Chapter 207 : All Kinds of Pasts
At that time, Xiang Xiao Yuan had recently given birth to Xiao Shao, and he had just reached his first month. On the day of the full moon celebration[1], the wine flowed freely, countless guests came and went, and the scene was very lively.
[1] 满月 (mǎnyuè) – full moon / whole month / baby’s one-month old birthday. In ancient China, the infant mortality rate used to be very high. Hence, when a baby turns 1 month old, it calls for a great celebration. The new parents gave gifts to friends and relatives in celebration. These include eggs that had been dyed red- the colour of happiness- and other foods. Well-wishers would bring presents for the baby as well. And the day ended with a large dinner for friends and family.
In the midst of all the festivities, it was unknown how Princess Qi Man and Crown Prince Hong Xi ended up in bed, but the current Emperor must have put in quite some effort to achieve this goal. However, when Xiang Xiao Yuan saw the scene before her that day, contrary to everyone’s expectations, she did not lose her temper. She continued to talk and laugh quietly, almost as if there hadn’t been any mishaps on this day. This both prevented Crown Prince Hong Xi from losing face, and also made Princess Qi Man, who was essentially the perpetrator who antic.i.p.ated watching the ensuing excitement, to be completely silenced and left speechless.
Later on, Xiang Xiao Yuan personally arranged for and had Princess Qi Man brought in in marriage to Crown Prince Hong Xi.
Xiang Xiao Yuan had a fiery temper, and unlike most people’s expectation, she was very possessive when it came to matters of the heart. Nevertheless, she was still someone who saw the bigger picture. Sometimes in life one had to prioritize certain things above one’s emotions and for the sake of the peace of the Great Jin dynasty, she could only silently swallow the unpleasant feelings in her heart.
Crown Prince Hong Xi was plotted against by his own younger brother, and hated Princess Qi Man very much but he had to compromise and accept the situation. However, this made him feel more pity for his wife and made him even more tender towards her. Not only did the two not have an estrangement because of this matter, but they became even closer. As for Princess Qi Man, although she lived in the palace, the two acted as if there was no such person.
Perhaps because everyone underestimated South Xinjiang’s Princess’ methods, or a.s.sumed that because she was just a woman, she probably wouldn’t be able to make any more trouble. Therefore, who could have imagined that her jealousy was so entrenched that Princess Qi Man couldn’t bear the fact that while her beloved treated her with contempt, he spoke tenderly to another. The people from South Xinjiang are good at using witchcraft, and she wanted to gain control over Xiang Xiao Yuan, so she planted an extremely terrifying gu[2] poison inside Xiang Xiao Yuan’s body. She originally wanted to use her to control Crown Prince Hong Xi, but Xiang Xiao Yuan was a strong and spirited person. She knew very well that the crown prince of a country and the future Emperor shouldn’t be controlled by a woman, so she hastily left on her own accord. Her medical skills were superb so she intended to find a place to detoxify and purge the ‘gu’ herself, however if she was unsuccessful, it was better to die outside.
[2] 蛊 (gǔ) – arch. legendary venomous insect / to poison / to bewitch / to drive to insanity / to harm by witchcraft / intestinal parasite.
Destiny always silently strikes people down with fatal blows, and Xiang Xiao Yuan’s departure turned out to be the last time she parted from Crown Prince Hong Xi. In the end, she was unable to dispel the gu poison, and not long after, someone came to the palace door with Xiang Xiao Yuan’s ashes. That person was none other than Teacher Ba Qi.
Although Teacher Ba Qi was older than Xiang Xiao Yuan, he could be regarded as Xiang Xiao Yuan’s disciple. Before Xiang Xiao Yuan left for the capital, she had lived in the mountains with Teacher Ba Qi. Xiang Xiao Yuan taught and imparted all of her medical knowledge to him, and Ba Qi inherited her medical skills and recognized her as a young shifu.
Crown Prince Hong Xi suffered a huge blow and wanted to kill Princess Qi Man, but Empress Dowager Yi De stopped him. Princess Qi Man said that as long as Crown Prince Hong Xi treated her well, 100,000 soldiers and horses in South Xinjiang could still be loaned out. However, she was rejected by Crown Prince Hong Xi. He took Xiao Shao, who was still in his infancy, with him to quell the chaos at the borders in person. He only left behind a letter, saying that the position of emperor was not suitable for him, and since Xiang Xiao Yuan had already sacrificed her life for the sake of the greater good, he, who now only wished for the people and lands of Great Jin to be safe and sound, would hand over the country to his younger brother without incident.
