Princess Agents 特工皇妃楚喬傳 Chapter 171 English novel translation

Princess Agents - 特工皇妃楚喬傳

Chapters 169 - 170 Synopsis:  After a 3 day visit to Bian Tang, Chu Qiao decides to set out on her sojourn, taking her maid MeiXiang with her.  Li Ce looks skeptical when she tells him she doesn't know where she's going, but she wants to take a vacation and look around, though she doesn't know how long this vacation will last.  She tells Li Ce that he has to still be emperor and not go bankrupt so she can come back to mooch off him again.  He responds that he shouldn't give her a lot of money then, so that she won't come back as a toothless old woman (^_^ I love their friendship).  

When she entrusts the XiuLi Army to Li Ce he responds "They're just a bunch of guys, why are you giving them to me?"  (^_^ He prefers ladies….)

She confesses a lot to Li Ce in Chapter 169.  Chu Qiao wonders if she was really too naive and where she went wrong in her beliefs.  She didn't want a utopia like DaTong, but she wanted people to have rice, to not be slaves, to have justice serve them and not only the rich and powerful.  But she realizes that she was overconfident in her own ability and power to change things and to protect others.  In the end she couldn't even protect her own family or friends and most of them died because of her.

The XiuLi Army has no beliefs, they only believe in her, but she states she is not a good leader.  Had she allowed Yan Xun to disband them, they would not have died for her time and again, and by now they could have been living good lives.  Life was not just about achieving great things, she confesses she realized too late that living an ordinary life, marrying and having kids was also a type of accomplishment, but her hands were stained with their blood and she will never wash her hands clean of it.

Li Ce tries to tell her that none of that was her fault, but she responds that there is a responsibility that she cannot shirk.  She still hears them crying to go home in the night wind, the ones she couldn't protect or bury.  Some were as young as 15 or 16, an age when they should have still been spoiled by their parents, but because of her they died on an ice field.

The amount of guilt she carries with her worries Li Ce.  She asks him to give them jobs, let them get married and have them stay away from the battlefield.  Glory stays with the generals, only death awaits soldiers.  When Li Ce agrees, he asks her whether she still hates Yan Xun, and she responds that she doesn't anymore.  He was after all the most pitiful of them all, after having suffered all of that.  His heart was filled with hatred and it was she who couldn't measure it.  There were no real rights and wrongs in the world, everyone just went along their predestined road and Yan Xun went on his.

When he asks why she didn't go with Zhuge Yue she admits that she probably loves him, but letting him go is also a way of loving him.  As he is the highest military official of DaXia she doesn't think she would be a good fit for him.  She would never ask him to give that up since he fought so hard for it, suffered to get to where he is now, and she thinks he wouldn't be happy to just let that go for her.  As a man, he has his own horizon, and one day he will be grateful that she let him go.

She confesses that she is also tired.  She's labored for ten years or more, she can't walk down a path she can't see clearly, and as a woman, she also wants to rest.  She will be an ordinary citizen and live well. Doing what she wants to do and going wherever she wants to go is a lifestyle she's wanted for some time.  She promises to come back to see him as he is her best friend. He tells her to come back before she turns 30 if she can't find a husband and she promises she will marry before she's 30.

His servant Sun Di asks if they should send people to follow and protect her and Li Ce responds no.  When Li Ce watches her leave in the distance, he thinks, Everyone has the right to choose how they will live. Go then, Qiao Qiao.

***

Chu Qiao spends the next year and half living with DuoJi, his sister Jing Jing, Mei Xiang and Ping An.  She teaches them modern military tactics and kung fu ^_^; and they open a student's inn together in LinHu.  Because she came across the kids she couldn't wander around as planned, and instead, found a scenic and quiet town south of Bian Tang near Meishan Mountain.  It was also the home of the renown scholar Mr. Chen, and the whole town was rather academic.  Students on their way to take the imperial exam would stop by to speak with the famous scholar and take in the scenery.  She opened the inn because it was a bit awkward to raise three adolescents as a single woman with her maid, so it was better they lived there rather than let people talk.

Her business was rather profitable during the exam seasons in summer and autumn, since her modern sanitary solutions, and the prime location. Though she doesn't seek news of the outside world, she gets it from guests and found out that to everyone's shock, Zhuge Yue tells everyone he already has a legitimate 'wife' in Qing Hai, and has the papers to prove it, and if the princess wants to marry him, she can only be a concubine.  This obviously is an insult to the princess, but Zhuge Yue will be no one's pawn.

Zhuge Yue supported Zhao Che in the government and together they settled the norther border disputes and together they rivaled the power of the existing DaXia government.

In the meantime, Bian Tang and QingHai had been exerting pressure against Yan Bei, closing off their trade, and preventing them from waging war with Bian Tang since it had to defend itself from both sides.

The biggest news perhaps was the wedding extravaganza of Yan Bei's king.  He had 18 ministers send their daughters and married them all to add to his harem, and on the second day the ceremonies finally ended at sunset on NaDa Palace.  Though this place was at one time gifted to the king's lover, the XiuLi general, no one had heard what happened to her since the Battle of the Three Kingdoms.  There was speculation that she married into the royal family of Bian Tang, or that she was the wife of the DaXia Minister of War Zhuge Yue, or that she had actually returned to Yan Bei and was living in NaDa Palace.

No one would have guessed that the legendary general was running an inn in a small town and going down to the lake every morning and evening to spend time with the elderly and play chess with them.  Every night, she sleeps with the jade pendant by her pillow.

When Mr. Chen's nephew presented some of DuoJi's writings to his uncle, it seemed there was some intention to recruit DuoJi into the government.  DuoJi had used his pseudonym Chu LinHui, something he had created from Chu Qiao's name, and the forest on HuiHui Mountain where he grew up.  There was nothing unusual about this until Mr. Chen wanted to introduce someone to him who seemed to be looking for Chu Qiao and they seemed to be up to no good.  She was nervous enough to take her whole entourage north to see Li Ce and ask him.

It was on this journey they they came across a group of people traveling in the same direction and encountered mishap after mishap.  It seems the gods are messing with people again…. After the rains a bridge along the way was flooded out.  They and this other group waited for the workers Chu Qiao paid to fix it.  Then the other group in the distance was attacked by a massive pack of wolves, and Chu Qiao ordered her hired guards use fire arrows and sulfur to defeat them and saved this other group who were also excellent fighters.  She was wary of this other group and when one of them came over to thank her and ask her name, she asked them to go on ahead and did not give her name.  Then they ran into them again along the road when the path was blocked by a landslide.  Coincidence or trick?  That's where we begin....

Chapter 171:  We Meet Again

However, having traveled less than half a day, another unexpected incident slowed their progress.  At this time, even the rather obtuse Ping An felt something was amiss.

On a slightly narrow mountain path, a few large trees and a pile of sludge and rubble traversed sideways along the road, about waist high, blocking any means of traveling forward.

It was all rather obvious.  It was probably due to the large storm a few days prior causing this landslide and mud flow, however, after this many coincidences none of them were willing to believe in that simple logic.

That group of people and their horses stood up front, eyeing Chu Qiao's group menacingly as they arrived after, without bothering to hide the apparent hostility in their expressions.

DuoJi and Ping An narrowed their brows with uncertainty, their hands naturally falling to their sides, but their fingers slowly feeling for their sword and knife hilts. 

The sky was blue and the clouds white, the flying birds chirped and the warm sun shined down.  For such fine weather the atmosphere was certainly off.   No one was trying to clear a path through the mud and debris, but they all stood glaring and for a while no one took a single step forward.

"What a coincidence."

The man named Cao sneered, as he said slowly.

Ping An raised his brow a notch, but DuoJi staid him with an arm.  The young man's brows slightly knit, the said with a slight smile, "It certainly is a coincidence. These past few days we've repeatedly gone through thick and thin with you, brother Cao, that even a person like me who doesn't believe in destiny can't help but say the will of Heaven is hard to fathom."

"The way I see it it isn't Heaven's will or anything like that.  I'm afraid someone with bad intentions is playing tricks."

Ping An was suddenly angry, "Who are you accusing?"

Cao coldly shouted, "Who are you people?  Draw your blades!"

"I see you as the bad guy, actually!"

Ping An shouted angrily, and with a *shuaa* he pulled out his blade, the pallid light gleaming, and he stepped forward, about to fight.

As soon as the other person saw this, he immediately drew his weapon.  At that moment a silver light abruptly shone and hit Ping An's saber hilt with a *ding.*  A rare treasure sword sang, settling on the ground with a clang.  A clear and strict female voice said faintly, "Ping An, don't be rash."

It was as though a pool of ice water was abruptly poured into water that was boiling over and in a split second the atmosphere calmed down.

Everyone present fell quiet that they could almost hear each other's breathing clearly.

The gentle breeze rustled, sweeping across everyone's countenance.  In the distance pine trees swayed in vast jade green waves.  The warbling birds spiraled in a mid-air dance.

*puff*

A sudden subtle sound came forth, like the sound of boots stepping and scraping on the stones.  The wind blew up the black curtain, and the man named Cao and his group immediately said aloud in surprise, "Master?" 

The man didn't say a word, directly walking towards Chu Qiao's horse carriage. 

DuoJi raised his brow and suddenly shouted, "Stop!"

The man didn't care to respond, and DuoJi's hand grasped his sword hilt, eyebrows angrily slanted upward and at once drew his sword.

However the sword was only pulled out halfway before they heard a sudden pause.  The man's hands were abnormally fast, and in the blink of an eye DuoJi was disarmed, his sword conveniently tossed onto the ground.

