Even threatened by power, Xia Yujin wasn’t so easily resigned to his fate.
But he’d been out on River Qin all night long, then forced, early in the morning, to participate in this whole gambling affair when he’d gone out to buy meat. Then, when he finally managed to end that thing, he’d rushed to the palace without stopping to deliver the money, while still suffering from the cold he’d caught when he fell in the water. Adding to this the shock from Ye Zhao’s divorce letter and the Emperor’s appointment, a good and a bad surprise respectively, his body couldn’t bear it anymore. Before he even had the time to speak and shock his uncle, stars started dancing in front of his eyes and he collapsed without a sound.
When he woke up, he found out he was lying in the small side room of the study. There was an official appointment letter next to him, stamped with a large red seal. The Emperor was supervising the imperial physician’s diagnostic and treatment, and personally handed him a bowl of medicine that was even more bitter than goldthread to express his avuncular affection. He kindly comforted him, saying, “You’re simply overworked. Rest for two days and you’ll be fine. I’ve already notified the Empress Dowager of your appointment as the city censor and she said that she’s happy you’re finally improving after your marriage. She thanked Buddha a few hundred times.”
His last resort cut off to him, Xia Yujin was left to agonize. “I’m the prince of Nanping, but if I assume the post of a sixth-ranked minor official, I have to wear green robes and stand among all of my cousins in red and purple.[1] I’m going to be so ashamed…”
“Do you have any shame left to feel?” the Emperor muttered in a perfectly audible voice. He smiled kindly again. “It’s not a question of rank. You are all important people. And if you do well, you’ll be promoted. As for the green robes—they’re not very appealing, but since you’re young, handsome, and in your prime, they don’t matter much. At worst, We will tell the seamstresses to embroider a few more flowers on your clothes, trim them with gold, sew in some pearls and gems, and decorate them more splendidly to set you apart.”
His face held more cunning than a weasel’s.[2]
At this moment, Xia Yujin dearly suspected that the portrait of the upright and imposing founding emperor of the Great Qin up in the ancestral temple had to be a fake. Right? He had to have been a rascal himself, to bear so many rascally children and grandchildren, right?
The sun was already descending in the west when Xia Yujin, who had been disciplined by the weasel, staggered up into his sedan chair and dismally went home, carrying his appointment letter.
When he stepped through the gate of the garden, he heard cheers and peals of laughter. Several young maids were standing on their tiptoes in the shadow of the gate’s spirit screen,[3] craning their necks to look inside, stealthily cheering and laughing.
A little curious, Xia Yujin walked over and stuck out his head to have a look. There was only Ye Zhao, practicing with her sword by the blossoming peach tree. Her red silhouette flitted by like a dragon, blade and flowers glimmering like stars against the sky, strong as the rain and swift as the wind. She wielded her sword as easily as if it were an extension of her arms. With her cold and handsome expression, she looked so impressive that she could make all men pray to the heavens for a bolt of thunder to strike and kill this bastard off.
One little maid, enthralled, didn’t notice who was approaching and only felt someone behind her, like they wanted to snatch her perfect spot. She furiously pushed that person away, exclaiming, “Scram! This is my spot. Go somewhere else if you want to see!”
Xia Yujin, flustered and angry, turned her face towards his, silently revealing himself.
The group of maids shrieked in fright and scattered.
Xia Yujin stepped past the spirit screen and found his concubines sitting together in a pavilion not far from the peach tree, each looking merry and high spirits; they were drinking the wine he’d bought and eating the meat he’d bought while applauding Ye Zhao.
When she heard the shrieks, Ye Zhao stopped practicing and looked out toward the spirit screen.
Concubine Yang, who hadn’t yet caught on, hurriedly left the pavilion and, pulling out a handkerchief embroidered with twin lotus flowers from her sleeve, wiped the sweat from Ye Zhao’s brow. She was like a picture-perfect newlywed wife, caring for her spouse, so bright that she looked prettier than usual.
