Chapter 4

TN: Here’s chapter 4. This chapter is so long for me to translate. Plus with so many idioms?

•••

Spring goes and spring comes. Flowers bloom and words fall. Days passed. Before I knew it, I had been in the Palace for a month.

The Emperor spent most of this month by my side.

Every time I protested to the Emperor, I only got his altered tune[1], which greatly damaged my image and self-esteem of being the romantic noble son. It seems I only have myself to help. Humph! Yeah, do it yourself and have plenty of food. I know that rich and powerful men are unreliable.

However, there are unpredictable circumstances. Before my plan have been finalized, I got into trouble coming to my door.

It’s indeed true that trees attracts wind[2] and flowers attract bees.

Being pampered by the Emperor is one of the tragic accidents for me, but in the eyes of others, it’s the boundless happiness of three lives.

Depressed! Why do people make the same mistake for thousands of years? The more you hate the people you get, the more you get them. I became a victim of such despicable mentality.

However, if I fight for the Emperor and drink vinegar[3], then it makes me too tasteless. So when a group of beauties from the Emperor’s harem came to the door aggressively, I felt nothing but joy.

What a beauty, beauty ah... This young master haven’t seen you for almost a month!

It’s really wonderful to suddenly fly to a beautiful place.

Looking at the group of beauties in front of me, I beamed with joy. I grabbed the one who leads them and said, “Why are you still standing? Sit down, sit down, you’re tired...” I touched her hand and ate a mouthful of dark tofu[4].

Wah! Smooth as grease! Got it!

The beauty looked at me suspiciously, as if to prevent me from sneaking around, “Heel on me[5], so this Palace won’t let you go.”

“Let me go?” My eyes widened. “Why would I want you to let me go. Of course, I want you to tie me up as tightly as possible!”

After I said that, she gave a glad eye to a group of little beauties who follows the great beauty, “You and I are welcome too.”

Ha ha! It’s my nature to take the initiative to attack. How can I always let the Emperor lead me by the nose?[6]

However, the beauty didn’t seem to be very useful. Her face suddenly changed and said angrily, “How dare you underestimate this Palace!”

Underestimate? How come? I opened my mouth and put on a pose that I thought was the most handsome and unrestrained, “Beauty, you’re wrong. My eyes have always been for beauty. How can I look down upon you?”

I thought the great beauty would be moved by my deep affection. You know, she was so excited that her mouth even crooked, “Good! Good! It’s just a favored male pet and nothing more but dared to be so bold. If I don’t teach you a lesson, the rules in this Palace will probably be disordered.”

Favored male pet? No wonder everyone in the Palace looked at me strangely. It seems they look down on me but dare not offend me.

Even Tong Yin and Tong Jin are the same.

What a sad discovery.

“Don’t think that the Emperor dotes on you, you can do whatever you want. Just a mountain wild grass man who seduced the Emperor with that beauty...” The great beauty still looked down on me with contempt.

The other beauty next to me looked as if she felt the same and speak eloquently. As for what to say...because it’s too much and too messy, I couldn’t hear anything.

I couldn’t help sighing. Beautiful flowers are always thorny.

Seeing their endless scolding, I turned and asked Tong Yin, “Who are they?”

Tong Yin frowned, “They are the Emperor’s concubines, Jieyu[7], and some beauties in the harem.”

“Oh...” That’s the Emperor’s wives.

Seeing that I didn’t respond, Tong Jin reminded, “The one headed is Lady Cheng YuXi, the daughter of the Right Prime Minister. She was officially conferred the title of Consort Yu, which is quite favored. Young master, you should be careful.”

“Consort Yu, Cheng YuXi?” I shook my head, “Never heard of it.”

I don’t even remember some of the top experts in Jianghu. How can I know the Concubines in the Palace? Though I know some young ladies and young masters in ZuiYing building.

But the one just spoke was careless and the listener was intentional. The great beauty became even more angry. As soon as her handkerchief raised, she immediately summoned a eunuch who bowed respectfully and saluted, “This slave pays respect. What can I do for Madame Yu?”

Consort Yu pointed at me and said, “Xiao YingZi, you should teach a lesson about this fox who doesn’t know where it came from.”

“This slave obeys the purpose!” Xiao YingZi’s voice was so sweet that my whole body trembled.