DuoJi's face was suddenly red, and he made an angry sound as if he wanted to rush forward but the man kept his cool without any apprehension, took quick steps to the front of Chu Qiao's carriage.  He reached out his hand to grasp the curtain.

With a *whoosh* a fresh wind suddenly blew in, the noonday sun was so bright it glared.  Chu Qiao's hand held a miniature cross-bow pointing at the carriage opening.  But as the sunlight reached her eyes she froze in that second.

DuoJi rushed forward from the back, his five fingers becoming claws, about to grab the man's neck.  Having studied under Chu Qiao for more than three years, in that moment, the move could definitely be fatal for his enemy.

However, the man did not evade.  He was dressed in celestial white robes with white cloud patterns, with dashing eyebrows and eyes like stars, cleanly handsome like such, standing in place unperturbed.  His eyes lightly gazing at her.  For a moment, it was unexpectedly difficult to say if he was happy or angry.  His expression was like a deep pond, or a secluded and lonely winter lake. 

*Shou*

An arrow was let loose and passed the man's ear, closely brushing against DuoJi's arm, as straight as a peak, bringing with it a portion of a swift and fierce, deadly aura.

"DuoJi, stand down."

Chu Qiao spoke calmly, without any indignation, but with a discouragement that should not be questioned. 

DuoJi's eyebrows lifted in surprise, and asked, "Miss?"

Chu Qiao slightly raised an eyebrow without saying more, and only looked at him faintly. DuoJi was a bit startled, but slowly retreated.  But his eyes continued to watch the man in front of the carriage with dissatisfaction.

The southeasterly wind was as if it was drunk, the weather was so good it made people flustered.  A row of brightly colored orioles settled on a nearby tree branch, chirping sweetly.  The tree stretched, like a woman's newly drawn eyebrow.  To the side, the forest was lush and green with various colors of blossoms in the gaps to inspire admiration, astonishingly elegant and extraordinarily beautiful, just like a painting.

As the wind passed, the man's hem lightly blew up without the scent of perfumed incense like that of ordinary noble sons of great houses.  Instead it was a faint scent exclusively his, sweet like irises and orchids.  He possessed a clean and pretty quality, rather like snow held in both hands. 

"Hey!"

JingJing, who had been sitting behind Chu Qiao suddenly pointed at the man's waist.  "His jade and big sister's jade are exactly the same!"

It was shining and white, clean and smooth, full and transparent. The wind blew against the man standing there, and the jade pendant hung on his waist, swaying and blinking with a faint splendor.

Chu Qiao's expression gradually relaxed.  While everyone around her was still and silent, speechless and noiseless, she reached out and took hold of the man's shoulder, and jumped down from the carriage.  She smiled gently at Ping An, DuoJi and the others with an order, "Don't just stand there.  Hurry up and open up the road ahead."

"Huh?" Ping An opened his eyes wide, looked at Chu Qiao, and then looked at the man, then he asked rather densely, "Sister, you two know each other?"

"Mn."

Chu Qiao's expression was relaxed as she nodded, and it looked as though there was a trace of happiness.

Ping An really wanted to ask who this man was, but who knew that before he could even open his mouth the man's eyes lightly floated over, not strict, but it was certainly like icy, cold like snow, expression of indifference, as if he really didn't want to suffer this fool of a lad's idle chatter.

When Cao and the others saw this, they suddenly lowered their heads and stepped back, retrieved their tools and went to start wok on the road.

Chu Qiao turned to the man and said, "Come with me."

As soon as she said it she started walking away.

"Miss!"

DuoJi suddenly ran up in front and barred Chu Qiao's path forward, saying in a low voice, "What are you doing?"

Chu Qiao responded, "DuoJi, don't worry, this is my friend."

Duo Ji looked in the man's direction, unconvinced, but saw him slightly frown, lightly sweeping his eyes over him, his expression just as a mirrored lake frozen over, unusually apathetic.

It was not a common indifference and coldness, but it was repeatedly cultivated.  Moreover it was a product of the elite class, an aloofness that was trained into the bones.  DuoJi suddenly felt as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, and his spine couldn't help but shiver. In that daze, Chu Qiao and the man had already walked far away.

The weather here was really fine, bright and limpid like the water of a jade green lake, the day's light like gold, and soon the two walked, one forward, one behind, to reach a small secluded ridge.  A waterfall from the top of one peak flowed down to the bottom into a cold pool, splashing a large bloom of water.  The clear particles of mist set off the resplendent daylight in five dazzling colors.

Chu Qiao turned her head and looked at the man in front of her.  Not having seen him for over a year it did not appear that he had changed.  He maintained his usual appearance.  As she began to speak, thousands upon thousands of words were on her lips, but she didn't know where to begin, until finally she let out a trace of a simple smile spilled over the corner of her mouth.  She didn't know if she was laughing at herself or laughing at him.

"What are you laughing at?"

Zhuge Yue continued that manner, his brawls slightly knit together, as if he was very impatient to be standing there with her.

"Nothing." Chu Qiao shook her head, continuing to smile as she said, "It seems every time I see you it's always under the strangest circumstances.

Zhuge Yue turned his head and his eyes looked elsewhere, but in that familiar, awkward air.

"What are you doing here?"

Zhuge Yue gave her an incomparably standard and yet ambiguous response: "Business."

"Oh."  Chu Qiao nodded her head, and asked, "So you're leaving now?"

"Yeah."

And then, the two stood there in place, neither of them speaking again.  (TN: face. palm.)

In the blink of an eye, it was almost two years.  These two years he'd been in the government stirring up trouble, exchanging the world, and becoming the most powerful person in the land.  In her remote corner of the world she did occasionally hear news of this with a kind of unusual sense of distraction.  Sometimes she even would suspect whether the person she actually knew and that rumored killer who felled his opponents, swiftly, fiercely with courage and resolution were one in the same?

She had heard some rumors of QingHai in succession.

It was rumored that though the country is marginally affiliated with DaXia, it self selects it bureaucrats as opposed to choosing them from the clans, that the selection is through testing, and even commoners have the ability to participate.  It was rumored that the news laws encourage farming, building water conservation, protected businesses, and those merchants who had the guts to go into QingHai have already done business there.  It was said that slavery was abolished , and though large houses could still buy slaves, their slaves were able to buy their own freedom and they could shed their slave status.  And even if they were slaves, they could not be randomly killed, otherwise there were be severe legal punishments.  The rumors were that it was no longer the desolate wasteland of legend, but a land that was vast, like another world, people were flourishing there, and now, there were many rich and prosperous towns…..  (TN: Just like the ones Chu Qiao had built.)

There were also rumors that the QingHai king's infamy was widespread, and he was known as the Bandit Minister of War.  Every year he would steal money and grain from the royal court, and he was in contention for every kind of good, and all kinds of materials, flowing continuously into far away QingHai.  Every month, Qing Hai reported catastrophic drought or flood or ice age, where there were not enough clothes to cover commoners' bodies or where there was not enough food to eat, doing its utmost to request the government to give money and give grains to save the refugees.

However these goods would blatantly come out into the market, piling up large sums of real money and silver, funneling into the QingHai center of government.  Now, nearly half of Yan Bei's military strength was contained by Qing Hai, so DaXia did not dare turn on him and they just let him do what he wanted.

This man was rumored to be called 'father sovereign' by the people of QingHai.  He was called a robber by the people of the continent.  He was called a blood sucker by the officials in DaXia.  Even his good friend and ally, the seventh prince Zhao Che, was said to have tactfully urged him: "More or less is fine.  You can eat meat, just give them a mouthful of soup."

It was rumored that the people of the continent hated him to the bones, but nowadays, the gutsy were secretly preparing to move.  CuiWei Pass was overflowing with people on a daily basis, filled with commoners who want to steal into the country with their entire families.  The elders of DaXia's government complain that the guards at CuiWei Pass intentionally turn a blind eye and let the people of the continent flow into QingHai.

The response was that he was innocent of being slack, of course, Yan Bei's military might was too extreme, and they didn't have soldiers to spare.   In order to effectively limit these occurrences the Board of Revenue should urgently allocate 10,000 gold to Qing Hai so they can expand the Qing Hai Navy….  (TN: he's become a clever extortionist ^__^;;)

There were so many rumors, but in that moment when Chu Qiao looked at him, all those rumors suddenly disappeared like a puff of smoke in her mind.

He was still him, not any king of QingHai or Minister of War, or extremely admirable 'sovereign father' of Qing Hai who had recently come into his own. Nor was he the cunning and shameless DaXia vampire.  He remained that same indifferent, proud and aloof, as well as slightly awkward and headstrong man.  The one who time and again went through life and death situations with her, a few times saving her from disaster: the young master Zhuge.

The traces of a few sighs suddenly rose from her heart, gradually suppressing the initial excitement and joy of their meeting.  She looked at him, and even though he was still as handsome as ever, and he continued to have the cold indifference of a chunk of ice, the corner of his eye now carried the trace of a line, and if she looked closer, his expression was a bit weary from working so hard.

She quietly licked her lips and whispered, "It's only been a year or so that we haven't met, but you've become old."

As soon as he heard it Zhuge Yue was suddenly stunned.  The trace of hardship in his expression was stripped away, and he looked down towards her and saw that her face was the same, perhaps a bit thinner.

He was only 26 this year and under no circumstances could he be considered old.  However these past few years of struggling and burning the candle at both ends, these years full of ups and downs, rolling the dice and going on punishing expeditions, the bloody massacres that splashed onto the corners of his brow, could all be associated with that word, 'old.'  Like a surging tide it flowed over his eyes, eyes that had seen how time brings great change.

After setting off a variety of grandstanding, it was long restless hours with the lamps lit throughout the night, it was the lonely shadow under the cold moon by the western window cutting the taper, it was the hardship of passing through many places through the night without sleep, it was loneliness of facing the whistling wind head-on and alone.

