Princess Agents Novel Translation- Part 2

Another reminder that this is only a translation of parts of the novel. I usually skip over most of the things that don’t have a lot to do with the OTP. I believe there are a few sites that are translating the novel word by word so try googling for them if my post doesn’t satisfy your Princess Agent craving. 

The next day, the bridge is finally fixed and it is time for our two leads to go their separate way…again.

Standing respectively at the forefront of their caravan, Wen Yue coolly turns to look towards the north and tells Chu Qiao “I am leaving.”

Nodding, Chu Qiao calmly replies “Oh, alright. Go on.”

Not moving an inch, Wen Yue continues “Don’t go creating troubles with Xiao Ce. If you have too much time on your hands then just go back to your lodge.”

Frowning, Chu Qiao protests “Who is going around creating troubles?!”

“Humph!” comes to Wen Yue’s snort.

Taking a deep breath, Chu Qiao reminds our hero “Yu Wen Yue, we are saying goodbyes right now so keep a lid on it for us to leave a good impression of one another.”

Turning his head in a huffy, Wen Yue retorts “I never had a good impression of you anyway.”

Outraged, Chu Qiao pinches Wen Yue and demands “Are you human?! Do you still have a sense of decency? Who was the one that cried and yelled begging me to be with him?!”

Getting angry himself especially after suffering Chu Qiao’s painful pinches, Wen Yue counters “You there! When did I ever cried yelled and begged you?!”

Did he not? After thinking for a moment, Chu Qiao is forced to admit that Wen Yue really didn’t. BUT, his action says as much didn’t it?! So what’s with this “take it or leave it” attitude now that he has gotten the girl? Plus, technically he hasn’t really gotten the girl just yet, right?

Giving Wen Yue a fierce glare, Chu Qiao says “Just keep pretending!”

The sadness of their imminent parting quickly dissipating with their bickering, it seems their relationship has indeed taken a big step forward. After all, they can now joke naturally with each other.

Turning serious suddenly, Wen Yue reminds Chu Qiao “I mean it. Don’t get yourself involved with Xiao Ce’s business. I am starting to discover that you really like to meddle in things that don’t concern you.”

Meddling?! Glaring at Wen Yue, Chu Qiao protests “I was just going there to give him a heads up.”

Not buying Chu Qiao’s explanation, Wen Yue demands “And now? Why are you still going there?”

Exasperated, Chu Qiao says “Am I not leaving? I am going to tell him goodbye.”

Go? Go where? His mood suddenly becoming much better as the answer dawns on him, Wen Yue awkwardly clears his throat and says “Anyway, just be careful. That Xiao Ce is not a good guy either.”

Shaking her head, Chu Qiao sighs “I guess the phrase burning the bridge after you’ve crossed describes people like you.”

“What?!”

Ignoring Wen Yue’s offended expression, Chu Qiao waves her hand like she cannot bear to reason with the likes of him “Aren’t you going? It will be dark soon, so if you are not leaving then I am.”

Fumbling around for a bit, Wen Yue finally pulls out an ordinary looking  bell shaped white jade and holds it next to Chu Qiao’s mouth “Sing the song you sang for me last night.”

Puzzled, Chu Qiao asks “Why?”

His face reddening, Wen Yue frowns “Why are you asking so many questions, just sing the song.”

Not in a cooperative mood, Chu Qiao complains “Singing requires the right mood. I am in a bad mood right now, I don’t want to sing.”

A bit sheepish as Wen Yue boring his eyes into hers with a killer expression that has been harnassed by years on the battlefield, Chu Qiao adds after a long moment when it doesn’t look like Wen Yue will stop glaring at her “There are so many people here. If I sing then they will hear me. How am I supposed to keep my dignity after that?”

Accepting her explanation reluctantly, Wen Yue says “Then just say something to it.”

“Say what?”

Replying through gritted teeth, Wen Yue replies “Whatever!”

Obedient for once, Chu Qiao immediately yells into the bell “Yu Wen Yue is a jerk!” His expression darkening as Chu Qiao’s loud voice makes everyone stares at them askew, Wen Yue turns right around and stomps away. Realizing she has gone too far, Chu Qiao quickly runs after Wen Yue, grabs his hand and says into the jade bell “Remember, I am waiting for you.”

Seeing Wen Yue’s ire promptly dissipating with that one sentence from her, Chu Qiao smiles at the thought that Wen Yue’s ruffled feathers are rather easily soothed.

Curious as she runs her hands over the bell that doesn’t seem like a rock but not exactly like jade either, Chu Qiao asks with puzzlement “What is this?”

Ignoring Chu Qiao’s question, Wen Yue snatches the bell from her hand and urges “Let’s go, don’t drag your feet anymore.”

Finally getting ready to leave, Chu Qiao couldn’t help herself but reminds Wen Yue “Be careful.”

Cool and stoic as ever, Wen Yue waves his hand before hopping onto his horse. With an expression looking high and mighty, Wen Yue tells Chu Qiao “Remember what I said” then takes off with his mass of guards leaving only dust behind.

Rooted to the spots even after the last of Wen Yue’s group disappears into the horizon, Chu Qiao is still dazed as Jing Jing (one of the three kids with her) slides up to her and mutters “Older sister, brother-in-law is so cool!”

With a frown, Chu Qiao asks “Duo Ji, Do you know what that thing was?” (Duo Ji is the only boy out of the three kids with Chu Qiao)

After listening to Chu Qiao’s description of the bell, Duo Ji thought for a moment before replying “Miss, if your description is right then that should be the legendary bell created by the tribe master of the wind tribe. According to the legend, one just needs to say something to the bell loudly and it will record the words. When the bell is met by the wind, it will replay the words exactly.

Surprised by Duo Ji’s explaination, Chu Qiao looks to the direction where Wen Yue left but of course he is long gone.

Getting closer to the Da Xia border, Wen Yue and his men no longer have to be as careful at hiding their tracks. The weather is warm without a trace of wind but there is still a slight breeze that gently blows across the bell hung around Wen Yue’s neck as his horse gallops. “Remember, I am waiting for you.” The corner of Wen Yue’s mouth tugs upward into a  smile unconsciously as he listens to the woman’s soft whisper. Before the smile could fully spread into his eyes though, another piercing voice suddenly sounds “Yu Wen Yue is a big jerk!”

The yell was so loud that all the guards that were in the middle galloping their horses stopped to look at their master in surprise and confusion.

Blackest black…is not sufficent to describe Wen Yue’s expression at that moment.

Blissful ignorant of the slight um…embarrassment she had caused our hero, Chu Qiao is lost in thought in her carriage trying to figure out if the bell was like a recorder in her own world. Content as she watches her master patiently explaining to a curious Jing Jing what a recorder is, Mei Xiang’s face breaks into a soft smile. Life is so often just like this. Things always seem much clearer from the outside. Many things in life are actually quite simple but due to our refusal to let go of certain obsession, stubbornly holding on, we end up wasting precious time. Sometimes, if you would just take that one simple step, then everything will completely change.

(The next bit is just tacked on at this point without any explanation in the novel, but I think is safe to guess that this is an exchange our OTP had the night Chu Qiao sang her song for our hero.)

“Our path ahead is still long. There might still be unexpected obstacles, are you afraid?”

Resting her head gently on his shoulder, Chu Qiao whispers simply “I am not afraid.”

Smiling softly, Wen Yue wraps his arms around Chu Qiao’s waist and sits with her until sunrise.

—————————————————————-12/27/2017——————————————————————–

Our two leads are going to apart for a while so the next couple weeks will be short summaries to wrap up Xiao Ce’s story line.

• After parting from Wen Yue, our heroine’s journey to visit Xiao Ce hits a major snag when Xiao Ce’s half brother raises up in rebellion against him. With Xiao Ce’s country teetering on the brink of being torn in half when Xiao Ce’s half brother crowns himself the emperor, everyone starts to believe that Xiao Ce has cowardly abandoned his people…except our heroine. Knowing Xiao Ce better than the rumor paints him to be, Chu Qiao waits patiently and was soon rewarded with Xiao Ce’s triumphant return.
• A little background about Xiao Ce’s half brother, Li Luo who shared the same mother as Xiao Ce but had different fathers. Xiao Ce grew up with Li Luo and another girl named Fu Er. Li Luo loved Fu Er but she had to marry Xiao Ce because he was the crown prince, even though the one she loved was Li Luo not Xiao Ce. The three childhood friends’ friendship was destined to end in tragic once Fu Er killed herself on the day of her wedding to Xiao Ce. Li Luo grew up with a dream of becoming a great scholar so he probably would’ve never rebelled if it wasn’t for his bitterness about Fu Er.
• Walking in to find Xiao Ce drinking, Chu Qiao stays silent as Xiao Ce quietly says “He is a traitor so he can’t be buried at the royal tombs but I buried him at Mount Luo Fu…that’s where Fu Er is buried too…that should be some consolation to him.” Knowing that Xiao Ce just needs her to listen, Chu Qiao sits by him as he drinks one cup after another. Chu Qiao didn’t try to sit down across from Xiao Ce because she knows that seat is reserved for someone else…he is waiting for someone that will never come. Seemingly just musing out loud, Xiao Ce continues “I knew he would rebel. I waited for many years while harboring a small hope that he would change his mind out of blue.” Tossing back another cup of wine, Xiao Ce laughs as he turns around to looks at Chu Qiao “Did you know, since we were young, Li Luo was not as smart as me. He couldn’t beat me in anything except in poetry. When he was little, he said he wanted to grow up to be a famous scholar, to find a scenic place to build a museum and write the best historical record about this land.” Looking towards the moonlight shining through the window, Xiao Ce quietly adds “He never knew that the day I became crown prince I had a museum built for him….but after Fu Er died I couldn’t find a chance to tell him.” His brows suddenly furrowed tightly and his voice laced with a trace of hatred, Xiao Ce asks through gritted teeth “Why, why did he have to rebel?”
• Standing at the window as she watches Xiao Ce stumbles away half drunk, Chu Qiao feels a sense of hollowness in her own heart. The battle for the throne has always been cruel and bloody, a battle where only one can survive, just like Yan Bei and Da Xia’s feud. Chu Qiao suddenly thought of Yan Xun and how she felt when he killed their closest friends years ago. Perhaps the situations are different but in the end they were all struggles for power. Watching Xiao Ce grieving over Li Luo’s death Chu Qiao can’t help but wonders if Yan Xun feels any regrets right now over what he did.
• Chu Qiao’s lodge was destroyed during the war. Xiao Ce offered to rebuild it for Chu Qiao but she told him to not bother since she is planning to leave eventually anyway. Settling down in Xiao Ce’s palace for the time being, Chu Qiao passes her day quietly while Xiao Ce is busy rebuilding his nation. Wen Yue writes letters to Chu Qiao but glazes over all the dangers he is in even though Chu Qiao could guess the truth from the news that comes her way. To help herself pass the time and because she now has someone she worries about, Chu Qiao often finds herself in the temple praying.

• Chu Qiao finally has a chance to meet with He Xiao again (our heroine’s right hand man during her years as Xiu Li general).

Chu Qiao: “He Xiao, do you blame me?”
Looking down, He Xiao replies “I wouldn’t dare to do such a thing.”
With a sad smile, Chu Qiao says “Your answer says you are. You probably won’t believe me but we have been through many battles together, I have always considered you to be my best friend. Me leaving wasn’t abandoning you guys.”
Raising his head suddenly, He Xiao quietly replies “I never blamed you. You were thinking of us, trying to give us the best future. These years I’ve watched you come thus far one step at a time. I see the pain in you. I often wondered if I was too selfish. If I could’ve just figured out sooner, I would not have let things get so out of hand. Our burdens were not your to carry, to the extent that it forced you to go against Yan Xun.”
Shaking her head, Chu Qiao wants to protest that there were too many differences between her and Yan Xun for them to ever work, even without Xiu Li army, things between the two of them would’ve come to a head eventually. It was only a matter of time.

Not waiting to hear Chu Qiao’s protests, He Xiao continues “In the end, you were just a young girl but all of us forgot that.” Giving Chu Qiao a warm smile for the first time in the role as an older uncle, He Xiao explains “Xiao Ce said you could only find true peace after you have let go all of the past. I no longer call you by your general title not because I am angry but it is because I hope you can let go of your burden and live for yourself this time around.”

