Princess Agents 特工皇妃楚喬傳 Chapter 152 English novel translation

Princess Agents - 特工皇妃楚喬傳 

Chapter 152: The Yellow Springs Are Near (the frozen lake scene following the last chapter's battle)

The tragic sounds of death came from farther up ahead.  HeXiao's eyes were red as he ran back and shouted, "Excellency, Cheng Yuan is blocking the path beneath MinXi Mountain, His Highness' army has already made it over there.  General Zhuge is already on QianZhang Lake."

The icy wind blew tight and gusty. Everywhere between heaven and earth it howled bleakly like a wild beast.  Chu Qiao's lips pulled tight, and looked down at He Xiao who was covered in blood, and slowly asked, "He Xiao, can you kill a path for me?"  With a tough expression he went down on one knee, the intonation of his voice rhythmic and impressive as he slowly responded, "Our lives are yours, please do not worry, the Southwestern Garrison army is 2,000 strong, and we will not let you down."

A strong surge of gratitude suddenly rose from her heart.  When she looked at the soldiers standing behind He Xiao, Chu Qiao felt as though bubbling hot oil was burning the bottom of her heart.  

She had only saved their lives once, and only because she was afraid Yan Xun would lose the hearts of the people.  But from then onward, they followed without regret, a few times rescuing her from a tight spot.  She had only to give the order, and no matter if it was right or wrong, they would never hesitate to execute.  They were her subordinates, her war blades, her most loyal beloved soldiers who would never turn their back no matter what she did.  Forever standing steadfastly behind her, turning the edges of their blades towards any enemy who would harm her.

This type of kindness was too deep, pressuring her so that it made her gasp for breath.  Chu Qiao dismounted and clasped his hand, holding back her tears with all her might, saying from the bottom of her lungs, "He Xiao, thank you."

"Excellency, to us, you are more important than the entire continent of XiMeng.  Heaven and earth can be destroyed, the mountains and fields topple and fall.  As long as Your Excellency is still here, then we have confidence to continue and persist.  So as a favor to us, please, take care of yourself."

Chu Qiao nodded in silence. Her gaze swept over the faces of the warriors who were not good with words, and then, she steadily looked towards MinXi Mountain, at its snowy peak, towards the lofty temple towering above where two goddesses stood back to back inside, staring out at Yan Bei's vast expanse since the distant past, like two sacred beacons.

Chu Qiao turned and mounted her horse, her tone a firm apology as she said, "Warriors!  Thank you!"  (TN: she actually says, 'please,' or 'it's up to you' as in a favor or request, but it seems more translation friendly to say 'thank you' here for the consistency in tone.)

The solders shouted in unison, "Excellency! Take care!"

Their fur cloaks rippled in the desolate wind.  Chu Qiao gave a hard cry, and immediately spurred her horse away.  He Xiao led the soldiers following behind, pressing forward with indomitable spirit towards the bleak snow field.

*huuuu, huuuu*  The sound of the battle horn echoed over the land.  Cheng Yuan led the Black Hawk Army to stand on the dyke of QianZhang Lake, surrounding Zhuge Yue's men that numbered less than 10,000.

Dense clusters of arrows shot up like a burst from a volcanic eruption, like lightning bolts fired towards the center of the troops on the ice sheet.

Those arrows had gone through Chu Qiao's revised specifications, vastly improving their horror.  (TN: Epic face palm, Chu Qiao)  Yue Da led the Moon Guard to gather around their commander, and in a flash the people standing in the very front were riddled like sieves. Blood-curdling screams and the whizzing of arrows spread over the vast land.  Yue Jiu took his sword and charged forward, roaring his battle cry.  Cheng Yuan didn't spare him a glance and continuously gave orders to shoot the arrows.

The moon guards' bodies fell together like sheaths of rice straw, going down clusters at a time.  In the face of such power there was no method of counter-attack, but in spite of this, the warriors continuously rushed over like mad, without shields, without cover, using their own bodies to buy more time for their commander.

Fresh blood stained the snowy ground, rivulets snaking everywhere on the ice field.  Because of Huo An's report, the 200,000 strong Black Hawk Army came early to set up the ambush.  This was no longer a battle, but rather, it had transformed into a massacre dripping with blood. 

The rain of arrows flew like locusts, the sound of their piercing the air overflowed inside that space.  Because of the disparity in power and the geographic disadvantage, the Moon Guards had lost any ability to fight back.  As the tide of death surged, the bodies gradually piled into a small mountain.  Those who hadn't yet died toppled onto the ground with piteous cries, gradually moving the forms inside and exposing them, their bodies clearly seen.

Cheng Yuan slightly wet his lower lip, he briefly stepped back, quietly watching Yan Xun who was standing in the crowd.

A meritorious military service that rose to the skies was now upon him: the great strategist and DaXia's Northwestern Marshal would soon die by his hand.  Cheng Yuan was so excited his palms were sweating.  

It was in this moment he only heard the penetrating sound of war horses cries suddenly come through, and the southeast corner was routed, creating a breach.  The gong of alarm pierced their eardrums.  People rushed into their defenses, sword in hand, their ink black armor indeed the uniform fashioned for the XiuLi Army.

"The Southwest Garrison Army is here!"

Someone had declared it from within the ranks, and Chen Yuan's gaze suddenly cooled, saying spitefully, "They're here!"

Just at the time he was about to turn his archers against the XiuLi army, a deep voice by his ear interrupted.  Who knew when Yan Xun had stepped forward, but he said slowly in a low voice, "Surround them, do not kill them."

Chen Yuan was surprised, but hurriedly bowed at the waist, "Acknowledged."

"Stop!"

The purely cold, ear-splitting voice rose towards them, and everyone raised their heads in astonishment.  They only saw that from the space in the southwest corder a warhorse suddenly leaped and flew over the heads of the soldiers who were still fighting, and then landed onto the battlefield with a crash.  The young woman swiftly leaped off her horse, and in a few large steps ran to the center of the two forces, shouting, "Stop!"

The Black Hawk Army soldiers who didn't know her were scared to shoot and momentarily stayed their hands, and in succession, they came to understand the situation with dread, turning their heads towards Yan Xun.

"Yan Xun!  Stop this!"

Chu Qiao stood in the center, both eyes staring directly at him, her voice shouting loudly.

Yan Xun's eyes sank with displeasure, and after a long while, he said, "Ah Chu, move!"

Chu Qiao slowly opened both her arms, her eyes clear as she stared back at him, saying low "You'll have to kill me first, then."

"Xing'er, move."

The low and icy pure voice came from behind.  Chu Qiao fiercely turned around, and only saw Zhuge Yue standing in a pool of blood.  The wound on his chest had been wrapped yet the bright red color continued to drip without stopping, permeating outward.  He gazed at her, his eyes so peaceful, with none of the intensity of one about to meet death; no anger from being ambushed; with continued cool clarity as he stood alone in the middle of the remnants of his weak force, fearlessly staring down Yan Bei's troops.

Her eyes just suddenly turned red and she stubbornly shook her head and whispered, "I'm so sorry."  (TN: Literally she says, 'I've done you wrong,' but that sounds a little stiff.)

Heaven and earth were indistinctly shrouded in the vast and boundless snow, the white blurring the contrast of the tragic red.  Like a dazzling, beautiful demonic flower coldly blooming on the ice field. 

The sound of the wind rushed behind her ear: an arrow pierced the snowy haze.  She hurriedly turned around and finally saw Yan Xun's bow arm behind her.  The golden arrow came at her quickly, in that second she could hear it cutting the air.  She had nowhere to dodge, had no way to prevent it.  The cold wind blew past her clothes, and icy cold feeling drilled through her entire heart.  Her eyes silently watched as he made this fateful shot of no return, like the hand of destiny, ruthlessly pulling at the figure standing in the middle of the snowstorm that covered the sky.

The image slowly burned her eyes.  The arrow scraped across her neck leaving a fiendish blood welt, going directly into the recently wrapped chest of Zhuge Yue.  In an instant, a bloody flower shot out, bursting in mid air with dazzling splendor.  The steaming hot blood beads even reached her cold cheeks. She instantly stopped breathing and stood there in complete shock, watching Zhuge Yue's lonely figure in the cold wind. The color of blood diffusely filled her two eyes, and everything turned crimson. 

Behind her she heard the sound of a bowstring being pulled back once more.  She jerked back only to see Yan Xun's iron blue face, his hand like that of a sharp knife, steadily fixed onto his chest, as if he was just about to forcefully release another volley.

No longer caring--to hell with dignity, to hell with pride, these did not compare to the overwhelming horror and fear she felt at that moment--she prostrated herself onto the ground facing him.  Shortly after kowtowing twice her forehead was stained with blood.  Tears overflowing she screamed, both hands wide open, shielding in vain. 

"Yan Xun I beg you, I beg of you don't.  Yan Xun I beg you…."

Yan Xun looked at her, looked at her bloody forehead, and felt the dull pain at the bottom of his heart as though a knife had slashed across it.

This woman was his only comrade in arms who would have died for him back when he was alone and desperate.  She was Ah-Chu, who had stayed with him eight years when he was imprisoned in the capital.  He once vowed to protect her for the rest of his life, give her a fortunate, peaceful and happy life, and realize her wishes and dreams.  A pity then, that the vows he spoke that day would be broken by his own hand.