On the surface it remains the same, my heart is weary.

How could I not age; and what does not age.  

(TN: this read like a really pretty verse, so I put it in Zhuge Yue's first person perspective)

He looked at her.  The anger of this past year or so suddenly disappeared, and even that childish willfulness left with that simple word, 'old.'

"I take it you've been good this past year or so."

"There was nothing good or not good about it, I am still alive."

Zhuge Yue said it lightly, and even though the words were not pleasant to hear, the tone lacked the previous cold indifference.  Chu Qiao did know that he wasn't bickering with himself, but with his true emotions.

Maybe only people like them could understand because they've lived it.  There was nothing good or bad about it, living was really good enough. 

"I am also doing well."

Zhuge Yue didn't ask, and Chu Qiao volunteered, "I opened a student's inn, I've lived quite comfortably."

"I know."

The man lightly responded and Chu Qiao was shocked, raising her head to look at him.  "You know?"

"I've stayed there three times."  (TN: hahahahahahaha)

Chu Qiao was thoroughly astonished, and she heard Zhuge Yue say in a low voice, "It's been a year.  Have you thought it through?"

"Thought..?  Thought what through?"

The man slowly frowned and looked as though she really knew how to feign ignorance.  "You really plan on opening an inn for the rest of your life?"

Chu Qiao opened her eyes wide, silent like a mute.  Actually, she really did think that…. (-__-;)

"Or do you plan on choosing some random person to marry before you're 30?"

Chu Qiao gaped, "Who told you??"

"Who else could it be?"  Zhuge Yue said, "Naturally it was Li Ce.  Didn't you know? He opened the Spring Rain Drinking House opposite yours.  The Four Oceans Inn horizontally behind yours is mine."  (TN: they had to keep an eye on her…. hahahahaha)

In a flash she thought of the two other establishments that were almost always deserted.  Before this, she had always been rather pleased with herself thinking it was her own inn that stole away their customers, but it was actually due to the largesse of these two masters in the art of subterfuge.

Taken like this, Li Ce should be well aware of the scholar's town, and know it inside and out, and concerning those people's movements, he had likely already made his preparations long ago.

Suddenly thinking on this, she raised her head and asked, "Then, you knew our identity from the start?"

"I did not."  Zhuge Yue said.  Seeing that Chu Qiao was unconvinced, he added impatiently, "Even though I've been there, I had never seen any of you."

It was true, she lived in near seclusion there for over year, and she rarely ever came out.

"What are you doing out here this time?" 

Chu Qiao didn't know what to say, it was after all having to do with Li Ce's internal state affairs, so she said ambiguously, "I was going to Tang Jing."

"Hmph----"

Zhuge Yue grunted coldly.  A green jade tree on the side was twined with a wisteria and a pear tree and light fragrance faintly came over, like a pool of floating clouds.

"Young master."

The man called Cao said from far away.  "The road is cleared, we can go now."

Zhuge Yue didn't say a word, quietly stood there for a long while.  As if he was impatient with this kind of pressured atmosphere, he turned around to leave.

"Zhuge Yue!"

Chu Qiao suddenly called out, "Next time you come back to the scholar's town you can come see me."

"I don't have the time,"  Zhuge Yue coldly responded.  He slowly turned around with a steady countenance he said, "I am returning to Qing Hai now.  Are you coming with me or not?"  

He said that sentence just like that, as casual as an acquaintance asking if you've eaten.  Chu Qiao stood there stupidly dumbfounded.  She was always like this.  In every other situation she could respond calmly, except when she was facing him, she would lose all her wisdom.  She stared at him woodenly, as if she wanted to see another mouth on Zhuge Yue's face to prove that he wasn't the one who just asked her that question.

"Li Ce said you were stubborn, and at that time you had encountered huge changes in your life, and momentarily you couldn't think it through.  He urged me to give you a bit more time."

Zhuge Yue's face was unperturbed as he asked her again, "Have you thought it through now?  Are you coming with me or not?"

"You…You're DaXia's Minister of War? And also your clan is…."

"You don't need to concern yourself with those things."  Zhuge Yue frowned and said in a low voice, "You only need to say whether or not you'll come with me."

A flock of birds flew overhead, then two more groups flew over, and then many birds from the forest took flight overhead.  Still, Chu Qiao was speechless.

Zhuge Yue was suddenly indignant and said in a stern voice, "Are you coming or not?!"

"I'll go, I'll go, I'll go!!"

Chu Qiao replied loudly, and the two of them were flush with agitation from shouting at one another.  The echo of their voices resounded in that place and then slowly faded away.

"It's good that I met you here, it saved me another trip to come ask you."  The man intentionally pretended not to care, as if everything had been in his grasp all along, and not thinking on whether his personality was usually this talkative. 

"Don't wander around aimlessly anymore.  Go home and stay there.  Wait until I'm finished with the things I need to do and I'll send people to escort you."

As soon as he said it, he dashingly turned around to leave.

"After all, if I go to QingHai I can still open an inn."  (TN: face palm….)

That voice suddenly spoke behind him, and Zhuge Yue fiercely turned around to come glare at her unwaveringly, with a near murderous expression.

The white clouds on the horizon floated. The birds poked their heads out from behind the tree foliage, as if also wondering that the things in this world could not be measured with common sense.

When she was back in her carriage, Mei Xiang was waiting for her and grinning ear to ear, as if exuberantly happy, so much so that she could barely hold her tongue.

Chu Qiao was naturally clear about her intention, but she was not willing to talk about it. Everything that happened today was so outrageous.  Chu Qiao sat down quietly, her heart still pounding erratically.

Was she being too impulsive?

"Miss."

Mei Xiang smiled and added a cushion for her as she said, "Not everything in the world can be handled with reason.  I had once thought that the way you were before was too calm.  Being impulsive just once is not necessarily a bad thing.

Chu Qiao turned her head to look at her in surprise, astonished that Mei Xiang had such sharp insight.

Mei Xiang laughed out loud.  "Miss don't you know, who you are now, everything is written on your face.  Compared to the lady you were before, Mei Xiang thinks this version of you is much more likable."

The carriage started rolling, DuoJi frowned as he asked, "Miss, are we going to go with those people?"

"Together, of course together!" JingJing pulled open the curtain and cried, "We will go together! And in the future we will continue to go together, hehe!"

As soon as it was said the curtain fell again with more giggles.

Mei Xiang poured Chu Qiao a cup of ginseng tea, and said with a soft sigh, "Miss, not everyone will wait year after year for another person.  If you don't take hold of something at the time, and some other misfortune happens, you will regret it."

The warm, fragrant wind happened to slightly stir the carriage curtain, like a mother's gentle fingers.  The sky was a vast clear blue, and faintly in the distance an eagle soared high. 

Translator's notes:  

This author always likes to describe the weather or nature before we get  to the romantic parts…. lol.  Does anyone else think that nature is trying to get these two together?  A series of natural disasters bringing these two to the same spot, the birds singing, the blossoms blowing fragrances everywhere when they meet. I half expect Disney critters to come break out in song.  

And of course, if it's not the weather we dive into politics… Hardly the food of romance T__T …. I think the author was trying to convey that no matter how powerful and how notorious he became, he did not leave his people in the dust and he himself did not change, unlike Yan Xun.  So who he was in the beginning was his true self no matter what happened to him, and that is all he has ever shown her. With her influence he has become better version of himself to match her.

Also, if that was a proposal to elope, that was the most god-awful proposal I have ever read…  ^__^;;;   
 -Kero

Princess Agents 特工皇妃楚喬傳 Chapter 167 English novel translation

Translator's notes:  I started at the beginning of this chapter because I thought it was both interesting and touching to find out how Zhuge Yue made it out of the frozen lake.  We also see how Chu Qiao has changed and influenced him to this point. - K

Princess Agents - 特工皇妃楚喬傳 

Chapter 167:  North and South

That night Zhuge Yue slept very late and when the sky was about to become light, he leaned exhausted onto he divan, his consciousness lightly floating far away.  Vaguely, he apparently went back into the nightmare, seeing things that he had already forgotten.

In the dark obscurity he seemed to see countless beams of light moving around him, cold water stabbing his bones, and his entire body seemed to have frozen solid.

A cadaver-like hand held onto him, desperately pulling him to swim forward.  Scarlet blood gushed forth into the icy water and his consciousness scattered.

Yue Jiu's eyes were full red as he pulled him and struggled through the water.  The scattered sunlight penetrated through the layer of ice, a dim and distant light.  He faintly heard a loud sound from the surface, reaching his water submerged ear drums, with overwhelming force, exceedingly distinct:

Long live the King!  Long live the King!  Long live the King--!

He knew that they thought him already dead, and these were Yan Bei soldiers praising Yan Xun in fealty.

The sound was like reservoir water, rising higher and higher, and he could hear nothing else besides that sound. He had served his own crushing defeat to another.  In his whole life he had never before lost so miserably, and now, he was afraid he was about to throw in his life as well.

The sound gradually went far away.  His body had long since lost its temperature.  It seemed he was about to bleed the last of his lifeblood and he didn't have an ounce of strength left in any of his extremities.

Suddenly, he heard a boom vigorously reaching his ear.  He raised his head to look and saw it was Yue Jiu, doing his best to smash upward with his skull, one collision at a time, ramming the layer of ice above them.

*Boom!  Boom!  Boom!*

The sound was like muffled thunder, beat after beat striking into the pit of his stomach.  Fresh blood followed and flowed down the young guard's face, but it soon melted into the water.

