Chapter 1 Ye Cheng Fu

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Ye Cheng Fu

 Chapter 1: 

 

I have always believed that if something is destined to happen, it will, and there's no escaping it. Therefore, I've always taken life as it comes. However, as I stand here today, I suddenly feel that being too laid-back about things isn't always good. For instance, when it comes to matters of love, if I had been more proactive and aggressive in the past, I wouldn't have ended up in my current situation.

"Um... Third... uh... Third Young Master..." I awkwardly interrupted the man across from me, who was apologizing profusely, his face earnest and his makeup trembling with his words. "How about we..."

"Lord Shu! Please don't reject me again!" He grabbed my hand, his emotions running high, which made me shiver all over and almost slap him.

However, I held back. After all, I was raised to believe that hitting men is not a proper thing for a lady to do. So, I took a deep breath and smiled, "Well, Third Young Master, I think we're really not suitable for each other..."

© 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.

"My lord! I am truly sincere towards you!" He held my hand tightly, tears welling up in his eyes as he spoke with heartfelt sincerity, "Heaven can testify, I would give you my heart!"

Hearing this, my eye twitched. If I hadn't witnessed this person's acting skills firsthand and knew for sure that this was only our second meeting, I might have almost believed he was genuinely deeply in love with me.

The reason I'm here on this blind date is so convoluted it could be written into a play.

Speaking of which, my status in the Great Chu is quite noble. I am the eldest daughter of the Shu family, the first noble family of the Great Chu. In the Great Chu, women are esteemed above all. While men can engage in politics and commerce, they have no inheritance rights. Therefore, being the eldest daughter signifies that I am the future head of the prestigious Shu family.

With such a status, I should not have to worry about marriage. There are too many people worrying about it for me, including the Emperor, who has always been somewhat concerned about the Shu family.

I still remember when I was just eight years old, the late Emperor summoned me before him. She kindly said, "Cheng'er is already eight years old; it's time to choose a husband. Today, I have specially summoned young gentlemen of similar age from various families. Cheng'er, see if there is anyone you fancy."

At that time, my mother, Shu Rou, was standing by. She was so shocked by the Emperor's "insane" actions that her face contorted. It took her a long while to react. She quickly pulled me over and said, "Your Majesty is considerate, very considerate! But isn't my child too young to talk about marriage at just eight years old?!"

The late Emperor's offer was declined. Three years later, in the autumn of the nineteenth year of Tianqing, the late Emperor passed away. The eldest princess instigated a palace coup and killed the third princess in the inner court, becoming the new Empress.

When the current Empress ascended the throne, she was already almost forty years old. For forty years, she lay at the feet of the late Emperor, playing dead, and finally obtained the throne. This shows that the Empress is a very persistent person. She extended this unyielding spirit to me.

After I turned eleven, the Empress would summon me to the palace once a year for a mini-selection event. Having been taught by my parents to "refuse all the Empress's gifts," I steadfastly rejected all the noble young men the Empress selected for me. My reasons included "I don't like chubby faces," "I don't like men who wear powder," and "I don't like overly gentle men." In four years, I managed to offend almost all the noble young men in the capital at an unprecedented speed, becoming one of the most disliked women among the nobility.

I kept refusing the Empress, which made her lose face. Finally, she decided to play her trump card when I turned fourteen and arranged a marriage for me!

When the news came from the palace, I was so frightened that I collapsed on the spot. I knew very well that given the relationship between the Empress and the Shu family, the person she assigned to me would surely poison me within seven days! So I hurriedly proposed to the young master of the Chen family before the Empress's decree arrived. Although the young master of the Chen family expressed his firm refusal to marry a woman who once called him chubby-faced by jumping into a well, the Chen family agreed to the marriage in consideration of the Shu family's prominent status.

However, the good times didn't last long. When I was fifteen and about to officially get married, the young master of the Chen family actually eloped with a female guard on the day of the wedding! This was a disaster, as the Empress's thoughts turned back to me, planning to "rekindle our relationship" and arrange another marriage for me.

Without saying a word, I immediately arranged another engagement, so quickly that the Empress didn't have time to think. She held back for a while before asking, "Cheng'er, you settled this marriage so hastily. You’re being irresponsible to yourself. Have you seriously thought about it? Do you love him?"

"Love!" Although I hadn't even figured out the surname of my betrothed this time, I still answered the Empress's question with a sincere face, "I truly love him. Even if mountains crumble and the earth splits, I will never part from him."

The Empress's face twitched, and she stared at me for a long time before finally saying, "Shu Cheng, have you never washed your face in fifteen years?"

Of course, I wouldn't respond directly to the Empress's sarcasm. I left the palace very satisfied. Thanks to this engagement, I had another two years of peace.

Two years later, my wedding day arrived again. During the ceremony, my betrothed showed up with a child in his arms, knelt in front of me, and said, "My lady! I have wronged you! I didn't want to keep this child and was prepared to wholeheartedly marry you, but as a father, I couldn't bear to let him go! His cries broke my heart! Please, spare me… If you marry me, don't separate us father and son!"

