CH 27

Returning to Bi’xiao Palace, briefly eating a snack and freshening up, Meng Sangyu curled up with A’Bao on the soft bed and took a very comfortable afternoon nap.

When the master and pet pair woke up it was already 2 pm [1], soon it would be time for dinner. With a companion by one’s side, the day flew by.

With her embroidered shoes dangling off her feet and her hair hanging loose, Meng Sangyu held A’Bao and walked over to sit down in front of her dressing table, allowing Bi’shui and Yin’cui to help her apply makeup. Taking a strand of ink black hair and winding it around her finger tip, she brushed the ends against A’Bao’s nose. Seeing him sneeze repeatedly, with his little paws raised trying to catch her hair but always being a step behind, she cracked up with laughter.

Emperor Zhou’wu dazedly looked at her radiant and beautiful smiling face, forgetting to move. His intention was to play with her, so long as she was happy, he also felt incomparably satisfied.

Seeing A’Bao not moving, Meng Sangyu thought he was angry and guiltily smiled, taking her hair and purposely stuffing it into his arms. A’Bao immediately caught the hair, his little nose twitching to sniff its sweet scent, his expression utterly focused and serious as if he were trying to carve his master’s scent into his bones.

Meng Sangyu smiled warmly, patting his head she instructed, “A’Bao, remember my scent. In the future if you and I get separated, just follow this scent and come find me.”

We [2] won’t let you separate from Us! We will be together forever, never to part from one another! Emperor Zhou’wu barked, but too bad nobody could understand what he was saying.

Nurse Feng, holding a cup of tea, entered the room with a dark expression. Placing the cup beside her master’s hands, she opened her mouth as if to speak but stopped herself.

“Nurse, did something happen?” Meng Sangyu who was sipping her tea, moved the cup close to A’Bao’s mouth, letting him lick a few sips as she unhurriedly asked.

“Your Ladyship, outside the rumors have spread everywhere saying our Bi’xiao Palace is the source of misfortune causing the Ancient Pine to wither and die. They say that Your Ladyship has already been contaminated by the misfortune, becoming an inauspicious person. Not only is Your Ladyship seriously ill, Your Ladyship also almost caused the death of the Fifth Prince and Worthy Consort. So long as words come out of Your Ladyship’s mouth, the good things won’t be come true, but all the bad things will!” Nurse Feng’s tone of voice was heavy as she recounted the rumors outside.

“Forgetting those who helped her and blaming others with unfounded claims, as expected it’s the Worthy Consort’s usual style. In just one afternoon, the rumors have spread everywhere. The other concubines didn’t spare any effort either!” Meng Sangyu smiled mockingly.

Those death-deserving women! Emperor Zhou’wu narrowed his eyes, his gaze frosty.

“If we had known it would turn out like this earlier, Your Ladyship shouldn’t have bothered with the Fifth Prince’s affairs at that time! Let her lose her support, let’s see if she would still be so unrestrained!” Nurse Feng spat through her teeth.

“That child is so young, how could I bring myself to watch him die before me. Since I have the ability, I should at least try to save those I can. I saved him, only wanting him to be alive and well and for myself to have a clear conscience. I do not expect others to feel gratitude or repay my kindness. If she wants to speak ill of me, just let her talk. It’s doing me a big favour anyways. Since I’m an inauspicious person, then of course it wouldn’t be good to casually appear before others. For the next few days, we should close the palace gates and relax. Let’s not bother with those annoying things outside and peacefully wait for Father’s news. Maybe when that time comes, the Emperor will have woken up.” Meng Sangyu’s face was completely relaxed and cheerful. She was thinking of a way to lie low and the Worthy Consort just sent her the perfect excuse. Her day couldn’t get any better.

Nurse Feng thought about it and agreed, her dark expression returning to normal.

Emperor Zhou’wu licked the woman’s pale fingertips, admiring her open-mindedness and optimism. Her whole body exudes warmth and light, inspiring others with her strength. Any foul matter would not taint her in the least. By staying by her side, every minute, every second is always pure, enriched, and delightful. Being able to meet her again after his soul entered a dog’s body was undoubtedly heaven’s greatest gift.