Yue Jiu's face was whiter than snow, his lips were completely without color, like a ghost who had just crawled out of the grave.  He forcefully tread the water, his hands and legs already becoming stiff, but still he didn't relent and kept repeating this action.  So powerful, one strike after another, and again, and again….

*Boom -- Boom -- Boom -- * 

In that moment, it seemed as if layer after layer of dark clouds opened a gap and a bright, beautiful ray of sunlight pierced the bottom of his heart, and in the space of that moment he regained his consciousness.  These were his protectors who entered his household at the age of four.  All this time, the fact that that they would die for him was a foregone conclusion, and he had never thought there was anything wrong with that.  But in that moment, he thought of one sentence that girl had said to him a long time ago, so beautiful and elegant as she coldly glared at him, emphasizing each word as she said in a low voice, "No one is born a slave."

No one is born a slave -- 

With another boom a handful of blood suddenly splashed, and even though it was in the water he could still feel the hot, sanguine scent.

At that moment his body abruptly filled with strength once more, and he suddenly swam upward, pushing aside Yue Jiu whose head was covered in fresh blood, and with Chu Qiao's dagger in hand, he started stabbing at the ice one stroke at a time. 

I cannot die!

He said under his breath to himself.

I cannot die, I have many wishes that are still unfulfilled.  (TN: Again, something Chu Qiao had once said)

His lungs felt as though they were about to explode and his body was already frozen stiff.  His savage wounds quivered with flesh and blood, but he continued to rigidly fight for survival.

I cannot die!  I cannot die!  I cannot die!  *Bam*!

The layer of ice was amply shattered, and a large surge suddenly pushed his whole body upward.  The sun was glaring, and fresh air rushed into his face as he gasped one large mouthful after another, wanting to pull out his lungs for more if he could.

"Yue Jiu!"

He cried out loudly, "We're saved!"

He looked all around and but did not see Yue Jiu's form.  Diving head first back into the water, deeper and deeper, he finally found Yue Jiu's body at the bottom of the lake.  The young swordsman's body was covered in wounds, his face ghastly pale.  His eyes were wide open, his hair was a mess, and all over the top it was stained with blood.  He laboriously dragged Yue Jiu back to the surface, and then forcefully pressed onto the guard's chest, rubbed his hands and his face and shouted, "Wake up!  I order you!  Wake up!!"

In all of Zhuge Yue's life he had never before cried with such abandon, but on that day, he cried for a house slave.  In the boundless wilderness he wailed like a wolf.  (TN: R.I.P. Yue Jiu, you were awesome….)

Three days later he finally came across Yue Qi who had also just escaped from death.

His faithful and loyal guard had been lurking in Yan Bei by the ChiSui river with the remnants of the Moon Guard for three days.  More than twenty of them had froze to death in the lake while looking for him.  Then, as he was near death, they escorted him to WoLong Mountain.  After half a year, he was finally recovered for the most part, but only a shattered future awaited him.

That morning he faced the news that Yue Qi and the others brought him and idly sat there for a while, from sunrise to sunset.  When his teacher came in and saw that he had a map of the continent suspended in front of him, he asked lightly, "Where do you want to go?"

It had not been like this for many years, and he raised his head, entirely at a loss, "Teacher, there are no more roads I can take."

The white-haired old man smiled kindly, and then reached out his long hand and smashed a hole into the map of the continent, saying quietly, "Since there are no roads, just open a road for yourself."

He gazed at the map in puzzlement.  DaXia, Yan Bei, Bian Tang, Huai-Song, all of it had been torn off the page with his teacher's strike.  The map had turned into a large, empty hole, with only Quan Rong outside of the Great Wall, the southeastern seas, as well as a large piece of western wilderness.

"Child, in the wider world there are people more talented than oneself, (TN: an idiom that literally says outside of people there are people, outside of the sky there is more sky) how do you know that  this map can only be drawn in this size?"   

On the second morning, he again received word that Meng Feng had finally been tried by a justice of the peace last month, and as the charges were finalized, she had already been sentenced to wander in exile in QingHai.  At the moment, they feared she had already reached CuiWei Pass. 

The light and shadows of the years on the road ahead became an extravagant waste.  During those dark and cold days his hand held a scimitar that swung non-stop, sending out an intrepid, swift and fierce arc light advancing towards Fate's throat.  Time and time again he tenaciously rallied and took his enemies head-on.  Their warm blood covered his eyes, but in that thick, fresh blood he saw the true meaning of life.

****

Early in the next morning, a bright post horse rushed into Zhuge Yue's other courtyard.  The face of the soldier bearing the message was covered with the wind and dust of the road in his haste; his lips were chapped, and with each shake of his cloak he was closely packed with yellow sand.  Everyone's facial expressions became grave.  Chu Qiao finally realized something, and she quietly stood up and left the dining hall.

Half an hour later, Zhuge Yue was leaving.

Chu Qiao sent him off, walking all the way outside of the northern gate to the courier station.  The weather was a bit chilly, and Chu Qiao wore a cyan blue cloak with a circle of fur lining her bright and fair face, clean and simple but elegant -- very beautiful.

When they reached the Shili Pavilion, Yue Qi and the others tactfully moved back, leaving only the two of them remaining.  Without uttering a word, he dismounted and Chu Qiao followed behind.  The surrounding area of the travelers' pavilion was packed with shoots of bamboo and sedge grass.  The pillars had lost their paint, the sign hung crookedly.  It looked rather desolate and run down.

"I have to go."

Zhuge Yue turned around and looked at her gently, his words soft as he spoke.

"Oh."  Chu Qiao nodded her head, "Be careful on the road."

Zhuge Yue's eyebrows slightly furrowed together.  They were always like this.  After the trace of  initial excitement from meeting again passed, they became even more alienated and indifferent.  It was exactly as if neither of them knew how to get along with the other and they could only say these useless, polite banalities.

"After I leave, where will you go?"

"Me? I'll probably go to Bian Tang for a bit."

"And after that?"

"After that?"  The tips of Chu Qiao's eyebrows lightly knit together, and she thought about it for quite a bit, and then suddenly smiled, "I also don't know.  Perhaps I'll just wander and look around for where there are good things to eat, where there is pretty scenery to look at, and then find somewhere to live for a while, who knows."

A gust of wind blew over and they heard a *ding-a-ling* sound.  Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue looked up simultaneously and only that this old dilapidated pavilion still had a wind chime hanging at the top. After years of being exposed to the wind and the rain it had already faded, but the sound was still clear and pleasant sounding.  Every time the wind passed, a cluster of rings chimed.

"You, will you go to Yan Bei?"

Chu Qiao smiled lightly, "I've lived in that place for many years now.  I've pretty much seen all the scenery there is to see.  Besides, my current body isn't all that good, I probably couldn't handle the cold of the north anymore. Even if it was the emperor of DaXia, I probably wouldn't dare go."

Zhuge Yue nodded, as if he understood something. His movements were a bit stiff, and he could not spit out the words that had already been entrenched in his heart.

These days had been like flowers blossoming on the ocean. In the end, they were just an illusion like a castle in the air, and when time was up the spell would be broken.  Everything was incompatible, even standing there at that moment had a kind of futile insistence.  Everything was doomed from the start. Like sand through his fingers, no matter how hard he tried to hold onto it, he would lose it even faster.

He raised his foot to go outside, his face the usual proud and chilly expression, unwilling to say a single word more.

"Zhuge Yue!"

The woman's hurried voice suddenly came from behind.  Her very small hand was ice cold, doing her best to grab hold of the hem of his clothes, very much like that familiar, stubborn strength.

"Thank you."

She whispered it, and her voice was mixed with the trace of a sob, but it remained coherent.

"I thought I would never again have the opportunity to say this to you in my lifetime: May the Heavens protect you, and always keep you safe and sound."

Chu Qiao's mouth slightly smiled, "Zhuge Yue, I have lived a life of restraints, a tumultuous existence.  I've done many things and I've traveled many roads, some right and some wrong.  But I never regretted any of it and I could always clearly see my own heart.  I never owed anyone anything.  But only you, I owe you too much, and I've no means to repay my debt.  Now that you have returned safely, I should be the one following you everywhere, and repay your kindness throughout my life.  Yet as I am now, I am not who I was before.  I've experienced all sorts of things, and I no longer have the courage to step into the fray.  In the Yan Bei battle the Xiuli General died and what remains is but an ordinary woman who has lost her dream.  I don't have the capacity to stand by your side."

The wind chime continued to ring in their ears.  Time solidified to a standstill in that moment.  Fate's circle was like a jeering face, coldly laughing and watching the helplessness of people on earth.

Chu Qiao suddenly opened her arms, leaned in closer from behind, and her fingers slid past the bend of the man's arms, and her snow white sking slid across his soft silks and satins.  The gold threaded embroidery rubbed against her fair wrists.  The wind was quiet.  Her hands gently gathered together little by little, bringing the front of her body closer.  Then, with a few steps, her face slowly pressed against his back.  One teardrop fell from the corner of her eye, dripping onto his navy blue garment, leaving a moist design on the silk.

"Zhuge Yue, I am sorry."

That voice was so low, as if it was a child's weeping cry of distress in the northern wind.

The sky suddenly floated a light snow that melted before it met the ground, but it fell onto their shoulders, piling up quietly.

With their skin so close, they could smell each other's breaths.  This was the first time she took the initiative to embrace him.  The years flowed between them like running water, all the images quietly coming and then disappearing just as quietly.  Fate had been playing a joke on them from the beginning.  After passing through so many twists and turns, they could only come to this distance today. The dust of so many years covered their faces, the foul winds of rain and blood have already gone, but they were still wearing the shackles of Fate.

