liang Shaoqing and had no words, nor did she even have the inclination to be angry, for that would just be a waste of energy.

Alright, she admitted, she really had killed too many people, her sins were plenty, and God finally wanted to start punishing her.  (TN: I think the author is referring to the western, possibly Christian, God here, for whatever reason)

She was pushed into a cell, the prison warden shouted a few times, lowered the lock and chains, then called out abuses at the prisoners as he took a swig of his wine and left.  Chu Qiao took a sweeping glance around.  The prison cell held ten or so people, and even though it was still daytime, the entire space only had one skylight above so it was pitch dark inside.  Even though Chu Qiao's eyesight was quite good she could only estimate the locations of their shadows.  

Those inside knew that others had come inside. Eyes filled with hostility faintly looked in their direction.  Some of them even deliberately shifted their position and occupied the only empty space available.

Liang Shaoqing seemed exceedingly familiar with this place. The usual righteous scholar who insulted others with mouthfuls of principled lectures on justice and virtue was unable to muster any courage whatsoever.  His movements naturally clung to Chu Qiao's, and whispered, "Xiao Qiao, the people here are quite brutish." (TN: he calls her "Little Qiao" as a term of endearment.)

However, as soon as he finished saying it, the sounds of a few pitiful cries rang out.  He saw only that Chu Qiao took a few steps forward.  Someone had stretched out a leg to block her path.  Chu Qiao kicked it away, the cracking sound was distinct, and the leg was at once dislocated.  The man's entire body immediately curled up into a ball and he wailed miserably.

"Step aside!"

Chu Qiao didn't even look at him as she stepped past, and directed her words towards the few dark prisoner silhouettes.

Prison was such a place, where the strong bullied the weak.  They only saw this person was wearing expensive clothes, his skill was out of the ordinary and there was no one else who wanted to provoke him.  In a hurry there was an empty space cleared alongside the wall.  Chu Qiao lowered herself and sat down without speaking.  As soon as he saw this, Liang Shaoqing hurried over to her, sticking close by and sat beside her.  Then, with an air of disdain he pointed at a few of them, using an arrogant tone he had learned over the past few days he said, "Let's all be honest!  Don't bully others!"

Hey!

Chu Qiao almost wanted to cry, and she held her head in her hands, gloomily wanting to die.

"What did this guy eat to grow up?"

The woman muttered her suffering, for who knew Liang Shaoqin's hearing was so good, and he turned his heard around and said in a very polite manner, "Of the five grains and such similar sustenance, these things might be hard to come by for commoners.  From childhood I have not the habit of being a picky eater.  I ate everything and my stomach was always full.  There was never a need to be fastidious."

Her eyes went dark, her brain felt giddy, and Chu Qiao strongly resisted the urge to punch him in the mouth so he would thoroughly remain silent.

"Who?  Who is causing a ruckus?"

As soon as the prison warden heard the sounds of wailing, he hurriedly came over as if someone had lit a flame under his butt, waiving his cudgel, "Who's causing trouble?  Don't want to live anymore, that it?"

The prisoners in the cell collectively looked at Chu Qiao in secret agreement.  The woman's face was clear as ice, her eyes like frost, cooly gazing at the warden, but not saying a word.  The prison warden lived in the city, in his daily life he was used to watching nobles and officials alike and had already learned to recognize them with his discerning eyes.  

He saw that this young man was not very old, was dressed in finery, and possessed extraordinary temperament. He stared coldly at everyone else as if he was confident in his connections.  Secretly he wouldn't be related that large clan would he?  Although saving face is important, living was even more important, so the prison warden looked at Chu Qiao's appearance, and suddenly said in a deflated voice that was neither soft nor firm, "You, you there.  Be more upright."

Then he left with his tail between his legs.

Liang ShaoQin suddenly looked at Chu Qiao with admiration and prostrated himself, "Xiao Qiao, you are still the most fierce, even he's afraid of you."

Chu Qiao had no desire to heed him.  When they had just come in she had already done her reconnaissance of their surroundings.  It would not be difficult to escape this place.  After all, it was simply a holding cell for petty thieves. The problem came with how to take the idiot Liang Shaoqing with her.

The color of the sky slowly waned.  The prison guard had delivered their food, but one look had Chu Qiao almost retching.  It wasn't difficult for Liang Shaoqing to eat it with gusto and it seemed he was being truthful when he said he wasn't a picky eater.  This nerd always had the unusual ability to adapt to any situation, no matter the environment, promptly integrate himself, and then find the strength to persevere with his indomitable fighting spirit for survival.

When the sky was dark, Chu Qiao continued to sit there with her eyes closed, waiting, as there were still two prisoners awake.

She didn't want to hurt anyone, even if she had to wait until long into the night before she could pry open the lock and escape.  In the the span of a single burning incense stick she could probably pry open about two hundred of these locks.

Liang Shaoqing was happily sleeping, very contentedly.  It was only when this bookworm slept that he resembled something of a handsome man, although he was leaning on Chu Qiao's shoulder.

At midnight, the entire cell was peaceful, filled with unpleasant male sweaty odors and ear rumbling snores.  Chu Qiao carefully pushed Liang Shaoqin's arm, but before he could open his endlessly wordy mouth she clamped it shut with her hand and said in a low voice, "Shut up, don't speak, follow me."

Liang Shaoqin's eyes looked a bit vague, he rubbed his eyes looked at Chu Qiao in confusion, slowly wrinkling his brows, and momentarily still did not know what she was about to do.

Seeing he was silent, Chu Qiao carefully leaned towards the door, her movements stealthy like a cat, and soundless.  A dagger, thin bronze picks and a hooked chain were three things Chu Qiao carried with her at all times.  No matter what the circumstances, she would quickly acquire the supplies and never let herself be at a disadvantage. When she entered the prison that person took one look at her expensive clothing, her calm and self-possessed demeanor, and didn't dare come forth to do a body search.

*ka-cha*

They heard a clear ringing sound, and the door lock opened.  Just as Chu Qiao wanted to turn around and pull Liang Shaoqing with her, she heard the man behind her suddenly call out, "Ah!"

Thankfully he did not say it loudly, certainly not loud enough to wake the others, and only caused another prisoner to turn over and go back to sleep.  Chu Qiao turned her head and looked angrily back at the scholar.  Liang Shaoqing pointed at her, stammered, and then lowered his voice, "Xiao Qiao, you can't!  That's against the law!"

Chu Qiao narrowly channeled her anger and said vehemently while forcing her voice low, "You coming or not?"

Lian Shaoqing said in a wronged voice, "Xiao Qiao, we've only committed a petty crime, we will be released in two days time.  But a jailbreak is an even more serious offense."

The young woman twitched as her anger tickled her with its teeth, then turned around to leave on her own until she saw Liang Shaoqing panic and rush forward, stepping onto the straw and creaky floorboards as he grabbed her arm and uttered nervously, "Go, go.  I'll go.  Don't abandon me alone here!"

