Chapter 41 Part1 (1/2)

You'll see why I took so long to translate this chapter. From this point on, it is just an endless amount of pain, pain and more pain, oh, not to forget, loads of tragedy too. While I didn't necessarily agree with Yun Ge's actions, I did understand her motivations behind it.

Updated: 16/12 Note: This chapter is too long, I'll have to split it into two.

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Yu An woke early, when he saw Yun Ge and his majesty locked in an embrace, he a.s.sumed they were admiring the snow fall and didn’t dare to disturb them. Yet they didn’t move at all from dawn till noon. Yu An felt the first stirrings of unease and walked softly to the couple, lightly touching the Emperor. When he felt the icy coldness of the body, tears sprung to his eyes. He was reminded of the Emperor’s previous instructions and didn’t dare to hesitate, wiping his tears as he said gently “Miss Yun, his majesty….his majesty has departed. His subjects will handle things from now on as custom dictates, his majesty has specially instructed your subject to escort Missy out of Chang An.”

Yun Ge rose and rubbed her eyes, as if she was just roused from a dream, then smiled at Liu Fu Ling and curled up against him. “Ling Ge Ge just fell asleep. We want to sleep a little while longer. Leave us.”

Yu An knew that this matter couldn’t be delayed, with a clench of his jaw, he raised his hand and hit it against her head. This was when Yun Ge truly lost consciousness.

Fu Yu immediately stepped forward, intending to carry Yun Ge away, but her arms were firmly wound around Liu Fu Ling’s waist, no matter how he tried, she just wouldn’t let go. Mo Cha and Yu An bent down, trying to help move her hands away, and to their surprise, both martial arts experts had to use their full strength before her hands could be pried away from his body, one finger at a time. Mo Cha started to cry as she was prying her fingers away. Yu An wanted to admonish her but as he was about to speak, he felt like he was on the verge of crying himself, so he quickly swallowed his words. He emphasized each word as he spoke to Mo Cha and Fu Yu “I will leave Yun Ge to the both of you, once she crosses the border, General Zhao’s people will meet you there, and escort all of you to Xi Yu.  You’ll have to bear the burden of the first part, once the dust has settled in Chang An, I will find you.”

Mo Cha and Fu Yu nodded through their tears “Rest a.s.sured, Supervisor!”

Liu Xun received news from Qi Xi, predicting the calmness to come and looking forward to the excitement in the future, and with a trace of sorrow. He walked one round around the house then with a sudden movement, pushed open the window. Somewhere during the day, the huge snowfall had stopped, and the grey skies that had been upon them cleared, the skies were as clear as crystal. The sun hung proudly in the sky, shooting golden rays, and the delicate world after a snow fall shone as brightly as jewels. Everything seemed to hint towards the end of a reign and the coming of a new ruler, and this new empire shall be headed by him.

Liu Xun called his lackey over, asking “Has there been any movement from Meng Jue these past two days?” His lackey replied “None, he has been gardening in his residence, occasionally venturing to the markets for a stroll.”

Ever since returning from Li Shan, he would visit Meng Jue once a week, as if they were close friends, plotting together each day, while in reality, he was only making idle chat. He didn’t expect Meng Jue to clearly side with him, but he wanted to plant the seeds of distrust in Liu He at least, and now, as long as Liu He had an ounce of suspicion, he wouldn’t dare to use Meng Jue. No matter how sound his suggestions were, he wouldn’t dare to use them. Liu Xun remained silent, then called “He Xiao Qi.”

“Your servant is here.” He Xiao Qi immediately bowed and waited for his instructions.

“Notify everyone that we shall proceed according to plan. Additionally, send someone to keep a close eye on Meng Jue.”

He Xiao Qi replied “Yes” and disappeared out of the house in a flash.

Just after noon, when the sun was still bright.

Meng Jue wasn’t doing anything substantial and was really gardening as Liu Xun’s spy reported.

A green jade Bagua map, with small black and white pebbles stacked inside. He placed two things that resembled garlic into the map, and used the pebble to hold it in place, then poured clear water into the map.