The corner of his mouth slowly pulled upwards, pulling a faint smile, just like the way he did years ago when she had just come back from the outside, and saw him writing something in a book.  He had looked up to smile slightly at the girl standing in the doorway. The smile beneath the lamp had been so gentle, like the warm waters of three springs.

Ah-Chu, the fact of the matter is, I never changed.  You just never really knew what I truly wanted.  

Now, I definitely want to show you my ambitions and convictions, and this is how I will tell you.  (TN: not a drop of remorse for hurting her….  Did he think she would forgive him and everything would be OK after this?)

"Release!"

The world suddenly became so quiet, the snow and wind also suddenly stopped.  Her ears could no longer hear anything.  Only the fragmented fluttering of birds flying overhead, sweeping across their heads, buoyant and so free.

Twenty-thousand horseback riders of the Black Hawk Army released their arrows at the same time.  The dense cluster of arrows was like a thick cloud blocking the sunlight, the sky suddenly turned black as night.  The metallic waterfall slid across the sky and from there descended.  Long tails of rope were tied behind their shafts.  The sharp barbs of the arrows headed towards Zhuge Yue. 

"Protect the general!"  Yue Da was shot full of arrows, one of his legs had already been cut short, but like a tiger he seemed to leap up and rush in front of Zhuge Yue.  The remaining Moon Guards stained and dripping with bright blood, even if they only had a piece of finger left, they used all their strength to crawl.

The arrows did not hit them, but instead, like shafts of iron hands, deeply inserted themselves into the hard ice surface, holding onto it with a death grip.  Yan Xun gave the word, and 20,000 cavalry turned abruptly, their horses reared up and neighed as thousands of horsewhips cracked down.  The warhorses kicked, whinnied and galloped far into the distance.

The ropes at the ends of the arrows were instantly pulled taut and the hard layer of ice instantly fragmented.  The surface of the ice was falling apart, and with a loud crash the frigid water spread.  Chu Qiao turned her head in despair, through her bloodstained eyes, she looked on helplessly as Zhuge Yue's figure fell in flash into the frigid ice water, the hard ice splintering into skin and muscle, bringing forth a fascinating dark red.  His eyes watched her with such calm, without resentment, without hatred, joy or despair.  Just as he did so many years ago, when he looked at her without expression, watched her go far away from him again and again, watching her renounce him again and again, watched her fighting opposite him again and again, holding bow and sword to his head.

She was a wound in his heart that could not heal all year round, a wound covered with bugs, already festering, corrupting, driving deep into his flesh and bones and not even death could cure it.

Time passed so quickly, so fast she couldn't even catch his coattail.  Chu Qiao's eyes widened in horror, she knelt onto the ground, large tears dripping down.  Dejectedly she crawled two steps, like a doll scared out of her wits, watching everything helplessly.  Their eyes intertwined in one place, slowly moving, sinking.  The ice wind roared like a beast sweeping snow onto the ground, and raising a snowy mist between them, like clusters of white, deceased souls.

The icy waters momentarily covered his figure and she should not see those cold and indifferent eyes; could no longer see his haughty jawline, and even his ink dark hair was gone in a flash, disappearing in this place of icy sky and snowy earth, beneath the wide, ice lake.

Chu Qiao opened her mouth wide, wanting to shout, but she could not make a sound. The cold wind poured into her throat and she started coughing violently.  She struggled to stand, ran forward in large, stumbling steps, and with a splash she jumped into the frigid, bone stabbing lake water.

It was cold.  Cold like being pierced with sharp ice thorns, ruthlessly perforating her foot and calf, piercing her waist and neck.  She curled and drilled deeper, widening her eyes to rummage through the ice water in search.  The sun shone from the top of her head into the depths of the water, endless drifting shadows were before her eyes, with the intermittent taste of blood between the waves.

No, no, it can't be.  She sobbed in despair, her tears streamed out, mixing with the ice and blood in the water.  Her face was blue, her body was getting stiff, and her movements no longer nimble.  She felt as though someone had caught her waist, someone was pulling her up.

No, she didn't want to go up.  She gripped the knife at her waist and turned to cut the rope that she didn't know when she had become entangled with.  But at that moment a pair of ice cold hands suddenly stayed her wrists with such strength, colder than the water, decidedly stopping her actions.

As if she knew his mind she looked back.  The clear, handsome face suddenly came into view, his pitch black eyes, his pale lips, his straight and tall nose. His brilliant eyes gazed at her, his hand grasping hers as he strongly pushed her upwards, fresh blood from his wounds spilling out nonstop, the scent going into her nose and mouth.  She cried tears of joy, opened her arms and wanted to embrace him, her hand dragged him firmly, wanting to pull him up together.

Snatching her weapon away, Zhuge Yue pulled her hand over, his finger tracing over her palm, writing messy words one by one:

Keep on living…keep on living…keep on living…

With me!

She opened her mouth to shout, but all she did was spit out some fragmented bubbles.

He slowly shook his head, and continued writing:

Keep on living.

Her tears flowed out like mad, and she shook her head desperately, firmly pulling at him.

With me!  With me! Keep on living with me!

I don't want to continue alone, I don't want to spend my life while still owing you! I don't want you to die!  I don't want that! I don't want it!

The strength at her waist continuously dragged up up.  She was already frozen stiff, and only her fingers continued to grip him tightly.

She never knew that his death would actually unsettle her so much. She never knew that she had already unwittingly let him burrow so deep into her heart.  She never knew that her so called hatred was just an excuse so she could avoid it. She never knew that in watching him leave her, she would completely feel as though she was stabbed in the heart with a knife and her whole body dismembered.

Zhuge Yue, Zhuge Yue.  I beg you, I'm begging you not to be this cruel.  Don't let me have this burden, this agony for the rest of my life.  If I have no way of repaying you, then let me use my life and accompany you into death.  That would be better than living in a world that has already made me lose all hope!

The light was coming closer and closer, and she wept bitterly.  Her tears blurred her line of sight, and she only saw his gentle eyes.  Her fingers desperately grasped his wrists, everything she could not express conveyed through her struggling fingertips.  She continued to shake her head in desperation, beseeching in despair.

In her dazed state she was so regretful, regretting that she had told Yan Xun those words she had concealed for over a year.  Why did she have to provoke him?  Why could she not have whispered her pleas earlier?  That way, perhaps Zhuge Yue would not be dying now.

Agony and fear are like an endless abyss, gradually swallowing her.  She clung to him, unwilling to let go.

Zhuge Yue was still very handsome, and for the first time in his life, he looked at another person with such tenderness.  His long-cherished wish of many years had become a short, tragic dream.  In a moment he had his response.  He used his strength to tread the water, gently upwards,  and he extended his arms to embrace her thin back.  Then, at the corner of her mouth, he left a gentle and soft, ice cold kiss.

Her tears instantly poured out, mixing in with the water and staining Zhuge Yue's lips.  Despair seemed to have pierced her heart in an instant, and ice cold water rushed in and filled all her arteries.

Her body was frozen solid now, the force at her waist continued to pull and she slowly drifted upward, slowly upward.  His arm gradually straightened, and Zhuge Yue relinquished the grip of her fingers one by one and their two hands finally separated from being entwined, and drifted farther and farther apart. Chu Qiao reached out, watching him sink deeper, little by little, bit by bit, the vividness in his eyes drowned out by the water, his once warm lips turned pallid white like paper, and everywhere around him the icy cold, pitch black darkness.  (TN: TT__TT)

There was a rending ache at the bottom of her heart.  When the light shone through the water, she could not see anything else, only his eyes, warmly and steadfastly watching her, as if he continued to tell her over and over: Keep on living, keep on living….

"Keep on living, don't forget, you still have a lot of wishes."

Once upon a time, she had said this to someone before.  But now momentarily looking back, she suddenly realized that another pair of eyes had been silently and attentively watching her from behind.

In the moment she broke out of the water she felt as though she had already died.  The sun shining on her face made her instantly so confused.  Yan Xun held her nervously, calling out her name loudly.  But she heard none of it.  Her everything had already died in the icy lake below, and what was pulled up was merely an icy cold body. 

The wind blew quietly over the snowy field, and pale white birds took flight in the sky above.  The sun was about to set behind the mountain, and the snow storm had already stopped.  The start of the day was red like blood, and now the endless red light was dropping down in the direction of Sunset Mountain.  It looked really nice.  So pretty.

But all of this, he will never be able to see again.

She suddenly started to panic.  In the blink of an eye her body miraculously found strength, allowing her to ignore everything and push Yan Xun aside, staggering and running wildly in the direction of the broken ice.

Yan Xun was in a state of shock.  He took a few steps and tightly embraced her as she was only about five steps away from the opening.  Since she was held in a death grip she could not go a step further.

Her feelings of despair and pain were like a tsunami surprisingly rising over to blot out all else, finally no longer able to control it she knelt onto the floor, wailing and shouting, "Come out!  Come out, you!"

A mouth full of blood suddenly sprayed forth, dripping onto Yan Xun's hand.  Her despairing cry toppled her to the ground.  Her body was like a leaf in the autumn wind, violently trembling.

"Ah-Chu!"