After her makeup was done, Meng Sangyu lazily nestled on the soft divan [3] by the window. Picking up a small pair of shears, she pruned a miniature potted pine tree [4]. The pine tree looked lush, only having gone through human hands could it develop such a strong trunk. Emperor Zhou’wu sat beside her,  taking the discarded cut leaves in his mouth and tossing them into the tray on side.

The master and pet pair continued like this and one cut while the other tossed, their movements in harmony with each other. It was not long until the lush pine displayed its simple, upright, and magnificent side.

“How is it? Does it look nice?” Measuring up the plant for a time, Meng Sangyu turned towards A’Bao who was sitting by her side and asked for his opinion.

Wonderful! It has a unique craftsmanship! Emperor Zhou’wu was not stingy with his praise and generously complimented her, but what came out of mouth was, as expected, barking sounds. But Meng Sangyu understood, smiling as she pet his head, “Thanks for the compliment.”

“Your Ladyship can understand dog speech?” Bi’shui’s mouth opened and closed. In the end, she couldn’t refrain from asking. In her heart,  her master was omnipotent. Being able to understand dog speech did not seem strange.

Puchi Puchi [5]… Meng Sangyu hugged the mumbling A’Bao and laughed until she collapsed on the divan. This girl is too cute! Yin’cui and Nurse Feng laughed along with her. Bi’xiao Palace filled with a joyful atmosphere, unaffected in the slightest by the rumors circulating outside.

But of course there were people who wanted to disturb this happy atmosphere. Following the sound of the eunuch reporting from outside the palace, Eunuch Chang’xi arrived bringing rewards from the Emperor. The rewards included precious medicinal ingredients and pearl and jade accessories, but the most eye catching one was a thick stack of Buddhist scripture. Eunuch Chang’xi personally handed the Buddhist scripture to the kneeling Virtuous Consort who was receiving the rewards, reminding her to properly copy the scriptures and expel the misfortune as soon as possible.

“Perfect, I’m grounded again!” Patting the stack of scripture, Meng Sangyu’s tone of voice, no matter how one heard it, sounded satisfied. Nurse Feng and everyone else smiled along cheekily in an overjoyed manner.

Looking at the unusual reactions of this group of master and servants, Emperor Zhou’wu could only helplessly shake his head, his pitch black eyes overflowing with gentleness.

Since there was nothing to do, Meng Sangyu hugged A’Bao close, selecting a book of Buddhist scripture* [6] to slowly read aloud to him. The woman’s voice was light and soft, melodically matching the scriptures tone and cadence, sounding peaceful and poetic. It was more enchanting than the world’s most moving music. Emperor Zhou’wu placed his front paws on her wrist, raising his head to dumbly stare at this woman whose expressive facial profile was as beautiful as a painting, his pitch black eyes glazed over with an infatuated expression.

If there was really no hope for his soul to return, nestling in her embrace for a lifetime was also not bad. From an Emperor’s perspective, this thought may seem preposterous and appear weak and incompetent, but just like that, the thought was formed, unable to be contained.

…………………

In Zhong’cui Palace, Shen Hui’ru let her hair hang loose, sitting pale faced in front of her dressing table, frozen in place. Suddenly, she waved her hand and ruthlessly swept away the dressing cases and accessories off the dressing table. The loud crashing sound shocked Wan’qing who was beside her and she began to tremble.

“Your Ladyship, it has already gotten to this point. Your Ladyship ought not to hesitate anymore. Think about the Shen family’s future, think about Your Ladyship’s supreme rank and honour in the days to come. Today’s sacrifices will all be worth it. When Your Ladyship’s plan succeeds in the future, of course you can erase everything that happened from existence.” Wan’qing comforted in a low voice.

Shen Hui’ru raised her head and buried her face in her hands. It was unclear whether she was crying or lost in thought. A long time afterwards, she removed her hands, revealing slightly red-rimmed eyes. With a heavy voice, she faced Wan’qing and said, “Help Us [7] prepare. It is almost time to welcome the Emperor.”