Ba Yue rushed in hurriedly and bowed by the door “Master, we have been keeping water at Li Shan for over a month and finally saw Fu Yu making his way down. He was very clever,  I don’t know which pa.s.sageway he used, but he didn’t appear straight from Li Shan. He was disguised as a poor scholar and drove a grey mule carriage. A woman sat beside him, disguised as his wife and an old lady lay inside the carriage. When they pa.s.sed the checkpoints, we heard the woman sobbing that her grandmother had come down with a grave illness and sorely missed home, so they were sending their grandmother to her hometown. We nearly missed it, thank goodness Master has emphasized Fu Yu’s looks repeated and Sister Jiu was careful, so we didn’t lose them.” And so it seemed that Liu Fu Ling has pa.s.sed on!

Meng Jue released the pebbles in his hands, but his heart was anything but relaxed.

If Liu Fu Ling intended to send Yun Ge out of Chang An, his first concern wouldn’t be whether they were skilled in martial arts, but whether they would be loyal and trustworthy. After all, this was a crucial period; all who would want to harm Yun Ge would be busy with more important matters and would probably overlook her. It would be too late when they’d thought of her. As long as they were loyal and did their job well, they would be able to send Yun Ge away; but if he chose the wrong person, once word got out, she would be in danger. If they were loyal, no one would know in the entire Wei Yang Palace besides Fu Yu. The outspoken San Yue asked “Master, when should we hijack the carriage?”

Meng Jue laughed “Who told you we were hijacking the carriage?”

San Yue shrugged, after monitoring Li Shan for more than a month, what were they supposed to do if not to hijack the carriage?

Meng Jue instructed “Ba Yue, instruct the men to protect the carriage in secret, till the carriage is safely out of Han territory.” Ba Yue replied “Yes.” “If anything were to happen, no matter what, no matter what, you must protect the person in the carriage.”

Master had always been known for his succinct speech, for the words ‘no matter what’ to be repeated twice, Ba Yue knew the importance of this mission and knelt “Master, rest a.s.sured, I understand.” Meng Jue watched him leave, and then returned to tend to another pot of daffodils. San Yue sighed “Master, am I to remain idle today again?”

Meng Jue spoke without even looking up from his pot “Don’t even think about it! Help me collect pebbles, neither too big nor small and arrange them according to colour.”

San Yue’s expression changed, reluctantly taking her position by Meng Jue’s side, choosing pebbles from a wooden pot.

A servant entered to announce “Master, my lord Marquis has arrived.”

Liu Xun had been paying him daily visits and Meng Jue’s servants were all used to his coming and going. When San Yue heard the announcement, she wiped her hands clean and retreated to prepare snacks even without Meng Jue’s prompt.

Meng Jue smiled blandly “Show him in.”

He had barely said the words when Liu Xun strode in and after taking in all the colorful jade pots, ceramic pots, he smiled “Meng Jue, do you really plan to dust your hands off the happenings outside Chang An is almost about to descend into chaos and you’re still here growing daffodils.” Meng Jue asked “What is happening?”

Liu Xun answered “I’ve heard that his majesty had pa.s.sed away in Li Shan. Yu An is suppressing the spread of the news but Huo Guang had already got wind of it and is currently summoning the important officials to discuss who should be the successor. If everything proceeds according to plan, by tonight, after the official announcement of his majesty’s pa.s.sing, Huo Guang and a few other officials will invite Uncle to the palace.” As he spoke, Meng Jue had already planted another pot of daffodils. He said lightly “His majesty pa.s.sing on was only a matter of time, and within everyone’s expectations. Huo Guang choosing the Prince of Chang Yi, also falls within many people’s expectations. These are all things that could have been predicted, so wherefore the chaos?”

Liu Xun didn’t reply, for it was indeed as Meng Jue said. Since the late Emperor left no sons, so the successor could only be chosen from among the Emperor’s brothers, and nephews. Huo Guang will never choose the hard to control Prince of Guang Ling, and definitely not the descendants of the Prince of Yan who dug his own grave; the only suitable candidate would be the weak, frivolous Liu He. Between the two of them, naturally Huo Guang wouldn’t be choosing the most suitable person to be Emperor, but rather, the person who would be the easiest to control. Liu He was well known for being frivolous, and was free-spirited; Huo Guang would naturally lean towards a useless candidate. Liu Xun sat silently for a moment then smiled, “When Uncle succeeds the throne, he will definitely lift you high. I should congratulate you.”

Meng Jue looked at Liu Xun and smiled “As a subject, naturally I would be loyal to the Emperor.”

Liu Xun nodded and stood to leave. Meng Jue didn’t try to hold him back.

