Princess Agents - 特工皇妃楚喬傳, Chapter 186, English novel translation

Princess Agents - 特工皇妃楚喬傳 

Head Notes:  Is it him, or isn’t it?   Honestly, as smart as she is, it seems unlikely for her to conclude this is anyone else.  Who else would visit the dishonored dead with the chilling north wind at his back?  The author seems to write her main heroine into a corner though, consistently seeming to be tired, sleepy and otherwise indifferent to the world around her.  However, I wonder if Chu Qiao was really fooled or if she’s pretending not to know. Yan Xun is up to something.  Considering there are only 191 chapters in this novel, whatever it is, it will be short lived.  Hopefully we will reach our happy ending without much fuss from Yan Xun.

Chapter 186: The Winds of Yan are Coming

For a moment, Chu Qiao thought she had seen Yan Xun again.  (TN: *whispers* ummm…. maybe because it’s him, yo….)

Not a single thread of moonlight was seen outside; only the whistling, snow laden wind was outside, blowing onto people’s faces like ice cold blades.  The man stood there wrapped in a cloak that only revealed a pair of deep, penetrating eyes, fixedly watching her through layers of snowfall.  The candles in the room were extinguished instantly when the door had opened, and only faint flashes of glimmering snow reflected in the heavy night, making the obscure figure even more oppressive.

It seemed a long time had passed, and yet it could have only been a moment.  The man slowly lifted his foot, lowering his head slightly, a faint hint of tiredness seeping through his step.  A rail thin, gnarled hand reached for his mouth and he coughed softly.

Someone closed the door and the three of them stood within the narrow and cramped mourning hall looking rather cramped.  The hunched-back retainer dressed in black deftly reignited the candles inside, and the faint light slowly illuminated all around.  They cast light upon the man’s white hair underneath his hood as well as the wrinkled hands beneath the sleeves of his robe.

The chair Chu Qiao had used to keep the door closed was wiped clean by the servant.  The man sat down as he coughed, body bent, and it was faintly apparent how frail and feeble the body was beneath the clothes.

Chu Qiao continued to stand there, as she did from the moment they came in, and said nothing.  She even had some doubts as to why this kind of ill and frail person would cause her to be so alarmed, to the point that she even thought it was Yan Xun.

The servant retreated, and stood beside the door.  His whole body was hidden in the shadow of the firelight, lowered his head and acted like he was a voiceless stone.

The dim light gently cast down, and the wind flowed in from the missing tiles in the roof.  It moaned as it blew, and the blinking candlelight looked as if they would blow out at any moment. 

The man suddenly lifted his head, his pair of deep, black eyes watching her, unexpectedly saying, “The snow storm tonight is really big.”

Chu Qiao was startled.  For reasons unknown she felt a trace of unspeakable tension when facing this person.  It was as if there was a steady stream of low key oppression emitting from his person, gradually filling the entire room.  (TN: face palm) Even his breathing became low.

“True.  It is indeed big,” she nodded, speaking quietly.

“It’s been so many years since we’ve had such a big snow.”   His voice revealed an unconcealed hoary and tired timbre, suggesting he was quite aged.  “It seems fifteen years ago there was also such big snowstorm.  In from of the Fu Yin Gate, even the old pagoda tree was blown down.”

Fifteen years ago….

That was the same year the House of Yan fell.  In that bitter cold winter they withdrew to a dilapidated building in the southern part of the city.  They had to burn everything within, or else be covered in frostbite.

“Was this year’s Lantern Festival lively?”

The person asked this question quite naturally, as if they were old friends who had known one another for a long time.

Chu Qiao tilted her head slightly, saying, “Heaven is uncooperative, disturbing a rather good festival.  Grandfather, did you come to see the lanterns, only to have the snow drive you in here as well?”

He laughed slightly, saying, “With this kind of body, where would I have the energy to see the lanterns?”

Chu Qiao raised her brows slightly, and asked in a low voice, “Then mister, did you come here especially to visit His Highness?”

Even though she could not see his face, Chu Qiao still imagine his silent smile.

Suddenly, the sound of a long, drawn out bell and drums reverberated from the distance.  It was the watchman’s chime for the 18th hour of the Lantern Festival, just atop TianCheng Tower of the palace.  Operated by Qin Tianjian and a renown monk, it oversaw the recitation of scripture to Buddha and the burning of incense.  They prayed for favorable weather next year, that the country be prosperous and that its people live in peace.

Chu Qiao slowly turned her head in the direction of the sound, a little lost in thought.

“This place is so bleak, and you are a girl alone in such a place.  Are you not afraid?”

Chu Qiao turned to look at the old man.  Those who could so easily come into this place without alerting Yue Thirteen and the others were uncommon.  In her heart she tried to filter out those who were able to come to this place at a time like this, but she was unable to come up with anyone in particular.  Unavoidably, it was all the more doubtful.  But she did not let her expression show it, and only lightly smiled in reply, “If your heart is benevolent, there is nothing to fear.  Compared to the hearts of people, the so-called ghosts and ghouls are more kind-hearted by leaps and bounds.”

“A benevolent heart?” The old man’s intonation slowly rose, and he quietly smiled, “In this world, how many can really live up to those words?”

“As long as I feel that I can live up to them, then it is enough.”   Chu Qiao stood up in place, her long, snow white robes beautiful and elegant in the light, her face smooth and clean, with a halo of white, she quietly said, “There are those who spend a lifetime as an honest official, faithful to gods and king, without taking an ounce from the people, and with clean hands, they are magnanimous for a lifetime.  There are those who live their entire lives attempting nothing and accomplishing nothing, scraping a meager living to support their families, yet they have never broken the law, and in their hearts they have no remorse, and no debts.  They too are worthy of those two words.  Whether peace resides in the heart (TN: 心之所安 a heart at peace with everything) is decided by oneself, and is not based on achievement.”  (TN:  Yes, Chu Qiao seems to take up the mantle of a Buddhist  philosopher here, but also, I think she is trying to explain to Yan Xun to let it go….  I remember the scene with her in front of the two-faced Yan Goddess on the mountain.  One with the face of war stood in her choice to remain with him, and the other face of the mother at peace stood in the direction of Zhuge Yue.  I see the symbolism now and how her personality has flipped)

The old man raised his brows slightly.  A gust of wind wound the ash along the floor and it fluttered down onto the hem of his cloak.  He sank deep in thought for a short while, and then slowly smiled, saying, “What you say is reasonable.”  

“It is such a big snow storm outside.  Elder, you’ve come here in the middle of the night, perhaps something disturbs your heart?”

“I am old, it is inevitably easy to ponder on things past in this fleeting life.”

A wild wind swelled and in an instant it blew open the chamber doors, and all the candles in the room were suddenly extinguished.  The servant was startled.  Even though he was already advanced in age, his hands were quite nimble, and in no time he closed the door and lit an oil lamp.

The old man raised his line of sight, staring at the row of dark coffins in the deep blackness.  His smile was restrained, and waved his hand, “This is fine.”

The chamber was very quiet, and one could only hear the sound of the wind howling above the roof.  Eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness all around.  Through the glistening snow outside, one could already see the indistinct figures of people outside. 

The elder removed his cloak and said, “He probably just doesn’t want to see me.”  (TN: I think he is making a reference here to someone resting in one of the coffins)

“I’ve brought wine, come have a cup with me.”

Without waiting for Chu Qiao to respond, the old servant came forward and spread a sturdy silk cloth on the floor, placing two wine cups on it with a shining, white, translucent jade pot that slightly glowed. In the darkness.  The cups were filled and the wine’s fragrance permeated.  The old servant offered a cup of wine to Chu Qiao.  Chu Qiao sniffed it and said, “This is qing nu jiao, wine from Qing Qiu.”  (TN: 青女娇 qing nu jiao literally means lovely green/young and innocent girl.)

 The old man smiled and praised, “Your nose is quite sharp.”

Chu Qiao smiled, “My tolerance for spirits isn’t anything to brag about, but the ability to smell wine is my expertise.”

As soon as she said it, she took a silver needle from her hair and plunged it into the cup.  (TN: silver detects most poisons by turning color)  A short while after extracting it, sniffed once in between breaths, and only then did she relax and drank down the wine, praising it.  “Indeed it is good wine.”

The old man saw how she had so overtly tested the wine for poison in front of his face, yet he was not affronted.  Instead, he said with great interest, “Lend your needle to me.”

Chu Qiao was slightly stunned, and asked, “Do you not feel at ease drinking the wine that you yourself had brought?”

“There is no harm in being a little careful.”

The old man did as Chu Qiao had done, and swept the silver hair pin into the cup.  From the folds of robe he retrieved a match book and after lighting it he looked into the cup for a long while, and only after that did he raise his head to drink. 

