CH 32

While Helian Pei was very pleased as he issued that decree, Jing Qi who received it was even more elated — however, this pair of one old man and one young lad made Helian Qi whose heart had been reveling with joy no longer happy. He then started to mull over the matter, his eyes scanning over Jing Qi in appraisal.

There was a certain thing about this young man Nanning Wang that he could not fathom, and it was even more so as Jing Qi, whose ploys were nothing but a question to others, began to approach Helian Zhao in broad daylight as well as hidden in the shadow, spurring vigilance in the hearts of both Helian Qi and Taoist Li. However, these two also thought it was just themselves trapped in their groundless fears — whether this was truly a lucky coincidence or a plan that this young Nanning Wang had deliberately plotted all along, they would never be able to tell.

Regardless, having a presence at the imperial court was like treading on thin ice: from the very first place, Helian Qi's way of doing things had always been 'better leave them all dead rather than letting one escape'.

While all the people present at that moment already knew something was fishy about the Liangguang incident, about which they dared not to breathe a word, who would have thought the emperor and this future imperial envoy seemed to be the only ones whose minds were still basking in optimism.

The moment Jing Qi left Helian Pei's place, he immediately sprinted out of the palace lest he be caught by Helian Yi — at the end, the face of His Highness the Crown Prince, who had always acted with much staidness and prudence, could be considered to have turned into all sorts of hues and shades. Too bad, one could never escape from his doom, and Helian Yi had acted faster than him. As soon as Jing Qi arrived at the gate of the palace, the palanquin that had been waiting there for him, was already in sight, along with a row of imperial guards standing in front, whose formation was arranged in the robbing-traveler type of fashion, "Want to pass this road? Put the money down first."

Jing Qi forced a smile; with grand composure that showed no attempt to run nor hide, he slowed down and proceeded forward, his words full of reverence as he halted in front of the palanquin: "May I offer my greetings to Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"Get over here for me!"

Someone over there completely forgot using the honorific "gu" (1): it is thus clear that his wrath is not to be taken lightly at all. Jing Qi felt his nose and obediently dawdled over toward the palanquin before being forcibly yanked in by a hand reached out from inside.

Jing Qi staggered for a moment; had he not grabbed onto the door of the palanquin, he would have landed prone on the ground and prostrate at the feet of Helian Yi's in admiration. With utmost caution, Jing Qi threw a glance at the face shrouded in raging gale and rising storms of His Highness the Crown Prince; therefore, he felt that the best choice at that moment was to put on an act of sincerity, with eyes, nose, and mouth watching out for each other.

Helian Yi glared at him once, his face wintry, then ordered: "Back to the Eastern Palace."

The palanquin of his Highness the Crown Prince was not only large and comfortable but also scented with burning incense — however, to Jing Qi whose stature, albeit not necessarily stood out like a crane amongst the flock of chickens, could be considered sparingly tall and slender when standing in the crowd, the height of this palanquin was still somewhat on the low. Thus, Jing Qi had to slightly bend his back over while keeping his head down in order to barely manage to stand on his feet — it ought to be fine momentarily, but after a long time, this position would be rather difficult to bear.

Quietly, he peeked over at Helian Yi, only to realize that His Highness the Crown Prince did not even bother to spare him a single glance, as if the latter had actually intended to let him suffer. Thus, Jing Qi could only heave a sigh in his heart and look forward to their speedy return to the Eastern Palace.

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As soon as the palanquin totteringly arrived at its destination, Helian Yi immediately strode outside, not even throwing a look at the other man. Jing Qi hurriedly sprinted out of that torturing place and trotted along to keep up with the pace, taking the opportunity to slightly loosen up his sore shoulders while His Highness the Crown Prince was not paying attention.

Lu Shen had long been waiting at the study before Helian Yi, seething with anger, stormed inside. The former had yet to get the chance to utter any words of advice, in his uncontrollable rage, the crown prince had already swept everything on the table: all the brushes, the paper, the ink stick and stone, off to the floor. Without sparing a single glance, he then picked up a teacup and hurled it straight at the door; liquid splashed everywhere and shattered pieces strewn all over the places. Jing Qi halted at the threshold, his head lowered as he glanced over the soaked hem of his official robe and said with a bitter smile: "Your Highness, do you want me to listen to your reprimand at the door?"