Eunuch Ying raised his orchid finger and looked at me with a smile, “I’ve come to teach you the master’s trick.”

Another fight? No... who have I been recruiting lately?

Frowning, I turned to Consort Yu, who raised her chin, “Madame Consort Yu, you’re also a noble person. How can you be such a thug for others without considering your identity?”

As expected, Consort Yu’s face changed, “You’re bold. Dare to insult this Palace even at the last moment of death!”

I raised my eyebrows with a supercilious look, “I dare not insult Madame, but if someone didn’t encourage Madame, how could Madame do such things that harm others and do not benefit herself? You must know that this is my HanQing Courtyard, where people suddenly gathered to make trouble in the Imperial Palace, but the crime of beheading!”

“You...nonsense...” Consort Yu’s voice trembled and her face paled. A perspicacious person can see her guilty conscience.

In fact, I’m totally talking nonsense. I just blinded them, delay time, and wait for the Emperor to come.

I really can’t hide my mind. I shook my head and continued brainwashing them, “Don’t get confused by other people’s evil schemes. The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.[8] You don’t want to be a pawn of others, do you?”

“You—You nonsense—Nonsense!” Consort Yu screamed and denied but it was obviously lacked persuasion. Everyone looked at her in disbelief, even Eunuch Ying stopped and hesitated.

At this time, Tong Yin whispered to my ear and said, “You really have two hands. First, you threaten the East and strike the West[9] even though you’re unprepared. That Eunuch Ying should have give you a stir, but now he’s in a state of unease. The expert’s best way is to avoid being angry. Now you’ve got the upper hand.”

Is that it? Why can others always derive so many ideas from my actions? Is it because I’m too simple or because others just have too much imagination?

I wonder.

“Madame Consort Yu, I’m not afraid to tell you that I was born in a Wulin family. Although Eunuch Ying’s "Ghost Valley Claw" is too powerful, it may not be difficult to get me. You are also a person of general knowledge. How can you be willing to be used by others to do uncertain things?” Now is the time to put out my cultivation results from childhood. Humph! Although my martial arts aren’t good, I am still the second to none in my family in terms of martial arts knowledge.

Consort Yu and her companions freezes, as if they were imposing. But Eunuch Ying exclaimed at first, “How do you know I am practicing "Ghost Valley Claw"?

I smiled faintly, “I knew it at a glance. Honestly, Eunuch Ying, you’re not my opponent now. Didn’t you suffered internal injuries? I don’t want to take advantage of you this time. But if you want to, I welcome you to compete!”

Hahaha! Bragging takes advantage now. I never blink when I tell lies. When I brag, no one doubts it. But when I mean it, no one believes it. What kind of world is this?

Eunuch Ying’s face turned pale. Actually, everyone’s face turned pale...

Consort Yu responded first, she asked Eunuch Ying, “What he said is true?”

In return, Eunuch Ying respectfully said, “Reporting to Madame, this slave did suffer some minor injuries the day before yesterday, but...”

“You need not say anything.” After confirming, she turned to me and said, “How did you know that Consort Ling is exploiting me?”

I confidently smiled. I even look convincing, “Madame, think about it. Why did Madame Consort Ling call you to let you be cheated and suffer disaster, but she didn’t come? Like you said, I am now being doted on by the Emperor. If you hurt me, the Emperor will surely explode with anger. Then, you’ll be the first to bear the brunt. You have a high position in the Palace, and I am favored. If we both lose, who is the biggest beneficiary? This is a strategy of killing two birds with one stone!”

Consort Yu was stunned, and so were the others.

After a long pause, she said slowly, “Then why do you want to help me?”

“Because...” Because I am a blind cat who met a dead mouse and follows the vine to get the melon[10]. I talked nonsense.

And of course, I can’t say that.

“Because I also don’t want to be fooled, let alone Madame Consort Yu who has high temperament. How can I let you fall into Consort Ling’s trick?” After that, I rushed to her with a sweet smile and bought people’s hearts.

Unexpectedly, Consort Yu blushed and said loudly, “Now I understand why the Emperor likes you! I... I’ll find Consort Ling to settle accounts.”