This was the first time I had seen this intended groom, and just this one meeting made me want to cut him down with a sword. Even with my broad-mindedness, I couldn't tolerate welcoming a man holding a child into my home. I love the vibrant green of spring, but I have no affection for the green that represents infidelity!

So, I took a deep breath, forced a smile, and nodded to the crying man kneeling before me, saying, "I will let you be. I wish you happiness."

And thus, the era of the "Turtle Hero" Shu Cheng began.

After saying this, I had the man dragged away and quickly wrote a memorial to the Empress, expressing that I was heartbroken and had no intention of dealing with romantic affairs in recent years! I hoped the Empress would never bring this up again; otherwise, I would die to show her my resolve!

I thought that if I submitted this memorial, the Empress might immediately find me a match, as she had been trying to trouble me for some time. So, I revised the last part to say that I would go propose to the eldest son of a noble family the next day and submitted it. Sure enough, this time, the Empress did not try to arrange another match for me.

Under the pretext of a broken heart, I finally enjoyed a few years of peaceful life. However, on the day I was promoted to the position of Grand Counsel at the Censorate at twenty years old, the Empress suddenly declared in front of everyone, “Minister Shu is now twenty years old and still has no one to manage her household. I am deeply concerned. As Minister Shu takes on the demanding role of Grand Counsel and dedicates herself to the country, I cannot ignore her personal life. Fortunately, Old Master Su has a single son. Today, I shall make a match and betroth Young Master Su to Minister Shu.”

Hearing this, I was so scared that my legs went weak, and I immediately knelt before the Empress. I was about to speak, but a eunuch quickly shoved the imperial edict into my hands. The Empress hurriedly added, “No need to thank me. Treat Young Master Su well.”

“Your Majesty…” I was on the verge of tears. I never expected the Empress could be so patient and would make such a grand and sudden marriage proposal.

In the court, personal matters are never discussed, and the Emperor had taken the time to publicly announce this marriage edict for me. I was completely unprepared. And the match was with the only son of my teacher! This man was twenty-five years old and still unmarried. My teacher had long been worried sick. If I refused the marriage in the great hall, no one else would likely marry him. Considering my teacher's feelings, I couldn't bring myself to refuse the marriage in front of so many people.

© 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.

The imperial edict was a clever ploy, leaving me with no way to refuse. So, I could only accept the edict with a mournful face and express my gratitude.

After the court session, I hurriedly went to find my “strategist,” my close friend Shangguan Wanqing.

Shangguan Wanqing came from a prestigious family but did not pursue a career in government. Instead, she had a passion for business from a young age. While she lacked formal skills, she had plenty of unconventional methods. Upon hearing about my situation, Shangguan Wanqing said, “I have an idea, but you need to do me a favor first.”

“Anything, no matter how difficult,” I replied, almost crying with excitement. I inadvertently let slip a phrase that wasn’t entirely sincere. Shangguan Wanqing leaned closer, placing her hand on my shoulder with a look of trust in her eyes: “Shu Cheng, I’ve always known that among everyone I know, you have the best lightness skill.”

Upon hearing this, I suddenly had a premonition of something ominous. Whenever Shangguan Wanqing spoke to me like this since childhood, it usually meant something unpleasant was about to happen. For instance, she once had me steal the teacher's exam papers or sneak her out in the middle of the night. Although I managed to accomplish these tasks without anyone noticing, they were far from good deeds. Now, she was saying this again, which surely meant she was asking for something dubious.

Sure enough, after I nodded and said, "I understand," Shangguan Wanqing solemnly took out a letter from her sleeve and handed it to me.

"This is my life," she said, holding my hands with the letter. "Follow the address on this letter and deliver it tonight to the room directly south of this courtyard. It would be best if you also bring a pear blossom and place the letter and the blossom by the young master's bedside."

Hearing this request, I had an urge to slap the person in front of me. But I held back, took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and asked with difficulty, "Are there any markings on the room? What does the young master look like?"

"The room has a door. The young master has two eyes, a nose, a mouth, and black hair."

"Can you give me any distinguishing features?" I clenched my fists. 

Shangguan Wanqing lowered her head, pondering with her fan. After a moment, she looked up and frowned, "There's a sign on the door, but I forgot what it says. The young master... well, he is very handsome."

"What is the young master's name?" I asked, knowing that getting useful information from her might be too much to hope for. 

Shangguan Wanqing looked surprised, "If I knew his name, why would I need to write a letter to ask?"

"Wanqing," I couldn't help but rub my forehead, "Is your life really so worthless?"

"My life might not be worth much," she said, pressing the fan to her chest with a pout, "but my intentions are valuable!"

I really had nothing more to say, so I took the letter and walked away.

That night, following her instructions, I brought a pear blossom and went to the address written on the letter.

The address was quite clear: the tenth house down Qinghua Alley.

