Chapter 25 (2/2)

Ming ChangYan's complexion changed as Liu Kuang suddenly turned to Zhao XiaoLan, ”Do you know who they are?”

Ming ChangYan's gaze turned cold, staring at Liu Kuang.

Zhao XiaoLan didn't notice in the least, saying, ”She, she's Yan jie-jie, of course.”

Liu Kuang paused a moment, then nodded, ”Yes, yes that's right.”

Ming ChangYan pulled his hand back from Huai Yu's waist; seeing that his hand had left the Common People's Order, Liu Kuang let out a sigh of relief.

Huai Yu lowered his voice to interrogate him, ”Why are you touching my waist.”

Ming ChangYan said, ”I just felt like touching it, it's not like you're gonna lose a chunk of meat. Or you can grope me back if it makes you feel better.”

He struck a pose, actually b.u.mping his waist against Huai Yu.

Huai Yu wasn't prepared for that at all, and the b.u.mp knocked him off-balance. Ming ChangYan promptly pulled him back, ”You're like some rich young lady, can't even handle a little b.u.mp.”

Huai Yu's gaze fell onto their interlocked hands, ”What are you holding my hand for.”

Ming ChangYan said, ”You sure ask a lot of questions – not everything in the world needs to have a clear answer, you know. People hold your hand because they're being nice to you, they like you, they're looking after you, if you're gonna be that ungrateful about it you'll never find a wife.”

Huai Yu snorted, then after a while began to turn fussy again, ”Your pulling me is uncomfortable.”

Ming ChangYan said, ”I won't pull you then, you can walk by yourself.”

He suddenly tugged his hand back–but it wouldn't budge.

Huai Yu wasn't looking at him, yet he was holding his hand in a vice grip and refused to let go. He kept nonchalantly walking forward, making Ming ChangYan stumble as he was tugged along.

”Ai! Slow down!”

This time it was Ming ChangYan's wrists that were hurting.

The two were in the back of the group doing this in plain sight, pulling each other along as if n.o.body else were around to see; indeed, aside from Lu HangJiu, n.o.body else noticed anything wrong.

He looked at Ming ChangYan, then looked at Huai Yu, his face as deathly pale as if he were mourning his deceased parents.

They pa.s.sed by a green-tiled, red-walled building; everyone within the building looked stressed, walking hurriedly around with bowed heads, all of them carrying stacks of white paper. Ming ChangYan offhandedly asked, ”What's this place?”

Liu Kuang: ”This is XiaoXiang Pavilion, where we print the National Daily News.”

When Liu Kuang talked, Jun loved to ask all sorts of questions in order to extend the conversation, wis.h.i.+ng more than anything that he could talk with her for a night and a day.

”What's the National Daily News?”

Zhao XiaoLan said, ”You don't even know the national daily news!?”

Jun glared at him, ”I wasn't asking you, what are you answering for! Teacher Liu, tell us, what's the national daily news?”

Liu Kuang, ”It records all matters big and small which occur across the land, publis.h.i.+ng issues every day with the help of the imperial family's funding, and uses post horses at relay stations to deliver papers around the country.”

Ming ChangYan said, ”This newspaper is boring and ugly, the only part I like looking at is the teatime gossip column!”

Jun asked again, ”What's the teatime gossip column?”

Ming ChangYan laughed out loud, ”What else could it be, it's obviously things like some capital's rich young mistress ran off with some poor scholar, or some sect's sect head lost a gamble, or some chivalrous minister snuck off to a cheap brothel behind his wife's back, that sort of thing.”

Jun's face turned red as she turned her head away, saying, ”That's obscene!”

Aside from private bedroom affairs, the National Daily News's gossip mostly focused on Ming ChangYan. For example: It was rumored he was especially wild in private, with this or that miss or madam…doing who knows what inappropriate things! Sleeping around at random, teasing respectable married women, showing no sense of shame, and so on. He was just about to mention some more of the gossip he'd seen, when Huai Yu pinched the palm of his hand.

”Do you often look at this sort of thing?”