• Concerned to see Chu Qiao’s spirit down after her talk with He Xiao, Chu Qiao’s maid Mei Xian tells her “Miss, there are many people in this world but there is only one of you. You can’t take care of everybody. Miss, don’t worry about other people anymore. Master Wen Yue might not be a good person through and through but he is the only person in this world that is completely devoted to Miss. For Miss, he can descend into hell to become a demon or to let go all of it to become a god. No matter how you search, Miss will not be able to find another man like this.”
• The spring festival arrives and with it came carriages full of gifts from Wen Yue to Xiao Ce’s palace for Chu Qiao. Speechless when she sees among the endless boxes full of precious gems, jewelry and fabric are a bunch of yam looking vegetables, Chu Qiao laughs as she realizes they must be the Qinghai produce Wen Yue had described to her in his letters. Her heart suddenly filled with tenderness, Chu Qiao feels that all the precious things combined could not compete with the ugly yams. Picking up a letter that was tugged in amongst the yams, Chu Qiao opens it to read Wen Yue’s usual awkward ramblings that range from local politics to economic trends. In short, letters that often sounds like exchanges between two countries diplomates…except the concluding warning that ends every letter “Be mindful of your doors and windows before you retire to bed. Always be careful of scoundrels that are close by.” One time after Xiao Ce had read Wen Yue’s letter, he immediately broke into an angry rant loudly accusing Wen Yue to be the worst scoundrel of all since he was slandering other people behind their back. Staring at Xiao Ce who seemingly feels perfect justified waxing poetic about Wen Yue’s faults when he was the one that had secretly opened someone else’s letter, Chu Qiao shakes her head and thinks that both men were speaking the truth about the other.
• The letter that day wasn’t very long but after the brief opening the ink in the next section was a lot darker, making it obvious that Wen Yue must’ve pondered a long time before he started writing again since the original ink had all dried up and he had to make a fresh batch of ink to keep writing. “Some business is keeping me here so I can’t spend the spring festival with you. I will keep my promise next year, wait for me.” Holding the thin slip of letter, Chu Qiao felt like the whole world is filled with hope. Ending her own letter with a simple “I am waiting for you.” Chu Qiao thinks to herself “I am going to be selfish just this time. I am going to follow my heart and trust.”
• April arrives. Wen Yue sends Chu Qiao a pair of birds that are characterized by being born in pairs and if one bird were to die first then the other one will refuse to keep living. Chu Qiao loves the birds and personally feed them every day. The female bird really took a liking to Chu Qiao and will often perch on her shoulders, but that’s when the male bird will start squawking loudly in jealousy making everyone laugh in the process. Xiao Ce seems to like the birds as well and stops by often to tease them.

• One night, Chu Qiao wakes up to the feeling that someone is staring at her. Opening her eyes just in time to immediately feel herself being pulled into an embrace, Chu Qiao doesn’t struggle as a familiar scent mixed with strong alcohol smell surrounds her. Allowing herself to remain in the embrace even if the man is seemingly using all of his strength to crush her to him, Chu Qiao reaches out a hand to gently pat the man’s back, attempting to soothe the loneliness and pain she could feel emanating from him. Asking carefully when Xiao Ce releases her slowly, Chu Qiao says “Xiao Ce, Did you think I was her?” Bewildered, Xiao Ce raises an eyebrow in question as he looks at her. Feeling a bit sheepish like she had accidentally stumbled upon someone’s secret, Chu Qiao explains softly “I heard the maid talking. They said this place used to be Princess Fu Er’s.” Shifting uncomfortably when Xiao Ce just stares at her with a steady gaze filled with meanings she couldn’t understand(…at least then), all of our heroine’s tender feelings promptly turned to irritation once Xiao Ce breaks out in a laugh then says in his trademark drowsy nonchalant attitude “Fu Er had a much curvy body compared to yours…”

Sigh…I was planning to skip more of Xiao Ce’s story but once I got going there were so many parts I love that I just can’t help but include them. There is no doubt that our hero is the one for Chu Qiao but Xiao Ce’s character sure breaks my heart.

——————————————————————-1/3/2018——————————————————————-

• • After Xiao Ce left a huffy Chu Qiao to go back to his usual partying, Chu Qiao tried to ignore a feeling of unease and falls into a restless sleep. Jerking awake with a start when her maid runs in all flustered, Chu Qiao rushes out of the door the moment she is informed: “There has been an assassination attempt on the emperor’s life!”
  • Giving Chu Qiao a weak smile when she finally was able to see him, Xiao Ce jokes “I was planning to personally prepare your dowery in the next few days. Now I will have to get Sun Di (his right hand man and best friend) to take over. Dang, I wonder if that jerk will try to pocket some dowery for himself!” Shaken to see the deep slash wound in front of Xiao Ce’s chest that barely missed his heart, Chu Qiao forces herself to smile “That’s okay. I will keep my eye on him.” Nervous to see Xiao Ce’s face turning paler with each sentence he utters, Chu Qiao urges him to sleep. Nodding quickly when Xiao Ce begs “Qiao Qiao, stay with me.” Chu Qiao promises “Alright, I won’t go anywhere. I will stay right here.”
  • Three days later, Xiao Ce is on the mend but that’s when his mother rushes back from a temple outside of palace loudly wailing “My poor child! My son!”. Obediently leaving the grand empress alone with her son when she orders everyone to leave, Chu Qiao waits patiently outside until Sun Di shows up and asks with suspicion “Who brought the grand empress back to the palace? We had sealed the news of the assassination. How would she know?” Just then, a high pitched scream came from Xiao Ce’s bedroom, causing both Chu Qiao and Sun Di to run in only to see the grand empress holding a dagger, her pale face covered in blood as she screams “I am going to kill you! I am going to kill you! I will avenge my son Li Luo!”
  • Feeling like her body has been plunged into ice, Chu Qiao stares at the grand empress in disbelief as she continues to yell with fervent half crazed eyes ” You all deserve to die! I killed him, I am going to kill you! I will avenge my husband and son!” Turning her eyes to Xiao Ce, Chu Qiao saw his eyes and for the first time for as long as she has known him, she finally could see his heart in them. Without his usual disguise of joking manner or careless attitude, Xiao Ce just lies there with blood pouring out of his wound, soaking his robe. Staring at his mother in silence, Xiao Ce’s eyes held no shock, no hatred, just an overwhelming fatigue that seems to wash over his whole being.  Rooted to the spot, a long distance memory suddenly came back to Chu Qiao. Years ago, on a hunting party in Yan Bei during a big snow storm, Chu Qiao had seen a female wolf who had managed to capture a deer and was chomping eagerly away when the little wolf cub had hesitantly approached the deer. Immediately angered, the wolf mother had swiped at the cub. Hurt by the mother’s sharp claws, the cub had retreated back to a tree, fearful to approach its mother again, the cub whined in a small voice with sorrowful eyes like it has been abandoned.
  • Unable to move even as voices start to yell at her, Chu Qiao suddenly lets out a scream and heads for the inner chamber where Xiao Ce is. “Stop her!” came the loud yells of the palace guards but a low voice stopped them as Xiao Ce forcefully raised himself on his forearms, pointing a bloody finger at her direction as he commands “Let go of her!” Loud urgings of “My emperor! My emperor! You can’t move!” come rushing from Xiao Ce’s direction even as Chu Qiao stares with horror as he collapses after mouthfuls of blood spilled out of him. Her eyes fixated on the pale hand that has drooped limply against the bed, Chu Qiao faints dead away when an elderly palace physician lets out a sob after examining Xiao Ce.
  • Informed of Xiao Ce’s desire to see her the moment she woke up, Chu Qiao kneels down by Xiao Ce’s bedside and softly says “Xiao Ce, I am here.” His eyes fluttering open, Xiao Ce looks at Chu Qiao with a serene expression as he calls out “Qiao Qiao…” Tears rushing out, Chu Qiao’s voice breaks with sobs that threaten to overwhelm her “It’s all my fault. I promised, I promised that I would stay with you. I should not have left.” Wiping away her tears gently, Xiao Ce comforts her “Don’t cry. It’s not your fault…she is my mother, who…who would’ve thought?” Yes, indeed. Who would’ve thought.
  • A little background here. Xiao Ce’s mother is a very tragic figure. Taken by force from her husband and son because Xiao Ce’s father (previous emperor) desired her, Xiao Ce’s mother had lived her whole life filled with hatred especially after her husband was killed by the emperor. Even the title of a queen could not make her forget her vow for revenge, Xiao Ce’s mother eventually was able to poison the previous emperor (which is what she meant by I killed him). From various clues it is obvious that Xiao Ce’s mother probably does love Xiao Ce in some ways but the deep resentment in her meant she could never show it, perhaps even admit it to herself. I think without Xiao Ce’s half brother’s death, his mother probably would not have tried to kill him…but this tragedy was probably unavoidable from the moment the previous emperor decided that his love is more important than another family’s happiness.
  • Looking over at Chu Qiao with a half smile, Xiao Ce sighs, “I wanted to personally marry you off…but it probably won’t happen now.” Her heart filled with panic, Chu Qiao cries softly “Xiao Ce…don’t go. Don’t go, please?” Shaking his arm gently like a lonely child, Chu Qiao asks “Without you, what am I to do? If something happens to me, then who will help me? When I have no place to go, who will let me stay and eat for free?” A wry laughter flashing across his eyes, Xiao Ce pretends to pout “So, in the end I am just a fool for you to mooch off?” Continuing quietly as Chu Qiao stares at him with hopelessness in her eyes, Xiao Ce says “I have already sent news to Yu Wen Yue. Someone…will take you to him. Just go to him. In the future, don’t be stubborn anymore and don’t act like an immature kid.”
•  Surprised when Xiao Ce suddenly says “Qiao Qiao, help me up.” Chu Qiao instinctively shakes her head but swallows her protests after seeing his stubborn expression. Carefully helping Xiao Ce up then slowly putting his bright red robe on him…just like what he wore the first time they met, Chu Qiao begins to brush Xiao Ce hair after he says “Qiao Qiao, my hair is messy.” Turning around with a smile when Chu Qiao is finally done brushing his hair with shaking hands, Xiao Ce asks “Do I look good?” Forcing herself to smile even as she stares at the shadow of death spreading from Xiao Ce brows, Chu Qiao nods “Totally handsome.” Swallowing the sadness that wants to overwhelm her, Chu Qiao asks softly “Xiao Ce, Do you have any wish?” Thoughtful, Xiao Ce repeats “Wish?” then shakes his head with a smile “Nope.” His breathing suddenly becoming faster, Xiao Ce reaches out his hand and whispers “Qiao Qiao, let me hold you.” Kneeling on the floor with her body in a half embrace with Xiao Ce, Chu Qiao’s tears soak through his robe as the breathing above her head slowly disappears bit by bit…until it was finally gone.
  • Side note: Xiao Ce’s mother killed herself the moment she heard the bell tolling, informing all that the emperor has died.

—————————————————————————-1/10/2018——————————————————-

Time jump to a month later.

Wen Yue has sent his man multiples times trying to convince Chu Qiao to leave but she has stubbornly insisted on staying. Xiao Ce is gone, taking all the sounds of dancing and partying with him, leaving behind a vast palace that is deathly silent, reminding her constantly that he is gone but she is still alive, reminding her that there things she needs to finish.

Leaving the palace to walk on the street Xiao Ce had once strolled with her, Chu Qiao sits down at a noodle shop Xiao Ce had taken her to. Mildly surprised when the shop owner warmly greets her and asks “You are here alone? How about the young master? He hasn’t come for a long time.” Caught off guard, Chu Qiao finds herself muttering “He left to go somewhere far.” Nodding, the shop owner asks “When will he be back then?” Her face pale, Chu Qiao answers with some difficulty “He moved far away…so maybe he won’t be back.”

Slowly eating the bowl of noddle the shop owner has set in front of her, Chu Qiao struggles against the churning of her stomach as it tries to adjust the unfamiliar feeling of getting nourishment. Her frown of discomfort turning into a gentle smile when the shop owner’s young daughter comes to her table and starts chattering, Chu Qiao remembers fondly of meeting the young girl the last time she was here with Xiao Ce.

Peering at Chu Qiao, the child offers “Let me tell you a story.”
“I have heard your story before.”
Undeterred, the child insists “It is a new story. I learned it the last last last last month.”
Resigned, Chu Qiao replies “Alright, tell me your story then.”
Taking out a doll from her pouch, the child shows Chu Qiao two exquisitely made dolls, dressed in vibrant color clothes with hand stitches that could rival those from the palace. Pointing to one of the dolls, the child solemnly explains “This is the great king.” The exact same opening as her last story, but with much better props, the girl points to the other doll “This is a little girl.”
In all seriousness, the child continues “One time while on a diplomatic visit to another nation, the great king met this little girl. The little girl is very good at fighting so she beat up the king. The king was very angry at first and was planning on hitting her back but then something happened later that made the king fall in love with her.”

