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Fu Shen"s heart jumps like mad, its jumbled sound pounding in his ears. The arrow seems to bring him back to the nightmare-like, desperate battlefield [1], the rocks falling towards him. His crippled legs act like they themselves have memories, transmitting the acute pain of breaking bones that had caused him to faint before.
He hunched over, back arched harshly, in a subconscious act of self-protection. Large beads of sweat ran down his temples, trailing along his slim cheeks to slide down his neck. His tendons strain under his pale skin as if they"re about to burst out of him.
With a snap, the solid wooden box was unable to withstand the pressure from his hand and cracked. A splinter came out of the shattered fissure, plunging into his palm.
Yet this fine and acute pain was like that of an acupuncture needle, instantly penetrating his mind and entering his bones. It pierces through layer after layer of hindering disorientation, a pin holding together his collapsing soul. His disordered mind was forced to pull itself together, disengaging itself from the earth-shaking nightmare as quick as the wind.
He raised his head that was overflowing with cold sweat. He hadn"t cried, but his eyes were suffused with red and densely packed with thin, red veins. His thick lashes droop like feathers, the somber gaze that pa.s.ses through them like that of a bloodied, cornered beast.
His line of sight pans to the split-open box, and he finds there"s the tiny edge of a paper showing out of the crack — it actually had a hidden compartment.
He carefully extracted the folded sheet from within.
A little less than half a shichen later, Xiao Xun, who had been standing guard outside the door, heard Fu Shen call for him from inside the room. He pushed the door open and went in, furrowing his brows as he got a whiff of what seemed to be the smoky scent burnt paper.
“Marquis.”
Fu Shen sat before his desk, looking tranquil without a hint of affectation, if a bit colder than usual. He was repeatedly fiddling with a long wooden box in his hands that was stained with blood, but he seemed to not feel any pain. “Who in the Estate has gone into the study in these past three days?” he asked, his demeanor as it usually was. “Call them here.”
Xiao Xun wanted to bandage up his hand first, but Fu Shen hadn"t even lifted his gaze. Not daring to defy him, he quickly bowed his head and agreed. Just when he made to leave, Fu Shen suddenly called out to him. “Hold on.”
“Please instruct,” Xiao Xun replied.
He hummed for a moment. “Bring my bodyguards in.”
After the disaster at Blue Sand Pa.s.s, the first thing Fu Shen called for was to find the arrow that had been lodged into the rock wall with the antic.i.p.ation that the search would be fruitless. He had figured it had been buried under the tumbling stones, but to his surprise, someone had simply been a step ahead of him. The a.s.sa.s.sination was very low-key; if this hadn"t happened today, his people might still be trying to hunt it down like a bunch of headless flies.
But who actually has the ability to keep this matter so hush-hush yet present this key item right before his eyes?
——A layer of the truth has been revealed, but what are their true intentions?
It wasn"t long until servants of various sizes and ages were standing in a row before him, their heads lowered and shoulders slumped, each and every one of them with a strong desire to stick themselves right in the dirt. Stationed outside the door was a group of murderous-looking Northern Yan Iron Cavalrymen, the looks on their faces like blades that would come in and cut people down at any moment.
Fu Shen effortlessly tosses the case onto the big, red sandalwood table, being straightforward in his questioning. “Who"s seen this box, when did it show up in the study, and who put it in there?” His voice is slightly raspy, sounding like it has a bizarre sense of dispiritedness.
The ones who were the very first to enter the study during the time frame came forward to identify it, and then it went by chronological order. All shook their heads and said they didn"t recognize it, and it wasn"t until the several people who had dusted the study this morning that there was a vague clue. They said that they had seen the box on the desk when they had come in and didn"t dare to move it around arbitrarily, thinking that it was something of Fu Shen"s.
All eyes fell upon the boyservant that had who had brought a flower vase to the study the day before.