Chu Qiao laughed, “When you do it like that, you are actually more insecure.”

The old man was slightly astonished, and asked, “Why?”

“Not all poisons corrode silver.  Moreover, in the process of handing you my hairpin, there are many other ways of administering poison.  Even if poison is not used, being so close to me, aren’t you afraid that I could be an assassin?”

The old man looked at her without a trace of being alarmed, and asked her in earnest, “So are you?”

“If I said I wasn’t, would you believe me?”

The old man frowned, as if he was really considering it, and after a while he finally said, “I would not really believe it.”

Chu Qiao laughed aloud, “That’s right.  The farmer wishes to eat chicken tonight, so he will not kill the pig, but that doesn’t mean he will not kill the pig tomorrow.”

“Are you comparing me to a pig?”

“No, no,” Chu Qiao shook her head.  “A man like you is 1/3 wolf, 1/3 snake; for the other part, it would do well not to inquire.”

The old man smiled and asked the old servant by the door, “See the mouth on this girl, it is comparable to the hundred poison darts of the You Shi Tribe.”

The old man seemed to be happy, and sat with Chu Qiao in a relaxed manner while drinking wine.  Outside, the snow storm was getting stronger and stronger.  Chu Qiao pulled a chair over, wiped it clean and sat down, and drank cup after cup of wine with him.  (TN:  This scene is reminiscent of a few chapters back. Chu Qiao now gets to drink with an old friend/frienemy, just as Zhuge Yue did with his.  Zhuge Yue is probably having a fit right now since she’s missing…. ^_^;)  It was a veil of darkness all around, but for the few shafts of light coming from the roof.

The wine had a tempting aroma; just in the first taste, one was lured into taking a second sip.  Thought it was not poisoned, drinking too much would lead to being intoxicated.  Without knowing how much time had passed, Chu Qiao’s head gradually became dizzy, she leaned into the chair, her arm on the armrest supported her head, and slowly she closed her eyes.  She conversed with the old man quite a bit, or not at all, and it seemed they had discussed much, but gradually she forgot it.  Her heart was tranquil, as if wide swaths of snow white waves swept across it, layers upon layers, gently brushing over her white fingers and cheeks.

It was like she had returned to the time of her childhood, methodically teaching her the Tai Zu Zhang form of martial arts, teaching her hand-to-hand field combat, and teaching her how to recognize hidden traps.  He taught her how to use a variety of weapons and daggers, and took the chairman’s quotes and had her recite them over and over.  (TN: she was raised in fictional Communist China, and in reality, Chairman Mao was known to be a literate scholar and wrote many essays and philosophies on Communism and men.  His real-life  opponent was General Chiang Kai Shek who lost the war and retreated to Taiwan.  But the general was also a renown philosopher and wrote treatises on government and men.  So, depending on how you were raised, as a pro-Communist native or a banished ex-patriot, you would either know quotes from Chairman Mao, or from General Chiang.  My parents memorized the general’s quotes as children.   I am not certain if the author here is serious when she describes Chu Qiao’s upbringing, or if she’s being tongue-in-cheek about how rigid it was and whether it’s actually a veiled jab at Communism.  After all, it was because of her rigidity, she followed Yan Xun for so many years and didn’t know how to express what she wanted with Zhuge Yue.)  Early every morning, she would stand under the party flag and swear her allegiance.  She was only a few years old at the time, but she had felt quite dignified and solemn as she stood behind her old and tough grandfather as he said loudly over and over again, “Loyalty to the Chairman, loyalty to the Party, loyalty to the people, and sacrifice your life for your people and your country if need be….”

Then the image changed, and in came the picture of a deep, freezing palace.  An enormous moon shone on the tops of their heads, and the boy stood stubbornly before her, so angry that he bit his lip as he looked at her new hairpin, spitefully silent.  She had been so scared that she hurriedly removed the hairpin, and nervously cried out to him that it was the thirteenth prince who had given it to her, and she didn’t like it one bit.  After a long while, she watched as he archly revealed an ugly hairpin in his fist, as if he had polished the copper strip himself.  It was bare; without any decoration.  His fingers were a bit raw, and a few were already bleeding and wrapped in rags.

Then, a pair of fox-like eyes emerged from the waves, and a man dressed in red brocade robes sat in a water pavilion and exaggerated a sigh.  A group of girls dressed in multi-colored dress surrounded him.  His eyes were mesmerized, as if he had drank two jugs of Red Girl wine.  (TN: if you’ve ever watched kung fu costume dramas, it seems everyone drank this wine (nǚ’ér hóng) in the ancient days ^_^;)  He noticed her from afar and suddenly stood up, waving wildly at her as he said, “Qiao Qiao!  Qiao Qiao!  Hurry up and come here—”

And then, the picture changed, and the sky filled with gleaming sunlight reflected on waves.  Ring after ring of smoke and mist hung above the old road.  Light and shadow came down in torrents, fluttering and voluminous, as if drifting through the long length of a lifetime, turning into that haughty and aloof, but handsome, man.  Again, it was the lantern festival of three years ago.  He was in a fit of pique with himself because she did not want to go with him to Qing Hai.  Breathing heavily with rage he walked in front, ignoring her completely, but not before yelling at her and calling her a blind idiot.  (TN: When did this happen…? ^_^; I don’t remember translating this scene)  Angry, she picked up a clump of dirt clod,  throwing it from behind and it happened to just hit him on the head.  He was so angry his face went livid as he turned around and glared at her ferociously.  (TN: sorry, I LOL’d here and had to stop typing for a bit)

Then, on a swaying boat, the two of them embraced amid the countless, thin and delicate strands of rain.  He murmured by her ear, “I’m so happy, I’ve never been so happy….”

Just then, a childish voice echoed in her ear, “In the end, he died, and he also died, and she was left alone and heartbroken, so she left, and in the end she died, leaving only him to remain.”  (TN: O_o wtf?)

So it was, so it was.  She was dreaming.  Li Ce had already died, killed by the hand of his own mother, dying in her arms.  She had seen a large expanse of red blood blossoming from his chest and touched his ice cold body and closed eyes.  (TN: literal translation of 紧闭的眼帘, the curtains of his eyes securely shut)  He leaned on her shoulder and died, never again to laugh and call out her name, never again to reach out and touch her cheek, never to sneak into her bedroom at night again and sift through the letters Zhuge Yue had written to her.  He was never again to look at her gently whenever she was going through a tough time, hold her close, and then say, “Don’t fret, don’t fear.  You still have me, you still have Zhuge Fourth.  Even if it’s that bastard Yan Xun, he wouldn’t really harm you.”  (TN:  …thinking back on the rain of arrows that nearly killed her….)

Between heaven and earth was the boundless and indistinct north wind, a large snowfall dyed red descended from heaven, and Zhuge Yue faced Yan Xun on a desert plain.  She saw thousands of people’s souls floating in the heavens, she heard the earth’s lamentation,  and she heard the wind’s mourning.  She saw the sky was cracked, with dense, deep red blood slowly seeping through the crevice and flowing onto the badly mangled ground.  She saw Zhuge Yue fall, his back split open.  It was the would that she had pierced in him so many years ago, but pierced with a deep, cold arrow through his body.  She saw in Yan Xun’s hand was the 3-foot blood bow, standing atop countless bloody corpses.  Thousands of arrows shot out, making a sheet of deep black that covered heaven and earth, and he stood at the pinnacle of the world.  Endless red liquid seeped beneath his feet and his body was pierced with arrows but he did not fall.  (TN: holy cow, this is some messed up, traumatic and violent dream)

Thousands upon thousands of troops and horses swept through, and all the visions were broken.  A wolf’s saber shred the map of the continent to pieces and she was again kneeling on the ice sheet of Qianzhang Lake, watching the world collapse in an instant, his voice whispering beside her ear over and over:

Keep on living, keep on living, keep on living—

Her tears poured forth in streams, across her pointed chin, dripping into the folds of her snow white cloak.

The old man stood in front of her, the smile that had just been on his face vanished, his expression became indifferent and lonely.  He turned his head towards the old servant and asked, “Is it her?”

The old hunched back servant, always in his humble appearance, said softly, “It is she.”

The old man slowly smiled, but there was no trace of mirth in his eyes, “Who’d have though we would meet again in a place like this?”

The old servant slightly raised himself, but said not a word.  The old man muttered to himself for a long time, and suddenly reached out his finger and swept it across Chu Qiao’s cheek, and touched an ice cold remnant of her tears.  He was instantly shocked and placed his finger in his mouth, his tongue slowly tasting the saltiness.

“Anfu, do people cry when they drink yellow millet wine?”

