Chapter 41 (1/2)
Chapter 41
Chapter 41: “By the Han the girls roam free, but no man can pursue them”
This is line fro”, will be explained more in the chapter
Sonow Is he still getting by in this turbulent time? My stomach is full of nerves as we approach the State Preceptor’s Residence A Kuchan soldier is found standing guard at the gates Thankfully, Duan Ye carries with hi The Kuchan soldier dares not offend Lu Guang people, so he ioes inside to report our arrival
腰牌 or yaopai is a token/tag with engravings that is worn at the waist (腰 yao = waist) during Ie; can be made of various materials such as wood, copper or ivory
The courtyard has been repainted Nothing luxurious, but it gives off a rather elegant feel Seeing how the Residence looks to be in pretty good shape and that there’s even a guard at the front, it see very well
While ait, I lean over and whisper to Duan Ye:
“A ring of light will appear in Jiankang, and a great achievement awaits in Hexi Canjun, please remember not to disclose the fates, else they would not come to fruition”
This is what I ca is not very poetic or suous Jiankang refers to how Duan Ye will one day become its Administrator Hexi of coursestate will preside over, of which he will become its founder But at this ti as a place in Eastern Jin, and Hexi is soood with such a divination, since it doesn’t spoil history much
Truthfully speaking, Duan Ye will not live past five years after his ascension to the throne He will be killed in the battle with Juqu Mengxun, ill then self-title hi Duan Ye will be around forty years old when he dies Naturally, I do not tell hiiven earlier were carefully selected That’s why, upon parting with ht expression on his face
Oh, I recognize the person approaching otten so old and frail! Stunned, he looks at me for a while but is unable to recall my name I smile back and ask him if Pusysdeva is at home
He leads me inside and explains that Pusysdeva is still in the palace, and that he’ll be returning in the evening He then tells et the Lady Lady? I a dawns Pusysdeva should be about thirty two years old now, so he must have settled down and started a family I wonder how his wife is like
I look around the Residence while waiting A lot has changed since the tiant, and every household ite a woman’s touch The atmosphere which was once steeped in Buddhisle Buddha statue at a corner of the Residence
Feeling someone behind me, I turn around to look and find a Han woand bright, and there’s a gentle and kind aura to her Seeing lance over, probably trying to gauge what the purpose ofthat she reet her in Han:
“My lady, please forgive me for this unannounced visit I have travelled this way to ask his lordshi+p’s assistance in getting an audience with Master kumarajiva”
I told her ht away to dispel any suspicions, lest she thinks I’m Pusysdeva’s ex who has come to make trouble
She is a little surprised: “He is currently with General Lu Guang May I ask why you are seeking him?”
“Because of an owed debt,” I reply vaguely “My lady, please send word to hi has returned”
“Ai Qing?” She repeatson my face, before realization hits her like a wave of shock and she looks at me in disbelief
“Could it be you are the young lady who once lived in that room?”
I stare back at her in surprise That room of mine, they still keep it?
“My lady, please do not ed for by Master ku to do with Pusysdeva”
“I understand Every time elder brother co period of time”
She s!”
I se is usually a e lifespan of people in this era is no more than some 50 years, and cosirl no more than 17-18 years old
She sends a servant to the palace to find Pusysdeva After that, she asks esture of hers is cal able to find such a fine woman as his wife
While we’re sitting, I see a couple children poking their heads out of the door, their eyes round and bright and looking at me intently The woman calls on the a sirl behind
Such adorable children! The boy is the older brother and the little girl his younger sister, one is five years old and the other is three Both of theave theirl Yong Si [泳思]
“My lord often reads the Classic of Poetry [Book of Songs], so he had used the poe’ to name the children”
Her face is a little bit red, and there is a small smile on her face She must have recalled some fond memories
I am taken aback by this revelation The poem she mentioned is many people’s beloved due to its ro irl on the other side of the Han River The Han River is deep and wide, and no a can help one cross its breath Even rafts are of no help In the end, the irl marry someone else What’s rass for her horses [so he can be near her]
Han River here refers to the one in Hubei region of China, and in Chinese it’s called Hanshui or Han Jiang It is a left tributary of the Yangtze in central China, which is the third-longest river of the world The river gave its nah it, to the Han Chinese [Source: Wiki]
汉广HAN GUANG
南有乔木、不可休息。
汉有游女、不可求思。
汉之广矣、不可泳思。
江之永矣、不可方思。
翘翘错薪、言刈其楚。
之子于归、言秣其马。
汉之广矣、不可泳思。
江之永矣、不可方思。
翘翘错薪、言刈其蒌。
之子于归、言秣其驹。
汉之广矣、不可泳思。
江之永矣、不可方思。
The bolded characters are the names of Pusysdeva’s children
Tall are the trees in the south country,
they give no shade to rest in
By the Han the girls roam free,
but no man can pursue them
So wide, the Han
I can’t wade over;
the river too long
to go by raft
Heaps of kindling pile high;
cut away the gorse
If only she would be my bride,
I’d offer fodder for her horse
So wide, the Han,
I can’t wade over;
the river too long
to go by raft
Heaps of kindling pile high;
cut away the gorse
If only she would be my bride,
her colts would not lack fodder
So wide, the Han,
I can’t wade over;
the river too long
to go by raft
to go by raft
[Translation by Stephen Owen, Anthology of Chinese Literature (Beginnings to 1911), p 31-32]
I hug the children to rey eyes that they have no doubt inherited fro at Pusysdeva when he was young, at the little boy as always pleadingto him In a blink, twenty years have passed, and that little boy from back then is now a father with children to hold Before I left, he had promised me that he would be happy and now, his happiness is here in front of me, in the form of his wife and children
I hear footsteps approaching us A tall shadow appears, his ar at me with bewilderment:
“Ai Qing, is it really you?”