Her story telling skills obviously improved quite a bit since the last time she met our heroine, the child pauses and asks with a smile “Do you want to know what happened?”

Her hands around the chopsticks completely rigid, Chu Qiao nods numbly. Smiling proudly, the child continues “Once they met some baddies but the nice little girl saved the great king many times. So the king thought “This girl is very kind, I am going to marry her!” Unfortunately, the little girl didn’t like the great king, she liked someone else and left with that man. Pulling out another doll from her pouch, an old doll that is wearing clothes so torn that the doll is almost naked, the girl points to the oafish looking doll and continues “But that man was no good. He was overbearing, ugly, poor, and mean. Anway, he is just a jerk. The little girl eventually realized that and left the man.”

Picking up another doll that is also old and pitiful looking, the girl says “The little girl then falls in love with this guy. But this man is no good either. He is cocky, conceited, a bully, and very very ugly. Oh, and I will tell you this in secret, he might actually like men because he is suspiciously close to a prince in his country. Or he might just be crazy.”

Letting out a loud sigh with much feeling, the little girl continues “In the end, the little girl grew up to be a big girl and she finally realized her mistake. So the big girl promptly left that man as well and came back to the great king. The great king is very handsome, rich, kind, a total gentleman and someone with complete devotion. The big girl regrets bitterly and cries loudly that she wants to marry the great king. Feeling bad for the big girl after she refuses to leave his front door proclaiming her earnest desire to marry him, the great king finally agreed with much reluctance.”

Putting the two dumpy dolls back in her pouch so only the two exquisite dolls are left sitting on the table, the child concludes her story with a broad smile “The big girl and the great king got married, lived happily together and had many many kids. Their sons were handsome like the king and the daughters were beautiful like the king too. They had a very blissful life until their hairs were white and all their teeth had fallen out. In the end, the gods in heaven found out about them and decided to make them gods so they could be together forever and ever.”

Her heart filled with sadness and pain, Chu Qiao asks in a voice that doesn’t sound like her own “This story…who told it you?”

Looking at Chu Qiao with wide innocent eyes, the child replies “It’s a young master that comes often to my family’s noodle shop. Do you like the story?”

Walking alone on the street with tears that refuse to stop, Chu Qiao can’t quite figure out if she never knew or just didn’t want to admit that she knew. All her memories with Xiao Ce come flooding back to Chu Qiao, including their conversation one night as they sat together while Xiao Ce is looking through the drawing of all the girls that have a chance of entering his palace that year.

“Xiao Ce, have you ever liked someone?”
“Of course!” With an eyebrow raised, Xiao Ce replies in all seriousness “I really liked the Yu Er last night. Her skin was so silky, especially her long legs, they were like…”
“Stop, stop!” Frowning, Chu Qiao cuts him off and explains “I mean, have you liked….liked…”
Giving Chu Qiao a sideways glare, Xiao Ce says with disdain “You mean the way that Yu Wen Yue jerk likes you?”
Blushing, Chu Qiao retorts huffily “Yes! That’s right! So what?!”
“So what indeed!” Turning to stare at his drawings, Xiao Ce was silence for a long while until he finally says “Mm”
Confused, Chu Qiao asks “What are you making all that noise about?”
Impatient, Xiao Ce says “Didn’t you ask me if I have ever liked someone like Yu Wen Yue does? I am answering you.”
“Eh?! You did? How come I didn’t know?”
Raising his chin to the sky, Xiao Ce retorts “How can the thoughts of a great emperor such as me be so easily known by you. If you could so easily tell, then where is my dignity.”
Her curiosity fully piqued, Chu Qiao asks “Then, that person you like, what is she like?”
“So so.” Xiao Ce describes with a lackadaisical attitude “Her figure was just okay, her temper was bad and most importantly, she liked someone else.”
“Ah?!” Taken aback, Chu Qiao asks “Then why didn’t you tell her?”
Giving Chu Qiao a careless smile, Xiao Ce replies “To like someone is to put her in your heart, why should I say it out loud? And…” Pausing for a bit as an expression of wistfulness crosses his face, Xiao Ce adds “And, maybe I will never have a chance to tell her.”

Staring at Xiao Ce silently, Chu Qiao finds herself wondering, wondering about Princess Fu Er. The princess Fu Er that killed herself for Xiao Ce’s half brother on the day of her wedding to Xiao Ce. Thinking with a sense of pity at that time, Chu Qiao thought to herself “Maybe, maybe Xiao Ce’s personality wouldn’t be so flippant without that experience.”

—————————————————————–1/17/2018——————————————————————–

Walking alone in the night as she listens to the sounds of Xiao Ce’s funeral precession going further and further away, a tear rolls down Chu Qiao’s face as she silently vows “This will be the last tear I shed. From this point on, I will not be the sobbing weakling.” Half of her life spent in endless struggles, she still arrived to this point. Once upon a time she was a woman that has been hurt by love, powerless and trapped…but now, today, that useless woman will die together with this cursed fate.

Led by Sun Di (Xiao Ce’s right hand man and best friend) to the dwelling Xiao Ce had built for her, Chu Qiao looks around at the splendid building filled with exquisite details as a maid informs her “When Miss left that year, the emperor had immediately started building this place for you. After two years, this place is finally finished.”

Following Chu Qiao into a room, Sun Di hands her a royal edict Xiao Ce had drafted. Xiao Ce had intended to make her a princess but due to his inability to think of a title that he would be satisfied with, the matter was delayed…until it was too late.

Holding onto the edict with so much force that her knuckles turned white, Chu Qiao blink back the tears that threaten to come as she looks around a room full of dowery Xiao Ce had prepared for her years ago and says quietly “Since the edict was never made then there is no need to mention this princess business anymore.”

Nodding, Sun Di agrees “Miss is right. The night is late, please get some rest. I will take my leave.”

Walking towards Chu Qiao with a letter in hand after Sun Di leaves, Mei Xiang says with a frown “Miss, Master Wen Yue has sent another letter.”

Something flashes across Chu Qiao’s eyes for a second as she takes the letter but then doesn’t open it even as the damp sweat on her hands start to seep into the envelope.

Her frown deepening, Mei Xiang urges “Miss, this is the 9th letter. If you don’t reply soon, Master Wen Yue will be worried.”

Not saying anything, Chu Qiao sits silently as she stares at the candlelight in front of her.

Xan Bei is at war with Da Xia again. The emperor of Da Xia has been on his sick bed for a long time. Wen Yue and the 7th prince are stretched very thin as their enemies are ready to pounce at the slightest opportunity. The situation couldn’t be more tense and no one can afford to make one wrong move. She knows this. Of course, Wen Yue does too.

Impatient after the long silence from her master, Mei Xiang asks “Miss, what do we do now?”

Turning her gaze slowly to Mei Xiang, Chu Qiao replies with a calm and slow voice “We wait.”

Skipping over the next palace intrigue blah blah…

Long story short: Our heroine waits silently until the power struggle over Xiao Ce’s throne finally settles which of course also reveals the real culprit behind Xiao Ce’s assassination. Her expression impassive when the new emperor bitterly asked “General Chu, why couldn’t this seat be mine? Didn’t Xiao Ce’s family also take this throne from another? So why should they be the rightful owner of the throne and not me? Plus, they owe it me.”, Chu Qiao replies coldly “All that has nothing to do with me. You kill someone I cherished, so now I am going to kill you.” It’s worth noting that the new emperor is actually someone Chu Qiao knew years ago and had even shared some fond memories with but as this story illustrates again and again, the greed for power is a scary thing. 

By the time everything settles down, the new emperor and all that conspired with him killed, Chu Qiao is met with the unwelcome news that Xiao Ce’s young son’s mother had mistakenly killed herself. (she thought the people coming to rescue her were actually there to kill her instead…so she killed herself first…at least that’s what Chu Qiao was told. We will get into what actually happened next week.)

The cries of the fighting slowly fades, Chu Qiao marches out of the palace hall and looks towards the north as she holds her silver sword in one hand and her black robe is soaked with blood. Her stare steady and unwavering like she is looking at someone in the sky, but in the end there was nothing.

Fate is like an unquenchable fire. A fire that tears her apart. All those wonderful hopes and dreams of a future…in the end will die with the fire. Right here, right now, she is going to rid herself all her weakness, empathy, kindness and her yearning for things that are lovely. She will become truly strong. Strong enough to protect everything she cherishes.

“Auntie!”

A small child throws himself into Chu Qiao’s arms as the young emperor raises his tear stained face and cries “Mother died! Auntie, Yi Er’s mother died!”

Looking at the small child that resembles Xiao Ce so much, Chu Qiao kneels down and holds him tightly. This is Xiao Ce’s child, this is Xiao Ce’s empire, this is Xiao Ce’s home. He has protected her for so many years, and now, it is her turn to protect him. “Yi Er, don’t be scared. You still have auntie.”

“Miss.” Mei Xiang calls out as she reveals a baby in her arms. Xiao Ce’s youngest son. (Whose mother is actually the (just killed) new emperor’s sister. A rather tortured soul who loved both her brother and Xiao Ce, but ended up helping her brother in the end so that’s why Chu Qiao ordered her to be killed as well.)

Taking the child from Mei Xiang, Chu Qiao finds herself tearing up as the baby impatiently yaws and looks up at her with his half opened eyes…in a manner that makes him look exactly like his father.

Taking Yi Er’s hand as she walks with the baby still in her arms past all the waiting generals and officials to the golden throne, Chu Qiao stops when the emperor calls out in a timid voice “Auntie! I don’t want to sit there.”

Bending down, Chu Qiao softly touches the boy’s face “Yi Er, that seat is built on the blood and bones of tens of thousands of people. It is your fate. Your father and mother both died for it. This empire weighs on your shoulder as all your ancestors are watching you from above. This is your responsibility. You can’t shun it.”

Scared by Chu Qiao’s words, the emperor grabs her hand and asks “And auntie? Will auntie leave me too?”

Gently helping him to sit on the throne, Chu Qiao says quietly “Auntie will not leave. Auntie will be with you.”

All kneeling down to worship as Chu Qiao turns around, the generals and the officials have no clue if they are hailing towards the young child on the throne…or the young woman who control the armies.

The pieces on the game board have been set, there is no room for regret anymore. Xiao Ce, rest in peace.

——————————————————————1/24/2018——————————————————————-

• • With Xiao Ce’s young son as the emperor, many different political factions eagerly come forward to volunteer themselves as the emperor’s “guardian.” Patiently listing off the vast number of people that are ready to pounce on the young emperor for Chu Qiao, Sun Di paints a clear picture of how dire the situation Xiao Ce’s son is in. Knowing full well what Sun Di is after but also knowing he is telling the truth, Chu Qiao frowns as she dismisses Sun Di. Fully aware what Sun Di wants as well, Mei Xian glares at his departing figure and urges “Miss, don’t listen to him. If it comes down to that, we can just take the little emperor with us when Master Wen Yue comes.” Alarmed by Mei Xiang’s words, the young emperor who had just thrown himself into Chu Qiao’s arms after waking up from a nightmare immediately demands “Where is auntie going?!”
  • In a short conversation Sun Di had with a general we find out Sun Di is actually the one that wrote a letter to push the young emperor’s mother into killing herself. Sun Di has planned carefully to make sure that Chu Qiao would feel like she has no choice but to stay and protect what Xiao Ce had left behind…even if it meant sacrificing her own happiness with our hero. The general had asked if Sun Di’s plan would be too unfair to Chu Qiao but Sun Di just gleefully explains 1. Chu Qiao is perfect because she holds military power but has no desire for the throne. 2. As long as Chu Qiao doesn’t leave with Wen Yue, our hero would keep staying at Da Xia going head to head with Yan Xun’s army. With the two big nations too busy fighting each other, Xiao Ce’s country would have time to recuperate and organize. 3. Because of Wen Yue’s love for Chu Qiao, even if she chooses to stay with the young emperor, Wen Yue would also help her out privately and politically which could only benefit their country. In conclusion, one woman’s happiness is nothing in view of their country’s need. It is important to note that Sun Di also admits that Xiao Ce had already foreseen the trouble his son would have and had several plans to solve them but Sun Di purposefully went against Xiao Ce’s wishes in order to make sure Chu Qiao would be the only mean to save the young emperor. 

