27 Ye Cheng Fu

FlamingoBees

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

Ye Cheng Fu

Chapter 27:

The entire place fell silent as Shen Ye slowly lifted his head. Chen Min, looking quite uneasy, shouted, "So what? I hit you, are you going to hit me back? Shu sister won’t support you, someone like you..."

Before she could finish, I couldn’t hold back and rushed out from the crowd, kicking her away. Chen Min was thrown far, but she was evidently trained; she quickly flipped and lashed out at me with a small leather whip from her waist.

We immediately started fighting.

No, it should be said that I was the one doing the beating. Even though Chen Min was a teenage girl, and despite her reputation as a troublemaker, she was still too inexperienced to handle me in a fight. I pinned her down and slapped her repeatedly. The onlookers tried desperately to pull us apart, but despite their efforts, they couldn’t separate us. My mind was consumed by the image of Shen Ye being slapped by her.

© 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.

The person who slapped him was someone I wouldn’t even dare slap myself—how dare a little girl like her slap him!

In truth, I rarely fought. Most of the time, I was seen as a model noblewoman.

Although I am not as sharp and capable as Shangguan Liulan, I have always been moderate and proper, never causing a stir. The only time I ever fought was with Qin Yang. Back then, I was looking for a suitor and happened to compliment her brother, who was quite handsome. In retaliation, she kicked me down from a flight of over a hundred steps! So, I ended up challenging her to a fight outside. Even then, I never dared to make a scene in the palace.

I had outgrown my impulsive years, but after meeting Shen Ye, I found myself even more impulsive than when I was a teenager. Was my adolescence just too late?

I had Chen Min pinned to the ground, beating her to the point of near unconsciousness, her face turning into a mess. It was only then that someone grabbed me and shouted, “Stop!”

Looking up, I saw it was Shangguan Liulan. She furrowed her brows, pulling me up from the ground. Chen Min’s friends hurriedly came over to drag her away. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and then, feigning calm, brushed off my sleeves and looked around at the crowd. “Sorry, everyone. I’ve been rude.”

The crowd awkwardly nodded in response. I pulled away from Shangguan Liulan’s grasp and went to stand behind Shen Ye. Turning to the crowd, I said, “There’s something I need to make clear. Su Rongqing is the one I sought to marry. Although there are some conflicts between us, those are matters between us alone. Both he and Bai Shaotang are treasures I begged for on my knees. Now that he has become my husband, it reflects on the face of the Shu family. To strike him is to strike the Shu family’s face. I hope everyone will not listen to rumors and give me, Shu Cheng, some face.”

“Not at all, not at all…” The crowd immediately responded. I knelt down beside Shen Ye. As soon as I sat down, I realized something was wrong.

His wine glass actually contained tea, and so did the wine jug. His complexion was as pale as paper, his breath disordered and weak, not at all like someone pretending to be a noble young lord. Instinctively, I reached to check his pulse. He hastily tried to avoid me, but I grabbed his wrist firmly.

Although I haven't studied medicine, I have a basic understanding of the pulse of martial artists. His pulse was very weak, showing signs of severe injury. I couldn't help but ask, "Who did this to you?"

"It's my own business." He pulled his arm back, seemingly feeling cold, and adjusted his robe. I immediately ordered someone to bring a stove and turned back to him. "Tell me clearly what happened!"

"I’ve told you," he said with a calm expression, "It’s my own business."

I thought for a moment and suddenly recalled the appearance of the Crown Princess. "Was it Her Majesty?"

He didn't answer, and after a long pause, said, "It's not because of you."

"You hurt the Crown Princess like this, don’t you think you should pay some price for it?!"

"Can you stop asking?!" He shouted angrily, "Can you stay away from me?! I don’t want to see you right now!"

At this point, the young man beside him suddenly laughed. He knelt to the side, poured me more wine, and said, "He’s quite stubborn. If you really leave, he won't be happy."

"Shut up!" Shen Ye scolded the young man, but the young man, seemingly unafraid, continued, "He hit the Crown Princess, so of course, Her Majesty will make him pay. If the Crown Princess was badly hurt, he’ll have to suffer even more."

