38 Ye Cheng Fu

FlamingoBees

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

Ye Cheng Fu

Chapter 38:

When he entered, he didn’t look at me, simply went straight to a seat on the side and pointed at my mother on the bed: “That person lying on the couch ten steps in front of you.”

The person he brought with him smiled gently and used a bamboo cane to feel his way forward. I then realized that this young man was blind.

I wanted to offer assistance, but Shen Ye stopped me with a firm grip. His expression was impassive as he held me back, allowing the young man to make his way to my mother. He seemed to be a person of pride.

The young man took my mother’s pulse, inquired about her symptoms, and then used silver needles to treat her. After inserting needles into three acupuncture points, he withdrew the first needle to find it turned completely black. He held up the needle and asked Shen Ye, “What color?”

“Black, completely black,” Shen Ye responded immediately. The young man sniffed the needle and then began writing a prescription.

“Follow this prescription for a month without interruption. The patient will start improving by tomorrow, and her symptoms should disappear in about seven days, but the medicine must be taken for a full month to root out the illness.”

“May I ask, what is this illness?” my mother asked weakly from her bed. The young man didn’t answer, quickly wrote out the prescription, and then looked up to ask Shen Ye, “Who is the other patient?”

Shen Ye furrowed his brows, released me, and walked over to guide him. “I’ll show you.”

They started to leave, and I hurriedly followed. Shen Ye didn’t look back, allowing me to follow behind.

When we reached the door, I finally said, “Shen Ye…”

He stopped, and I hesitated before speaking: “Thank you. Please come back tonight…”

“I’ve already moved out,” he interrupted me. His back was to me, and I couldn’t see his expression, but his voice was as cold as frost. “It’s been months, and Master Shu hasn’t inquired about me? If I had died at Shu Mansion, you probably wouldn’t have even known.”

I was momentarily at a loss for words. His tone was filled with disdain, perhaps even hatred.

To say I wasn’t hurt would be disingenuous, but to admit it was painful… wasn’t this what I wanted?

I clenched my fists and bowed deeply. “Still, thank you for saving my mother. Your kindness is beyond repayment, and Shu Mansion has no way to repay such a debt.”

He sneered slightly and left with the doctor.

© 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.

When I returned to my room to check on my mother, she looked at me weakly and said, “Have the prescription reviewed by the palace doctor. Make sure it’s correct before you use it.”

I nodded. My mother then sneered, “It seems this isn’t an illness but poison.”

I remained silent, pondering who could be so skilled as to poison someone like my mother.

Her words echoed in my mind—poison. But what kind of poison and who administered it? The only lead I had was to find the doctor from earlier that day. I had my people investigate and learned that the doctor was named Zheng Can, the head of the Medicine King Valley, and that Shen Ye had brought him from the valley. He was staying at Phoenix Tower.

Not wanting to alert Shen Ye, I decided to investigate myself. That night, I donned a night suit and made my way to Phoenix Tower. I had heard Zheng Can was staying in the room at the southernmost corner, so I stealthily moved in that direction. At the end of the corridor, I guessed I had reached the correct room.

Zheng Can was still awake; his room was lit. To confirm this was indeed his room, I crouched and made a small hole in the door. Just as I was about to peer through, the door suddenly swung open, and a blood-stained golden fan was pressed against my neck.

I froze, maintaining my crouched position. The person in front of me was wearing a pure white night robe and stared at me intently. After a moment, he said, “This is the second time you’ve tried to sneak into my room.”

“Shen Ye.” I sighed and straightened up. Seeing the inscrutable look on his face, I was about to say something when he suddenly pulled me into his embrace and kissed me.

He pinned me against the wall and said fiercely, “Tell me, what are you here for?”

“Why did you kiss me…” was my instinctive response. After I said it, I was stunned, but he just laughed, gently scratching my chin and saying, “Seeing a little cat come home, I felt like giving it a kiss because it was cute.”

“Who are you calling a little cat?!” My immediate reaction seemed off, so I corrected myself quickly, “I’m here to find Zheng Can.”

Hearing this, he looked at me intently. After a long pause, he turned away with a scoff, “Even though I knew you were here for him, I’m still not pleased hearing you say it.”

“Are you healed?” I asked, noticing that he looked much better and more vigorous than before. He was standing by the table pouring water, raising an eyebrow at me. “Yes, are you concerned about me?”

“Just asking to ease the tension. Where is Zheng Can?” I relaxed my tone as he seemed to have regained his former self. He casually poured the water and said, “You’re probably asking about the poison and who poisoned your mother, right?”

“Yes.”

“It was the Empress,” he said straightforwardly, revealing the mastermind. “She wanted to test the strength of the blood bond to see if it truly ties the royal family and your Shu family together—sharing honor and suffering alike. Now she knows it’s real.”

“Then how did she poison her?”

“I don’t know.” He pushed a cup of hot tea toward me. I looked at him, but his expression remained unchanged. He sat next to me and added, “It wasn’t me. I never had the chance to come into contact with your mother. The poison was ingested.”

I was taken aback. My mother’s food was always handled by trusted servants. If it was ingested… who could have done it?