But at this point, even if they wanted to leave they could not.  They just heard the sound of disorganized footfalls and hazy light and shadow coming towards them, as if a group of people were coming near.

Liang Shaoqin's face suddenly turned pale.  Those people were approaching quickly and there wasn't enough time to do anything.  Chu Qiao swiftly dragged Liang Shaoqing back in place to sit, and as soon as she did that the prisoners all heard the approaching sounds, and sleepily opened their eyes.

"My lord……please come this way."

The sound of the warden's voice was flattering, then, about twenty soldiers dressed all in official red attire armed with swords entered into view.  They went over to the cell that contained Chu Qiao and stood there at attention.  Each of them had one hand resting on a hilt and the other holding a bright torch.  Someone who was about forty years old, who must have been an official, came in.  He stood in front of the cell door and asked, "Is it here?"

The prison warden hurriedly nodded and said, "Responding to my lord's inquiry, yes it is."

Chu Qiao was faintly aware that this group likely came for her; perhaps Li Ce was looking for her, or perhaps the pro-DaXia officials in the Bian Tang government had sent them here, and of course, it could also be a local official DaXia had already bribed to take her away without anyone being the wiser.

She quietly sat there, tilting her head back, silently touching her boot where she kept her weapon of last resort.  The muscles in her entire body were tense, quietly calculating her means of escape, quietly calculating that if she was reckless how may layers of strategies she could single-handedly employ with success.

At that moment, she saw that official turned to one side of the corridor and smile as he said, "Young Master, the person you are looking for is here."

Then, she simply heard the sound of rustling sleeves, of footsteps neither urgent nor slow.  Only a pitch dark shadow in the firelight was first to reveal itself, followed by a beautiful and spotless boot of sky blue, then a deep purple robe embroidered with muted gold clouds, a white jade belt, a large and long stature, a man's brow slanted like sharp swords, a face like white jade and dark red lips.  His eyes were pure snow in the abyss, indifferently gazing at Chu Qiao.  That expression, those eyes…Chu Qiao seemed able to hear the unspoken words hidden beneath the surface: You idiot! (TN: ^__^;;)

The Bian Tang official said to Zhuge Yue in a flattering tone, "Young Master Zhuge, this is an oversight of my subordinate, and I've been remiss."

Zhuge Yue politely nodded and said, "Perhaps it is because they did not reveal themselves, it is merely a misunderstanding, you need not pay it any mind, sir."

The official breathed a sigh of relief, turned around to the warden and said in a deep voice, "Hurry up and let them out already!"

The old man hurriedly came forward to unlock the door, but as soon as he was about to unlock it, the lock fell away, and he hand't even reached for the keys yet.  

The warden and the official's complexion became rather unsightly, and suddenly became uglier, and the official muttered angrily in a low voice, "Useless guy!"

The warden looked as though he had swallowed a distasteful medicine, his face fully bitter.

Zhuge Yue naturally knew what that was all about, his eyes disdainfully rolling around Chu Qiao's face, his mouth lightly pulling with a scornful *humph*. 

Chu Qiao lowered her head, wishing she could bury it in her chest; it was all truly embarrassing.

Liang Shaoqing in a daze stumbled out of the cell amid the ten or so prisoners with heavier crimes and punishments, and heard Zhuge Yue say to the other official, "I'll introduce your excellency.  This is Liang Shaoqing, the younger son of Lian Xiliang of Shangxia County of DaXia.  The elder Liang is an old acquaintance of mine.  Shaoqing is also my friend, and he was traveling in his studies to Bian Tang, and unexpectedly, he encountered such a misunderstanding."

"So it is the son of Master Liang, please forgive the sin of this official's slights."

Liang Shaoqing suddenly saw the light, pointed at Zhuge Yue and said, "Oh, so it is my father's friend.  But how is it that I've never met you?"

Zhuge Yue and the official faces went a little pale, and Chu Qiao could not help but want to run into the wall and commit suicide.  Could it be he could not hear the intent of the other party?

Zhuge Yue never thought he would ever encounter such a master of putting his foot in his mouth, or someone who never followed the rules when he struck.  He coughed lightly, "I haven't seen Master Liang for many years, and when I left home his son was still very young, he might not remember me, and that is reasonable."

Poor Liang Shaoqing did not look very much younger than Zhuge Yue, and it was probable that he was a few years older, yet in this conversation he has become his junior.  Zhuge Yue kept pointing to someone who was around his same age but continuously referenced him as being younger than himself; if he wasn't red-faced and gasping in conniption by now, his level of concentration was truly extraordinary. 

Seeing that Liang Shaoqing had something else to the contrary to say, afraid he would say something to shake heaven and earth and alarm everyone present, the good natured official hurriedly said, "In that case, please depart sirs, recounting old times past would be spoiled in a place like this."

Zhuge Yue smiled, "Rightly said."  Then he turned to Liang Shaoqing and said, "Master Liang, this way please."

Liang Shaoqing bowed courteously with a laugh, straightened out his tattered clothing, one flick of his sleeve sending straw everywhere, and he strode out.

Seeing Chu Qiao still standing in place, Zhuge Yue slowly looked in her direction, his expression carrying his usual mocking ridicule, "Aren't you leaving? Not shameful enough for you?"

Having said that he turned and left.

It was quite shameful indeed.

Chu Qiao couldn't help but sigh and followed behind.

The prison warden wiped away his sweat in alarm.  He never though that guy had such a big backer, and it was good that he hadn't done anything bad to him.  But it was quite strange; how was it that no one had rescued him the first few times he was there?

The lights were dim, the prisoners looked towards the prison exit, their eyes still a bit tired and sleepy.  Seeing that there was nothing entertaining left to see, one after another they turned away to go back to sleep.

When they left the prison entrance, it was already close to dawn.  At the edge of the horizon there was a thin trace of white.  His palanquin was stopped on the side of a long lane and Zhuge Yue stood there in the center of the street.  The morning condensation sprinkled over his shoulders.  Amid the mist his entire person looked thoroughly more striking.

The man's gaze was nonchalant, and it wasn't clear what he was looking at.  Chu Qiao stood before him, with some faint embarrassment, and after thinking about it for a while, finally spoke softly, "Thank you…."

Before she even finished speaking, Zhuge Yue smiled coldly, turned his head in another direction, as if he didn't want to hear it.

Chu Qiao took a deep breath and said, "I know that every time I see you I only have this to say and it's become redundant, but I really am deeply grateful; you've helped me once again."

Zhuge Yue briefly dipped his head, slowly narrowed his eyes and responded coldly, "Weren't you going to Yan Bei? Why is it you're still lingering here?"

Chu Qiao looked down, quietly unresponsive.

The man's eyes flashed a hint of irritation, and said in a low voice, "I will immediately have my men escort you."

"No need!" Chu Qiao responded quickly.