So I counted carefully and, upon reaching the tenth house, I looked up and saw that it was the residence of a wealthy family. However, this residence was decorated differently from a typical courtyard. Most courtyards have stone lions at the gate, stairs, and a plaque with the name of the residence. This one, however, had two large trees planted at the entrance, with their branches stretching towards each other. The vines intertwined, forming a natural archway. Behind the archway was an old, weathered vermilion gate with a black plaque above it, in gold calligraphy, reading “Feng Lou.”

Although the characters "Feng Lou" were written neatly, the tail of the character “Feng” split and extended, as if a hairpin was inserted into the plaque, adding a touch of elegance and allure.

The name “Feng Lou” sounded familiar, but I couldn’t quite place what it represented.

Despite it being late at night, I could still faintly hear laughter coming from behind the gate. This only deepened my confusion about what kind of place this was. However, pondering it further would be useless, so I stepped back a few paces, found a direction around the back of the courtyard, and decided to deliver the letter first. I could ask about the owner of Feng Lou the next day.

Compared to the front gate, the back of the courtyard was much quieter. I easily scaled the wall and made my way into the yard, carrying the pear blossom and letter, heading towards the southernmost room. It didn’t take long to find the room in the southern direction.

However, contrary to what Wanqing had described, this room didn’t have a plaque; it was plain and simple, showing no apparent difference from the other rooms.

I hesitated for a moment, but then thought that while plaques could be removed, one’s appearance was harder to change. So, I used a small knife to pry open the latch and gently peeked into the room.

Inside, there was the subtle scent of incense burning, a specially blended plum blossom fragrance, indicating the owner's refined taste.

I rubbed my nose, thinking that Wanqing’s choice wasn’t too bad after all, and continued to creep towards the bed of the room’s occupant.

© 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.

The young master was already asleep, lying very quietly. He had a calm breathing pattern and maintained a dignified posture, with his hands resting on his stomach and not moving at all, showcasing his self-restraint.

I felt a bit nervous and suddenly thought that delivering a letter for such a “troublemaker” like Wanqing to such a distinguished young master felt like a sin—such a refined young master deserved to be pursued by someone like me!

But having come this far with no way to retreat, I had no choice but to steel myself and place the letter and pear blossom gently by the bedside. I didn’t even have time to take a good look at the young master before turning to leave. However, as soon as I turned around, the lights around the room suddenly blazed to life, and a large net descended from above, accompanied by many voices. 

Almost instinctively, I spun around to avoid the falling net, only to have a large foot come straight toward my face.

It was truly a large pair of feet, clad in pink cloth shoes, carrying a distinct foot odor and accompanied by a gust of wind heading straight for my face. The smell made my mind go blank for a moment, and in that dazed instant, I was kicked to the ground. As soon as I hit the floor, four ropes sprang up and bound my limbs, fixing me in a large “X” shape on the ground.

Blood streamed from my nose as I slowly began to recover from the smell, the sudden bright lights, and the clamor of voices. It was then that I realized the room was packed with people—specifically, a crowd of colorful men! Men! Men! All men!

I had seen men before; during the Emperor’s matchmaking banquets, I had encountered many young nobles of the Dazhu dynasty, ranging from ten to sixteen years old. But we were always seated far apart, so while I could roughly see their appearances, they could also see that I was short.

I had never seen so many men all at once—ranging from their teens to their thirties, dressed in extravagant and varied attire. They stood less than a meter away from me, with even more men squeezing in at the door, craning their necks to get a glimpse of me.

These men were all extremely beautiful. In terms of looks, any one of them could surpass most of the handsome men I had seen. 

They were also very well-dressed, with hairpins and clothing that matched their individual styles perfectly. Some were quite bold, their striking features on full display, wearing only a satin robe loosely tied with a rope, exposing large areas of their chest and long, pale thighs.

The men all had different expressions as they looked at me. The closest one to me was an oddity among these men. He wasn’t particularly good-looking and appeared rough around the edges. He was dressed in a pink floral robe and wore pink cloth shoes.

I recognized him immediately as the one who had kicked me earlier!

I held my breath, tilted my head slightly, and said slowly, “Gentlemen, I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I’m not a thief.”

As soon as I finished speaking, the room erupted in laughter. The man on the bed, with the help of those around him, slowly sat up. He wore only a plain white nightgown, his hair falling loosely, creating a stark contrast with the colorful men around him. Despite this simple attire, he exuded an extraordinary beauty.

Among all the men present, who were all exceptionally handsome, this man, upon opening his eyes, made the phrase "stunningly beautiful" come to mind.

His features were like a masterful painting, his lips like the first bloom of spring. It felt as if the mountains, rivers, sun, and moon were captured in his eyes, and the vast universe was contained within them.

The world seemed to fall silent, the heavens and earth losing their voice.

I suddenly couldn’t hear the surrounding noise and could only gaze silently at the man who had just sat up, focusing on his gem-like eyes.

The man couldn't help but smile, and the laughter around him grew even louder.

© 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.

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