“Wait a minute!” I quickly grabbed her hand and whispered aside, “You’re tearing each other’s face now[11], but you can’t get any benefits. Maybe she can bite you back. Now, why don’t you pretend you don’t know anything and find another chance to settle accounts with her? If she knows you’re in the dark, you’ll have more benefits.”

I said nothing to make her go back to meet that Consort Ling. What if that Consort Ling urged her to say something again, what can I do when she comes back?

“I won’t tell what happened today, so the Emperor will not hold you up!” Consort Yu smiled, I rushed to all the beauties and said, “You won’t either?”

“Never!” The beauties all agreed.

The curtain drops successfully[12]. I took the opportunity to hold Consort Yu’s little hands. Happiness ah...

Pa— Pa— Pa—

A loud applause suddenly came from behind. A glorious yellow robe passed by, scaring everyone to their knees, “Paying respect to the Emperor!”

I look at the Emperor in front of me and can’t believe it! He’s been here all along but didn’t come out to help me! This old fox...

Tong Jin secretly pulled my sleeves and asked me to kneel. I kneeled down unwillingly.

The Emperor’s sharp eyes swept over the trembling crowd and finally fell on me. He reached out and helped me up. He whispered in my ear, “I like you more and more. You know how to be aggressive. It seems you can get along well with them.”

What? It doesn’t make sense? I opened my mouth but couldn’t say anything.

The Emperor looked around the crowd again. He slowly and seriously said something that I couldn’t believe, “Listen, now I have officially conferred Fang Qing the title of "Noble Consort Qing"[13]. Seeing him is like seeing me! In the future, who dares treat Consort Qing rudely, kill without pardon!”

Looking at the surprised crowd around him, the Emperor sneered again, “Do you hear me?”

Hearing this, they immediately reacted, and knelt down, “Congratulations to the Emperor, Congratulations to Madame Consort Qing. Long live the Emperor. Long live the Madame. Thousands of years. Thousands of years...”

Looking at the kneeling people and listening to the respectful and neat congratulations, I felt dizzy. Heavens ah! What’s going on? How can I step deeper and deeper into this mud pit...

I really want someone to give me a stick and make me think twice, but it seems impossible. Even if I wanted to, no one would dare. The people in the Palace treated me deferentially and almost didn’t worship me as their ancestor. If I force them to come and beat me, they’ll look like they are hundred times more miserable than I am, as if I force them to die.

After that, they simply knelt and wept profusely, pleading for mercy, “Madame, spare this someone’s life, Madame spare this someone’s life, Madame Consort Qing, please spare this villain...”

I’m soft hearted so I put this matter to rest.

Later, when Tong Jin was combing my hair, he grinned and said, “Madame, you’re really good. You treat the servants like this, how can they dare look down upon Madame in the future?”

I’m being good? Although their attitude towards me wasn’t good before, I never thought of rectifying them!

How do I often make things self-defeating as if there are misleading factors in my blood?

However, sometimes it’s better to pretend to be profound, so I just smile and took it for granted, “Xiao Jin, that’s the skill of being a human. You still have to learn.”

Tong Jin’s face was full of adoration, “Yes, I will learn from Madame in the future.”

I found my stomach shrinking. Learn from me? May the Buddha bless you, Amithabha!

“Madame, the Emperor asked you to the imperial study.” Tong Yin came to me and gave a salute first. He stood aside respectfully and report.

Although his attitude has changed, his voice is still cold. Is it a temperature problem? I thought for a moment, then said, “I know. I’ll be there later.”

Tong Yin didn’t say anything. After giving another salute, he retreated.

The breeze is soaring gently. The orchid’s faintly discernible. A small gong jade badge and girdle ornaments was delivered leisurely. Tong Jin and I walked along the corridor to the imperial study. The Eunuch and servants all knelt down to salute. I just nodded and walked past calmly.

I have practiced this stance repeatedly. You know I was born in Wulin family, these red tapes are never used[14]. So at first, when they saluted me respectfully, I still wanted to lift them up, but they were scared as if they were going to shed bile. They always kowtowed assiduously and says, “The slave dare not troubled Madame. The slave doesn’t deserve, doesn’t deserve...”

In this way, my good sympathy died the bud. After that, Tong Yin told me that there were rules in the Palace and asked me to be like a high-ranking Noble Consort and behave elegantly.

