Gu Fu and Fu Yan had been behaving unusually quietly for the past two days, leading Yi Ye to let his guard down and stop being as quick and cautious as before.
When he returned to the seventh floor with a spring in his step, carrying hot water, he saw Gu Fu and Fu Yan looking at him with dissatisfaction. He shivered, breaking into a cold sweat.
With no choice, he forced himself to move towards the table with heavy steps, filled the teapot with hot water, and then quickly moved to the side, breathing softly, trying to minimize his presence.
Seeing that he couldn’t scare Yi Ye away, Gu Fu reluctantly withdrew his gaze and pulled one of Fu Yan’s hands over to play with.
Fu Yan allowed it, switching to his other hand to continue reviewing the memorials and making annotations.
After a while, a white pigeon flew in from outside. After pausing for a few moments as if sensing danger, it was about to fly away when Yi Ye quickly grabbed it in his hand.
Looking at the pigeon that didnât even dare to approach, Gu Fu suddenly recalled the time when Si Ya once disguised himself as a woman and came to find her alone.
Back then, the academy had just started accepting students, and she had to travel back and forth between the Gu family and the academy every day. One time, just as her carriage left the house, it stopped because the coachman said someone was pretending to be hit by it.
Gu Fu lifted the curtain and saw a girl wearing a veiled hat sitting on the ground in front of the carriage. She hadnât been hit or run over but refused to get up. So, Gu Fu put on a light veil and got off the carriage. Only when she approached did she realize that the “girl,” who was slightly tall, was actually Si Ya disguised as a woman.
Gu Fu was speechless.
Si Ya, pinching his throat, said to Gu Fu, “Miss, your carriage hit me. If you’re not going to compensate me with some silver, at least send me home.”
Gu Fu: “…”
Fine.
Gu Fu ended up helping Si Ya into the carriage.
As soon as he got in, Si Ya lifted the veil, looking like a farmer squatting by the roadside, using the veil as a fan to cool himself. As he fanned himself, he lowered his voice and said, “I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”
Gu Fu asked, “What brings you here, Senior Brother?”
Si Ya took a sip of the tea prepared in the carriage and said, “I want to talk to you about Ah Yan.”
Upon hearing this, Gu Fu raised her voice and called out to the coachman outside, “To Daixian Street!â
Daixian Street is located in the southwestern corner of the capital, very far from where Gu Fu is currently located.
The coachman hesitated, “Miss, if we go to Daixian Street first and then to the academy, we might not make it on time.”
Gu Fu responded, “It’s okay. Sending this young lady home is more important. We’ll take our time, no rush. Be careful not to bump into anyone again.”
Firmly believing that Si Ya was a scammer, the coachman worried that this might be a new scheme emerging in the capitalâone where people pretend not to want compensation to make others lower their guard, only to lure them to a secluded place and then harm them. So, he sent a guard, who had been following the carriage, back home to bring more people just in case.
The carriage made its way towards Daixian Street. Inside the carriage, Si Ya kept his voice low and began narrating stories about Fu Yan’s childhood as if he were telling a tale.
He told Gu Fu that when Fu Yan was young, he was taken out of the capital by someone from the palace and entrusted to a farming family. Unfortunately, they encountered the Immortal Master Penglai.
Although the Immortal Master Penglai carried the reputation of a reclusive and virtuous sage, he was, in truth, a heartless scoundrelâkidnapping children, deceiving people for money, and even defiling young women.
When the Immortal Master Penglai saw Fu Yan’s natural white hair, he realized that Fu Yan could be a useful tool for his deceptions. He claimed that Fu Yan was a “lone star of heaven” who would bring disaster to those around him, and thus tricked the farming family into giving Fu Yan to him.
Afterward, in order to mold Fu Yan into the offspring of an immortal, the Immortal Master of Penglai used every possible method to ensure that young Fu Yan neither cried nor laughed. He made Fu Yan recite obscure principles and poetry, which Fu Yan had to memorize every day. Reciting wasnât enough; he had to learn to speak with a detached tone that could deceive people. If Fu Yan failed to memorize something or got the tone wrong, the Immortal Master would starve him or force him to take the pills he concocted.
Those pills had a strange odor that could repel insects and small animals. The Immortal Master had tested the pills on other children and confirmed that while they weren’t lethal, they caused excruciating pain, making the children writhe on the ground in agony, wishing for death.
Long-term consumption of the pills would also leave a lingering scent on the person.
Worried about running out of time, Si Ya focused on the most horrifying details.