Zhuge Yue's brow wrinkled slowly and he looked deeply into Chu Qiao; his gaze was like an extremely sharp knife, viciously wanting to pierce through her, if only he broke the flesh.

Chu Qiao's voice was really small, and it carried a trace of difficulty in disclosure, "There's something I've yet to do…"

"Which is?"

"I'm sorry…I can't say."

That's right, how would she reveal that Yan Xun was already in Bian Tang, and moreover that he was the one they called Liu Xi?

Zhuge Yue's expression gradually cooled, and Chu Qiao quickly explained, "I'm sorry, it's rather important and you and I are in different positions, I really can't…."

"Enough!"

Zhuge Yue tightly locked his brows, not wanting to hear anymore, he turned away and said to them with his back towards them, "Nevertheless you always have so many reasons, and I have never been anything to you, so there's no need for me to ask you anything.  Just go."

At this moment, Liang Shaoqing who was following behind came up in front.  This carefree person who could even sleep inside a palanquin, his sleepy, half-asleep eyes watched Zhuge Yue coldly responding to Chu Qiao and he suddenly responded in solidarity (TN: literally "sharing a bitter hatred of the enemy") upon his honor as a man.  He purposefully stepped in front of Chu Qiao, approaching him justly, "Sir!  Even though you've helped us, even without you we were not without any means of leaving.  At most we would have stayed a few more days inside.  You are acquainted with my father, and since you are old acquaintances, how can you treat my friend so rudely?"

Zhuge Yue furrowed his brows, took a side-long glance, and asked Chu Qiao doubtfully, "This is a friend of yours?"

Even a fool could hear the ridicule in Zhuge Yue's voice, and Chu Qiao braced herself and nod her head in affirmation, "Not…not for a long time…."

In all honesty, Chu Qiao was not trying to hide anything but she simply felt having this man as an acquaintance was really too shameful.

"Xiao Qiao!  What are you saying?  We've journeyed together on a road of bitterness and hardships; we've slept together, suffered together, have you forgotten?  What do you mean by 'haven't known him for a long time'?"

Scholar Liang was obviously not happy, dissatisfied that Chu Qiao had forgotten their friendship.

Suffering bitterness and hardships together?  Chu Qiao looked at him.  Wasn't it just you dragging me down to walk down a path of misfortune?

Then, before she could formulate the words, a cold voice came from another direction, and the expression of the man wearing the beautiful purple attire suddenly turned bleak, "Slept together?" (TN: HAHAHA)

"Sir! What kind of expression is that?  Even though you've helped me you cannot use that expression to insult Xiao Qiao!"  Liang Shaoqing added loudly, "I've already decided that I will immediately depart for Shangyu, and after informing my parents, I will choose Xiao Qiao to be my wife."

The nerd Liang was resolute. It was as if his expression was saying, Look here, I am a responsible man.

"To be your wife?"  Zhuge Yue's expression could no longer just be described as a murderous countenance as he coldly looked at Chu Qiao and said in an icy voice, "The reason why you couldn't leave Tang Jing, was because of him?" (TN: HAHAHAHA...)

Chu Qiao quickly shook her head, "No, no…."

"Xiao Qiao, do not deny it."  Lian Shaoqing pat Chu Qiao on the shoulder and said, "Don't you worry, I will marry you."

Chu Qiao's was thoroughly about to blow and the word indignation did not adequately describe her present feelings as she stared at Liang Shaoqing.  No longer able to contain her seething anger she suddenly raised her fist and pounded it against his skull: 

"No one wants to marry you!  You are mental!  Ever since I've met you I've had the worst luck!  You idiot!  Did I owe you in a past life??"

The harsh screams resounded through the long lane, and all Chu Qiao's grief and anger she had been withholding suddenly crashed down, like a tsunami unleashed.

Zhuge Yue quickly stepped back to avoid the pain and suffering of others, and simply watched Liang Shaoqing taking a beating while the scholar cried out, "Such rude speech, rude behavior, rude violence!"

"A gentleman is magnanimous, if you have something to say just say it nicely! Ah! Xiao Qiao, calm down, who else will you marry if not me, my family is very wealthy, ah! Xiao Qiao, have mercy!"

Zhuge Yue crossed his arms across his chest, cast a side-long glance as he leaned against the wall, watching Liang Shaoqing receive a thrashing with great interest.

Fortunately Chu Qiao kept an ounce of her reason and she hadn't really unleashed full violence on him, but after Yue Qi waited to rescue Liang Shaoqing from Chu Qiao's fists, the ordinarily tenacious man was only a half alive cockroach, still muttering to himself, "Xiao Qiao, you're shy, but this was a bit overdone…."

Chu Qiao stood breathless, her cheeks flushed and the expression in her eyes carried some endearing vitality.

Zhuge Yue watched her.  In the early morning mist, the girl was wearing men's clothing, her hair at the temples had fallen free in disarray which only added to her innocent and lovely female charm.

For a time, in the narrow and cramped lane remained perfectly silent and still, his expression was affectionate, like mulberry leaves in early spring being eaten by spring cicadas during the blooming season.

"When are you leaving?"

Chu Qiao was startled and immediately replied, "Soon."

"Before you go, come see me."

Chu Qiao was suddenly stunned, looked up at him and saw Zhuge Yue immediately turn his head, "Mo'er wants to see you."

"Oh," Chu Qiao nodded, "I'll do my best, but, I won't necessarily have the opportunity.  You also know, right now I…."

"That's fine, you don't need to say anything further."  Zhuge Yue quickly cut her off, and immediately followed with, "Next time, if you have this kind of trouble with government officials, you can use my name."

Chu Qiao shook her head, and as soon as she saw Zhuge Yue's color change, a sure sign he was about to be angry again, she hurriedly added, "I'm afraid I will cause you trouble."

It was a simple set of words, but his dissatisfaction just then instantly dissipated like smoke and clouds.  (TN: literally, the idiom is "vanish like smoke and disperse like clouds")

Zhuge Yue turned around and she couldn't see his expression clearly, but heard his voice was unusually at peace, "Those people, I don't even give them a second thought."  (TN: literally, he doesn't put them in his sight, meaning, anyone who dares judge him is not worthy of mentioning because he considers them all beneath him.  Such self-assured haughtiness…. ^_^;)

It made no sense for her to stay longer, so she said softly, "Then, I'll be going."

Zhuge Yue was taciturn, and Chu Qiao wanted to speak again when she heard a faint voice speaking from the front, "Go then."

Chu Qiao called out to the once again full of vim and vigor Liang Shaoqing behind her, and the two of them walked past Zhuge Yue.

Chu Qiao said in a whisper, "Here in Bian Tang, it seems something big is about to happen, the interior is unstable, be extra cautious when you act."

Zhuge Yue's expression did not change, his handsome features portrayed alluring beauty under the sunlight, but he remained silent.

Chu Qiao received her mild rebuff, stepped away and went on her way.