Yan Xun called her name beside her ear, and in that moment she felt the sound was grating.  She jerked her head back, stopped her weeping, and looked at him with clear, cold eyes.

What kind of eyes were those?

Anger, hatred, disappointment, sorrow, one by one passed across them until finally, there was only despair and grief, like the remains of burnt cinders.

She looked at him, her tears streaming down.  All those years of hope all shattered; all that persistence and dreaming now spent; all turned into flying ash.

All of Yan Xun's worries, fears and grief from before finally cooled in these clear eyes as cold as snow.  He awkwardly let go of her, stood up, and looked down at her condescendingly.

The great earth blew forth a biting cold wind, and the pale white color veiled her eyes little by little, and her mind gradually flew away.  In a trance, she seemed to see looming in the distance, those pair of black eyes in the deep lake.

Keep on living, keep on living, keep on living….

From the unseen world, she heard a deep voice beside her ear and she closed her eyes in desperation, collapsed exhausted on the ground, and from there fell into the endless darkness.

The cold wind was unchanged, tossing the snowflakes slowly covering the surface of the broken ice.  The world was bleak and dreary, so very close to the Yellow Springs.  (TN: the nether world)

Translator's notes:  Yay!  Made it to the lake scene at the end of Season One.  Come on Season 2!  I posted Chapter 151 and 152 together because I didn't want to leave you hanging while Zhuge Yue was still dying.  Although there are no real interactions between Zhuge Yue and Chu Qiao in Chapter 151, it's the chapter where she and Yan Xun finally break up.  We also get some insight into Zhuge Yue and Chu Qiao's feelings for one another.   

BTW, Hell's springs is Huang Quan, which is in the title of this chapter.  It is the Chinese equivalent of Acheron from Greek mythology.

Chu Qiao is very emotional in this scene, something we have never seen in the novel.  She is a special agent and in many battles she is cool as a cucumber.  But when it comes to losing Zhuge Yue she deteriorates into one hot mess.

[SPOILER ALERT -- POST FROZEN LAKE SYNOPSIS]

I have to say if you think Chu Qiao is a hot mess in this scene, she is one steaming hot mess for 2 years after this.  She wears dresses.  She perfects her baking skills (^__^; stuff she learned from the palace cooks when she was younger).  She lives like a hermit on the mountain where Yan Xun gave her a palace but she lives outside of this palace in a small cottage on the side.  She talks to Zhuge Yue's ashes on a daily basis (that's not really him), and erected a tomb for him in her back yard.  (A cuckoo cries in the distance…)

The people below the mountain revere her since she made another prosperous little city with her innovative ideas.   Mr. Wu provides for her existence here.  She has acquired a makeshift family including a shepherd boy and his uncle who has been killing bears on the mountain to use the organs to make her medicine; little soldier Ping An and his younger sister; one servant she freed from slavery and HeXiao.  

The Xiu Li army retired and took up normal lives.  It takes her a while to recover from her illness/injuries and after dunking herself in the ice lake her body can't really take the cold in Yan Bei anymore.  All the more reason to leave!

But Yan Xun would rather kill her than let her leave! 

I don't know if I'm going to translate the chapter where Li Ce and Zhuge Yue save her from Yan Xun's clutches, because on the one hand, it's rather sweet how her bestie and her would-be lover work together, but on the other hand it's rather tragic how the XiuLi Army dies for her. Maybe I'll just start at the lantern festival where they meet for the first time in about 2 years.  

I have to warn you, the Chu Qiao for the next 20 chapters or so is very mild, rather docile, and has no interest in engaging the world anymore.

I also have other stuff going on, so my posts may not be as frequent as they've been these past weeks.  ^__^  -KERO

Princess Agents 特工皇妃楚喬傳 Chapter 148 English novel translation

Princess Agents - 特工皇妃楚喬傳

Chapter 148: Heart Like a Mulberry Path

Synopsis: Yan Xun questions how Chu Qiao escaped from DaXia with her army intact, and she did not want him to announce it was Zhuge Yue who had done it, so she concealed it.  Yan Xun is not satisfied with her answer, and that is perhaps the moment her feelings for him were nullified.  Chu Qiao leaves for war with no goodbye from Yan Xun.

Around a year has passed now, DaXia and Yan Bei are halfway into their war, and everywhere the world was changing again.  That is where we begin....

The day she left was a clear day, and even though the New Year was approaching the weather was cold.  The sky was a fine blue, like the water in a pool, without any clouds.  A gaggle of wild geese flew south, and the sun brought a taste of warmth with a spray of gold satin sunlight over the white snow.  A row of robust war horses along the horse road, in a continuous winding line, were altogether more than 2,000 people.

Now, it was the end of the following year, and in half a month it would be the New Year.  All along the road they had passed merchants from the mainland who dared to do business along this trade route, risking the danger for the promise of getting rich.  Now, Yan Bei's trade has flourished, so even if the war on the eastern border has continued, they use the southern waterway on the border to enter Yan Bei to do business.

Chu Qiao pulled down her heavy hood, lifting her face to the azure blue sky.  Her eyes were clear like water.  In the blink of an eye another year had passed, the once young girl has grown a bit taller, and the curve of her eyebrows possessed a more mature appeal and her hair was neatly wound up.  She was dressed in a cyan blue leather riding crop as she rode her fiery chestnut war horse.

Ge Qi came from the front of the line to report, "Excellency, He Xiao received a message that said we are to camp at the foot of MinXi Mountain tonight, and he has already taken the vanguard there and made preparations."

Chu Qiao nodded, and heard the cry of the war eagle overhead, and she suddenly lifted her head, her gaze looking into the distance.

After passing MinXi Mountain it was HuoLei plateau, and beyond that was Yan Bei's new conquest, the northwestern natural barrier.  That place used to be marked as DaXia territory on the map, and now it was Yan Bei's territory, and the war for Yan Ming Pass has been ongoing for a whole year.

In this year, many things had transpired. The prior year was a most turbulent and chaotic year for the continent that would be recorded in the history books.  After the war between DaXia and Yan Bei was halfway through, successive internal conflicts of the northern capitals and people in the interior created chaos for the seven kingdoms, which greatly limited the resources and scope of the northwestern war.  Zhao Che had no alternative but to change his original plans for war offense into war defense, and defended Yan Ming Pass to the death in order to stall for time until the internal unrest was quelled.  However just after his slow recovery, the emperor of Bian Tang suddenly passed away and the crown prince Li Ce ascended the throne amid political unrest.  Due to internal treachery and influences in the government sewing discord, DaXia and Bian Tang broke out into a small scale war on the border.  But for the fact Zhao Yang had been sent to the border, DaXia would have had to face the difficult position of fighting a war on three fronts.

The world had seen that just in the span of a year the former military power of DaXia was in obvious decline; in the west it was unable to recapture Yan Bei, in the north it was unable to placate the masses, in the south it was unable to subdue Bian Tang, and in the east it was economically pressured by Huai-Song.  Nowadays the continent no longer had any appearance of being unified.

Half a year ago Yan Xun officially ascended his throne on Sunset Mountain,  and northern Yan proclaimed itself a country, the country of Yan, altering its destiny.  With the exception of DaXia, he otherwise met with no opposition from Huai-Song or Bian Tang.  In this respect he finally became the real master of the northern Yan territory, firmly sitting on his royal seat both in name and in reality.

Chu Qiao did not go to his ascension ceremony that day.  She dismissed her subordinates and an climbed HuiHui Mountain alone, where NaDa Palace stood at its summit.  Originally built by Yanshi City for a queen, it was decorated with snowy white birds and flowers of stone.  Hidden in the natural bright red and pale yellow flora in bloom, it looked like an ink and wash painting.

Quiet and peaceful, there was not a single trace of bursting fireworks or the human world.  The upturned eaves and traditional architecture coupled with the sound of babbling water was a testament to how much that previous ruler loved his queen.

She had sat at the top of HuiHui Mountain, listening to the carefree song of a shepherd down in the midsummer pasture.  His sweet voice rising and falling, bringing peace to the people listening, chasing away all the bitterness.

Gazing down at the horizon, down at the iron gray shadow of the mountain that covered her heart. Even though at the time she was leagues away it was though she could see the man dressed all in royal gold robes, his golden radiance dazzling.  The corner of her mouth tilted upward, and she smiled lightly.  Lifting her head, the cool breeze lightly touched her face.  The young woman's blue-green clothes gently swayed, a solitary and lonely figure, like a single blossom.

Today's YanBei is not what it was originally.  With Huai-Song's economic support Yan had a strategic advantage.  In the past year Chu Qiao had pushed construction and reform in Yan Bei's mainland so the world could estimate its slow rise.  Yan Bei was far ahead of the other three major countries in terms of military weapons.  Under Chu Qiao's leadership they built large scale arsenals, developed more than 30 large mines, built water conservation projects and altered Yan Bei's unsuitable farming conditions.   In Shang Shen alone, compared to a generation past, a large number of grain production areas were developed.  Grain production in Yan Bei was more than doubled now this past fall compared with previous years, ensuring the self-sufficiency of its army.  They also opened medical facilities and military schools, as well as developed business contacts with Bian Tang and Huai-Song, making the Yan Bei market prosper through caravan trade.