“Right away!” Wan’qing vigorously roused herself into action, quickly gathering the fallen accessories from the floor and carefully helping her master prepare an exquisitely extravagant look. The entire Palace had their eyes on them. Even if they know that that person is fake, they cannot do things half heartedly for appearance’s sake.

Warning: NSFW Content! – Click to view

Summary: Shen Hui’ru and the Fake Emperor sleep together, strictly to procreate (TN: gotta get that Crown Prince somehow~) Shen Hui’ru feels guilty and sheds a tear as she betrays Emperor Zhou’wu. 

…………………

In Bi’xiao Palace, Meng Sangyu and A’Bao sat across the table facing each other to eat dinner. A’Bao, as usual, had rice congee, but he could already digest some spongy, soft foods. Meng Sangyu frequently added dried shrimp from the congee, tofu, barbeque pork, and other dishes that were easy to digest to his plate while A’Bao, following suit, used his paws to push dishes that she liked in front of her. The master and pet duo continued this game of back and forth, emitting a warm and sweet atmosphere.

“Your Ladyship, this one heard that the Gracious Consort finished performing nightly duties for the Emperor [8].” Nurse Feng entered, coming close, she reported in a low voice.

Emperor Zhou’wu stopped licking his congee, stiffly staring at the bowl before him. It was hard to know what he was thinking.

“She finally went all out and risked everything. It was much sooner than I expected. It seems like her so-called love for the Emperor wasn’t all that much after all. Winning favour, becoming pregnant, the position of Empress, and the position of Crown Prince. Within five years, once the Shen family has amassed enough power, the Emperor will conveniently pass away, the Crown Prince will properly and legitimately ascend the throne, Imperial Tutor Shen will act as Regent while the Queen Dowager will represent the child Emperor and hold court behind a screen. In another few years after that, once the Shen family’s power has taken root, perhaps even the puppet Emperor will not be needed. By that time, this Gu family’s empire will be surnamed Shen… What a good scheme! If only they would also have this kind of luck! [9]” Meng Sangyu put down her bamboo chopsticks and leisurely sighed deeply.

What a good scheme! Emperor Zhou’wu also sighed deeply in his heart. He stiffly sat on the table, calmly waiting for the pain in his heart to subside. He initially thought that, having gone through a series of blows, that his heart would be immune, but after all it was a woman he had treasured for so many years, a woman who had accompanied him since his youth. There was no way that he could forget it all just like that.

However, this is the last time Our heart will hurt because of you! Shen Hui’ru, from this moment onward, we will go our separate ways. If we encounter each another again, now that weapons have been drawn, don’t blame Us! Quietly cutting off his affection toward Shen Hui’ru, Emperor Zhou’wu took a piece of meat that Meng Sangyu had put in his bowl into his mouth as if nothing had happened, chewing carefully. Nobody discovered his odd reaction a moment ago.

[1] In ancient China, time was divided into twelve two hour blocks based on astronomy, called 时辰 Shi2 chen2. 未时 is from 1 pm to 3 pm so I took the average.

[2] Royal We 

[3] 软榻 low bed or divan like this one here:

An ancient-style low bed, which also double’s as a couch.

[4] 松树盆栽 a pine tree bonsai

[5] 扑哧 Chinese otomatopeia for snorting or popping. There are a lot of these in the chapter. I couldn’t find a better translation and left the sound as is.

[6] The specific scripture here is called 大藏经. Also known as Tripitaka Koreana, Buddhist scriptures carved on 81,340 wooden tablets and housed in Haeinsa Hǎiyìnsì [海印寺] in South Gyeongsang province of South Korea. I’m not familiar with the different scriptures so I went with a more general translation for easy reading.

[7] Using the Royal We again to express status and keep it simple. Once one reaches a certain rank in the Imperial Harem, there are different ways to refer to oneself in third person and it changes depending on the rank. E.g. The Emperor uses 朕, Consorts use 本宫 (literally “this palace”), the Empress Dowager uses 哀家 (literally “this grieving one”) etc.

[8] Is there a better way to phrase this?? > ~ < It literally translates to “serving in bed”.

[9] This seems to be meant as sarcasm. I wonder if it came through?