He was child of about fourteen donned in dusty work clothes. His parents had pa.s.sed on early, so he had followed his paternal grandfather to work in the Marquis"s Estate and typically hid within the kitchens, never to come out. Having not ever come across circ.u.mstances like this before and being swept over by Fu Shen"s frost-like gaze, he immediately got panicky, kneeling down with a thud and sobbing as he kowtowed, crying out “spare my life, Master”.
Fu Shen ma.s.saged the s.p.a.ce between his brows. His wailing made his head hurt. “Shut up,” he said coldly.
His voice was very light, but perhaps due to being accustomed to ordering people around, every word of his was very heavy, the weight of which seemed like they could smash a hole in the ground. The boy instantly silenced, though his trembling got even more violent. “Was it you who placed this box here?”
“N-N-No…”
“Then who did?”
“This… this lowly one doesn"t know…”
“I don"t have the patience to watch you sit there shaking,” Fu Shen said darkly. “The sooner you explain yourself, the sooner this is over with. — I"ll give you one chance to think over what you said again.”
The boyservant bit his lower lip, both of his hands continuously twisting up in the hems of his clothes. He was ultimately unable to withstand Fu Shen"s pressuring and whispered out the truth. “This… this lowly one really isn"t sure, but it might be w.a.n.g… w.a.n.g Gou"er…” [2]
Fu Shen couldn"t make sense of this. “Who is w.a.n.g Gou"er?”
“H-He"s a boy of the w.a.n.g family in Poplar Cove, east of the city, and he often comes with his dad to bring food to the Estate… last night, Grandpa Fu told me to a bring a vase to the study, and w.a.n.g Gou"er said he also wanted to come see… see what the study of a rich family looked like. I thought… the Marquis won"t be coming anyways, so I"d j-just bring him with me…”
“Xiao Xun,” Fu Shen said.
“This subordinate understands,” Xiao Xun responded.
An outsider had trespa.s.sed into the study of a Marquis. It"s not any kind of important place, but it"s also an enormous mistake those that were guarding it have made. Xiao Xun promptly took some bodyguards to track down this ‘w.a.n.g Gou"er". Fu Shen slowly scanned the circle of varied people standing around him, then gave a very soft, icy chuckle.
“It certainly seems like I"ve been negligent in these years, thinking that this ‘rear court" was better than having nothing, and there wasn"t anyone in it who liked to cause trouble. Who could have known that despite standing guard day and night, it"s a traitor on the inside that can"t be guarded against? The holes in these defenses are actually bigger than a sieve"s. Today"s matter is a lesson for all of you, and for me. Uncle Fu—”
The old servant came forward, trembling with apprehension. “Please give your orders, Marquis.”
“Within ten days, dismiss all the servants in the Estate and have them go back to wherever they came from. This place will be occupied by the Northern Yan army from now on, and absolutely no other miscellaneous people are to stay here. Go on, then.”
Thus came the repeated sound of people falling to their knees. “Marquis! Please have mercy, Marquis… let us keep our livelihoods!”
“Don"t make me say it again.” Fu Shen waved his hand. “Go to the foreman, Xiao Ding.”
A bodyguard called out in acknowledgement, stepped forward, picked up the old servant by the back of his collar, and carried him out. As this was a foregone conclusion, the remaining people were like quails strung together with a hemp rope, their necks shrinking back as they followed after him, leaving the study one by one.
Fu Shen had handled this horrid mess as quickly and ruthlessly as a sword cutting through a knot, yet the anger stuffing up in his chest wasn"t the least bit alleviated. He was both physically and mentally exhausted and annoyed at how he couldn"t just kick his legs up and close his eyes. This idea wasn"t even finalized when a sudden burst of urgent knocking came from the door. “Marquis, the leader of the Imperial Guards is outside saying that someone entrusted him to pa.s.s a message to you.
Fu Shen is still within the borderless bewilderment brought on by the wooden box and was especially sensitive to the two words ‘Imperial Guards". “Let him in,” he said immediately.
Wei Xuzhou received eye salutes [3] all along his way. All of the bodyguards in the Estate had been soldiers on and around the battlefield, and seeing this princely-living General of the Imperial Guards was a bit unbearable to them. When he saw Fu Shen sitting in a wheelchair, General Wei almost gave off a sense of fair familiarity. “This lowly official of the Left Divine Pivot Army, High General Wei Xuzhou, greets the Marquis.”