"Roll in here!" Helian Yi said furiously.

With utmost obedience, Jing Qi thus "rolled" inside. Lu Shen heaved a sigh; as his gaze landed on Helian Yi's expression that seemingly wanted to devour someone, he then wisely swallowed back all the "please, calm down" nonsense that was about to leave his mouth. Helian Yi pointed at Jing Qi and stammered "You... You... You..." for a very long time, his hand in a ceaseless tremble. At last, he let out a long, heavy sigh and dropped to his seat dejectedly. Then, with a low voice, he said: "Jing Beiyuan, you want to infuriate me to death, right?"

Jing Qi bowed his head, appearing like he had acknowledged his mistake.

Helian Yi asked: "Do you know the reason behind the uprising in Liangguang, huh? And what kind of person Liao Zhendong is?"

Lu Shen also frowned as he added: "Your Royal Highness, this time you are really too reckless."

Jing Qi: "The reason behind Liangguang uprisings was unknown, and that is precisely why His Majesty has ordered Your Subject to go and investigate. However, I do have some understanding about Liao Zhendong's background. For example, this person was the Tanhua (2) from the imperial examination six years ago; at that time, he was also considered a student of Great Scholar Lu Renqing. Later on, he married the Prefect of Lantai, Wu Junhui's younger sister, and his career as an official began to prosper subsequently, where he even became the Viceroy of Liangguang."

He paused for a moment before resuming: "Wu Junhui did not have much talent, and was even a short-lived soul. This person might have passed away early, but he was the son of Jian Sizong's sister, Minister Jian's nephew. The sky is high and the emperor is far, Liangguang is the remote land that is beyond the government's control. From fishery and waterborne transport to salt trade and farming, anything that is deemed profitable... all became the money tree of that man."

The blaze of wrath in Helian Yi's heart erupted 'whoosh' at once, he grudgingly snarled under his breath: "So you even know that!"

Jing Qi went along and grinned goofily: "Without a fine steel drill, I dare not to take on this porcelain work." (3)

"What kind of fine steel drill are you trying to be? Jing Beiyuan, do you even know the immensity of heaven and earth anymore, huh?!" Helian Yi slammed his hand on the table and was angry to the point of being nearly rendered speechless, "You are even aware that that place is where the sky is high and the emperor is far! Those local officials colluded with each other, their relationships are full of twisted intricacy. If I have to use disrespectful words to describe this, it is precisely a metal pail, a small nation within this country. How many years have you lived? How many things have you seen? Aren't you afraid... Aren't you afraid of drawing the fire upon yourself?"

For a while, Jing Qi was stupefied. He watched Helian Yi, who was scolding him with such stern countenance and irascible voice, with the realization that this person's dismay was due to the fact that he was actually worried about him. After a long time, Jing Qi let out a heavy sigh: "Your Highness, do you know from which place the First Prince amassed his wealth?"

Of course, Helian Yi knew the answer very well in his heart. Since Feng Yuanji's death, Helian Zhao has repeatedly borrowed all sorts of excuses to have his hands in the military operations. There were also rumors that Helian Zhao's level of audacity was great enough for him to secretly raise an army, his ill-harbored intention was as clear as daylight.

Jing Qi continued: "What if... His Highness the First Prince was imprisoned for plotting rebellion and conspiring against the emperor at this moment, what does Your Highness think your odds of winning against the Second Prince is?"

Helian Yi was befuddled.

Then he heard Jing Qi's voice again: "If I don't go, who will bring justice back to the people of this nation? And even if it was someone else, suppose that they could provide fairness to the people, would Helian Zhao still be able to escape?"

Lu Shen was silent for a while before suddenly turning to face Jing Qi with a deep bow: "Your Subject is short-sighted and failed to see beyond the nose; there have been many occasions where I had misunderstanding toward Your Royal Highness."

Jing Qi waved his hands, implying he dared not to accept the apology. Helian Yi's gaze was firmly fixed on him; it wasn't until a long time after that, in a trembling voice, he asked: "You... did that because of me?"

