20 Ye Cheng Fu

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Ye Cheng Fu

 Chapter 20: 

 

"Yes." I lay weakly in Bai Shaotang's arms, "I received fifty lashes and was demoted to a fifth-rank scholar at Wen Yuan Pavilion."

"Is that all?" My mother seemed surprised.

"The Empress personally ordered my punishment," I added, eyes closed. 

My mother frowned, worry etched across her face. "This matter won't rest like this."

"I won't marry Su Rongqing, Mother. Do you know who Su Rongqing is?" I laughed bitterly, "He's Shen Ye."

Mother stood there, stunned. After a long pause, she finally said, "The Empress's reach... it extends this far."

I nodded, feeling exhausted.

Crying so much always leaves one drained.

Bai Shaotang carried me into the room and gently placed me under the covers. He carefully tucked me in, then lay down beside me, whispering softly, "Sleep, I'll watch over you."

I suddenly remembered, when we were children, Bai Shaotang would do the same, his face chubby and sincere, saying gently, "Sleep, I'll watch over you."

© 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.

I closed my eyes, and tears began to flow again. I suddenly felt that I owed Bai Shaotang so much.

When he was young, I bullied him. Now that he had grown into such a handsome young man, I was still bullying him.

Although he was carefree and seemed to take nothing seriously, Bai Shaotang had always quietly stood by my side. Neither of us slept, but lying there felt like we were in a dream. The sound of rain pitter-pattering outside marked the first time since Bai Shaotang's return that I felt so close to him.

After a long while, I finally closed my eyes and fell asleep. When I woke up, it was already the next morning. After attending court, my mother brought breakfast to my room. As she watched me eat, she discussed with me, "Today, while you were absent, Her Majesty brought up the issue of reducing military power."

"Mm..." I acknowledged, continuing to eat. Mother frowned and said, "First in line is the Bai family, who control the 200,000 iron cavalry in Yunzhou."

Hearing this, I paused, "Has Her Majesty decided?"

"Not yet," Mother said, deeply worried, "There was a heated debate all morning, and it will be discussed again after court. But from the looks of it, Her Majesty is determined to settle this matter."

"Mother... what are your plans?" I asked cautiously, "Are we going to intervene?"

"I was aware of this matter beforehand. The Bai family sent someone to negotiate with me, asking the Shu family to vouch for them. In return, Yunzhou would pay tribute, and the Shu family would receive a ten percent share. Additionally, the 200,000 iron cavalry of Yunzhou would be under the Shu family's name."

"But..." Since she knew about it earlier and hadn't prepared, something must have gone wrong. Mother smiled warmly, "They proposed that Bai Shaotang marry you and become the head of the Shu family. In other words, the 200,000 iron cavalry and the annual tribute from Yunzhou would be his dowry."

This statement left me momentarily speechless. Suddenly, I thought, Bai Shaotang was indeed quite valuable.

"You were in love with Su Rongqing back then, so I declined their offer. I thought they probably found someone else to rely on by now..."

"In the current court, besides the Shu family, who else can protect them?" I frowned, "Her Majesty is determined to reduce their power. Those who defy her will face her wrath. The nobility is living in fear, so where else can Bai Shaotang find someone to shield him?"

The more I thought about it, the more worried I became. Mother remained silent. After a long pause, I carefully asked, "Mother, do you mean you want me to marry Bai Shaotang?"

"Why did you annul your engagement?" Mother abruptly changed the topic. I was taken aback, and she continued, "Not long ago, didn't you tell me Su Rongqing was your beloved?"

"He was," I replied, my voice tinged with bitterness, "but not anymore."

"Because he deceived you?"

I stayed silent, and Mother understood my meaning. She nodded and said, "Then, what do you think of Shaotang? Shaotang is a child I watched grow up," she added, "If you're looking for someone genuine, I've never seen anyone more sincere towards you than Shaotang. When you were younger, you didn't understand his feelings, but we elders saw it clearly. The Bai family only has Shaotang, and Yunzhou is his dowry. He's looking for someone who can use this dowry to ensure the Bai family's future stability, not just to save them from their current predicament. Likewise, our family cannot help them without reason; I might be willing, but the rest of the Shu family would not agree. If you don't marry him today, he will have to marry someone else to resolve their urgent crisis."