Ming ChangYan paused a moment, then asked, ”What's the matter?”

”I look at it once in a while. What of it? If you want to look, that's easy enough, next time I'll buy one and we can look at it together!”

Huai Yu didn't feel particularly happy for some reason, and said, ”I've seen it before.”

Ming ChangYan saw he was angry, so he didn't say anything, instead thinking to himself: There it is again, he's mad again.

Liu Kuang gave the two a meaningful look as he said, ”I see you two get along quite well.”

Huai Yu shot him a cold glance, ”That's none of your business.”

Liu Kuang choked, swallowing whatever other teasing words he'd originally planned to say.

The group all reached a pavilion halfway up the mountain. Having walked The Hard Road, Jun was already exhausted by this point; Duan Duan made to carry her on his back, but she waved her hands in refusal, saying only that she wanted to rest.

Zhao XiaoLan said, ”It's not much farther until we arrive, we just have to hold on a little longer.”

Lu HangJiu said, ”If you can't make it up there, you might as well just stay and wait here.”

Jun hated being looked down on more than anything, and immediately retorted, ”Who says I can't make it! I can still walk! I just, I just wanted to stop to get a drink of water.”

Ming ChangYan, however, was definitely tired out; he took the initiative in stepping into the pavilion, plopping himself down hurriedly down on the seat as he gasped for breath.

Huai Yu spoke up, ”We're stopping.”

Liu Kuang finalized it by saying, ”Then we'll sit down and rest a while.”

The pavilion wasn't large, but you could still manage to find s.p.a.ce for everyone to sit if you tried. Ming ChangYan was thirsty; catching glimpse of a well outside, he promptly left the pavilion in search of cool refreshment, bending over and using his hands to drink.

He'd only just taken a sip when a hard stick poked him in the head. Ming ChangYan lifted his head to look, only to have a pair of big, damp eyes abruptly intrude on his field of vision. He stared blankly for a good long while, murmuring to himself, ”What a big pair of donkey eyes–what a big donkey!”

Without warning, that 'donkey' b.u.mped heavily into him. Ming ChangYan let out a cry of pain, and fell back on his bottom.

Huai Yu said, ”YouYou, don't move.”

Ming ChangYan shouted, ”Huai Yu, is this your donkey!”

Jun laughed out loud, ”Look a little closer, does that look like a donkey to you?”

Everyone stepped out of the pavilion at that. Ming ChangYan rubbed his forehead as he got up, complaining, ”A donkey this vicious would make a terrible millstone donkey.”

While Huai Yu was helping him up, Zhao XiaoLan hurried out past them in a flash as he went to stand in front of that 'donkey'.

”It's been a really long time since I last met it.”

Liu Kuang said, ”This little white deer must have known Yun Qing was coming today, for it to come running out from deep in the mountains.”

”Deer?” Ming ChangYan exclaimed in a grieving voice, putting on an act as he said, ”Are you sure it isn't a donkey?”

Zhao XiaoLan said, ”A donkey and a deer are too different to be mistaken for each other.”

Ming ChangYan objected, ”Too different? As far as I can tell they've both got two eyes and four legs, so they're pretty much the same.”

He squinted his eyes to look – what stood before him really was a little white deer, as snow-white as a cloud, absolutely spotless, exquisitely beautiful and nimble.

Jun said, ”This little white deer was given to Huai Yu ge-ge by my royal mother; my father the emperor wouldn't allow it to be raised within the palace, so we brought it to Egret Academy. It will only get close to Huai Yu ge-ge though, if anyone else tries it'll kick them with its hooves, its temper is so bad!”

Ming ChangYan was inwardly rueful: Just look at the rich-girl att.i.tude of the owner who raised it.

The little white deer pawed twice at the ground with a front hoof, then obediently walked over to Huai Yu's side, turning circles around him. Once it had finished spinning, it noticed its little master had an unknown guest beside him and immediately b.u.t.ted Ming ChangYan with its antlers, pus.h.i.+ng him off to the side. Ming ChangYan had a weak const.i.tution, and had let blood a few days ago as well, so he was currently no match for this deer; after a bit of fighting, he really was pushed away.

