26 Ye Cheng Fu

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Ye Cheng Fu

 Chapter 26: 

 

Although I agreed to marry Shen Ye, my decision to wed Bai Shaotang has displeased Her Majesty. This morning at court, Her Majesty used me as a scapegoat, criticizing me for submitting too few memorials as the Minister of Censors. For so many years, my achievements have been minimal, which is unsuitable for the Censorate, where one must constantly deal with conflicts. As a result, Her Majesty decided to “promote” me by transferring me to the Ministry of Works. 

Despite the lower rank of the Ministry of Works, it involves constant travel and lacks real power, making it an undesirable position for a noble. Naturally, the Shu family was unhappy with this arrangement.

© 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.

Half of the court officials knelt in protest, and the other half were from the Shangguan family. Her Majesty conceded that reflection was necessary and issued an edict for me to return home and reflect. The affairs would be handled by Gu Qiangsheng, the Deputy Minister of Censors.

Gu Qiangsheng, coming from a humble background, is a stringent supervisor whom Her Majesty uses to oversee me. Her annual number of memorials exceeds that of the entire Censorate. Hearing that Gu Qiangsheng would take my place, I knew trouble was coming. Indeed, right after I was told to stay home, Her Majesty instructed Gu Qiangsheng to investigate Shangguan Jingzhi, the Minister of Revenue. 

Everyone realized that Gu Qiangsheng’s actions weren’t targeting the Shu family but were intended to reprimand Shangguan Liulan for supporting me by using the investigation of Shangguan Jingzhi as a means to pressure Liulan.

I am quite worried, hoping that Shangguan Jingzhi hasn’t actually committed any wrongdoing. However, there's little I can do except complain to my mother.

After discussing court matters with my mother, she retired to her room, and I went to mine to start settling into my new life.

That night, I went to bed early. In the middle of the night, I suddenly felt someone beside me. When I opened my eyes, I saw Bai Shaotang crouched by my bedside, staring at me.

He was so close that his round eyes startled me, and I nearly drew my sword.

Nevertheless, I maintained my composure and asked, “What are you doing here in the middle of the night?”

“I missed you,” he said with a smile, showing no sign of embarrassment. “I remembered how I used to watch you sleep when we were young, and I missed you, so I came to see you.”

“It’s very late. Aren’t you tired?”

“I’m not tired. I used to stay up late at the border,” he replied, and I realized he wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon. Since I wasn’t too tired myself, I made some room and patted the space beside me, saying, “Come up.”

He immediately climbed into bed and lay down next to me, beginning to tell colorful stories about the border.

He talked on and on, and I listened until I dozed off. By the time I woke up the next morning, he had disappeared.

I understood his reasons. After all, both our families valued their reputations, and it wouldn’t look good for him to be seen coming to my bed in the middle of the night.

Since then, he began visiting me every day. I started to worry—what if Shen Ye came to find me while Bai Shaotang was here? But then I thought it was absurd to expect Shen Ye to come looking for me. If he did, I’d have to send him away.

It was strange—sometimes, the more you miss someone, the more you find yourself thinking about them. The less you think about them, the better. But when the thoughts do come, they can’t be easily ignored. 

When Shen Ye didn’t come for a day, then two, and later for an entire two months, I started to feel anxious.

Unable to bear it, I secretly sent someone to Phoenix Tower to inquire. The report came back that Shen Ye hadn’t been to Phoenix Tower for a long time. This news only made me more uneasy, leaving me restless and worried. Since he wasn’t at Phoenix Tower, he must be at Su’s residence. Should I write to him and arrange a meeting? But I lacked the courage. I thought that perhaps it was better this way, as we were destined to part eventually. In the end, reason won out, and I decided against it.

As more time passed, an invitation to Empress' husband's birthday banquet arrived, delivered by Shangguan Wanqing.