As I stood in a daze, Shen Ye quietly watched me. After a long while, I came to my senses. The answer I needed was already given to me, and although it came from Shen Ye, I had an instinct that he wasn’t lying. Looking at the gaze he directed at me, I couldn’t help but ask, “When did you move out?”

“After that day I kneeled, I fainted, and Shen Cong brought me back. If I had stayed in Shu Mansion, I feared I might really die there.” He said this with a self-deprecating smile, “I’ve faced many dangers, but if there’s one place that made me think I would die, it was only Shu Mansion.”

I didn’t know how to respond. After a long pause, I asked, “Will you move back in?”

He toyed with the teacup, smiling bitterly. “Do you want me to move back in?”

“I hope we get a divorce,” I said directly. He was stunned, and a hint of bitterness crossed his face as he replied, “No... I won’t divorce. I know you’re afraid of me,” he said with a wry smile, “You’re afraid that I married into Shu family to uncover their secrets, so I left. I know you love Bai Shaotang, love him so much that you punished me to protect his reputation even though you knew he framed me. So I endured… You said I don’t understand love or affection,” he lowered his gaze to the green tea in his cup, “I’m learning. I don’t understand, but I’m learning. You like apples, so I’ll give you apples; and whatever you want to give me, you give. As long as it’s from you… I… I’m happy.”

I couldn’t find the words. Seeing his expression made my heart race. After a long pause, I hurriedly stood up and said, “I’ll be going now.”

I hurried back to my room in a flurry. That night, I tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep at all.

Despite not having slept, I still had to attend the morning court. So the next day, I appeared with dark circles under my eyes. During the morning court session, both Shangguan Liulan and Shangguan Wanqing couldn’t help but glance at me. However, since His Majesty was attending court for the first time in months, they didn’t dare to be too bold. They merely cast a few furtive looks my way before waiting for the court session to end.

As soon as the court adjourned, the two of them followed me.

“Shu Cheng, did you overindulge?” Shangguan Wanqing asked with a wicked smile. “Well, with two beautiful men at home, if I were you, I’d…”

“When are you getting married?” I lifted my head and asked with a cold expression. “Shall I go speak to your mother and find you a few introductions?”

Shangguan Wanqing’s face stiffened, and she said immediately, “I’m feeling a bit of stomach pain… I should head out now.”

Once Shangguan Wanqing left, Shangguan Liulan approached me. Her expression was even more serious, and she said indifferently, “Want to go have a drink?”

“Liulan.”

"Mm?"

"I’ve noticed you've been sticking around me a lot recently," I said with some concern, "Have you developed feelings for me?"

"Get lost." She said coldly and strode out. I quickly followed her.

We found a small tavern and drank as usual. The spring rain drizzled steadily in March, and the sound of rain made everything feel especially calm.

I talked to her about my mother’s illness, and by the end, I raised my glass, saying, “Let’s toast to my mother’s recovery today.”

The glasses clinked softly. She didn’t ask many questions and just drank with me. However, today, for some reason, she didn’t hold back and ended up drinking too much.

Seeing her like this, I didn’t hold back either. By the time we left the tavern, we were both a bit unsteady. As we each boarded our carriages, she suddenly called out to me.

She asked inexplicably, “What’s the name of that doctor?”

I was momentarily stunned and instinctively replied, “Zheng Can.”

She didn’t say anything more, her lips pressed tightly together, her eyes revealing a mixture of restraint and pain.

I had known her for years, and she had always been a very restrained person. It was the first time I had seen her show such obvious emotion. I expected she might ask me more questions, but after a long pause, she only said, “Go home.”

With that, she got into her carriage. I stood in front of the carriage, dazed for a while.

For some reason, I felt a strange intuition that she had come to drink with me just to ask that one question.

Curiosity surged within me, and I knew who could answer it. On a regular day, I might have restrained my curiosity, but with the effects of the alcohol, I ran straight to the Feng Lou.

I used the same route as yesterday, climbing over the wall and entering Shen Ye’s room. As soon as I opened the door, I saw him lounging in a rocking chair, reading a book.

He was always like this, enjoying his leisure with a book in hand and a small table beside him.

Seeing me enter, he looked surprised, then furrowed his brow and said, “You’ve been drinking.”

“Yeah.” I nodded, flopping onto the couch next to him and squinting up at him. “Why do you always stay here and never return to Su Manor? Doesn’t your teacher mind?”

“You’re drunk.” He walked over and touched my face, then called out, “Peony, bring some hangover soup.” He looked down at me with a gentle expression and asked, “Who did you go drinking with this time?”

“Liulian…” I nuzzled his hand with my face. He couldn’t help but laugh. I looked up at him and asked the question that had been puzzling me, “What’s the relationship between Liulian and Zheng Can?”

“If you want to know,” he said in a tone as if speaking to a child, “then come here and hold me, and I’ll tell you.”

I didn’t think much of it; being embraced by a man was his loss anyway. I opened my arms and said, "Come, hug me!"

He laughed, sat down by the couch, and held me in his arms.