”This horrible donkey certainly looks majestic, but why does it have to be so rude!” Ming ChangYan clung desperately to Huai Yu's sleeve; the more the deer tried to separate him from Huai Yu, the closer he tried to stick to him in retaliation, doing exactly the opposite of what it wanted. He and the little beast were having a standoff. ”What're you shoving me for, do you think having antlers makes you so special!”

Ming ChangYan spoke energetically, his limbs wrapping around Huai Yu in a self-satisfied manner. Seeing them get increasingly closer, the little white deer anxiously began to spin in circles, biting Huai Yu's clothes and trying to pull him away.

Huai Yu said, ”Stop causing trouble.”

Ming ChangYan promptly shot the deer a glare, ”Hear that, he told you not to cause trouble, so you'd better let go!”

Having been scolded by Huai Yu, the little deer lost much of its vigor, but it still refused to leave. It rubbed itself against him, then made another attempt to sneak attack Ming ChangYan.

This time Ming ChangYan had an overwhelming victory, and felt incredibly pleased with himself.

After they'd rested, the group set off once more. Ming ChangYan plucked a foxtail and used it to bully the deer, ”The deer cries you you, eating wild weeds. A good name, a good name!”

He inclined his head toward Huai Yu, ”Can your donkey be ridden?”

Huai Yu corrected him, ”It's a deer.”

Ming ChangYan said, ”It has such big eyes, and such long lashes, and such a bad temper, and it's so handsome too, why does it seem to me more and more like a certain someone?”

Huai Yu said nothing.

Ming ChangYan giggled, ”Its tail is like a furball, it's real soft.”

The white deer walked with a proud and long-legged gait; Ming ChangYan was beset with a sudden urge, reaching out to pinch off a bit of tail fur. Right when he plucked it, the deer startled, rear legs kicking out on a conditioned reflex. Ming ChangYan let out a cry of surprise, not because he'd been kicked, but because he'd crashed into Huai Yu.

Ming ShaoXia patted his solar plexus, ”What a horrible temper, that donkey's a real menace!”

Huai Yu said angrily, ”Who said you could touch it!”

Ming ChangYan said, ”Is it so precious I can't even touch it?”

Having said that, he suddenly straightened up, forcing an awkward smile, ”Thanks a lot, by the way.”

Ming ShaoXia let go of his hand and turned to look at You You again, only to see that the little white deer was still angrily glaring at him; he proudly turned away again, feeling particularly cheerful.

Once they entered Egret Academy, Liu Kuang made arrangements for Zhao XiaoLan and the rest, then turned to Ming ChangYan and said, ”Come with me.”

Zhao XiaoLan put down his book, promptly following close behind Ming ChangYan, only to hear Liu Kuang say, ”Su He, what are you following him for?”

Zhao XiaoLan's name was Zhao Lan, but his courtesy name was Su He. Because the empress liked to call him XiaoLan, over time, everyone within the palace began copying her in calling him Zhao XiaoLan. He studied at Egret Academy, and had registered there with his courtesy name, so Liu Kuang was used to calling him by that name instead.

Zhao XiaoLan said, ”I'll go together with Yan jie-jie.”

Liu Kuang said, ”Wait in the outer room, I didn't tell you to come along. I just need your…Yan jie-jie to come in.”

Although Zhao XiaoLan had his misgivings, he was particularly obedient to his teacher, so if Teacher Liu wouldn't let him enter then he'd stop right at the door. Jun called out, ”How come Huai Yu ge-ge is allowed to go in, but the rest of us aren't!”

Everyone looked to see that Huai Yu was confidently following along at Ming ChangYan's side, and showed no signs of stopping.

After Jun shouted, Huai Yu looked at her and said, ”There are so many people in this room, yet why is it you are the only one who talks so much?”

Jun went silent, her expression growing timid as she shut her mouth tight and proceeded to stop speaking.