Fu Yu was driving a mule carriage, while Ba Yue was riding on a thoroughbred horse. Catching up to Fu Yu was a simple matter. However, just in case, Ba Yue had sent Jiu Yue a letter through a pigeon carrier, conveying Meng Jue’s instructions.

By the time the sun was about to set, Ba Yue had already caught up to the Qin Ling Mountain Range, and estimated he was about to catch up to Jiu Yue. He heaved a sigh of relief but tensed when he suddenly heard the sounds of men fighting in the mountain valley, urging his horse to go faster. He navigated through some tight turns when he saw a few hundred men completely dressed in black surrounding the carriage, forcing it to a corner.

Fu yu and Mo Cha were protecting the carriage to their best ability, not daring to make a single wrong move. Jiu Yue brought her men to protect one side of the carriage, while another ten men in grey protected the other side. Ba Yue saw that they fought with skill and Master had reminded him earlier so he guessed they were eunuchs from the palace. The men in grey were clearly more well versed in martial arts but the men in black seemed to have already knew what moves they were about to make, and came well prepared, wielding thick knives that were mainly used to deal with the flexible swords. Furthermore, they moved in threes, working effortlessly to kill each of the men in grey. Jiu Yue had lost half her men and Ba Yue quickly called out the hidden code, informing her to rescue the person and escape.

Yun Ge woke up in the midst of a bloodbath, when she drew the curtains back and saw the scene in front of her, she thought she was still in a dream, staring dumbly at everyone, unable to understand the situation. Jiu Yue saw Yun Ge and finally understood why Master was so insistent on them protecting the carriage. He turned to Fu Yu, “There are too many people, we can only save Yun Ge.”

Fu Yu and Mo Cha looked at each other and said unanimously “As long as missy is able to guarantee our mistress’ safety, we will be eternally grateful.”

Jiu Yue reached for the dazed Yun Ge and dragged her off the carriage. Fu Yu and Mo Cha immediately charged forward without a care of their own safety, ensuring Jiu Yue’s escape.

Jiu Yue flung a rope and anch.o.r.ed it to a large tree beneath the mountain pa.s.s. With one hand holding on to Yun Ge, she pushed her along the rope away from everyone. The men in black thought they already had Yun Ge, not expecting Jiu Yue’s move. With this turn of events, they became even more vicious. In a short while, all the men in grey lay dead. The men in black immediately chased after Yun Ge; Ba Yue brought his men to stand guard at the mountain pa.s.s, blocking their chase. Jiu Yue whistled and Ba Yue’s thoroughbred horse fly towards them.

With a flick of her hand, she landed on the horse and took its reigns, all in an instant.

Jiu Yue was about to turn the horse away when the men in black pushed the captured Fu Yu and Mo Cha forward. Their leader cried out “Miss Yun, we only want you. Are you willing to see so many people die for you?” Mo Cha and Fu Yu lay limp against the men, knowing that their bones were probably broken, but they stubbornly said “Let us be!”

Ba Yue was fighting against all the men in black who surged forward as he shouted “Jiu Mei, leave quickly! Master will definitely seek justice on my behalf!”

Jiu Yue nodded and turned the horse away. Yun Ge asked dazedly “I…..Why am I here? Ling Ge Ge…” She turned towards Mo Cha and Fu Yu “Mo Cha? Fu Yu?”

Mo Cha screamed “Leave quickly! Let us….ah!”

The man in black held Mo Cha’s chin and with a slash of his sword, Mo Cha gasped as fresh blood flowed from her mouth. They’d cut off her tongue. “Ah!” Yun Ge screamed and collapsed against Jiu Yue. Jiu Yue urged her horse forward while Yun Ge held her hand, crying “Stop, please stop….” While turning back repeatedly. Jiu Yue ignored her, keeping a firm hold on Yun Ge while she urged the horse to increase its speed.

The man in black laughed coldly “How cold hearted is Miss Yun! Ever since you entered the palace, it was Mo Cha who cared after you, her efforts have been a waste on you.” As he spoke, his sword danced across her neck and blood burst forth! With deft strokes, that man in black sent Mo Cha’s head flying across the air towards Yun Ge. Yun Ge opened her mouth, but no sound came forth. Fear and despair were displayed clearly in her eyes.

The man in black grabbed Fu Yu and raised his knife for the slaughter.