• • Sitting in her room with the fearful young emperor asleep on her bed and baby Rong (Xiao Ce’s youngest son who looks a lot like him) also asleep in a bassinet, Chu Qiao holds a stack of unopened letters in her hand. Sitting silently with the letters, Chu Qiao hasn’t moved in full two hours. Sun Di’s words replaying in her mind again and again, Chu Qiao slowly turns around to look at the two sleeping children. This is the thirteenth letter, he must be so anxious. If it wasn’t for the tense situation in Da Xia he probably would be here by now. A faint smile tugging at the corner of Chu Qiao’s mouth as the image of him frowning and glaring at her childishly immediately appearing in her mind. In these letters, what would be in them? Is he angry? Is he resentful? Or is it filled with him nagging with worry? Maybe all of them would be in here but she doesn’t want to read them anymore. This path is so cold, she can’t afford to be distracted by the warmth of fire from elsewhere. She is afraid if she read them then she would lose all the courage to keep going.
  • The warmth in her heart becoming ice cold one degree at a time, Chu Qiao could almost hear his words that one moonlight filled night. “The path is long, perhaps there will still be obstacles ahead. Are you afraid?” The breeze was so gentle as she smiled and answered quietly that she is not afraid. His smile was a rare one that night. No awkwardness, no bickering, no fighting. It was simply a smile straight from his heart as he bent down and gently took her lips in his, a gesture he has dreamt for years. However, this dream died before it even started. Fate has always been unforgiving to her.
  • Yelling “Miss!” when Chu Qiao slowly raises the letter to the candle and allow the fire to consume it, Mei Xiang rushes forward and pushes down the candlestick. Grabbing a silent Chu Qiao by the shoulder, Mei Xiang asks worriedly “Miss! You are not…not thinking of listening to that Sun Di are you?” Nervously grabbing Chu Qiao’s hand when she just stares back with lifeless eyes “Miss, you can’t act foolishly on this. This will affect the rest of your life. The emperor was very good to you but he is not here anymore. You are just a woman. Why should you be responsible for this whole nation?” With her voice shaking with urgency, Mei Xiang continues “Miss! You can’t let Master Wen Yue down again. You can’t agree to this! You can’t act foolishly on this!”
  • A gust of wind suddenly showed up of nowhere and blew the fragments of letters on the ground. In the dim candlelight, a few scraps of paper that have not been completely consumed by the fire can be seen: You must wait for me….Wait for me.
  • Chu Qiao’s eyes become blurry but no tears fell. Her heart hurts with every beat but she can’t seem to find her voice. Sinking to her knees Mei Xiang lets out a sob that wakes the sleeping child who calls out in confusion “Auntie.” Snapping out of her inner turmoil by the child’s voice, Chu Qiao gets up to go to him but is stopped when Mei Xiang grabs her skirt and begs “Miss, why should someone alive live for someone who is dead?” Turning to look at Mei Xiang in a stupor, Chu Qiao’s hand starts to shake unconsciously. With tears covering her face, Mei Xiang continues sorrowfully “Miss, you can’t let Master Wen Yue down again. You can’t. Have you forgotten that song? The moon shines on your soul, urging you to come home? Miss, do you have to lose something in order to know its value? Today, you owe a debt to Emperor Xiao Ce but how do you know you will still have a chance to make it up to Master Wen Yue? The dead has gone their way. Do the living have to live forever in pain and sadness?” Bowing her head to the ground, Mei Xiang begs loudly “Miss, leave with Master Wen Yue. Mei Xiang begs you. Go!”
  • The young emperor suddenly jumps up from the bed, throws himself on Mei Xiang and pushes her over. Like a small animal, the child grabs Mei Xiang with all his might as he yells “Bad person! You are a bad person! You want to take away my auntie! You want my auntie to leave! You are bad!” Quickly hurrying over to hold the young emperor in her arms, Chu Qiao tries to comfort him but the child struggles as he stares at Mei Xiang with hatred, like a cub that has lost its mother. “Bad person! Yi Er has lost my parents already but she wants to take my auntie too. She is a bad person!” The child’s voice like a knife piercing her heart, Chu Qiao could almost feel the blood rushing to her throat. Woken up by the commotion, the baby looks around and begins to howl when he sees his older brother crying. His face suddenly turning cold as ice, the young emperor demands “Who is this Master Wen Yue?!” Running over to Chu Qiao’s bed and drawing out her sword, the young child cries with hatred “I am going to go kill him! He dares to come take my auntie?!” His bravado crumbling into tears once Chu Qiao angrily yells “Yi Er, what are you doing?!” the child cries loudly “Auntie, you don’t want me anymore. I know you are going to leave. You don’t want me. Auntie, don’t leave. Yi Er will grow up quickly and protect auntie like my father. Don’t leave auntie.” Kneeling on the ground as she holds the young emperor tightly, Chu Qiao’s feels like the sorrow in her heart is as deep as the ocean “Auntie is not going to leave. Auntie is not going anywhere.” Her heart sinking as she stares at the crying children and her mistress, a teary Mei Xiang sighs “It’s all fate.”
  • A quick summary of the next bit. Sun Di shows up the next morning and is pleased to see Chu Qiao with her mind made up. Changing the royal edict that was supposed to make Chu Qiao into a princess, Sun Di instead declares that Xiao Ce had decreed Chu Qiao to be his wife three months ago. (The edict had Xiao Ce’s signature from three months ago but quite a bit of it was left blank. Plus because of Chu Qiao’s command over the armies no one dared to challenge Sun Di’s words.) Wanting to settle everything as soon as possible, Sun Di sets the crowning ceremony in three days. With all eyes on the palace, everyone knew that Chu Qiao had accomplished the impossible. A slave to a general and now, she will be the real ruler of a country for at least the next ten years.

• • When Yan Xun found out the news he was at a feast with guests. His man came silently to his side and whispers a few words in Yan Xun’s ear. Surprised when Yan Xun’s expression suddenly darkens and spills his win, Yan Xun’s guest asks “What’s wrong?” Giving his guest a smile, Yan Xun shakes his head “I have been informed that an old horse I have had many years just died. Sorry if I interrupted our festivity.” Replying with a laugh, the guest offers “A horse? Yan Bei is so vast! Once the emperor conquers Da Xia nothing will be out of the emperor’s grasp! But since emperor is obviously a horse lover, I will immediately order my man to bring you a thousand of my best war horses!”
  • That night, Yan Xun climbed to the palace he had built for Chu Qiao and stares at it through blurry eyes. With no one around, Yan Xun allows himself a moment to let his mind wander.

“Ah Chu, Marry me.”
“I will always be good to you.”
“I will always believe you.”
“Ah Chu, once the war is done then let’s get married.”
“Ah Chu, after everything is done we will still be together. Anyone could change but we won’t change. We…won’t change.

• Surprised when a quiet laugh came from the direction of the palace, Yan Xun’s right hand man Feng Zhi turns around but could only smell a faint fragrance of wine. Sighing, Feng Zhi thinks to himself “The emperor never drank but since that person left…wine has become something that is always around.” The wind in Yan Bei has turned cold…winter is almost here again.

 

Hang in there! We should see our hero next week…if I don’t get too wordy. 

——————————————————————-1/31/2018——————————————————————

(I will be translating most of this chapter but will also be skipping over some minor details. For the parts I am just summarizing I will italicize them.)

A palace guard kneels in front of Sun Di and informs him “Master Chu (he means Chu Qiao) and Mei Xiang had an argument last night. The argument woke up the emperor and I heard with my own ears of Master Chu promising the emperor that she will not leave.

Rising an eyebrow, Sun Di asks “Are you sure?”
“Yes, very sure. Mei Xiang cried loudly and the little emperor even pulled out a sword. Master Chu also burned Yu Wen Yue’s letters.”
“What time did Mei Xiang left this morning?”
“She left before dawn. That Duo Ji young man escorted her. Master Chu told her to go back to the town of where their lodge was at.”
Waving the man off, Sun Di calls over a guard and orders “Take some men and find that Mei Xiang maid. If she really is heading back to the town then protect her but if she ends up going somewhere else then you know what to do.”
Pushing open the window after the guard leaves, Sun Di mutters “Let’s hope…everything will go smoothly.”

Except for a stubborn few officials, most of the people have seemed to either accepted Chu Qiao’s rise to power or at least too fearful of her military might to say anything. A bit worried when Chu Qiao’s Xiu Li army promptly throws the stubborn officials into the palace prison, Sun Di could only hope Chu Qiao wouldn’t mistreat the loyal officials since he is still relying on them to rebuild the country once all the dust settles. The night before the crowning ceremony is destined to be a restless one for many. No one knows what will happen after tomorrow. This woman who seems to be connected to the highest power of every country on this land…is she a loyal subject? Or she a thief planning to steal their country?

In contrast to the restlessness outside, inside Xiu Li army’s is a peaceful calm, untouched by the wild speculations.
Sitting in his tent drinking alone, He Xiao (our heroine’s right hand man in Xiu Li army) frowns slightly when a figure completely covered in a dark cloak walks in. The dark figure reveals a small delicate face and smiles “I seem to remember drinking on base is against the rules.”
Ignoring Chu Qiao’s words, He Xiao lowers his head and keeps drinking.
Sitting down across from He Xiao, Chu Qiao looks up at him and asks “You are not planning on inviting me to join in?”
Not angry even when He Xiao just tosses a wine cup over without bothering to pour her a drink, Chu Qiao fills the cup herself and drinks the whole thing in one shot. Frowning slightly, Chu Qiao says “That’s really strong.”
Her expression turning serious when He Xiao still remains silent, Chu Qiao says “Were you planning on never coming to see me if I didn’t come to you first?”
With an eyebrow slightly raised, He Xiao stares at her face for a moment and asks “I am really puzzled how you can still laugh right now?”
“Why not? Compare to what we have been through, isn’t this situation much better?”
Turning his head after staring at her for a few seconds, He Xiao replies “Yes. Much better. All power in your grasp, the throne within reach. It is indeed much better.”
Leaning forward as she stares at He Xiao, Chu Qiao asks coldly “He Xiao, you believe that of me as well?”
Even though the heart understands but the ball of anger refuses to die. He Xiao meets Chu Qiao stare with a trace of anger but in it, there was also the pain for her sake.
Raising herself half way up, Chu Qiao leans close to He Xiao’s ear and whispers a word.
Not registering what Chu Qiao said for a moment, He Xiao’s expression suddenly changes as he raises his head abruptly to stare at the audacious woman in front of him in shock.
A smile still lingering on her lips but Chu Qiao’s next words were more serious and somber than He Xiao has ever heard “He Xiao, are you willing to help me?”
The young general was quiet for a long time until a smile slowly appears on the corner of his lips. Reaching out his hand, just like he did many years ago, He Xiao’s palm meets Chu Qiao’s in mid air and their hands tightly form a fist together.

The night is cold, outside of the capital on an abandoned road a team of horses is charging forward at a breakneck speed. Spotting a figure on a horse charging towards them a short distance away, the leader of the team pulls his horse to a sudden stop. As the horse draws near, the man’s worried expression turns to one of shock, joy and disbelief once he saw who was waiting for him. Jumping off the horseback in one move, the man kneels on the ground and cries “Fourth Master!” (Yeah! Here is our hero as promised. In his family Wen Yue is usually referred to as Fourth Master, so that’s just another way for people to call him.)

The morning of the coronation finally arrives. Dressed in all her finery befitting a marriage to a dead emperor, Chu Qiao stands high above the crowd kneeling in front of her. Looking over the crowd, Chu Qiao could see jealousy, hatred, fear, hesitation, confusion and even a hint of hope but none that could make her feel warm.
The jade stairs under her feet feel cold, the sunlight from the sky also feels like ice.
Rising her head to stare at the towering palace gate, the fiery red metal wall, the high towers, the ancient city that has been through thousands of years is seemingly looking back at her waiting to witness this historical moment.
If she just accepts the royal edict from the old official that is holding it out to her with shaking hands then this land, 1/4 of this land will be in her hand.
At that moment, Chu Qiao suddenly sees those cool yet fervent eyes again and the words he wrote: You must wait for me. You must. Wait for me.

To the north of the palace, outside of the town, a war horse stands by its lonesome at the head of a bridge. A man dressed in a dark robe silently stand alone with eyes without any expression, like the dark abyss of a bottomless lake. A gentle breeze comes by and the string of bells hanging around the man’s neck promptly sounds “Remember, I am waiting for you.”

The sun suddenly broke through the cloud, shedding its rays onto all. Signaling hope and a new beginning.

“Bang!”

A loud sound abruptly comes from the south gate. The sound was so loud that the ground shook underneath it.

A rolling dust of thunder rushing towards the palace, blanketing the heaven as the warning bells ring loudly. A soldier on horse rushes in yelling “King Jin An is attacking with his army! General Xu Su has joined the enemy’s side! ”

In just a single moment, the whole town is in chaos. Rooted to the spot, Sun Di face drains of color in an instant.

Walking down the stair one step at a time, Chu Qiao stops in front of Sun Di until he raises his head to look at her with a dark expression that has a trace of fear in them.