Liu Kuang pushed aside the cloth screen, ”Come in.”

Ming ChangYan strode in together with him; the room was decorated very plainly, and in its very center stood a gently smoking incense burner.

He backed up half a step, moving a little closer to Huai Yu. Huai Yu said, ”What are you doing?”

Ming ChangYan said, ”I don't like the incense in this room.” He wiggled his nose, then smiled, ”You're different, you smell really good.”

Huai Yu stared blankly, ”What?”

Ming ChangYan mouthed, ”I said you smell good, Young Prime Minister.”

Liu Kuang said, ”Excuse me for interrupting. I'm sorry to ask, but did either of you hear a word I just said?”

Ming ChangYan lifted his eyebrows, ”Did you say something? Liu SanQing, that's certainly improper of you, talking while other people are chatting.”

Liu Kuang said, ”The guilty party files the suit. I'm not going to argue with you over this; Lord Ming, you really are quite lucky, to fall into the Yanbo River and manage not to die. Although I never imagined you'd run off to the imperial court–and from what Su He was saying, you ran there to play a woman?”

Ming ChangYan said, ”Of course not. I went to be the emperor's wife.”

Liu Kuang cupped his left fist with his hand, laughing, ”I should expect no less of you. You're the only person I know who could do a thing like this.”

Ming ChangYan laughed as well, ”Heaven helps the worthy. Liu SanQing, let's not beat around the bush. I came to find you because you have the fastest and most reliable information. I don't trust what everyone else is saying, so you tell me, why did the troops that purged me then include people of the imperial family?”

Liu Kuang said, ”You received the Common People's Order at a young age, and have long been a thorn in the sides of everyone in the martial circles. The imperial family wanted to join forces with you to control the martial circles of the central plains, but you both refused and ignored them; If I was the emperor, I would consider you – Ming ChangYan – to be a serious hidden danger.”

”Moreover, you are of a different ethnicity from us, so how many people in the central plains truly obey you? I reminded you a long time ago not to put yourself too far out in the public eye. The emperor is naturally disposed towards suspicion, and in the years he's been on the throne, he's racked his brains trying to find a way to weaken the martial circles' power; how could he tolerate the existence of a person like you? Lord Ming, you must know the popular nursery rhyme about the Common People's Order.”

Ming ChangYan said, ”I know it. The Common People's Order commands the common.”

Liu Kuang asked again, ”Then do you know the latter half of the saying?”

Huai Yu gave Ming ChangYan a look, ”Who under heaven does not know the lord.”

Ming ChangYan said with a bitter laugh, ”That's thinking way too highly of me!”

Liu Kuang said, ”It isn't necessarily thinking highly of you. TianQing at the time was the number one greatest sect in the country, and with you, the n.o.ble Gentleman, to oversee it, if you decided to band together to wreak havoc, it would need only be the work of a short moment.”

Ming ChangYan said, ”I never wanted to be emperor.”

Liu Kuang: ”Whether you wanted to or not doesn't matter; it's whether you could or not, and whether or not the emperor believed you wanted to.”

Ming ChangYan said, ”Not long after I'd gotten the Common People's Order, the imperial family came looking for me, and the list of conditions they gave was so long I got dizzy just looking at it. No matter how many advantages they offer me, I'm not going to accept all that; if I was that uneasy, what would be the point of me leaving Tokhara to come to the central plains?”

Liu Kuang poured two cups of wine, but Ming ChangYan rejected the offer, ”I don't drink. Do you have tea?”

Liu Kuang said, ”I'm afraid even if I had tea, you wouldn't be able to drink it.”

Ming ChangYan restrained a smile, and said, ”Back then it was me that was too impatient, I just wanted to stabilize TianQing's position in the central plains as soon as I could. If I knew this would happen, it would've been better to let Yi Yue stay in Tokhara for a few more years. Now that things've turned into this whole mess, forget bringing her to the central plains, even going back to see her is difficult.”

A particularly odd expression suddenly flashed across Liu Kuang's face at hearing his words.

