Ye Yunting arranged his robes, opened the door and calmly went out to receive the reward.
The person who arrived was a near-fifty-year-old chamberlain. He was tall and thin, wearing a dark purple robe with a round neck and narrow sleeves. His hands were clasped in front of his stomach. His eyes were shining, and every crease on his face seemed to be engraved with the word "shrewd".
Seeing Ye Yunting come out, he lazily raised his eyes, sweeping his gaze toward Ye Yunting with scrutiny.
"His Holiness is grateful for Yong'an Wangfei's deep understanding and righteousness, and specially ordered his servant to send a reward. The Prince is now bedridden, and the wedding has been rushed. I hope the Wangfei will not take it to heart. When the Prince recovers, he will not treat you poorly."
His mouth spoke words of commendations and rewards, but his bearing did not reflect this at all.
Ye Yunting pursed his lips, and his heart rose, but he still knelt down to calmly receive the reward. "Prince Yong'an fought for Beizhao against foreign enemies and had great accomplishments in battle. Now that he's gravely ill due to treachery, it's my honor to do what little that I can. I hold no resentment."
"That's good. With Wangfei's clear thinking, the Holy Majesty can rest at ease." The chamberlain pulled his expression into a smile, placed the scroll that he was holding in Ye Yunting's hands, and said in a more serious tone: "This was given by the Holy Majesty himself. Wangfei must study this carefully."
"I thank the Holy Majesty for his reward." Ye Yunting accepted the reward and glanced at the scroll in his hand.
It appeared to be a painting.
He was pondering on what the Emperor may have meant by giving him a painting when he heard the chamberlain say again: "Why don't you open it and take a look, Wangfei?"
Hearing this, Ye Yunting had no choice but to untie the silk ribbon and unfold the scroll.
It was actually a picture of a snow-covered house.
The painting showed two or three houses close together, with the eaves and the ground covered with thick snow. In front of the door of the middle house stood a man with a broom, bending down to sweep away the snow.
Ye Yunting glanced at the bottom. There was no seal, but there was a character saying, "Zong".
The current emperor's name was "Zong".
This painting was actually made by his hand.
Ye Yunting lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, then raised them again in surprise, his cheeks flushing slightly with excitement. He pointed to the signature at the end of the scroll in disbelief and asked, "Is this an authentic work by the Holy Emperor?" He stammered in excitement, not knowing what to do: "His Majesty--His Majesty's painting skills are exquisite and lifelike. What should I do? What should I..."
After saying this, he carefully put the scroll away in his arms, and bowed piously three times to the east.
When the chamberlain heard Ye Yunting's words and saw his actions, his face turned blue and red, red and blue again. His hands clenched into fists, and for a moment, he couldn't tell if Yong'an Wangfei was truly this foolish or simply pretending to be stupid.
How can you really not recognize the simple meaning in this?
Stupid!
However, Ye Yunting still looked joyful, smiling and welcoming him in for a cup of tea. "Thank you for your hard work, Sir. Do you want to go inside to have a cup of tea and rest before leaving?"
After saying that, he seemed to realize something, and said with a chagrined expression: "Never mind, there's neither hot water nor good tea in this house. It's difficult to entertain guests with cold water." As he said this, he smiled apologetically at the chamberlain.
"Please don't be offended, Sir. There are only a few people in the palace, and I'm new to this, so I'm still feeling a little overwhelmed."
Well, not only could he not understand the meaning of the painting, he's even making a fuss.
He hasn't realized the reason for this palace's dilapidated state.
This chamberlain was an old hand in the palace, and he had also heard of some things about the Duke of Qi's mansion. He knew that the Duke of Qi favored his younger son and ignored his eldest son. But now, the Duke of Qi's distaste for his eldest son seemed understandable. After all, it would be really embarrassing to let such a shallow-thinking fool out.
The chamberlain took a deep breath and tried to make his face look less mean, but he still couldn't help but smile and say: "The Prince doesn't like noise when he is ill, and many of his former servants had been dismissed. There may be some disruptions in daily chores, so I can only ask Wangfei to be more patient" After a pause, he added: "Besides, the Prince doesn't like outsiders to see his current state. If Wangfei has nothing to do, it would be better not to bother the Prince, so as not to make him angry."
Is that clear enough now?!
The chamberlain was sent on this trip today because His Holy Majesty was very displeased when he heard that the impulsive Wangfei had started taking good care of Prince Yong'an as soon as he entered the palace. He had been especially instructed to come here to knock some sense into him.