Taking out a slip of paper filled with names of government officials on them, Chu Qiao says “Sun Di, here is the list of officials that have conspired with King Jin An in secret. Please take care of it.”
Numbly taking the paper in hand, Sun Di stares at Chu Qiao with confusion, seemingly just finally clearly seeing the woman in front of him for the first time.
“I will be leading the army to meet King Jin An, so you will be responsible for safeguarding the palace and the safety of the emperor.”
“But we only have 150,000 men and the number on the enemy’s side is…”
Cutting Sun Di off, Chu Qiao says “We still have General Xu Su.”
“General Xu Su…didn’t he?”
“It’s not like this is the first time General Xu Su has done something like this.” (Back when Xiao Ce’s half brother rebelled, I think General Xu Su is the one that pretended to deflect to the half brother’s side.)
Leaving Sun Di staring after her dumbfounded, Chu Qiao tears off her lavish marriage robe to reveal the silver white armor inside then jumps onto a horse He Xiao has brought over and rides off with the rest of Xiu Li army after her.

The permeating feel of lifelessness completely gone from her, Chu Qiao, like a phoenix that has been reborn, rides out of the palace to be greeted by 150,000 soldiers all waiting on her command. With sword in hand, Chu Qiao yells “Open the gate!”

The sight of the massive gate opening slowly and the thunder of the thousands of horses riding out was so beautiful that it moved Sun Di deeply. In this world of chaos, that young woman, is the sword that everyone yarns to possess.

The cold wind blazing past her continually, the words Xiao Ce said comes back to Chu Qiao once again:
“After I die, things will get chaotic. Zhan siblings (the “new” emperor and his sister Chu Qiao killed) are just paper tigers, the Royals (all his relatives) are the real threats. Sun Di has a tendency to be extreme so if something goes weary, you must not listen to him. Take my ring and go meet with General Xu Su. He will listen to you once he sees the ring and the army will listen to you as well. Qiao Qiao, you have had many bonds that held you back in life. I cannot close my eyes in peace if my death becomes another thing that binds you. You, must not let me down.”

As expected, the battle was fierce but of course our heroine was victorious. King Jin An was killed by General Xu Su and the historians record our heroine’s impressive deeds. Two days later, Chu Qiao requests that the imperial edict of marriage to be rescinded and her wish was granted. Because of the great things she has done for the country, Chu Qiao is given the title  King Xiu Li. 

I know, I know. Two extremely short and blurry descriptions of our hero were probably not what you guys are hoping for but trust me (um…for real this time) next week will be great!

—————————————————————–2/7/2018——————————————————————–

Standing in front of the palace door, Chu Qiao in an all white robe stood quietly as the orange hue of the sunset shins its peaceful and calm rays on her. Stepping out of his carriage when he spots Chu Qiao who surprisingly has no trace of the fierceness of the battlefield on her, Sun Di slowly walks towards her. Completely at a loss of words as he stares at the woman who just smiles serenely back at him, Sun Di finally says “Chu Da Ren.” (Da Ren is an honorary reference to those in a higher station or government officials.)

“The soldiers of Xiu Li army has settled down here with their families and children so they are not my personal army anymore. I have entrusted them to Sun Da Ren which means I am no longer their general therefore there is no need to use the Da Ren title with me.”

Chu Qiao’s voice was soft and gentle but after seeing the extent of her true ability first hand Sun Di doesn’t dare to make the mistake of underestimating our heroine like he did before. Nodding, Sun Di replies “Da Ren is right.”

Holding the same slight smile, Chu Qiao continues “The few officials that were imprisoned because of their opposition of me should be freed. The emperor is young, this is the perfect time to collect goodwill. After I am gone, Sun Da Ren must not forget to let those loyal officials out of prison.”

Ever respectful, Sun Di replies “I will remember what Da Ren has said.”

“Sun Da Ren, the words just now were spoken by Qing Xiu Li but now, as Chu Qiao, I have a few more words to say to you.”

Taken aback, Sun Di slowly raises his head to look at Chu Qiao for a moment and finds himself nodding without thinking “Please go ahead.”

“You know as well as I do that the path of an emperor does not allow personal affections. Therefore, whether I am Da Tang’s empress or king of Da Tang (Xiao Ce’s country) it will not influence Da Xia and Yan Bei politically. Once the time is ripened, the war is unavoidable and it will not be affected one bit by personal relationships. Right now, all the internal conflicts in the country might be gone but you must not let down your guard. A war between Da Xia and Yan Bei will happen. Neither you nor I can predict the future, we can just do the best we can to protect Xiao Ce’s bloodline and Da Tang.”

Staring at Chu Qiao with a slight frown and an expression of shame, Sun Di asks “Chu Da Ren, I tried to scheme against you so why would you entrust me with such a great responsibility?”

With a smile, Chu Qiao replies “There are three reasons. The first, both generals that control the armies are completely loyal. You have no military power nor the status of being a royal so even if you tried to rebel you have no chance of succeeding. Second, after going through the two rebellions in such a short time, the people of this land needs a rest and is eager to support their new emperor. Without the support of the common people, you cannot rally them to your cause. As for the third reason…”

Peering at Sun Di with sparkling eyes, Chu Qiao says with a laugh in her voice “I trust you.”

Feeling like his heart suddenly stopped beating, Sun Di stares at Chu Qiao, unable to believe his ears.

“I trust you. Xiao Ce trusted you. Even if your methods are sometimes extreme but you are still the most loyal subject of Da Tang. Before Xiao Ce died he said that you are the best candidate to help govern this nation and I agree with him.”

Taking out two letters to give them over to Sun Di, Chu Qiao continues “These are letters from Da Xia’s seventh prince and King of Qinghai expressing their willingness to be allies with Da Tang. You will have support from them. Ignore the pressure and threats from others. You will have my complete support as well. I trust that you will raise the young emperor to be a great ruler.”

With shaking hands, Sun Di takes the two letters, letters that felt like they weighed as much as mountains. Dropping to his knees, Sun Di kneels in front of Chu Qiao and declares “Da Ren can be at ease. Sun Di will be the young emperor’s most loyal subject. If I let Da Tang down, then I will pay with my life.”

Pulling Sun Di up, Chu Qiao says sincerely “Sun Da Ren, you must not act like this. You are Xiao Ce’s friend and that makes you my friend. He trusted so I trust you as well.”

Standing on the palace wall, Sun Di watches as Chu Qiao rides away with her people and He Xiao. A wisp of a young girl with her whip in hand and white robe swishing in the wind looking like an eagle that has spread its giant wings after breaking off its shackles, Sun Di thought “That is an eagle. No one can snap her wings. Unless she chooses to, no one can force her to stay.” At that moment, Sun Di suddenly understood his best friend’s stubborn persistence through all those years.

Taking a deep breath as he raises his head to the heaven, Sun Di can almost see his incorrigible best friend’s careless smile as he leans close and asks “Can you guess if Hu Da Ren’s third daughter’s skin on her body is as white as her face?”

———-I am the line for changing scenes – to the bridge outside of the capital—————

Sitting high on his horse, Yu Wen Yue looks up as his man informs him “Master, Miss Chu is here.”

Jumping up in a joy when she finally spots the smiling young woman speeding towards them, Mei Xiang runs forward to embrace Chu Qiao as she hops off her horse then cries “Miss, I thought you lied to me! I really thought you weren’t going to come!”

A joyous reunion ensues as Chu Qiao’s kids happily greet each other and Ping An loudly describes the big battle he saw. He Xiao has no family in Da Tang so he came with Chu Qiao. He Xiao has never met Yue 7 and the others but they have heard plenty about one another so it didn’t take long for them to start chatting in a familiar manner.

The mood was happy and joyous…except for the stony faced of certain someone who is grinding his teeth and glaring at Chu Qiao as Mei Xiang fusses over her.

Finally pulled away from the warm reunion by the laser sharp glare, Chu Qiao puts on her big smile and walks towards Wen Yue but immediately holds up her hands as she yells loudly “I surrender! This is the last time! I promise!”

Reaching out his hand with full of intention of teaching her a lesson but Wen Yue’s hand ends up waving around uselessly as Chu Qiao waits with her neck tugged and eyes closed. Opening her eyes when Wen Yue says in frustration “Why aren’t you hitting back?” Chu Qiao, looking very pitiful, pouts “I am just trying to admit my mistakes…”

“So you knew you were wrong?” Glaring at Chu Qiao, Wen Yue ignores all the onlookers that are eagerly watching them and reaches out a hand to pinch Chu Qiao’s cheek “Ignore my letters?! You sure have grown in abilities!”

Protesting with a innocent expression, Chu Qiao replies “I didn’t have time to write back!”

“You didn’t have to write back but you had the time to burn my letters?”

Raising her head, Chu Qiao tries to defend herself again “I had to make it look real! Sun Di would not have believed if I didn’t do that. And if Sun Di didn’t believe then the rebels would not have too.”

Not convinced, Wen Yue continues to glare at her and demands “So you fooled Mei Xiang as well? Are you sure you weren’t really planning on following through with it? Are you sure your conscious didn’t make you change your mind at the last moment?”

Protesting loudly like she has been sorely wronged, Chu Qiao cries “How could that be?! Am I a person that is so fickle?!” Turning around to seek some support for her claim but instead Chu Qiao found her own people were all nodding, expressing in unison “Yap, no doubt about it. Fickle, that’s who are you!” Tossing the disloyal bunch a glare, Chu Qiao promptly turns around and proclaims “Don’t believe them. Back in the day, I was always the firmest out of my whole squadron.”

 

Snorting in disgust, Wen Yue replies “Well, is good that you knew what was for the best…or else I would’ve taken my army and wiped out Xiao Ce’s palace. Let’s see who else you can be the empress for then.”

Yeah…right…. whispering in her heart but knowing better to say her doubts out loud, Chu Qiao quickly adds “Of course! Would I do such a thing? I always keep my promise!”

Raising his head proudly, our hero’s bristling feathers were finally soothed.

Lots of sweet scenes coming up next week! By the way, while I really have no intention of making novel translation a regular part of my blog but there is one more novel I am really itching to translate and that’s The Journey of Flower (2015, Zhao Liying and Wallace Huo as leads). The reason I started translating Princess Agent was because 1. The novel’s ending was MUCH better than the show’s ending. 2. The novel did a better job telling the story than the tv show. (That’s why as much as I loved Lost Love In Time I had no desire to translate it since the TV show was actually MUCH better than the novel.) 3. I think it is necessary to have the novel’s additional details to truly see the growth of our leads and why they are perfect for one another.

The Journey of Flower pretty much had the same thing as Princess Agent. The ending in The Journey of Flower was not the same as the novel. In fact, I personally thought what happened AFTER our heroine died was the BEST part and my favorite parts of the story. In the tv show our hero really didn’t have the time to redeem himself but in the novel, the author raked him over the coals to the point as a reader you finally see why he is deserving of our heroine’s love. So here is the question: Do you guys even remember Journey of Flower and would you be interested in reading the real ending? If I do it, it would start from the big battle where our hero “kills” our heroine. The rest of the story is longer than you would expect so it probably would be about the length of Princess Agents translation. 

—————————————————————2/14/2018———————————————————————

“Waah!!!!”
Turning in surprise when a loud cry comes from the direction of Chu Qiao’s carriage, Wen Yue watches with confusion as Chu Qiao quickly runs over and started to skillfully comfort a 4 or 5 month old baby.
His expression dark, Wen Yue demands “What is this?”
Give him a look of bewilderment, Chu Qiao answer honestly “A child.”
“I know!” Taking a deep breath, Wen Yue asks angrily “Whose child?”
Realizing she hasn’t explained about the baby, Chu Qiao replies “This is Xiao Ce’s third son, Qing Rong. Before Xiao Ce died, he asked me to take care of him. Worried that this child might be persecuted in the palace after he grows up, Xiao Ce asked me to take him out of the palace.
“Xiao Ce’s son?” Wen Yue frowns as he peers at the baby who is pouting as his little shiny black eyes darts all over looking just like his dad. Feeling somewhat down, Wen Yue is about to say something when the baby spots him and promptly lets out an earth-shattering cry.
“What? Why is he crying?” Chu Qiao wonders out loud as Mei Xiang rushes over asking “Is the baby hungry?”
Informed the baby just ate, Mei Xiang checks the baby’s diaper but it was dry as well. A light bulb suddenly goes off in Chu Qiao’s head, she turns to Wen Yue and says “It might be because the baby dislikes you.”
His expression immediately darkening, Wen Yue demands “Why would he dislike me?”
Still thinking she might be onto something, Chu Qiao suggests “Why don’t you try walking off a bit?”
Unable to accept Chu Qiao’s suggestion, Wen Yue frowns “Whatever for? Is not like I hit him or something.”
Patiently, Chu Qiao explains “Some people are just not likable maybe you are one of those people.”
Ever helpful, Qing Qing (one of the three kids) adds “Yeah, brother in law. Maybe Rong Er is afraid of you. Just try going off a short distance away.”