The chamber was dim.  The old slave did not see that the girl sitting in the chair was quietly crying.  He quickly lit a candle and leaned in front of Chu Qiao to look carefully.  For a moment, he was also shocked.

The teardrops fell in a row, rolling silently like a broken string of pearls.  Anfu’s voice was laced with astonishment, and after a long moment, he slowly said, “This slave has never heard it said that there were people who drank yellow millet and cried.  This woman presumably has much pain in her heart.”

After saying this, An Fu slightly frowned, as if he was puzzled.  

“With such an honorable status, what cause would there be for such pain?”

The old man heard this and slightly smiled, and said lightly, “The more you think you have caught happiness, the more you fear that you will lose it one day.  This is a child’s heart.  I’m afraid not even she can control that fear.”

“Your Highness, the hour is late.  We should return.”

The old man nodded, donned his cloak, and walked to the door but suddenly turned his head around, and focused on the coffins placed there.  “Shi Cheng, how many years more do you think DaXia can be blessed with its throne?”

The cold wind blew over.  His silhouette looked frail and he suddenly coughed a few times.  As he laughed lightly he opened the chamber doors, and like that, he left.

A single cup of lamp oil remained lit, emitting a pale light, swaying countlessly, but stayed unextinguished.  

The lady dressed in white leaned against the back of the chair, slightly rubbed her head, the tears flowing down in rows, quietly; tranquil like lake water.

Without knowing how much time had passed, there was someone beside her speaking.  She frowned slightly as the lantern shone like moonlight, glaring to her eyes.  Mei Xiang’s voice reached her ears, saying in a lively voice, “She’s awake, she’s awake, thank goodness.”

Chu Qiao frowned as she saw it was only Mei Xiang standing by her side.  Huan’er lifted a lantern and stood on the other side, and both of them looked nervously at her.

“Miss, what happened to you?”

Chu Qiao looked all around, any trace of the old man long gone.  Understandably she was a little out of sorts, she casually said, “Nothing.  I only carelessly fell asleep.”

Mei Xian instantly protested, “It’s so cold here, how could you possibly have fallen asleep here, Miss?”

“I think the mistress is too tired.  The snowstorm outside has already lessened.  Let’s hurry up and return to the manor.”

The group ascended the carriage; Rong’er continued to sleep soundly and Mo’er was also relaxed in Jing Jing’s arms, unable to keep his eyes open.

A blizzard had broken up and dispersed the lantern festival.  All along the road back, she saw tattered pieces of lantern everywhere, and the streets were empty and desolate.   She opened the carriage curtain to look out into the distance, only to see the chill had settled everywhere.  Not a single light was lit, and only the white lantern of the temple remained intact, unknown to anyone as to how it had survived the blizzard.  (TN: White lanterns are hung in funeral homes and temples of the dead.  FYI it is considered unlucky to light a plain, white lantern in your home.)

It was already late at night when they returned to the manor.  Yue Liu (TN: 6th Moon) stood guard at the front door, and as they came into view, quite a few of the guards gave out a collective sigh.    They stepped forward to say Zhuge Yue had returned early, and had gone out in search of her several times.

Chu Qiao hurried inside, into the main hall, removed her cloak for the servants, and walked gingerly into the bed chamber.  Returning from such a chilly place to her home, warm air rushed to greet her.  The incense burner let out a pleasant fragrance, curling vertically, spiraling upward.  The chamber was quiet, without a single sound.  She quietly walked over only to see that his face was slightly flushed, reclining like that, still dressed in his clothes, but sound asleep.  Only, his brow was held in a tight frown, as if something in his dream had made him quite angry.  (TN: maybe he is dreaming that Yan Xun actually touched her… ^_^;;)  

His breathing was heavy and there was the scent of strong alcohol in the air.  His capacity for alcohol had never really been that good.  This night he must have drank a lot of wine in order to sleep so soundly.

On the mahogany bedpost hung an exquisite and small lantern, with red eyes, long ears; it was a remarkably true to life rabbit.  (TN: awwww….)

She took off her shoes and lay beside him like that.  Inhaling the scent of his body, and listening to his low breathing, her frozen heart gradually became warm again.

She reached out a hand and wrapped her arm around his waist, driving away that despairing dream.

No, absolutely not.

They would be together, live a good life, they will have a child, and together they will leave this place, and start a new life somewhere else.

It must be like this.  It must.  (TN: jeez, when you say it ominously like that…. I will hurl this MacBook across the room if it turns out badly.)

***

—Summary—  

After the spring banquet, DaXia’s demise became more apparent.  The refugees of the west were now everywhere.  People were selling their children and wives despite the disaster relief.  But DaXia’s wars were already bleeding the coffers dry.  

The days in Yan Bei were just as dismal.  Even though their heist had saved the people through the winter, their circumstances were difficult, preventing any large-scale war at the border in the interim.

Both countries seemed at a stand still.

In March, the emperor gave Zhao Che the lands of the Northern Hu.  Though everyone knew Zhao Che was the warden of the north, that title was never officially sealed.  Also in March, Zhuge Yue’s house arrest finally ended and the Minister of War rejoined the court.

A report from Yan Bei gave Chu Qiao great concern.  There was word that Yan Bei wanted to trade with DaXia.  DaXia also needed horses and iron ore, but they had other trading partners, and laughed off the request.  Seeing that their enemy’s situation was even more dire than their own, the court of DaXia became more arrogant, and there were scattered calls to wipe out Yan Bei once and for all.  There were even requests from the distant relations of the royal family sent to Zhuge Yue to take action.

Zhuge Yue just sat back and watched the rogues of all kinds running wild with their suggestions, and could not help but sneer at them.  Behind their backs he ridiculed them and noted that Yan Xun’s tactics were not very clever, but it seemed to do the trick.  With just a few words, he sent the emperor’s entire government into a frenzy.

When he said this, Chu Qiao became terrified.  Zhuge Yue was someone who already thought many layers above and beyond ordinary people, and he knew that Yan Xun wanted to lure DaXia in for a fight.  Having lived with him for many years, she knew it was not in Yan Xun’s nature to show weakness to the enemy but she wondered if it was really worth it to Yan Xun to sacrifice his country’s well being to do this.

—End Summary—

Winter gave way to Spring, and another year brought forth Spring flowers to blossom, but the sinister, slanting cold wind slowly resisted; pushing the window open, the unchanging ice was still visible.

End notes: I’m a bit disappointed we didn’t get to see Zhuge Yue’s reaction to her delayed return, but I guess that wasn’t the point of this chapter.  At one point I thought when she insulted the old man, she knew who he was, but then, she wouldn’t have been so relaxed to have gotten comfortably drunk in front of Yan Xun.  Considering the author is trying to set up some final confrontation between Yan Xun and Zhuge Yue, Chu Qiao should be wary but she doesn’t seem to have her game face on, does she?  Let’s hope they get their HEA (fingers crossed)!!! —Kero

Princess Agents - 特工皇妃楚喬傳, Chapter 185, English novel translation

Princess Agents - 特工皇妃楚喬傳 

Translator’s notes: After going through my Game of Thrones withdrawal, I finally feel ready to tackle my other projects, including reading a bunch of romance novels on my new Kindle, cleaning my house, finishing my Regency period pelisse and finishing this translation.   (I have a lot of hobbies.)  

I think this may be the first and last novel I translate since it really is quite a task!  After a reader suggested Legend of Fu Yao to me, I thought about it because I love Fu Yao, but yeah, I think I’ll pass.  Still, I want to finish what I started here.  

So I’ve put on my iTunes Chinese soundtrack (not only drama soundtracks like 楚喬傳 but also pop music that I think sets the mood for stars/moon 星/月 inspiration) and I’m diving right in.   

I’m still crossing fingers for a 2nd sequel series of 楚喬傳 …. But until then, I’ve also started listening to a podcast that is super interesting and puts a lot of the Chinese cultural references and holidays of Chu Qiao Chuan into perspective.  Why is the author fascinated by the New Year?  Why is there a Lantern Festival?  What time period did Chu Qiao transport into?  Was this a parallel to the Chinese bronze age (B.C.E.)?

The podcast is literally called The History of China and it’s really well done.   Being raised outside of Asia (in the West), this is not something I would have studied at any time in my life since it had nothing to do with my major in university.  From the mythical beginnings to the first emperors, to the Summer and Autumn periods of the Zhou Dynasty (where I think the time period from 楚喬傳 is modeled after) it’s a really well done account of all the kings, all their struggles, and all their legends.  So far I’m in the Zhou Dynasty (3rd? dynasty with a written record) where a king (like the emperor of DaXia) tricked and executed a loyal but powerful vassal duke (like Yan Xun’s father) because he was afraid of his power.  And then later, another powerful vassal state (like Qing Hai) rose from the ashes from nothing to become the power that deposes that dynasty.   I think my mind is really twisted by Korean and Chinese TV dramas because I keep thinking every dynasty I hear about could be its own drama series ^__^;  

Every dynasty seems to have its share of greedy uncles and regents, crazy kings and concubines and exiled princes.  And, if you thought only crazy fictional ladies like Chu Qiao and Mulan put on armor and fought armies, around the time of the Egyptian pharaoh King Tut, there was once a female queen/general called Fu Hao who won pretty much all the battles she fought for her husband the emperor (reminds me of that quirky Chinese drama Oh, My General).  Why doesn’t she have a drama yet?

