15 Ye Cheng Fu

 FlamingoBees 

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

Home    :    Novels

Ye Cheng Fu

 Chapter 15: 

 

After taking care of the Moza tribe matters, we traveled back to Chu capital with Bai Shaotang. Along the way, Shen Ye took over all my related affairs, and I realized just how inadequate my past staff and bodyguards were compared to him!

He knew all my preferences so well that sometimes, even details I hadn’t noticed myself were clear to him. For instance, I prefer walking barefoot, so no matter where we were, there was always a carpet in my tent. I enjoy drinking spring tea, and even during tough military marches, no matter where he got it from, I always had mountain spring water and spring tea. Every morning when I woke up, I would see him sitting by the table, pouring a cup of tea from a purple clay teapot he had already prepared, and then bringing it to me.

© 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.

Bai Shaotang was quite dissatisfied with this. One morning, he tried to mimic Shen Ye and brought tea to my tent, but he was thrown out before he could even enter. Not discouraged, he tried again the next day, but was thrown out once more when he was still ten meters away. Bai Shaotang then vowed that when he became the main ruler, he would make sure Shen Ye never had a child!

I learned all this from the soldiers; Shen Ye never mentioned a word about it to me. Bai Shaotang, due to his pride, also never said it directly but subtly kept indicating that Shen Ye wasn’t a good person and that I should marry someone like Bai Shaotang instead.

“At least you have a chance of winning against me!” Bai Shaotang proudly boasted about his martial skills being better than Shen Ye’s, “Doesn’t that make you feel more secure?!”

I chuckled and comforted him, “Shaotang, I’ve found that your ability to comfort yourself is quite impressive…”

Meanwhile, Shen Ye contemptuously scoffed and continued reading his book, ignoring the conversation.

As we got closer to the capital, Shen Ye grew more and more silent, and I began to feel a bit anxious. The night before we arrived in capital, I tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. He lay quietly with his back to me. Moonlight streamed through the tent window and bathed him in a tranquil glow. I watched his silhouette in the moonlight and felt a pang of sadness.

After a while, he suddenly spoke, “Can’t you sleep?”

“Ah… you’re awake too?” I felt a bit awkward. 

He continued lying with his back to me and said softly, “Yes, I can’t sleep either.”

“Why’s that?” I asked, puzzled.

“And you? Why can’t you sleep?”

“Maybe it’s because we’re about to part ways…” I scratched my head, “To be honest, after this long journey, I feel like we’ve built some friendship. The thought of returning to Chu capital and everything that comes after that makes me a bit sad.”

“What will happen after we return to the capital?”

“After we return to the capital… we probably can’t be like this anymore,” I said, somewhat lost, “You can’t stay by my side all the time, and you won’t be able to take care of me like you have. We’ll need to keep a certain distance. You’ll have your own life, and I’ll have mine…”

“Do you think that’s a bad thing?” He chuckled softly, “It seems like you’ve always wanted some distance between us. You’re the heir of the Shu family, and I’m just a courtesan. You don’t want to impede my future marriage prospects, and I don’t want to burden your esteemed reputation.”

“That’s true…” A peculiar pang of sadness welled up inside me. “Since I don’t like you, I naturally can’t hold you back. Once we’re back, we might not even be able to remain ordinary friends due to our respective statuses. Even if I were to visit you just for a drink, I’d have to worry about public opinion.”

“That’s because you don’t like me,” he said with a hint of resignation in his voice. “If you did like me, you would marry me without hesitation, and you wouldn’t worry about these things. You remember the kindness I’ve shown you but are unwilling to grant me the status I deserve. Shu Cheng, don’t you think it’s rather selfish? Giving the other person a glimmer of hope, making them believe you might like them, but then turning around and saying you don’t actually like them, that you’re just friends?”

His words were so direct that I didn’t know how to respond. I felt awkward and was at a loss for words. I wanted to argue, but I had to admit that what he said was indeed true. He suddenly turned to face me, his eyes gently illuminated by the moonlight, and he slowly touched my brows and eyes, whispering, “Shu Cheng,” his voice serious, “I thought you liked me.”

“I’m sorry…” I instinctively spoke, flustered and not even sure why. 

His hand froze on my face, and after a while, he sighed and continued softly, “Shu Cheng, do you know what I liked about you? I liked you because I thought you liked me.” His voice trembled slightly. “In my life… no one has truly liked me. I thought you would genuinely like me. But then I realized that you don’t like Shen Ye; you like Su Rongqing,” he said, his finger pointing slowly to the place where my heart beat, “Su Rongqing in your heart.”

I had never seen Shen Ye like this before.

He seemed a little sad, his jewel-like eyes filled with an emotion that was almost painful to see. His eyelashes, like butterfly wings, drooped as if they would close at any moment. For a moment, I wondered if I actually did like him.

© 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.

If I didn’t like him, why would I feel this sadness when he was upset?

But if I did like him, why did the thought of liking someone make me so anxious?