Although Chu Qiao's proposal to reform slavery never passed, slaves were rarely seen in the markets within her jurisdiction.  Her enlightened policies and growing social system attracted a large number of businessmen creating a large scale, established urban residential area in less than a year.  Once a barren land, it was comparable to the northwestern trade capital.

Chu Qiao now understood that a country that had once lived in darkness for many years would absorb the light like a sponge.  Yanbei had trade routes surrounding it, vast territory, fertile land, developed animal husbandry which served as a lifeline to the mainland, as well as vast mineral resources.  The people were silent and simple and hard working.  Living in the modern era for many years Chu Qiao had never seen a government with a clear plan or such enthusiastic citizens.  People here work for free and have no requirements for their quality of life.  Having tens of thousands of free laborers was almost unimaginable in modern times.  Chu Qiao could not help but feel that Yan Bei had all the perquisites for rising and maturing as a nation.  But for the years of war, it might have been one of the most powerful forces on the continent.

The southwestern garrison army was disbanded, and it was no longer a regular Yan Bei force.  Because they were stationed at the XiuLi river under HuiHui Mountain, the southwestern garrison army was renamed as the XiuLi Army and the people of Yan Bei called Chu Qiao Her Excellency XiuLi.

The XiuLi Army now consisted of 9,000 troops, and today was the last time they would deliver supplies to the front line.  Soon it would be the New Year and their soldiers should have a holiday.

Before the sky was dark they finally made it to MingXi Mountain.  There were many plains in Yan Bei and though MingXi was called a mountain it was just a small outcrop only a hundred meters tall.

When Chu Qiao and her contingent arrived, He Xiao had already arranged for the tents to be pitched and dinner to be cooked, and after having a mouthful of hot, meaty soup, she finally shed a few layers of the day's fatigue.

The night in Yan Bei was always the most beautiful.  Mid month, the moon was big and round, the snowy plains a swathe of pure white.  On the other side of the mountain was a tributary derived from the ChiSui River, now frozen solid.  (TN: OMG is this the place I think it is? TT__TT) Yesterday when passing MaWei City, the head minister had wanted to give Chu Qiao a gift, and she had inattentively put it in a large box in the horse carriage, and only now did she have an opportunity to open it.  It was a fine green wind cloak with marten fur trim.  The large article was well made, brightly dyed, consisting of luxurious marten tails, smooth to the touch.  Altogether it was a gorgeous, rare commodity.

There were four lit braziers inside the main tent, which made it rather stuffy, so Chu Qiao donned her large cloak and went outside.  She walked all the way to the foot of the mountain, but seeing as the scenery was just pure white between heaven and earth, she went alone to the top of the mountain where a few old plum blossoms stood proudly in full bloom despite the snow, achieving the pinnacle of enviable beauty.

Hidden away in a cluster it felt even more desolate.  Chu Qiao's lonely figure was framed by the icy cold full moon.

Some of the locals had said this mountain was a temple of a Yan Bei goddess, built by Yan Bei's ancestors in the early days.  Having weathered countless hundreds of years of wind and rain, it was still watching over the vast expanse of Yan Bei.

Chu Qiao raised her foot and followed up the rugged mountain path.  The snow at the top of the road was so deep it covered up to her knees, and she continued like this for over an hour until she reached the summit.

The entire temple was built of Xilan white stone, thought it was not very big.  It was as tall as four people, with a door facing east and west.  Chu Qiao stood at the western door, from where she could see the tall effigy of the goddess reaching the top of the roof, occupying nearly the entire space of the hall.

The main hall was rather dilapidated, with snow coming in from more than one place, everywhere draped with shriveled cobwebs and covered in grey dust: it was a real mess.  Only the statue remained spotless, standing loftily, the goddess' face was plain and pale like a lotus.  Looking at her, it seemed Chu Qiao was looking into the serene eyes of Yan Xun's mother, gentle like water, on the Nine Demons Dais so many years ago.  Her outline was faintly visible from the flying skirt, and her abdomen presented a high bulge, as if she was pregnant.

When she was very young, Yan Xun had once told her that Yan Bei had a female goddess and she was divided into two faces.  One face was a fierce god wielding a battle axe in her hand, representing conquest and killing.  The other side was a mother goddess who was with child, representing guardianship and reproduction.  True enough, she saw it for herself today.

She was about to go to the other side to take a look, and when she moved her foot she simultaneously heard the slight sound of a footstep from the eastern side.

A large gust blew through the large hall, from the western door passing the statue and out the eastern door.  Chu Qiao's figure abruptly stood still.  She slightly furrowed her brow and slowly reached for the Breaking Moon sword hanging at her waist.  Before she even pulled it out, the blade suddenly vibrated, as if in jubilation, and in the large hall it quietly hummed.

An idea came to Chu Qiao's mind and an inexplicable impulse came over her.  She involuntarily moved, walking to the left side of the goddess' statute, and then gently, every so gently poked her head out.

Outside, the snow flew, the cold plum blossoms were bursting with blooms.  As if by accident, he raised his eye to the space in between, and a delicate silhouette appeared like a ripple in that space before his eyes.

Beneath the goddess wielding a battle axe, he wore a silver grey fox cloak,  his hood half on, the sound of his white robes rubbing together as he moved, just like that elegant wind instrument of years past.  His eyes were like a cold lake, deep and solitary.  (TN: Noooo…what's with all these lake references….? TT__TT)  His lips were as if painted with drops of vermillion lacquer.

He was still as outstanding as ever, handsome and extraordinary, pushing the limits of worldly description and exceedingly difficult to describe.

A gust of wind from outside brought ash upward, some of it hitting his shoulder.  A faint plum blossom fragrance lingered under the bright and clear moonlight.  A split second slowly pierced a length of time, cast through this casual moment.  (TN: that was a really hard sentence….)

He seemed a bit surprised, not expecting to see her here.  In the instant their four eyes met, the years fell away like water, and the image from memory gradually overlapped with the face in front of them.  The years flowed and fate was ever changing.  The two were speechless, neither of them knowing what to say.

A pale yellow fledgling flew in from the cold, settling on the shoulder of the goddess.  Its small black eyes looked at both of them, and then chirped a sweet sounding melody.  (TN: even the gods are trying to give them hints ^_^)

The man gazed at her, his eyesight penetrating deep into the misty hall.  His brows slightly rose, as if he wanted to say something, but he remained speechless.  His gaze was like warm water, sweeping over her thin shoulders, brushing over her slender neck and gliding over her slim cheeks.  Finally, it rested on her surprised eyes, for a long time, until he calmly withdrew his gaze, and indifferently turned around.  The view of his back was rather cold and lonely.  The tip of his cloak swept through the fine layer of dust on the ground, stirring up particles to fall upon his felt snow shoes.

His footsteps were steady as he walked towards the snowy grounds outside the temple.

"There will be a heavy blizzard in the hinterlands in the next few days, be careful as you go."

Zhuge Yue had just approached the doorway when Chu Qiao's voice carried from behind him.  It was very calming, like a good cup of Long Jiang tea from Bian Tang, gentle, smooth and thoughtful, with a trace a sweetness.

He couldn't help but halt his steps, turn his head and raised his brows gently, "And you are not worried?"

Chu Qiao nodded honestly, "I am, but I have no choice."

The young woman could not help but shrug her shoulders, and let out a rather worried look.  The words from her mouth carried the feeling of an early, temperate spring, and Zhuge Yue's eyes flashed a similar warmth.

Zhuge Yue's tone remained stead as he said, "Rest assured, my disguise in entering Yan Bei 's interior has nothing to do with the war, it won't harm your interests."

"That's good," Chu Qiao smiled.  "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yes," Zhuge Yue nodded honestly.

Chu Qiao was surprised, not expecting that there would be, and hurriedly asked, "What is it?"

"Don't report me."

Chu Qiao stared at him, never once thinking the Zhuge Yue could tell a joke.  She stood surprised for a long time, and only after that did she respond, "How could I?"

The little fledgling chirped happily, the flew straight to a corner towards a brazier.  A scent of meat wafted in the air, and Chu Qiao took a few steps over to the goddess, and saw a short mahogany carved stool in the corner of the hall, with a delicate copper basin on top of it.  Cooking over a small fire, a thick soup bubbled, the fragrance of meat permeating, with a few plates of raw meat and vegetables placed aside.  An octagonal silver wine jug was placed on its side.

Chu Qiao smirked and pointed as she said to Zhuge Yue, "You're leaving?  Then this is all mine?"

Zhuge Yue thought for a bit, took a few steps toward the front of the stool, lifted his robe and sat down, lightly saying, "That would be a waste."

Zhuge Yue was worthy of being born into an aristocratic family of a large clan, growing up in gold and jade splendor, and even if he was away form home, out in an environment like this, he continued with his usual idiosyncrasies.  His food was always the best and most exquisite without exception.  There were thinly cut lamb slices rolled together neatly and fresh vegetables cleanly washed with drops of water still clinging to them, who knew how he preserved them so well, along with chopsticks cast in sterling silver and engraved with an intricate and delicate filagree.  Zhuge Yue took up a roll of lamb meat and placed it in the simmering copper basin, letting the meat change color as the soup rippled up and down and churned about.

Layers of steam drifted out, filling the space in between the two of them.  Eating out in cold weather like this was really a treat in life.

