57 Ye Cheng Fu

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Ye Cheng Fu

 Chapter 57: 

 

My aunt said nothing. She looked down at the blood contract and slowly said, "Cheng'er, you must have faith in the Shu family. We do not need this leverage. This leverage might not even be a blessing. Every generation of monarchs knows that the Shu family possesses the blood contract and that they are constrained by it. Whatever the Shu family does, they suspect ulterior motives. They will do everything in their power to destroy the blood contract, if not now, then in the future. One day, the contract will be destroyed, and then the Shu family will face the Empress' wrath. The Shu family needs something that cannot be easily destroyed by the monarch."

Aunt looked at me, her gaze calm and steady. "I thought you understood, Cheng'er. In the past, your mother and I did not want to destroy this blood contract because we did not know whether it was the right or wrong thing to do. But today, we believe that if this blood contract can prevent you from regretting, then it is the right thing to do."

I said nothing, quietly looking at her. After a long time, I finally took the blood contract with trembling hands.

"This is my debt to him..." My voice trembled. "Aunt, I will protect the Shu family with my life from now on."

Aunt did not speak. She smiled and her gaze fell on the blood contract in my hand. She gently said, "Unfold it, drop your blood on it, and state your wish."

I did not dare meet her gaze and turned to look at Shen Ye. He lay there, covered in blood. Trembling, I unfolded the blood contract. It had two lines written on it. The first line read, "Moza tribe's favorable weather and long-lasting blessings," but it had already been crossed out with a line of blood. The second line read, "The Wei royal family and the Shu noble family live and die together, sharing fortune and misfortune."

Looking at that line, I thought of Shen Ye's smile, his slight tilt of the head on the stage, softly murmuring "In the end, you can't say it," I thought of him in the cave, gently saying "Don't be afraid"; I thought of him carrying me, walking step by step through the forest...

© 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.

I closed my eyes, bit my finger, and let my blood drop onto the contract.

"I want Shen Ye to come back to life..." I said, trembling, each word deliberate. "I want him to live a long and healthy life."

As I spoke, I opened my eyes and saw the blood contract radiate a faint light. My blood fell on it, forming a thin line that slowly crossed out the second line of text. The golden powder in the air gradually gathered, and one by one, the words appeared on the contract.

"Shen Ye resurrected, long life and health.

"Contract, completed."

As the last stroke appeared, tears fell from my eyes. I looked up at my aunt, who gazed at me with eyes full of love.

"Aunt..." I choked out, "Do you blame me?"

For making such a selfish choice. But I couldn't let him go, no matter the cost; I couldn't let him leave like this.

Aunt smiled gently and said, "If I were to blame you, I wouldn't have brought this blood contract."

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"The current Empress is ambitious," I slowly regained my composure, "We cannot let her know about this. When the next monarch ascends, the Shu family will decide whether to reveal this depending on the new ruler's virtue."

"I will discuss this with your mother, you don't need to worry," Aunt lowered her gaze, "For now, we'll announce that he wasn't completely dead, and that I used a Reviving Herb to save him."

The Reviving Herb is something of legend, mentioned in books but never seen. Only such a mythical item could explain Shen Ye's revival.

In this world, there are many mysterious things, rarely seen but not impossible. There are always some fated individuals who encounter them. This explanation seemed reasonable, so I nodded, put the blood contract close to my chest, and said, "Let's do as Aunt suggests."

"Take good care of him," Aunt glanced around, "I'll return to the city."

With that, Aunt rode away. After she left, I propped myself up and painfully moved to Shen Ye's side, trembling as I checked his breath.

There was indeed a faint breath at his nose. I couldn't believe it and lay on his chest, listening to his weak heartbeat.

Beat after beat.

It was the most heavenly sound I had ever heard in my life and one that I would never hear again.

After my aunt had been gone for a while, Shen Cong and Shangguan Wanqing hurried back. 

Wanqing, with red, tearful eyes, rushed to Shen Ye and frantically asked, "What did your aunt say? Can he be saved? Can he..."

"She has a Resurrection Herb," I said calmly. Shen Cong immediately looked up, checking Shen Ye's pulse, and then froze.