For instance, there was a time when the Immortal Master of Penglai wanted to deceive a wealthy merchant. He had someone tie the seven-year-old Fu Yan with a rope to create the illusion that Fu Yan had descended from the heavens. The child pulling the rope, jealous that Fu Yan wasnât beaten or scolded, deliberately loosened his grip, causing Fu Yan to fall from a height.
The Immortal Master Penglai failed to swindle the money and was exposed. In his rage, he had the other children smother the one who loosened the rope to death. As for Fu Yan, not wanting to lose such a useful tool, the Immortal Master naturally sought a doctor to treat him, but the medical expenses were deducted from the other children’s food, leading them to resent Fu Yan even more…
“When Fu Yan was fourteen, an old eunuch found the old scoundrel and proposed they use Fu Yan’s background to jointly deceive the late emperor and gain his trust. This led to Fu Yan reuniting with the current emperor, and together, the two brothers killed the old scoundrel and the eunuch.”
Si Ya took a sip of tea and said sincerely, “The reason I’m telling you all this is to make you understand how miserable Fu Yan’s past was, so you’ll care for him more.”
Gu Fu listened, feeling breathless. After a long while, she finally said, “I will.”
“Aâ Fu?” Fu Yan turned and saw Gu Fu staring blankly at him, so he asked, “What’s wrong?”
Gu Fu placed Fu Yan’s hand against her face and shook her head.
Afraid that Fu Yan wouldn’t believe her, she quickly changed the subject to divert his attention: “Your senior brother… is he a man or a woman?”
Fu Yan was puzzled, “Why do you ask?”
Gu Fu replied, “I’ve seen him dressed as a woman before, and he looked quite good.”
Fu Yan lowered his eyes, “If you’re curious, the next time he comes, I’ll have someone strip him of his clothes.”
Gu Fu: “âŚThatâs not necessary.”
Fu Yan: “Then don’t praise other men for their looks in front of me.”
Gu Fu chuckled and leaned in to kiss Fu Yan, saying, “You’re the best-looking.”
Yi Ye, who was holding the pigeon nearby: “…”
âŚ
September arrived, bringing crisp autumn weather, the perfect time for enjoying crab and admiring chrysanthemums.
Princess Yong’an initiated a chrysanthemum-viewing banquet at the academy, where the young ladies were encouraged to go home during their ten-day break and bring chrysanthemums back to the academy. In the end, everyone would vote to select the most beautiful flower as the “King of Chrysanthemums.”
One of the girls, thinking outside the box, not only brought a few pots of chrysanthemums from home but also brought several cages of crabs to the academy, which were handed over to the academy’s kitchen for preparation.
As the students’ favorite academic supervisor, Gu Fu was naturally invited. She specifically went to the palace and borrowed a rare pot of green chrysanthemums from the Empress to bring to the banquet.
When the young ladies saw the green chrysanthemum Gu Fu had brought, they immediately declared that since Gu Fu was a supervisor and not a student, she couldn’t participate in the competition.
Gu Fu asked, “Then why can Princess Yong’an participate?”
The young ladies replied in unison, “You still can’t.”
Gu Fu was ruthlessly excluded from the selection, and the green chrysanthemum in her arms was taken away by the young ladies.
Left with no choice, Gu Fu simply sat aside to eat, drink, and enjoy the lively atmosphere.
Before long, Princess Yong’an came to find her, saying that Princess Ruiyang was missing.
Gu Fu asked, “Did she leave the academy?”
Princess Yong’an shook her head, “The guards outside the academy said they didn’t see her leave, so she must still be inside the academy.”
Gu Fu stood up, “I’ll go look for her. For now, don’t let anyone else know about this.”
Gu Fu left the hall where the chrysanthemum banquet was being held and searched from empty classrooms to Songyuan, where the students lived. Finally, she found a ladder beside a large tree near the training grounds. Walking over, she saw Princess Ruiyang sitting in the tree through the branches and leaves.
For todayâs chrysanthemum banquet, Princess Yong’an allowed the girls to wear their own clothes to make the event more enjoyable. However, Princess Ruiyang was still dressed in the uniform gown provided by the academy, and she was sitting on a thick branch, staring blankly at the empty training grounds.
Gu Fu climbed the ladder and sat beside Princess Ruiyang, asking her, “Why arenât you joining the flower-viewing, Your Highness?”
Princess Ruiyang lowered her head, “Iâm not in the mood.”
Recalling recent events, Gu Fu asked, “Is it because of the marriage proposal from the Zuojia tribe?”
Just a few days ago, a letter from the Zuojia tribe arrived in the capital, expressing their willingness to negotiate peace with Dayong. In exchange, they demanded a significant amount of gold, silver, jewelry, silk, and grain, as well as the marriage of Dayong’s eldest princess, Princess Ruiyang.