There was a whole set of cups, and Chu Qiao still remembered Zhuge Yue's old habits.  Back in QingShan Pavilion, even if he always ate alone, he always placed a full set of dinnerware on the dinner table, as if many people would be coming to eat with him.  (TN: That's kind of sad, bro….)

She picked up the wine jug and poured a cup for him, as well as one for herself.  Zhuge Yue watched and with a puzzled brow he asked, "I thought you never drank wine?"

Her hand gripping the cup trembled slightly, since he was right.  She never drank alcohol before, but since when did she start to like such a thing that befuddled the mind?  (TN: since she's had to turn a blind eye to the stuff Yan Xun does, probably…. )  She slowly raised her eyes and said calmly to him, extending her cup, "I pass on this blessing, and honor your with this cup."

Zhuge Yue's eyes were keen and he did not raise his cup, but quietly took her measure.

Chu Qiao raised her eyes and drank it down, saying indifferently, "This cup, is to thank you for these years past, repeatedly refraining from killing us and raising a helping hand."

Not having seen her for year, Chu Qiao seemed taller. Her eyebrows had thinned over her delicate and pretty face.  Her eyes were very large, and it was if they were covered with an added layer of haze, obstructing anyone's view.

With a cup before him, Zhuge Yue did not drink but only took his chopsticks, quietly added meat to the pot and did not lift his eyes when he said, "If you're going to eat, just eat, where did all these words come from--are you reciting a script?"

Chu Qiao frowned, "Every meal has an opening toast."

Zhuge Yue said dryly, "I get enough of that from the old men in the capital, I don't have enough energy to accompany you in saying such things."

Chu Qiao quietly muttered something to herself and took some meat with her chopsticks to eat.  Zhuge Yue saw that she was eating it too quickly, strongly urging her, "Careful, it's hot."

As soon as he said it, Chu Qiao cried out, as if she really burned her mouth.  Zhuge Yue looked at her with slanted brows and uttered, "Serves you right."

Although she did burn her tongue, the food was delicious.  The two of them sat there, and in the beginning, there may have been ulterior motives behind the idle chitchat.  But gradually, they focused on eating, and after a while, they got to the bottom of the large pot of boiling lamb meat.  Still unsatisfied, Chu Qiao took her chopsticks and fished around for more inside the pot, and like a rabbit, ate all the vegetables and leaves remaining inside.

"I heard you were promoted?  Congratulations."

Zhuge Yue said faintly, "Just as well, killing 80,000 Yan Bei troops, in exchange for meritorious military service. I heard you were promoted also?"

"Thank you.  I dealt with the remnants of DaXia's army at the MeiLin Pass, and also took down some government official."  Chu Qiao glanced at him and asked, "I heard you you had become commander of the western military forces, and you are no longer under Zhao Che?"

"I cannot discard what the Emperor has accorded me, and it was an insignificant contribution.  I am indifferent to this glorification."  Zhuge Yue then faintly added, "I had heard that the southwestern garrison forces were forced to retire their name, and was expelled from the Yan Bei regular forces, and their weapons were scaled back."

"The XiuLi Army is now more of a local peace keeping force, it is reasonable to limit their weapons.  But I had heard the Wei vassal clan sent Wei Shuye to come to Yan Ming Pass.  Isn't that just trying to infringe on your authority?" Chu Qiao raised her brow and smiled.

"Having wishes is always good, but whether or not one can achieve one's goal is another thing entirely.  I heard that the leader of the DaTong Association, Wu Daoya, has been banned from the Sunset City and didn't even participate in this winter's troop review."

"All organizations have their share of internal conflict, you yourself have risen and fallen.  Moreover, there are still a few things I heard that might not be accurate, such as Zhao Yang pulling troops to win at the southern line, which would drag on the hind legs of the war in the western front, so I don't know if it's true or false."

"The phrase 'three-legged tiger' is not said in vain.  I had heard you reformed Yan Bei's inland, invoking prosperity with commerce; even DaXia tradesmen have secretly done business with you all.  That is certainly not a simple task."

"I'm just operating on a small scale.  I had indeed heard that at the battles of Cao Qiu and Jin Hui you broke through Yan Bei's army, capturing 1,000 troops from the Second Army's Eighth Division.  Otherwise, we would have been able to use the opportunity to change DaXia's destiny and rush into its interior."

"DaXia has been standing for 300 years, you can't just charge into it just by saying you're going to charge into it.  I heard about 10,000 people in the northern tribes starved this winter.  Aren't you worried that they would declare open war now and take over the Northern Road?"

"They will come regardless.  Worrying about it isn't going to change that.  I had also heard the rural people in northeastern mountain region of DaXia want to follow Yan Bei's example and become independent.  Do you think they will be successful?"

"I heard Ms. Yu of the DaTong Association is only a figurehead now."

"I heard that DaXia's government gave an empty legislative seat to the Murong clan of HeXi last month, altogether making 30 years of HeDong and 30 years of HeXi."  (TN: I think she is poking fun that the seat did not go to his clan, and it also sounds rather 'punny'....)

"I had heard Yan Bei developed a very sturdy material from which they can forge even stronger weapons that are tougher than iron, and that it was of your making?"

"I heard the emperor passed his 46th decree locking down travel to root out espionage, limiting the circulation of goods in the market, and also using the army against Huai-Song, by your initiative?"

"I heard your recent mission was to deliver supplies to Yan Bei's base camp, and if the supplies didn't make it, the base camp would be cut off."

"I heard your current mission was to find out about Yan Bei's trade news, and to find out the extent of its trade contacts' influence, and at the same time purge all of DaXia's trade here."

*Hmmmmm*

The sound of two long hums suddenly interrupted their conversation.  The treasure sword that was placed on the ground started to hum, and it quivered slightly.  It seemed it could sense the atmosphere of daggers drawn and the scent of gunpowder.  The yellow bird was long since gone, outside the snow was falling heavily, leaving only two people sitting and facing one another.  The charcoal fire continued to burn, the liquid inside the copper pot continued to roll and boil, and the bright red chili pepper inside was like the color of fresh blood flowing out of slain soldiers.

In the end it was a different view point, in the end they were hostile adversaries, and just now, it was as if they were purposefully egging on this volatile mood, as if reminding themselves: this person is not my friend, nor is this person anything else, this person has their own responsibilities.

"I had heard, after this year, you will marry Yan Xun."

Zhuge Yue finally lifted the cup of wine and raised it to his lips, as if he had just carelessly spit out that sentence.

Chu Qiao lifted her head, calmed the disorder in her chest, and whispered, "I had also heard, you were already engaged to General Le Xing's daughter."

Zhuge Yue nodded: "Well, the wedding day is not far off."

"General Meng is already aged, General Le Xing's power is firm in the government.  If you married his daughter it would greatly benefit your career."

Zhuge Yue laughed lightly, "The next time I see you I may have to hail you as the Queen of Yan."

Chu Qiao shook her head, saying sternly, "Yan Bei has already declared its independence, to be precise, you would have to hail me as the Empress of Yan."

Zhuge Yue simmered, drinking alone, and didn't say a word.

Wind blew in between them, bring with it an icy cold chill.  Chu Qiao stared at Zhuge Yue, shuffling between everything that had come and gone between them in a trance.  She was spellbound for a while, holding her cup, not knowing what to say.

"I have seen him."

"Who?" Chu Qiao asked.

"During that time when I led my soldiers to kill members of the southwestern garrison army."  Zhuge Yue lifted his head and slowly said, "His name is Cheng Yuan, and now he is the leader of the first army, succeeding Wu Daoya, and he is presently a real power player in Yan Bei second only to Yan Xun."

Chu Qiao quietly lowered her eyes and said nothing.  Zhuge Yue looked at her, meditated upon her for a long while, then nodded his head and said, "You were right to return to Yan Bei's inland.  The internal influences within the Yan Bei Army are twisted and intertwined, it was never a place for you to stay."

Chu Qiao smiled, "Right, this past year I've lived quite comfortably."

"That's good then," Zhuge Yue chuckled.  "The political strategies in Yan Xun's position include the Yan Bei Army, its power is multi-faceted and disorderly, and also the DaTong Association, and its roots run deep.  If not for the threat of our army, Yan Xun would have been deemed unnecessary and cast aside.  One or two people with insight and good intentions is useless.  Seizing power inevitably becomes a game of chess.  The fact that you understand this benefits you greatly."

Chu Qiao nodded her head, "I understand there is always a high price paid for any great achievement.  A little setback won't topple me."

Zhuge Yue laughed.  His fox cloak bunched up against the slight blue stubble growth on his chin.  Zhuge Yue was beautiful, and in that beauty there was still a bit of sinister quality, but in this moment as he was sitting in front of her like this, he spoke words that only the two of them could understand.  She suddenly felt as though this person had a deep understanding of himself, while there were some things that Yan Xun didn't understand, and even things she was unwilling to face.  But he was keen enough to be able to go through the clues and figure it all out rather clearly, including her dreams, her beliefs, her hopes, her happiness, her frustrations, and the like.

This man was a frightening individual, he had an acute intuition for fighting, he possessed strong martial arts skills, he possessed artistic talents and he had the backing of his rich and powerful family.  However, there was one thing Chu Qiao had never been able to clearly see or know.  After all these years, what exactly did this man want?