The Phoenix Empress, the Crown Princess’s father, hailed from a middle-ranking noble family. He had been a concubine for many years. After the current emperor ascended the throne and consolidated her power, she suddenly elevated him to the position of Empress. Although the Emperor did not particularly favor him, she granted him ample face, and his birthday banquets were grand affairs every year.

This year, feeling downhearted, I planned to feign illness and decline the invitation. But before I could speak, Shangguan Wanqing stopped me, saying, “There are a lot of people coming this year. The Empress knows about your upcoming wedding and has specially invited Su Rongqing. He’s always claimed to be sick and stayed away, but he’ll definitely come this time.”

© 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 heart skipped a beat when I heard that, and I couldn’t bring myself to refuse. Shangguan Wanqing, ever the meddler, added, “I know the Empress hasn’t been very kind to you lately, and you probably don’t want to give face to her consort. Don’t worry, I’ve already thought of an excuse for you and had someone write it up. It will be sent to the palace along with my memorial…”

“Wanqing…” I resisted the urge to hit her and grabbed her shoulder. She immediately changed her expression, “Ouch, ouch, ouch…”

“If you’re this considerate again, we can’t be friends anymore.”

I sighed and then shouted, “Who said I wasn’t going? I’m going! I have to go!”

After shouting, I felt much better. Shangguan Wanqing grimaced, “Shu Cheng, have you developed some kind of pre-wedding mental problem? Your mood swings are huge lately.”

I ignored her and couldn’t help but hum a little tune.

In just a couple of days, I’d see Shen Ye again—that was all I could think about at that moment.

A few days after receiving the invitation, the day of the banquet arrived. I woke up before dawn, feeling more energized than my mother, who was about to attend the morning court session. With nothing to do as an idle person not attending court, I stood before the mirror and started changing clothes.

I had never felt I had a shortage of clothes before, but today I realized my wardrobe was indeed lacking. Most of my clothes were in dull, somber colors, suitable for someone of my mother's age. After much deliberation, I finally found a robe that wasn’t so dark. It was a bright red robe with gold embroidery, a gift from Shangguan Wanqing!

Reflecting on this, I felt a tinge of sadness, realizing that despite being wealthier than Shangguan Wanqing, the only decent piece of clothing I had was from her. With no better options, I put on the bright red robe and had my maid arrange my hair with a blackwood hairpin.

This maid had been with me for many years, and my sudden change in attire startled her. She took a long time to finish arranging my hair before finally speaking nervously, “Young Lord, I think with this outfit, you should wear some makeup, or you won’t be able to pull off the look.”

I wasn’t particularly confident in my sense of aesthetics and only hoped to look good today. I nodded in agreement. The maid hurriedly approached and carefully applied makeup to my face.

I usually didn’t use cosmetics. Though it was fashionable among the court nobility, I avoided it, feeling that wearing heavy makeup would suffocate me—even if it wasn’t directly on my nose. But today, I didn’t overthink it. The maid was considerate and applied the makeup lightly, leaving a faint fragrance.

By the time all this was done, it was noon, and I had to head to the banquet. I gave myself a quick glance in the bronze mirror, and seeing no major flaws, I hurriedly left and got into the carriage. As the carriage set off, I began to ponder how I could greet Shen Ye at the banquet without seeming too deliberate, while still having a chance to speak with him at length.

I pondered over this all the way, not realizing the carriage had already arrived at the Royal Garden. It took several calls from the attendants outside for me to snap out of my thoughts and hastily get off the carriage.

Everyone had arrived early, and the garden was already meticulously arranged. Each man was seated next to his wife, or gathered in small groups with close friends, chatting and laughing. Only Shen Ye sat properly at a small table, accompanied by that young man named Shen Cong, quietly sipping his wine.

He didn’t laugh out loud like the other boisterous youths, yet no one could ignore his presence. As soon as I entered the garden, I heard his name being mentioned among the crowd.

"Is that Su Rongqing? With looks like that, Shu Cheng has really struck gold!"

"I heard Shu Cheng was causing a fuss about breaking off the engagement recently. She should break it off quickly so I can marry him!"