Yun Ge suddenly lifted her head and howled. That desperate, chilling cry rang throughout the mountains. The birds in the mountains flew away in fright, the horses the men in black brought all fell to their knees at the cry. Although Jiu Yue’s horse didn’t kneel, it jerked as it tried to throw them off its back. Jiu Yue was alarmed, this horse was a pure breed Ferghana horse, the king of the horse breeds, and had been personally brought up by Master. It was extremely mild and obedient, but Yun Ge’s cry actually caused this horse to go against its master’s orders.

“Just as you have taken Mo Cha’s life, I vow to take yours in future. If you touch Fu Yu, I will make you regret even being born.”

He had been well used to all the various curses being thrown at him, but Yun Ge’s tone actually caused chills down his spine, and his knife hovered at Fu Yu’s throat. He cackled coldly “As I’ve said earlier, we only want you. If you stay behind obediently, these people shall naturally be spared.” Yun Ge made a soft sound and at it, the horse stilled and turned back, bringing Yun Ge and Jiu Yue towards the men in black. Jiu Yue couldn’t get the horse to obey her no matter how she tried.

The horse stopped behind Ba Yue and the battle Ba Yue’s men and the men in black were engaged in quieted, although their weapons were still drawn and they still eyed each other warily.

Yun Ge told Jiu Yue “Let me go.”

Jiu Yue read the stillness in Yun Ge’s eyes and s.h.i.+vered, unconsciously releasing her hold.

Yun Ge hopped off the horse and walked towards the men in black “Let Fu Yu go.”

The men in black moved quickly, flinging Fu Yu to Jiu Yue while grabbing Yun Ge up the horse, disappearing into the night.

Yun Ge was unnaturally quiet, showing no resistance, but their master had instructed them before hand and the man in black didn’t dare to treat this Missy lightly, so he still handed her the pill they’d prepared and lifted it to her lips. “This is only something to knock you out, allowing you to sleep.” Yun Ge swallowed the pill without a sound

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The winter was severe, cold and biting.

The silk that covered the window was in tatters, in only took one gust of the northern wind for the bitter cold to seep into the house. There was neither fire pit nor stove in the house, and when Huo Cheng Jun entered, she thought there wasn’t any difference in temperature. Her maid, Xiao Li laughed “This place is humble for Missy.” Huo Cheng Jun looked coldly at Yun Ge, curled up on the pallet “On the contrary, I think this place is too luxurious.”

Xiao Li immediately changed her tune “Yes, yes, your servant thinks it is too luxurious too.”

“Wake her up!”

Xiao Li had already guessed Huo Cheng Jun’s intentions and commanded men to pump cold water and poured the whole bucket on Yun Ge.

The effect of the drug diminished in the bitter cold, but she was still weak. She struggled to sit and showed no surprise when she saw it was Huo Cheng Jun.

Huo Cheng Jun smiled and walked up to her, looking down on her condescendingly. Yun Ge’s eyes were calm, too calm, with none of the fear and panic she wanted to see. Huo Cheng Jun glanced at Xiao Li; Xiao Li understood her meaning and carried a bucket of cold water, walking gleefully to the pallet. She slowly poured the water down from Yun Ge’s head. Yun Ge hadn’t eaten in two days and still weak from the drug, she couldn’t resist at all. She had also given up the futile struggle. She didn’t beg or curse, only allowing the icy cold water to flow from her head, looking calmly at Huo Cheng Jun with detachedness in the depths of her eyes. Huo Cheng Jun had long waited for this day, eagerly antic.i.p.ating Yun Ge’s pathetic downfall. When it finally was coming true, she felt that her hatred didn’t dissipate one bit. Looking at Yun Ge now, she felt a fresh wave of bitterness and hatred, laughing with more and more abandon, “Bring me the horse whip.” Xiao Li immediately went to carry out her orders.

Huo Cheng Jun took the whip from her and smiled “Leave us.” She flexed the whip and with a strong crack of the whip, aimed it at Yun Ge. Yun Ge subconsciously tried to dodge, but because she was still weak, there was no way she could have dodged it. Her clothes tore with a rip as the whip made contact. “I should have whipped you hard with this many years ago! Running into me on the street, killing my precious horse, all without remorse!”

The whip cracked once more.

“This is because I saved you but you repaid my grat.i.tude with enmity!”

Another one.

“This is because…..because….” Huo Cheng Jun was unable to voice out the deep scar in her heart, concentrating all her hurt and shame into that one vicious whip.

“This is because of all beatings of the plank my brother endured!”

“This is for the slap my mother gave me!”