“Why would that be?” the ever loyal Yue 7 protests in a small voice “Master actually looks pretty easy going, gentle…” Unfortunately, even Yue 7 himself couldn’t convince himself as his voice trails off.
Finally, Wen Yue gives in to the pressure and walks off only to be reward by the immediate cessation of the earth shattering cry. Still hiccuping a bit because of how hard he was crying, baby Qing Rong nonetheless starts to show some sign of a smile. A burst of laughter follows shortly after when Baby Qing Rong accidentally hits himself with Yue 7’s sword’s hilt then angrily seeking revenge by knawing on Yue 7’s shoulder.
Sitting far away on a rock, Wen Yue glares at the joyous group and complains silently “Punk kid, just like his father!”
Running over to sit down right next to him, Chu Qiao links her arm through Wen Yue’s, rests her face against his shoulder and lets out a long sigh “It’s finally over!”
“Tired?”
“I am okay.” Closing her eyes, Chu Qiao adds “I was just afraid you would be worried so I kept telling myself to go faster.”
Still holding on to his grudge, Wen Yue presses “Why didn’t you read my letters?”
“I didn’t know if I would succeed.” Raising her head slightly, Chu Qiao gives Wen Yue a smile “At that time I didn’t have the confidence. I was afraid I would fail, I would die. I was afraid if I read your letter I would lose any courage I had to keep going.”

Giving Wen Yue a rare carefree smile, Chu Qiao adds “You are my weakness…you would take away my will to be strong.”
His face softening, Wen Yue wraps his arms around Chu Qiao’s waist and whispers “With me by your side you don’t have to be strong” then promptly leans down for a kiss.
“Ahh!!!! I am covering my eyes!” comes Qing Qing’s yell.
The wind softly breezes by the little bell setting off the whispering voice “Remember, I am waiting for you. I am waiting for you. I am waiting for you. I will wait for you forever.”
“Yu Wen Yue, why didn’t you come into town? My gown at the coronation was really pretty!”
“I will get you an even prettier one in the future!”
“You better keep your word.”
“Of course.”
“Yeah!”

————————————————————————–2/21/2018———————————————————–

(Sorry this was late. Guess who sat straight up in bed at midnight after realizing she forgot to post…)

Chu Qiao has never seen Wen Yue slept like this. He started sleeping the moment they boarded the boat and has yet opened his eyes after a day and a night. Staring at Wen Yue who didn’t even stir when she walked into his room, Chu Qiao thought about what Yue 7 said.  According to Yue 7, Wen Yue didn’t get one good night of sleep ever since they started on their journey to come see her. Wen Yue’s health is actually not very good. She has seen Wen Yue secretly taking some sort of black pills but every time she tried to ask Yue 7 about them he would make some excuses. Eventually, it was Duo Ji who has some medical knowledge ends up telling Chu Qiao that his guess is that Wen Yue is suffering from over exhaustion and the after effects of being in the extreme cold.

Over exhaustion and extreme cold….

Resting her chin on her hands as she looks out the window while the boat smoothly glides on the water, Chu Qiao remembers back to the time when she was a fugitive hiding from the soldiers sent out by Princess Chun Er (That’s the princess that was in love with Yan Xun.) At that time, Xiao Ce was still alive and well, enjoying himself as the lavish crown prince. Master Wu and Miss Yu were still working hard to realize their dreams. Yan Xun was still her cherished childhood friend and love. As for her, she was full of hope and believed that she could change this world with the help of her friends. However, in the end, time is still the most ruthless weapon. Xiao Ce is gone. Master Wu killed. Miss Yu died in her arms. The friends she trusted were not as loyal as she thought. Faced with power and greed many people left her one by one…like Yan Xun who also chose a different path until they are complete strangers. All their dreams have turned to dust blowing into the wind seemingly jeering at their promises of the past. True, who can stay the same forever. Even herself is no longer the same.

Turning her head to look at the sleeping Wen Yue who is frowning even in his sleep, Chu Qiao thought “They all say that people who have thin lips are heartless but only him…he is so persistent, unrelenting and stubborn.”

Wen Yue had asked if she had always planned to leave Da Tang or only changed her mind at the last moment. To be honest, even now she really doesn’t know the answer. A person’s heart is a complex thing. When you are faced with a decision you might have tens or hundreds of thoughts but then you might suddenly change your mind after you thought you had already made up your mind.

She did change after all. The Chu Qiao in the past would’ve stayed in Da Tang. Even if she didn’t marry Xiao Ce she would’ve stayed on to watch over his child. But after experiencing so much she has developed her own greed, and have things she can’t let go of anymore. She heard from Da Tang’s palace physician that Xiao Ce’s father had also died by Xiao Ce’s mother’s hand. All these years she had tried everything to kill the old emperor and had almost succeeded a few times but the old emperor had continued to protect her. In retaliation, the old emperor had tried threats and everything else he can think of but eventually, the old emperor just sent away all his concubines and kept only her. Seemingly touched by his action, she has gave the old emperor happiness the last few years of his life. However, at the end, the old emperor still died by her hand because he mistakenly tasted her medicine. It was at that point the old emperor finally realized that she had wanted to die all along. In all those years, every meal she ate was poisoned. Taking antidotes beforehand, she was willing to slowly destroy her body with various poisons just in hopes that one day he would let down his guard enough for her to poison him. The old emperor eventually died by the hand of the woman he loved the most. Even though he had guarded against her all his life but in the end he could not outlast her persistence. Unable to bring himself to kill her even on his deathbed, the old emperor sent her away and forbid her to ever enter the palace again. Everyone thought the old emperor and the empress was the symbol of the greatest love but no one knew that the old emperor is just trying to protect his only son. The old empress killed herself after finding out Xiao Ce’s death. Chu Qiao has no way of guessing what she must’ve felt. Did she feel the joy of finally getting her revenge or was it bitter regret? Because of what happened all those years ago, she killed the two men that loved her the most. At the last moment of her life did she laugh in relief? Perhaps not. After all, while she avenged one husband and one son’s death she also killed another husband and son at the same time.

Chu Qiao has no idea what happened all those years ago and she can’t understand how someone’s hatred could be so fierce but she sometimes wonders if the old empress harbors a sliver of motherly love deep down in her heart. She still remembers that one sunny after when that kind faced old woman told her “Ah…really. If you have time, will you talk some sense into him? He is the crown prince after all, he can’t just keep living like that.” But her other son’s death eventually wiped out any flicker of love and she was consumed by the devil that is the palace.

With Xiao Ce’s death, chaos ensued but Chu Qiao was able to use it as an opportunity to get rid of all those that had their eyes on the throne and made sure that the young emperor would have at least 20 years of clam…more importantly, 20 years for him to grow up. Perhaps she did have plans to stay afterward but that night, Qing Qing had brought her two yams Wen Yue had sent from Qinghai. Holding the cooked yams in her hands, Qing Qing was muttering as she carefully peeled away the skin “Qinghai must be really cold. Why is the skin so thick on these?” Her heart suddenly started to ache, Chu Qiao mind immediately brought back the image of that freezing lake water and Wen Yue’s pale face as he wrote again and again: Live….Live….

The human heart is such a complex thing. Out of the hundreds and thousands of thoughts she could only pick one. No matter if she will regret it later but at least for now, she followed her own heart.

Startled by sounds of rustling, Chu Qiao looks up to find Wen Yue had already woken up while she was lost in thought. Walking over with a glass of water when Wen Yue bids her to come, Chu Qiao asks “Did you sleep well?”
Taking a sip, Wen Yue replies “Yes…if someone didn’t sneak into my room and act all sad it probably would’ve been better.”
Embarrassed, Chu Qiao sneaks a glance at Wen Yue and asks “Hungry?’
Nodding, Wen Yue answers “I was a bit ago but I am alright now.”
Standing up right away, Chu Qiao says with concern “You have slept a day and night without food so of course you would be hungry. I will go and tell the kitchen to make you some food.”
“No need” Reaching out to grab Chu Qiao’s hand Wen Yue urges “Sit with me for a moment.”
Taking a smiling Chu Qiao’s hand in his in a matter of course manner, Wen Yue asks “You were lost in thought for a long time. What were you thinking about?”
With a slight shake of her head, Chu Qiao says “Nothing really. Just this and that.”
With a hint of a smile, and still looking as cool as ever, Wen Yue says nonchalantly “I have nothing to do right now, so I might as well listen to your this and that.”
Hiding a mischievousness glint with a frown, Chu Qiao looks into Wen Yue’s eyes and says slowly “I have made many mistakes in the past. I neglected and have committed many wrongs against someone. Whenever I think of that it made me feel so guilty towards him.”
Taken aback that Chu Qiao would bring up something like this right then, Wen Yue’s bright eyes bore into hers as his expression turns serious.
Chu Qiao continues “He has always been extremely good to me but I took him for granted, selfishly accepting his warmth and help. He has saved me many times. All these years no matter what kind of desperate situations I was in, he has never given up on me and stayed by my side no matter what. He gave me hope when there was none and asked for nothing in return, yet I have never thought of giving back but had instead continued to ignore him again and again.”
The hint of a smile turning into a wide grin as he keeps his eyes on Chu Qiao, Wen Yue softly rub her fingers with his callus palm and says “Since you know to feel bad now, then there is still time to pay him back.”
Raising her innocent watery eyes to Wen Yue, Chu Qiao mutters “But I am afraid he will blame me.”
Touched by Chu Qiao’s words, Wen Yue caress her face gently and laughs “Who would have the heart to blame you?”
Her eyes wide, Chu Qiao asks with a sly smile “Really? You don’t think He Xiao will blame me? He has followed me for so many years but I have even abandoned him before. He is almost thirty and still single…”
Unable to hold off the laughter bubbling up the more she talks, Chu Qiao finally lets out a giggle. Realizing belatedly that he has been fooled, Wen Yue pulls Chu Qiao into his arms, with a hand on her chin, Wen Yue demands “Oh, you dare to fool me?”
Still laughing, Chu Qiao retorts “Because you are full of yourself!”
—————————————————————-2/28/2018——————————————————————–
Narrowing his eyes with the dangerous wolfish smile, Wen Yue leans forward and asks “Whose girl is this? What family would raise a girl to be this daring?”
Replying with a laugh, Chu Qiao says “Whose house? Wasn’t it this Master Wen Yue’s? Did you forget that you were even the one that volunteered to teach me to write?”
“Oh?” Drawing out the sound meaningfully, Wen Yue nods “I actually forgot about that. I guess we will have to set some rules now in case you start getting carried away.”

Leaning forward suddenly, Wen Yue’s fervent lips take Chu Qiao’s in one flash. Feeling the arms around her waist tightening unyieldingly, Chu Qiao’s cool lips feel like they are burning as an irresistible force parts them. Narrowing his eyes, Wen Yue kisses Chu Qiao again when she lets out a yelp of surprise as he unexpectedly presses her against the bed, then asks “Do you understand now?”
Giving Wen Yue a scowl, Chu Qiao touches her swollen lips and asks “This is your house punishment?”
Raising his chin to the air, Wen Yue grins “Nope, there is something else that is more intense. Would you like to try it?”
Narrowing her own eyes, Chu Qiao stares at the gloating man in front of her and suddenly leans forward and sticks out her tongue and licks Wen Yue’s lips in one move. Not giving our very surprised hero the time to respond, Chu Qiao bites down hard on Wen Yue’s chin. Ignoring Wen Yue’s grunt of surprise, Chu Qiao raises her fist threatening “Humph, don’t think I am scared of you!”
Gingerly touching his own chin, Wen Yue could see that Chu Qiao’s attack didn’t draw blood but did leave a small print of teeth marks. Flexing his wrist in a sinister manner, Wen Yue says slowly “You wench, you have grown wild these last few years. I am going to have to be a better teacher…”
Jumping promptly out of Wen Yue’s reach, Chu Qiao laughs as she runs to the door “Am I dumb? Bye bye!”
Pulling open the door in one swift moment, Chu Qiao, our heroine who had commended tens and thousands of men promptly turns red with embarrassment when Qing Qing and a slew of people come tumbling into the door accompanied by yelps of “Ouch!” and awkward greetings. Her embarrassment quickly turning to anger when she looks up to see Yue 7 as well, Chu Qiao yells “Yue 7! You are running wild with them too?!”