Fu Shen is now in a phase where everyone is suspicious, but with the Imperial Guards of the Northern Office being under Yan Xiaohan"s control, he can"t extend too much suspicion to them. It"s strange to say, but, while he and Yan Xiaohan"s principles of action and conduct are as different as black and white, they have a deep candidness between each other. He has some sort of subconscious trust in the notorious Court lackey, and for that reason, he"s quite peaceful when confronted with Wei Xuzhou. “No need to be so polite. Please take a seat, General Wei. I"ll pour you tea.”
Wei Xuzhou didn"t dare to get too buddy-buddy with him for fear that others would have misgivings, so he simply got right to the point. “There"s no need to trouble yourself with attending to me, Marquis, I"ll leave when I"m finished with what I have to say. Our Royal Inspector Envoy was summoned by His Majesty, and tasked me to relay these words to you before he left: there"s been rumors going about in the dark of the capital"s n.o.ble households recently, saying that you have… a fondness for men. This is a serious matter that must be dealt with as soon as possible, Marquis.”
This news was the equivalent of no less than five bolts of lightning coming down from a clear sky and striking Fu Shen, numbing him from the crown of his head to the heels of his feet. “What did you say?!”
“He had also said that… no matter what"s going on, please bear with it for the time being, and avoid acting rashly at all costs,” Wei Xuzhou continued.
“Huh?”
Wei Xuzhou looked back at him innocently. “That"s all he said. Nothing else.”
Too many things are happening, piling all on top of the other, each event like a hard stone stifling him and nearly making him unable to breathe.
No matter what"s going on, avoid acting rashly.
The iron arrow packed into a box, the sheaf of paper in the hidden compartment, this “w.a.n.g Gou"er” that snuck into the study… is he referring to one of these things, or is there still more machinations hidden within the darkness that he hasn"t noticed?
Did Yan Xiaohan predict this, or premeditate it?
“Marquis! Marquis!”
As he was lost in thought, the old servant burst into the study panting and out of breath, interrupting Fu Shen"s hectic thoughts from his ongoing qi deviation. He was sufficiently pulled out of the inner demons he had been entrenched in, abruptly realizing that he was being too extreme.
“What"s going on?”
Uncle Fu spoke animatedly. “An imperial edict! An imperial edict has come to our home! The Eunuch is asking that you go out and accept it!”
Wei Xuzhou gave him an extremely meaningful look, and he promptly got up when he heard that. “Since you have matters to attend to, Marquis, this lowly one will take my leave first.”
Fu Shen caught his look, nodding in understanding. “Uncle Fu, see this gentleman out. I"m going to change into my Court outfit before seeing the imperial messenger.”
Within the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
“Meng"gui.” [4]
The Yuantai Emperor suddenly went and called him after the Crown Prince"s departure. Yan Xiaohan startled, but followed with a deferential response. “Your Majesty.”
“We have been frequently waking in the middle of the night as of recent,” the Emperor says. “Sometimes it is evident that we lodge alone for the night in our bedroom, but there is always a sense that our bed is narrow, as if another is sleeping soundly by our side. Tell us, what is going on with that?”
Yan Xiaohan may be a military official, but he"s fortunately read several books. When he heard those words, he broke into a cold sweat on the spot.
Synapses firing off in his mind, his response was unusually quick. He didn"t offer any objections as he thereafter knelt down to beg for forgiveness. “Your Majesty is the True Dragon and Son of Heaven [5] who evil beings will not encroach upon. This matter must be from a traitor trying to deceive you behind your back and make it seem like there"s a ghost. It"s this servant"s responsibility to provide guard at night, but I did not give my utmost in doing so, causing the peace of the palace to be disturbed and for you to find it hard to rest easy. I should die countless times over for my crime!”
