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
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