The Holy Emperor's reason for arranging this marriage was not for someone to serve Li Fengqi and give him a few final days of comfort.
However, Ye Yunting still looked confused as if he didn't understand. His innocent eyes were wide as he said in surprise: "I'm already the Yong'an Wangfei, so how can I be an outsider?"
He said to himself: "The Prince may not like other people, but he definitely won't dislike me. Don't worry, Sir."
"..."
The chamberlain almost choked on a mouthful of blood stuck in his throat. He couldn't swallow it nor spit it out, and his face was blue from holding back.
His face twitched for a long time, barely able to hold on to his expression. He sneered and said, "Naturally, I don't need to worry, but the Wangfei must be careful with his words and deeds in the palace, so as not to cause any trouble."
After speaking, he flicked his sleeves and left with his people in a state of confusion.
The saying was true, after all: children could not be taught!
Ye Yunting stood there with a bewildered face. He remained there blankly for a long time, then cheered up again and returned to the house happily holding the scroll in his arms.
Ji Lian followed behind and closed the door tightly. He let out a long breath, like someone being pardoned, and asked in a low voice: "Master, what just happened?"
He was able to recognize his own young master putting on a show, but he didn't know what it was for, so he could only hold in his breath without even daring to take a single inhale.
At this time, Ye Yunting already put away the simple and innocent look on his face. He nodded at the scrolls that were thrown carelessly on the table with a lowered eyebrow and pointed at them. "That was someone sent to knock me down and tell me to keep my nose of out Prince Yong'an's business." .”
What a reward? It was clearly a warning to him: Everyone should sweep the snow in front of their own door, and shouldn't worry about the frost on other people's houses.
Surprisingly, in just one morning, this trivial matter had already reached the ears of palace.
The palace may have seemed empty and deserted, but as it turned out, there were many people watching in secret. And the slightest disturbance could be immediately reported to the palace.
Ye Yunting looked solemn as reminded Ji Lian: "In the future, you must be more careful in what you do and say in the house, so that you won't be caught in the wrong."
Although Ji Lian didn't understand these twists and turns, he knew that listening to his young master's words would not lead him astray, so he nodded sincerely.
He looked at the time again and saw that it was already past noon. He wondered: "Master, didn't you say that you would send for food? It's already noon; why is there still no movement?"
It hadn't bothered him before, but now Ye Yunting also felt a little hungry when Ji Lian mentioned it. He had been tossing and turning since dawn, and hadn't even had a hot bite to eat until now.
According to the experience of the previous life, the palace should not be so bad as to withhold food.
Although the Emperor wanted Prince Yong'an to die early with him, he wanted to keep his good reputation even more. Therefore, in this situation, he would not only refrain from taking action, but would also do many surface-level things, in accordance with the rumored brotherly love that he had heard outside. If he had just entered the royal residence and died for no apparent reason, rumors would inevitably arise despite attempts to cover it up.
Hence, although there were a lot of nasty things going on in the palace, he should still have something to eat for sustenance, at least during the year he lived in the side courtyard.
If it hadn't been for the poisoned soup he'd mistakenly drank later on, he wouldn't have perished early.
Ye Yunting frowned and asked Ji Lian to go out and ask.
After Ji Lian received his instruction, he opened the door and went out to inquire with the two maidservants. Ye Yunting picked a conspicuous place in the outer room and hung up the painting given by the emperor himself.
Since they were going to put on a show, they'd naturally have to go all out.
After the painting was hung, Ji Lian returned.
"The two maidservants still refused to speak and didn't answer no matter what I asked." He closed the door and said exasperatedly: "In the end, I had no choice but to give them some money before they said that they had been instructed from above not to bring us food today.”
"Instructed from above..." Ye Yunting clicked his tongue, thinking of the livid expression on the chamberlain's face when he left. "It seems that the scene just now was overdone, and it made people very angry. This is to teach me a lesson.”
After saying that, he shook his head: "Forget it, aren't there still wedding candies? Let's put something in our stomachs first and figure out a solution in the afternoon."
The maidservant did not bring food. The master and servant had just arrived at the palace and were not familiar with the place. Not to mention that there were secret sentries hidden somewhere in the mansion. They probably couldn't go in and out freely, so they could only take one step at a time.
"We've really gotten out of the tiger's den and into the wolf's den."
Ji Lian took out the oil paper bag hidden in his arms, took a piece for himself, and pushed the rest to Ye Yunting: "I secretly ate a lot when I was at the Duke's Mansion this morning, so I'm not hungry now. Master, please eat more."