Pale white birds flew across the sky, their wings swept across the sky's end in a long line, flying in a winding path south, until gradually, they were far away and all traces of flight disappeared. 

She finally loosened her embrace.  Chu Qiao withdrew her hands little by little.  His clothes were very cold, cold enough to seep through her fingertips.  His back was still straight, as if nothing in this world could defeat him.  He was still so handsome and tall.  The figure of his back penetrated the cold breath of the forest, as if he wanted to freeze the air all around.

Her arms were suddenly empty, and Chu Qiao moistened her lips and pulled a weak smile.

"Take care."

With a *whoosh* a sudden gust of wind came forth from far away, and the wind chimes swayed and rang wildly.

Zhuge Yue lifted his foot and exited ShiLi Pavilion, his expensive shoes stepping onto the withered, yellow grass breaking the stems so they softly lay flat on the ground, and as soon as the wind blew, they snapped off at their roots.

He mounted his horse, the Moon Guard raised their horse whips, the sounds of the war horses' calls drifted over, and the horses hooves flew up, trampling the tranquility of the post road to pieces. 

Their cloaks flew up like a multitude of war banners, heading north, their full clamor a provocative challenge as they galloped away.

He never looked back, maintaining his handsome and proud manner.  His back was straight as a pen as he sat on horseback, his blue brocade beautiful, his black hair like ink.  He travelled in the cold wind, gradually moving farther and father away, galloping on horseback until he disappeared into the rolling yellow sand dunes and she could no longer see his figure.

The early morning mist had not yet dispersed.  At the end of the road it was a vast expanse of ethereal white.  The hay on both sides of the road were blown about by the wind, making little whirls on the ground, without knowing where they would be blown next.

Chu Qiao suddenly thought of a time a long time ago, on the Yan Bei plateau, when she and the XiuLi Army had been framed by Cheng Yuan and became encircled by DaXia forces.

That night she had also quietly watched his back figure like this, watched him disappear into the obscured, snowy plain, little by little.  That time he also did not look back, but he walked rather slowly and led his horse away, wearing a heavy, thick cloak.  An abundant snow floated down from the sky, and the flakes floated onto her eyelashes.  The weather had been so cold, cold enough to make people want to cry.

In the blink of an eye, so many years already passed. 

The sun broke through the mist, gradually rising.  The pedestrians and the country merchants continuously passed by, calling out in their long intonations, selling all sorts of little objects.

Gradually the sun rose to its center, and teams of people and horses passed by.  Even the daughter of a government official stepped out to go to the Buddhist temple to pray.  There were world traveling guards for hire.  There were even the white-clad chivalrous martial-arts fighters one would sometimes see in the WuXia novels who saw her quietly watching from the pavilion, and some even came up and greeted her with worldly elegance and refinement.

But she didn't see any of it.  She just quietly stood there while everywhere just got noisier, and colder and more lonely.  The sun rose, the sun set, and the clear and cold moon was light a bright silver hook, like the face of a compassionate mother. 

The world between heaven and earth was dreary and deserted, leaving only her behind.  Her arms  and feet were already numb.  The sky became darker and darker, and nothing could be seen, only the light settling on the wild grass in a consolatory, deathly pale film.  Whatever the return journey, or the journey ahead, all had disappeared.

She took a very deep breath, lowered her head and shook off the stiffness in her neck, and heart full of headships turning into a sigh.  But she did not release it, and it only stayed in her heart, deeply swallowed down.

The gentle breeze blew through the wilderness, the grass waved and let out a swishing sound.  Her heart was so very empty.  Many past events played across her mind like smoke and everything went far away from her, leaving only a piece of white land.  Ten years of endless life and death struggle, everything hazy and melancholy.  Like wind through her fingertips she grasped onto nothing, and all of it was futile.

In the middle of that darkness she suddenly thought about words that were spoken many, many years ago.

"MinRui, you have so many men, who in the world are you going to pick?"

MinRui was manicuring her nails, and when she heard it her brow slightly ticked upward, "Me?  How should I know, if you're talking about those guys which of them deserves me?"

"Xiao Shi, what about you?  Will you follow after that post doctorate fellow for the rest of your life?"

Xiao Shi served the dinner she had made herself, smiled gently, and said sweetly, "That's right."

"You should be more cautious. You've paid for him to study and go to school. Be careful he doesn't kick you to the curb as soon as he makes it!"

"Absolutely not," Xiao Shi hesitatingly looked at Mao'er.  "What about you?  If the person you fell in love with in the future kicked you to the curb, what would you do?"

"He would dare?"  Mao'er stood on top of the sofa,  enthusiastically, with angry huffs, "If he dares, I'll castrate him and then beat the harlot."

MinRui harrumphed in disdain, "By yourself?  Who can you actually beat?"

"You lookin' down on me?  Tonight I'll just sell you to the brothel."

"Fine,"  MinRui said as she stretched out lazily.  "I actually wanted to go to Amsterdam to take the test for my professional certificate.  You'll have to speak to my old man first."

"What about Chu Qiao?" Xiao Shi forked a freshly baked piece of bread and leaned over, using her shoulder to give her a nudge.  She grinned as she asked, "If Chu Qiao liked someone what would it be like?"

She was at the time sorting the operation data for her next mission and after hearing the question she was a bit surprised, and immediately laughed, "I don't really know."

"How can you not know?"

Mao'er stole the pastry on Xiao Shi's fork with one bite, muttering to herself, "You don't have to skimp on your business. Talkin' to us like a bureaucrat, eh? Oh ho!"

"Me?" Chu Qiao pondered it for a while, and immediately smiled warmly, "Perhaps, I will be good to him."

"How good?"

Outside it was pitch black, the young Chu Qiao turned her head and looked at the dark night sky, tilted her head for a while, and after a long time she whispered, "Very, very good."

Very, very good….

She turned around and pulled her horse's bridle.

Her horse meekly stretched its head over, gently rubbing up against Chu Qiao's face, looking at her in a very loving but worried expression.

"Ha, ha."

Chu Qiao felt a bit ticklish.  This was Meteor, who had been raised by Zhuge Yue for many years. Now the horse was returned to her and it was still as affectionate as ever.

She reached out her hand to push it away, her voice a bit hoarse as she said softly, "Meteor, be good."

But in the midst of touching the horse her hand accidentally brushed against her own face, and it unexpectedly felt like the wind had wounded her, for her face was stained with tears.

She was suddenly a bit dumbfounded.  She turned her head stared at Meteor.   The horse did its utmost to pull hard against the reins, turning its head north, and snorting at her, as if it wanted to take her to chase after someone.

"Good, Meteor."

She gently pat its head, her face pressed against its neck.  The horse was already a bit old, just like her heart that was riddled with holes and full of scars.

"Let's go."

She straightened up, pulled the horse and quietly headed south.

The moonlight shined upon her and dragged a long shadow along the pale ground.  The night crows were startled, and shuffled their wings as they flew across the post road.  The young woman's image drifted further and further as she went, until finally, she became a pale shadow in the distance.

Translator's notes:  TT__TT my ship has sprung a leak.

This girl IS always saying goodbye to him….. SIGH…..  I know I said they'd be together but it's taking some time for her to recover and find the meaning in life again.  I also miss the feisty Chu Qiao but she needs to grow up, too.   

In my head cannon, Chu Qiao sings a lot to herself.  She sang once on the boat to WuPeng and in another later chapter her maidservant also praises her for having a pretty voice.  If my translations had a soundtrack I think several songs adequately describe Zhuge Yue or Chu Qiao's mood throughout the story.  Among the favorites on my playlist when I translate are:

1. Leave Me Hanging - Claire Kuo

2. C'est La Vie - Fish Leong

3. Twilight - JJ Lin

4. Why Aren't We In Love Yet? - Rosie Yang, Ryan Feng

5. One Kilometer - Valen Hsu

6. Exquisite - Jane Zhang (from 'Love Lost in Time')

7. If Heaven Had a Heart - A-Lin (from 'Princess WeiYoung')

8. Tree Rings - Diamond Zhang (from 'The Journey of Flower')

9. Listen to Snow - Diamond Zhang

10. Peach Blossom Promise - G.E.M. (from 'A Life Time Love')

11. Flowers in Bloom - CC Dong (from 'Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms/Eternal Love')

12. Love Song - Fish Leong

13. Have You Heard Lately? - A-mei Chang

14. A Thousand Miles, Far Away - Jay Chou, Yu Qing Fei

15. Simple - Claire Kuo

16. The Rain Is Coming - LaLa Hsu (from 'The Imperial Doctress')

17. I'm Not Leaving - Princess Ai

18. I Believe - Jane Zhang

19. Look at you Closer - Valen Hsu

20. Regarding - Fish Leong

Everything I do has a soundtrack.  ^_^

I've taken some days off from my busy work schedule for some rest.  I posted a lot these past few days and I found it kind of relaxing and cathartic to do something unrelated to my real job ^_^v.

But translating does take tons of time.  I can go a full day sitting at my laptop as I translate a chapter and then revise it, and then realize that the sun is setting….  Chinese is very lyrical and poetic, so a lot of it doesn't flow naturally in English.  There are idioms for practically every situation so the characters can't always be taken literally (I actually have an app on my phone that finds and translates idioms for me ^_^) and many characters have 3 -  7 different meanings so you really have to read a paragraph for context before you can make a decision about what the author means.  (It also doesn't help that I studied traditional Chinese, so being from mainland China, this author writes in simplified Chinese which sometimes reads like Greek to me…)  A lot of times, I have to choose whether to keep it lyrical or keep it simple but I don't want to lose too much in translation.

Sample translation: 

"一只死青的手抓着他，拼命的带着他往前游，猩红的血涌出来，在冰水中晕散开来."