How the prince who ruled the nation took the lead in the rebellion of the eight princes and became invincible was recorded in history books. It’s just that one of them wasn’t recorded in the tragic books of the war. Crown Prince Hong Xi himself paid a heavy price. In the final battle, he had already captured the enemy army, but at the last moment he was surrounded by 100,000 South Xinjiang soldiers who came out just to capture him. However, Crown Prince Hong Xi would rather die than submit. He fought to the end, and finally died under the trampling of thousands of horses. And the little prince also died prematurely in that war.
But in fact, Xiao Shao did not die in that battle. Long before that, Crown Prince Hong Xi had a premonition that there would arise an unexpected ambush and a.s.sault when he got to South Xinjiang. So he had Xiao Shao replaced and switched, and the one who accompanied him was actually another baby. The real Xiao Shao was then raised in Jinying w.a.n.g’s w.a.n.gfu.
With Crown Prince Hong Xi dead, the rebellion of the eight princes was finally quelled. The new Emperor ascended the throne, and the struggle in this troubled world finally came to an end. However, the Emperor’s foundation was unstable. A few old subordinates of Crown Prince Hong Xi’s had also died during the chaos. Thus, Empress Dowager Yi De had no choice but to marry Princess Yuan Rong out to get support.
After the Emperor solidified his position, the first thing he did was to destroy South Xinjiang because it had caused everything in the first place. Emaciated camels are bigger than horses[3]. South Xinjiang’s Princess had done too many extreme things and was insufferable, so it was time to demand their land and have their people pay back their debt with blood. In the end, South Xinjiang was destroyed, but the whereabouts of Princess Qi Man were unknown. And unfortunately, those who had died would not be able to come back to life.
[3] 瘦死的骆驼比马大 (shòu sǐ de luòtuo bǐ mǎ dà) – lit. even a scrawny camel is bigger than a horse (idiom) / fig. even after suffering a loss, a rich person is still better off than ordinary people / a cultured person may come down in the world, but he is still superior to the common people. In this case, it’s saying that even the weaker Great Jin dynasty was still able to rise and get payback from the upstart South Xinjiang. This term was penned in the Dream of the Red Chamber.
Time gradually pa.s.sed, and the Great Jin dynasty slowly stabilized. The old ministers were buried, and new ministers entered the court. By now, there were very few people who remembered the tragic loss. It seemed as though everyone tacitly agreed that in the Great Jin dynasty there had never been a Crown Prince Hong Xi or Princess Yuan Rong. When all is said and done, history only records the victors, and the sacrificed are only mentioned with just one stroke[4].
[4] 一笔 带过 (yī bǐ dàiguò) – to give something only cursory attention / to treat something as not very significant.
But there will always be people who remember the truth and the former Jinying w.a.n.g was one such person. Jinying w.a.n.g and w.a.n.gfei were the old subordinates of Crown Prince Hong Xi. They were not so much subordinates as close friends. Crown Prince Hong Xi made many friends, was righteous, and shared great kindness with Jinying w.a.n.g. The Jinying w.a.n.gfu had always been part of Crown Prince Hong Xi’s faction, thus, Crown Prince Hong Xi had entrusted Xiao Shao to Jinying w.a.n.g long before the accident happened. He did not keep Xiao Shao in the palace. Furthermore, he asked Jinying w.a.n.g to keep Xiao Shao’s background a secret, perhaps because he didn’t want his own son to follow in his footsteps. Outwardly, being born in the royal family might look glamorous, but what did others know about the helplessness one faced as a member of such a family? Contrary to expectations, perhaps one who was born in a common household would be much happier.
Ultimately, Jinying w.a.n.g and his wife kept their promise, and claimed Xiao Shao as their own flesh and blood. The two did not have any children after that, and they truly loved Xiao Shao.
In the blink of an eye, Xiao Shao grew from a babbling child to a cold young man, but eventually his true ident.i.ty would be revealed. People from South Xinjiang disguised themselves among the common folks of the capital, and amongst those were people who were privy to the incident from the past. As such, Xiao Shao began to have many a.s.sa.s.sins circling around him. And around the same time the people of South Xinjiang seemingly discovered his ident.i.ty, the Emperor discovered him as well.
