Chapter 19 (1/2)
Chapter 19: Fallen Gentleman – Part 8
Translated by: Kestrel
Edited by: Ritpoppy
Everyone knew that aside from Ming ChangYan, there was no other person on this earth who had ever been able to pull out this sword. So if this person had pulled it out, there were only two possible explanations.
One: This was Ming ChangYan himself.
Two: This was someone with even greater innate talent than Ming ChangYan.
In every case that the Common People's Order recognized a master, the next person to take up that position would without exception need to be more valiant than the previous to be capable of drawing the sword. If someone was able to draw the Common People's Order from its sheath, then it would abandon its previous master. Consequently, over the last hundred years, the more time pa.s.sed, the more difficult it became to draw out the Common People's Order. Before the n.o.ble Gentleman, it had been without a master for a full forty years!
And now, before everybody's eyes, the Common People's Order had actually been pulled out by a tiny imperial concubine; this had to be the greatest comedy in all the world. If this wasn't Ming ChangYan, then why would someone with such great talent sneak into the imperial palace disguised as an ordinary concubine?
Jun shouted out, ”Duan Duan! Stop! Who told you to actually fight her!?”
Duan Duan just stood there silently, giving off something of an innocent impression. Jun didn't have the heart to scold him too heavily; she reached up on tiptoes to rub his head, placating him, ”Alright, it's my fault, I was too hard on you.”
The old wet nurse said, ”Lord Duan isn't fully mentally sound, and so you can't blame him for not knowing how to hold back when he gets to doing something. Your Highness clearly told him to exchange blows with that little concubine. It was he who misunderstood, how could the princess be at fault?”
Jun turned to look at Huai Yu, who looked as cold as ever, she pursed her lips, lowering her head as she spoke, ”Huai Yu ge-ge…”
Zhao XiaoLan came back to himself then, and shouted, ”Yan jie-jie just pulled out the Common People's Order! I saw her!”
Jun said, ”Zhao XiaoLan! What are you yelling for!” She walked towards Ming ChangYan, saw that the other's front was covered in blood, and realized it must have been what was spat out earlier. Jun wrung the edge of her dress as she quickly and quietly said, ”I'm sorry! I'll go call the doctor for you.”
Just then, the Eldest Prince and his bodyguard arrived.
”It's quite lively here, what are all of you talking about?”
Jun called out, ”Huang-xiong, we're flying kites!”
”There have been so many deaths by vengeful spirits within the palace these past few days, the number of imperial bodyguards has more than doubled, and yet you and XiaoLan can still find the mood to stand here flying kites.”
The Third Prince came up by his side, opening a folding fan as he spoke, ”Did I hear XiaoLan say The Common People's Order just now? What Common People's Order?”
The Eldest Prince's smile froze, his face paling in an instant.
Zhao XiaoLan went quiet, ”I-I never said that…”
The fact that the Eldest Prince had taken imperial troops with him to purge Ming ChangYan years ago was commonly known throughout the court. After Ming ChangYan's ghost returned to haunt them, the third to die was the eldest prince's birth mother, Imperial Concubine Yuan. Now that the Eldest Prince had been brought back to the imperial palace, rumors were flying through the chambers of the imperial concubines as heavily as falling snow, all hinting that the prince would be the ghost's next target.
Zhao XiaoLan had heard a little bit of this as well, and knew that his oldest cousin could not bear to hear even the tiniest mention of Ming ChangYan-related things, believing every rumor he came across. As soon as he heard something, he would undoubtedly grab hold of the relevant people and ask them for every detail. He therefore knew perfectly well he'd blurted out something he shouldn't have, and shut his mouth, refusing to speak.
Jun didn't know any of these details, and straightforwardly said, ”She pulled out the sword at Huai Yu ge-ge's waist, what about it? All this fuss over nothing, it's fine since she put it back, isn't it!”
The Eldest Prince's gaze turned cold as he looked in the direction of Huai Yu's waist, recognizing at a glance that this sword was The Common People's Order.
”Who drew the sword!”
Jun was frightened by his reaction, quickly pointing to Ming ChangYan, ”She did it.”
Ming ChangYan felt a sharp pain in his chest, and feared he might spit out more blood if he opened his mouth again. Huai Yu said, ”It's a fake sword. With how important The Common People's Order is, I had people make a few counterfeits to mislead people; the one I am carrying on me now is one of them.”
The Eldest Prince relaxed at that, then spoke again, ”A counterfeit? You're right, there isn't anyone in this country who wouldn't want this thing. Your careful deliberations are good as always, Young Prime Minister.”
He lifted his head, glancing at Ming ChangYan, and seeing that he was a girl, felt even more willing to believe Huai Yu's words.
Zhao XiaoLan tilted his head, muttering to himself, ”A counterfeit? It looks so much like the real thing, though.”
The Third Prince said, ”There have been too many disturbances within the palace of late; Jun and XiaoLan should be particularly careful, and try not to run around without good reason.”
Jun said, ”I have Duan Duan to protect me, I'm not afraid. If I stayed locked up within the imperial palace, I'd die of boredom! Third Brother, where are you two going?”
The third prince said: ”Your Eldest Brother and I are going to Daming Palace; there's been a plague in GuangLing, and a popular tradition among the locals there is to offer brides to He Bo* to appease the G.o.d's anger. Many innocent young girls have already died, a fact which has given our father quite a headache.”
(TN: G.o.d of the Yellow River)
This was translated by , any repost of this is stolen and if you steal our work, (ಠ⌣ಠ) boi
Jun said, ”Go ahead and go, then. Third Brother, I still think you and Eldest Brother should have a talk with Father, he's really too superst.i.tious, with how much he encourages those cultivators and their magic.”
The Third Prince knocked on Jun's head with his fan, ”Honestly now, you know our father's thoughts are not something you nor I can control.”
He glanced over at Huai Yu, offering him a smile, ”Young Prime Minister, we'll bid you farewell for now.”
As Huai Yu nodded, the Third Prince's gaze fell back down onto Ming ChangYan, the smile not leaving his face as he continued, ”Before I go – forgive me for being blunt, but as she is one of my father's concubines, might not the Young Prime Minister's current action be considered somewhat inappropriate?”
Ming ChangYan thought: Concubine? Who're you calling a concubine?
Immediately following that, he suddenly realized. Huai Yu coldly said, ”Let go.”
At his words, Ming ChangYan jumped off of him.
After the Eldest Prince left, a very young concubine said, ”Jun, are you still going to fly kites?”
Jun waved a hand, ”No, no more kites, in a moment I'm going to the academy to deliver a few things for Teacher Liu!”