“This is because of Liu Fu Ling. You even blocked my entry to the palace! After spending countless time and energy preparing that dance, I became a laughingstock!”

Huo Cheng Jun’s whippings became more and more frenzied, no longer holding back, one lash of the whip after another. It didn’t quell the flames of hatred and anger in her heart at all, but only served to stoke the flames.

A man in black rushed into the house and with low, measured tones; he said “Miss Huo, my master still has use for her.”

The haze of anger cleared and when she looked at the state Yun Ge was left in, she felt like she had never been more satisfied. She smiled “I’ll leave you with half your life today. In a few days, I’ll send you off to be reunited with Liu Fu Ling.” Covered in b.l.o.o.d.y marks, Yun Ge s.h.i.+vered violently.

Huo Cheng Jun wanted to say more when the man in black interrupted her “Miss Huo, this is not a place for you to linger, please return! If anyone sees you, the consequences…” He let the words trail, only making a ‘please’ gesture. Huo Cheng Jun saw the logic in his words and flung the horse whip aside, still smiling as she left.

The water she had been doused with mixed with Yun Ge’s blood and turned into ice on her pallet; it seemed as if there was blood red crystals littered all over. Yun Ge lay limp on the blood crystals, her back crisscrossed with the marks of the whip. Her whole back had been whipped still her flesh was exposed, and blood flowed freely. It was hard to imagine that these scars were caused by a pretty, delicate n.o.blewoman. A snake’s venom or a hornet’s sting is nowhere as poisonous as a vicious woman’s heart! The man in black shook his head and went to check on Yun Ge.

Despite enduring so many lashes of the whip, not a sound was heard from Yun Ge. He thought that Yun Ge had fainted from the pain but when he flipped her over; he saw that her eyes were wide open and expressionless. As he shook her, her wounds started to bleed afresh, but she still showed no reaction. The man instructed Xiao Li, standing guard outside “Aren’t there many women locked in this place? Find a woman to help clean her wounds, and fetch a fire pit.” Xiao Li scoffed “Am I the mistress, or are you the master? Didn’t you hear what Miss Huo said earlier? My future….”

He cut her off “I only know that if she were to die now, you and I will be buried with her.”

Xiao Li weighed the importance of her future against her life, finally deciding her life was more important, she went off cursing, ordering men to bring dry clothes, blankets and build a fire, while she went off in search of a woman with some medical knowledge.

Huo Guang asked Shang Guan Xiao Mei to write an edict, ordering Liu He to enter the capital. The imperial edict arrived at the same time as a note from Meng Jue. “Deal with this calmly and give the impression of weakness, ascension is your priority. Kill Liu Xun in a swift move.”

His lips curled in a smile, as he burnt Meng Jue’s note and commanded his servants to prepare for his entrance in the capital.

An official, w.a.n.g Ji, who served at Liu He’s court since young, asked “My lord, pardon me for my impertinent question, but do you have any intention of entering the capital?” Liu He understood that he was hinting at something else, and replied “As it looks now, do I have room to choose? Her majesty has already written an edict to summon me to the palace for the funeral, can I reject her?” w.a.n.g Ji still persisted stubbornly “Your subject only wishes to understand my lord’s intentions.”

Liu He smiled “I don’t know, I’ll just take things as they come.”

w.a.n.g Ji fell silent for a moment, then said “Your subject understands, I’ll go get ready, for…..sigh!”  He heaved a long sigh “I will order a few more men to accompany my lord into the capital.” He turned to leave when Liu He called out to him, thinking as he started to call out the names of those he wished to follow him, w.a.n.g Ji hurriedly started to write them all down.

Liu He named about ten people at one go before stopping, and grinning, said “I want all these people with me, the others….the others may be left at your discretion! However, you are not to name more than twenty people, I still need s.p.a.ce for my wives and servants! The more people we have, the more restrictions there’ll be.” In w.a.n.g Ji’s eyes, he saw a helplessness that this prince was beyond rescue, but he could only acquiesce to Liu He’s request and retreat from the hall.

As Liu He watched w.a.n.g Ji leave, his smile faded, to be replaced by a chill, an inexplicable lonliness. When he c.o.c.ked his head, he saw Hong Yi behind the curtains looking straight at him, confusion and anxiety plain in her eyes. He suddenly laughed, gently calling “Hong Yi!” Hong Yi walked over with small steps and knelt in front of him. She was about to start gesturing when he held her hand still “I know you want to ask ‘why did you choose those people to accompany you?’”