Yan Xun wanted his revenge; to level the DaXia empire and be in contention to take over the world.  Zhao Che wanted the throne; to make his country rich and powerful and be master of a dynasty of heroes.  Li Ce wanted DaXia; as well as to recover the lands taken and revitalize the great Tang Dynasty.  But as for Zhuge Yue, what did he want?  No one knew, nor could anyone see clearly.  Staring into that pair of pitch dark eyes she felt as though she would gradually fall inside them.  His gaze was like that of an eddy, as he deeply stared at her.  On the surface it was breezy and light, but inside there was an unexpected burning fire.

And perhaps, perhaps he did say what he wanted once, in the misty rain of Bian Tang's JiangNan, as he held her and suppressed his pride as well as his anger when he said in a low voice, "I also need you."  (TN: *fangirl swoon*)

If that was the case, how could he possibly have uttered it from his own lips?  However, those words eventually became her magic barrier, confining her in a nightmare she would never overcome in her lifetime, becoming like a bad joke, as she would never have the ability to respond.

"Zhuge Yue, the swords on the battlefield are blind, the actions of the government are also unpredictable, you must take care of yourself."

Zhuge Yue smiled warmly, and he rarely showed such a gentle expression.  He looked up at the goddess effigy in the large hall, and slowly said, "Those things, cannot wound me."

Everyone had a weakness, and his will soon take up someone else's last name, and after that, he would never have any weaknesses again.

Zhuge Yue stood up, his slender figure standing under the moonlight had a transcending beauty.  His whole body was like a sculpture, his cheeks lit with a resplendent light.  He quietly looked up at the tall effigy of the battle goddess. Her beautiful face shimmered with a swift and fierce, heroic atmosphere.  The ancients had carefully sculpted her a suit of red armor.  Everywhere the red rock had traces of color, as if it was dripping faint streaks of blood.  She held a sharp battle-ax in her hand, standing against the back of the pregnant goddess, her eyes were keen and sharp, like an angry flaming sword.

For a moment Zhuge Yue's mind went into deep contemplation.  He could not describe the feeling he had when he first saw the goddess' effigy.  In this trance, it was as if he could see another person through her, and like this goddess that person possessed firm beliefs and noble ideals.  The old him frequently scoffed at things like this.  As a child he wandered about inside the sphere of his family's power and influence, and he was used to seeing traps of intrigue and conspiracy.  The belief that human nature was the root of all evil was already ingrained in his heart.  Calculation and conjecture was a necessity of life, as commonplace as sleeping and eating.  But later on, gradually, he finally understood that when a person lived for others it was the most beautiful moment for that person.  He didn't know what powers were sustaining her, nor did he know how she could be so firm in her steadfast sincerity.  He never believed in fate, but there were times that he would think that perhaps Heaven's will was on her side.  Perhaps even Heaven would hate to let down someone like her.

Those feelings he thought were loathsome or shameful had very early on taken root in his heart.  He hated his own weakness and insanity, but he was unable to resist that part of his heart that burned him more with each passing day with this idea.

He already couldn't figure out when it all started, at the time they were both still very young, and she was not even as tall as a horse's withers.  How did such ridiculous feelings come about?

However, after so many nights past, going back to that midnight dream, he would always remember the child's eyes before she left.  There he saw perseverance and an unwillingness to yield, like a little hell cat that would never acquiesce to the hunter's whip.  He thought he must have been confused, confused for many years, confused within such a firm belief, confused by those sharp, pointed eyes.  She had also said to him many times before, "Zhuge Yue, just you watch!"

And so he watched her this entire time.  He watched as she came out of her cocoon and became a butterfly, watched as she climbed to the top, watched as she exhausted herself, watched as she was toppled over and over again only to climb back up every time, watched as she stood beside another, and despite her being hurt and treated unfairly, she never wavered, standing firm like a mountain.

In this life, who would stand by you when you fell into purgatory? Who would you count on to mutually depend upon to survive when you were left with nothing?  Who would follow you so closely and pledge their life?  Who else would stand unwavering after being shut out in the cold?

Yan Xun, how lucky you are, yet you still don't know how to cherish her.

Zhuge Yue shed a smile, turned, and walked outside.  The wind whistled outside, and with a *whoosh* it blew his cloak, the hem of his coat fluttering, and he went straight away.

If you cannot have it, why not just freely let it go?  In his life's vocabulary, Zhuge Yue did not use the word "please." (TN: The phrase is 请求 which means 'request' but it also has a tinge of begging or entreaty to it, so I used 'please' because Zhuge Yue doesn't 'beg' but he also doesn't say please  ^_^)

"Zhuge Yue!"  Chu Qiao suddenly called out.  Zhuge Yue's body was shocked to a halt.  The young woman eagerly hurried over, her footfalls stepping deeply into the snowy ground.

Zhuge Yue turned his head and frowned slightly, "Is there something else?"

Chu Qiao took the Breaking Moon sword from her waist, and then gripped it in her hand, giving it to him.  Her face was solemn when she said, "Take care on your journey."

Zhuge Yue looked at the sword in her hand, but he did not take it, nor had he any inclination to return the Breaking Rainbow sword at his waist.

Chu Qiao slowly felt a bit awkward, but she obstinately continued to hold out her arm, her eyes fixed on him, like a child who refuses to eat when she can't have any candy.

"What do you mean by this?"

Chu Qiao bit her lip, taking a moment to ponder, then finally said, "All out war between Yan Bei and DaXia will soon break out.  At that time it will be difficult to avoid meeting on the battlefield. I will show no mercy, and you don't have be considerate of me either, we…."  (TN: SMH)

Zhuge Yue's expression suddenly became a lot cooler, and he lowered his head, and slanted a frown.  His stare made Chu Qiao a bit uncomfortable, and her voice gradually became smaller.

"Xing'er, in all fairness, if we met on the battlefield would you really cut off my head?"

Zhuge Yue's voice was deep and slow, as if this sentence did not come from his throat, but it seemed to come in concert with his thick heart beat.

Chu Qiao's palm was very cold, but it was still slightly sweaty, her mouth went dry and she had to take a deep breath.  Pushing down the out-of-sorts feeling in her heart, she slowly said, "I will not kill you.  But I will do my best to defeat you."

A deep laugh came forth, and Zhuge Yue lowered his head and shook it gently.  He had nothing to say but took the sword from Chu Qiao, and step by step he trudged through the snowy ground, turned and left.

"Unfortunately, I cannot."

The hoarse voice echoed on the mountaintop.  Large gusts of wind blew across, and instantly tore the sound to pieces.

It wasn't that he could not, insofar as he was not willing.  Because he always knew that for people like them, at a time like that, failure meant death. 

As for him, how could he possibly deprive her of the only bargaining chip she had?  (TN: her bargaining chip is her life, and he could never take her life, therefore he would willingly die by her hand)

As the snow fell it became heavier and heavier.  On the eastern side of MinXi Mountain was an ordinary group of merchants, dressed as traveling business men in Anjing camp.  They seemed to be Zhuge Yue's people.

Chu Qiao stood at the doorway of the temple, watching the man's back slowly disappear into the snow and wind.  Her entire body felt like a sheet of ice.  She walked inside alone and took the wine jug off the floor and took a sip.  The warm heat of the liquid smoothly flowed down her throat, bringing a bitter but fragrant and rich flavor.

She looked up to see the war goddess' fierce gaze looking back at her, as if reproaching her for her impetuousness and failure to see the grand scheme of things.  On the other side, the mother goddess' eyes were gentle, as if she understood all her suffering.  She slowly settled down on the ground, leaning against the tall pillar as she sat, holding her thin knees, looking as though she were a child that had yet to grow up. 

For the first time in her life, she put her hands together in prayer and closed her eyes, her weary voice quietly echoing through the large hall, "Where is the path to the future?  I can no longer see it clearly."

Translator's notes:   This chapter is REALLY long, so I didn't have the energy to translate all of it.  I was only looking for this scene where they meet again, but I didn't think they would be separated for an entire year after meeting under the tree.  After the next major event (I think the Frozen Lake scene is coming up with all these icy-water-lake references) they will be separated even more.  Considering he spent 8 years away from her while she was growing up with Yan Xun and still his feelings did not change, he can probably handle it.  I feel like she's gonna fall apart though.

On the second day of her return to base, he finds a way to give the Breaking Rainbow sword to her.  At the end of the chapter, it's clear that Chu Qiao is no longer in love with Yan Xun.  Though Yan Xun tries to woo her over again she is extremely unresponsive and eager to go on her next mission.  We then see Yan Xun is plotting something behind her back.  Zhuge Yue is a thorn in his side and they learn that Zhue Yue will soon be returning to the capital.   As she departs her camp to embark on her next mission, her sword suddenly warns her that Zhuge Yue is in trouble.  Dun, dun, duuuunnnnnnn! 