Rough literal translation: "One ('zhi' - measurement) dead blue hand grasped ('zhe' - verb auxiliary) him, for dear life carrying/pulling/towing ('zhe' - verb auxiliary) him to go/walk forward swim, blood red/scarlet ('de' - of/possessive particle) blood poured/flowed/gushed forth, in the ice water middle dizzy/faint open come"  HAHA, come again?

Google translate reads: "A dead green hand clutched him, desperately carrying him forward, the scarlet blood rushed out and fainted in the ice water."  OK...? (Please, never rely solely on Google translate, it doesn't always catch the full meaning.)

Initial edit: "An ashen white hand grabbed onto him, desperately carrying him to swim forward as scarlet blood poured out in the ice water, he fainted (or, his consciousness scattered)."

Final edit: "A cadaver-like hand held onto him, desperately pulling him to swim forward.  Scarlet blood gushed forth into the icy water and his consciousness scattered."

A professional translator could definitely do better.  But every single sentence of every single paragraph goes through this transformation process.  Some are easy and others take me several minutes to figure out.  On occasion, some sentences will be so difficult I have to leave those alone and come back to it later before I smash my laptop in frustration.   In Chinese, punctuation is optional, sometimes decorative, and everything is a run-on sentence.  All my posts go through a final edit to correct the grammar, prose, vocabulary and spelling suitable for English readers.  Translating novels is much harder than comics because the language is much more dense!  I'll try but I have to go back to work now….  ;__;   - Kero

Princess Agents 特工皇妃楚喬傳 Chapter 166 English novel translation

Princess Agents - 特工皇妃楚喬傳 

Synopsis:  The next few chapters deal with the politics of the situation surrounding the King of QingHai.  DaXia wants to use him as their asset.  Huai-Song is a strategic point of trade and everyone wants him to marry the princess of Huai-Song.  That would make the Zhuge family come out on top in terms of politics.  Even the Zhao family wants it to happen, since they are planning another war with Yan Bei now that Chu Qiao and the XiuLi Army are out of the picture.  Chu Qiao thinks Zhuge Yue cannot refuse this marriage, but Yan Xun would most likely not let it happen.  

I translated this chapter not because it was really romantic like the previous two, but it's still romantic.  This is not a complete translation of the chapter, as the interaction between them is short.  The remainder of the chapter is summarized below.

Chapter 166: From Dawn to Dusk

The days seemed as if they were stolen.

When there was no one about, Chu Qiao would still sometimes disappear.  She would silently go watch the sun rise and set.  The evenings would come time and again.  The New Year came, and left.  Time slipped quietly through her fingers and flowed away.  She could even see it surge through her veins, like unclouded water.

The excitement in the beginning gradually receded and life started to revolve anew.  She watched the sky, the flapping, fluttering wings of birds from the north.  Their wings moved back and forth across the lofty and far away sky, winding across traces of brilliant blue or white.  She thought, they are probably going home then.  

She now lived in Zhuge Yue's private house in Xiang Yang.  There was no excuse or reason for it.  Zhuge Yue had only asked whether or not she wanted to spend the New Year with him. She pondered it and then accepted.

This was quite a simple New Year.

There were no extravagant and wasteful court songs and dances, no mild court musician's long folk ballad, no beautiful dishes of splendid delicacies.  But still, there was that hard to come by peace and quiet, a true piece of gentle harmony of the heart.

In the past few days she and Zhuge Yue had gone to many places.  They walked through long and cold little alleys, explored ancient and dilapidated temples, they ate snacks from the street vendors, went together to a packed temple fair, and on the night of the New Year they set off a long string of firecrackers together.  (TN: ^_^ couple goals…In my head cannon these two live to be 99 together.)

The sound of the firecrackers popped and burst, just like they had two years ago.  She stood in the street full of people going and coming, her eyes filled with the smoke of the firecrackers. (TN: as opposed to her tears last time)

A type of long lost happiness gently enveloped her.  The surrounding area was lit by waning lanterns, while he stood in front of the crowd, holding back the squeezing throng of people for her, occasionally furrowing his brows and turning his head to chide her, as if she were a disagreeable child.

In the sky, blooms of fireworks burst over his head, a blaze of color, and their brilliance reflected onto his cheek. So very beautiful.

Yes, very beautiful indeed.

Chu Qiao's vocabulary was at its limit as she could not think of any other adjectives to describe everything she saw.  She seemed to suddenly be blown by the wind from the battlefield and drawn into this bizarre, colorful world. She saw a pleasantly warm sun, the warm lake water, the happy crowd as well as Zhuge Yue who had shed all his struggles and defenses.  This man who had once faced her with scowls and angry eyes, raised his sword against her, who had time and again extended a helping hand to her, and risked the Yellow Springs (TN: Hell) for her.  At that moment he was alive and standing before her eyes, furrowing his brows and scolding her, likening her to a country bumpkin.   She suddenly felt that she had somehow stolen this time from the gods, and every second was so very precious. 

The whole world was a dazzling display of fireworks and lanterns, but in her eyes, she could only fit one man.  (TN: he literally calls her a 'dirt dumpling' because she's always lagging behind like she's busy staring at everything -- but she's only staring at one thing ^__^)

Like deep ocean water, after being encased in ice, it now poured out from the bottom of her heart, warming her cold limbs and her numbed brain.  At the end of the road of life there opened splendid blossoms, colors blazing as they bloomed over the decaying trees.  She stood on the other side of the river bank of the Yellow Springs, staring for a long time.  She thought, perhaps, this was something that could be called a rebirth.

Although, even if she was staring at it with both eyes open, it still felt really far away.

The chamber door was half open.  He stood in the courtyard, adorned in blue and purple robes with large clusters of golden brocade flowers embroidered on them.  The splendor of the moonlight shone on his figure, radiating gleaming brilliance.

He looked at her as if he wanted to say something, but after a while, he said nothing at all.

The moonlight was a bit sad and mesmerizing.  A few streets away the public square was still lively with the sound of continuous drumming carrying over.  *Ping, ping, boom boom* it was such a joyous occasion.  Even if Chu Qiao couldn't see it she could still imagine the commoners dancing with happiness.

It seemed that much time had passed, though it felt as though it had only been a short instant.  He opened his mouth to say, "Go to sleep."

Chu Qiao gave a nod, and said with a tranquil, slight smile, "You as well."

The chamber door closed a bit, and with it, the moonlight from outside was shut out. One beam, one line, one thread, until finally, only darkness resulted. 

She stood at the doorway, her fingers pressed against the door panel.  The person outside did not leave for a long, long time.  The wind was a bit cool, moaning as it blew, and the shadows of the trees outside the window moved, casting grotesque shadows onto the window.

Little by little time from the water clock elapsed, and finally, she heard very slow, rustling footsteps, but still gradually getting farther, farther and farther.  (TN: TT__TT)

The wind outside the window was suddenly strong, and even the door could not block it, followed by the cold air blowing in through the door crack.  Chu Qiao rested her head against he door panel.  In the darkness, she slowly closed her eyes.

***

Translator's notes:  The rest of the chapter is from Zhuge Yue's POV and it has to do with strategies and politics, so unless you all really want me to, I'm not going to translate it.  My summary is below.

Zhuge Yue plans to outmaneuver his family, for whom he has no real love for since they abandoned him so cruelly two years ago and he will never forget that.  He also thinks on how he can mess with Yan Xun. Though he has no real loyalty to DaXia, it was still his homeland and he didn't want it breaking to pieces as it had become more politically unstable now. 

He thinks about how grateful he was to Chu Qiao, who taught him that life isn't all about conquering and fighting, but it was also about protecting things he believed in.  His people needed him to overcome the winter, and, unlike Yan Xun, he would not abandon them.  

Unfortunately, whenever he and Chu Qiao met again, it was always like this.  For whatever reason they ended up parting and it was never the right time to be together.  This does frustrate him.

He also wanted the glory of being able to accomplish all this by himself, after all, he was still his twenties.  It meant something to him to return the conquering hero and offer something to Chu Qiao.  Instead of palaces and land and titles like most princes would offer their loved ones, he would probably give her an entire country.  Silly man. ^_^;

Zhuge Yue also has many things he wants to do, more battles ahead, his own kingdom to establish, and he knows it isn't the right time for them to be together.  So once again, their parting is imminent…. TT__TT  (A cannon fires over the hull of my ship…)  -Kero

Princess Agents 特工皇妃楚喬傳 Chapter 162, English novel translation

Princess Agents - 特工皇妃楚喬傳 

Chapter 162: It's Good to Live

That night she slept very deeply, as if she was encompassed in warm, cozy water.

In her dream state it seemed as if she had returned to the warm dormitory of the military dwelling.  Like when she was living together with XiaoShi and Mao'er, and it had just snowed so much that morning that she was really lazy had wanted to break the rules and not get up.  XiaoShi had used her ice cold hand to lightly pat her face, telling her to get out of bed, and she frowned and hid inside the quilt.  Mao'er, that evil little brat, pulled off the quilt with a *whoosh*, and then stood aside, laughing her head off.

MinRui sat at a vanity table to one side, putting on her make-up while calling for breakfast on the phone.

At that time, the sky was so blue, they were all still so very young. Those years were so fresh it was as if they were all small fries just fished out of the sea, still skipping and jumping about.  (TN: fries like baby fish, not French fries… ^_^)

Her sleepiness finally receded a little bit.  Her face was icy cool and chilled.  She slowly opened her eyes and saw him dressed very clean and neatly as he stood before her.  Except his face was rather foul and he frowned as he asked, "Do you know what time it is?"

For a split second, she very nearly thought her eyes were fuzzy and farsighted, her mind wasn't very quick witted and she stared fixedly at him.  Her brows slightly furrowed and she looked rather severe.