He very nimbly navigated his begging. This really wasn"t what the Yuantai Emperor was going for, and in the end, he wasn"t clear on whether Yan Xiaohan was genuinely stupid or just acting like it. He simply chose his next words to be a bit more clear. “Combined, the foot soldiers within the capital, the North and South Imperial Guards, the Imperial City"s military department, and the five major military camps add up to approximately 300,000. Yet as we look all around us at our environs that go on forever, we sense tigers and wolves hemming in on us in wait. Sometimes, we even have doubts. The Great Zhou"s lands, the lands of my Sun family – are they truly in our grasp, or within the control of an outsider?”
As he"s said this much, then his weapons are already drawn. Yan Xiaohan is truly unable to not keep playing dumb. “Please clarify, Your Majesty.”
“Dost thou remember what thou said back then, when we made an exception to promote thee as the best choice for the Flying Dragon Guard"s Royal Inspector Envoy?” The Emperor asked.
The Guard was formerly known as the “Imperial Flying Dragon Stable”, as it was originally the place where horses were raised in the palace and was managed by Court eunuchs. When the Great Zhou"s third-generation Chunhua Emperor [6] was in power, the government officials of the previous dynasty had a lot of authority and controlled the Imperial Guard at one point, placing the power of the monarchy is grave danger. In order to turn the situation around, the Chunhua Emperor changed the Stable into the Flying Dragon Guard, utilizing the skills of the eunuchs to once again wrest control of the Imperial Guards of the Northern Office. The Guard was the reliable ally of the reigning emperor, its influence enormous, and anyone who wasn"t the trusted aide of the Emperor could not get involved in it. The Imperial Guards of the Northern Office had been under the control of eunuchs ever since. That was, until the 20th year of Yuantai"s reign, when the former Royal Inspector Envoy, Duan Linglong, pa.s.sed away. It was only then, when the Yuantai Emperor unexpectedly broke protocol and promoted the General of the Left Divine Martial Army to the position of the new Envoy, that this aspect was shattered.
The basis for him receiving this high position is still a mystery to this day, but it cannot be denied that the Yuantai Emperor relies on him an extraordinarily heavy amount. Yan Xiaohan had truly done good work for being a rather isolated official with no outside help, and under his discipline, the Guard became the sharpest blade the Emperor could wield.
“Thy present t.i.tle as the Royal Inspector Envoy is to patrol everywhere we say and supervise all sorts of departments on our behalf. What thine eyes see, ears hear, self goes, or sword points, is to be as if we have done it ourself.”
“Your Majesty"s earnest expectations were carved into this servant"s heart,” Yan Xiaohan replied, “and I wouldn"t dare forget them until my death.”
“Our placing such importance on you all these years was not in vain.” The Emperor sat with his back straight, his tone stern. “We want you to do one thing. This matter may take two or three years, possibly more, but if it succeeds, we will rest free of worries.”
“—We are sanctioning a marriage between you and Fu Shen.”
The translator says: *scare chord* (…I"m not making the Emperor sound like a stuffy royal on purpose. He"s using zhen (朕), a royal-only self-p.r.o.noun with the rough equivalent of the royal ‘we", and er (尔) to refer to YXH (except when he goes back to ni, which… okay), which is rough equivalent of thou. So he"s making himself sound like a stuffy royal.)
[1] 修罗场 – lit. an “field of Asuras”, describing a fierce battleground due to Asuras typically being malevolent ent.i.ties.
[2] 王狗儿 – surname w.a.n.g/noun Prince, gou = dog, er = son/cutesy suffix. I guess a good way of translating this would be… Prince Doggie. Yikes.
[3] From a military officer to a superior: Standing ramrod straight, facing the one being saluted, and making unwavering eye contact in a show of respect.
[4] 梦归 – YXH"s courtesy name. Meng means dream, and gui can mean a great many things, or even nothing at all – I"d give a tentative translation as “dreaming of return”.
[5] 真龙天子 – A t.i.tle for the Emperor, as it"s believed that Emperors are reincarnations of dragons and/or children of G.o.ds.
[6] 淳化 – a county in Shaanxi, lit. meaning “purifying”.