So how many times have you all watched the 1st series of Chu Qiao Chuan by now?  If we’ve watched more than twice, is that something we can admit out loud?  Hang in there, everyone.  LOL

-Kero

Chapter 185: The Yan Family Memorial 

When the ShangYuan festival (TN: Lantern Festival on the fifteenth of the first month of the lunar calendar) arrived, the Royal Palace held a large banquet.  Perhaps to divert attention from the prior year’s turmoil, this night’s dinner party was especially sumptuous.  Even Zhuge Yue, who was under house arrest to ponder his errors in seclusion, had been invited.  Had it been during peacetime, he could have found some excuse and claimed to be ill, but had he done this, it would have been difficult for him to avoid the onslaught of the boundless well wishers.  (TN: ^_^; Zhuge Yue is so anti-social)  At dusk, Zhuge Yue donned his court attire and entered the palace in a very low key fashion on horseback  (TN:  the source material uses the words 轻车简骑, translated literally as light ride, single mount, but it also sounds a lot like the idiom, 轻车简从, which refers to a very distinguished person traveling with few attendants, incognito)

Chu Qiao stayed in her room.  Lately she always felt tired after a short period of time and her appetite was poor.  (TN: Omo…O_O is she pregnant??)  Eating, then sleeping, it seemed a rather indulgent, charmed existence.

A sudden creak at the door was followed by the door being pushed open and Mo’er  entering with halting steps.  He walked over to Chu Qiao’s side looking slightly nervous, his nose red from the cold.

“Mo’er, what’s the matter?”

Mo’er hesitated a bit, then turned his head to look towards the door, and after a while longer, he asked in a small voice, “Mother, are we not going out tonight?”

If she counted correctly, Chu Qiao was only about ten years older than this child.  In the beginning, hearing him call her mother all day was a bit uncomfortable.  But then, she gradually got used to it, and now she thought nothing of it.

She sat up straight and furrowed her brow, “Go out?  Go where?”

“Today is the ShanYuan holiday.  There are temple festivals and lantern viewings going on outside.”

Mo’er’s eyes lit up with excitement, and when Chu Qiao turned towards the door, she noticed the sounds of a few more loiterers outside.  

These days, since Zhuge Yue was confined, those in his manor also rarely ventured outside.  She pinched Mo’er’s cheek and smiled, “Very well.  Let’s go.”

The continent was a vast land.  By modern accounts, it was roughly 40 million square kilometers, which was near five times the size of modern China.  The land had been imparted and inherited for many years now, even through the chaos of war and the frequent unrest.  But the people had always flourished, and the city of Zhen Huang was the capital of the nation, so the population was also very dense.

Chu Qiao and her group walked along the street, only to observe brilliant lanterns in all directions, beautiful lanterns of every eye-catching color vying for their attention.  The commoners of the capital, regardless of gender, age, wealth or nobility all came out to celebrate the occasion.  A hundred stage plays were going at the same time, all the musicians were creating a myriad of sound, and everywhere the scene was bustling and lively.

This year’s ShangYuan Festival was a little more festive than the last, with the cacophony of human voices, and the deafening sound of gongs and drums.

The children were laughing heartily, but as soon as an hour passed, it started snowing.   The north wind came whistling forth, the wind stirred the level ground turning it into white tendrils of flurries and the entire scene of colorful lanterns was blown apart.  JingJing and the others cursed loudly as they got into the carriage, and the guards waved their whips to hurry back to the manor.  But the wind became stronger and stronger, and the carriage horses were unwilling to move forward further.  When they reached a more secluded area, one horse suddenly startled, and it broke away from its harness.

Yue Thirteenth ran up to tell them the storm was getting too big, and it was better for them to find a place to shelter through it.

Chu Qiao nodded in agreement, and just happened to see the image of a shadowy building ahead, and ran up to knock on the door before noticing that it was actually a temple for the goddess of Yanbei.  (TN: irony…)

Even though Yan Shicheng was born into the royal family, because he was marked a traitor to the empire, he could not be entombed in the ancestral temple.  The name of this mansion was the Temple of Peace, but it was actually a memorial.  It was not only the resting place for Yan Shicheng and his children, but it was also the resting place for a few commoners nearby.  In the beginning, DaXia had sent some guards to strictly keep a lookout, but since YanXun had returned to Yanbei, there had been no attempts by the Datong Association to steal the bodies.  Gradually, the place became more desolate, and the empire was no longer willing to justify the expense of sending soldiers to guard a pile of white bones.

Chu Qiao and the other entered the sloping antechamber. (TN: the words 偏屋 can literally mean “partial house” but the word 偏 also means slanted, and in this case, I think the words refer to the architecture.  I could be wrong, but it sounds better in English this way.)  The guards found some candlesticks and torches and the interior gradually became brighter.  It revealed a clutter of memorial tablets arranged inside the gloomy hall.  There are also over twenty coffins, shrouded under a display of pure white candles.  At a glance it was both horrible and ghastly.

Jing Jing’s face went pale, as if she was a bit scared, and she stayed close behind Duoji, tugging on his sleeve.  Her usual quick wit was absent.

MeiXiang said to her with a laugh, “Never thought there was actually something that would scare our Miss JingJing.  At one point I even thought you were a little demon incarnate, afraid of no one in this world.”

Upon hearing her playful banter, the atmosphere momentarily became lighter.

Rong’er was now one years old, constantly babbling to practice speaking, wobbling as he walked around out of doors rather like a duckling.  He was dressed all in red, rolled up in a red padded jacked.  He used his chubby little hand to stifle a yawn, and burrowed into Chu Qiao’s arms, adjusting to a more comfortable position to take a nap.

Chu Qiao stood up and handed Rong’er to Mei Xiang, saying softly, “I’m going out.”

“Miss, where are you going in a big storm like this?”

Chu Qiao mentioned the boxes of foodstuffs Mei Xiang had packed, and lit a lantern.  “I’ll just go next door and take a look.  You needn’t follow.”

As soon as she said this, she exited through the chamber doorway.

The wind outside was astonishingly strong.  In the fifteen years she’s lived on this continent, she had never witnessed such gales.  The lantern in her hand quickly extinguished.  Chu Qiao’s large, fur cloak flew upward and cold snow pelted her face in multiple pricks, as if being hit by pebbles.  Chu Qiao tightly held onto the collar of her cloak and with great difficulty she walked forward, walking for a while before stopping before a dilapidated room.  She then reached out her hand and slowly pushed open the groaning doors.

In that moment the heavy gale suddenly rushed in, it stirred up the layers of dust all over the floor.  Chu Qiao coughed a few times then quickly close the doors, pulling a chair to hold the doors in place.

The deathly quiet in this room was the same, and it seemed colder than the outside.  In several places the roof had caved in, and the wind stirred in the rafters.  All around the pitch darkness was deep enough so one couldn’t see their own fingers in front of their face, but she was well acquainted with the floor plan here.  She took out her fire starter and after several tries, managed to light all the candles around her.  Faint candlelight quietly ignited, slowly turning the room bright.  Four, deep black colored coffins were placed within without spiritual tablets, without banners or tapers, or even a single marking.  They had just been nonchalantly left there, with straw and litter all around, and a few pieces of frozen buns scattered everywhere.  Normally, this place was a temporary shelter for wandering beggars.

Chu Qiao placed the food box to one side, rolled up her sleeves and began to tidy up.  Her movements were fast and although she didn’t have any cleaning tools handy, the garbage on the floor was cleared away.  She tied the straw together to make a makeshift broom and swept the cobwebs aside and the space within looked much tidier.  Then, one by one, she took out the dishes inside the box, placed them on the floor, and knelt down, bowing deeply a few times in homage.

Indeed, these four coffins were the remains of YanXun’s father, his two brothers and his sister.  In those years before, on the anniversary of the King of Yan’s death, she and YanXun would secretly come to worship.  In those days, there were still officials and soldiers guarding here, and in coming here they would have to expend a lot of effort.  But nowadays, this place had already become so desolate.

Since returning to the capital, she never even thought about returning to pay homage here.  Moreover, she never thought she would wander here by mistake today.  Perhaps this too, was a kind of fate.