Her rather severe appearance suddenly caused Zhuge Yue to swallow down the words in his mouth.  He turned around wanting to go elsewhere, but felt a tug at his outer garment, looked down, and saw a pale, small hand quietly pulling at his hem.  She held it so tightly that her knuckles were white.

Her memory of last night gradually recirculated and her face suddenly turned thoroughly red all at once. She abruptly let go and sat up in bed.  Glancing outside she could not help but be slow witted when she asked in astonishment, "Why is the sky dark?"

Zhuge Yue looked at her even more angrily, turned around to light another candle stand.

Is she still asking him this?

After parting ways last night, he returned to his inn.  This time he traveled quietly, so he did not stay in an official residence, but instead had a private residence here.  After returning, he slept through the night all the way until the morning of the second day.  However he waited and waited, but still didn't see her come knocking.  He felt so wronged that he impetuously thought, I will absolutely not go looking for her, so let's see if she comes to find me or not.  But all the way until the sun moved westward, his doorstep was still neglected, and finally he was unable to exercise any further patience, and without even bringing his retinue he walked alone to her door.  But when he pushed it open he saw she was covered to her head and sleeping soundly, dreaming to her heart's content.  How could he, who tossed and turned for a day and an evening, not be ruffled?

Chu Qiao of course had no idea what he was thinking, sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes, gathering the stray locks of hair on the side of her forehead.  Her mannerisms were a bit embarrassed but she still stiffly asked him, "Why have you come here?"

As soon as her voice fell, the room just fell into a brief silence, and Chu Qiao already knew she said something wrong, lowered her head and quietly stayed silent.

It seemed as though neither of them knew how to face this kind of utterly different relationship, and had no idea how they should answer it.

The moonlight outside the window was very clear, like mercury it spilled all over the floor and it looked like a layer of pure snow.

"What have you come to do in XiangYang?"

Zhuge Yue suddenly asked.  Chu Qiao was slightly startled, and at once her heart felt a bit panicked.  During these few years there had not been many things that made her careless.  Even in the face of DaXia's blade edge she was able to profoundly keep her cool.  Only when facing him, her calm seemed to spread wings and take flight, her heart became an anxious and fearful little rabbit.

"I…."  Chu Qiao forced herself to stay calm and coughed a bit, pretending in a low voice, "I had some things I needed to do."

"Were you able to finish?"

"A-Almost."

"Then when are you leaving?"

Chu Qiao couldn't help but continue, "The next day or two."

"One or two days? Then is it tomorrow or the day after?"

Chu Qiao was a little perturbed, and in a bad manner she retorted, "Tomorrow."

"Oh."

Zhuge Yue nodded his had, sat on top of the table and poured himself half a cup of cold tea but didn't drink it, and only lightly swayed it.

Chu Qiao raised her brows and stared at him, asking, "What about you?"

"Me? What about me?"

"What are you doing in XiangYang?  When are you leaving?"

Zhuge Yue smiled lightly.  In the two years they haven't seen one another it appeared this little fox has practiced being even more crafty.  He didn't bat an eyelid and nodded, as he said, "I came to sight-see, but there are still a few days left before I need to leave."

As soon as he said it, he stood up and went to go outside, saying as he was leaving, "Since you're leaving tomorrow, I won't disturb you then.  Have a good rest."

"Hey!"

Chu Qia was flustered and hurriedly stood up and without thinking she cried, "Stand right there."

Zhuge Yue turned his head, his expression calm as he said, "Was there something else?"

He's doing this on purpose!

Chu Qiao glared at him, her eyes like two black grapes, and after a while she slightly drooped her head along with a whisper, "Actually, I'm not really in a hurry to go."

As if she feared Zhuge Yue would misunderstand, she hurried filled in another sentence, "Since there is nothing pressing for me at the moment if I went back."

"Oh,"  Zhuge Yue nodded meaningfully, took an outer garment hanging on the side and handed it over to her.  His facial expression carried a slight trace of a smile.  "Hurry up and get ready.  Today's Ghost Festival is even livelier than yesterday."  (TN: the Ghost Festival is usually in the 7th month or mid-year, and the Lantern Festival is in the first month of the Lunar New Year. So maybe people in the 700's clumped their holidays together?  Or maybe he's being sarcastic?   ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Just roll with it…)

She didn't know if it was true or not, but her heart happened to change and in short, Chu Qiao really felt that today's street market was indeed livelier than yesterday's. 

Flowers were pouring their fragrances into the wind and the beautiful trees were flourishing.  The breeze on both sides of the lake brought with it the scent of a lush and green water vapor making people relaxed and joyful.  Even the street jugglers suddenly became more entertaining.

They happened to come across a little beggar child on their way, and Chu Qiao went over the top in her mercy and gave the child ten gold pieces.  The little beggar took the money in shock.  This kind of money, if saved by an ordinary household, would be enough to live on for ten years.

To one side, Zhuge Yue let out an equivocal sigh, "So liberal with your money."

Chu Qiao turned around and glanced at him, tauntingly, "The richer the person the more miserly.  This girl is in a good mood today."

Even though he knew she was laughing at and poking fun at him,  Zhuge Yue's heart was at ease.  In a good mood?  Why would it be good?  He cheerfully walked forward and soon afterwards took a silver tael ticket, marked with the emblem of the "Celestial Yue Private Depository," and marked in black letters on the white paper was "200 silver pieces."  (TN: OMG he has his own bank….)

"Don't be a beggar.  Go buy a manor and become a landlord."

As soon as he said it Chu Qiao and the little beggar stared in horror as he swaggered off.

Chu Qiao hurried to catch up to him from behind, looking at him suspiciously.  Zhuge Yue glanced at her and asked, "What are you looking at?"

"I never expected there would come a time when even you would find your conscience.  What, you have so much money it's become a burden?"

"Hmph, there are many things you didn't expect."

After two more steps Chu Qiao's stomach started to growl loud and long, and no doubt because she hadn't eaten anything in an entire day.

Zhuge Yue seemed to be familiar with this city of XiangYang, and to show his familiarity with this subject, he started naming a few restaurants.  But Chu Qiao was smelling the food stalls along the side of the street and went no further.

Zhuge Yue was naturally reluctant, but before he could utter a timely protest, Chu Qiao had already sat down.  The eagerly attentive waiter ran up as she ordered two bowls of scallion noodles, half a catty of beef, a dish of shelled peanuts, and at the recommendation of the waiter agreed to a bottle of wine.  She didn't expect that the wine would have such an elegant name, 'Western Frost.'

Zhuge Yue looked at her strangely and asked, "I thought you didn't drink wine?"

Chu Qiao's hand holding her chopsticks paused, and soon after she smiled lightly and said, "Before I was afraid that I'd make a mess of my duties if I drank, but now I am completely at my leisure, so there isn't much to be particular about."

Zhuge Yue furrowed his brow and reached out a hand to seize her cup, saying in a low voice, "Don't drink anymore."

Chu Qiao didn't force the issue, shrugged a shoulder and said in a small voice, "Hypocrite." 

The waiter quickly brought up their meal.  The wine was nothing special, and with a whiff they could tell it was clearly just a yellow wine that had been diluted with water, especially used to deceive tourists from abroad.  The food was average but the amount of noodles given was rather excessive, so even though Chu Qiao was starving she could only finish haft a bowl before she couldn't take anymore.

When they stood up they saw a crowd of scraggly faced little beggars staring wide eyed at the half eaten bowl of noodles, their mouths watering.  Zhuge Yue turned around and gave the owner a silver tael, saying, "Give them each a bowl."

The owner smiled and quickly promised to do so.  Chu Qiao stared at him uncertainly, and asked him with her full belly, "Have you become addicted to playing Bodhisattva?"  (TN: the reference is to Guan Yin Pusa, Goddess of Mercy)

A twelve or thirteen year old boy saw that their clothes were rather outstanding and that they were generous, since they looked like they spoke eloquently.  So, grinning widely he pressed closer in front of them, saying to Zhuge Yue, "Generous master, spare a drink."

Taking one look at the boy Zhuge Yue was inclined to be intrigued, turned his head and gave the owner some money, saying, "Give him a jug, don't dilute it.  If he can't finish it, then this meal didn't come from me.  Beat him directly and then take him to the constable.

As soon as he heard this the child readily beamed with joy, and walked off in good spirits.

Chu Qiao stuck out her tongue, "How can such a little kid drink an entire jug?"

"If you don't let him try, he won't ever know what that's like."  Zhuge Yue said lightly, "After getting some grief, in the future he'll remember it longer."

When Chu Qiao heard this she was slightly stunned, her footsteps slowed, and stayed behind him in one spot.  Zhuge Yue took two steps and saw that she wasn't following him, and then turned around and came back, frowning, "Walk, what are you thinking?"

Chu Qiao shook away her daze and sped up to catch up in front.

After getting some grief, in the future he will remember it longer.

But Zhuge Yue, how much grief have you suffered?  Why haven't you remembered it?

As she was thinking this, suddenly her cheek felt a burst of burning hot pain, followed soon after by the sound of crackling firecrackers, just over Chu Qiao's head. Chu Qiao was shocked and just as she was about to turn her head she was surprised by a strong, vigorous force from the front.  Zhuge Yue pulled her hand and skillfully, nimbly with one tug, he enfolded her in an embrace.  He took a few steps back while his tall, slender and keen eyes slightly perked up, containing a thick rage.

"How is it? Are you injured?"

Chu Qiao raised her head to look, and only saw a restaurant on the second floor setting off firecrackers with even noticing whether there were any pedestrians below.  Besides her, several people also haplessly suffered, and at the moment people were shouting indignantly but the they could not be heard over the sound of the firecrackers.