In the past, if not for the death of Crown Prince Hong Xi, the position of the throne should have been inherited by the Crown Prince. Furthermore, the Emperor had always been guilty of causing the death of Xiang Xiao Yuan and his elder brother because of his unintentional actions back then. Plus, for many years he a.s.sumed that Xiao Shao was dead. So once he found out that Xiao Shao was still alive, naturally he wanted to bring him back and groom him to be the future heir apparent to the throne. But the former Jinying w.a.n.g got into a dispute with the Emperor. Jinying w.a.n.g scrupulously abided by his promise with Crown Prince Hong Xi and swore to never let Xiao Shao’s ident.i.ty be exposed, nor would he let Xiao Shao return to the palace. The Emperor was furious, but there was nothing he could do because at that time, Xiao Shao didn’t know about his background. It just so happened that at this time, there was an insurgence of a rebellious renegade faction causing havoc and plundering within the capital. The Emperor dumped this conundrum for Jinying w.a.n.g to handle but did not provide him with military a.s.sistance of any kind. He had intended to use this to crush Jinying w.a.n.g but what he didn’t antic.i.p.ate was that that very night, Jinying w.a.n.g set out to curb the unrest. He had to know that he was looking at a dead man walking, and as a man of valor, he (Jinying w.a.n.g) knew when it was appointed for him to die. Still, Jinying w.a.n.g was quite the strategist. In this destined-to-lose battle with the insurgence, he was able to finagle and one up the Emperor. He had utilized a secret missive to mobilize the Jinyi Guards to postulate a rebellious stance.
Jinying w.a.n.g died while trying to quell the insurgence, but the matter of the Jinyi Guard’s purported rebellion created hostility within the capital; Jinying w.a.n.g had used his life to protect Xiao Shao’s secret. From then on, Xiao Shao would be known as the rebellious traitorous scoundrel. Should he ever intend to enter the imperial court, there would be many obstacles, and it would not be so simple for the Emperor to make any further arrangements. More importantly, Xiao Shao himself would not be willing. Also, those people from South Xinjiang who were aware of his real ident.i.ty would inevitably be confused by this matter, and even if it was for a short period of time, it was enough for Xiao Shao to grow up.
Finally, Jinying w.a.n.gfei revealed Xiao Shao’s past to him, and the next day she hanged herself to follow after Jinying w.a.n.g. Overnight, Xiao Shao saw his world upturned; in one night, the prestigious and prominent Jinying w.a.n.gfu became known as a rebellious traitor, and even his own birth and background was so complicated. Jinying w.a.n.g and his wife had treated him wholeheartedly, and over many years together, they had formed a relationship that was as close as flesh and blood. Still, for him to suddenly find out that his biological parents were actually other people, no matter what, this was still shocking news to him.
The Jinyi Guard had always been under the command of the Jinying w.a.n.gfu, but Jinying w.a.n.g belonged to Crown Prince Hong Xi. The 300,000 Jinyi Guards were not so much left to Xiao Shao by Jinying w.a.n.g, but rather by Crown Prince Hong Xi many years ago. It’s just that before this time, Xiao Shao had never accepted the mantle of leadership of the Jinyi Guard, and the Jinyi Guard would also not obey a little master for no reason. However, in a few short years, Xiao Shao learned the art of a.s.sa.s.sins on Mt. Jianan, grew rapidly, finally won the approval of the Jinyi Guard, and was able to use the token to mobilize soldiers.
And the first thing he wanted to do was exact revenge.
South Xinjiang was like a centipede that was dead but not stiff[5]. Although the country had been destroyed long ago, the remaining forces had repeatedly tried to make a comeback. Princess Qi Man’s old subordinates were beginning to become restless, waiting for an opportunity to take action against Great Jin. In his younger days, Xiao Shao had deeply infiltrated South Xinjiang countless times, and he discovered a very mysterious and strong force that had the ability to unite those scattered South Xinjiang people. Although it seemed unremarkable on the surface, their ultimate goal seemed to be to face off against Great Jin one day.
[5] 死而不僵 (sǐ’érbùjiāng) – dead but showing no signs of rigor mortis / to die hard (idiom) / to die yet not be vanquished (idiom).
After Xiao Shao finished speaking, Jiang Ruan looked at him quietly. From beginning to end, Xiao Shao’s expression was very calm, and his long eyelashes veiled his eyes, making it impossible for anyone to clearly read his emotions. It seemed like he was used to not revealing his thoughts like this, or maybe it was because he had been through so much in his lifetime that there was hardly anything that could easily cause him pain anymore.
