52 Ye Cheng Fu

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Ye Cheng Fu

 Chapter 52: 

 

In just a few words, it was clear to me how deep the public outrage outside the palace would be.

But what can I do? What can the Shu family do?

Public opinion, as always, favors those who strike first.

With the Empress’s dramatic and stirring actions, crying and kneeling before the ministers…

I couldn’t help but laugh, feeling a sudden bitterness in my eyes. I even had the thought that perhaps it would be better to hang myself here in the palace, leaving a blood-written letter to prove my innocence. Otherwise, I had no way to clear the Shu family's name.

© 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.

But then I realized that the palace is full of the Empress’s people; even if I were to hang myself here, the Empress could claim it was a suicide out of guilt.

“Shen Ye…” I spoke hoarsely, “Is this the real reason you insisted on getting me out of the dungeon?”

“Yes.” He did not deny it, smiling lightly as he said, “At this point, let’s be clear. The Empress ordered me to get you out, and I anticipated what she would do today. But don’t worry, she won’t kill you, and your mother won’t sit idly by. Stay here, don’t go anywhere, and wait for everything to end.”

“Can I still trust you?” I asked with a bitter laugh.

He curved his lips slightly, turning to leave as he said, “It’s up to you.”

“Shen Ye!” I called out, stopping him from leaving. I stumbled out of bed and clung to him from behind.

I couldn’t put my feelings into words, but I had to. Trembling like a frightened girl, I said in a hoarse voice, “I’m scared.”

He said nothing, gradually prying my hands off him, but I clung to him desperately. I struggled to say, “You’re the only one I have here… You can’t just leave me…”

“Let go.”

Tears streamed down my face as I continued, “I won’t let go! You can’t abandon me, I don’t want…”

“Let go!” he shouted angrily. With a burst of internal force, he threw me aside. I was hurled against a pillar with a loud crash, and there were gasps from those around us, but he didn’t look back. He simply dusted off his sleeves and walked out quickly.

Struggling to get up, I was about to speak, but as soon as I opened my mouth, blood came out.

Someone came to help me. I watched him walk away without looking back.

For the first time, I realized how ruthless Shen Ye could be when he truly set his mind to it.

I was helped back to the bed. Everyone hurriedly fetched a doctor, brought water… One of the maids brought tea, but she spilled it on the bedding in her haste. She fumbled to retrieve the cup, and in that moment, I noticed a note being slipped into the quilt.

The maid was dragged away amidst scolding, and she begged for mercy as she kowtowed to me. I secretly grasped the note and weakly said, “It’s nothing serious. Let me rest for a while, you can all go.”

The servants quickly withdrew. Once everyone had left, I took out the note and saw Bai Shaotang’s handwriting: The plan has been changed to the 15th.

The 15th, which is the day after tomorrow.

I closed my eyes and reached into my bosom, holding the poison tightly.

After thinking for a moment, a palace servant informed me that the court physician had arrived. I had the physician and the servants come in. After taking my pulse and prescribing some medicine, the physician advised me to rest well before leaving. After he left, I pointed to a maid who had been attending to me regularly and asked, “I have a few questions. Where has your master been these days?”

“In the study…” The maid seemed a bit nervous, “Master Shen…”

“Does your master ask questions for you?” I interrupted her sharply. After catching my breath, I continued, “Write down a list of the things he usually likes to eat and send it to me.”

This time, the maid didn’t ask further questions and wrote down the list in front of me. Shortly after finishing, she hurriedly took her leave. I knew she was going to find Shen Ye but didn’t say anything more.

I had very little time left, only a day and a night.

In the afternoon, feeling somewhat better, I went to the kitchen, and Shen Cong followed me again.

I had never cooked before, and the items on the list seemed quite complicated. I decided to make a bowl of water chestnut and pear soup. I figured that a soup that only required adding ingredients should be manageable…

I had a fire started, added water to the pot, and began peeling pears. The pears were unusually hard to peel. After finishing the first pear, what was left was just a tiny bit, with only a few pieces of flesh remaining. Shen Cong, who was reading a book nearby, laughed out loud, “Lord Shu, you might as well give up. With your skill, you’d end up wasting so many pears.”

“Starting is always the hardest part,” I said, trying to remain calm. He seemed to notice and smirked before returning to his book.

I peeled a total of five pears and twenty-five water chestnuts before finally having enough ingredients for the soup. By the end, my fingers were sorely injured; only three out of ten fingers remained in good condition.

With nothing else to do, I had the pears and water chestnuts washed and then added them to the pot. Once it was cooked, I had the sugar jar brought over and added the sugar cubes.