There were no incense sticks, so they were replaced by incense.  There was no paper money, so there was a silk cloth as a substitute.  There was no good wine, only one pot of goat milk and two cups of green tea.

Your Highness, I’ve come again to see you.

She got up with a few splotches of dust slightly soiling her knees.  Snowflakes fell down from where there was no roof, covering the coffin lids bit by bit.  She quietly stared at those coffins, trying hard to recall those bloody, severed heads from long ago, and it left a vast, bleak feeling in her heart.

Earlier, before LongXi experienced the snow disaster of a generation, Yan Bei had already sunk into its own catastrophe.  The people’s homeland was destroyed, and the snows that hit the Blue City was particularly bad and would affect its people for generations to come.  Thousands of livestock froze to death in the lands around ShangShen, the people were not eating, and Yan Bei was in danger.

However, while the hundred DaXia ministers were clapping in glee, Yan Bei secretly mobilized 100,000 guards from the Dragon Pass who trekked over the Lan He Plateau and the over 6,000 meters above sea level rise of Dusk Wolf Peak, to enter the territory of Da Tang.  Bypassing TangJia Pass, they suddenly attacked the Da Tang checkpoint, robbing over 200,000 sacks of food, then returning to Yan Bei with lightning speed.  The entire operation took less than four days.  When Da Tang’s border war report reached Tang Jing City, the guards from Dragon Pass had already returned to their post, and even crossed swords twice with DaXia troops who had wanted to take advantage of Yan Bei’s disaster to attack.

When word got out, it was like a drop of water dropping into a vat of sizzling oil, which set off a fierce reaction.

DaXia and Bian Tang were furious, but had no means of taking on Yan Xun.  DaXia’s imperial censor and his lot wrote passionate declarations, saying Yan Bei was born of thieves, their base nature was to burn, kill and loot, doomed to disobey the righteous path.  The old scholars of Bian Tang had even more fire in their eyes, raising a hue and cry all over the world, calling out Yan Xun’s ancestry and forefathers in a flood of invectives.

Moreover, they wrote books to lash out at the injustice, in agitation barely letting their anger pass.

But this was the only thing they could do.  The Dragon pass was an impenetrable fortress, Yan Bei’s army was cruel and ruthless.  In the current situation, as long as they did not come out and fight in open war, they could only burn the incense high.  (TN: burning incense can be akin to waiting, or letting time pass; or praying to the gods for a breakthrough) Who would dare go up to the door and provoke them?

When Chu Qiao heard the news, she couldn’t help but smile in contempt.  The soft will always fear the hard, the hard fear dying, and that was the way of it.

Fittingly, Zhuge Yue continued to disapprove, facing down the court and commons and continuing to ignore their cries to go to war.  Everyone knew that DaXia was now unable to even fend for itself, and the situation with several of its princes vying for power was already reaching its apex.  In a time like this, who had the time to go out in open war?  It was only griping.  If he had really wanted to amass the army towards Yang Ming, what those old bastards feared would really come to pass: blood three feet deep, a demonstration of sincerity by death.  (TN: traditionally, in olden days, people would commit suicide, or posture themselves to suggest they would do it, to demonstrate their sincerity and conviction in their belief.  That is what the phrase 以死明志 means.  In this case, Zhuge Yue knows it would be a pure bloodbath)

When he heard the news, he was slightly surprised, saying that he did not think Yan Xun would do such a thing.

In fact, aside from him, it was doubtless the entire continent would not have thought it either.

After all, once upon a time, he had used all of Yan Bei in a bet, positioning its soldiers and civilians as bait, leading DaXia’s army into the pass, and dispersing his own army.  Not long after that, he eradicated the dissidents to his rule and completely destroyed the Da Tong Association who had once helped him onto the world stage, taking the head of even his own teacher.

In the face of such a man, it was doubtless that no one would have thought he would do something like this for Yan Bei’s people, and at such a risk.

Even Chu Qiao couldn’t figure out what the catch was.

However, it was good that the commander of the Tanghu Pass was the son of the Bian Tang empire’s Prince Jing’an.  Even though he had aligned himself with the crown only after Prince Jing’an met his end, he held military power and oversaw critical holdings of the empire.  In the end, it was still difficult to make them completely at ease.  Every time Yan Xun went after him, it was not DaXia’s loss. 

And it was Da Tang’s grain that was lost.

Chu Qiao’s brows slowly lifted, in her mind she once again recalled living in those years on Shang Shen Plateau, and returned to the snowy mountain…. and the simple herdsmen and common folk there….

Yan Xun’s capabilities were becoming more and more impressive.  Hiding for a thousand li (TN: a li is a little over a mile), in rapid action, tens of thousands of troops were mobilized without stirring the slightest breeze, without anyone noticing, in a perfect strike.  His methods were accurate, his vision sharp, his daring strong, his men were first class in the world’s ranking.  As long as he is there, DaXia can’t imagine breaking through the Dragon Pass.  Even if Zhao Che himself attacked, there wasn’t even the slightest opportunity.  Though perhaps in tactics, military strength, intelligence, weaponry, logistics, supplies and other aspects he was slightly better.  But no matter how ruthless or how tenacious, there was no way to surpass Yan Xun’s ability.

The terrible thing about Yan Xun on the battlefield was his ability to make perfect use of everything around him to aid in his victory in warfare.  His ability to fathom the human heart had already reached great heights.

In this world, the only one comparable to him was perhaps Zhuge Yue.

Yan Xun’s strength was in his hate, while Zhuge Yue’s strength was in his cunning.

Like this, if the two of them were able to meet on the battlefield free of other worries, they might in fact have a legendary battle worthy of being recorded in the annals of war.

She shook her head slowly.  Although she had given up that lifestyle, when she was idle, her mind would still unintentionally drift towards these things.  She would take news that she had heard, take it apart and piece it together over and over, creating a rough model of the situation, and then deducing, calculating and rearranging.  Like a chess player who loves to play chess but doesn’t play anymore, she imagined all sorts of game play in her mind.

In actuality, though she and Yan Xun ultimately ended up being at odds with one another, she did not wish to see him fall.

Therefore, after knowing that he had successfully attacked Tanghu Pass, she was still a bit delighted, completely disregarding her status as Bian Tang’s XiuLi royal.  

In between the two of them, though they could not remain side by side, they also didn’t have to be at odds trying to kill each other to survive. (TN: um, girl, he tried to turn you into Swiss cheese....)

The wind suddenly became stronger, and the door groaned aloud, pushing the chair aside a bit.  She thought it was the wind and turned back to close it, but who knew that at the moment she reached the doorway, the door would suddenly be pushed open.  A man in a black cloak stood amid the flurry of snow fall, behind him, only a single escort dressed in dark clothing.

She couldn’t see his face, and momentarily, could only see a pair of eyes, black like an abyss, aiming unflinchingly at her person.  (TN: the words used here by the author remind us that Yan Xun is an excellent shot)

Endnotes:  Wow, that’s interesting! Is that really Yan Xun??  She can tie up this loose end, finally.  So many pop songs going through my head right now in songfic form.  ^_^  What soundtrack would you play for this moment?  I imagine their soundtrack would include 简单 (Simple) by Claire Kuo, 崇拜 (Worship) by Fish Leong, 很久很久以後 (A long time from now) by Christine Fan.  Maybe Irreplaceable by Beyoncé?  ^___^;

I wonder if Zhuge Yue will be upset he wasn’t there?  I doubt he would be jealous, since he knows she loves him and not Yan Xun.

I really like how the author compares and contrasts Zhuge Yue and Yan Xun in this chapter.  They had always been polar opposites in youth, and still are in adulthood.  Except they both switched places.  The young Yan Xun who was carefree died in tragedy, and in struggle he was reborn a ruthless, vengeful man of hatred.  The young and cruel Zhuge Yue was redeemed by love, and in struggle was reborn and saw a different path to live, using his cunning to achieve what was right.  They are both two sides of the same coin.  And whereas Yan Xun never really understood Chu Qiao though he knew her value, he set her aside when she became inconvenient.  Zhuge Yue always knew her value, learned how to understand her, and cherishes her as the love of his life regardless of how inconvenient.

I think that’s what makes Zhuge Yue one of my favorite fictional romantic heroes, right up there with Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice and Mr. Thornton from North and South.   —KERO

Princess Agents 特工皇妃楚喬傳, Chapter 159 English novel translation

Princess Agents - 特工皇妃楚喬傳 

Chapter 153 - Chapter 158 Synopsis

After Zhuge Yue's death, Chu Qiao is ill for quite some time. At first it's psychological and she doesn't want to wake up in a world without him.  She finally realized she was a woman, and that having her heart broken was painful. Then it's a long rehabilitation process because her health was seriously damaged by being dunked in the cold for so long.   Making her emotions worse was that Yan Xun had told the world Chu Qiao instigated Zhuge Yue's death, so everyone loyal to the Zhuge family would come after her.  Though Yan Xun and He Xiao made sure no one ever touched her, the assassins' curses and their vitriol made her truly feel his death was her fault.  Yan Xun is such an @ss…..

