At the same time, Chang"an City, Secretariat Vice-Minister Manor.
A beautiful songstress had just concluded a song, leaning towards the floor, long flowing sleeves layered like petals slowly falling. The surroundings rang with applause in that instance: "Good!"
Although it approached midnight, the banquet was still filled with delicacies and good wines as the drinking party went underway, the painting of birds and flowers composed of silks draped over trees reflecting brilliant lights and overflowing colour from lanterns, and that singer rising from the ground seemed to be the most tender and beautiful peony of the garden.
The Secretariat Vice-Minister Yu Zhongning got up with a smile, indicating to a maid to grant the goblet of wine before him to the songstress, and then turned towards the seat of honour to simper: "Commander Xie - this girl has the milk name of Lüyao, she is the G.o.d-daughter of my clansman, though her appearance since childhood is coa.r.s.e, in any case she has studied music and dance for several days."
As he spoke he stopped, only to see the young man at the seat of honour still giving a faint smile, yet his expression was not quite displeased, and his heart relaxed:
"This girl has always admired Commander Xie"s young and ill.u.s.trious name, thus she has volunteered to dedicate her skill before us. If she could enter your eye this day, I shall take charge, and order her to offer up this cup of Nü"erhong which has been buried for eighteen years - would you be willing to offer this face?"
Everyone at the banquet clapped and roared with laughter, the spectacle becoming more lively for a time.
The young man at the seat of honour seemed to find it interesting, and spoke languidly: " "A beauty in the south, her green waist dances gracefully"1… hard to come by."
His voice was pleasing, and in this noisy atmosphere, it seemed to penetrate through with the implicit charm to tug at one"s heartstrings.
Lüyao"s expression changed, only to hear him say: "Raise your head."
Lüyao slowly raised her head.
Her mind should have been very complicated, yet for that split second her most direct impression was: how handsome.
The rumoured formidable yet ferocious-looking Imperial Guard Commander Xie Yun, was actually completely different from what everyone imagined.
He wore a silver-edged brocade robe, with a jade pendant hanging from his waist and white boots on his feet, although he lazily reclined behind the table, one could make out his tall and straight figure, broad shoulders and long legs, his movements possessing an elegant demeanour, very different from the other officials at the banquet.
The only thing which matched hearsay was that sure enough, he wore a delicately carved silver mask which covered the upper half of his face including his brows and eyes, yet even so from the nose down, the elegant line of his thin lips carrying a smile and the fair and slender neck unconsciously aroused a favourable impression from the bottom of one"s heart.
Lüyao"s heart dipped. She had always known how beautiful she was, and her beauty to her was akin to the bow on a general"s back, the sword in the hands of a great hero, invincible and successful in every endeavour, the weapon to which she used to achieve everything.
Yet right now, she was suddenly uncertain about everything that had been planned and arranged tonight.
From the moment she saw that smile, a stab of unease came from unknown quarters to s.n.a.t.c.h her heart.
"This maiden is truly beautiful."
Xie Yun seemed unaware, even turning his head to give Yu Zhongning a word of praise, the latter busy refuting no no, it is this girl"s fortune to have caught the Commander"s discerning eye. The two exchanged several sentences, and Xie Yun turned again to face Lüyao, this time waving a careless hand: "- come here."
These two words could not make apparent any ambiguity or liberties, even so much that not a single bit of temptation when faced with women could be detected. If one listened carefully, his tone even seemed rather negligent.
Lüyao bit her lip, carrying the wine cup to rise and approach. Although her heart rolled countless times, she finally settled her determination.
Walking from the lakeside pavilion towards the banquet, one needed to pa.s.s up three steps. With the first step her lotus steps interlocked, causing the gauze which was as light as a cicada"s wing to roll off her shoulders and reveal an expanse of white from her neck to her shoulders and back; on the second step her hairpin swung loose, black hair like a cloud cascading, as if her entire person was shining in the light; on the third step she stopped before Xie Yun, and deeply bowed before the exclamations or admiration or envy from the surrounding guests, a verdant bodice over a dance skirt of woven gold, a contrast against the delicate trace of a snow-white chest.
