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 162, English novel translation

Princess Agents - 特工皇妃楚喬傳 

Chapter 162: It's Good to Live

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Is she still asking him this?

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

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

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

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

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

"What have you come to do in XiangYang?"

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

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

"Were you able to finish?"

"A-Almost."

"Then when are you leaving?"

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

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

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

"Oh."

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

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

"Me? What about me?"

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

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

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

"Hey!"

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

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

He's doing this on purpose!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"How is it? Are you injured?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"To take note of the name."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Do you believe it?"

Chu Qiao whispered.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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