Volume 2 Chapter 18 (1/2)
TL's notes :
This picks up immediately after chapter 17, and there are no missing texts. The portion that links the previous arc with this one is midway through this chapter. So if you're confused (like I was), just hang in there. ?
Footnotes (mostly for little bits of interest and are mostly optional) are at the bottom, but any usage of Pinyin in the chapters will be immediately followed with a quick explanation, so as not to detract from the reading.
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The Prince's escaped fiancé (Arc 2-1)
Hornless dragons shaped from the violet gold incense burner coiled and twisted around a faintly smoking incense. On a rosewood bed, a youth of about seventeen years lay on his side. His skin was fair, with red lips and rosy cheeks, his features fine and delicate. A smile from him would draw many an admiring stare. He was leisurely flipping through a book on the past scholars of talent with keen enjoyment.
Four pretty maids surrounded him, two of whom were gently waving scented fans, another two were strumming on the pipa with one singing a little ditty. The swelteringly dry heat heralded the arrival of late spring.
Suddenly, a young servant boy garbed in blue burst into the room, crying agitatedly: ”Young master, bad news! Young master, it's terrible!”
The youth tossed his book aside and waved his hand irritatedly: ”All of you stop, stop. You're as lively as the dead, is this the type of service you're giving to this young master? If you're so unwilling, just get lost already! This young master is the eldest Di son of the Minister of Revenue, there are people lining from the north to the south of the city for a chance to serve me!”
Note: 嫡长子 (dí zhǎngzǐ) – First son born to the official wife. The eldest Di son holds the paramount position over all other children of the house and holds the right to inherit.
The maids dropped to their knees, chorusing that they wouldn't dare. How would they dare plead that their wrists were sore and swollen from waving the fans, that their throats ached from all the singing, and that they've long lost the strength to continue plucking on the strings for the music.
The youth was clearly too used to having his way, he slammed down on the books littering the reading table as he hurled a torrent of abuse at them: ”Wouldn't dare wouldn't dare, you empty headed cows really can't say anything else, just get out of my sight!”
Once they have left, he narrowed his eyes at servant boy in blue: ”As for you, making such a ruckus in my courtyard, do you still want to keep your tongue?”
The servant boy stood in front of the bed, and bitterly replied: ”Master ah, pull out this servant's tongue if you will, but do hear what this servant has to say first, a huge event is happening outside!”
The youth knitted his brows, ”What huge event?”
The little servant boy in blue pulled on a grieving face as he cried: ”It's the Fifth prince! The Fifth prince is back!”
Stunned stupid, the youth nearly fell off the bed. The little servant boy hurriedly steadied him, but found his wrist held in a tight grip as he was questioned: ”Is this true? The Fifth prince he… he still lives? How could this be, didn't he receive an arrow to the chest? How is it possible to survive such an injury!”
”This-this servant doesn't know, but everyone in the entire state is saying the same thing, the Fifth prince led an army one hundred thousand strong to victory and has returned triumphant! He is now stationed outside the city, and will enter the palace tomorrow, it's likely true. Master, what you did to him before… what should we do now?”
The youth jumped off the bed in a hurry and closed the doors. Turning around, he began rummaging for valuable items in the room.
”Ah Gui, quickly, quickly help me pack up the light valuables, we'll leave the town tonight. Jing Cheng has always been extremely petty and spiteful, he'll never spare me!”
Ah Gui replied promptly: ”Yes.”
Note: Ā (阿) – prefix used in front of persons' given names or kins.h.i.+p terms to express familiarity
While the master and servant pair was cleaning the room out, the doors were slammed open. A beautiful woman stood glowering at the entrance.
Her hair was combed up high in a dignified round bun, overlaid with gold and jade ornaments, her eyebrows curved in a delicate arch. She carried herself with the proud and stately air of a warrior, trailing behind her obediently were seven to eight maidservants and two grim faced old women.
”Tao Ziyu! You ungrateful child, where do you think you're running off to? Back then when the Fifth prince was dangerously ill, he requested your presence in the army to see him one last time, but, thankless wretch that you are, you left a shameful rescinding letter to break off the marriage contract and ran off with your belongings, now you wish to repeat history?”
As soon as she had appeared, the youth had flung away the little bundle he had packed up to kneel at her feet and beg for mercy: ”Mother, your child knows he's wrong, I should have listened to you in the past, but I'll die if I don't leave this time. I've seen how cruel Jing Cheng could be, he must despise me now! Could you really just stand by and watch while he tortures me to death, Mother!”
Wu Xueyan was driven into a trembling fit of rage, she struck him hard across the face.
”How could I have given birth to the likes of you, a little smarter than average on the usual days, but turning into a halfwit when faced with trouble! Do you still the think that the Fifth prince of today is the same Jing Cheng from three years ago? He commands hundreds of thousands of troops, with his current capability, what is out of his reach? If you run off, what will become of our house? What of your father, mother, brothers and sisters! In your eyes, only your own hide matters, you selfish, self-serving child!”
Tao Ziyu realised he couldn't move her, and s.h.i.+fted his focus to plotting an escape. Wu Xueyan had raised him for eighteen years, how could she not understand the turn of his mind? She immediately ordered the women to tie him up and send him over to the Fifth prince's residence tomorrow morning as a peace offering.
Tao Ziyu struggled and raged at Wu Xueyan: ”Are you really my mother? Sending your own child to his death, how are you so cruel!”
Seeing them stunned for a moment, he shoved the women away and bolted.
Wu Xueyan's nails almost broke the skin of her palms, she pointed at the patrolling guard in the courtyard, shouting: ”Bring him back on pain of your lives!”
Tao Ziyu didn't get far before his foot slid on a stone, he skidded and slammed his head hard into a wall. And in this way, he died.
The two guards turned him over, checked for his breathing, and were badly shocked. They were about to check again when he suddenly drew in a breath, to their great relief.
This little lordling is the Minister's eldest Di son, if anything were to happen to him, ten of their lives would not be enough as recompense.
Su Yang opened his eyes to two strange faces dressed in strange costumes.
”Eh???”
Where is Fu Zhou? Last night, weren't they doing that… that…
System: ”After last night, the progress bar was completely filled, so I switched worlds for you.”
Su Yang let out a sigh of relief, what happened last night had left him paralysed with shame. He had been resistant at the beginning, but for some reason, he ended up eventually going along with it, he really was useless.
”But for me to just die like that, will he be apprehended as a murderer?”
The system explained: ”The original owner had already died when the back of his head hit the wall in the bathroom. After you leave, the body will follow the original death route. When the forensic doctors discover the blood clot in the head, they will a.s.sume it was death from an old injury. Fu Zhou will not be implicated as a murderer.”
Well, so long as he hadn't ruined Fu Zhou's life, it was fine. Su Yang shook his head as he stood up to gather his bearings of this body's memories.