Liang Shaoqing immediately followed behind, but he heard Zhuge Yue suddenly say, "You.  You take care." (TN: He either means "don't cause any more trouble for her" or "I will break you if you aspire to marry her" ^_^;)

"Ah?" Liang Shaoqing said in surprise, even thinking that Zhuge Yue was telling him to be more careful when taking action, and hurriedly dipped his head and smiled, "You as well.  When going out be careful of pickpockets, Bian Tang's laws are a bit loose, Tang Jing has a lot of petty thieves.  I've run into quite a few of them."

Her face was full of dark lines and she couldn't bear to see Zhuge Yue's expression, so Chu Qiao pulled Liang Shaoqing along, vehemently stomping on the man's foot, and saying angrily, "Can't you speak less?"

"Ah!  Xiao Qiao, that really hurts!"

"Go!"

Liang Shaoqing was being pulled away to the point of being dragged by Chu Qiao, and even from far away he did not stop turning back towards Zhuge Yue and ardently waving, "If you have time come to Shangxi and visit me.  We will meet again!  Be careful of swindlers!"

The morning sun finally broke through the thick fog, the sunlight dispersed in a flash of gold!

Translator's notes: He really does save her a lot, doesn't he?  I'm starting to wonder if his network of spies always tells him where she is, like GPS.

He usually arrives on the scene when she is just about to save herself, though it seems he cannot leave her alone and must always make sure she is safe.  I sense a theme there…..  Though it seems she broke his heart several chapters ago, he can't stop looking at her with affection, even though he wants to be angry.  This guy is so far gone! ^_^

You can usually tell the theme of the chapter by its title.  The Knight in Shining Armor glistening in the sunlight; where once their relationship was filled with gloomy weather, it seems the clouds have parted and the sun finally shines through.  Is the author depicting their mutual affection here?

For once I want to see the change in affection between them… TT__TT

Princess Agents 特工皇妃楚喬傳 Chapter 122 English novel translation

Princess Agents - 特工皇妃楚喬傳

Chapter 122: Tang Jing Massacre

Translator's Notes: The beginning of this chapter starts with Li Ce making some political maneuvers against DaXia while secretly looking for Chu Qiao.  About two days have passed. Chu Qiao was weakened by her most recent escapade and has had to recuperate under Zhuge Yue's care, and that's where we begin….

Li Ce would never have imagined that the person he was secretly searching all over the city for was at the time but 300 steps away.  Chu Qiao was actually right under his nose residing in the Shang Shu Manor nearby.

In the peaceful reception hall it was serene and the cool night flowed, the moonlight bright and clear.

In the exquisite southern region there erected was layer upon layer of buildings, nestled between full blooming flora and crabapples (TN: the Chinese flowering crabapple, malus spectabilis, is a beautiful blossoming tree comes in red, varying shakes of pink and white).  The bamboo windows were lightly propped open and Zhuge Yue sat in front of a writing desk.  Just as he finished drafting something, he sealed it in an envelope and handed it over to Yue Qi, standing nearby.

With a sideways glance at him, he said lightly, "Does anyone have any opinions regarding these orders?  If so, let them come in to see me."

Yue Qi's expression suddenly went pale and he dipped his head without speaking.  The hidden meaning behind the words was clear: Anyone who dares come in and disturb me is seeking death.

Zhuge Yue lowered his head and one could not make out if he was angry or happy, but he said lightly, "You may go."

Yue Qi, upon being absolved from further duty, promptly opened the door and took his leave.

Soon thereafter the sound of soft shuffling gradually approached, and Zhuge Yue put down his pen.  He turned his head to see Chu Qiao bracing herself against the doorframe, standing in the inner room next to the moon gate.  (TN: a moon gate is a circular opening along a walkway in Chinese architecture).  She was wearing a white gentleman's robes, making her appear all the more thin.  Her complexion was still a little pale, her full, black hair loose as she stood there quietly.

"You're awake."

Zhuge Yue then said as he pointed to the inner room, "There's warm food there, go and eat something."

Seeing as Chu Qiao did not move, he frowned lightly, "Your illness has not yet been cured, go back and lie down."

Chu Qiao remained motionless.  The sky blue gauze hangings and window curtains were thin like smoke and in the autumn season it was slightly cold.  The wind rustled through the leaves, and it made sounds like the fall of a light rain.  Chu Qiao watched him quietly without saying a word.

Zhuge Yue stood up, walked over to the inner room, and as he passed by he pulled her wrist along.   Only feeling skin and bones he did not grip her tightly and furrowed his brows as he pulled her to walk inside.

"Zhuge Yue," Chu Qiao said softly, her voice carrying a hint of pleading.  Zhuge Yue's footsteps halted immediately, but he did not turn around.  He only heard Chu Qiao's voice behind him slowly say, "I have to go."

As the night breeze blew, Chu Qiao's clothing fluttered.  Although she was tall, since she was wearing Zhuge Yue's clothes, it still looked very loose on her.

Zhuge Yue did not take notice of her words, as he said, "The wind outside sounds very close, I don't have any female attendants here, so you'll have to wear this for now."

"Zhuge Yue, I really have to go."

Zhuge Yue turned around and was at the point of leaving, but without even the slightest acknowledgement of her words, he said, "Did you drink the medicine the doctor prescribed?  If your fever isn't gone you should go lie down for a while."

"Zhuge Yue, I really…"

"If you don't want to eat any of this just say the word, I'll have them make something else."

"Listen to me…."

"You've been in Tang Jing for quite some time now.  Did you go out?  There are a several good things out there.  I'll tell them to go out and buy them for you."

"Zhuge Yue, listen to me," Chu Qiao pulled at him, eagerly, "I really am grateful you saved me, but right now I really have to go.  I must go save Yan Xun.  Our Yan Bei is politically unstable right now and I must go back immediately.  Also concerning that little fox Li Ce,  someone wants to harm him.  He's treated me so well, I have to go and warn him.  I…."

As soon as her voice fell, Zhuge Yue shook off her grip, and turned around to leave.

Chu Qiao was shocked.  She grabbed his arm and shouted, "Zhuge Yue, I---"

"Zhuge Yue Zhuge Yue! So incessant, do I owe you money?  Why do you insist on calling me that?"

The man suddenly turned around, his brows slanted down like swords, his lips red and his eyes like sharply pointed stars.  He shouted angrily, "You and Yan Xun, you and Yan Bei, you and that fox! Your head is filled with other people, but have you ever thought of yourself?  Have you ever thought of me?"

Chu Qiao suddenly stopped, dumbfounded.  Zhuge Yue stared at her with such ferocity, his yes looked as though they would burst into flames.  They continued to stare at one another like this.

Something that has always been carefully and prudently concealed at that moment broke through the ice.  But this was only the tip of the iceberg, and the atmosphere was suddenly frigid.  Both their breathing was a bit shallow, and neither of them could say another word.  (TN: I love how the author always describes crucial moments of their relationship with ice metaphors….pre-cursor to the "ice lake"?)