Her eyes looked towards Xie Yun, lovely, teasing and bold:
"Your servant has admired Your Excellency for a long time, it is my good fortune to meet you this day."
"May Your Excellency do me the honour of emptying this cup!"
The eyes of Xie Yun behind his mask seemed to stare at her with great interest, and after a moment those beautiful lips deepened in their smile.
He reached out to grab the luminous cup - that hand was also long, thin and fair, though the joints protruded slightly due to practising martial arts, yet it did not disrupt the aesthetics of the shape; at the same time that hand was extremely refined and courteous, from the moment it received the wine cup from her lush jade hand the movement was relaxed, yet the fingertips never touched her skin even the least bit.
That pair of young and beautiful hands, could not seem to be a.s.sociated with "holding a killing weapon when awake, holding a beauty"s knee when drunk"2 at all.
"Nü"erhong," Xie Yun carefully scrutinised clear fluid within that rare luminous cup, and for a long while he did not seem to have any intention of drinking at all. He apparently did not take note of the slowly changing expressions of Yu Zhongning and Lüyao in the hall, before he abruptly turned his head and instructed the subordinate behind him:
"Bring the silver needle."
Lüyao"s expression changed in a flash.
Her gaze shot towards Yu Zhongning, only to see him nod imperceptibly -
Up to here there is no alternative but to reveal their real intentions at the end.
Lüyao"s heart sank, and she pulled a short dagger from her bosom, shouting: "Die!"
All these changes happened in the blink of an eye, the sound had yet to reach, when the dagger"s glare shot towards his chest, the point unexpectedly dipped past the poisonous darkness!
No one could react at that moment, and even the people behind Xie Yun had yet to take action. At the moment of life and death, the tip of the knife was only a little bit away from the lapel before it could easily penetrate the body - and then here, everything froze.
Xie Yun"s three fingers pinched on Lüyao"s white jade-like wrist, seemingly relaxed to the point of being effortless.
Immediately after, Lüyao felt the opponent"s internal energy exploding like a flash flood to hide the sky and cover the earth3, her mind exploded, blood abruptly spurting from the corner of her mouth before her entire person flew several measures!
Clang!
Lüyao fell with a loud bang, overturning several cups and crockery onto the ground.
"What happened what"s going on?" "a.s.sa.s.sin!" "Ahhhh, guards!"
The banquet"s guests arose in panic, Yu Zhongning ground his teeth, and promptly pointed towards Lüyao to yell: "This girl actually lashed out to injure someone! Guards, catch her!"
The servants who were already prepared rushed forth from the back hall at once, each carrying a wooden stick and all headed towards Lüyao, clearly intent on silencing her. However in the chaos n.o.body could sense or stop this; as the servant at the forefront raised his wooden stick in preparation to swing down, from the seat of honour, Xie Yun casually splashed out the poisonous wine in the cup - that movement was also neither too fast nor too slow, after which he lifted the white satin cloak from his own body and tossed it.
The cloak whistled, crossing over everyone, its aura tyrannical and powerful, everyone who came into contact with it unable to escape being pushed repeatedly back, the few servants in front even dropping their cudgels.
Immediately after, the cloak collapsed to cover the battered and exhausted Lüyao, in time to cover up the slip of her clothings during her fall.
The banquet was silent in an instant, only to hear the subordinate of Xie Yun draw his sword, and yell: "Guards!"
Footsteps echoed around the lakeside pavilion, and shortly the doors and windows on all sides opened to admit a dozen or more armed Imperial guards to secure the place, in a flash the banquet was surrounded by an impenetrable wall.
Everyone at the banquet immediately turned pale with fright, some timid guests even kneeling as their legs weakened. At this time Yu Zhongning already knew that things were no good, but he deserved to be called a central member of the Crown Prince"s faction, and with difficulty he could maintain his calm: "Quiet! Keep calm! Commander Xie are you alright? Quickly help our n.o.ble guests down to have a rest, lock this girl up…"
Xie Yun interrupted him with a smile: "Lord Yu has no need to be excited."
He stood up behind the table, bypa.s.sing the banquet, descending the jade steps before everyone"s eyes, and stopped before Lüyao.
