The Rise of Phoenixes Novel Translation #98

Staring blankly at a newly reinvented Master Gu with the two ink monkeys on either side of his shoulder and a baby in his arms, it took a bit before Zhi Wei could find her voice and asks “You…what are you doing?” 

“Child, monkeys.” Master Gu replies “I want to try.” 

His style of conversing is still choppy without heads or tails, only Zhi Wei who has spent so long with him could understand. 

“You mean, you want to try to learn how to interact with people so you want to start with the baby and the monkeys?” 　

Master Gu nods, then replying with a pained voice “I felt really bad and special that day, so try.”

“That day when you held this child, you had a special feeling?” Zhi Wei recognized that the baby is actually the one they had rescued on the dock. They had sent the baby to the orphanage after but who would’ve guessed that Gu Nan Yi remembered it all this time. 

“Learning to fight came with some difficulties as well but it gets easier if you keep doing it.” Apparently quite at home now that he is comparing this to fighting, Master Gu explains “So I think this is the same.” 

Zhi Wei falls into silence. She knows the fact that he was clueless when she almost died had caused great guilt in Gu Nan Yi which led to him expressing for the first time that he would like to be like other people. However, she did not expect he would act so quickly on it that he is even planning to raise a baby in order to learn how to be a normal person. Yet, for someone who needs distance, who needs total peace and quiet, wouldn’t something like this cause great pain to himself? 

He is pained but he persists just because he doesn’t want to lose her again while being completely clueless. Perhaps it is this stubbornness that makes him different from everyone else. Zhi Wei bites down on her lips. The fact that Gu Nan Yi is willing to begin getting close to people, that’s a good thing and is something she has always wanted for him. However, this happened so suddenly that she can’t help but feel an ominous sense of fear as if fate is staring at everything pure and lovely in this world with an ugly smirk on its face. To let this young man who is as pure as a sheet of white paper come to understand the complexities and the sorrows of this world, is that really a good thing? To take the first step out, it is possible that he could see the glorious beauty of this world but there is also a possibility that he would see that bloodied and darkness of humankind. In that instant, her heart is shaken.

“Brother Gu…” She reaches out, attempting to take the baby since Gu Nan Yi’s stiff posture looks truly uncomfortable. “Some things shouldn’t be forced. Besides, taking care of a baby is a task that is difficult for everyone. Why don’t why try another method…”

“No.” Gu Nan Yi moves out of her reach “I can feel with this one.” The two ink monkeys swing violently using Gu Nan Yi’s hair as swings, oblivious that if it was before, they would’ve been instantly squashed into flat disks.

 Zhi Wei’s attempt to convince Master Gu to abandon his plan officially failed. In the next instant, Zhi Wei looks over to see Master Gu charging right to her bed with the baby in hand. Alarmed, Zhi Wei runs over, pushes her bedding over then turns to smile stiffly at Master Gu. Not suspecting the woman is hiding anything from him at all, Master Gu promptly puts the baby on her bed. The adults soon smelled something not so lovely. Master Gu looks at Zhi Wei. Zhi Wei looks at Master Gu. After a bit, Zhi Wei finally says “Brother Gu, you brought him back so you need to take responsibility for him.” 

Not bothering to argue, Master Gu opens the diaper with one yank. 

A pained Zhi Wei closes her eyes, she knows that she is going to have to change her bedding tonight from top to bottom. 

Pained or not, is Zhi Wei really going to just leave Master Gu and his baby on their own? Left with no choice, Zhi Wei walks over to lend a hand and lets out a surprised “Ah!” when she takes off the diaper. The baby sported a bald head common for boys in well to do families so they had assumed the baby must be a boy. Master Gu gives her a questioning look. Not sure how to explain it, Zhi Wei finally says “This is a girl, not too convenient, I will find you a boy next time.”

Staring back at her in confusion with his innocent pure eyes, Master Gu’s expression obviously says “So what it’s a girl, What does taking care of a child have anything to do with convenience?” 

Beginning to feel like she should be utterly ashamed of her own shallow mind, Zhi Wei promptly shuts up, rips up the bedsheet to make an impromptu diaper for the baby, then orders someone to go find Hua Qing. 

Zhi Wei has a lot of faith in Hua Qing’s ability to take care of things. In some ways, Hua Qing is even more ruthless than her when it comes to dealing with issues. A while ago, “Yan Concubine” (remember the oldest granddaughter of Yan clan who had tried to seduce Ning Yi? Ning Yi ended up “giving” the woman to Zhi Wei to be her concubine) had thrown endless tantrums everyday. Zhi Wei had wanted to just toss her out the door but Hua Qing stopped her. In no time, Yan Concubine was sent to a nunnery with a mission to pray for Yan clan’s welfare for the next eighty years. In another word, Yan Concubine will not be leaving the nunnery in her lifetime. 