As an afterthought, I finally realized that through this entire period she had his sword with her, and he wears the one that was meant for her.  Through thick and thin, when she was fighting for ChiDu City, while she was defending Bei Shuo City, his sword was with her as if it was the only way he could support her while she was in Yan Bei, but nevertheless, he supported her.  It's like she carried a part of him with her wherever she went. She is such a dunderhead for wanting to give it back (insert face palm here).  Also, it's kind of funny that the swords are suddenly magic swords, but oh wells, just roll with it.  ^_^; 

This scene is significant because this might be the first time she eats with him in the novels, though the TV series had her eating all the time…I especially loved that episode when the actress Zhao YiLing pigs out in front of Lin Genshin/Yuwen Yue after the bath fight in Bian Tang.  Zhuge Yue eats alone, always waiting for someone.  The fact that he eats with her here is his way of saying how he considers her an important person in his life.

But I also hate this scene because the two of them aren't saying anything of substance to one another and it feels like a goodbye.  The author loves to tease, but he's been built up so much, more than any other male character in the novels, from the very beginning I thought Zhuge Yue was designed to be Chu Qiao's counterpart.  Had the next traumatic event not occurred, they would have let each other go and married other people.  Ironic since they both have a very sharp understanding of one another.  Even the sword, the bird and the goddess were rolling their proverbial eyes.   -KERO

Princess Agents 特工皇妃楚喬傳, Chapter 146 English Novel translation

Princess Agents - 特工皇妃楚喬傳

After the Northern Expedition

Intro to Chapter 146: 

After Yan Xun and Chu Qiao reunite, she knows that he loves her and therefore came back to her so that should be enough for her and she decides not to bring up the grievances of the people for now.   (TN: which is stupid because his thoughtlessness nearly got her killed) When she is with him, she recalls a similar feeling of being in a dream, though Yan Xun was not there, and it was back in Bian Tang when someone held her hand in a warm place surrounded by flowers (TN: reference to chapter 122 when Zhuge Yue held her hand so he could apply ointment?  ^_^ )

Her sister ZiSu (who thankfully did not die at the Mausoleum) gives her a note from Yan Xun.  He is trying to find her sisters some husbands soon, because no one knows what will happen during war time, and Zisu suggests it's because Chu Qiao cannot marry until her older sisters do.  Though there is a temporary peace in Yan Bei, Chu Qiao's heart is at peace for now.

Even so, her latest exploits take a physical toll on her and she falls ill.  During this downtime she learns from Ms. Yu that DaXia has sent soldiers to the east with Prince Zhao Che while YanXun has secured the northwest.  She realizes that Yan Xun has set aside Ms. Yu and Mr. Wu of the DaTong Association for the most part to prevent DaTong from accumulating power in Yan Bei.  They don't seem to mind, and Chu Qiao knows Ms. Yu and Mr. Wu are very intelligent people and they must have their own plans.  Their teacher is a wise recluse who has had powerful connections and famous disciples currently working in governments around the land.  The disciples of WoLong Mountain also include Zhuge Yue.

She wonders if he will be among them when Zhao Che comes, but the battlefield is bloody and violent and she tries to convince herself he would not be there. When Yan Xun suggests she should think about her future she has a hard time wrapping her mind around it.  When he asks her to marry him when the war in the east is over, she agrees.

Meanwhile, at a tea party in the Zhuge estate, Zhuge Yue's third sister and her guests are admiring the potted plants in the garden.  Zhuge Yue had planted them himself.  Each of them have a hidden meaning; one flower was like Chu Qiao, ever changing.  One was like him, white and frosty.  Another was a beautiful long vine with yellow flowers planted before Mrs. HeLian married her husband.  Everyone recalled the story of Zhuge Yue blocking the marriage procession with his men which caused a nasty public confrontation.  Nothing came of it, but still, he was punished for 6 months by exile from the family.  Had he not fallen seriously ill he would not have come back.  

Zhuge Yue stumbles upon this scene of gossiping hens talking about his past.  His sister introduced him to her acquaintances, seemingly for the purpose of match making. He was polite but took no interest in any of the beauties.  Afterwards he ripped the flowering vine from its roots out of the pot.  (TN: ^_^;; His tastes in women have certainly changed)

He then proceeded to busy himself with war preparations from dawn to dusk, not leaving any room for visitors and spurning any attempts by his family to find a wife for him.  When the expedition north was finally ready Zhuge Yue packed light.  When one of his servants mentioned that the north was cold,  and "if Xing'er were here" she would tell him he was being foolish, but then cut herself off before finishing that sentence.  

When he came back much later in the evening, after being called by the upper house, he smelled of alcohol and the servants knew he was in a bad mood because he seldom drank. He accidentally calls a servant "Xing'er."  That afternoon he left with the DaXia war supplies to deliver to Zhao Che.

Chu Qiao comes to realize that Yan Xun had saved a woman on the road who happened to be ZiSu's sister in law.  She was forgotten at Bei Shuo city and forced to be a military prostitute.  It was a tearful reunion for her sisters because the shock of it had strained the woman's mind, and she became a bit simple and mentally traumatized.  Yan Xun dismisses her story as trivial though Chu Qiao confronts him with it.  (TN: Yan Xun is only concerned with big picture and the suffering of an individual is nothing to him.  Chu Qiao is the exact opposite who wants to save the person in front of her first before she considers the big picture)

He also will not allow her to follow him in his military campaign in the east.  He tells her that his wish is to not make her run around for him like she had done in the past and that she should wait for him (like a dutiful wife).  He tries to seduce her to take her mind off it but she stops him.  He responds that he wants to pay back what he owes her.  He promises to build her a palace but she declines, saying she only wants him safe and sound. She realizes that they want different things, and she will have to acquiesce to his wishes if they are to be together. Also, Yan Xun's sweet talk is only a distraction so he can exclude her from his military planning on the eastern front.

It seems Chu Qiao's popularity was growing among the people, and they even erected shrines for her, and she had a thought that this was why Yan Xun was excluding her from the military planning, but she dismisses it.  When she starts to feel deceived and blinded by Yan Xun, she thinks of Zhuge Yue and her heart hurts.   In his life Yan Xun only had her in his heart, yet without even noticing her heart fluttered at Zhuge Yue when she was apart from Yan Xun, and she feels a bit guilty.  Also, she thought perhaps she should not have been so arrogant to count who was sorry to whom and who owed whom with Zhuge Yue.

When she comes across Yan Xun's desk she sees that he and the princess of Huai-Song have been exchanging love poems, and she comes to the singular conclusion that the lifelong companionship she and Yan Xun promised one another was nothing more than this.  She angrily refuses to believe it.

She runs into Deputy Yin LiangYu who warns her that He Xiao and the Black House Army are in trouble.  Yan Xun wants them to disband and retire the red cloud banner. When Yan Xun tells her to go back she assumes responsibility for them as their leader, according to military law.  She defends the Black House Army with its long distinguished 100 year old history and accuses the others of being DaXia spies for wanting to disband them.  When Yan Xun tries to dismiss her again she stubbornly refuses, and he threatens her soldiers' insubordination with beheading.  When she declares they are loyal to him, he questions her and asks if it's really him they are loyal to.  She kneels and prostrates herself before the prince and declares upon her honor they are loyal.  Despite her pleas a member of her army was executed for disobeying.  She left without a word and fell ill again.

She thinks about the 8 years of hardships she endured with Yan Xun and she neither complained nor felt resentment, but only cold and disappointed.  She had promised her men they would be heroes and they would change their ill fortune, and in the end she was worshipped in temples and they were punished.  She laments that it looked as though she had used them for her own benefit after all.  When Yan Xun apologizes she realized that she had also been used, but for now she saved her army.

When Yan Bei's scouts fail to return Chu Qiao demands to know who was their logistics commander on the eastern front and Yan Xun replies it is Zhuge Yue. In part she is worried because Zhuge Yue has accomplishments rivaling that of Zhao Che and he is a disciple of WoLong Mountain, not to mention he has a powerful family and powerful financial backing.  She had heard that he had been imprisoned for his interference in Bian Tang, returned to be censured by the government, stripped of his rank, grounded and placed under house arrest by his father.  He was the laughingstock of the nobles for a while. That being said, she was also secretly relieved this was no longer so.  Sometimes she would even dream of him and the words he spoke, "Don't you feel it too?  I also need you."  She hoped he was only in charge of logistics and they would not meet.

One night she knows Cheng Yuan is up to something and she calls for He Xiao but is told that Cheng Yuan has taken command of some of her forces to raid the enemy camp.  She calls the remainder of her forces to come with her and true enough Cheng Yuan set them up. A sudden arrow in the dark fires directly at He Xiao.  That's where we begin….

Chapter 146: Good People are Saved

Suddenly a sharp arrow burst through the air, humming as it spun, as if he had become a hunter's far sighted target, and it raced towards He Xiao's face!

Avoiding it and retreat was impossible for it was simply too fast. The thick, murderous air pouring forth like a flood obscuring the sky, surged forward to massacre and sweep everything away.  All the torchlight seemed to dim in that moment and only the sparkle and light of the arrow remained; shredding the clamor in the dark night like a bloody feast.

He Xiao's pupils enlarged, his vision acute, and he felt his forehead's skin hurt as if being pricked.  He was also a master of archery, and it was uncommon to encounter another impressive opponent like this.  However in the face of this arrow, he felt as if he reverted to a seven or eight year old child, without power to retaliate; like a common farmer against an exquisite swordsman, pumping his fists futilely in the air against swordsmanship possessed with finesse, and as a result the poor farmer would die on the fields his ancestors worked so hard to till.