The atmosphere was tight, and everyone was panicking and rushing, only to hear Xie Yun demand: "Why do you want to kill me?"
Lüyao coughed out a mouthful of blood, growling with hate: "I want to kill you precisely, what reason do I need? I hate shameless tyrants who oppress the weak like you the most-"
Xie Yun indifferently stated: "Nonsense."
The disdain in his tone seemed like a steel needle p.r.i.c.king into her heart.
"You…" Lüyao"s ten fingers spasmed, scratching into the ground, and only after quite a while was she unable to resist heaping abuse: "You treacherous official you"re still asking why?! Empress Wu meddles in politics and seizes power4, and exactly because corrupt officials like you who help a villain do evil, and persecute how many devoted and loyal people! My family was once filled with patriots-"
Everything was more or less clear now.
Xie Yun began to walk out, not even turning back: "Lock her up and interrogate her accomplices, don"t let her commit suicide. Seal off the Yu manor, n.o.body is allowed to enter or leave. When I report to the Empress tomorrow, we can start the search."
The guards behind him rose in chorus: "Yes!"
Yu Zhongning could no longer hold on, falling to the ground in a shivering paralysis, as if he had aged ten years in a single moment, unable to speak even a single word.
Xie Yun strode out of the manor, and outside the lanterns burned brightly, the entire manor having been surrounded tightly by the Imperial guards.
A few trusted guards kept watch by the carriage, and seeing him come out, one of them immediately handed over the small brocade box in his hands: "Commander, we"ve succeeded."
That brocade box was about the size of his palm, woven with gold and embroidered in silver with delicate workmanship, branded in the corner with a small character Liu (刘) - the imprints made by rich households on valuable family property. Xie Yun opened it to take a glance, to see that the insides contained a strange spotlessly white flower, which released a strange fragrance that gladdened the heart once the lid opened.
The Imperial guard softly said: "This flower is said to be able to cure all kinds of poisons, having a strange effect on life and death. The Liu manor hides this in the secret room, a few brothers and I infiltrated…"
Xie Yun raised his hand to stop him, and then closed the box, stepping foot onto the carriage without a word.
It was now past midnight, the city of Chang"an already had had a curfew a long time ago, and not a single person could be found in the inner streets. All the households had closed their doors and windows, not a sound to be heard, only a crescent moon shining upon limestone-paved streets, reflecting a dim ash-grey light.
The horse"s footsteps slowly pa.s.sed through the streets, and Xie Yun closed his eyes a bit within the carriage, seeming to either be dozing off or pondering by oneself in silence. After a long while the carriage made a turn, and he suddenly opened his eyes to ask: "Where are we now?"
That Imperial guard Ma Xin spoke from outside the carriage: "Replying to Commander, we"ve just pa.s.sed Zhongzheng Street, and before us is Ci"en Temple."
Ci"en Temple.
Xie Yun raised the curtain and glanced out in habit.
Suddenly his movements stopped.
The tall main gates of Ci"en Temple towered before him, within the curtain of night the building stood richly ornamented with pillars of red lacquered wood, seven steps leading out to the expansive main street. Upon the steps there had been a black-robed monk, possibly seeing the approach of a carriage, and rising to step back through the monastery doors.
In that moment, the two gazes met.
Shan Chao"s handsome face had a slightly startled expression for a moment - while Xie Yun dropped his gaze, the fingertips holding up the curtain falling.
The carriage continued to move forward, yet it had only moved a few steps before it stopped without a warning. There could only be heard a few steps before the carriage, the clamour of a dispute seeming to drift through, and a moment later came the echo of the driver"s indignant bellow:
"Who are you! Why are you blocking the road in the depth of the night, quickly steps aside?!"
The horse"s whinny broke the night, and there were people arguing, and then the footsteps of the Imperial guards outside the carriage window approached. Ma Xin stopped outside the carriage, and whispered through the curtain: "Commander, there is a monk with a sword who suddenly came up to stop the horse. What should I do?"
― What he did not hear, was Xie Yun"s small sigh.
That sound was almost inaudible, barely had it left the mouth before it dissipated in the silence of the deep night in the long streets of Chang"an.