I was much smaller than him, so being held made me seem even smaller. I couldn’t help but frown, feeling like I was losing my feminine charm. He seemed to sense my thoughts and buried his head into my shoulder, chuckling softly, "You're still adorable now. You should drink more in the future. Do you want to ask about Shangguan Liulan and Zheng Can?"

He gently spoke, reminiscing about the past.

It turns out he had known Shangguan Liulan for a long time. When Liulan was fifteen, she was a troublemaker who ran away from home and went to Phoenix Tower, where she offended a courtesan and was thrown out by Shen Ye. As a result, she hit her head when she fell and lost her memory. At that time, she happened to meet Zheng Can, who treated her. During the treatment, Zheng Can discovered that Liulan was his long-lost lover and thus carefully accompanied her. Liulan, who had lost her memory, fell in love with Zheng Can. Her younger sister, Shangguan Liuqing, learned where she was and sent people to kill Liulan. Liulan survived, but Zheng Can lost his eyesight. After Liulan regained her memory, she made her sister Liuqing pretend to be her and stay with Zheng Can while she returned to the Shangguan family and became the head of the Shangguan household.

I was stunned by the story, unable to connect the people in the tale with Shangguan Liulan. After a long pause, I finally asked, "Why did Liulan leave?"

"Fame, fortune, and wealth—Zheng Can is just a doctor, while Lord Shangguan is the legitimate daughter of the Shangguan family. Perhaps Shangguan Liulan valued her status more?"

"Impossible," I replied, recalling my friend's gaze and usual demeanor, "Liulan isn't like that."

"Perhaps you should ask her directly."

I agreed; after all, Shen Ye was merely an observer, and Liulan was the one who truly knew the truth.

As I pondered this, I began to feel drowsy, and soon fell asleep with my neck tilted to one side.

When I woke up the next morning, I felt someone beside me. I propped myself up, twisted my neck, and suddenly realized that the scene seemed familiar...

I looked up and, as expected, saw Shen Ye's sleeping face. His perfect, god-like features made me feel a sudden pang of panic. I couldn't help but check my clothes to make sure they were intact and then shrank back towards the corner, thinking it was a rather awkward reaction. After all, I was a woman; what was there to hide from?

So, quietly and gently, I picked up my outer garment and stepped over Shen Ye, preparing to...

Before I could do anything, he pressed me firmly against the bed, decisively pinning me down and giving me a kiss.

He remained still, pressing down on me as I looked at him in terror.

"How many times have we slept together?" he asked calmly. I didn’t dare speak, and he deftly started unfastening my belt. I quickly grabbed his hand and said, "What are you doing?"

"After sleeping together so many times without consummating the marriage, are you incapable?"

"Shen Ye!" Hearing this, blood rushed to my head. He brushed my hand aside, and after a long pause, I finally shouted, "Are you even a man? Don't you feel any shame?"

"Well..." He looked up with a gentle smile. "I’m just a little courtesan."

"You..." I was on the verge of tears. As he was about to remove my last piece of clothing, I finally said, "I was wrong, I was wrong. Please stop undressing me."

He stopped, gazing at me for a long while before saying, "Is this what you're afraid of?"

I nodded, feeling somewhat humiliated.

"Aren't you from a noble family?" He still lay on top of me but seemed to be much calmer, asking curiously, "Don’t you have a concubine?"

I shook my head quickly. Logically, given my status, I should have had a concubine arranged for me at fifteen, but I had never wanted one.

Shen Ye’s smile deepened: "Never visited a brothel?"

I shook my head again: "Never sought out a courtesan..."

Shen Ye's expression turned understanding. After a moment, he smiled brightly and said, "I knew that, but I just wanted to hear you say it. I’m not teasing you anymore." He slowly helped me put on my clothes, and once I was dressed, he came around to hold me from behind and whispered in my ear, "You’re not allowed to get close to anyone else. If you want someone, it should only be me. I won’t hurt you, okay?"

"Shen Ye!" I couldn’t help but get angry again. "Can’t you be more restrained?"

"You are my wife, after all," he chuckled softly. "Do I really need to be restrained?"

Here's the translation:

---

I didn't say anything, feeling frustrated as I pushed him away and went outside. It was still dark, and I hurried home to change into my morning attire and then rushed to the palace.

After the court assembly, I caught up with Shangguan Liulan and took her to a small tavern, where I voiced my concerns.

"I don’t believe you’re the person Shen Ye described."

As soon as I said this, she was taken aback and then gave a wry smile. "Shen Ye really does tell you everything."

"I didn’t go back, but Shangguan Liulan did—that part is true." She shook her wine glass slowly and continued, "Or rather, the Shangguan Liulan in Zheng Can’s heart went back. That part is true."

She rambled on, explaining that Zheng Can had believed she was his lover because of a sachet. However, when she regained her memory, she realized that the sachet wasn’t hers but her sister's. So, she asked Zheng Can if he would still love her if he had met her, instead of her sister, at the brothel in Chu’s capital. Zheng Can's response was that his love was for her back then, and the two situations were not compatible.

She knew that Zheng Can's true love was Shangguan Liuqing.

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38 Ye Cheng Fu

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