Hua Qing arrives in a short time and breaks out into a laugh when she sees the two fumbling around with the baby. After listening to Zhi Wei explain the whole thing, Hua Qing says “That’s easy. I will find a nurse maid for you, sir. She will just stay in the small room in the west courtyard.” 

Zhi Wei thought for sure Master Gu would reject having a stranger staying close to him but surprisingly, Master Gu didn’t say anything. Guess he has really made up his mind and will not back out now. 

They obviously can’t find a nursemaid that very night so Hua Qing ended up staying in Zhi Wei’s courtyard to help them take care of the baby. When Hua Qing bathed the baby, Master Gu obediently sat on the side and observed carefully. When she fed the baby rice gruel, Master Gu also ate half of it. Quite displeased with this sort of tasteless food, Master Gu is confused how the child could be happily slurping it down and once again confirmed to himself that a child is indeed a curious thing. 

Tired out after playing, the two ink monkeys fell asleep on Master Gu’s shoulder. Using two fingers, Master Gu gingerly grabs the monkeys and puts them far away from him. Hua Qing looks at Master Gu with some puzzlement in her expression, unsure why he is moving so carefully. Master Gu explains stoically “I am afraid that I would accidentally use too much force and kill them.” 

Hua Qing smiles then goes out to take a walk in the garden after she puts the baby to bed. Meeting Zhi Wei who also came out to take a walk because she couldn’t sleep, the two exchanged a smile after meeting each other’s gaze then sat down by a white stone table. 

“Have you really decided?”

“I am.” Hua Qing lightly smoothes her hair back “I know in a bit you will be leaving. If my guesses are right, you might take the men from the maritime patrol department to go catch sea pirates. Judging by Chang clan’s current situation, they will eventually make their escape via boats. Are you planning to meet up with His Highness on the water and head straight back to the Capital after things are wrapped up?” 

“Yes.” Zhi Wei smiles “The situations here are under control. Minister Zhou also owes me one so he won’t create any more trouble. My tasks here as royal envoy are done and His Highness will also soon be done over at his end. As a prince, he can’t leave the Capital for too long so we will be heading back to the Capital soon.” 

“That’s good.” Hua Qing leisurely adjusts her clothing “In a few days I will leave with the excuse of shopping for my wedding needs and I will wait at the town of Fong La for you.”

Seeing the clam in her gaze, Zhi Wei knows that once this woman has made up her mind no one else could change her decision. The future, will depend on what’s really in Yan Huai Shi’s heart. 

“Don’t look at me with such a worried expression.” Hua Qing laughs “It is me who actually has a word of caution for you.” 

“Oh?”

“His Highness, it could not be said that his feelings for you are not deep and sincere.” Looking straight into her eyes, Hua Qing continues “Yet, no matter how deep, it won’t be deeper than this empire, you need to think clearly.”

“When have you ever seen a man who would give up an empire for women?” After a short silence, Zhi Wei figures there is no reason to mince words and says frankly “Besides, His Highness…you should’ve heard some of his past so judging by your keen observation skills, you would’ve guessed that he won’t be willing to just let it go.” 

Hua Qing lets out a sigh and replies with some disappointment in her voice. 

“Just as you, despite liking Hua Shi but are unwilling to give up your dignity to become the madam of Yan clan,” Zhi Wei stands up and takes a few steps, “I also have things I refuse to give up.”

“Zhi Wei, us women, are different from men. When men fall in love , they will only become more determined to go further on the path they have chosen. But when women fall in love, they will often give in again and again until they lose everything, until absolutely nothing is left.” 

Zhi Wei’s body stiffens.

Looking at a shriveled chrysanthemum flower in front of her, a desolate smile slowly appears on Hua Qing’s lips. Reaching out a hand to pluck the withered flower, Hua Qing says with a small grin “Or perhaps there is no need to be pessimistic like me. The road ahead is still long. I hope they can.” (The author doesn’t explain what Hua Qing means by her last sentence. My personal guess is that she hopes that the two men could somehow be different from her prediction of choosing their own ambition over love.) 

Zhi Wei doesn’t reply but looks up at the half moon with her hands behind her back. At this hour, is he traveling in the foggy night? With hundreds of miles separating them, is he also listening to the dews falling from the tree branch like her? 

Yes, I hope you can too.

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