I stuck my tongue out in my heart. What elegant, it’s clearly pretentious. However, when in Rome, do as the Romans do[15]. This is always the Emperor’s territory. I have no choice but to worship the sun.

Just a few steps to the Emperor’s imperial study, a young man came out and saw me. He knelt down on one knee and said, “This servant LingKai has seen Madame, thousands of years...”

He is? I was busy searching for memories. The man looks smart and powerful, if I have seen him, I should have memory.

After thinking hard for a while, I still can’t remember. But I didn’t want him to kneel for too long, so I smiled awkwardly, “No need to be polite.”

The young man named LingKai got up and arched his hand and said, “Last time, this General haven’t thank Madame for saving my life in the Council Hall!”

Council Hall? Oh oh, I remember! It turns out that this LingKai is General Ling Biao. Last time I happened to go to the Council Hall to find the Emperor. When I met him, he seemed to be asking for punishment. I thought he looked good and I said a few nice words to him. But the Emperor wanted to let him go. So he walk down my ladder to spare him!

I didn’t expect to meet him here...

“You’re welcome. Adults are the pillars[16] of the country. I also don’t want the Emperor to lose such a talent.” I don’t know if I can get on the public view, I weigh the words.

Anyhow, I knew by look that the General Ling Biao was moved, “It’s indeed a blessing of heaven to have Madame beside the Emperor.”

Is it? I don’t think so..

After a few polite words with him, I dismissed him on the grounds of seeing the Emperor. Leaving Tong Jin, I walked into the imperial study.

There was only the Emperor alone. He called all the guards out.

I gave him a gift.

He smiled and called me over.

I had no choice but to walk to him, but who knew he was gonna pulled my jade arm hand, I couldn’t stand steadily and fell straight into his arms.

He hugged me tightly and sniffed around my temples, “I can’t accompany you tonight.”

Oh...... So what?

I held my breath and waited for him to finish.

“Something has happened in the capital recently. I sent many people but haven’t been able to find out, so I have to check it myself.”

Is it? I felt a little disappointed.

I also felt a little pimple in my heart. For several months, I don’t know what kind of feelings I hold for the Emperor.

The Emperor often came to HanQing Courtyard, but not to overturn the clouds and cover the rain[17]. Just once on the spring night though.

More often, we play abundant TanQin*, poetry and quotations to make the wine warm. It’s a pleasure for both of us.

TN: TanQin* means to play or strum a lute or other stringed instrument

The Emperor in the Palace on the court is mostly indignant. But in front of me, in this deep palace inner courtyard, the Emperor is always smiling and talking happily.

I told him interesting stories about the Jianghu and the brothels.

He also talked to me about some secrets in the Palace and customs of various places. From the Great Wall to North and South sides of Yangtze River[18]. Everything is said and talked about.

Sometimes I would listen silently, giving him a tipsy look and an intoxicating smile.

Simple eyes and smiles.

There’s no purpose or reason. I just want to look like that and smile.

At night, the Emperor would repeatedly speak his favorite words and told his affection.

But I know very well that what he said was neither a promise nor an oath.

Perhaps there will be no trace of water and wind at any time and place.

Because he is the Emperor. He can see other people’s past and controlled their future.

But you can’t speculate him.

I couldn’t figure out his mind and his actions.

I’m afraid there are too many people like this... I won’t be a special one myself.

Thinking ‘till here, I smiled wryly. Self righteous and self amorous results will eventually hurt others as well as yourself.

So I don’t think about anything. I don’t read about anything.

Isn’t it a great thing to be a drunk and dreamy[19] Murong’s fourth young master?

So now I smiled at the Emperor and said, “Your Majesty, why did you call me here for?”

The Emperor kissed me on the forehead, “Why, can’t I find my Consort when I’m free?”

“The Emperor spoke heavily.”

I look over at the imperial case, a fine writing paper inside, the pen and ink are still dripping wet. It’s no other than the Emperor’s royal pen.

Among them, the force penetrates the paper, the ink is thick and the words are self-evident.

It’s funny that with such extraordinary momentum, it’s a poem full of resentment and kindness with hatred and frown.

But the road is: Early in the morning the curtain rolls up the frost, and try plum make up with your hands.[20]

The reason why the painting is so far away is that everyone has his own hatred.

Thinking of the past events, it’s easy to get hurt if you cherish the fragrance[21].