It was too fast for his body to take any action, the arrow was already upon him and he could hear his wide-eyed subordinates call out but he was unable to speak.  Here, in his last moment, he wondered, Who is this person?  Perishing at the hands of someone who's skills rivaled that of her Excellency was not an unfair way to die.

*Ting!*

A sharp pointed whistling sound cut through the field, thereafter followed by a deathly silence. It was followed by rumbling and shouts in the mountain.  Chu Qiao had come on horseback, standing tall on her saddle, she leaped and stood in front of He Xiao with bow in hand.  Under her horse were two arrows crossing one another, one wooden shaft split open like a flower.

"Your Excellency!"

All her men and the leadership cheered in unison, "Her Excellency has come!"

Surprisingly, the enemy also relented, and the two sides retreated on opposite sides.  A line of torches  faced the darkness.

Chu Qiao frowned, for she was all too familiar with that arrow, and her pulse began to beat loudly in her chest.  Her eyebrows locked together.  She was afraid and anxious but a faint trace of joy was born.  If it was true, if it was really true, then perhaps…they would escape unharmed.

The opposing side dispersed and a white horse slowly came forth from behind the soldiers.  The young man was dressed in a sable cloak and his brocaded finery had no appearance of being part of the military.  His eyes were like water in a cold spring, lazily gazing across Chu Qiao and the others. His expression was ever haughty and indifferent, and finally, he said faintly, "It's just a bunch of refugees, withdraw the troops."

"But Sir!" an officer stepped forward, hastily saying "How are these refugees, their fighting strength is so fierce, they must be an elite division of Yan Bei forces."

The man's brow lifted slightly as he listened, he lowered his chin and looked at him from the corner of his eye, saying quietly, "Do you have an opinion on my judgment?"

Shocked, the man suddenly knelt on the ground, "You subordinate dares not." 

"Then do you think I am in league with the enemy? Or perhaps there is something wrong with my mental capacity?"

The officer's forehead gradually broke out in a sweat, and his words nervously tumbled in succession, "Your subordinate was confused, your subordinate dares not."  

The man lifted his head up didn't even spare a glance, saying lightly, "Since you do not dare, then you know what you must do."

"Y-yes, your subordinate knows."  He hastily got up and said to the soldiers behind him, "Fall back, fall back! Rear guard first, the others follow in sequence!"

The man in sable slowly urged his horse around, and before he left he lightly looked back and swept his gaze across Chu Qiao's face.  The young woman was dressed in white fur looked painfully thin, and that made her eyes appear even larger.  She looked down at herself grasping her reins and did not speak.  The wind blew her hair, waving like ink that had dripped into water, dancing in a perfect arc.

The enemy forces thus withdrew, all 3,000 of them, leaving the about 1,000 armed "refugees" behind.  The soldiers had been surprised at the beginning of the battle, afterwards they were still a little frightened, and up until now someone finally asked, "They're just gonna leave?"

Everyone was still a little stunned, but after a while someone answered softly, "Didn't you see her Excellency had arrived? They must have been scared."

"He Xiao, go reorganize the troops, I'll be back in a bit."

Seeing that Chu Qiao was headed in the same direction the enemy retreated He Xiao was suddenly alarmed, and pulled on her horse's bridle, saying in a low voice, "Excellency, you mustn't.  If you fell into enemy hands we would not be able to atone for it even if we died a thousand times."

"Don't worry," Chu Qiao smirked, "Nothing will happen.  That person…."

Her words cut off there, and her voice suddenly stopped.  How would she describe the relationship between them?  Enemies?  Rivals?  Or perhaps…

"… is my friend."

Even if she didn't see it herself, she could guess that person's identity.  In this world, aside from Yan Xun whom she grew up with, who else could receive her arrow?  

The horse ran for less than the length of a burning incense, and she saw two men standing in the distance under a large tree.  One of them seemed really happy and ran up to meet her as soon as he saw her approach, smiling as he said, "Miss Xing'er you've come.  Master said you would but I was still worried."

The moonlight was a sheet of white on the snowy field.  The giant tree was like a large umbrella.  Though its branches were withered and stripped of leaves, it was unusually straight and tall.  Zhuge Yue stood beneath the tree, silently watching her without saying anything.  His white horse was leisurely grazing beside him, but when it saw Chu Qiao it also whinnied happily, as if acknowledging an acquaintance.

Yue Qi chattered away as he took the reins from her, and Chu Qiao jumped off her her horse and said smiling, "I never thought I'd see you guys here.  How have you been?"

"Miss, of whom are you asking?  Are you asking if I, Yue Qi, am well?  I'm doing quite well.  I can eat and sleep well.  I married my wife a while ago."

Yue Qi grinned as he said it, and Chu Qiao was slowly embarrassed, but she still smiled as she said, "Then I really must congratulate you."

"Yue Qi, go on ahead and tell Yu Chao to go slow and not carelessly fall into a snow drift."

Yue Qi turned his head and said to Zhuge Yue standing under the tree, "Master, Yu Chao was born and raised in the north.  You are worried about him, but you are not worried about me who might fall into a snow drift delivering your warning."  (TN: I heart Yue Qi)

As soon as he heard this Zhuge Yue raised his brow, his expression flashing a hint of anger. Yue Qi quickly raised his hand followed with, "Fine, fine, your servant is leaving.  Let's just consider it an expression of Master's consideration for his subordinates."  As soon as he said it he mounted his horse, tapped the rein, and swiftly cantered away.

Truthfully they had seen one another two months ago, but for some reason Chu Qiao felt as though it had already been a long time.  In this span of time so many things had happened, and after fighting with DaXia, the multitude of mistakes have reared their ugly heads, especially during the period she and Yan Xun stopped understanding one another.  One by one, Zhuge Yue's predictions had come true.  She faced many obstacles, she trudged a difficult path, and now that she saw him, a thousand trains of thought poured out of her heart, making her unable to understand her own state of mind.

Their relationship was difficult, making her unsure of what to say.  She could only stand there woodenly, like a shriveled tree on a wasteland.

"You are having internal problems?"

Zhuge Yue suddenly opened his mouth about a private military matter.  Chu Qiao was surprised and looked at him strangely.  What was he trying to say?  Surely he wasn't trying to solicit intelligence on Yan Bei's activities?

"It was someone on your side who led me here."

Zhuge Yue slowly said, "I'm guessing someone wanted to use me to get rid of this army, but I didn't expect it to be yours."

Although she had already guessed it, Chu Qiao still burned with anger when she heard it.  She bit her lower lip, clenched her fist and looked down, but said nothing.

"You should be more careful.  This time you met me, next time, it may be Zhao Che."

Zhuge Yue said this and he took his horse and turned to go, which surprised Chu Qiao.  She followed two steps and hurriedly called out, "Zhuge Yue!"

Zhuge Yue turned his head and frowned back at her.  Chu Qiao thought for a while and finally said, "Will this get you into trouble?"

Zhuge Yue quipped dryly, "As long as you don't write a missive to the government, I surmise there will be no problem."  (TN: hahahaahahaha, so sarcastic…)

Chu Qiao took a deep breath, her eyes bright like stars, looked straight at him and said quietly, "Thank you."

Zhuge Yue led his horse away, casually waving his hand at her saying, "If you can't do it yourself go back and tell Yan Xun. If there is internal conflict, it will be difficult to fight a war."

The snowy ground reflected the light of the moon, bright and white.  Zhuge Yue was draped in black sable, making his back figure even more gorgeous and handsome.  On the ground his long shadow stretched, step by step on the snowy field, the sound of his horse's steps slowly walking.

Chu Qiao stood still on the field, watching his back figure go farther, and even farther away, until it disappeared under the snow and she could no longer see him.

Her throat was constricted as if she had a thousand words stuck inside without any means of spitting them out.  Those complex emotions made her reasoning momentarily take flight, and she continued to stand there for a long time, unmoving.  It wasn't until He Xiao, who had been worried about her, came with his troops in a hurry to retrieve her, that she slowly came out of her trance.

"Excellency, let us return."

Chu Qiao nodded and said, "Let's return and tell our brothers not to speak a word of what happened tonight."

He Xiao nodded, "Yes, Your Excellency can rest assured."

He thought about it a bit more, and again asked, "So this time, we're just going to let it go?"

Chu Qiao's face suddenly turned icy, and she grunted cooly, "Of course we can't just let it go."

She swiftly turned her horse, the war horse gave a cry, breaking the night's tranquility.  The dreary wind moaned, the snow flurries rolled, a trace of a harsh winter.

Chu Qiao turned her head and looked back at the snowy plain, simple and clean, spread like an endless sea.  The large tree quietly stood there, tall and upright, living there for an unknown length of time, with an unknown number of people passing beneath it.  Her expression was affectionate, cutting across the pure white time and space.

"Back to camp!"

Translators notes: The title of this chapter is 良人安在 which can be translated as "Good People are Safe" but the phrase 良人 is also an archaic term for "husband" so her 'husband' is also safe, hahaha….  Finally, Chu Qiao's heart has muddled through her confusion and has created affection for Zhuge Yue as her gaze crosses the snowy field to the lonely, straight as an arrow tree that probably represents him in more ways than one. This was also the same way he looked at her when she was beating up Liang Shaoqing in a previous chapter.  Heh, it only took her 146 chapters….

-KERO