"I wanted to propose to the Su family too, but someone told me Su Rongqing was sickly, ugly, and had a terrible temper. Plus, he's already twenty-four or twenty-five. I gave up on the idea, but now… I need to find that person and get my man back!"

Hearing this, I couldn’t stand it any longer. I coughed twice, and those people immediately turned around, looking at me as if they had seen a ghost. Not quite understanding their expressions, I reminded them, "Everyone, I'm getting married soon."

"Congratulations, congratulations..." Their faces still showed shock. Fearing they didn’t understand, I continued, "Both my husbands are very handsome. It’s indeed a pity none of you proposed back then. Hahaha..."

After my comment, everyone finally snapped out of their shock and started making small talk with me. While chatting with them, I glanced over at Shen Ye. He was still drinking, seemingly oblivious to my arrival.

His complexion was much paler than usual, and his movements lacked the usual steadiness and precision, making him look like a truly sickly young master. The young man standing beside him was exceptionally striking. Though not of noble birth, his presence overshadowed all the noble youths present. His features had not fully matured, but it was clear he would grow into someone who could "ruin nations and bewitch people." I couldn't help but take a few more glances.

What I fancy must be good, I thought. Shen Ye would soon be married to me, but this young man had not yet been betrothed.

Before long, a spirited young girl walked over to him, amidst the teasing laughter of another group of girls. She boldly asked, "What's your name, young man?"

Shen Cong remained silent, standing by Shen Ye's side, quietly pouring wine for him.

My heart immediately tightened. I recognized this girl. She was Chen Min, the only daughter of the Minister of War, Chen He. Raised with utmost care, she was a notorious troublemaker and, to my dismay, a distant relative of Bai Shaotang, making her his cousin. Fearing Chen Min would do something outrageous, I unconsciously took a couple of steps closer to Shen Ye.

The courtiers, always a bunch of sly foxes, pretended not to notice the commotion, though their eyes frequently darted toward the scene.

“I'm talking to you, are you deaf?” Chen Min was getting angry at Shen Cong's silence. Finally, Shen Cong lifted his eyes and said calmly, “You were rude to me first, why should I respond politely?”

“Why bother with manners for a servant?” Chen Min sneered and then looked at Su Rongqing. “You must be Su Rongqing? I'm Shu Cheng's cousin; give me this servant of yours!”

© 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.

Hearing this, I was dumbfounded. No matter how hard I thought, I couldn't figure out any familial connection between us. Luckily, Shen Ye provided a wake-up call. He lazily raised his wine cup, smirked, and said, “Bai Shaotang hasn't even married into the Shu family yet, and you're already claiming kinship with Shu Shu Cheng. Isn't that a bit premature? And even if he does marry in, it still depends on whether Shu Shu Cheng acknowledges you as a relative.”

“You're quite the silver-tongued one,” Chen Min said with a sarcastic smile. “But a sharp tongue is of little use. Good looks, maybe. But Shu Cheng doesn't care about those. She doesn't like you. You begged for this marriage, kneeling outside the palace gate all night. Do you really think Shu Cheng will be good to you? I've seen plenty of men, but none as lowly as you. This servant of yours won't have a good life following you to the Shu family. You'd better give him to me now. I can at least make him a secondary husband.”

"You insolent brat!" Shen Cong shouted from the side. Shen Ye raised his hand to stop Shen Cong, speaking slowly, "I'd rather kneel outside the palace gate all night just to marry into the Shu family. Yet, even if you personally come to ask for one of my servants, I wouldn't give them to you. Do you know why, young lady?"

Chen Min was taken aback and instinctively asked, "Why?"

Shen Ye sipped his wine, not even bothering to lift his eyelids, and said indifferently, "Better to be a rising phoenix than a fallen chicken."

"You!" Chen Min swung her hand furiously. Her strike was so swift that Shen Ye, for some reason, couldn't dodge it and took the slap head-on. The crisp sound of the slap echoed in my heart, as if I felt the pain myself.

© 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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