Princess Agents - 特工皇妃楚喬傳
Translator’s note: I translated this chapter only because I am curious about Zhao Song, and when he might meet up with Chu Qiao. I don’t really care about her pitiful sister. But we also catch a glimpse of the past through other eyes, so it holds some interest, even though it is literally a rehash of the story. Another flashback in novel form, LOL. I have a feeling the author really didn’t know how she would end this.
-KERO
Chapter 183: Life’s Fallen Expectations
The snow fell all night, and the entire capital was shrouded in a sheet of endless white. As people pushed their doors open early in the morning they found the snow was more than a foot thick. Though it did not reach their knees, their footing was uncertain on the even ground laden with snow.
The people could not open their eyes amid the white snow flurries. The city guards yawned as they opened the city gates before the sun rose. There seemed to be a visible but indistinct and blurry shadow in a cloudy ray of light. When one wanted to open their eyes wider to get a clearer glimpse, the people who had been waiting outside the city for the gates to open had swarmed over.
A simple green canvassed horse carriage with an ebony door frame tossed up the snow. As it rattled down the lengthy main road, it left a pair of deep carriage ruts behind. At first glance the carriage was plain unremarkable, and without complaint it queued up with the civilians in the crowd. The soldiers guarding the gate naturally thought this was not one of the privileged of the capital, and naturally, after having received an expensive traveling expense, they simultaneously shouted a few words of compliments with flourish.
After waiting over an hour, the carriage finally left the capital city. The sun lazily made its way up and a white light penetrated through the morning fog. The migratory birds had long flown away, leaving only the cold resistant hawks behind, their long shrieks reaching the ends of the sky, carried on snow white wings. Occasionally they flew into the clouds and disappeared, leaving only long, whistling cries reverberating on the snowy field.
Just as the carriage stopped at a rest top for horses on a ridge outside the city, a girl appeared to be standing on Yangguan Bridge. She wore a spotless white outer cloak, light green riding boots, looking as though she had stood there in at the cold wind for a long time. Her cheeks were reddish, losing a bit of her usual sarcastic and chilly disposition, and adding a rare trace of gentleness. As she saw the carriage approach, she smiled and stepped forward. Her clever horse docilely followed behind, and the accumulated snow on the ground creaked with each step.
The driver was still a rather young man, at most only sixteen or seventeen, and when he saw her he was a little surprised. He turned to face the person inside the carriage to speak. A thin hand stretched out and slightly pushed the carriage curtain aside, revealing the man’s beautiful eyes and pair of brows wrinkled tight.
“How are you here?”
Zhao Song’s voice was no longer clear and sunny as it was years ago, and it has become slightly baritone. Many years having passed, it was like a pool of stagnant water, never roused by any waves.
Yet that was nothing. After all, when she first met him he was also this way, calm and gentle, not really interested in anything. So he gradually retired from the stage of DaXia politics. He had changed from an impressive prince of the royal lineage with bright prospects, to this figure whom no one wanted to send off on his long journey.
Perhaps, except for maybe her, no one in the entire imperial capital would remember him anymore.
Xiao Ba quietly smiled, the corner of her mouth maintaining its trace of derision. She stepped forward and casually handed the horse’s bridle to the teenager at the carriage, saying, “Ah-Jiang, go and cover the horse.”
Zhao Song frowned slightly and asked in a low voice, “What are you doing?”
Xiao Ba raised her brows at him and laughed, her expression clear and rippling, and very naturally answered, “I am going with you of course.”
Zhao Song continued to frown, his expression slightly dark, bringing out a rare trace of intolerance, “Wu Xin, do not play around.”
Xiao Ba was now called Wu Xin. Unintentional and with no heart. (TN: the characters for Wu Xin, or “unintentional" [无心] are the same for “heartless.”)
In her lifetime she had so many names. She no longer remembered when she was small and living in the Jing family. In her recollection, she only had a few close relatives, not only because she was small, but also because she was not the child of Mrs. Jing. Her name was even forgotten by her brothers and sisters of the same age. The children who escaped could only be named numerically, like cattle. These names were cold and unfeeling, not even good enough to give to horses.
Later, she was saved by Zhuge Yue, and lived with him for nearly seven years as he studied under Mr. Wolong. In that time, she had another name, just a name Zhuge Yue had given her out of fear her identity would be revealed, though really, the purpose was to protect her older sister who was still living in the imperial palace.
In the moment she heard that Zhuge Yue had died she actually cried. These many years since she could never forgive herself for doing such a thing.
She actually cried for a man who had killed her brothers and sisters, and imprisoned her for almost a decade.
