Chapter 31 Scarlet Heart

FlamingoBees

Translating Chinese Historical Dramas for your enjoyment... and mine! :)

Scarlet Heart

Chapter 31:

I forced my head to turn and saw a man dressed in Mongolian robes, wearing a felt hat and sporting a short beard, sitting beside me. One hand rested on my shoulder while the other covered my mouth. My heart raced with horror. How dare someone act so recklessly in the emperor's camp! I struggled against him, but he looked at me helplessly, about to speak. Suddenly, his eyes seemed familiar. As I scrutinized him more closely, I was shocked to realize it was the Fourteenth Prince!

© translations belonging to flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations has been posted WITHOUT permission of translator.

Seeing my reaction, he knew I had recognized him. He grinned and removed his hand from my mouth. I quickly rolled over and peered outside the tent. No one was around! Hastily, I returned and, after a quick glance around, dragged him behind a folding screen, where we both sat down. After taking a couple of deep breaths, my nerves calmed slightly.

He seemed unconcerned by my tense expression, his mouth concealed by his beard, but his eyes were filled with amusement. I whispered urgently, "Are you insane? How dare you disobey the emperor's orders? His Majesty commanded you to stay in the capital, yet here you are! Aren't you afraid of his anger?"

He chuckled softly, evading my questions. I persisted, "Why aren't you in the capital?"

He looked at me and hoarsely replied, "I came to see Eighth Brother. But everyone here is either Father's or the Crown Prince's people, and they all know me. I'm afraid they'll become suspicious if they see me. That's why I came to you for help!"

I paused for a moment, racking my brain to recall the events of this year in history. However, my efforts were fruitless. As someone who wasn't a scholar of Qing Dynasty history, I could only grasp the general trend of historical events. I had no idea about the specific occurrences each year. I had to ask, "What's happening in the capital?"

He looked at me and said, "Nothing major. I just have some matters to discuss with Eighth Brother in person. Correspondence might be intercepted, and it's hard to convey everything clearly through letters. It's also time-consuming."

I opened my mouth to ask more questions, but he cut me off, saying, "You wouldn't understand the specifics, so don't bother asking!" After a brief pause, he added, "I'm doing this for your own good!"

I looked at him, feeling that his full beard was really annoying. Suddenly, I reached out to pull his fake beard, but he quickly turned his head to avoid it. I withdrew my hand and said, "I need to figure out how to avoid everyone's attention so you two can meet."

He smiled knowingly and replied, "I knew you'd come up with something." Then, he noticed my hand and asked in surprise, "What happened to your hand?"

I replied, "I accidentally hurt it while learning to ride a horse."

He examined it closely, furrowing his brow slightly, and commented, "The Eighth Prince must be worried about you!" I glared at him without saying a word.

While observing his beard, I pondered in my mind. Suddenly, memories of several scenes from TV shows flashed through my mind, and I couldn't help but burst into laughter. The more I thought about it, the funnier it seemed, but I didn't dare to laugh too loudly. I covered my stomach with my hand, laughing until my body felt weak, leaning to the side on the cushion.

Fourteen didn't know why I suddenly burst into laughter. He pushed me lightly and asked, "What's so funny?"

I struggled to suppress my laughter and said, "I have an idea that will surely make people not suspicious." As I spoke, I couldn't help but laugh again.

He let out a low "hmph" and said, "Judging by your expression, I know it can't be a good idea. But go ahead, let's hear it."

Laughing as I spoke, I suggested, "Why not dress you up as a woman? Even if someone sees you with the Eighth Prince, they would never imagine that the dignified Fourteenth Prince of the Qing Dynasty would disguise himself as a woman. " With images from Hong Kong comedy shows in my mind, I couldn't help but imagine Fourteen dressed in a long dress, with makeup and fake eyebrows, which made me laugh uncontrollably.

After hearing my suggestion, Fourteen was initially stunned, unable to believe I would say such disrespectful words to him. After all, in those times, it was considered very unlucky for a man to dress as a woman. After a while, he shook his head and started laughing along with me. He reached over to pinch my cheek, saying, "Today, I'll have to teach you a lesson for making fun of me!"

I laughed and dodged his hand, saying, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He teased me for a bit before pulling back his hand.

Sitting up straight, he fell silent, and I noticed his expression turning serious. Quickly toning down my laughter, I said, "Forget about it, I was just teasing you! If I really made you dress as a woman, I wouldn't have enough heads to spare. Besides, it's not that difficult. We just need to be careful."

His expression relaxed at my words. I watched him sigh. Perplexed, he looked at me, and I said, "Having a brother like you, Eighth Prince, is more valuable than anything else."

His face darkened slightly as he replied, "His Majesty scolded me as 'just having the camaraderie of Water Margin'." I dared not comment on Kangxi's words lightly, just smiled at him and shrugged nonchalantly.

He shook his head slightly and sighed, "I thought you had changed in the palace, but I didn't expect you to be the same."

I asked, "Where will you stay tonight?"

He replied, "I can stay anywhere for a night."

With that, he got up to leave. "Think it over carefully, and I'll come back tonight," he said.

I held onto him and said, "Your frequent comings and goings will attract attention. Everyone knows I prefer peace and quiet. Few people come to my tent. You might as well stay here for now. I'll find a way for you to meet the Eighth Prince tonight."

After some thought, he asked, "Who do you live with?" I replied, "Yu Tan. But don't worry, I'll find a way to get her out. Besides, we get along very well."

Hearing this, Fourteen pondered for a moment, then softly repeated, "Yu Tan," nodding in agreement, and sat back down.

Thinking about his recent rushed journey and the likelihood that he hadn't been eating or sleeping well to avoid detection, his voice sounding hoarse, I decided to fetch some snacks and a bowl of warm milk with honey. When I returned, I found him already lying on the blanket, fast asleep. I carefully placed the snacks on the nearby table, then he abruptly woke up at the sound. I quickly reassured him, "Lie back down and rest. I'll be outside keeping watch, nothing will happen." I arranged a soft pillow for him, and without much ado, he laid back down. I covered him with a thin blanket before stepping out.

After making sure everything was fine from outside the screen, I grabbed a book and pretended to read while leaning against a cushion. In truth, I couldn't focus on a single word.

I pondered how to discreetly arrange a meeting between Fourteen and Eighth Prince without drawing attention. It seemed I would have to make a personal visit tonight.

As I contemplated, someone outside called, "Miss Ruoxi?" Startled, I shook, causing the book to fall to the ground with a 'thud'.

•••

Prev : TOC : Next

https://ko-fi.com/flamingobeestranslations

https://twitter.com/FlamingoBee2009

Thank You For Reading <3

Search This Blog

FlamingoBeesTranslations

Chapter 31 Scarlet Heart

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Novel List + Chapter Updates

Rebirth of the Charming Girl in Space, Chapter One

Rebirth of the Charming Girl in Space, Chapter Two