Hearing this, my expression changed. Shen Cong continued with a smile, "He’s been bedridden for over half a month, while you’ve been telling stories in bed with Bai Shaotang for over half a month. He’s almost worn out his bed with a needle. As soon as he heard about the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet, he immediately forced himself out of bed and came here."

I was stunned by this. At that moment, the sound of laughter came from outside, and I looked back to see Bai Shaotang arriving. As usual, he was flamboyant, coming in with a few friends, laughing and joking. When he saw me from afar, he waved and called, "Shu Cheng! Shu Cheng!" like a boy who never grew up.

I glanced at him and then at Shen Ye. Shen Ye said indifferently, "If you don’t like me, then just go. Don’t keep saying you like me while still lingering around."

I thought his words made sense. Although he was still injured, I couldn't keep behaving like this. So I said, "Rest properly and don’t drink too much." Then I stood up and walked towards Bai Shaotang.

Shen Cong made faces at me, but I pretended not to see and walked briskly over. However, as soon as I had taken a few steps, a cup was thrown and shattered at my feet. I turned back to see Shen Ye still looking as if nothing had happened, looking away. "You can go now."

This person is so stubborn, so… I decided to leave.

This time, he had no cup to throw. I smoothly made my way to Bai Shaotang’s side. Bai Shaotang, grinning, pulled me over, then gently brushed my hair and looked at me with a soft gaze. He whispered, "You hit my cousin for Shen Ye."

I was at a loss for words.

I thought I might have been better off not coming.

Bai Shaotang looked at me with an extremely gentle expression and suddenly kissed my forehead, then said, "Don’t do that next time."

With a loud crash, Shen Ye threw his wine jug.

Bai Shaotang hadn’t been there long when the Phoenix Empress arrived and took her seat to begin the banquet. Bai Shaotang’s small table was set next to mine, so he moved over to my table and continued to pour me drinks and serve me food.

The Phoenix Empress, coming from a modest background, couldn’t really control the rowdy crowd we were. After we completed the basic toasts, there was nothing else to do, so we were free to move about.

During the toasts, a line of people went up one by one. Shen Ye, being a man without an official position or formal marriage, was not required to toast. As the last person was leaving, the Phoenix Empress seemed to suddenly remember him and said with a smile, "I’ve met Young Lord Shu's fiancé, Bai Shaotang, but what about the other one?"

"Replying to the Phoenix Empress, Su Rongqing is here," Shen Ye stood up from his small table. The Empress Dowager looked over in response, his eyes filled with a touch of admiration. He smiled and said, "Rongqing is too far from me. Come up and toast, so I can take a good look at you."

Hearing this, I became anxious. I suddenly remembered that the Phoenix Empress was the biological father of the Crown Princess. If the Phoenix Empress knew about the entanglement between Shen Ye and the Crown Princess, would he become harsh?

I couldn’t help but clutch my cup tightly as I watched Shen Ye walk forward to respectfully greet the Phoenix Empress. Standing together, I realized that the Phoenix Empress and Shen Ye shared some resemblance in their features.

The attendants by the Phoenix Empress' side poured Shen Ye a drink. The wine jug was completely different from what was being served to us. From a distance, I noticed Shen Ye frowning slightly. The Phoenix Empress laughed and said, "This is a fine wine that has been aged for thirty years. Only someone like Rongqing would make me willing to bring it out."

As he spoke, the Phoenix Empress raised his glass. After Shen Ye performed his bow, he drank the wine in one gulp, his face growing even paler.

But the Phoenix Empress didn’t let up. After praising the "fine wine," he smiled and said, "Good wine is rare, and so is a good person. Rongqing arrived too late, making Young Lord Shu wait for so many years. He must be punished. Have another glass!"

"Phoenix Empress..." Shen Ye's face was already ashen, and everyone could see something was wrong. His voice even trembled as he spoke. I couldn’t help but stand up and hurriedly say, "Phoenix Empress, Rongqing is in poor health. Let me drink in his place!"

"No," the Phoenix Empress said with a smile, gently refusing. He raised his glass. Shen Ye closed his eyes and softly said, "The Phoenix Empress is right. Rongqing did arrive too late." With that, he lifted the glass and drank again.