Su Rongqing’s image flickered repeatedly in my mind, while Shen Ye lay quietly beside me. He slowly lifted his eyes to look at me and said, “I’ll ask you one last time. If you truly like Su Rongqing, I won’t bother you anymore. You’re right; I can’t place my hopes on someone who doesn’t love me. I like you and treat you well because I thought you liked me. If you don’t, I won’t persist. Shu Cheng,” his words made me uneasy, “do you like me or not?”

I didn’t respond, just stared at him. Su Rongqing’s letter and the warmth from that bamboo grove when I was ten swirled in my mind, and Shen Ye was right in front of me, seemingly trying to see through my heart. I couldn’t meet his gaze directly, so I abruptly closed my eyes and gritted my teeth, finally saying, “I’m sorry.”

“Hmm.” He didn’t seem surprised, simply acknowledging my words. Then he reached out and gently held me in his arms.

His embrace was so warm and comforting that all my unease and sadness seemed to vanish. He patted my back and said, “Sleep now.”

In his arms, I finally drifted off to sleep. When I woke the next morning, he was already gone, leaving nothing behind.

Then I heard the sound of tea being brewed. Overjoyed, I turned around, only to see Bai Shaotang sitting at the tea table with a smug expression, saying, “Shu Cheng, the fox Shen Ye has finally left. You can be with me now. Here, try the tea I made.”

My anger flared immediately. I grabbed the teacup from last night and threw it at him, shouting, “Get out!”

Bai Shaotang leapt three meters away, muttering, “Oh, no one told me you’re so grumpy in the morning! Turns out, it was for my own good that the last Shen didn’t let me make tea for you!”

“Can you stop mentioning him?!” I was extremely frustrated. Bai Shaotang looked taken aback, then his face brightened with joy. “Shu Cheng, you’ve finally broken up with him? That’s great! Our Shu family doesn’t even need to marry a consort anymore.”

“Bai Shaotang!!”

“Alright, alright, I won’t mention him anymore!” He covered his face with his hands, “You get ready; we need to set off soon!”

With that, Bai Shaotang ran out while covering his face. I stood up and smashed everything I could in the tent. After I was done, I sat on the bed, lost in thought for a long time, and finally realized that Shen Ye was gone, and there was no one to assist me with changing clothes. The thought of it made me even more upset, almost to the point of tears. How had I, as the heir of the Shu family, ended up in such a state?

I reluctantly dressed myself, and by the time I went outside, Bai Shaotang was already prepared to leave. I followed him in silence, feeling quite miserable. Bai Shaotang chattered away in my ear, full of enthusiasm. I didn’t pay much attention until we reached the gates of my home. It was then that I heard him say, “Didn’t you always want a talking parrot when you were young? I’ve arranged for one to be sent to you soon. You go on in; I have other matters to attend to. Goodbye.”

With that, he rode off. Clad in his white attire with a silver spear, he galloped down the long stone street of Chu Capital. For the first time, I noticed that Bai Shaotang had really grown up.

I also wanted to say that, Bai Shaotang, I’ve already bought several talking parrots, but unfortunately, they all died.

When I returned, I first paid my respects to my parents. My mother listened to my account of the events with a frown.

“It seems that Her Majesty has placed Bai Shaotang in the Moza tribe for so long, indicating that she is determined to cut off our connections with the royal family.”

Here's the revised text in English:

---

“The Empress has great ambitions,” I followed my mother, slowly saying, “We need to prepare early.”

“Do you know why the Empress has such great ambitions?” My mother suddenly asked me. I was momentarily taken aback. She continued, “The Empress is different from the previous sovereigns. The former Emperors trusted people, which is why they continued to trust our Shus. Even if we had made some outrageous moves, they understood that if the Shus had intentions of rebellion, the Great Chu would not have borne the Wei surname. For a hundred years, no dynasty has ever turned against us. But today’s Empress is different,” my mother sighed, “She trusts no one and fears everyone. She…” My mother’s tone carried a hint of hesitation, “If Shen Quan were still around, perhaps the situation today would be different.”

“Who is Shen Quan?”

My mother did not answer and instead turned to me, asking, “Regarding your relationship with Young Master Su, what are your plans?”

“Mother,” hearing her question, I immediately knelt down, “There is something I must tell you.”

My mother stood before me, waiting silently. I kowtowed, feeling a bit afraid as I said, “I wish to marry Su Rongqing as my primary consort and take no other as a concubine.”

© 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 mother was not surprised. Her voice was calm as she asked, “Why is that?”

“I… I…”

“Is it true affection?”

“Yes!” I gritted my teeth. My mother nodded and said, “Then marry him. It's not easy to find someone you truly like in this world. Since you’ve found him, you should cherish him. There’s no need to engage in such absurdities in the future. Avoid places like the Phoenix Tower; many have been ruined there.” My mother’s voice carried a hint of sorrow. I straightened up abruptly, feeling an overwhelming sense of unease. My mother turned and left. After some time, I stood up, looking at the empty corridor, feeling somewhat lost.

