21 Ye Cheng Fu

FlamingoBees

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

Ye Cheng Fu

Chapter 21:

"Shu Cheng," his voice trembled, "I know you don't like me, but it's okay. I can wait. I can wait."

"Don't be silly..." I couldn't help but laugh. "If I marry you, I will treat you well. Whether I like you or not..." I felt a bit lost. "In time, it won't matter to anyone. You will be the master of the Shu family." I looked up at him and gazed into his eyes. "I won't marry anyone else. I will ensure your life is stable, happy, and peaceful, and our children will be the same." As I spoke, I brushed the hair away from his ear and said slowly, "I won't let you be like my father. I won't let you be like any other noble lord. If I marry you, we will share the glory of the Shu family equally."

"Shu Cheng..." Bai Shaotang's eyes showed a hint of confusion. "Is this truly your heart?"

"This is a promise I made long ago, to my husband."

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"Whoever is your husband, you will treat him like this?"

When he said that, I understood what he was concerned about. My mother used to say that a woman always needs to tell lies to make a man happy. These lies might not stand the test of time, but they usually make the other person happy, and then they get buried with them in the earth.

So I smiled. "But not everyone qualifies to be my husband."

Bai Shaotang's expression cleared up. He quietly held me, saying gently, "Honestly, I don't care. I don't care if it's for Yunzhou or because I'm Bai Shaotang. I only know that you are by my side, and I'll accompany you through life. Just the two of us, and that's enough."

During those days, Bai Shaotang came to take care of me every day. I never saw Shen Ye again. Later, I learned that my mother had rejected his request to visit, and Bai Shaotang had his hidden guards stationed at my door, fighting with Shen Ye almost every night.

Due to my injuries, I stayed at home for more than half a month. Finally, the imperial decree for the annulment of the engagement was delivered from the palace. With the decree in hand, I began preparing the dowry.

The day I recovered, I brought the dowry to the Bai residence myself. The spectacle was grand, with the dowry procession stretching down the street. As we marched towards the Bai residence with gongs, drums, red carpets, and flower petals, passersby stopped to watch.

The display was so ostentatious that I had all the shadow guards stationed around me to prevent any trouble from Shen Ye. Fortunately, after a long march, as we neared Bai Shaotang's house, I hadn't seen any sign of Shen Ye. Just as I breathed a sigh of relief, I noticed a carriage parked at the Bai residence's gate in the distance.

The carriage bore the emblem of the Phoenix Tower, and my heart suddenly raced with an urge to rush forward. Then I saw the person inside the carriage, who, upon hearing our commotion, curiously lifted the curtain.

It was Shen Ye.

Although I didn't know why he was here, in that moment, he finally saw me. Then, noticing the procession behind me, his face turned pale.

Before anyone could react, a figure in blue suddenly rushed out from the carriage. Fortunately, I was prepared. As he approached me, shadow guards emerged from the crowd, intercepting him. I spurred my horse forward, clutching the ancestral jade pendant, and charged toward the Bai residence.

"Shu Cheng!" Shen Ye shouted angrily as he fought the shadow guards. "Stop right there!"

I pretended not to hear and raced towards the Bai residence. Upon dismounting, I knocked on the door, which opened abruptly. Bai Shaotang, dressed formally, pulled me into his arms. Under the watchful eyes of the onlookers, no one had time to react.

A thud sounded nearby as Shen Ye was forcefully thrown to the ground beside us. Bai Shaotang's soft sword sprang from his waist, pointing at Shen Ye's throat, stopping him from getting up.

"Shen Ye," Bai Shaotang said, holding my hand, "or rather, Su Rongqing, my engagement with Shu Cheng is set. The decree annulling your engagement has been issued. Please refrain from coming to the Shu residence or the Bai residence in the future."

"So what if you're engaged?" Shen Ye sneered. "Weren't Shu Cheng and I engaged too? If it can be set, it can be annulled."

Bai Shaotang said nothing, merely sneering and using his sword to force Shen Ye to stand. "Get lost," he said coldly.

Shen Ye smiled, bowed respectfully, and turned to leave. As Bai Shaotang looked back at me, Shen Ye suddenly struck. Seeing this clearly, I pulled Bai Shaotang away and stepped into Shen Ye's attack.