Xuan’er rushed over, not to be outdone. Just as she was pulling out her handkerchief, she was violently pushed aside by Mei-niang, who’d arrived first, holding a cup of warm wine. “General, some wine,” she said docily. Xuan’er, gasping and glaring at her, then put on a shy expression and softly said, “General, take a break.”
Whenever he was at home, he never saw his concubines striving for his favor so much!
Xia Yujin looked on blankly. He felt like he’d caught them in an act of adultery.
Ye Zhao sheathed her sword, pushing the women away, and urgently strode towards him, awkwardly explaining, “I was hungry, so I had some without you.”
Xia Yujin pointed at Concubine Yang and the other two, then at Ye Zhao, and finally at himself.
One always came to regret not studying more diligently. He simply couldn’t find the words to convey the mess of emotions he was currently feeling.
Ye Zhao understood. She immediately apologized, “They were just coming over to pay their respects when the meat arrived, so I asked them to stay. A couple of girls can’t eat all your money’s worth of meat, so be good, don’t be stingy.”
Xia Yujin’s face turned dark. He wanted to hit these four unfaithful women who all ganged up together to cheat on him, to do away with his wife, concubine, and tongfang maids who all pissed him off to no end!
Ye Zhao, aware that she’d misspoken, pulled him toward the pavilion by the hand, and let out a forced laugh. “You know I’m rough-mannered, don’t take it too seriously. We left you the best pieces of meat, and they drank honeyed wine, not the nu’erhong you brought back. I’ll warm up your wine myself and toast you three cups.”
When Concubine Yang saw that the prince wanted to have a drink and chat with the general and to dig up the feelings between them, she was elated. She kicked Mei-niang to call attention to Xuan’er, whose mind had always been slower, and who’d wanted to go serve wine to the couple, and they all quickly took their leave. They all went back to their courtyard to burn two sticks of incense to the Queen Mother of the West for this marriage predestined by fate. They prayed that the two of them could spend some time alone together, that their feelings would soon deepen, and that they would not go to the point of divorcing. Then they wished for a lifetime of riches and splendor.
Xia Yujin struggled without managing to escape, and then he was seated and drinking two cups of good wine. Remembering the letter of divorce cleared his mind a little; remembering that no matter how handsome his wife was, she was also a woman and there was no way she and his concubines could cheat on him with each other—his head was still smooth, it hadn’t sprouted horns—finally made him feel more at ease.
Ye Zhao pulled out a sharp dagger from her belt. The blade cut through the air, slicing the meat as thinly as a cicada’s wings. She placed it into a bowl, tossed in sesame oil, garlic, scallions, and other condiments, and personally brought it to him. “You were delayed so long in the palace,” she said caringly. “You must be hungry, right? Eat up.”
She was quite skilled with her knife. Xia Yujin ate willingly. Seeing that the dagger in her hands was delicately crafted and beautiful, he took it and minutely observed it. It was extremely cold and uniquely sharp. Surprised, he appraisingly said, “Is this craftsmanship from the previous dynasty? The work of Master Yu Jianzi?”
“You have sharp eyes!” Seeing that he knew what he was talking about, she joyfully showed off. “It is indeed the ‘cicada’s wing’ blade made by Master Yu Jianzi, which can cut through iron like clay. The traveling hero Chang Hao once assassinated the eunuch Lu Huchen for his many crimes and dug out his heart and liver for his wine with this very blade! After I got this dagger, I also cut out the heart and liver of Man Jin General Harmu, soaked them in wine, and then poured a drink out for every soldier and officer of the Northern Desert who were slaughtered by those cruel devils.”
It truly was the perfect blade to kill people and cut out hearts… the perfect blade…
Sure enough—his wife had eaten people.
Xia Yujin silently chewed on the last piece of lamb, trying to swallow it down.
Ye Zhao picked up the ‘cicada’s wing’ dagger and dutifully asked, “I’ll cut you some more?”
Xia Yujin felt that he’d be better off unconscious again.