Zhuge Yue pulled her hand away from her face and saw that it was only slightly red, but faintly visible were two more distinct red marks, and he could not help but have a terrible expression.

"It's fine, it's doesn't hurt."

Chu Qiao was still not used to his attentive gaze, and with slight force, she wanted to extract her hand from the one holding it, but his hand didn't move.  It was a little bit warm, and indistinctly she could feel the swift and fierce lines as well as the callouses of his hand.

"Really, I'm fine," she said a bit awkwardly.  "It didn't even break the skin."

"A woman's face is so important, yet you don't care."  Zhuge Yue said the words neither coldly nor lightly. Though his manner of speaking was rather poor, his meaning was still good and Chu Qiao did not argue. But who knew he would also add soon after, "But with your face, whether or not it's damaged would not be a big deal."

Chu Qiao was stunned.   Who knew that not three sentences after his old eccentricity would rear its ugly head, and she cheekily responded, "Yes, only you are good looking."  (TN: she just admitted she thought he was good looking ^_^)

Zhuge Yue's appearance looked smug, turned around and faced the restaurant.  Chu Qiao was worried whether or not he would cause a fight because of something so trivial.  But he simply turned around and came back.  She moved closer to ask, "Why did you go over there?"

"To take note of the name."

Chu Qiao made a face, "You really do bear grudges!"

Zhuge Yue raised a brow, "What are you thinking?  I smelled the heavy fragrance of the wine inside and I plan to eat there tomorrow."  

Chu Qiao felt a bit gloomy.  It wasn't like this before.  Why was it that every time she spoke to him she was at a disadvantage?  She frowned as she followed behind him and she did not see in front the man's facial expression upheld a trace of self-satisfaction.  (TN: he's playing with her…. ^_^)

The night wind was quiet, except for the vendors on both sides coming forward to hawk their wares from time to time.  There were also little girls selling flowers who came up to praise Chu Qiao's beauty from time to time and swayed Zhuge Yue to buy some flowers for his wife.  

Zhuge Yue accepted the misunderstanding of their acquaintance with equanimity and altogether bought three baskets in succession, and then gave them all to Chu Qiao to hold.  While he walked ahead in a carefree manner, Chu Qiao was rather like his maidservant, carrying large and small items as she followed behind.   (TN: ^__^ he's doing this on purpose….)  The pedestrians could not help but fix their eyes.  Gradually the little flower girls no longer came over, and presumably, she had fallen from her position as a wife to a mere footman.  The surrounding commentary floated on the air and reached Chu Qiao's ears: 

"Look at that aristocrat, he's so good looking.  Even the little maidservant he brought with him has such delicate features!"

Chu Qiao's dark mood furrowed her brow.  Did she really look like a maidservant?  It's been over ten years, how was she still his maidservant?!

The wind along the lakeshore was a bit gusty, and they walked along the lake embankment where it was now peaceful and quiet.  Not many people were present and their footsteps became slower and slower.  Neither of them spoke, as if they didn't want to break this slice of hard to come by tranquility.  From last night to now, neither of them mentioned what had happened in the two years they were apart.  Life had unexpectedly allowed them to meet here in this place.  Far from DaXia, far from Yan Bei, without politics and battles, without mutual deception, life here was calm.  Just like a fine spring day, even the air had a rare to come by pure and fresh quality, and even their vitality relaxed.  No one wanted to mention those evil people or emotionally upsetting things.

The lake surface rippled with the wind, the moonlight stretched thinly, and gathered in a layer of glowing light reflecting back.

Without even thinking they had come back under the old elm tree.  Zhuge Yue's footsteps stopped involuntarily, and looked up to gaze at the large canopy.  In these few extraordinary years he had passed through many places, and they each flit across the surface of his mind, staggering, he never thought he would come back to this place.

Chu Qiao watched him, only thinking the man was standing tall and straight, his facial features of a delicate beauty, but that the space in his eyes did not have the grave and stern, neglectful haughtiness of the past.  In exchange he put on his customary calm, collected bearing and elegance.  What was now dimly visible at the bottom of his eyes was a faint trace of the reversal of fortune and its struggles.  As he carefully gazed in the distance it had already become conspicuous.

After narrowly escaping a hopeless situation, having his country abandon and turn its back on his infamy, he could do nothing else but lower himself into that ferocious land.  For those two years he had pieced back together his inheritance, so how could he just casually say, "I haven't died yet" like it was nothing?

These past few days she had gradually heard about that situation.

After she returned to Bian Tang with Li Cie, Da Xia had indeed sent seven messages to Bian Tang, formally requesting that Li Ce hand over Chu Qiao.  Yan Xun had also sharpened his knives towards Bian Tang, dispatched troops and fought a few battles with them in the northwest.  In the end Wei Guang of the Wei vassal family personally came out, taking with him the newly formed Southwestern Army and headed for Bian Tang, putting some pressure on Li Ce.  Even though the world knew that DaXia would not dare to war with Bian Tang and have a open military conflict with them at this juncture, Bian Tang's inner government however was exceedingly discontent with Li Ce.  Some of them even stormed into the palace a few times to seize the troublesome woman Chu Qiao and hand her over.  At that time, even if Li Ce could forcefully protect Chu Qiao, he had no means of protecting the XiuLi Army unless he wanted to publicly break with DaXia.

It was at this time that the King of Qing Hai, being the outsider of the continent, surpassed all expectations and flew the banner of DaXia, dispatched an emissary, and took over 8,000 miles and threw in his lot with the royal court.  Up until this time, it was only then that the knowledgeable people of the world understood that the self-titled King of QingHai, who had influence over the continent, was none other than the fourth young master of the Zhuge House, Zhuge Yue, who had supposedly died in Yan Bei two years earlier.

Everything that happened afterwards seemed very natural.  Zhuge Yue returned to the capital, with an extremely large army and with the backing of the Zhuge valve, he put pressure on Wei Guang, replaced the elder at the seat of honor in the government and became DaXia's Minister of War, and spontaneously suppressed any further strategies against Bian Tang.  (TN: A carefully crafted coup d'etat, but Zhuge Yue and his family did not want to be emperor.  Zhuge Yue just wanted to keep Chu Qiao and her army safe)

She had no desire to think about how many reigns of terror were hidden underneath these short simple market talks.  As a matter of expediency they were all people shed from this political landscape, keen on this escape route because they knew how deep this water was.  Even if the surface appeared calm, at the bottom in contrast, it was filled with intense currents.

The lake was filled with the remains of the lanterns, the colors now blazing.  Chu Qiao raised her head, her eyes carrying a faint trace of grief, she looked at Zhuge Yue and said in a low voice, "I had heard this elm tree was able to convey the intention of the gods.  The more years an old tree has, the more effective its power.  You need only give something you treasure as an offering and you can get protection for loves ones, safety for your friends. I don't know if it's true though."

Zhuge Yue continued to stand there quietly, without saying a word.

"Do you believe it?"

Chu Qiao whispered.

Zhuge Yue's long and slender eyes slowly narrowed, and he said steadily, "I don't."

Chu Qiao gazed at him, her mouth slightly smiling, unable to say whether it was happy or sad. Does he not believe? 

Slowly she stretched out her hand, the slender and fair palm slowly opened, her eyes shining like stars, the corner of her mouth carrying a hint of pain, and asked softly, "Do you really not believe?" 

Zhuge Yue lowered his head, and in a glance he saw the two shiny white and clear jade pendants, and he pierced through the years to suddenly nail his figure to this spot.

"Zhuge Yue, I had originally thought I would never have a chance."

Chu Qiao smiled warmly, her eyes curved, with twinkling, glistening teardrops in them, and her lips faintly trembled as she said, "I thought that in my lifetime I would never have the opportunity to repay your kindness."

The dark night was thick.  Zhuge Yue's figure from the behind seemed to sink into it. Leaving her breathless his two eyes gazed directly at her, a pair of unfathomable black.  He said nothing, only straightforwardly gazing at her, as if he wanted to pierce through her and look through her.

Suddenly  Zhuge Yue let out a heavy sigh, extended his arms and embraced her shoulders, quietly saying, "Who wants you to repay it?"

Chu Qiao's tears fell just like that, and she obediently submitted to snuggle up into to his arms.  Many indescribable emotions lingered in her heart.   She was stuck there on his chest, his body floating the indistinct but familiar fragrance, a gentle warmth spread through her entire body, and she calmly closed her eyes.  The night wind swayed on them.  In the distance was the cheerful atmosphere of the innumerable crowd.  For the first time in a lifetime, happiness was unexpectedly so close.  So very close, that within the span of a breath, they could touch and experience joy.   (TN: author did not use pronouns here, except for the wind blowing on 'them,' so I don't know whose happiness this is referring to, maybe both?) 

"Zhuge Yue," Chu Qiao suddenly raised her head, and like a weeping beauty (TN: literally "a pear blossom bathed in rain") she perked up the corners of her mouth towards him and smiled, "It's good to live."  

As soon as he heard it Zhuge Yue felt a pain in his heart.  In this world it was possible that no one but they could understand more the meaning behind these four words.  He gently and softly lowered his head to kiss the side of her face, repeating the words in a murmur, "Right, it's good to live."  (TN: TT__TT reference to frozen lake scene when he told her to 'keep on living')

A colored glaze of illumination lay in the distance. The New Year was close to the city of XiangYang, and in this New Year, everything was new.

Translator's notes:  OMG finally, my ship sails! Bon voyage my ship!  Such a sweet chapter. They are finally happy for once.  I've waited so long for this moment! (passes tissues all around)  Too bad they can't be together yet….  -Kero