Everyone watched as he trembled on the high platform. The Phoenix Empress, still unsatisfied, ordered a third glass to be poured and said with a smile, "This last glass is to wish Young Master Su and Young Lord Shu a lifetime of happiness together, never to part. Oh, Rongqing, are you feeling unwell? Maybe you should skip this one?"

As she spoke, the Phoenix Empress signaled for someone to support him, but for some reason, Shen Ye still picked up the glass and drank the third cup in one go.

"Any wine can be avoided, but this one cannot," he said softly, panting. "The Phoenix Empress is right. Young Lord Shu and I will certainly grow old together and never part."

After finishing his words, he pushed away those who were helping him and began to descend the steps. However, before he had descended more than two steps, he vomited a mouthful of blood and collapsed, rolling down the stairs.

The scene instantly erupted into chaos. Shen Cong was the first to rush over, pressing his pulse and pulling out silver needles from his sleeve. Gu Qiangsheng, who was closest, quickly moved in and shouted for the imperial physicians. I watched as they carried him out, unable to restrain myself and finally standing up.

"Do you want to see him?" Bai Shaotang grabbed my arm. He wasn’t smiling, and I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. I stayed silent, simply watching him. After a long moment, he suddenly smiled, his expression full of bitterness, and then released my arm.

"Go ahead," he said. "I’ve been waiting for more than ten years. I can wait."

"I’m not..." I tried to explain, but he raised his hand to stop me. "No need to explain. Go quickly. With his skills, he must be severely injured today."

I didn’t speak. I was afraid of upsetting Bai Shaotang, but I couldn’t let go of Shen Ye. After a moment of hesitation, I left and hurried to where Shen Ye was taken.

By the time I arrived at the side hall where Shen Ye had been carried, his condition had stabilized. The imperial physicians were finishing up, packing their things and leaving in small groups. Shen Cong was sitting nearby, writing out a prescription.

As I entered the room, Shen Cong stood up with the prescription in hand. Seeing me, he led everyone out, leaving just Shen Ye and me in the room.

He lay on the bed, his breath faint like a child’s. I dared not move, quietly observing him. He was truly handsome, illuminated by the flickering lamp light, like a piece of luminous white jade. I couldn’t help but trace the contours of his face with my fingers. He remained motionless, seemingly unaware, quietly sleeping.

I gazed at him, my heart suddenly feeling at peace, as if the world outside had ceased to exist and only the two of us remained. He seemed to be the same simple man from the time of the beggar clan, riding towards me on the competition grounds, pulling me onto the galloping horse amidst countless people.

That was indeed my most cherished memory, one that lingered in my mind after returning to the capital.

Recalling the scent of him as he approached, I couldn’t resist leaning over and pressing a secret, chilly kiss to his lips.

It seemed to start raining outside, with the gentle sound of rain pattering. Then, a pair of cold hands softly brushed against my ears, holding me, pulling me onto the bed, and rolling on top of me.

He gently explored, and after a long time, he buried his face in my neck, holding me close and saying, “Shu Cheng, I’ve missed you for a long time.”

He lifted his head, gazing at me quietly, his hand tracing over my features.

“You shouldn’t have dressed like this today,” he said with a bitter smile in his eyes, “You look too beautiful; I can’t bear to share you with anyone else.”

I remained silent, watching him. He looked at me, momentarily stunned, and said, “You like me, don’t you?”

“Shen Ye,” I sighed, “Put aside your feelings. When the time is right, I’ll give you a divorce letter. I won’t touch you, we won’t have children. I will make it clear then, and you can leave my Shu family cleanly and find someone else.”

“What about Bai Shaotang?”

“He will be the master of the Shu family,” I said firmly, “Growing old with me, raising children, and never parting.”

Shen Ye's hand suddenly tightened around my neck, but he had no strength left. Yet, his gaze made me almost believe he would kill me. I just watched him quietly, contemplating the words I had just spoken to him.

He was trembling all over, as if in great pain.

“Shu Cheng,” he rasped, “if that day really comes, you might as well kill me, or let me kill you.”

“If one day you kill me, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

But, killing him was actually something I could never do.

I realized long ago, perhaps the moment he drove his sword through my heart, that I could never hurt him in the slightest.

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27 Ye Cheng Fu

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