Zhi Wei returns to her courtyard and just as she had expected Shen Jun Xin shows up shortly after. Showing up along with Shen Jun Xin are Eight Braves, Helian’s personal guards. Smiling with satisfaction, Zhi Wei thought: Very good, everyone is here.
“I still have assignments,” Zhi Wei asks Shen Jun Xin with a smile “So I am preparing to leave soon to go meet with Governor Shen. What do you think?”
“Great, great, great!” Overjoyed, Shen Jun Xin eagerly offers “Official Liu, myself, along with a thousand guards will personally escort His Highness.”
“That’s good, we will trouble you sir then.” Zhi Wei’s smile broadens “When I see Governor Shen I will have to certainly let him know all the praises you two officials rightfully deserve.”
The two officials’ smiles were so big that their eyes all but disappeared.
Helian huddled with the Eight Braves and whispers “No matter what, you guys must not marry a Han (Chinese) girl.” The Eight Braves nods in unison, obviously in deep agreement then asks Helian “And you, Your Highness?” Helian replies with a pained expression “Me…it’s probably too late for me…” Ning Chen’s big head suddenly appeared among them and says with all sincerity “Would you like me to make sure that you all have nothing to worry about?” Group fight….
Fifteen minutes later, Ning Chen flicks off the dust on his clothes then went on his merry way…
Under the protection of the men Shen Jun Xin sent, Zhi Wei’s group soon ascend into the very extravagant carriages that have been prepared for them. When Ning Yi came out his expression was calm and aloof, looking no different than his usual self. Zhi Wei too, her mannerism seems normal other than the fact that her eyes refuse to look directly at him– it’s not like His Highness could see anyway. Master Gu lays on top of the carriage, still playing the same melody on his leaf flute again and again, never ending. His eyes darting around, Helian senses that something has changed in the air.
Completely clueless they have been hoodwinked, Shen Jun Xin and Official Liu happily set off on what they thought must be a journey to a grandiose future. Standing in front of the official manor for a long while, a thoroughly confused Magistrate Peng thought about the strangers who showed up unexpectedly then just as unexpectedly rescued him out of a seemingly hopeless situation, he finally mutters “A storm is coming…”
After rushing for one day, then slowing down for the next day, the team of carriages finally made into town by nightfall of the second day. Shen Jun Xin and Official Liu wanted to send servents ahead to inform people of their arrival but Zhi Wei stopped them. “His Highness dislike elaborate fanfares and as a lowly 7th grade official, I myself is not worthy to have the governor personally come to greet me. So let’s just go by ourselves quietly.” Zhi Wei continues “Since we have arrived safely, there is no need for the magistrate guards to follow us anymore. In case the robbers come and there is no one to defend the town, it is best that we send them back now.” No matter what Zhi Wei said, Shen Jun Xin eagerly complied. Official Liu did frown and thought there was no need to be in such a hurry to send the guards away, however, even though he is technically Shen Jun Xin’s superior but Shen Jun Xin is related to the governor so he didn’t want to go against his decisions.
Instead of being in the center of the city, the governor’s manor is actually located on the west side apparently due to Governor Shen’s love of nature and desire to build it by a lake. Shen Jun Xin had walked forward to reveal his identity when they were about to enter into the city gate in order to speed up the process but Zhi Wei laughed and waved her hand “Why throw our status around? Let’s just keep a low profile and experience the city. That’s the way we have traveled all this time.”
Shen Jun Xin is all smiles as he promptly agrees with Zhi Wei’s words and obediently gets in line with everyone else who is lining up to enter into the city gate. Official Liu’s frown deepens.
Once they have entered into the city, the Eight Braves silently stationed themselves around the two officials but Shen Jun Xin seems completely unaware. While passing through the east side of the city, Shen Jun Xin invites the group to go rest for a bit at his house but Zhi Wei politely declined. Shen Jun Xin then brings up the fact that he would like to return home and say a few things to his wife but that was also rudely rejected by Helian.