The emperor did not agree. First, he was unwilling to sacrifice his beloved eldest daughter. Second, the Zuojia tribe had a notorious reputation in the northern borders, known for slaughtering entire cities after conquering them, causing the northern people to despise them. Now that the northern defenses were strong enough to resist them, agreeing to peace might upset the deeply resentful people of the north.
The peace negotiations with the Zuojia tribe were still under discussion, but the emperor’s stance was firm, so Ruiyang shouldnât have been unhappy.
However, in response to Gu Fu’s inquiry, Ruiyang nodded.
Since the emperor had bestowed marriage upon Gu Fu and Fu Yan, Princess Ruiyang had regarded Gu Fu as her aunt.
Now, there were some things she didnât want to tell her mother, fearing it would worry her, but she felt she could confide in Gu Fuâ
“Yesterday, during the ten-day break, I intended to return to the palace and ask my mother for a pot of beautiful chrysanthemums to bring back and win the top prize. But as soon as I returned to the palace, someone came to persuade me, hinting that as a princess of the nation, enjoying wealth and luxury, I should offer to marry far away at this time to ease my father’s burden.”
Gu Fu raised an eyebrow, “Who tried to persuade you?”
Ruiyang counted on her fingers, “My maternal grandmother, my aunt, and several other aunts. My grandmother even almost knelt before me to get me to listen. I was startled and couldn’t understand why they were so insistent on me getting married.
“Yes, as a princess, I should fulfill my duty to the country, but since neither my father nor my mother has forced me, what gives them the right to pressure me like this? Yet, when I think about it, they seem to have a point. If my sacrifice could bring peace to the northern borders, it might be reasonable.”
She asked Gu Fu, “Do you think I should see my father and tell him that I’m willing to marry?”
Gu Fu’s expression darkened. “Don’t listen to their nonsense, and under no circumstances should you offer yourself for a marriage alliance.”
This was the first time, aside from her parents, that someone had so firmly told her she shouldn’t agree to a marriage alliance. Ruiyang’s throat tightened, and she asked, “Why not?”
Her father and mother had both said that the peace of the northern border should not rest on her, a young girl. However, Ruiyang always felt that this was due to their love and favoritism toward her. The more they acted this way, the more guilty she felt. She couldn’t stand by and watch them neglect the people of the northern border for her sake. If Gu Fu’s answer was the same, she feared she wouldn’t be able to convince herself to accept her parents’ indulgence. She might even leave the academy at dawn tomorrow and go to the early court session to make her father agree to send her away for the alliance.
In front of the civil and military officials, her father wouldn’t be able to refuse, and it would fulfill her duty as a princess of the nation.
Gu Fu curled her lips, revealing a rare hint of roguishness. “Do you really believe that if you marry into an alliance, the Zuojia tribe will settle down and the northern border will be peaceful?”
Ruiyang was stunned. “Isn’t that the case?”
Gu Fu, who was certain that no one in the capital knew the northern border and the Zuojia tribe better than she and Guo Jian, replied, “There are many tribes outside the northern border. Zuojia is just one of them, notorious for their massacres. Pacifying the Zuojia tribe doesnât mean the other tribes wonât come to plunder the border. And besides…”
Ruiyang swallowed, “Besides?”
Gu Fu sneered, “The Zuojia tribe hasnât captured any of our Dayong border cities for two consecutive years, forcing them to migrate eastward to harass smaller eastern countries. But because of their fierce reputation, several small eastern countries have banded together to resist them, leaving Zuojia to scavenge for scraps.
“You think they suddenly want to negotiate peace with us? Most likely, they donât think they can survive this winter and want to use the peace talks to get some money and food. Once they’re fed and strong, they’ll be back next year. They say they want to marry you, but by next year, they’ll probably use you as a bargaining chip to make Dayong pay a ransom, and then theyâll use the provisions we give them to feed their troops, who will then come to plunder our border and kill our people.
“Iâve heard that the Zuojia tribe has a custom of sharing wives. Even if you return to Dayong, the world will see you as a ruined woman. No one will remember your noble sacrifice in volunteering for the marriage alliance. Instead, they’ll blame you for failing to fulfill your duty in the alliance, leading to another invasion by the Zuojia tribe.”
“And then?” Gu Fu looked at Princess Ruiyang, who was now completely stunned, her mouth slightly open. “Will Your Highness listen to those people and betray the Emperor and Empress’s love and protection by throwing yourself into the fire?”
If you enjoy my translations, feel free to consider supporting me on ko-fi! Thank you!
Release schedule: Every Monday.
Unlock chapters to read ahead!