She still clearly remembered that morning the bad news had passed to the Zhuge House. Yue Shi-san (TN: 13th) rushed into the gate of Qingshan Manor (TN: Zhuge Yue’s private residence), followed by servants from the family’s main court. Before anyone had time to react they searched the entire Qingshan Manor. Then, it was the magistrate of Shan Lu Court sent to investigate. Then it was DaXia Court’s government constables and the inspector general of the government ministry. They all lay charges upon the head of the man who had always been proud of his glory, such as dereliction of duty, aiding and abetting the enemy, intentional delay of military affairs, corruption of military discipline, illegitimate use of military resources, and even treason.
Its former status removed, the Zhuge Household’s Qingshan Manor was suddenly dragged through the mud, and thrown into a bottomless abyss. The Moon Guards went to Zhuge Yue’s former friends and even his brothers and sisters, to beg them to send troops to Yan Bei to retrieve their lord, even if it was only to retrieve his corpse. However, in the face of their defeat during the war, while facing the entire nation’s slander and opposition, in addition to losing the campaign and the seventh prince this time, no one was willing to lend a hand to help. Even the young Wei prince, Wei Shuye hung up the ‘no visitors’ sign, never again to receive these Zhuge Yue loyalists.
At last, Zhao Che was dispatched north, Yan Bei turned over Zhuge Yue’s corpse, though a high ransom was paid for it. But the Zhuge clan disowned him, and Zhuge Muqing personally carried out the trial before the elders, whipping his son’s corpse to show his determination to break with him. After his death, Zhuge Yue could not be interred at the ancestral temple, and so his body was tossed into a mass grave, to be cursed and spit upon by tens of thousands of people, and his name expunged from the military records. As for the female former slaves of Qingshan Manor, they were driven out of the household, were sold several times, until finally, they all fell into the dust.
[Summary: the next few pages are from Xiao Ba’s point of view as she recalls how all the female slaves were sold to a brothel, and how she cursed and spat at the men who raped her until she realized that Zhuge Yue would not come to avenge her. For all the things like riding and reading and writing that Zhuge Yue had taught her, she was really nothing more than a slave. Then she really cried. No matter how he had kept her, beat her, or held her hostage, she realized he had never insulted her like that. That aside, in the early years of her young life, Zhuge Yue had kept her protected.
After the first night, she learned to adapt and play the game, and learned to rely on herself. She eventually framed the two men who had first raped her, and watched with mad joy as they died. And just as she thought her life would only get dirtier and dirtier until the end, she met Wei Shuye. He saved her from a near death experience, and he mentioned that she reminded him of a person from the past. Though he laughed, he said it with sadness.
She chose to enter the royal family as a slave, as opposed to choosing freedom, and for ten years she followed him without regret.
When she insisted on following him this time, he looked at her, finally looking past the shadow of her sister and really looked at her stubborn self. When he tells her that he will no longer be a prince of DaXia where he is going, she said she will follow him regardless. He relents, she gets on the carriage and they start off on a new life together.]
From the dense forest, Chu Xiao steps out, He Xiao beside her. Despite the busy activity on the road in from of her, she continued to watch their carriage travel into the distance for a long while.
Goodbye, then, my friend. Goodbye, little sister. Goodbye to the two people for whom I owed the biggest apologies in my entire life.
The sun gradually rose, the northern wind wantonly blew in reckless gusts. Chu Qiao’s far away line of vision retracted back, and she silently raised her head.
This is DaXia. This is the smell of DaXia, the wind of DaXia. This is DaXia of the past, and its people from ancient times. Those who have left it are already gone. Those who are left behind must continue to face whatever life brings next. Whether it was dire straits, or unfavorable circumstances, be it a bumpy road or twists and turns, each of the had their individual responsibilities to shoulder, and their own people they must wait for and take care of.
She turned around to face the imposing, towering, thick and heavy city wall in the distance. Therein lay countless pavilions, numerous manors and palaces, innumerable powers and ambitions as well as countless conspiracies and traps.
Once upon a time, she had really be disgusted by everything there, but now, she willingly walked into that gigantic cage, just as her sister had voluntarily gone back into slavery, for this was the path they each chose for themselves. This was now her battlefield, but she was not alone; because in the center of that cage was a man, currently waiting for her.
All the world’s human affairs were all wrong, and also life and death were no more.
“Ya!”
Chu Qiao called out coldly, urging her horse forward. The biting cold wind blew past her ears, exhausting itself to change into mist and clouds, and sadly passed away.
Translator’s notes: Interesting chapter. Still not sure why I translated it. ^__^ There was no interaction between Chu Qiao and the prince after all, and she remained completely aloof. It seems Zhao Song and Xiao Ba are the the topics of this chapter, and to some degree, Chu Qiao also faces her own life’s “fallen expectations.” But in her case, her expectations merely changed, and now revolve around her feelings for one man.
I’m curious if the drama writers will raise Xiao Ba’s character in the drama sequel and make her evil or something. We already knew that the drama really deviates from the books, but in one thing they are the same: Zhuge Yue/Yuwen Yue is really still my favorite hero of all the dramas/books I’ve read. I think I am a fangirl to the end. - K