“Ha…um…I was just passing by…just thought I would stop to tell you guys it’s time for dinner…” Putting on his innocent expression, Yue 7 laughingly assures “You two can keep going.  Don’t mind me.” Making a quick escape, Yue 7 runs off as he yells over his shoulder “Master! Fighting!”

With a big grin Qing Qing runs over and calls out “Brother-in-law!” His mood instantly lifted, Wen Yue pulls out a small elegant dagger with two red jewels on it and gives it to his future sister in law.  Seeing how well Qing Qing’s smooth tongue worked, Ping An follows suit and got a promise from Wen Yue that he could have his pick of Wen Yue’s horse when they get back on land.

Her eyes blazing with ire as she watches the two kids gleefully yells “Brother-in-law is the best!”, Chu Qiao silently complains “Who in the heaven said Yu Wen Yue is stoic and doesn’t understand the art of getting chummy with palace officials? The guy is obviously an expert at getting people on his side!”

After dinner, Chu Qiao sits by the window and thought about how fast time has gone. In a flash, she has spent 14 summers in this place. Anymore, when she thinks back to her previous life she can no longer tell if she is a time traveler from the modern time or is she just someone in this time period that possesses memories from the modern time. Her past seems like a dream that came and left like a whirlwind.

If she could get a second chance at life after dying, then could Xiao Ce continue his life in another time? Would Mr. Wu, Miss Yu, and everyone else…would they meet again? If so, would they still remember one another? And Jing Zi Su (that’s her oldest sister in this time period. The one that died after being sent to that pervert guy.)…perhaps she can live in a world with law, where she can finally live in peace and happiness.

Her mind wandering aimlessly as she looks up at the sunset, Chu Qiao could almost see Xiao Ce narrowing his eyes at her as he laughingly says “You got to eat more meat! Your figure is terrible.”

“What are you thinking about?”

Turning around when Wen Yue’s voice suddenly sounds from behind her, Chu Qiao stares at our hero who has an ordinary purple robe on but of course paired with Wen Yue’s unique aura, the robe becomes an elegance that adds to his already good looks.

His brows knitted into a frown when Chu Qiao just simply stares at him without saying anything, Wen Yue asks with some awkwardness “What are you looking at, silly?”

I know I know, it’s on the shorter side this week but I need it to cut off here to set up for next week. At least we have a kiss right? 

———————————————————————–3/7/2018—————————————————————

Sitting down next to Chu Qiao, Wen Yue asks “Xing Er, Why did you change your name to Chu Qiao?” (The body Chu Qiao took over was Jing Yue Er’s. When Chu Qiao became Wen Yue’s maid he changed her name to Xing Er (Star). After our heroine left, she changed her name back to Chu Qiao.)
With a laugh, Chu Qiao replies “That’s because I was never Jing Yue Er. My name was Chu Qiao but I died then…um…how should I say…as you guys would say, my soul took over Jing Yue Er’s body. After I made my escape (from his house), I changed my name back.”
Taken aback by Chu Qiao’s surprising answer, Wen Yue sat stunned for a moment then finally mutters “The very first time we met?”
“That was when I just took over this body and was getting ready to make my escape.”
Nodding, Wen Yue quickly becomes lost in thought, seemingly pondering the possibility of the truth in Chu Qiao’s words.
Chu Qiao’s turn to be surprised, she asks “Hey, you actually believe me?” After all, no one would believe something so ridiculous right? One time back when she was little and Yan Xun was still a young lad she had told her story to him. Yan Xun had thought she must’ve been hallucinating because of a fever or something and promptly forced her to drink a bowl of medicine. After that incident, she never bothered to say anything more.
“I believe you.”
“Eh?”

Giving our stunned heroine a strange look, Wen Yue explains “Why wouldn’t I believe you. I have dug into your past. According to my reports, they all say that you had a sudden change of personality after that hunt. (Remember the human hunt from the first episode?) I had assumed you must have changed because of the traumatic experience but your explanation actually makes more sense.”
Nodding in an enigmatic manner as he accepts Chu Qiao’s seemingly fantastical explanation, Wen Yue continues “So that was it. I had always thought it to be strange how an eight year old girl could be so calculating but of course you were never an eight year old child. By the way, you weren’t by chance really old when you died?”
Having a bit of trouble keeping up with Wen Yue’s random train of thoughts, Chu Qiao blinks a few times then replies “I was about twenty seven at the time.”
With a frown, Wen Yue asks sullenly “Twenty seven? That’s pretty old. You were already married then? Did you have children?”
“No” Answering honestly, Chu Qiao explains “Over there, twenty seven is not old at all. We get married a lot later.”
“Where was your hometown? Da Xia? Wait, you seemed rather attached to Yan Bei. You are not from there are you?” Scared by his own speculations, Wen Yue asks nervously “You are not Yan Xun’s mother right? Wait, the timeline doesn’t match, I think she was older.”
Astounded by Wen Yue’s quantum leap of logic, Chu Qiao tries to explain “Over where I was from…that’s another world. It’s not the same world as this one or in the same space. The two world are parallel not only in space but time as well. There is no way for the two worlds to meet. Do you understand?”
Staring at our heroine who is struggling to find a way to explain, Wen Yue asks “So, if we are like an apple tree, we are the leaves in the spring and you guys are the fruits in the fall?”
Pleasantly surprised by Wen Yue’s analogy, Chu Qiao quickly explains “You are half right because we are not only separated by time but space as well. Do you understand? Space is…. is…”
“Oh.” Nodding casually, Wen Yue adds “We are the apple in the spring. You guys are the oranges in the fall. Right?”
Dazed, Chu Qiao was at a loss for words for a long moment before finally nodding “Yes.”
Thoroughly impressed as she stares at our hero turning around to look out the window, his figure shrouded in the glorious glow of sunset, Chu Qiao proudly muses to herself “See! What wisdom! So calm and without curiosity. Here is a man that is nothing like those country bumpkin characters in those cheesy time traveling novels who ask ignorant questions such as “What do people over there look like?” or “How many eyes do you guys have?” or “Are you guys like beasts with fur on your body?” Here is a man that is truly cool and collected no matter what’s in front of him, here is a man that is the example of unmovable….”
“What do people over there look like?”
Chu Qiao: “….”
“How many eyes do people over there have?”
Seemingly finally coming around to all the possibilities, a certain someone doesn’t notice our heroine’s disillusioned expression and asks with brimming curiosity “Are people over there like beats with furs? I have seen people like that. Their behavior was quite strange. Are you guys related to them?”
Taking a deep breath, Chu Qiao embarks on a long journey of introducing Wen Yue to her world.
By the time Chu Qiao is done, the moon is high in the sky shedding its rays on the gentle water.
Suddenly in the mood to wax poetic, Chu Qiao recites with feeling “The sea reveals the moon, yearning for friends afar.”
Bursting Chu Qiao’s poetic flair, Wen Yue dryly points out “Your poem doesn’t really match the scenery. This is a river, not a sea.”
With a frown, Chu Qiao says “Then the river reveals the moon.”
Narrowing his eyes, Wen Yue asks “This is not your poem is it? You stole it from someone else from your world?”
Red with embarrassment, Chu Qiao thought “See! No good can come from telling the truth!”
“Xing Er” Suddenly calling Chu Qiao’s name after a long moment of silence, Wen Yue says without any preamble “I don’t care who you are.”
Confused at first, Chu Qiao quickly figures out Wen Yue’s meaning once she thought about it. Smiling, Chu Qiao nods “I know, I am your Xing Er no matter what.”
Physically shaken by Chu Qiao’s words, Wen Yue’s turns his bright eyes on her. A bit rueful of her words the moment it slipped out, a blushing Chu Qiao tries to look away but Wen Yue tips her chin up with his two fingers with a practiced ease and demands with a smile “Say it again.”
Averting her eyes, our heroine tries to play ignorance “Say what?”
With eyes burning bright, a very determined Wen Yue repeats “Say what you just said.”
Filled with a sudden courage, Chu Qiao declares “I am yours. Then you will be mine. In my life, everything can be sacrificed or given away except two things. There are two things I will never compromise on no matter what the circumstance is. First, my belief and principles. Second, my marriage and body. If you want all of me then you have to give me all of you.”
Raising an eyebrow, Wen Yue asks suggestively “All of it?”
Pushing Wen Yue’s shoulder, Chu Qiao complains “Go away!”
Suddenly wrapping his arms around her tightly, Wen Yue whispers “Xing Er. I am happy. I am really happy.”
Nestling in Wen Yue’s embrace, Chu Qiao feels more peaceful than she had ever felt. Turning around to put her own arms around Wen Yue, Chu Qiao whispers “Let’s not be apart anymore.”
Looking down, Wen Yue asks “Are you not scared of going with me to Da Xia?”
“I am more afraid of being apart from you. Every time we are apart, something happens. Like this time…I almost couldn’t come back to you.”
She didn’t think much of it at the time, but things were truly desperate this time and it makes her heart shake with fear just remembering the last big battle. One small mistake and all would’ve been lost.
Tightening his arms around Chu Qiao, Wen Yue assures her “You don’t have to be scared anymore.”

After returning to his room, Wen Yue sat on his bed thinking for a long time. Chu Qiao is right. It’s time for him to find the right moment for the two of them to finally give each other everything.
Yes…that’s a great idea. Things get complicated the longer it drags, more chances for something to go awry. A man has to cut right to the chase. It’s time to reveal everything…all of it…completely.

Standing up suddenly, Wen Yue circles his room twice and decides that middle of the night or not, today is the perfect time.

——————————————————3/14/2018——————————————————————————-
Wen Yue has always been a person who is unmovable once he makes up his mind. No matter what happens, he will follow his plan one step at a time until he accomplishes his goal. Sitting down in front of the mirror after taking a bath, our hero is quite satisfied with the handsome image staring back at him. Feeling an uncharacteristic nervousness, Wen Yue slowly sips a cup of tea as he carefully plans out what he is going to say and do. Every detail, from what she will say to how he is going to create the right ambiance, our hero is determined to take charge and make sure everything goes smoothly.

As ready as he will ever be, Wen Yue puts down his cup of tea, stands up, reaches for the door handle… only to step back in when the door is suddenly pushed open.

Wearing a creamy white dress, Chu Qiao stands in the hallway holding a steaming bowl of rice porridge. Looking up at Wen Yue with a puzzled expression, Chu Qiao asks “Why are you all dressed up at this time of the night?”

A bit surprised by the sudden change to his plan but as one who is quick on his feet, Wen Yue promptly answers “I slept too much during the day so I can’t sleep right now.”

Walking into Wen Yue’s room and putting the porridge on the table, Chu Qiao warns “It’s getting cold, especially at night, so don’t go wondering around too much. I saw that you didn’t eat much before so come have some porridge.”

Giving Chu Qiao an offended expression when he walks over and sees the rather plain looking porridge, Wen Yue complains “It’s so like you to fool me with these kinds of food.”