Her sister ZhiSu is married to an officer of Yan Bei.  Chu Qiao withdraws from politics thereafter.  She transfers the city of Shang Shen to Mr. Wu's stewardship.  Yan Xun monitors her, but mistakenly believes she will eventually turn around and see things his way.  When he remembers that she had told him she would never forgive him if Zhuge Yue died in Yan Bei he realizes she has left him to live elsewhere.  After recovering she goes out to a lantern festival where she breaks down and cries for the first time since Zhuge Yue's death.

Two years later, she lives with her new make-shift family; the little soldier Ping An; his sister JingJing; the shepherd boy DuoJi and his uncle; MeiXiang, her servant freed from slavery, and He Xiao lives in a nearby hut to keep an eye on her.  The county of QuiLan where they live prospers because Yan Xun protects it, and the people are exempt from military service.  Chu Qiao has made improvements so it becomes a large, prosperous area.  Her loyal followers from Shang Shen came to live here too, and as a result of Yan Xun's propaganda, many people think her the reincarnation of the Yan Bei goddess.   She spent the first year helping reconstruction all over Yan Bei after the wars.  She wanted to escape but Yan Xun emotionally manipulated her by letting commoners go to her and beg her to stay.  The remains of the XiuLi Army also stays with her.

Though Yan Xun carved a perfect little place for her, the rest of Yan Bei suffered under his taxes, his stringent military service, and Yan Bei became less free under his tyranny than DaXia.

The Zhuge family expunged the 4th son from their family records and tried to distance themselves from his disgrace, but they lost power in the government as a result of Zhuge Yue's embarrassing death of being tricked by a woman.  His betrothed, Le WanYi, daughter of General Le Xing, declared she never knew her betrothed was such a deceitful man and declared the engagement was fraudulent and an insult to the Emperor, and she would rather be a nun.  She and her father became rather devout Buddhists after that, so his power in the government did not diminish.   Zhao Che also suffered by association and was sent to guard the northeastern border garrison that didn't really need any protection.

Southwest of HeLan Mountain rose the small kingdom of QingHai, ruled by someone who mysteriously ascended and crowned himself King of QingHai, barring Yan Xun's entry into DaXia.  QingHai was mostly desert, a place where exiled prisoners were sent to die.  When Yan Xun tried to attack the southern gate of YanMing Pass, he was stopped by this fierce, mysterious force of the QingHai King, who incidentally took over CuiWei Pass.  So in addition to DaXia forces opposing him at MeiLin Pass, he had to worry about CuiWei Pass on the other side.

Behind her house, Chu Qiao erected a simple tomb for Zhuge Yue.  Two years ago, she found out that his family had disowned him and refused to bury him in the family cemetery, whipped the corpse as punishment and buried him in a mass grave. She was very upset.  With 300 XiuLi warriors she stole the body.  Wild dogs had gotten to the corpse so she pieced it back together and cremated the remains.   Later, when she heard about Miss WanYi, she was so unsettled by the girl's actions Chu Qiao ambushed her on the road back from the temple and shaved off the girl's hair so she could really be a nun.  ^__^;;; (OMG girl, I'm dying….)  It was that time she finally accepted that he was dead, and his remains were in a jar in her possession, and there was nothing she could do to save his name, his reputation, his dignity, or his body.  It was then that she stopped coming down from her mountain.

I'm guessing she has frequent one-sided conversations with him in the pine forest behind her cottage where she erected his tomb.  In Chapter 154, there is a scene where she sits and makes mutton stew in front of his grave.  She scolds DaXia for him, saying they are all incompetent without him and knows that he wants to take revenge because he is rather a vengeful person.  She asks him whether the reason she isn't able to see him in her dreams is because he is still alive, or is it because he's still sulking that no one else has cared to come kill her for revenge recently, but she complains that the assassins have really been of poor quality of late.  ^__^;   She also reminds him that she gave him paper money since she has nothing else to repay him with.  Since he came from a rich family she guesses he is unable to get along in the underworld without money, but as he had so many people go with him that he will continue to be a big shot down there.  She also asks him to watch over Mo'er since she has been unable to locate him.

She confesses that she didn't sleep the prior night, going over what she could have done that day on the lake to save him.  She should have used the XiuLi Army better, she should have taken out the archers first and she should have taken Yan Xun hostage.  She also blames him for pushing her back up to the surface because she had a dagger, and they could have gone downstream, then broken out of the ice.  After all, if Jack in 'Titanic' stayed alive for a while, they obviously would have better chances since they were both trained martial artists….  ^___^;;; (Literally LOL'd when I read that, and everyone around me looked at me like I was crazy)

She remembers a time when they fought back to back and they were so compatible, their movements were like one mind.  She kicks herself for not being more level headed before he died and tells him, "Zhuge Yue, this is our life now."  This scene is both touching and sad that she would finally show some loyalty to him after he is supposedly dead, and that she's gone a bit crazy.

The next morning she received word that Yan Xun was purging and executing members of DaTong in Yan Bei by labeling them traitors for opposing his war tax.  This includes Mr. Wu, Ms. Yu, and his sister's husband.  They were all killed by ZhiSu's husband.  The now pregnant ZhiSu saves ChuQiao from house arrest and apparently dies in a fire.  (This has to be a running gag because ZhiSu never dies when I think she has, but I haven't seen her in many chapters after, so maybe….?)

Yan Xun then traps Chu Qiao and the Xiu Li army between the forces of DaXia and BeiShuo City.  The city has orders not to open their gates.  Yan Xun sent ordinary citizens along the way to beg her to return.  So essentially he calculates that she would want to protect these people and agree to go back into custody.

Though Yan Xun accused her of not knowing who he really was during the 10 years they lived together, she also knows that Yan Xun didn't know who she was either.  He clumps her together with women like ZhiSu, but Chu Qiao is definitely not that kind of person.  He asks her if she is willing to defy him to protect these irrelevant people (DaTong), and she sneers at his condescension.  He asks her if she is willing to sever her love for him like this, to which she responds that he should never say that word because he is unworthy of it.  (Burn) 

She finally says goodbye to Yan Bei, the land she vowed to free but only ended up leading it to more tyranny.  Chapter 155 ends the "Yan Bei" novel, and Chapter 156 begins the "QingHai" novel, which is the final installment.

She chooses to fight to the death.  She and the XiuLi Army fight hard for days, and some people from BeiShuo and in the mountain garrison are horrified that they cannot help her.  Just as she's about to give up, just as things get really grim and her soldiers are dying around her, help comes from two unexpected sources: the Emperor of Bian Tang who swoops in at the last minute, and the King of QingHai who creates a diversion to lure Yan Xun's forces away.  That's where we begin….

Chapter 159: A Tide of People

"Protect Her Excellency!"

Someone had shouted this at the top of his lungs, but the soldiers had rushed so far ahead that it was impossible for them to charge back.  There were corpses everywhere, and before their eyes was just a palette of bright red.  The wind blew to stab their bones.  The entire sky of wind and snow continued to permeate everywhere.  Chu Qiao thought, There is already nowhere to retreat.  So it's like this.  She nodded her head slightly, and in a raspy voice she said, "So be it, then.  So be it."

A row of sturdy bows all pointed upward and the entire sky was filled with a dense cluster of arrows piercing through the cold wind, whistling as they flew.  Chu Qiao looked up and saw the life robbing arrows in mid air in a daze, her mind wandering.

She thought, perhaps she was going to die soon, and time suddenly seemed to stand still.  In a trance she remembered her entire life.  From when she was a little girl in the orphanage who was selected by the government, who, after more than ten years of grueling training, was admitted to the military academy, joined the war department to assassinate, spy and finally gave her life for her country.  (TN: Lord, that's a sad existence…)  Then she came to this bold and unconstrained land of chaos, and once again went through this kind of doomed reincarnation for ten years.  She suddenly felt that she was so very tired and burnt-out.  The wind was blowing from across the way.  She faintly wanted to give up all her persistence and struggle.  In these past few years, no matter what dilemma she faced, she never gave up her desire to live, but now, she suddenly didn't want to continue desperately fighting.  She really felt very tired, so she wanted to let it be.  Going like this, being able to rest, was also fine.

"Excellency!!"

He Xiao gasped in horror at what he saw.  He stared as Chu Qiao stood on the battlefield, raised her head and gazed at the rain of arrows in mid air without dodging or flinching; merely indifferent, like a frozen icicle.