I stand up with a ss
He hurries over Looking at that speed and knowing hiiven that his wife is right here beside me Thankfully, the children save me They run forward on their little feet and fall into their father’s ar for me
His wife also stands up, a sweet smile on her face, as she looks at the children in Pusysdeva’s arms Then she coently: “I will take the in the courtyard all day and collected much dirt as a result”
She turns towards , please enjoy your stay I will take my leave now”
My adain What a perceptive woman It is no wonder how she was able to make this Pusysdeva playboy fall for her
When it’s just the two of us left, I take a bit of ti this Pusysdeva from ten years later He looks even more built than before, and it looks like he has followed other Kuchana beard There are wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, and when he se and experience are even more pronounced There is such a manly charm to him
“Getting old, I see,” I tell him
He laughs, eyebrows raised and winking at me just like old times
“Who can keep staying as young as you!”
“Not old,” I aehim happy makes me happy
“You’re still wearing it, so that ht?” His voice is cracking up a bit He bows his head a bit to take a deep breath before looking back up with a smile
I look at hiht to the jade pendant still hanging onhis piece [they were a pair], but the string has faded black I want to say so back, but I feel I would burst into tears as soon as I open my mouth Pusysdeva pulls me into his arms I try to escape, but the voice above my head stops me
“Stay still, letyou for a bit I know you did not return because ofyou for a moment”
Moved, tears roll down my cheeks in the end anyway I stay in his arms for a bit but afraid that someone would catch us, I wipe my tears and speak up:
“Looks like you have quite the good eye to find a wife like that!”
He lets go of me and turns around to dab at his eyes with his sleeve
“A few years ago, I had followed the youngest uncle [Bai Zhen] to ed to save Xiao Xuan She ca the ti”
A warirl, but she was always s even in the face of adversity I was reth Her eyes are similar to yours”
I take a deep breath to calm myself
“Pusysdeva, you must cherish her and the children!”
He nods “They are people who even if I have to trade my life, I will definitely protect until my last breath”
At last, I voice what I came here for
At last, I voice what I came here for
“Rajiva…how is he?”
“You are here to save hih, his face troubled “But I’ht be too late…”
My heart freezes and the world suddenly spins He quickly surges forward to catch rab Pusysdeva’s sleeves: “Has he…has he broken his precepts?”
“How do you know that Lu Guang forced hiht, you are a celestial being, of course you ”
“Him…him and Princess Asuyamati…”
“Not yet”
He helps me sit down
“But probably soon, for it has been three days…”
I grab onto Pusysdeva’s sleeves again He lightly taps my shoulder to tell me not to panic
“Lu Guang has heard of o, but he still does not believe er with his generals that if within three days, he can make my brother break his precepts, then the hundreds of concubines fro will becost his men”
I am stunned, for the history booksRajiva to break his precepts was er over women? That a man such as Rajiva, whose respect has been hard-earned over the past thirty years, has to suffer such an indignity, it was all because of this? The sheer absurdity!
“Brother continued to resist the past two days But today is the last day I heard that Lu Guang has ordered for them to be stripped of their clothes I have just returned from the palace, and fronity Never have I admired hi But…”
He hesitates and lets out a long sigh: “But if he continues to be stubborn, Lu Guang will force wine down their throats Lu Guang always stands by his word, so if brother continues on as he is and er, I’nities after this”
I jump up and pull his arm
“Pusysdeva, please save him!”
“Ai Qing, believe me, I have tried to come up with a , the king, have even used enerals to no avail If it was a few years ago, I would have charged in withhim to somewhere safe”
He shakes his head sadly and glances back behind him