In that flashing moment, Helian Yi suddenly wanted to bring this person into his embrace, suddenly wanted to cast everything about the nation, the people that had been weighing upon his heart aside, so that he could no longer care or hope, nor that he would dare to grow attached. He wanted to say, from now on, no matter if that is knife-like wind or sword-like frost, there is already me who will be shielding you from them all; in this whole life, you are the only one, and I am not afraid of giving up all these lands and rivers for you.1

However, Helian Yi, after all, was still Helian Yi. He shut his eyes lightly and, for a while, sat there without a single sound, stifling his emotions — those beautiful and charming thoughts were nothing but outlandish wishes of his own: he could not allow it to ruin him, much less letting it destroy that other person.

"Even more for the common people of this nation." Jing Qi's face remained calm and nonchalant as if nothing had ever happened.

The sound of sheng like a phoenix's melody is flying across from the sky of rosy clouds; wondering the name of the player whose house is nearby. (5) Each person carried their own worries, and each had their personal drive to persevere. It wasn't for Helian Yi that Jing Beiyuan had employed all sorts of intrigues and wiles, and it wasn't for Jing Beiyuan either that Helian Yi had poured his heart in devising plans. The sentiment existing in that heart was too water-clear and shallow: as soon as the wind blew, it would immediately dissipate without a trace. That melody was indeed rapturous, but beyond the wall was a sky-high distance — a place that could not be reached no matter what happens.

At that moment, Jing Qi could clearly see the disheartened and weary look engraved on Helian Yi's countenance. In the past three hundred years, there existed no other human being that could understand this man better than him. Yet... Jing Qi ridiculed himself as he thought, suppose that each person had their own shackle, then for the most part, he and Helian Yi had never been bound together with the same chain.

That night was destined to be endlessly long...

Soon after Jing Qi returned to his residence, Helian Zhao personally came by the door and handed him a sealed envelope of 100,000-liang worth of silver notes as "travel expenses". Helian Zhao also wrote down the names of several people, simply mentioning that they were "old acquaintances", and if Jing Qi encountered any difficulties during his investigation in Liangguang, he could go look for them. There was no longer any trace of haughtiness on the older man's face: upon the sight of Jing Qi, he began to act with such warmth and affection as if they were actual blood brothers.

Helian Yi left the Eastern Palace all by himself and stayed out through the night — it was not until the following day that he finally returned. After he had gone, Su Qingluan held the white snow-white sheet that had been dappled with a few red plum blossoms into her chest — in the end, the smile that seemed to have rooted deep into the flesh of her beautiful face finally fell apart, leaving her choked in tears. Within a few days after, Helian Yi already sent his people to secretly purchase another place outside of the palace and brought Su Qingluan over, completely undetected. From then on, the Lady of the Moon, Su Qingluan, whose beauty was the kind that would overthrow cities and ruin states, whose mesmerizing melody on the Wangyue River held the crowds spellbound on that New Year's Eve was no longer to be seen in the capital city.

With a troubled heart and perplexed mind, Wu Xi, in his plain clothing, brought Nu A Ha along and left the manor. As he was aimlessly wandering the street with terrible boredom, Wu Xi suddenly realized that without Jing Qi, no matter how beautiful the sights and how flourishing the capital's landscapes were, they all ended up being very dull and boring. He continued walking and walking, until his feet finally arrived at Fei Cui Court.

It was Fei Cui Court, and no longer the Orchid Chamber — not even a little attempt to put up the elegant facade touched with graceful literary pursuits was there, as the young ladies with their little tunes were behaving in a way that was beyond provocative, and their entertained guests showered them with boisterous applause.

Nu A Ha immediately blushed red at the sight — this husky, masculine fellow with the back of a tiger and shoulders of a bear clung tightly at Wu Xi's sleeve and simpered bashfully: "Y... Young Sorcerer, what did you come here for?"

The question caught Wu Xi, who was still lost in daze, by surprise. Having yet recollected his own thoughts, he then asked back mindlessly, his words light as feathers: "You tell me... If I don't know whether I am liking someone or not, what should I do?"