“What exactly are you trying to say, Mother?” I swallowed the last bite of my meal, “Do you want me to marry him?”

“An alliance between the Shu and Bai families would be the best outcome,” Mother avoided my gaze, “Since Her Majesty has her sights set, we must prepare. The Bai family has 200,000 iron cavalry in Yunzhou, and the Shu family has 430,000 troops in Ning and Bei provinces. If our families unite, we control three of the nine provinces. Even if the Duke of Zhen'an intervenes, we stand a fair chance.”

“When did Ning and Bei provinces amass 430,000 troops?!” I was so shocked I couldn’t swallow my food. Looking at Mother’s uneasy expression, I asked with difficulty, “Apart from border defenses, no province can station more than 50,000 troops. The Duke of Zhen'an guards Huaqing’s border with 500,000 troops, which is already a major concern for Her Majesty. Mother, if your plans are discovered, what then?”

© 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.

“Her Majesty has been secretly increasing her forces for the past decade. It's common for clans to do the same in their territories. Do you remember how the Shen family of Suzhou was destroyed ten years ago? It was for this very reason. The entanglements between us and Her Majesty are bound by a blood pact. But what if that pact is broken? Have you considered what you would do then? The Shu family cannot rely on sorcery alone,” Mother had the dishes cleared away, “In this world, the most reliable thing has always been human means.”

After speaking, Mother looked up at me. Her gaze held nothing—no expectations, no coercion. Yet this lack of emotion made me feel even more guilty.

“Consider everything carefully; your happiness is the most important,” Mother said as she stood up and left with her attendants. 

Shortly after, Bai Shaotang burst in with a box of medicine, loudly announcing before he even entered the room, “Shu Cheng, I brought you the best healing medicine from Yunzhou! You've never seen anything like it!”

As he laid out the medicines on the table, naming each one like a child, I quietly watched his back. Thinking of Shen Ye, I realized that this wasn’t so bad.

At least Bai Shaotang wouldn’t deceive me or harm me.

He wasn’t Su Rongqing, burdened with the empress’s mission, entangled in noble disputes, a constant threat to guard against;

He wasn’t Shen Ye, not someone from a brothel, with a mysterious identity, embroiled in the conflicts of the Jianghu, wielding frightening martial arts and methods;

He wasn't the Shen Ye or Su Rongqing I finally recognized last night.

He was my childhood friend, our families well-acquainted. If we were together, it would be mutual glory and mutual loss. He wouldn’t have a second thought against me; I wouldn’t need to be constantly on edge, sleepless at night.

If it weren’t for the empress's sudden pressure to marry, if I hadn’t suddenly discovered that my betrothed was Su Rongqing, I never would have thought of marrying someone I love. I always intended to marry someone suitable, chosen by my parents and matchmakers, then protect and cherish them. He would become my husband and uphold our household, and I would be his wife, giving him a corner of peace in this world.

This should have been my marriage.

Marrying Bai Shaotang would simply pull my absurd, derailed life back onto the path it was meant to follow.

With that thought, I didn’t hesitate anymore. Bearing the pain, I stepped down from the bed barefoot, walked on the cold wooden floor to the animated Bai Shaotang, and hugged him from behind.

He stopped talking immediately, his body trembling slightly.

That cautious, pitiful demeanor bore no resemblance to the dashing General Bai on the battlefield.

I leaned my head against his back, whispering, “Let’s get married.”

“Is it for Yunzhou's 200,000 iron cavalry?” He asked, his back to me, with a hint of laughter in his voice, as if he had just woken up.

“And because you’re Bai Shaotang,” I said, voicing the thought in my heart at that moment.

Because this is Bai Shaotang, who has been by my side since childhood, enduring my bullying. If it were a stranger, I wouldn't know if the 200,000 iron cavalry along with Yunzhou would move my heart.

Bai Shaotang stiffened his back. After a long time, he suddenly turned around and held me tightly in his arms. He seemed very scared, yet also somewhat excited.

© 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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