The noise outside of the carriage gradually quieted, not because the situation was resolved but rather due to both sides reaching an odd and even more severe deadlock, the tense atmosphere present even within the carriage - Xie Yun looked towards the dancing shadow under the candle-flame, and suddenly heard before the carriage a handsome and steady male voice with clear diction:
"This monk has the Dharma name of Xin Chao, having had a chance encounter with your distinguished self so late at night, in my distractions I find you as familiar as if an old friend."
"As we are brought together by fate, would your distinguished self do the honour of descending for a chat?"
These words were truly, truly too audacious. A few Imperial guards immediately bore faces filled with anger, and Ma Xin was about to speak and get this reckless monk to withdraw, only to hear from within the carriage Xie Yun"s unhurried voice:
"Xin Chao…"
The moment the two words came out, the surrounding Imperial guards turned respectful, even Shan Chao standing not far away in the middle of the road had a shiver in his heart.
"The Court decrees by law, transport must be discreet, all monks or Taoists on the road who meet officials of the fifth rank or higher are required to avoid them, or face severe punishment."
Xie Yun looked towards the tightly shut carriage door before him, and there seemed to be a very gentle and even soft smile in his tone:
"- Monk, do you know who I am, and still dare to claim that you and I are fated?"
Translated A/n: Early Tang dynasty unofficial history, covering the final years of the Zhenguan era to Empress Wu"s coronation, most of it fictional please do not intertwine, this story is master-disciple younger man Bildungsroman, right now the gong is temporarily a monk, later maybe he"ll return to normal life and then make his name in one battle and slaughter the four quarters #$%^&*^*%#@！￥%￥
Translator"s notes for Ch 1:
I remember picking up this novel and thinking, now I got something to keep up my Chinese.
Never mind that this is a novel on Ancient China, half of which is Tang dynasty history/politics/intrigue/poetry/literature, and the other half still fictional, and all of it written in cla.s.sic Huaishang style of too much poetry I have no idea how to read, much less translate.
Take for example, Longyuan and Tai-E. Did anyone else know that these two are actually part of the Ten Famous Swords of China? Like, "Longquan and Tai-E" (Longquan being another name for Longyuan) are practically synonymous with "Gan Jiang and Mo Ye". Couple swords right at the start.
What is not written in that link, though, is the story behind the swords:
The Book of Jin: Biography of Zhang Hua records that during the Three Kingdoms era, the aura of emperors (the purple mist) was sighted between the Dipper and Bull mansions. Two men, an official named Zhang Hua and an astronomer named Lei Huan, realised that the purple mist was due to the swords" auras cutting through the heavens. They worked together to uncover the two swords buried together in Fengcheng. When they polished the swords, the swords shone brilliantly, and the aura in the sky vanished. Lei Huan handed one sword to Zhang Hua, and kept the other. Zhang Hua told Lei Huan in a letter: "I have read the names of the swords, and know that this sword is Longquan, so where is Tai-E, these two swords cannot be separated". However, later Zhang Hua was killed, and the Longquan sword disappeared. Later, Lei Huan died, and his son Lei Hua wore the Tai-E sword, walked through Yanjin (in Fujian) before the Tai-E dropped into the river. Lei Hua sent people to drag the river to no avail, only seeing two dragons slowly rising from the waters. Lei Hua then knew in his heart that Longquan had met Tai-E, and the two swords changed into dragons. This is thus the origin of the chengyu "the swords meet in Yanjin" (延津剑合), meaning "to meet because fate reunited them".
I"m going to take this slower. Coffees (Ko-Fi) are truly appreciated, I"m in a bit of a bind. I shall dedicate the next translator"s notes to the next donor!
- LLS
1 ZH: 南国有佳人，轻盈绿腰舞 - from a Chinese poem of which there is no translation yet.
2 ZH: 醒握杀人剑、醉卧美人膝
3 ZH: 铺天盖地, figuratively meaning "earth-shattering".
4 ZH: 牝鸡司晨 - "hens crow at daybreak", an idiom referring to women who usurps authority. "the female wears the trousers" so to speak.
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