He felt as though his heart was about to be shredded, and he wielded his sword like a madman, the edge of his blade like lightning, crashing like a white light coming down in mid air, sending two human heads flying.  The fresh blood splashed all over He Xiao, but the tide of the enemy rushed up again and he was unable to get away, nor was he able to push his way through.  He could only watch with both eyes open as the arrows slipped closer to her person.

The Yan Bei troops on the top of LongYin Pass also watched the scene with wide-eyes.  The face of a young soldier turned white, and his knees suddenly went weak, and in that moment he knelt down onto the ground, gazing at the pale woman standing in the middle of the blazing, raging fire, and he wailed, "Excellency!"

He was also a soldier from Shang Shen City.  Chu Qiao had rescued both his parents and his sisters from slavery, abolished their status and even gave them land.  But he was not a courageous man, and when the XiuLi Army fought outside the gates he dared not speak out.  When DaXia robbed them time and again he dared not speak out.  When the snowstorm raged over their camp he dared not speak out.  When the people down below were pitifully crying outside the city he dared not speak out.  Not until this moment, when his mother's words came back to him.  The old woman with a full head of white hair shouted and cried out on their land, something they had never once owned in their entire lives, "We will remember this kindness for a thousand years, Her Excellency is our benefactress."

A loud wail went up from the tower.  On the field the tall grass rustled and the snow fell thick and fast, a canvas of endless white.

In this half month, all of Yan Bei witnessed the loyalty of an army, and in this moment, the entire world saw the misery of one woman.

The arrows flew up, rising, higher and higher, until they reached their apex, then passing their half arc, came down with swift and violent speed.

Everyone's eyes opened wide.  The wind tossed up Chu Qiao's clothing, and she slightly narrowed her eyes as the severe gust of air tousled the hair on her forehead.  Penetrating pain pricked her scalp, her mind went blank, and in that sparse space in-between a pair of eyes were watching her, saying slowly: Keep on living, keep on living.

She smiled slightly, light and teasing, like mist.

I can't continue, after all. I'll come and find you then, all right?

Suddenly, the sound of a burst abruptly cleaving the wind rose up.  There on the western side of the slanting snow peak of LongYin Pass, pitch black figures looked as though they was about to leap down like apes.  They carried long cords in their hands and from the sky they repelled downward.  Hundreds of scimitars flew out.  Rather miraculously they were so precise that they struck the arrow shafts that filled the sky.

In an instant the entire area erupted in uproar.  The black clad men quickly slid down from the snow peak, each of them wearing dark blue leather armor, their posture robust and swift as they leaped, shifted and jumped rather like ominous jungle beasts.  Against the light from the fire, each of them had a dark red tattoo on their face.  (TN:  In ancient China, they branded criminals on their faces to wear their shame for the rest of their lives.  These are all people of QingHai, the barren land where criminals are sent to die)  Their eyes were like those of wolves, valiant and brave, coming to slaughter the dumbfounded DaXia soldiers.

Before the DaXia soldiers could even react, from the southwest came a sudden clamor.  Snow, fog and dust rose up with the wind, and thousands upon thousands of men and cavalry's hoofbeats trampled the ground like a rumbling drum.  The elite cavalry in the front row rushed into the camp, their swift swords cleaving and hacking, their skills swift and fierce.  These were armed forces of quality, charging in the style with weapons pointed, seething with murderous air.  As the horses arrived, the inscription depicted on their silver blades revealed they were soldiers of Bian Tang.  Gleaming silver armor rushed into the camp and the young emperor suddenly pulled her entire person tightly and so fiercely that the force of it seemed as though it would break her to pieces.  His armor was cold as a knife, his breaths heavy, leaving puffs of white in the air.  The sound of battle gradually faded away and she could smell the peaceful scent of fallen pine needles everywhere.  The light from tens of thousands of torches reflected back on them, and it was bright and warm like a noon day sun in the middle of June.

The strong wind had gone far away, rumbling over the earth.  Li Ce's voice was low and calm, but still a trace of indistinct panic seeped through as he whispered over and over, "It's all right now, it's all right now, it's all right…."  (TN: Poor Li Ce, he was really scared for her)

Chu Qiao didn't want to cry.  The bottom of her heart was a large expanse of boundless emptiness, as if everything was was unreal. But her tears fell bit by bit, and a few even spilled onto Li Ce's chest plate and rolled all the way down.  She closed her eyes and it was as if she could see tens of thousands of mountains and rivers splatter and wreck.  The stars fell before turning to ash, brightly burning as they descended from heaven.    The seas ignited into raging fire, boiling over and falling down, pouring into a bottomless abyss.  (TN: She broke up with her long time boyfriend, she lost her new love, and now all of her dreams were flushed down the toilet.  Yeah, I would cry too…)

She wanted to speak, and actually had a lot to say, but she opened her mouth and only could make small noises like a deaf mute.

Li Ce, did you know?  Mr. Wu is dead, Ms. Yu is dead, a lot of people are now dead.  Yan Xun has killed a lot of people.  Tell me, would he kill me?

Li Ce, Zhuge Yue is also dead.  It was my fault he died, did you know?  He died because of me.

Li Ce, you were right, Yan Bei is a really cold place, the people's hearts are already frozen to death.  Even promises turn to ice.

The world was suddenly so open and empty.  Chu Qiao slowly drifted to sleep leaning against Li Ce's chest, exhaustion creeping over her entire face.  Li Ce lowered his head and only saw how pale and thin and frail she appeared.  He thought that perhaps he was really going crazy.  As he thought of that moment not so long ago when the sky was filled with arrows as he arrived he was so frightened that he was going mad.  If he had come any later, if he had come any later--!

A large gust of wind blew onto the, and he took off his fur cloak and wrapped Chu Qiao against his chest.  She was so thin, shrunken into a little ball, like a small child.

He raised his head looking at the snow filled sky, looked over the nearby powerful army of DaXia seething with murderous air, and looked at the lofty tower on LongYin Pass, and his heart was so angry he could no longer suppress his indignation.

Yan Xun, how could you be so hard-hearted?

You, how could you be so heartless?

"Your Majesty, DaXia sent a messenger to ask why Bian Tang has interfered in its internal affairs.  How should your subordinate respond?"

His guards dismounted and rushed forward, Li Ce carried Chu Qiao, his face cold.  He said lightly, "Tell Zhao Yang it was I, Li Ce who took this person away.  If he wants, We respectfully await him in Tang Jing."

"Your Majesty, we have brought him here."

TieYou came forward, and following behind was a middle aged man with a tattoo.  Impressively he was the leader of the group who had just come down from the snow peak to rescue Chu Qiao.

Li Ce's facial expression eased up a bit and nodded as he said, "Thanks to you all."

The man with the tattoo on his face lowered his head and replied, "We are few in number, and if it wasn't for the Emperor of Bian Tang, Her Excellency would have had a perilous end."

"Regardless, it was you all who came in time to save her.  This favor We will remember in Our heart.  If there is an opportunity in the future, We will repay it."

"I wouldn't dare presume.  I was merely following orders."

Li Ce's brow slightly rose, probing with a question, "From your master?"

"My master has already barred the Yan Bei main force.  He has also merged troops to reinforce at each strategic pass.  Bian Tang should hurry and get back on the road.  We will cover your retreat."

Li Ce slowly nodded, his gaze deep as he said in a low voice, "Mere thanks do not begin to express my gratitude for this favor.  Please be careful."

When all was said and done, Bian Tang's great army and the XiuLi Army left rapidly.  The army at LongYin Pass only numbered about 6,000.  As they saw Li Ce bring close to 200,000 troops in such stately fashion, for a moment they didn't know whether they should go out and pursue.  The defense commander considered it for a long time, until finally gritting his teeth and saying, "Hurry, go and ask for instructions from His Highness."

His troops all sighed in relief.  It was good since by the time they received further instructions, this threat will have already passed.  (TN: the threat is described as 'falling comets' or to describe a volatile and dangerous situation)

In less than half an hour, when the row of troops arrived at the ShiChuan exit, a prearranged group of about 2,000 people were quietly waiting.  After Li Ce's people exchanged a few words with them, those men left a horse carriage behind, turned around and left.

TieYou came back and said, "It's still those people, saying that they're prepared horses and food for the next 20 miles.  They've also left a carriage saying that Yan Bei was cold and chilly.  Your Majesty can ride in the carriage as you go."

He opened the curtain, and say that the interior was quite spacious and covered in soft brocade.  Under the high bed was an iron plate, and underneath two braziers burned.  Inside was warm as springtime.  There was also a small stove, and the lid to the medicine pot released white puffs of steam.  Lifting it up, he saw it was a hot, bubbling pot of ginseng chicken soup.  (TN: OMG where do I find a man like this?  I have to say it's a lot fancier than the smelly carriage they rode in on route to Bian Tang many chapters ago…. ^__^;)

"Your Majesty, this King of QingHai, what on earth kind of saint is he?  He gets a tide of people involved to do this, but is he really just trying to curry favor with Bian Tang?"

