Chapter 25: Shou Ta Yi Bing "A Tale of Love and Loyalty"
FlamingoBees
Translating Chinese Historical Dramas for your enjoyment... and mine! :)
Shou Ta Yi Bing "A Tale of Love and Loyalty"
Chapter 25:
Affection
Pei Qing was awakened by the commotion outside. The room was very dark, making it difficult to see her surroundings.
Her head still felt heavy and dizzy. She struggled to sit up and, guided by the faintest glimmer of light, reached out to find the door crack. The faint smell of medicine confirmed she was still in Yangju Hall.
Despite having been here several times, she had never known there was such a small, hidden room within Yangju Hall.
Outside, mournful music began to play, making her heart tighten. She hurriedly pushed open the door of the hidden room, and light flooded in, too bright for her to keep her eyes open.
But she had no time to worry about the light. The mournful music was interspersed with the sounds of clashing swords and rough shouting...
Could it be that the rebels had really invaded the palace?
And him...
Just thinking of this, tears welled up in her eyes. Pei Qing stumbled and ran outside. The slushy snow soaked her shoes and socks, and the cold seemed to creep from her feet all the way to her heart, but she couldn’t feel it.
The closer she got to the Mingwu Hall, the weaker her legs became. From afar, the ground was a scene of blood and chaos, with dirty snow mixed with the smell of blood. As soon as she stepped into the area, she felt nauseous. There were scattered heads and severed limbs on the ground, and outside the hall were military officers clad in red and gold armor.
There were no silver-armored imperial guards or black-armored troops from the Southern River.
The biting cold wind whipped Pei Qing’s hair into a disarray, like a beautiful flower about to wilt, falling into a pool of blood.
The soldiers outside the hall all turned to look, their astonishment overshadowing the chaos and clamor. They watched as the woman dressed in the queen's ceremonial robes, with a pale face, approached. She seemed to have seen something that left her frozen in place.
Following her gaze, in the center of the hall was a coffin marked with the large character "Xiao," majestic and mournful.
Pei Qing recognized the person beside the coffin: Chu Li, covered in blood, was crying hoarsely. In an instant, her vision blurred to white, and she nearly collapsed.
The wind dried the tears on her face, and she stopped running. In a moment, the Empress had returned to her usual composed elegance, though her eyes were vacant.
Each step she took toward the coffin was steady and calm, but upon closer inspection, it was clear that her whole body was trembling.
"Your Majesty..." Chu Li's voice was hoarse from crying.
Pei Qing, aware that it was inappropriate for an Empress to kneel before her subjects in public, still knelt before the coffin. Her voice was lifeless, indifferent yet gentle: "I'm sorry, this time... it's my fault."
The coffin was dark and tightly closed, and she couldn’t see the person inside.
But that handsome face was vividly imprinted in her mind.
Pei Qing smiled faintly. "You must think that it's not just this time I owe you."
Her smile was beautiful, yet filled with sorrow.
"I have wronged you, and I have deceived you." Tears fell one by one. "Marrying into the palace was to care for my sister's child. My sister treated me like a mother, and her child was also my own. So at that time, I couldn’t choose you."
"Since I learned that you were Prince Nan Chuan, I felt both fear and relief. Hearing that you lived freely and comfortably in South River, and that no one dared to chase or plot against you, I was finally at ease."
Pei Qing paused for a moment. “Actually... it wasn’t that I was completely at ease. The criticisms and accusations within the court were hard to bear. Historically, those who achieved great things and overshadowed their rulers often met with disastrous ends. I wrote a letter, but didn’t know how to sign it. If I wrote ‘Empress,’ you would have thought I was giving you orders from on high.”
“Writing as Pei Qing... well, as an Empress, how could I use my maiden name to address you and cause you unnecessary worry?”
She gave a small smile. “If I left nothing at all, you probably wouldn’t have looked at it, right? In the end, that letter was never sent. But fortunately, my brother-in-law is a wise ruler. He said that punishing loyal subjects who had quelled rebellions based on a few criticisms would only chill the hearts of the people.”
“You see, it’s not just me who understands your goodness, and your ambitions and ideals. Without me... you would have still lived well.”
“But in the end, it was still I who brought you trouble.” Pei Qing wiped her tears. “Do you know, today the Emperor asked me a question.”
“He asked, ‘Pei Qing, how much do you admire him?’”
Pei Qing tilted her head, looking at the coffin with a beautiful smile. “Why did you never ask me that? You always asked, ‘Pei Qing, do you know how much I like you?’”
“At that time, I was always too shy to say these things to you, so I never answered.”
Pei Qing lowered her head and took something out from her sleeve.
“I’ve always known. The reason I didn’t answer the Emperor’s question today is because I felt these words should be spoken to you first.”
The sharp dagger cut through her delicate, white fingers, leaving mottled bloodstains.
“My admiration for you is such that... Xiao Yuan, even in the next life, even if you’re unwilling, I will still force you to marry me.”
Pei Qing closed her eyes with a smile as she unhesitatingly drove the dagger into her abdomen.
“Your Majesty!” Chu Li, seeing what Pei Qing was holding, leaped forward but was too far to reach her, barely touching the edge of her sleeve.
Suddenly, there was a clang, and the dagger fell to the ground, just as it was about to pierce her flesh.
A voice came from the side hall: “Who is the Empress going to be buried with?”
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