The most heartbreaking thing is to laugh then frown.

“Your Majesty, why did you write this poem?” I smiled.

“I found someone who turned it over and found some poems that are well written and suitable for Beloved Consort. Beloved Consort will take a look tonight and read them to me when I come back tomorrow. What do you say?”

I looked at a dozen books piled on the Emperor’s desk, I couldn’t laugh anymore. I couldn’t help wringing my eyebrows. If I say badly, I don’t know what the consequences will be?

Facts have proved that I dare not oppose the Emperor openly. So I obediently returned to my HanQing Courtyard with a stack of posts.

All the way, “Madame, thousands of years. Madame, thousands of years!...” I already heard it all the time. I ignored it and took Tong Jin with me.

Pa—I threw all the books on the table, went to the bedside and sat down breathlessly.

“What’s the matter?” Tong Yin didn’t dare provoke me. He went to asked Tong Jin instead.

Tong Jin looked at me and shook his head, “I don’t know. After Madame came out of the Emperor’s imperial study, he was in a bad mood and brought back these things.”

He poked at the book on the table. As Tong Yin walked over and flipped through those books, he picked one and read it out, “The West Palace is full of flowers at night. He wants to roll the pearl curtain and hates the spring. Leaning against the clouds and deep into the moon, the misty trees revealed the dark and sunny.”[22]

“It’s good. The Emperor wants Madame to study? In fact, there’s nothing wrong with reading more books.” Tong Yin put down the book and looked at me puzzledly.

“Reading? He’s uneasy about this one’s heart!” I sneered angrily. “Look at the other articles. They’re all poems of Palace resentment. What Western Palace spring complaints, what long letter autumn words, what boudoir complains. Humph! He wants me to recite it. It’s obviously a hint that I should follow the rules and be careful not to end this way!”

“Ah!” Tong Yin was stunned by what Tong Jin had given me. Tong Jin first reacted and said anxiously, “Madame, you can’t say that. It’s not good to be heard by others.”

Tong Yin also said, “Madame may have misunderstood. The Emperor may not mean like that. The Emperor is probably asking Madame to cherish the life in front of him and increase his self-cultivation. The Madame thinks too much.”

Why are they all speaking for the Emperor? It’s all fish in the middle. It happened that he was still uneasy and still wanted to test me.

Why is this so?

Even if I know how, the facts still exist.

I felt a pang of pain in my heart. I feel that there’s a blunt knife that’s repeatedly dragging and sawing.

No blood but it hurts.

Just as I was about to speak, Tong Yin had put his hand on my shoulder, put his finger on his lips, made a gesture of silence, and whispered, “Someone!”

Before I could react, someone had pushed the door with a cold voice, “Your skill is good. You’ve found me.”

The three of us looked at the visitor dressed in black night clothes. His face covered with black gauze, only showing a pair of eyes as bright as autumn waters.

The first person who came back to his senses was Tong Yin. He grabbed me and shouted, “Who are you? Dare to intrude into the harem.”

After hearing Tong Yin’s words, the man in black looked sharp, “Harem? Consort Qing, is it? I haven’t seen you for more than a month, you’re not as good as you used to be.”

He knows me? I looked at him in surprise. Tong Yin also looked at me.

The man in black felt he’d lost his breath. When he raised his eyebrows, he grabbed me and said, “Useless talk. Come with me!”

His hands and feet are fast, but Tong Yin aren’t slow either. Both his hands stopped them, “Presumptuous! To take away our Madame, ask us first.”

The man in black laughed coldly, as frightening as the rattled snake shaking its tail, “You want to stop me?”

I thought that Tong Yin would be scared as a wooden stakes but it seemed I was measuring others bellies with my own heart. Tong Yin even showed a weird smile, “The Emperor assign us to serve Madame Consort Qing. It’s naturally to affirm our ability.” A silver light suddenly flashed in front of me, taking the man in black like a rainbow.

Cang—The man in black wasn’t an ordinary person either. The sharp sword in his hand swayed a little and blocked Tong Yin’s fierce sword. However, he was slightly surprised, apparently not thinking that Tong Yin could make such fast sword.

Tong Jin saw his brother couldn’t beg for good, he also didn’t want to lag behind. He drew out the sword hanging in the wall and took several swords attack on the man in black.