"Big brother..." he said with a trembling voice, his eyes welling with tears, "He's alive... Big brother isn't dead..."

"He wasn't completely dead to begin with..." I smiled bitterly, "Just now, he was given the Resurrection Herb. He'll be alright."

"That's wonderful..." Wanqing burst into tears, hugging the still unconscious Shen Ye, laughing and crying, "He's not dead... He's still alive... He's still here..."

I said nothing, watching this unfamiliar side of Shangguan Wanqing.

We had been close since childhood, entering the national academy together at the age of five. She was my first friend. Over the years, she helped me and protected me, while I did her assignments and fought her battles. I thought we were inseparable, sharing everything, but at this moment, I realized I knew nothing about her.

She loved my husband, and perhaps she had known him even longer than I had.

I watched her silently, feeling as though she were a complete stranger. After a long while, as she began to calm down, I finally spoke: "Wanqing."

At my words, she froze, still holding Shen Ye. After a long moment, she raised her head and looked at me quietly.

That aristocratic pride, unique to noble scions, now appeared in the eyes of my usually irreverent friend.

She gazed at me, and I smiled faintly, "Don't you think you owe me an explanation?"

"If I tell you, will you believe me?" she said with a bitter smile. I looked at her seriously and said, "As long as you say it, I will believe you."

No matter how absurd, how unruly.

She was slightly stunned, then laughed aloud, "Shu Cheng... you're so foolish, utterly foolish." As she spoke, a look of sorrow appeared in her eyes, "With you like this, I can't even bring myself to deceive you. I wanted to lie to you, so we could still be friends... but with you like this, how... how could I bear to lie to you?" She looked up at me, her eyes full of desolation, "Shu Cheng, I'm sorry."

"I know."

"I knew Shen Ye before you did."

"I know." Tears welled up in my eyes, "When you asked me to deliver a letter to your lover but left the address wrong, leaving a clean name so Shen Ye would be obsessed with me, it was intentional, wasn't it?"

"Yes." Shangguan Wanqing closed her eyes, "I love him. I would do anything he asked of me."

"What if he asked you..." I choked, and after a long pause, spoke with a trembling voice, "to kill me?"

She didn't respond immediately, holding Shen Ye, she slowly said, "I don't know. You are my best sister, and he is the man I love most. How could I choose?" She opened her eyes, filled with mockery, "But I don't need to choose... because he loves you, he would never harm you. So I could only watch from afar, blessing you both."

Her eyes dimmed, and she quietly watched Shen Ye, her voice hoarse, "I hope you both find happiness, more than anyone else. I can endure a lifetime of pain, but I genuinely want you two to be well. So I let go, I didn't even fight for it. He wanted to see you, I let him. He wanted to love you, I let him. I never said anything, fearing you would find out about our past and hold a grudge... I lost control just now." Her gaze slowly regained its calmness. She gently placed Shen Ye on the ground, stood up gracefully, and took a step back, saying, "He is your husband, rightfully yours. I have no place to interfere. But Shu Cheng," she looked up at me with sharp eyes, "I gave you the person I hold dearest in my heart. Please cherish him well."

I didn't say anything and reached out to gently take Shen Ye into my arms.

"Wanqing," I began, "He isn't someone you gave to me. Even if I weren't here, he was never yours."

Shangguan Wanqing paused, then smiled bitterly, "That's true. He..." She closed her eyes and sighed, "Never belonged to me."

With that, she turned and stumbled away, mounted her horse, and rode off.

© 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.

After she left, I turned to Shen Cong and whispered, "My legs are weak. Please find a carriage to take Shen Ye and me to a safe place. He may be out of immediate danger, but he still needs to recover."

Shen Cong didn't respond directly. He took out a white bottle from his pocket and tossed it to me, saying blandly, "Give my brother one of these to protect his heart. I'll be back soon."

Then he turned to fetch a horse. I took a pill from the bottle and fed it to Shen Ye. He was still asleep, like a child. Holding him, I felt that everything was enough.

Fame and worldly matters, they were all enough for me.