Ye Yunting took a piece and ate it slowly with the now-cold tea. He wrapped the rest and shoved it back to Ji Lian. Before he could refuse, Ye Yunting said, "I'm not hungry. You should eat more. I still have some things for you to do later."
After Ji Lian heard this, he was more willing to take the candies.
The master and the servant filled their stomachs. After thinking for a while, Ye Yunting asked Ji Lian to go around the palace and find out where the secret sentries were hidden, and figure out how many people there were.
Although Ji Lian never seriously studied martial arts, he was strong and quite agile, with nimble legs and feet. It shouldn't be too much of a problem to search for the sentries in secret.
"Be careful, don't give anything away and let others find out." Ye Yunting thought about it for a while but still said worriedly: "If it doesn't work, come back at once."
Ji Lian nodded. "I won't have to."
He ran out and brought back two buckets of water, then deliberately and loudly said: "Your Highness, I'm not full yet. I'll go look in the kitchen and see if there's anything else to eat."
After saying this, he went out in a hurry.
The two maids in the courtyard continued to act like clay figures as they were probably instructed; not listening, looking, nor caring, but simply keeping still.
Ye Yunting took the opportunity to close the door and hurriedly swept his eyes over the large trees in the courtyard, but did not find the secret sentries hiding there.
But he still felt uneasy, so he quickly returned to the inner room and closed all the open windows. To let in some air, he left only two windows facing the open space where no-one was likely to hide.
After doing all of this, he approached the bed and prepared to have a frank talk with Li Fengqi.
Only when he got closer did he realize that Li Fengqi had passed out again. His long eyebrows were furrowed and his teeth were clenched.
The stains on his face had been scrubbed clean, and the dim warm candlelight on the bedside gave his appearance more color. Although he was thin and out of shape, his facial features are still delicate.
The ancients once said that: "a rock is as independent as a lone pine, and as decadent as a jade mountain that is about to collapse"1. Ye Yunting felt that these statements suited Li Fengqi very well.
Although trampled like this, his demeanor still had some dignity left.
Ye Yunting tidied his messy long hair and said softly: "Today, Ji Lian and I didn't even get to eat because of you. If you don't want to be humiliated, please get better soon."
It would also be good for their masters and servants to dip their hands in the light of the chickens and dogs ascending to heaven2.
It was a pity that the unconscious person could not hear his words at this time. Ye Yunting muttered a few words to himself, then resignedly stood and cleaned up.
The stained curtains on the bed had to be removed and replaced, and the tables and chairs on the floor in the room also had to be wiped clean... Fortunately, it wasn't as though he had never done such rough work when he had still been in the Duke's mansion. His work now was a little clumsy, but passable.
By the time these were done, it was already dusk outside.
Autumn days fell dark early, and the temperature difference between day and night was significant. For convenience and to save time, Ye Yunting only wore a thin inner robe while working. Only upon finishing his work did he notice the cold. He hurriedly put on his outer robe and rubbed his cold hands, but in his heart, he was thinking about checking on Ji Lian who had not yet returned.
He opened the door and looked outside. The courtyard was quiet except for the sounds of insects and birds. There was no movement at all.
The two maids had gone somewhere and disappeared.
Ye Yunting hesitated for a moment, but decided against going out to search. He went to the side room, looked for a while, found a few candlesticks and two clean beddings, and then returned to the house to continue tidying up - now, only the bed where Li Fengqi slept had not been cleaned.
Now that he had decided to board Prince Yong'an's ship, Ye Yunting would not back out easily.
After lighting a few candlesticks and illuminating the dimly lit room, he went to fuss over the patient on the bed.
Li Fengqi was still unconscious. From the time Ye Yunting saw him, he had not eaten a bite nor drank a sip of water, nor had a medical officer come to diagnose him and give him medicine. Ye Yunting couldn't determine the current state of his health. He could only carefully peel back the moldy bedding, and reach out tentatively to untie his robe, preparing to check if there were any external injuries on his body.
If there were injuries, it would not be good to move him around for the time being.
Ye Yunting first untied the outer garment that was soaked in some blood-stained concoction. As he untied the inner clothes, he glanced at Li Fengqi with slightly less confidence. Seeing his eyes still closed peacefully, Ye Yunting let out a breath and said, "Excuse me".
The inner garment was pulled open, revealing the scarred body underneath.
Ye Yunting, who still felt little embarrassed at first, choked on his breath when his eyes fell on these scars.
He had already known that Prince Yong'an had joined the army at a young age and had gone through hundreds of battles; it was inevitable to have old and new scars on his body. But when he saw these criss-crossed old wounds with his own eyes, he still couldn't help but feel a sense of deep sadness.