Even threatened by power, Xia Yujin wasn’t so easily resigned to his fate.
But he’d been out on River Qin all night long, then forced, early in the morning, to participate in this whole gambling affair when he’d gone out to buy meat. Then, when he finally managed to end that thing, he’d rushed to the palace without stopping to deliver the money, while still suffering from the cold he’d caught when he fell in the water. Adding to this the shock from Ye Zhao’s divorce letter and the Emperor’s appointment, a good and a bad surprise respectively, his body couldn’t bear it anymore. Before he even had the time to speak and shock his uncle, stars started dancing in front of his eyes and he collapsed without a sound.
When he woke up, he found out he was lying in the small side room of the study. There was an official appointment letter next to him, stamped with a large red seal. The Emperor was supervising the imperial physician’s diagnostic and treatment, and personally handed him a bowl of medicine that was even more bitter than goldthread to express his avuncular affection. He kindly comforted him, saying, “You’re simply overworked. Rest for two days and you’ll be fine. I’ve already notified the Empress Dowager of your appointment as the city censor and she said that she’s happy you’re finally improving after your marriage. She thanked Buddha a few hundred times.”
His last resort cut off to him, Xia Yujin was left to agonize. “I’m the prince of Nanping, but if I assume the post of a sixth-ranked minor official, I have to wear green robes and stand among all of my cousins in red and purple.[1] I’m going to be so ashamed…”
“Do you have any shame left to feel?” the Emperor muttered in a perfectly audible voice. He smiled kindly again. “It’s not a question of rank. You are all important people. And if you do well, you’ll be promoted. As for the green robes—they’re not very appealing, but since you’re young, handsome, and in your prime, they don’t matter much. At worst, We will tell the seamstresses to embroider a few more flowers on your clothes, trim them with gold, sew in some pearls and gems, and decorate them more splendidly to set you apart.”
His face held more cunning than a weasel’s.[2]
At this moment, Xia Yujin dearly suspected that the portrait of the upright and imposing founding emperor of the Great Qin up in the ancestral temple had to be a fake. Right? He had to have been a rascal himself, to bear so many rascally children and grandchildren, right?
The sun was already descending in the west when Xia Yujin, who had been disciplined by the weasel, staggered up into his sedan chair and dismally went home, carrying his appointment letter.
When he stepped through the gate of the garden, he heard cheers and peals of laughter. Several young maids were standing on their tiptoes in the shadow of the gate’s spirit screen,[3] craning their necks to look inside, stealthily cheering and laughing.
A little curious, Xia Yujin walked over and stuck out his head to have a look. There was only Ye Zhao, practicing with her sword by the blossoming peach tree. Her red silhouette flitted by like a dragon, blade and flowers glimmering like stars against the sky, strong as the rain and swift as the wind. She wielded her sword as easily as if it were an extension of her arms. With her cold and handsome expression, she looked so impressive that she could make all men pray to the heavens for a bolt of thunder to strike and kill this bastard off.
One little maid, enthralled, didn’t notice who was approaching and only felt someone behind her, like they wanted to snatch her perfect spot. She furiously pushed that person away, exclaiming, “Scram! This is my spot. Go somewhere else if you want to see!”
Xia Yujin, flustered and angry, turned her face towards his, silently revealing himself.
The group of maids shrieked in fright and scattered.
Xia Yujin stepped past the spirit screen and found his concubines sitting together in a pavilion not far from the peach tree, each looking merry and high spirits; they were drinking the wine he’d bought and eating the meat he’d bought while applauding Ye Zhao.
When she heard the shrieks, Ye Zhao stopped practicing and looked out toward the spirit screen.
Concubine Yang, who hadn’t yet caught on, hurriedly left the pavilion and, pulling out a handkerchief embroidered with twin lotus flowers from her sleeve, wiped the sweat from Ye Zhao’s brow. She was like a picture-perfect newlywed wife, caring for her spouse, so bright that she looked prettier than usual.