The two brothers seemed to have tacit understanding. Both swords joined together to besiege the man.

The two are originally good in martial arts. After joining hands, they are mutually complementary and multiplied. In an instant, there were a constant flow of swords in my chamber.

But when the flash of swords light and the flying human figures, the lights on the wall also shaken and flickered by the turbulent sword wind, I looked at it like a dancing ghost fire in the middle of the night.

I sat in the corner of the bed and watched them dancing their swords. My heart is filled with sighs. How can I meet martial arts experts and stimulate my fragile mind? What’s more, why have they been fighting for so long without any help, are the Palace guards used for decoration?

Ding—Ding—Dang—Dang– That was the scattered swords. The man in black jumped out of the sword light from the Tong brothers. The flowing autumn waves showed his appreciation, “I didn’t think you were better than those imperial guards. The Emperor is really crouching tigers[23] of a hidden dragon![24]”

What? Looking at him again, I vaguely felt like the man in black was familiar. Like—like an Epiphyllum blooming in the dark. Beautiful and dazzling, with faint fragrance.

Who is he, who is he?

I keep searching for memories.

But at this time, the man in black gave people hope and disappointment. With a sneer, he waved his sword, “But you aren’t my opponent! I don’t have time to play with you anymore.” After that, the green front has been cut out, the “Shua Shua Shua” of the sword are as strong as the autumn water on a flat ground. An argumentative dragon is soaring in the sky. He’s constantly flowing swords with Tong brothers.

The situation suddenly turned to the next level, the Tong brothers pushed back aggressively. Within minutes, the Tongs’ swords had been knocked to the ground, then a cold sword reached their throats.

“Wait, don’t hurt them!” This critical moment still requires me to play. I rushed forward to protect them, “Your goal is me. Don’t hurt the innocent.”

I don’t know why, I can be sure that he won’t hurt me. His clear eyes are close at hand, and it seems they have been separated for thousands of years.

The man in black stared at me coldly for a while. Suddenly, he made a few big holes on brother Tong’s body.

“You...” Before I could respond, he had taken back his sword and grabbed my waist like a winter melon and swept out of the window.

•••

Footnotes

1• biànběnjiālì - (idiom) lit. change to more severe; to become more intense

2• shùdàzhāofēng - (idiom) fig. a famous or rich person attracts criticism

3• drinking vinegar means jealousy (in love rivalry) I’m sure most of y’all knew this but I still put the meaning for some who doesn’t know(:

4• to come on to someone; to make advance to a woman; to flirt

5• tàojiāoqing - to try to gain somebody’s friendship

6• to exert a high degree of control over someone else

7• Jieyu is the rank of a court lady, meaning "Lady of Handsome Fairness"

8• tánglángbǔchán,huángquèzàihòu - (idiom, from Daoist classic Zhuangzi); to pursue a narrow gain while neglecting a greater danger

9• shēngdōngjīxī - (idiom) to create a diversion

10• shùnténgmōguā - to track something by following clues

11• sīpòliǎn - to have an acrimonious falling-out

12• luòmù - the end of the show

13• The pinyin is Guìfēi, meaning Noble Consort, only two in the imperial harem. Noble Consort(Guìfēi) is higher than Consort(Fēi)

14• red tape is an idiom that refers to excessive regulation conformity to formal rules

15• rùxiāngsuísú - (idiom) when you Enter a village, follow the local custom; do as the natives do

16• dòngliáng - person able to bear heavy responsibility

17• fānyúnfùyǔ - (idiom) to make love

18• dàjiāngnánběI - (idiom) fig. all over China

19• zuìshēngmèngsǐ - (idiom) leading a befuddled existence

20• I found the raw tale of this from guwenxuexi site. It’s from the Song Dynasty writer Ouyang Xiu Ci’s poem. click the raw here

21• liúfāng - one’s reputation; leave a good name

22• I searched this on Google and found this poem on Baidu. The poem is set against a background of a flowery moonlight that is "annoyingly sleepless in spring". It describes a series of actions and ideology of a girl who is claustrophobic in a deep palace. See her twists and complex inner activities. See more here: raw

23• cánglónhwòhǔ - (idiom); talented individuals in hiding

24• wòlóng - Emperor in hiding

•••