After a long while, Chu Qiao avoided the subject that made her whole body uncomfortable, and whispered, "If I don't call you Zhuge Yue, what should I call you?  Fourth Young Master of the Zhuge House?  Zhuge?  Yue?"

As soon as she said it, Chu Qiao felt her body go cold and she rubbed her arm in unease, as if she had goosebumps.

"Why don't I just call you Fourth Brother?"

Zhuge Yue didn't even look at her as he turned to go outside, as if doing his utmost to leave this place of quarrel.

Chu Qiao saw him go and hurriedly tried to catch up to stay in front, but she was careless and didn't realize when she accidentally tugged on the tablecloth.  The full soup pot fell over,  spilling the soup all over her.

Chu Qiao uttered a grunt and fell onto the lush carpet.  Zhuge Yue hurried back and swiftly lifted the hot soup pot to one side.  He could see that Chu Qiao's arm was scalded red and getting swollen, but still she did not utter a sound.

Zhuge Yue's expression was so terrible it seemed as though he wanted to kill someone.  He then lowered himself to pick Chu Qiao up in one motion (TN: princess hold ♥♥) and strode out the door.  He ran frantically through two winding corridors until he reached the bathing chamber.  (TN: here we go again…. ^_^;)  Careless of whether or not his clothes got wet, he poured cold water onto the burn.

"Does it hurt?"

Chu Qiao bit her lip and shook her head.

Her fair and delicate skin had become red and swollen now, and Zhuge Yue asked angrily, "It already looks like this and still it doesn't hurt?"

He continued to pour cold water on it until the swelling went down.  Just as Zhuge Yue was about to call someone to retrieve some ointment, as he lifted his head he saw that Chu Qiao's upper body was entirely soaked.  The curvature of her chest was completely revealed, her snow white neck rising and falling as she breathed, her hair long and loose.  There was a delicate and lovely charm about her.

Chu Qiao saw where Zhuge Yue was looking and covered her chest with her hands, angrily asking, "What are you looking at?"

Awkwardness slowly crept over Zhuge Yue, and he sneered a stiff retort, "I don't feel anything towards someone whose body is indistinguishable as a male or a female."

Chu Qiao wrinkled her brows, her anger rising, and as she saw Zhuge Yue about to stand up, she mischievously pulled at his hem, taking advantage of his careless disregard for her tricks.

The bathroom floor was already slippery to begin with, she heard a *oomph* and Zhuge Yue suddenly toppled down, sprawled onto his back.

Chu Qiao immediately burst out in laughter, but who knew her happiness would be short-lived (TN: literally, extreme joy begets extreme sorrow)? In Zhuge Yue's struggle he grabbed her calf and as she had yet to recover her strength after her illness, her entire body toppled over and coincidentally fell into the man's arms. 

The night was boundless.  The bathing chamber was surrounded by an open air bamboo fence.  Next to the hot spring, all you had to do was look up to see the starlight.  The two lanterns on either side were not very bright, and in the autumn breeze they cast a faint, dim halo.  In contrast the moon was white and clean, hanging far away in the horizon.  The autumn wind gently blew in the scent of the crabapples.  The natural fragrances assailed the senses.  The blue silk hangings rustled on both sides. The moonlight was melancholy and all around it was deathly still.

After a long while, the copper water clock lightly dripped as if to finally break the dream.

Zhuge Yue's hand was very warm as it was pressed against Chu Qiao's shoulder, the finely stitched arrow-pattern on his cuff gently rubbing against her neck from time to time in a tickling fashion.

The night breeze brushed lightly, the distant crabapple blossoms were a palette of bright reds.  As if sinking into a transient dreamland,  Zhuge Yue's eyes were like dark gemstones locking with Chu Qiao's own, and then, they softly leaned forward.  Surprised, Chu Qiao instantly struggled to leave and reached out to push him away, but her lower abdomen went rigid as soon as she felt something pressing against her.  (TN: \\\O__O\\\)  The two of their faces immediately turned blood red in awkwardness!  (TN: ….dying……)

Chu Qiao hurriedly sat up, pushing herself to one side.  The autumn wind rustled as it blew between them and their awkward silence, as if a boundless darkness had gobbled them up.

Chu Qiao searched for words to break the tension, and the sound of her voice brought exasperation with it, "Didn't you say you couldn't tell if I was a man or a woman?  How are you still like that?"

As soon as the words left her lips Chu Qiao instantaneously wanted to dig a hole and bury herself in it.  This was simply making matters worse.  (TN: ….dead.)

Zhuge Yue's expression was terrible, but he still straightened his neck and grunted coldly, "I certainly can't tell whether you're a man or a woman, but obviously, I am a man."

Chu Qiao's anger finally unleashed, "You are absolutely shameless."

Zhuge Yue cast a sidelong glance at her, "You haven't seen anything more shameless yet."

The pair's trading insults brought about an illusion of normalcy, but they were at a trifle better standing in terms of saving face.  At this moment, the night wind suddenly became a bit cooler.  If one was not going to use the hot spring, one should not linger in this place.

Zhuge Yue stood up and asked, "Can you walk?"

Chu Qiao's clothes were presently half soaked.  Walking was not really the problem, but rather her dignity, since the awkwardness was difficult to avoid.

The man ducked his head and muttered a curse under his breath, took off his outer robes and dropped it for her, then immediately took the lead and lifted his feet as he went, his demeanor contrarily confident and at ease.  But after taking two steps he found the person behind hadn't followed him to begin with, so he at once turned around and asked angrily, "Are you coming or not?"

Chu Qiao was just putting on the clothes, and her movements over where the soup had scalded her were inevitably slow, and listening to him bark at her was annoying so she angrily retorted, "What are you howling about?"

Seeing how she was, Zhuge Yue frowned and again came back, squat down and adeptly put the clothes on for her. Then he pulled her sleeve as he headed towards the sleeping chamber.   Chu Qiao was pulled along as she staggered, impatiently saying, "Can you go a little slower?  Did you swallow gunpowder?"  (TN: i.e. Why are you angry?)

"Why don't you say another word and try me?"

"I've already said it, what are you going to do about it?"  (TN: OMG these two are like school kids….)

"……"

After retrieving the wound medicine, Zhuge Yue sat in a chair, pulling Chu Qiao's hand towards him, and brushed the milky white cream layer by layer onto her arm.

"Put this on every morning and evening for two days and you'll be fine.  Don't get it wet and avoid spicy food." 

The brush was made of fine animal hair, sticking a very fine layer of chestnut granules onto the skin.  Zhuge Yue's chair was a bit higher than the bed, and as he sat there, his glistening white clothes flickered a glossy sheen under the lamp light.  His pretty facial contours showed a bit of distraction and his expression was indeed serious as he dipped into the ointment and applied layer after layer.

"Zhuge Yue, I really, really must go."