Xuan’er rushed over, not to be outdone. Just as she was pulling out her handkerchief, she was violently pushed aside by Mei-niang, who’d arrived first, holding a cup of warm wine. “General, some wine,” she said docily. Xuan’er, gasping and glaring at her, then put on a shy expression and softly said, “General, take a break.”
Whenever he was at home, he never saw his concubines striving for his favor so much!
Xia Yujin looked on blankly. He felt like he’d caught them in an act of adultery.
Ye Zhao sheathed her sword, pushing the women away, and urgently strode towards him, awkwardly explaining, “I was hungry, so I had some without you.”
Xia Yujin pointed at Concubine Yang and the other two, then at Ye Zhao, and finally at himself.
One always came to regret not studying more diligently. He simply couldn’t find the words to convey the mess of emotions he was currently feeling.
Ye Zhao understood. She immediately apologized, “They were just coming over to pay their respects when the meat arrived, so I asked them to stay. A couple of girls can’t eat all your money’s worth of meat, so be good, don’t be stingy.”
Xia Yujin’s face turned dark. He wanted to hit these four unfaithful women who all ganged up together to cheat on him, to do away with his wife, concubine, and tongfang maids who all pissed him off to no end!
Ye Zhao, aware that she’d misspoken, pulled him toward the pavilion by the hand, and let out a forced laugh. “You know I’m rough-mannered, don’t take it too seriously. We left you the best pieces of meat, and they drank honeyed wine, not the nu’erhong you brought back. I’ll warm up your wine myself and toast you three cups.”
When Concubine Yang saw that the prince wanted to have a drink and chat with the general and to dig up the feelings between them, she was elated. She kicked Mei-niang to call attention to Xuan’er, whose mind had always been slower, and who’d wanted to go serve wine to the couple, and they all quickly took their leave. They all went back to their courtyard to burn two sticks of incense to the Queen Mother of the West for this marriage predestined by fate. They prayed that the two of them could spend some time alone together, that their feelings would soon deepen, and that they would not go to the point of divorcing. Then they wished for a lifetime of riches and splendor.
Xia Yujin struggled without managing to escape, and then he was seated and drinking two cups of good wine. Remembering the letter of divorce cleared his mind a little; remembering that no matter how handsome his wife was, she was also a woman and there was no way she and his concubines could cheat on him with each other—his head was still smooth, it hadn’t sprouted horns—finally made him feel more at ease.
Ye Zhao pulled out a sharp dagger from her belt. The blade cut through the air, slicing the meat as thinly as a cicada’s wings. She placed it into a bowl, tossed in sesame oil, garlic, scallions, and other condiments, and personally brought it to him. “You were delayed so long in the palace,” she said caringly. “You must be hungry, right? Eat up.”
She was quite skilled with her knife. Xia Yujin ate willingly. Seeing that the dagger in her hands was delicately crafted and beautiful, he took it and minutely observed it. It was extremely cold and uniquely sharp. Surprised, he appraisingly said, “Is this craftsmanship from the previous dynasty? The work of Master Yu Jianzi?”
“You have sharp eyes!” Seeing that he knew what he was talking about, she joyfully showed off. “It is indeed the ‘cicada’s wing’ blade made by Master Yu Jianzi, which can cut through iron like clay. The traveling hero Chang Hao once assassinated the eunuch Lu Huchen for his many crimes and dug out his heart and liver for his wine with this very blade! After I got this dagger, I also cut out the heart and liver of Man Jin General Harmu, soaked them in wine, and then poured a drink out for every soldier and officer of the Northern Desert who were slaughtered by those cruel devils.”
It truly was the perfect blade to kill people and cut out hearts… the perfect blade…
Sure enough—his wife had eaten people.
Xia Yujin silently chewed on the last piece of lamb, trying to swallow it down.
Ye Zhao picked up the ‘cicada’s wing’ dagger and dutifully asked, “I’ll cut you some more?”
Xia Yujin felt that he’d be better off unconscious again.