Li Ce quietly looked at the pot of chicken soup, and for a long time he did not speak.  Chu Qiao was lying on the bed inside the carriage, her little face so pale it was pitiful, but it seemed as though she felt the warmth and she slowly breathed a long sigh.  She then quietly curled up on the bed, peacefully, like a sleeping rabbit.

"TieYou, if it was you, who would do such things for you?"

Tie You was surprised, thought about it for a long while, then said in slow, halting words, "I'm afraid only my mother would.  Not even my wife would do it."

The corner of Li Ce's mouth pulled upward, and he smiled slightly, "Exactly. These kinds of people are quite few."

"Your Majesty, do you know who it is?"

"I know," Li Ce nodded.  He turned his head and gazed towards the boundless mountain range in the distance hidden away by the pure white snow.  His voice carried traces of light uncertainty, "If it was in the beginning I only had my suspicions, but now, I am certain."

Fate was tricky, with a deceptive, layered strategy and every one was wrapped in its silk threads like puppets, walking on their own path in a predetermined trajectory, and unexpectedly, no one was able to break free.  So why would he unveil the outcome during the prologue?

Li Ce smiled slightly, gently, with a bit of casual calm at the reversal of fortunes.

Zhuge Yue, I can't compete with you.  (TN: He literally says he is 'inferior' to him, but in English this fits too.  I think Li Ce is conceding to Zhuge Yue here, since Yan Xun is out of the picture.  This girl is boss, her reverse harem has quality choices….)

Before the brightness of dawn broke through, the thick snow finally stopped.  Before the sun showed its head, the vast land was still immersed in bleak darkness, and high on a mountain summit stood a man dressed in casual green robes.  The snow bird flapped its wings from a distance.  The man extended his arm and the most ferocious bird of the QingHai plains landed docilely upon it.  Its entire body was white except its tail, which had three long red feathers, bright like fresh blood.

He removed the written message. Even having escaped from calamity without dying, the hand writing had not progressed at all and was still ugly as ever, about as pleasing as a common shop sign, and it read: Tang Emperor took troops already returning to TangShui Pass, in good health, do not miss.

The man's face was calm, his eyes clear and cold as always.  He automatically hears his subordinate's ridicule for him.  Who is in good health? And whom should he not miss?

He used his pen to reply: No need to withdraw.  Just die there.  (TN: ^__^;;  The bromance between Zhuge Yue and Yue Qi is real)

When the young general received the message he grinned broadly, bearing all his teeth.  He waved his hand and called to the soldiers still bitterly complaining to high heaven, "Withdraw, we're withdrawing.  Let's go home."

"General Qi, you miss your wife then, eh?"

A man in his forties laughed heartily.  He had taken an arrow to his shoulder and had just now wrapped it, and he was currently like a hale man in his guffaws.  The tattoo on his face trembled, like a small, wriggling snake.

"Get out of here! You old bachelor.  I hope you will never suffer from the pain of yearning for your love in your entire life."

"Damn it, this Yan Bei whelp is too vicious!"

A 30 year old or so soldier came inside.  Despite the cold weather one shoulder was exposed.  The front of his chest was wrapped in white cloth, and it was apparent he had just been wounded in action.

"Ain't like I stole his wife, damn him, playing with my life."

General Qi laughed, "You weren't the one who stole his wife, our master stole her.  Let's go, we're not here to fight a war anyhow.  Tell QiLang to prepare the evacuation route.  Everyone go back and man your posts.  Get ready to make yourselves scarce."

The one General Qi called 'old bachelor' was also a general, and he muttered to himself as he stood up. He spoke as he walked away, "Methinks this battle the master has fought is not his style.  He didn't even take a look at his wife before letting someone else snatch her up.  It's not like we would have lost to them for sure.  This was kinda bad, as deals go." 

The men in the large tent gradually left, and General Qi stood on the battlefield, and having listened to the others' his mind slightly drifted for a bit, meditated on it for a while longer, and then whispered, "The Young Master cannot risk this danger!"  (TN: I don't think Zhuge Yue has fully recovered from his near death ordeal, but also it probably isn't the right time to reveal himself)

Exactly, a short battle ending in stalemate for the sake of diversion, there is death and misfortune there, and even if it produced a victory, what was the point?

General Qi thought of the person he saw on the battlefield earlier, a pair of young eyes gently narrowed, carrying with it a faint trace of bitterness.  This account will need to be squared away sooner or later.

 When Li Ce took Chu Qiao to TangShui Pass and boarded his ship, three dawns had already come and gone.  As the sun rose over the horizon it sprinkled gleaming, glittering golden light.  The sky was very high, clear and cloudless, none to be seen for miles.  TangShui Pass was close to the southwest, its climate very mild, and the river water was like a pulsing green jade.

The large ship set out with a thundering noise that rang out to the horizon.  Upward of a thousand large ships were anchored in a row, the frothy waves were set off in all directions encircling them, like rolling avalanches of snow.  The horizon appeared to be color glazed in a gorgeous cyan blue.  Each mast raised their fluttering white sails.  

"Set sail--"

TieYou called out loudly, his shout prolonged, carrying a few traces of cheerful air.

Li Ce stood at the stern, dressed in pine green brocaded robes, the shape of his eyes roguish, an uninhibited handsome man. He turned his head slightly upward to one side, saw the lofty CuiWei Mountain, and saw the faintly visible figure in rustling robes at its peak.

The sea of faces, the sea tide and the climate are interchanged.  The wind from the river blew upward to the mountain peak, bringing with it the delicate fragrance of dusk and it seemed to stir a subtle ache and numbness inside the bones.  Without precedent, his train of thought became clear.  (TN: Don't know who this line is referencing, but perhaps it's referring to Zhuge Yue here remembering the last time he confessed to her in Bian Tang as he watches them leave?)

Li Ce suddenly laughed, laughing like a crafty fox, happily grinning to reveal all his white teeth.  Then, to the horror of all his subordinates, he blew a passionate kiss towards the lofty mountain peak.  (TN: OMGROFL….)

Everyone became embarrassed, and TieYou asked cheerlessly, "Your Majesty, did you see a village woodcutter girl on the mountain?"

Lie Ce turned his head in pleasant surprise, "Ah! How did you know?"

Everyone sighed helplessly: Your Majesty, who would not know?  (TN: hahahaha)

The large river was like a chain, the ships meandering, the rising sun was starting to ascend, everything was perfect.

At the mountain peak a man stood quietly.  He clearly saw Li Ce's provocative gesture, his brow wrinkled slightly, but he did not turn around to leave.

The ships gradually went far away, but he remained there for a long, long time.  His heart was tranquil and quiet like the mountain and wind.  There was no sadness, no exhaustion.  The wind from XiaoXiao Mountain blew at his back.  His long shadow dragged behind him with a faint, clear radiance.  In the mountain forest the dust and water vapor mingled their scents and sprinkled onto his face with unusual warmth.

He absently thought of the expression in her eyes.  As if following the barren wasteland spread over with weeds that was his memory, he suddenly saw a tall tree and her gentle expression, her chilly disposition gone completely.  

He never needed her to know.  If he could, he would rather maintain the status quo, and send her off to a place of peace and quiet.

It was the ninth month, 29th day of year 778, when Bian Tang's chrysanthemums were blooming in season.  He could hear the sounds of horses in the city.  The bright and sunny day sprayed its golden light onto the ground.

The ships went south, slowly sailing into the direction of that extravagant and wasteful, sweet fragrance.

Translator's notes: I translated this chapter because the connection between Zhuge Yue and Chu Qiao is real, even through his 'death', and even though they are both alive but apart, their connection is still there.  It's romantic without being a romantic scene.  She would rather die and go find him; he would save her at whatever expense.  But also he wants to keep her safe, even if it means she will never meet him, which is dumb, but I can see why he thinks that.  Even in his new position, he still has many battles to fight and he knows she is exhausted at this point.

We see how evil Yan Xun has become; he literally gives 0 f's that she's about to be pierced by a rain of arrows.  What was he thinking?  If she won't come back to me, then she's better off dead?  I will never let her go? That's messed up, man.  What a psychopath.

I have to say, I really love Li Ce.  He's fun and wise and loyal.  I almost spit out my tea when he blew a kiss to Zhuge Yue from afar….  These two make a good team.

So in the next part we have another time jump, another year, before she and Zhuge Yue meet at a local lantern festival…. ❤❤❤ -Kero