Zhuge Yue looked up, steadily gazed at Chu Qiao, and saw the woman's expression had no hint of jest.  She earnestly looked back at him, her eyes clear.

"I know that a word of 'thanks' doesn't even begin to describe it, the amount of times you actually went out of your way to save me, not only going against your own country without hesitation, even ignoring the interests of your clan; all the risks that you bear, all the pressures that you shoulder and all the costs you pay to do it, I understand all of it."

Zhuge Yue said not a word, only put down the brush, and slowly covered the ointment container with the lid.

"But I have no other way of repaying you, nor do I have the means to repay you, so all I can do say a word of thanks.  Do you understand?"

Zhuge Yue's expression didn't change, he only stood up and turned to leave.  Chu Qiao grabbed his hand and said louder, "Zhuge Yue, I beg of you, let me go.  I suspect this problem will not go away quietly like this.  This time, this incident could not have been planned by Zhao Chun'er by herself.  There was definitely a mastermind behind this controlling everything.  They deliberately used Yan Bei and DaXia's conflict to sew discord, using me as an excuse.  If Yan Xun knew that I was Tang Jing, no matter what the situation, he most likely will be caught in their trap.  Also, it may even be to stir discord between Bian Tang and DaXia, using this to provoke a war.  This person's thinking is very complicated and Zhao Chun'er is only a pretense.  She's now caused DaXia to lose so much face, if the emperor becomes furious the war will start, and I must return to Yan Bei.  Now that winter is approaching Yan Bei will be short on food and supplies, the leadership of the DaTong Association is unstable, and without me to neutralize it the southwestern garrison's government will mutiny.  There are a multitude of loose ends, I must…."

"Are you insane?"

Zhuge Yue fiercely turned his head, both his eyes red with anger.  He tightly grabbed Chu Qiao's chin and said vehemently, "Take a look at yourself. You are besieged by so many people, several times narrowly escaping death; your whole body is covered in wounds and you've been so ill you couldn't even rise.  Right now there are so many people out there who want to catch you.  Aside from Li Ce there are officials in Tang Jing with ulterior motives, and DaXia spies in Bian Tang.  And then there are the troops that Zhao Chun'er brought with her, not to mention the other DaXia princes who arrived for the wedding before that; and on top of those, there are even some bounty hunters who are here just to take your head back to DaXia!  You want to go out at a time like this, and you believe that Li Ce can ignore the sound of objection from his entire nation and protect you?  Do you even know on the day you resurface not even the emperor of Bian Tang could disregard the apprehension of damaging the relationship with DaXia?  That the day you fall into the hands of others you will have no means of preserving your life?  Are you insane?"

"I am not!" Chu Qiao shouted back.  "I know what I'm doing."

The woman's chest undulated, but her eyes carried some unspoken tenacity.  "I've always been like this, the entire world has been my enemy.  From the very beginning when I followed Yan Xun into the imperial palace I've always expected that there would come a day like this.  But what of it?  So many people want me dead, am I supposed to hide away forever because I'm afraid?  If I hide away it will only make me weaker, and they will only come after me more aggressively.  Right now I'm going outside because there will come a day that I have the ability to defend myself!

"Zhuge Yue, I've told you before, I have my own beliefs."

"Your f***ing beliefs can go to hell!" Zhuge Yue roared low.  His voice carried immense anger and unspeakable restraint.  His eyes were pitch black, indistinctly looking at Chu Qiao, practically gnashing his teeth as he asked in a low growl, "Beliefs?  Are they important? Are they that important? More important that dying?"

"It's important."  Chu Qiao looked at him, emphasizing her words, "You don't understand.  This is the one aspiration that keeps me alive.  As long as someone needs me, I have to go."

Suddenly, as if a wild wind swept through what was already an unbearable turmoil in his mind, Zhuge Yue roared angrily, like a wild beast restrained.  He suddenly stepped forward and immediately held Chu Qiao beneath his body and with indignant resentment, fierce burning, and with unwilling strength he scorched her lips with a kiss!

As if there was a raging fire ablaze in his chest fully combusting, his kiss was so deep, and so hard, Chu Qiao was entirely rendered stupid as the familiar taste mixed in with her breath.  The man's scent was like a climbing vine with branches and leaves coiling everywhere, enveloping her, carrying her away, encircling her.  Her body was scorching hot, her blood was on fire, and it was no longer just a simple kiss.  There were too many feelings that could not be put to words collapsing and tilting in it, indulging in a wanton massacre in its flow.

Chu Qiao panicked and tried desperately to push him away and resist, words in-between rising, thick with ferocious air.

At last, the strength gradually softened with such helplessness, such despair, such desolation as he pulled away.  His dark gaze watched her as he said with a self-deprecating sneer, "Can you not feel it?  I also need you!"

Chu Qiao immediately froze.  There was a swooning darkness whirling about the room.  The large candle on the branch of the stand had burned through most the night, the wax shedding like tears, flowing down line by line, congealing, pooling like red corals at the base.

His throat seemed constricted with melancholy, congested, and even his breathing was no longer steady.  

Zhuge Yue's expression was so dismal as he watched her without speaking.  Tens of thousands of images flashed through his mind one after another like an arrow, those years gone by, the time of his youth, young and inexperienced without knowing how to express himself; and once that arrow was released, the reality of watching from opposite ends of the world, a great opportunity for happiness narrowly slipped by.  (TN: TT__TT)

Chu Qiao took a deep breath, gradually putting aside the stunned expression in her eyes, as well her tenderness, (TN: the translated phrase here is 软弱 "weakness" but the character 软 also means "softness" which I interpret as her 'soft-spot' or tenderness for Zhuge Yue) concealing it all, and then finally, she swallowed her knotted up emotions and whispered, "I beg you…."

The candlelight was still bright, but it seemed as if it was shrouded by a dimness.  Hidden under the layers of hanging green gauze the man's face was a vague silhouette.  His expression cleared and reverted to his original handsome countenance, but at the moment his gaze was distant and veiled with a profound heaviness.

He adeptly rose, and said with a frigid laugh, "In the end it was I who was willing to humble myself.  The main door is open.  You are free to stay or go.  I take my leave."

As soon as it was said, there was no trace of reluctance, and he left with a flick of his sleeve.

The cold moon and Mercury were bright and clear.  Chu Qiao sat on the bed.  The green curtains billowed, the candles emitted warmth.  She suddenly felt so exhausted and let out a sigh filled with the bitterness of unpleasant change. 

"You must be strong!"

In the silent stillness the woman's voice slowly sounded out, small and sad.

"Time dilutes everything, just hold on, and everything will pass."  (TN: ...is she letting go of her own chance of happiness…?)

She nodded, as if she was trying to convince herself.   Then she rose up, her eyes looking in a northwest direction with a nod.  "I am going to Yan Bei."

Translator's Notes:  Oh dear….  The title of this chapter refers to the massacre of his heart….