Shen Ye's hand stopped just before hitting me. He said nothing, silently staring at me. After a long while, he gave a bitter smile, "You..."

"You like him," Shen Ye said, his voice raspy.

"People grow fond of each other over time," I explained calmly. "Besides, there's nothing wrong with Shaotang. I'm already content to marry him."

"You like me," he insisted, standing before me. I couldn't help but laugh. "Liking someone doesn't give you the right to trample on their feelings. I liked you before, but that doesn't mean I'll always like you. Shen Ye," I turned away and tightened my grip on Bai Shaotang's hand, "the moment you decided to deceive me by pretending to be both Su Rongqing and Shen Ye, you should have anticipated this outcome."

"I never played with your feelings!" he shouted, his voice full of desperation. "I was sincere!"

"Who isn't sincere?!" I shouted back. "My sincerity was honest and open, but your sincerity was watching me suffer and struggle, wasn't it? When I like someone, I feel sad when they're sad, and I hurt when they're in pain. That's what liking someone means. Do you understand? And you? You watched me suffer, you watched me hurt and be sad, all to prove that I liked you! Is that what you call liking someone?!"

Shen Ye was momentarily speechless, unable to respond. I continued, my voice cold, "Are you thinking that everything would be better without Bai Shaotang? But Shen Ye, let me tell you, the moment you deceived me, it became just about you and me, nothing to do with Bai Shaotang. I will marry Bai Shaotang, and if it weren't him, it would be someone else. But no matter what, I, Shu Cheng, would never marry you, Shen Ye! You, who play with others' feelings," I lifted my head high and shouted, "are not worthy of being loved!"

With that, I pulled Bai Shaotang along and marched inside.

Shen Ye stood there, his tall and slender figure looking lost, and he seemed to waver as if he could barely stand.

Then he lifted his head, watching the crowd flow past, standing there for a long, long time before finally turning to leave.

As he left, he straightened his back, like an unsheathed sword, exuding a menacing aura that made people shiver.

At Bai Shaotang's house, I followed the proper etiquette to exchange documents, present the betrothal gifts, and swap the ancestral jade pendants and birthdates. Afterward, I bid farewell and returned home.

However, it wasn’t long before I received news that Su Rongqing had entered the palace.

I felt a pang of anxiety and, sure enough, soon after, news came that Su Rongqing was kneeling outside the imperial study and refusing to rise.

I couldn’t help but ask, “What’s he kneeling for?”

Everyone looked puzzled. “We don’t know! All we know is that Young Master Su met with Her Majesty and then began kneeling outside the palace gates.”

My heart raced. I had a sinking feeling that Shen Ye was up to something. Even though he was now in Su Rongqing's guise, I suspected his behavior would be just as outrageous.

That night, heavy rain poured down, and I tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. When dawn finally approached, I struggled to get up and called for the servant who had been sent to gather information. “Has Young Master Su left?”

“No!” The servant looked troubled. “But I’ve learned why Young Master Su is kneeling—everyone in the palace knows now.”

“What is it?” I took the mouthwash from the servant, continuing my morning routine while listening intently.

“I’ve heard that Young Master Su is pleading with Her Majesty to retract the annulment decree.”

This wasn’t surprising to me. I wasn’t very shocked.

The servant continued, “It’s said that Young Master Su claimed he has already lost his virtue to you and thus insists on marrying you. Her Majesty was enraged and punished Young Master Su by making him kneel outside the palace gates, saying that losing one’s virtue before marriage is a breach of moral conduct.”

I listened, so taken aback that I swallowed the mouthwash instead of spitting it out.

The nearby servants stared in shock, and after a moment, one of them finally asked with concern, “Young Lord, are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” I forced myself to remain calm and nodded. But the next moment, I felt my sleeve catching fire.

The servants were stunned, and it took them a while to react.

“Young Lord! Your clothes are on fire!”

“Shut up!” I yelled, “I’m on fire!”

Then I felt the temperature around me rising, and I saw the flames on my sleeve. Panicking, I cried out, “Put out the fire! Someone, help!”

•••

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21 Ye Cheng Fu

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