Jiang Ruan walked slowly to his side, and put her arms around his waist because no matter who it was, it would be comforting to feel some warmth at this time. Xiao Shao’s body froze and seemed to tremble before he slowly reached out to return her embrace .
“Since you don’t want to enter the palace to be the emperor, and He treats you like this, why bother with the affairs of South Xinjiang.” Jiang Ruan said softly, “You want revenge, and you can’t let it go. Is that why?”
Naturally the “he” referred to the Emperor, who seemed to be playing a very unpleasant role in the whole thing. Perhaps it was because of his position, but in Jiang Ruan’s view, among the children of Empress Dowager Yi De, Crown Prince Hong Xi and the current Emperor were not suitable for the position of the throne, rather Princess Yuan Rong who was imposing, impressive and composed was more suited. However, it was a pity that she was born a daughter and hence not given the same opportunity. Crown Prince Hong Xi was too soft-hearted and emotional, so he was more suited to be an idle young man unconstrained and carefree. And the current Emperor was like a spoiled child. Although he had changed a lot over the years because of his high position, he was still at the core the same as always – selfish and willful.
“This is something They sacrificed themselves for at the expense of their own lives. Nevertheless, I have to guard it.” Xiao Shao replied lightly.
Either the “They” referred to Crown Prince Hong Xi and Xiang Xiao Yuan, or Jinying w.a.n.g and his wife. The former were Xiao Shao’s biological parents and the latter were his adoptive parents, but regardless, they had all loved him exactly the same. Xiao Shao’s words were honest. Even if he didn’t want to sit on the throne of the country that his closest relatives sacrificed their lives for, he still didn’t want it to decline and be invaded by outsiders.
“Do you hate him?” Jiang Ruan asked. She was talking about the Emperor. If it wasn’t for the Emperor, nothing would have happened to Xiang Xiao Yuan back then, and Crown Prince Hong Xi wouldn’t have gone out disheartened, his heart h.e.l.l bent on destroying everything as he headed out to quell the unrest. If it weren’t for the Emperor, Xiao Shao’s background would always remain a secret, and he might just be Xiao w.a.n.g of the Jinying w.a.n.gfu, a young man with a slightly cold temper. Jinying w.a.n.g and his wife might also still be alive.
“It’s not important,” Xiao Shao replied.
Jiang Ruan paused slightly, and then smiled. “In this way, you are somewhat similar to me. At first I thought I was not worthy of you, but now I also feel… It seems that it is not so bad. You once said that you hoped to help me take revenge. Ah Shao, I will also aid in your vengeance as well.”
It was rare for Jiang Ruan to call him “Ah Shao” so tenderly, hence Xiao Shao was stunned and could only utter “Mhm” in a low voice. Jiang Ruan blinked, intending to tell him not to immerse himself in those memories so heavily, and continued, “This being the case, Steward Lin is probably not an ordinary person either. He is your father’s… old subordinate?”
“He was originally a scholar who ranked third in the imperial examination in the previous dynasty.” Xiao Shao said, “After my father pa.s.sed away, he entered the Jinying w.a.n.gfu as a housekeeper, hiding his ident.i.ty.”
Jiang Ruan was surprised, “Third rank scholar in the imperial examination?”
Steward Lin’s original name was Lin Wei, he came from a poor family, and was appreciated by Crown Prince Hong Xi, who provided him financial aid to enter the Imperial Academy. This young Third-rank imperial scholar had an elegant demeanor, was resplendently attired, quite popular, and was also a confidant to Crown Prince Hong Xi. Crown Prince Hong Xi entrusted Xiao Shao to Jinying w.a.n.g before his death. At that time, Lin Wei had no family or relatives, so he went so far as to end his official career, announcing his resignation and his intention to return to his hometown and enter into seclusion. In actual fact, he suppressed and hid his very own ident.i.ty, to the extent of administering the face-changing potion prepared by Teacher Ba Qi, hence evolving himself into Steward Lin, so that he could take care of Xiao Shao. Over the years, although he seemed unreliable, in actual fact, he had always silently helped Xiao Shao with many things. Where Jinying w.a.n.g and his wife were negligent, Steward Lin was very cautious. He was a learned man, intelligent and knowledgeable, but he had to pretend to be coa.r.s.e and ignorant. No one would a.s.sociate the coa.r.s.e and tacky loudmouth person in front of them with the handsome imperial scholar from the previous dynasty. Steward Lin, in his own way, subtly taught and influenced Xiao Shao on a lot of things. Such a person could only be said to have great benevolence, righteousness, and immense knowledge and wisdom.