Ming ChangYan didn't notice at all; he downed half a cup of tea, feeling as if its bitterness was seeping into his heart and lungs.

He lifted his head, realized that Liu Kuang hadn't spoken for a while, and suspiciously asked, ”Something wrong?”

Liu Kuang opened his mouth, ”There was something strange about what I heard you say just now – the beginning and end didn't quite match up. At first I thought I was just being oversensitive, but I'm beginning to think that's not entirely the case.” Liu Kuang paused a moment, as if he were somewhat hesitant to continue.

For some reason, a peculiar feeling suddenly swelled in Ming ChangYan's chest.

”Lord Ming, what nonsense are you saying? Back when you killed Wan QianQiu…”

He really did kill Wan QianQiu?

”It was because he murdered your twin sister.”

Ming ChangYan stared blankly, a distracted look on his face.

…What did Liu SanQing mean by this?

Wan QianQiu killed his little sister? Who?

Was he talking about Yi Yue?

After a long silence, he abruptly threw his teacup onto the floor, letting out an ear-piercing screech before the porcelain shattered; droplets of water rolled slowly through the air, stretching and twisting into the shape of bygone years, before splas.h.i.+ng all over the floor with a bang.

Something seemed to be converging together, one drop after another squeezing into the sea of his mind. He trembled softly, as a fragmented ringing noise suddenly sounded by his hears; Ming ChangYan's body abruptly turned empty, inconsolably mournful, a vacuous expression on his face, his ears gone deaf, light and darkness crisscrossing before his eyes, like a resplendent sea of stars, or a G.o.ddess chasing the moon.

Suddenly, a small window was pushed open, and a young girl rested her chin on her hands, looking at him with a smile.

”Brother draws such ugly eyebrows, and the sh.e.l.ls you pick up aren't as pretty as mine; are the sh.e.l.ls in the central plains the same as the ones here?”

”……”

”Why aren't you talking, brother? If I'm the only one talking, it feels like I'm being noisy.”

”……”

”I don't like the moon, it's so big and boring.”

”……”

”Brother's lying. When will you take me to the central plains? You said you would last year, and the year before that too!”

”……”

”Brother, take me with you to the central plains.”

The moment she smiled, the moment he blinked, black clouds covered the moon, plunging the sky into darkness. All of this was false, like a dream within a bubble.

The only thing left that he could see was – at the foot of XiYue Mountain, wrapped in a white cloth, already devoid of any sign of life – a girl with nearly the exact same face as his.

Liu Kuang frowned as he called out to him: ”Lord Ming?”

Huai Yu shared a look with him; Liu Kuang said, ”Something's wrong with him.”

Huai Yu yelled, ”Ming ChangYan? Ming ChangYan!”

Liu Kuang's face paled, ”Yun Qing, hold him down!”

Just as he'd surmised, Ming ChangYan's face twisted, looking to be both sorrowful and pained, like his soul and body had been fully extinguished, like all his insides had ruptured at once. His suffering was at a breaking point, beyond saving by G.o.ds or buddhas, his heart hurt, and it felt as if his head were bursting; tears of blood mingled together as he suddenly lost strength, vomiting a mouthful of blood–a portent of qi deviation!

He remembered.

Yi Yue, his younger twin sister, had long since ceased to exist at that distant FuYue sh.o.r.e.

Nor did she exist in any other corner of the earth.

This was translated by , any repost of this is stolen and if you steal my work, I'm going to jab you with my donkey horns.

DUN DUN DUN!!!

There are mysteries to unravel and murders to solve. But that comes in the next chapter, which is a flashback by the way. I think this will be the last flashback. I count flashbacks by how long they are. There's going to be short snippets of the past that are written in this novel, but you're brought back to the present halfway or near the end of the chapter so I don't count those.

It really took a turn there at the end huh. Is this was second-hand embarra.s.sment feels like when you witness your parents do PDA.

If you see any translation/grammatical errors, then please notifying me or commenting down below! Love your comments, they're the best.

Anyway, see you guys in a month! Love you all~

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