I think she broke it.  Poor Zhuge Yue.  I'm happy that for once, a man confesses to a woman here.  Still, this was rather painful to read.  No matter what a little twerp he was as a child, he turned out ok, and he really cares about her.  He hasn't quite found the words for it yet, and he's kind of tsundere, and he's a little uncharitable and childish in his exchange, but you get the sense that he really wants to protect her from the world.  He may have realized his feelings when she abandoned him in the cave.

He's grown up from that youth who always got his way and always got what he wanted.  He knows he can't force this, though it frustrates him, and you see that he has been desperately seeking happiness his whole life, seeking something that's been missing.  (Perhaps he loved her from the moment their eyes met in the courtyard of his manor and he gave her a name?)  In this world he may be the person who cares about her the most, without ulterior motive.  

Chu Qiao must have had zero experience with relationships in her past life, she's a real blockhead and stubborn with hiding her feelings….  SIGH…..

Ugh, after this chapter I need to see these two happy!!  -KERO

Princess Agents 特工皇妃楚喬傳 Chapter 121, English novel translation

Princess Agents 特工皇妃楚喬傳

Chapter 121: Men Dispute, Women Battle

Translator's Notes: I skipped the chapters where Chu Qiao spent a lot of time with Li Ce.  He is a very shrewd politician and though he is her friend, his motives are mixed with him being crown prince of Bian Tang.  Still he cares enough to get in the way of the DaXia princess to protect Chu Qiao, but her peaceful time with him is at an end.   Zhuge Yue has also entered the capital to thwart the princess' plans and rescue Chu Qiao.  This whole time, he and Yan Xun have been searching for her.

The chapter begins with Chu Qiao once again in dire straits, finding an opportunity to escape.  For some reason she has disguised herself as the princess.  This is also the first time Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue meet again after the many months she spent recuperating in Bian Tang.

The sky was a darkened slate, clouds hung very low, the air very heavy.  The wild wind wound its way around the trees and stone walls as it rolled and twisted on the ground.  It howled like a wild beast and the trees swayed violently and it seemed as if they would soon be snapped in half.  By now it was noon, but the sun was nowhere to be seen.  Only a grayish light shrouded the city of Tang Jing.

A heavy rainstorm was brewing.

The carriage was driven so fast it seemed it was flying and the driver gave his all to shout at the horses, the soldiers rode their horses in formation, guarding the carriage.  They followed along the carriage road alongside the city's wall, running at a fast pace inside the huge imperial city.

The strong wind rolled sand and fine pebbles against the carriage with a *shaa*.

Chu Qiao's hands were red with fresh blood and more than half of her white silk garment was covered in it.  She maintained her composure as the watched the situation, waiting for the right time to escape.

She had to quickly find Yan Xun and by all accounts he should not have made it into the city yet, though he would certain appear today.  He was most likely outside of the city.  But once he found out the news of her demise she could not imagine what would happen then.  Though Princess Zhao Chun'er was rather dumb, she did predict a few things correctly.  She and Yan Xun were each other's help mates, but they were also each others' weakness.  

As for Li Ce, she did not believe there was anyone who could properly predict his moves so easily.  He was a fox, and he never counted on others, relying only on his own fortune.  Even if something should happen, she also believed that Li Ce had the ability to easily turn things around.

The horses' hooves shattered the tranquility of the long carriage road.  The autumn wind *whooshed* and the sand blew away, leaving and even harsher chill.

Seeing that the carriage was about to join the main thoroughfare and enter the city proper, Chu Qiao had to decide quickly.  If she did not depart now it would be even more difficult to find an opportunity later.  She grit her teeth a bit, her hand reached down to the blade she kept strapped on her calf, and she waited for the right moment.

But, at that time, the sound of a clear whistle suddenly broke through, followed by the sound of regular hoofbeats. Then came the sound of shooting bowstrings and the right moment had arrived!

The war horses suddenly screamed.  In an instant DaXia soldiers and horses were thrown into confusion, followed by non-stop blood-curdling shrieks.  The situation was extremely chaotic.  Then from the tops of the trees and the walls lining both sides, deadly assailants soared down from above.  Armed with curved bows they used flying daggers and arrows with great accuracy and impeccable force.  The DaXia soldiers who had recently gone through large changes and reassignments were caught off guard and were far more inferior, which made it impossible for them to retaliate.  Half of them were wounded and falling off their horses, and the nearly three hundred troop contingency was instantly routed!

"The heavens have helped me!"

Chu Qiao's heart did not often feel joy.  In addition to Zhao Chun'er, her list of enemies was quite long.  So this would be a godsend and she would be a fool to not take this chance.

She agilely jumped from the carriage, and just as she was about to slip away a cold, indistinct blade tip pointed at her from the front, with two more black-clad men on the right and left as support.

Chu Qiao clenched her teeth.  It seemed these people's target was indeed the unlucky princess, Zhao Chun'er.

She wrenched her body around and took a darting charge forward, meeting force with force in each strike in a contest to see who was faster!

Chu Qiao sent two vicious flying kicks to their lower section, which was followed by two piercing cries.  On this strange, long street, the sound was exceptionally savage.  Chu Qiao did not have time to look back and admire her handiwork, and her feet hit the ground running.  Seeing that her opponents were also enemies of Zhao Chun'er, she did not use deadly force, but whether those two men who had just received her flying kicks to the groin could still be men in the future was not within the range of her consideration.

The raging aura of death and the flash of blades with the image of clashing swords was everywhere.  The men in black were extremely ruthless and it seemed they planned not to leave anyone alive.  The man following behind her in pursuit carried a broad axe and when he saw a living person he swung at them full in the face, leaving the body count to include fierce blood splatter and white brain matter.  Ordinary people would most likely vomit at the sight.

How vicious!

Chu Qiao narrowed her eyes slightly and transferred all her body strength into an unrestrained sprint and her pace became shockingly fast.  In a moment, if she left this street she would encounter the main thoroughfare.  Even if she accomplished that, she didn't believe these people would have the audacity to attack on the main street.

Her opponents seemed to see through her intent.  Suddenly a dark shadow came up from behind. He was extremely fast, his skill was not inferior to hers, and in an instant he approached her.  In another five or six steps he would be running shoulder to shoulder with her.  As he ran he drew the bow on his back and pulled the string taut, and with a *shou* he fired it at her!

At this time, Chu Qiao's head was still wrapped in a white head scarf, her face was covered in blood and her full head of long hair was scattered everywhere in front of her like a madwoman.  But this did not hinder her movements or her eyesight.  She could see that her opponent was aiming for her thigh.  She grabbed a bulge on the wall and borrowed its strength to lever her entire body.  She heard a *ka-cha* and knew that the arrowhead had struck the wall and was simultaneously broken off, but she could certainly tell how much force the other person was using.

A good strategy!

Chu Qiao narrowed her eyes. She could see her opponent's attacks were not discouraged, but instead he drew another sharp arrow.  