A general will die in a hundred battles, a strong man will return in ten years.3
In the recent years, Beizhao had been surrounded by wolves in recent years: Dongyi to the east was disobedient, Nanyue to the south had become more and more powerful, and Xihuang to the west had grown more ambitious and invaded the border many times. In the earlier years, there were often frictions and wars in the border areas, and the people in the border areas suffered deeply from the wars. However, since Prince Yong'an single-handedly killed the fierce generals of Xihuang, the morale of the Beizhao army had been greatly boosted. Under his command, the 200,000-strong border guards were like iron walls protecting the people on the border. Even the most ferocious Xihuang armies dared not set foot on the border again.
The border officers and soldiers were even more proud to join the Xuanjia Army under Prince Yong'an's command. Once the black flag of the Xuanjia Army was raised, they were unstoppable.
But the Beizhao God of War, who had frightened enemy countries, was now lying in his own palace, tormented until he lost his humanity.
Ye Yunting took a deep breath, re-fastened his robe for him, then got up and bowed deeply towards him before carefully carrying picking him up. Li Fengqi was a martial arts practitioner, tall, with a large frame. Ye Yunting had enough strength, but he was still afraid that he would not be able to hold him in his arms. Only when he held him in his arms did he realize that Li Fengqi was so light as to be frightening.
The butterfly bone in his back jutted straight out, pressing against him painfully.
Ye Yunting had lost count of how many times he sighed to day. He gently carried him to the guifei couch4 by the window and laid him down before going to clean up the messy bed.
…
Li Fengqi was woken up by the cold.
The cold of the early autumn in the capital was not like northern Xinjiang's biting, face scraping pain. Rather, it was like a basin of cold water that wrapped people up and soaked them in it, chilling them to the core.
He managed to open his eyes, and found that he was not on the bed, but was placed on the guifei couch where he usually took a nap. The guifei couch faced a window, and the cold wind blew in through the cracks, digging into people's bones.
Li Fengqi sneered inwardly, figuring that Li Zong thought he wasn't dying quickly enough and wanted to add more fuel. He was surprisingly childish, resorting to such underhanded means.
Unfortunately, he'd had a tough life, he wasn't dying, and he didn't want to die.
He closed his eyes and silently recited the Art of War over and over again to ward off the bone-chilling cold.
But before he could finish memorizing half of the Art of War, he heard footsteps.
By the sound, these footsteps came from a young man who had never practiced martial arts. If he guessed correctly, he should be a weak scholar.
Had Li Zong sent such a person as a new trick he'd come up with to humiliate him?
Li Fengqi closed his eyes and pretended to be unconscious, secretly holding his breath, waiting for the other person to approach.
Ye Yunting was halfway through changing the bedding when he remembered that, in this time of the year, it was too cold to go without covering up with bedding, and that Li Fengqi was a patient who shouldn't be exposed to cold wind. He hurriedly took a thin quilt over to cover him.
When he got closer, he saw that his lips had indeed gone paler. Ye Yunting touched the back of his hand again and found that it had grown even colder, without any warmth.
"I was negligent." Ye Yunting couldn't help but feel apologetic as he looked at the person who seemed even weaker and paler than before.
He tucked Li Fengqi under the quilt, hesitated for a moment, then put his two hands under the thin quilt, grabbing the man's cold hands to warm him up.
Seeing Li Fengqi's frown getting tighter and his face getting paler, he whispered guiltily: "It's just for a little while, you mustn't get sick again..."
===Translator's Notes===
Oh hi there ML, you're finally awake!
- “岩岩若孤松之独立, 颓唐如玉山之将崩”: A person’s normal image might be that of a tall and straight pine, proud and independent, but when drunk was like a jade mountain about to collapse. ↩︎
- According to here: “Legend has it that Liu An, the king of Huainan in the Han Dynasty, practiced cultivation and became an immortal. He sprinkled the remaining medicine in the yard, and the chickens and dogs ate it, and they all ascended to heaven. Later, it became a metaphor that when a person becomes an official, people related to him also gain power.” ↩︎
- “将军百战死，壮士十年归”: From the Poetry of Mulan. Referring to how after many countless life-and-death battles, some soldiers return victoriously while others die. ↩︎
- “贵妃榻” (guìfēi tà): A kind of couch/daybed that originated in the Tang Dynasty of China ↩︎
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This is so good. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteGlad you're enjoying it, thank you! : )
DeleteThanks for the translation
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome!
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