Before adding the sugar cubes, I had already clutched the “Xiangsi” pill in my hand. The pill was white, and as I pressed the sugar cubes, I embedded the pill into them and then dropped them into the pot. After a short while, the sugar cubes dissolved. I stirred the soup, checked that it was ready, and had it plated. I then took the sweet soup to the study.

I knew he was in there, and even if he wasn't, I would wait for him.

When I reached the study, the entrance was crowded with people. I asked them to notify him, but the servant, smiling, said, "Master said he is not seeing anyone today."

"I’ve prepared some sweet soup," I said, lowering my head and speaking slowly. "Please let him know."

"My elder brother doesn’t want to see you," Shen Cong's cold voice came from behind me. "If he doesn’t want to see you, are you still going to force him?"

I didn’t say anything and stood quietly. The servant looked at me with some hesitation. Shen Cong gave him a signal, and he went inside. After a while, he came back out and said, "Master is indeed busy right now. If you insist, you may have to kneel and wait."

© 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 statement caused unease among everyone. The people here, seasoned by palace life, knew well that asking someone of my status to kneel and wait was an extreme insult.

The servant, uneasy himself, glanced at me from time to time. I remained silent, took a deep breath, and finally knelt down.

I was lost in thought, recalling how, last winter, Shen Ye had knelt outside my father's door. I felt a bit disoriented, thinking perhaps this was a form of retribution.

I knelt at the entrance while Shen Cong stood by. Half an hour passed, then an hour. Eventually, Shen Cong couldn’t stand it any longer and, casting a glance at me, left with composure. I remained kneeling from sunset to the star-filled sky, my legs numb and aching. Finally, the door to Shen Ye’s study slowly opened, and I heard Qin Yang’s voice with a hint of a smile: “You don’t need to thank me. Your matters are now my matters.”

As they emerged, Shen Ye’s face darkened upon seeing me. “Why are you still here?!”

Qin Yang, beside him, raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. “You’re really kneeling? I only said that offhandedly, but you’ve actually gone through with it?”

It struck me suddenly.

Shen Ye had no intention of seeing me; it was merely Qin Yang’s jest. I felt a mix of anger and shame, realizing how humiliating my situation had become. But then I remembered the note from Bai Shaotang and forced myself to stay calm. I forced a bitter smile and said, “I’m waiting here for both of you.”

Shen Ye ignored me, letting Qin Yang leave before approaching me. His expression was neutral as he asked, “How long have you been kneeling?”

“I don’t know.”

“Why are you here?” There was a slight softening in his tone.

I looked up, offering a hopeful smile. “I came to please you.”

He didn’t respond, instead fiddling with his little gold fan. I met his gaze, suppressing my anger and sorrow, and said slowly, “I’ve never cooked before. I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth, always had someone else peel the fruit and adjust the water temperature for me. I don’t know how to please you…”

I felt a pang of self-pity, my voice growing hoarse. “You made me noodles before, so I wanted to make you some sweet soup. I hoped that by cooking for you, I might have a reason to see you.”

He remained silent, his gaze falling on my hands. After a long moment, he sighed. “What do you want? I can’t give you much, Shu Cheng,” he looked up at me, “I’ve said before…”

“I don’t want anything.”

I interrupted him, kneeling before him with a slow, sad smile. “I know that in a few days, my position as the young master will be gone. I might be alive, or dead, or exiled to the borderlands, or imprisoned for life... Even though I’m a noble daughter now, soon, I’ll have nothing left. I always used to think about the Shu family, about my responsibilities as the young master, about how I needed to restrain myself and avoid causing trouble for the family, and about leaving you.” As I spoke, my eyes began to mist over. He didn’t interrupt, just listened quietly. I looked up at him and continued, “But Shen Ye, this time, I’m really leaving. I haven’t treated you well, from the moment we got married, I’ve always been harsh with you. So… for the rest of the days, let me be a good wife to you, okay?”

As I spoke, I grasped at his clothing, using my numbed legs to slowly stand up and meet his gaze directly.

He remained silent, staring at me. After a long moment, he addressed the others. “Where is the soup?”

The person holding the sweet soup hesitated and said, “It’s gone cold…”

Shen Ye took the bowl, drank all the soup in one go, and then turned to me. “After drinking it, do you have anything else to do?”

“Will you come back to the bedroom with me?” I asked, stunned.

“No, I won’t.”

“What about Qin Yang?” I pressed further, but he merely smiled and replied, “What does it matter to you?”

“I am your wife…” I trembled. 

Shen Ye brushed off my hand, smiling as he said, “Not for long.”

With that, he decisively turned and left. I stared at his departing figure, stunned, and felt a cold sweat break out on my back.

After everything was done, I tried to move but suddenly felt darkness overwhelm me and lost consciousness.

© 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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