As long as he was alive, as long as he was here with me.

I held him for nearly an hour before I heard the sound of hoofbeats again. Shen Cong had returned with a carriage and a few guards. He directed them to lift Shen Ye and me into the carriage, then abandoned his horse to join us inside. Shen Cong carefully checked Shen Ye's pulse while explaining to me, "The capital is in chaos right now. We'll stay at the villa in the suburbs for the time being."

"What's the current situation?"

"Your mother, in the name of purging the empress' side, has locked down the city and ordered the citizens to stay in their homes. She has taken 5,000 elite soldiers and surrounded the palace. However, the Empress had already stationed 10,000 troops in the city, and they have now surrounded the Shu residence. But just as I was arriving, Shangguan Liuqing arrived with 20,000 troops to assist your mother in purging the empress' side, so you need not worry."

"And public opinion?"

"After your mother's move, Peony then uncovered the old incident of the Huizhou commander abandoning the city and fleeing with his soldiers, which led to the massacre of the entire city. This news has spread throughout the city. Additionally, an old soldier from Jingzhou, in order to protect you, bashed his head against the grievance drum at the Dali Temple..."

"And that old soldier..."

"He's fine," Shen Cong replied calmly. "We gave him a lot of silver and secured his granddaughter's official career. He broke his head, but it's nothing serious. In short, the public grievance is now directed at the commanders of Yun and Hui provinces and the Empress. Everyone believes that the Shu family has been victimized."

"That's good..." I nodded, finally feeling relieved. Thinking back to my mother's calm demeanor, my admiration for her grew even more.

Seeing my expression, Shen Cong finally relaxed his previously cold face and praised, "Your mother has remarkable skills."

"My mother, as the Prime Minister, is truly capable." I felt a bit of joy. Shen Cong's lips curved slightly, and seeing his expression, I knew that Shen Ye was likely fine.

He held Shen Ye's wrist with one hand and administered acupuncture with the other, saying calmly, "I'll give my brother a few calming needles. You don't need to worry about recent events. I'll have Peony and Wen Heng fully support your mother. Just stay by my brother's side."

"Okay." I lowered my gaze, looking at Shen Ye. Shen Cong fell silent, and the carriage was filled with an eerie tranquility.

After a long while, Shen Cong awkwardly said, "My brother... never wanted to harm you."

"I know," I replied gently. "I know it all. I'll be good to him." I looked up at Shen Cong's slightly embarrassed expression and laughed lightly. "You were right. In the past, I was blind. I refused to trust my feelings. Even though I felt he loved me, I stubbornly didn't believe it and was always afraid he would harm me. Even though I liked him, I kept deceiving myself, telling myself I didn't necessarily need him. Yesterday, when he carried me out, I was so scared. I realized that even if he had harmed me, harmed Liulan, harmed my family, I still wouldn't want him to die." I let out a bitter laugh. "I truly cannot live without him. Without him, I don't know how to go on."

Shen Cong didn't say anything as he quietly administered the acupuncture. After a long while, he said in a hoarse voice, "My brother has waited too long and endured too much for these words."

"Yes," I nodded. "Your actions have severed ties with the Empress, right? How will you deal with her in the future?"

Shen Cong didn't reply, so I continued, "The Shu family won't bear the crime of regicide unless absolutely necessary. My mother will continue to be a loyal minister. As for you and Phoenix Tower..."

"That's not something you need to worry about," Shen Cong chuckled. "The Empress hasn't finished using my brother yet. The mutual manipulation between my brother and the Empress is not your concern."

"True..." I thought for a moment and smiled frankly. "I'll stay out of the conflict between the foxes."

Shen Cong escorted us to the villa in the suburbs. After prescribing some medicine and settling us in, he left in a hurry. I stayed by Shen Ye's side, taking care of him. Though he hadn't woken up, I knew he would be fine.

The people at the villa made me a wheelchair, and I used it every day. Shen Ye lay in bed, his complexion improving. I stayed with him constantly, hardly leaving his side. Shen Cong visited us daily, bringing news from the outside world.

© 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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