Nu A Ha replied: "That is very simple. To like someone is to think about her all the time; whatever she wants, you also want to do it all for her. You always want her to be happy, and any moment of being unable to see her will make you yearn for her..."

Wu Xi was stumped for words; his heart seemed to have missed a beat.

As soon as Nu A Ha saw such a look from his master, and given that they were standing in front of a location for the conversation, he then naturally misunderstood. The servant was taken aback for a moment before probing with another question: "The person that Young Sorcerer likes... does not seem to have a status that is very compatible?"

Wu Xi thought, That person is a grown man, obviously, his status can't be considered compatible, thus he slightly nodded his head.

Nu A Ha's misunderstanding grew even more serious. He and A Xin Lai were rather different: although A Xin Lai was fierce and upright, he often came off as too simple and impulsive in comparison; Nu A Ha, on the other hand, was somewhat more calm and reliable. After a moment of pondering, he then carefully asked: "Is... that person beautiful? Good-natured? Is she treating you well?" [t/n: Nu A Ha used 她 (she/her), but it sounds the same as 他 (he/him) so both misunderstood the gender the other person was referring to]

Wu Xi then mused, Since he is a man, his "beauty" is naturally not the female's kind of soft and gentle beauty; but that person is indeed very good-looking. Of course, his temperament is also good: he always wears a beaming smile on his face, and no matter how much I upset him, he will never get angry at me.

Hence, he quietly nodded his head.

Nu A Ha raised his head to gaze at the sign of Fei Cui Court and the bevy of young girls who were chirpily welcoming visitors and sending them off like flocks of orioles and swallows. As if he was trying to comfort himself, he said: "A person... can't be judged based on what is seen on the surface. Sometimes, a person can seem to have an unseeming character on the surface, and the things that they do are also awful; but if she treats you very nicely and wholeheartedly — words from me are nothing beautiful or remarkable, but in general it is still the same truth."

Wu Xi then thought, in his opinion, Jing Qi was indeed horrible sometimes, especially because this person really enjoyed deceiving others: perhaps, to that man, blurting out thoughtless lies and suddenly turning against someone while putting on an act were no different from eating rice or drinking water. But it was because that person had been treating Wu Xi truly, truly well, the young sorcerer nodded: "There are times I feel like he really loves telling lies and fooling people, but he doesn't like deceiving me. He is also very good to me."

Thus Nu A Ha immediately nodded his head and spoke up: "Young Sorcerer, we the Nanjiang people don't put an emphasis on statuses. As long as you genuinely feel that way about her, and that she is also sincere about you, you can just marry her and bring her home. We will all respect her."

Wu Xi stared at the other man, all befuddled — suddenly he felt that Nu A Ha was a lot more open-minded compared to him.

At that moment, a woman's voice tenderly rippled down from upstairs: "Wishing that I can have your heart; even with white head, we shall not part from this love..."(6)1

Like a hammer, each and every single word struck directly in his heart, straight, and Wu Xi was rendered almost muddleheaded: "Wishing that I can have your heart; even with white head, we shall not part from this love."

--- End of chapter 32 ---

Translator's note:

(1) 孤 ( gū): lit. meaning is "the orphaned/solitary one"; it is one of several ways that members of the imperial families addressed themselves. Because He Lianyi is the crown prince, he will be using this honorific to address himself throughout the story.

(2) 探花 (tàn huā): Number Three Scholar, a title conferred on the person who ranked third in the highest imperial examination

(3) This is an allusion, whose original text is 没有金刚钻,不敢揽瓷器活 (for the novel, Pipi changed 金刚钻 = diamond-coated drill to 精钢钻 = steel-coated drill). It is basically saying "one doesn't take on a job without the right tool/skills"

(4) This allusion is about how Qin Xiangong (Duke Xiang of Qin) used the statelet of Yu to attack the neighboring vassal state, Western Guo (Xi Guo), during the Zhou Dynasty.

(5) These lines were originally from a poem called "Listening to the playing of Sheng from a neighbor home" by Lang Shiyuan.

(6) These are well-known lines from the song 白头吟 (白头 = white hair, 吟 = song, chanting) by Zhuo Wenjun, a talented female during the Han Dynasty.