Glaring at Wen Yue, Chu Qiao replies “You should just be grateful for food. Stop being so picky!”
Stunned after Chu Qiao just pats him on the head like she would of a puppy then walks off, Wen Yue is rendered speechless. What happened? His plan was interrupted, his prey delivered herself to his doorstep but he just lets her walk off like that?!
Who has time for porridge?!
Marching out of his room, Wen Yue walks along the narrow ship corridor slowly until he reaches Chu Qiao’s room where her soft singing voice comes from the open doorway.
Under the candle lights, Chu Qiao is kneeling by a wooden tub attempting to give Xiao Ce’s youngest son, Rong Er, a bath. Despite his young age, fat baby Rong Er looks a lot like his father, with the same foxy eyes that disappears into a thin line whenever he smiles.
Sitting in the wooden tub, baby Rong Er is shaking a set of tiny bells with one hand while splashing the water with the other. Giggling and clapping his hand in joy each time Chu Qiao has to dodge the onslaught of water, the baby seemingly has no intention of cutting short of his fun even as Chu Qiao pleas “Rong Er, be good. Stop messing around.” Our heroine’s valiant effort to communicate with a baby didn’t go well as Rong Er’s short fat legs begin to kick wildly, splashing even more water out of the tub. The upper half of her body soaping wet, Chu Qiao sighs “Can’t you settle down, even your dad wasn’t such a troublemaker. Can you call yourself a prince after acting like this?”
“Bah Bah Da Ah Ah @#$&X*%￥….”
“Oh, talking back now are we?”
“￥#%@&*%￥@#*……”
“Should I sing to you?”
Grabbing the fabric in front of Chu Qiao’s neck as he struggles to get out of the tub, baby Rong Er obviously had no interest in taking a bath nor this singing business.
Unaffected by the baby’s disinterest, Chu Qiao pats the baby on the head and declares “Alright, I am going to sing now, so listen up.”
“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine，
You make me happy when skies are grey。
You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you，
Please don’t take my sunshine away。”

“￥#@%呀&*%￥*&%￥”

The singing was soft and gentle…in complete contrast to what was happening in the room as the baby fiercely tries to climb out of the tub while the woman in front of him holds onto him firmly while still singing softly. The words were strange sounding, similar to baby Rong Er’s babbling but for some reason, Wen Yue could feel the tender emotions in the song, like a loving mother or a lover.
“Bang!” with a loud crashing sound, a naked Rong Er finally escapes from the tub and laughs proudly…looking just like his dad. Dazzled by the baby’s smile that reminds her so much of Xiao Ce for a moment, Chu Qiao glares at the baby then complains “He left but then had to leave something behind to harass me!” Giving Chu Qiao a toothy grin, baby Rong Er proudly shows our heroine his chubby white buttocks as he crawls towards the door. Chu Qiao was about to reach out and grab him but stops when she sees the man leaning casually against the door frame.
At a loss for words as her eyes drinks in the glorious sight of our hero who is staring back at her with a lazy laughter in his eyes, Chu Qiao wonders if she was hypnotized by this man’s beauty.
Raising his head to look at the unexpected intruder in front of him, baby Rong Er turns his head to look at Chu Qiao, then back up at Wen Yue, then finally back at his little bassinet by the bed. After an intense inner battle, baby Rong Er finally releases what sounded like a sigh, tugs Wen Yue’s clothes until he looks down then points at the jade sword that is hanging on his waist. Promptly putting the jade sword in his mouth for his chewing pleasure after Wen Yue hands it over, baby Rong Er crawls to the door next to Chu Qiao’s, sits down, then kicks it mightly with his chubby foot.
A sleepy Mei Xiang opens the door, lets out a happy squeal and promptly picks up the baby. Struck by the strangeness of the situation, Mei Xiang walks out to look towards Chu Qiao’s door then quickly turns beet red when she sees Wen Yue. Giving Wen Yue a “I totally understand” nod, Mei Xiang jumps back into her room with the baby in hand.
The last obstacle finally gone, Wen Yue thought to himself “That little brat is a bit vexing but he sure knows his place when it comes to things such as this, like his father.”
Walking in with a matter of course manner, Wen Yue closes the door, slowly saunters to where Chu Qiao is, extends his hand and asks “Are you not getting up?”
A bit embarrassed, Chu Qiao doesn’t take Wen Yue’s hand but tries to stand up on her own. Her legs going weak suddenly, Chu Qiao lets out a yelp of surprise as she feels herself slipping. When the expected pain never came, Chu Qiao looks up to see Wen Yue has wrapped his arms around her waist so she can feel the heat of his palm through her wet clothes that are completely plastered on her.

Putting her on the bed, Wen Yue wraps Chu Qiao with a blanket and pulls it tight around her. Gently drying Chu Qiao’s hair with a towel, Wen Yue asks “What were you singing?”
Rising his eyebrow slightly when Chu Qiao stays silent, Wen Yue asks “Xing Er?”
“You Are My Sunshine.”
Taken aback for a moment, Wen Yue asks “It’s a language from your home?”
“Em.” Chu Qiao nods honestly.
“Sing it for me.”
Wen Yue’s voice seemingly have a special magic tonight, making her lose her usual desire to bicker with him, Chu Qiao takes two deep breathes and starts to sing in the quiet night.
“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey.”
Leaning her head against his waist as he dries her hair with a towel, Chu Qiao softly sings her favorite song in her past life.
“You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you, please don’t take my sunshine away.”
Skipping over the next little bit where Chu Qiao remembers back to growing up in an orphanage. Our heroine wasn’t an orphan though. She had a very caring grandfather who shaped a lot of her view of the world.

Suddenly reaching out to wrap her arms around Wen Yue’s waist, Chu Qiao hides her face with embarrassment when Wen Yue asks “Xing Er, What does the song say?” Amused by Chu Qiao’s embarrassment, Wen Yue kneels down and says with a smile “It sounded really nice. I liked it very much.”
Too shy to meet Wen Yue’s eyes, Chu Qiao tries to change the topic “Why are you here this late?”
“I kept thinking of a certain someone to the point that I couldn’t sleep.”
Keeping his eyes on Chu Qiao who suddenly lost her ability to speak, Wen Yue continues “That certain someone is very beautiful, very cute, just a bit clumsy though. If I am not diligent on keeping a careful watch then that certain someone would get hurt. That certain someone also gets lost easily or someone is always trying to take them away from me. So even if I am close by, I still can’t rest easy and have to come and make sure with my own eyes.”
Her face flashed, Chu Qiao steals a glance at Wen Yue and whispers “That certain someone is not SO clumsy…”
His eyes bright, Wen Yue laughs “More clumsy for sure! But I have no idea how Xiao Ce could possibly produce such a darling child, one who would make me worry so much.”
Realizing belatedly that she has been fooled, Chu Qiao throws a punch at Wen Yue but he catches her fist easily. Unable to move an inch with her fist firmly in Wen Yue hand, it dawns on Chu Qiao that very moment that she never knew that he was so strong.
Sliding up to Chu Qiao slowly, with dark unreadable emotions swirling in his eyes, Wen Yue whispers into her ears in a deep velvety voice “This is punishment, for being naughty this morning.”

————————————————————3/32/2018————————————————————————

Instantly overcome with nervousness as Wen Yue lowers his head to kiss her, Chu Qiao wonders why even after living two lives, she is still so flustered to the point of not knowing what to do when it comes to him. Carefully opening her eyes to steal a glance when after waiting for a long moment nothing happened, Chu Qiao is rewarded with the sight of a smiling Wen Yue asking with a glint in his eyes “Are you waiting for me to kiss you?”

“Yu Wen Yue!” A huffy Chu Qiao accuses “You are teasing me again!”
Pulling Chu Qiao to him with a sudden move, Wen Yue turns her face, gives her a breathtaking kiss as he tightens his embrace with so much force that her body is seemingly being molded into his. His kiss is cold, her face is burning hot, his breathing is deep and heavy, with his arms tightly around her waist, their body is so close together they could almost feel each other’s beating heart. One beat, two beats, three beats…
“Chu Qiao,” His eyes boring into hers, Wen Yue suddenly calls her name and says “Marry me.”
Thunderstruck, Chu Qiao stares at Wen Yue, opens her mouth but the words refuse to come.
“Xing Er.” Wen Yue calls her name again.
“Um?” Feeling like her head is spinning, Chu Qiao answers.
“I love you.”
Like a bomb has gone off, Chu Qiao could feel her face burning, the temperature of her body rising rapidly, and her thoughts are instantly scattered to the four winds. Staring at Wen Yue like a fool, Chu Qiao presses a hand against her chest because she could feel something like joy is pounding so hard that if she doesn’t press it down it will jump right out of her body.
In a tone that sounds like they are merely discussing someone else’s business, Wen Yue declares “I have loved you for a long time. Do you know that?”
Nodding, Chu Qiao replies “I know.”
His eyes bright with expectation, Wen Yue presses “And you?”
Feeling like she is about to suffocate, Chu Qiao gathers her courage and whispers “Me too.”
Not about to let her off so easily, Wen Yue demands with a smile “You too what?”
Silently wondering why the room on the boat is so small, so hot to the point that she almost can’t breathe anymore as Wen Yue tips her chin up and demands “Say it. You too what?” Chu Qiao closes her hand into a fist and replies “I….I love you too.”
That single phrase, the soft whisper of “I love you too.” breaks through the dark night and lights up the smile on his face. Placing a gentle kiss on her forehead, Wen Yue asks “From when?”
From when?
Our heroine doesn’t know the answer. Was it from the festival? Or was it since the cold freezing lake when he repeatedly told her “Live!” Or maybe it was from a long long time ago. Was it from their accidental meeting when he mistakenly thought she was a “present”? (Remember the bath fight that ended with both of our leads completely stunned once they saw each other’s face?) Or was it one of the many times he rescued her? Or was it even earlier?
“I don’t know.” Smoothing away his grumpy frown, Chu Qiao replies “Maybe it was a long time ago, so long I don’t even know when.”
Settling herself in his embrace, Chu Qiao says softly “Maybe it was a long long time ago. So long ago that I don’t even know or could pinpoint the exact moment.” Leaning into Wen Yue’s embrace, Chu Qiao continues “Maybe it happened many times and slowly accumulated.”

Wrapping his arms around her, Wen Yue laughs “You are so silly. To be honest, I don’t know either.”
Yes, perhaps that was it. Neither of them knew what moment love arrived. The only thing that was clear is that when they finally realized it, it was already firmly rooted.

Feeling her body softening as Wen Yue lowers his head then traces her lips, face, ear, and neck with kisses Chu Qiao finds her strength draining away. His own body burning hot, Wen Yue’s hand dances across Chu Qiao’s body…lighting fire along the way until it incinerates the last of her reasoning.

Yelping in surprise when her world suddenly turned sideways and she is pressed into the bed, Chu Qiao looks up to see Wen Yue frowning slightly, seemingly deep in thought. Unable to suppress the jerk of electrifying charge that shakes her body when Wen Yue’s lips draw her ear lob in, Chu Qiao instinctively grabs her shirt in shock once her bare shoulder feels the cold air. Embarrassed to hear Wen Yue’s amused chuckle and his question of “Feeling shy?”, Chu Qiao struggles to free her hand then looks at him pitifully and mutters “The lights…”

With a silent but happy grin, Wen Yue wraps his arm around Chu Qiao’s waist and whispers into her ear “Don’t be scared.”

Her breath caught as Wen Yue gently reveals her soft milky skin, Chu Qiao presser her face against Wen Yue’s shoulder but stiffens when she sees the grisly looking scar. Noticing Chu Qiao’s reaction immediately, Wen Yue covers her eyes with his hand and mutters “Don’t look.” Pushing away his hand with her own shaking hand, Chu Qiao’s tears wash over the ugly scar as she cries silently. Wordlessly, Wen Yue pulls Chu Qiao into his arms as she cries.
Chu Qiao had vowed on the day of Xiao Ce’s funeral that she would never cry again…but at this moment, seeing the scar on him, seeing the spot where he was pierced through by her, she just can’t control the overwhelming sadness. Holding Wen Yue with a deathly grip, Chu Qiao is suddenly beset with the irrational fear that if she let go then he would simply disappear…just like that time in the freezing lake, she had let go then she couldn’t find him anymore.
“Yu Wen Yue, I am sorry.”
“My silly girl.” Wen Yue places a soft kiss on Chu Qiao’s head and smiles “I am disfigured because of you so you have to take responsibility for me!”
Through her tears, Chu Qiao retorts “The scar…is on the shoulder, so…that doesn’t count as…disfigurement.”
With a deep throaty laugh, Wen Yue gently kisses away the tears on Chu Qiao’s face and mutters “I don’t care. You have to take responsibility for me.”
Wen Yue’s arms around Chu Qiao was so forceful that it almost hurt but Chu Qiao didn’t care because she was washed over with joy and happiness. How great is it that a day like today can still exist. Once upon a time she had thought everything had disappeared. She had thought that any possibility of happiness was buried in that cold freezing lake with no chance of redemption.
The wind has stopped blowing and time has seemingly stopped as well, leaving them immersed in each other. When the pain came, Chu Qiao couldn’t help but let a moan escape her lips as the spots of blood dotted her thighs. His movement stilled suddenly as an expression of shocked disbelief flashes across his face, Wen Yue bends down and stares at Chu Qiao. Red with embarrassment, Chu Qiao, whose lips are swollen and her hands still instinctively reaching to pull her shirt close just stares back at Wen Yue in a daze. Completely surprised when Wen Yue all the sudden breaks into a small smile that quickly turns into a full hearty laugh in a manner she has never seen on him before, our flustered heroine quickly reaches out her hands to cover Wen Yue’s mouth as the laugh starts to get louder and louder.
Nestling his head into Chu Qiao’s neck, Wen Yue whispers “Xing Er, I am so happy.”
Wrapping her arms around the waist that could rival any male model in her time, Chu Qiao smiles in the dark and thought “This is my wedding night.”
After so many obstacles, so much time, the hatred between nations, life and death, time and space, they have finally arrived to this point.
Her turn to bury her head into Wen Yue’s shoulder, Chu Qiao let her tears flow freely.

—————————————————————–3/28/2018————————————————————–

This post kept crashing while I was trying to add the ending so I had to move it to a new post.