That evening, I wrote a letter and went to deliver it to the Su residence for Su Rongqing. As expected, Su Rongqing immediately rejected me. Fortunately, I had given the letter to both my teacher and Su Rongqing. While Su Rongqing rejected my proposal, my teacher did not. I had someone take me directly to the Su residence.

Upon arriving at the Su residence, I had a conversation with my teacher about my recent actions. I confided in her, expressing all my concerns about the Empress. After listening, she sighed and said, “What you’ve said, I understand all too well. However, as a subject, when the sovereign commands, how can a subject refuse?”

“So, teacher…” I looked at her silver hair glowing in the candlelight, “You indeed had plans when you agreed to the marriage for Su Rongqing, didn’t you?”

“I cannot refuse the Empress's wishes. The Su family has always complied with the sovereign’s wishes,” she turned her head, and then, shifting her tone, added, “But you are a child I have watched grow up, and Rongqing is my only son. Therefore, I do not make the choice; all choices are up to you. Whether Rongqing marries or not, whether he wishes to assist the Empress or be with you, I have no objections.”

“Teacher…”

“I never thought I’d have the chance to say these things to you,” she turned to look at me, smiling with a hint of nostalgia. “The Su family has always been aligned with the Empress.”

“Yes…” I replied, feeling a bit sour, “But today, I took the liberty to come because I know you have always cared for me.”

“I’m getting old,” she sighed, “and it pains me. You… you came to see Rongqing today, didn’t you?”

“You sent two letters,” she said, picking up the two letters I had written from a nearby table. “After Rongqing’s servant returned them, I was informed.”

“You really are perceptive, teacher,” I quickly praised her. She shook her head and waved her hand, saying, “Go on then, it’s too late to meet him now. I’ll have the servants take you.”

“Thank you, teacher.” I bowed to her and was then led by the servants to the back courtyard.

The corridor from the Su residence to the back courtyard was quite long, and I felt especially anxious. I kept thinking about how to speak perfectly when I met Su Rongqing, trying to avoid leaving a bad impression.

The more I thought about it, the more nervous I became. When I finally saw Su Rongqing’s figure kneeling in the room from a distance, I found myself unable to say anything.

He had his back to me and hadn’t given any instructions, so I didn’t dare to approach recklessly. The servants announced me, and he made a gesture. They immediately set up a screen to block his view and then came to invite me into the room.

This gave me a bit of time to calm down, and I wasn’t as nervous anymore. As I knelt in front of the screen, I mentally reviewed what I wanted to say. I planned to start with greetings, gradually lead the conversation to marriage, and then…

“Young Lord Shu has come regarding our marriage, hasn’t she?”

© 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.

Reality often contradicts my thoughts. As soon as I sat down, Su Rongqing spoke directly with a cold and emotionless tone: “I thought we had made things very clear last time.”

“Yes, I’ve thought it through,” I blurted out. “I’m not calling off the engagement. I want to marry you.”

The person behind the screen didn’t respond, and I realized how presumptuous my words must have sounded.

I must have lost my sense of propriety after spending so much time with Shen Ye. His silence was a greater blow to me. I began to break into a cold sweat, but thankfully, the screen concealed my awkwardness, which made me feel slightly better.

I waited quietly for his response. After a long while, he finally spoke slowly and seriously: “No.”

Hearing this answer, I felt oddly reassured. It seemed like the expected response.

“Why?” I pressed on. “I thought, after all these years, the bond between us should be better than with others.

Even if you don’t have romantic feelings for me, you should at least feel affection as a friend.

“I have good character. Although my looks are not exceptional, they are certainly not repulsive. And I am the heir to the Shu family,” I straightened my posture. “The Shu family is the most esteemed family in the Great Chu. I will not marry a secondary consort, so marrying me means you will have the support of the entire Shu family. A woman who is well-regarded, of normal appearance, and from a distinguished family should be your best choice. Most importantly,” I gazed at the figure behind the screen and spoke each word with determination, “I like you. Whether you choose to stand with the Empress or with me, I like you and will marry you.”

I spoke so solemnly and seriously. After hearing my words, the person behind the screen chuckled softly.

“Shu Cheng,” he said with the same wisdom as in his letters, “we have only communicated through letters for years. How can you know what kind of person I am? And how can I know what kind of person you are? You so recklessly declare your feelings for me—have you thought this through?”

His words were like a sword, striking into my heart and stirring up a storm: “Do you like me, Su Rongqing, or do you like the Su Rongqing you’ve imagined over the years?”

I was struck hard, stunned into silence. On the other side of the screen, his upright, slender figure was outlined by the candlelight, so noble, so perfect, as if a Buddha in a temple, benevolently gazing upon the world.

I was speechless for a long time, finally managing to utter in a hoarse voice: “Isn’t the Su Rongqing I know the real Su Rongqing?”

© 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.

•••

Prev  :  TOC :  Next

https://ko-fi.com/flamingobeestranslations

https://twitter.com/FlamingoBee2009

Thank You For Reading <3