By this point, even Shen Jun Xin who was full of dreams of getting a promotion begins to sense something is not quite right. After exchanging a glance with Shen Jun Xin, Official Liu gave one of his guards a meaningful look. The guard promptly turns his horse around and approaches the circle the Eight Braves had made. Smiling apologetically, the guard says “My master had forgotten the medicine balm he had promised to gift the Governor over at Official Shen’s home last time he was there so he has sent me to fetch it.” The Eight Braves exchanges a look with each other then opened up a path for the guard. Shen Jun Xin and Offical Liu who had nervously watched the whole exchange lets out a silent sigh of relief. The minute the guard made it out of the procession he quickly sends his horse into a full run. As he turns the corner, the guard suddenly sees something bright flashing across his eyes then felt a coldness on his neck. Collapsing while holding his throat with blood shooting out of it, the last thing the guard saw was a grey figure darting past on the wall.
Back at the procession, with the Eight Braves between them, Zhi Wei is busy chatting up with the two poor clueless fools about all the great things about the city. Seeing Zhi Wei’s ease, the two officials begin to wonder if they were just being hypersensitive. Their heart settled at the thought that they have already sent out a guard to inform the governor manor and the two thousand men at the manor along with the army stationed right outside of the city, Shen Jun Xin and Official Liu’s expression slowly relaxed.
Arriving at the west side of the city, Zhi Wei stares at the towering Governor’s gate and laughs “Lovely lake in the front and inspiring mountain at the back, this is truly a treasure of a place.” Turning around, Zhi Wei says “Please inform the Governor.”
Shen Jun Xin smilingly agrees and sends the door guard to go report to the governor. In a short while, a pale face middle-aged man leads a group of officials out of the door “I did not know Your Highness has graced us with his presence, please forgive me!”
Zhi Wei walks up with a smile as she stares at the gentle scholarly looking man– so those soft weak looking hands are the very hands that ordered their drawings to be made? That mouth that looks so ordinary, wanted to eat up (kill) two imperial envoys and one of them was even a prince?! Zhi Wei’s smile widens.
Helian stares at Governor Shen. He really wants to follow Zhi Wei’s repeated reminder that he needs to put on the fake mask the Han Chinese is so good at but one look at that soft, round and puggy face Helian can’t help but remember how Zhi Wei looked when they found her at the old temple. His heart ached at the memory of how she was caked with blood and mud, her hair choppy from being burned, and the burst of joy in her usually calm eyes when she saw them. With those memories replaying in his mind, Helian simply can’t bring himself to do the super difficult mission Zhi Wei had given him. It was all he could do at that moment to clinch his fist into a ball instead of punching the guy.
Zhi Wei steps forward, discreetly uses her shoulder to knock Helian out of the way so it looks like she was eager to be the first to greet Governor Shen. Thankfully, everyone assumes as the person with the highest status in the group, it is only natural for Helian to look haughty befitting a prince. All he really has to do is tilt his head upward and snort at random times to affirm his high status, this was something Helian was already quite good at before he met Zhi Wei so he had no problems at all pulling it off.
All text copyright @ www.Ninja-Reflection.com
It seems that something bad is coming …
yes…this was good…can’t wait to read about the reveal…so exciting.
Thank you for another great translation.
Muito obrigado !!!!
OMG!, A storm IS coming!
Hi Ninja, I’ve binged read your posts on TROP these couple of days after I was done with the Netflix series. Great translation! Thank you so much for sparing your time for us, I will now religiously check every Monday for your new post. Just wondering since our heroin is the last descendant of Fuyao does it mean she won’t give birth ever? 🙁
I don’t think there is any talk of our heroine not being able to have kids. Zhi Wei would’ve been the last descendant of Fuyao and her husband…if they had not interfered to make sure she would NOT be their last descendant…well, if Zhi Wei chooses to have kids. Most of the talk of the last descendant came because all of the royal lineage from the last empire should’ve been completely wiped out. The Emperor is of course extra sensitive to the suspicion that perhaps Bloody Pagoda might’ve actually been able to save one last descendant but since they believe the whole point of Bloody Pagoda was to bring back the last empire or at the very least to carry-on the royal bloodline, they naturally assumed “the last descendant” must be a prince. Who’ve imagine that Fuyao and her husband really never cared for such things. All they wanted was to make sure Zhi Wei would be safe and have the freedom to choose the kind of life she wants.