How could he continuously hope to succeed? Chu Qiao grunted coldly, and reached for something on her chest, followed by a stern rebuke, "Hidden weapon!"

After her match with the central imperial army, Chu Qiao was already at the end of her rope.  She had used up all her strength, this was a critical juncture, and she unexpectedly had to use her last move.  Even though her throat had turned coarse and she had no means of using her original voice, in such a life and death situation, that man still heard it.

She only saw his extremely agile dark shadow react, his figure turning over to take shelter.  But taking into account the situation, what hidden weapon could she have?

Looking back, he saw Chu Qiao had already run far, and unsatisfied, he grunted coldly and again followed in pursuit.

She had reached a remote cluster of small alleys and lanes, and Chu Qiao ignored the figure following her like her own shadow.  She fled by any path, taking turns left and right down random alleys.

But not long thereafter, she felt something was amiss.  Her opponent's reactions were too quick.  She was fast, but so was he.  When she slowed, so did he.  She turned a corner and her opponent didn't even need moment's worth of reaction time.  Their pace was the same, their speed was the same and their moves were consistent.  He was her shadow from beginning to end, without even saying a word!

What kind of person had that idiot Zhao Chun'er provoked?

Chu Qiao became exceedingly angry, and an idea flashed through her mind.  A large banyan tree stood in the middle of her path and Chu Qiao narrowed her eyes.  She rushed forward then suddenly stopped very abruptly.  The figure flashed by and she was entirely concealed by the the banyan.

Following normal logic, it was improbable that someone would suddenly stop in this situation without any preparation, even if that person was extremely agile.  According to her plan, when he stopped he should be ahead of her, and that was when she would draw her dagger.

But at that moment, an acute sense of danger suddenly struck her heart, and Chu Qiao instantly crouched down without hesitation.  Then, from the other side of the tree she could sense the flash of a blade scrape across her scalp.  She even felt a few strands of hair lightly fall down from both sides!

In that instant Chu Qiao could hardly contain herself and wanted to yell at him.  The other person seemed to have been able to foresee even this trick of hers.  His pace, his speed and his control was just right.  Just as she was earnestly calculating her plans against the other person, the other person had already decided how he would counter it!

Really, his interference was depressing!

In a flash Chu Qiao had already activated all the nerves in her brain devoted to fighting, adjusted her posture and prepared to fight her best battle yet.

If she didn't kill him now her modern-day instructors would never forgive her, for she had the reputation of all modern agents to uphold.

But in that moment there was a sudden scream above her head, bearing down menacingly, bringing with it a fierce sound of wind.  Chu Qiao was shocked, and before she could even react to whatever it was, her back was already in pain for something had fallen squarely on her, and the pain almost made her spit blood!

But everything that happened next would really want to make her spit blood.  (TN: in anger)

Immediately afterwards, the seven or eight year old boy sitting on her back back began his high-pitched wail, wiping his garish face and crying loudly!

It turned out that before she had come, there was already a child playing in the tree.  And here she claimed to be a super commander of the army, but she didn't even know there was someone in the tree.  In the process of their impending battle, the child's hands became unsteady and he fell from the sky onto Chu Qiao!

Was this not something to cause her to vomit blood?

Just as Chu Qiao pushed the child away, trying to rectify this fluke, and planned to counter this hopeless situation, a fighting sword pointed at her neck.

A gathering of footsteps soon followed to surround her, adding a few more blades to accompany the first.  Chu Qiao angrily lifted her head to glare at the crying child.  She heard someone whisper, "Never expected the princess' skills would be so good."

Another one added, "The Zhao family began as horsemen and archers.  It wouldn't be surprising if they knew a bit of martial arts.  But I didn't think the princess' skills would be this good."

What did they call Zhao Chun'er?

Princess?  Were they from DaXia?

A horseman from a distance approached their group and a man with his face wrapped in a head scarf dismounted and ran over to them.  "Our people are still providing the diversion, we still have time."

The man in black who was Chu Qiao's immediate opponent nodded.  The person next to him said, "Take her, we'll head to the square."

One of men in black guarding her said, "Put down your weapon."

People who entered under the eaves must lower their head, as the saying went.

Her weapon clattered to the ground and Chu Qiao considered whether she should reveal herself to these unidentified people and tell them she was not Zhao Chun'er.

At this time, the skillful man in black suddenly came forward, stretched out his long and powerful arm, and took Chu Qiao by the chin.  Chu Qiao grunted disdainfully, unexpected shook off his hold, and bit down on his hand!

You could almost hear the sound of her teeth crunching down on his flesh, and a fresh trickle of blood dripped down from the man's wound.  Chu Qiao's face was thin and white, her eyes wide as her chin dripped with his blood.  Her expression was like that of an unyielding wolf, viciously starting back at the man.

"Ah!" someone whispered in alarm but no one came forward to react to Chu Qiao's bold offense and reckless act of defiance.

The man looked at Chu Qiao, seemingly stunned and let her continue to bite him, without moving or saying a word.  The black cloth wrapped around his head only revealed his eyes, but in those eyes, aside from the initial shock, was the hint of a smile.

Chu Qiao was stunned.  These eyes were too familiar.  Like an idiot she slowly released her bite, looking up at him with a wooden stare.

"Ha, ha!"

The man suddenly burst into laughter, took off his head scarf and pulled Chu Qiao up.  He opened both arms and held her tightly to his chest in an embrace.

"I knew you wouldn't die so easily!"

Zhuge Yue was like a happy child, laughing loudly.  His eyes were full of mirth though his complexion was a bit pale.  His chin even had the bluish tinge of stubble growth.  The sound of his voice was a bit too happy, but his arms squeezed her ever so tightly, as if he wanted to merge Chu Qiao into his own body!

Chu Qiao's head was pressed against his chest, and through his well muscled torso she could hear his strong heart beat.  She recalled everything that had happened before, and her vision started to blur.  After escaping by the skin of her teeth, there was some sentiment wildly wreaking havoc in her chest, leaving her a little beside herself in the moment.  She unexpected opened her arms to wrap them around Zhuge Yue's waist, burying her face in his chest, and let her tears flow freely.

Translator's Notes: Awwwwwwwww……  Zhuge Yue had come to thwart the princess in a pell-mell fashion, concocting a plan in haste if his pale complexion and stubble are any indication of his frantic effort to save Chu Qiao.  

Not surprisingly, they always fight when they meet again.  It's also adorable how happy he was to see her, so even though their interaction is short in this chapter, I wanted to translate it.  

It's hilariou how Chu Qiao always calls the princess "dumb" or an "idiot" -- we can see she doesn't think very highly of her ^_^;  Li Ce also makes a very public move in this chapter against the crazy princess, but I skipped it.

We are nearing the end of this story arc before we head into the territory of the "Frozen Lake" scene that has kept everyone on edge since the end of Season One.  I will take my time translating the next emotionally charged scene between Zhuge Yue and Chu Qiao before she leaves him (again) to go to Yan Xun.  --KERO