Translated by Shiny
……
44.1. Harbinger of Disaster
Concubine Xu managed to open her eyes with difficulty. She had walked back and forth through the gates of hell and risked everything in order to give birth to this baby and she had become too weak to even speak. She could only look at Cheng Qianye as she held the baby in her arms.
Although she couldn’t be regarded as experienced, after witnessing the process of labour, Cheng Qianye felt a profound realization that it wasn’t easy to be a mother.
Sitting down beside the bed, she handed the child over to Concubine Xu and said comfortingly, “It’s alright, it’s all over, it was all worth it, look see how….”
Cheng Qianye looked down at the wrinkled baby in his swaddling clothes who looked just like a monkey and felt that she really couldn’t talk about what a beautiful baby he was. With lack of a better choice, she was forced to say with some embarrassment;
“How…. plump he is, his face is so fleshy.”
Concubine Xu stretched out her icy-cold hand from beneath the bedding and her eyes were red as she tugged at Cheng Qianye and said, “From this day forth, my life belongs to you.”
The soft yellow lustre that enveloped her body now had a firm gold border surrounding it.
It turned out that such a delicate woman could also have such unwavering loyalty.
Cheng Qianye felt somewhat surprised from receiving the devotion from such a frail woman.
~
At this moment at the Yang Residence, Old Madame Yang was feeling somewhat uncertain after listening to the words of her elder brother who was in a spitting rage.
“My good sister, my nephew is still young and doesn’t realize the gravity of matters, you should try hard to persuade him. This military merit system cannot be implemented, isn’t this just freeing your slaves in vain?” Yang Su advised her earnestly and patiently. “What’s more, I heard this move of his is merely a pretense for that male pet called Mo Qiao Sheng so that he can get rid of his status as a slave.”
“I know about that one called Mo Qiao Sheng. Yu’er is truly fond of him, but….”
“Throughout the ages, calamities have befallen countless nations at the hands of evildoers. Mo Xi had a hand in the ruin of the Xia Dynasty, and the Shang Dynasty was toppled because of the evil concubine Da Ji. I believe that this Mo Qiao Sheng is a harbinger of disaster just like them. They say that my nephew used the horse left to him by the first Marquis in exchange for him and that Han Quanlin wished to trade a city in exchange for this person, but he refused him.”
“Is this true?” Old Madame Yang sat up straight, “But…. Yu’er cares a great deal about him, if I interfere at will, I’m afraid that it might harm the feelings between us mother and son.”
One of Old Madame Yang’s close female attendants rushed inside and saluted before speaking softly in her ear.
Old Madame Yang’s complexion went through a number of changes. She slapped the armrest and angrily said, “How can Yu’er do such a thing!”
“That Mo Qiao Sheng is too arrogant, he even dares to kill the Da Changqiu relying on his favour. As a person beside Yu’er, he doesn’t know how to advise Yu’er, just sowing discord and creating trouble. He doesn’t even pay attention to my people, he really is a scourge!”
After saying these words, she stood up to return to the palace.
Yang Su’s wife, Zhang shi1 stood up and stopped her.
“Sister-in-law, what are you doing, going back in such a rage?” She grabbed Old Madame Yang and pressed down on her shoulder, asking her to sit back in the chair. “Calm down first and listen to me.”
Before Old Madame Yang had gotten married, she had completely accepted this sister-in-law of hers. And now, along with the passage of years, the relationship between the two of them had become more and more intimate, so she suppressed her temper and sat back down.
“In my opinion, that Da Changqiu Mrs. Cui only has herself to blame. As My Lord has just returned, this is the time when he needs to build up his prestige. Since she couldn’t tell good from bad and defied the Lord in public, she completely deserved to die.” She served a cup of tea to Old Madame Yang and continued, “As for that Mo Qiao Sheng, he’s nothing more than a cheap slave. There’s no need for you mother and son to have a direct conflict for a plaything like him. If things become twisted and causes disharmony between mother and son, it will only provoke people’s laughter.”
“Listen to me. Once you return to the palace, you definitely cannot cause a ruckus in front of my Nephew and you should also praise him for handling the matter properly. After a few days have passed, you only need to…..” She whispered a few words in Old Madame Yang’s ears.
“It is still my sister-in-law who is thoughtful.” Old Madame Yang nodded.
Yang Su did not forget to add, “Sister, you mustn’t be softhearted. We have to deal with this Mo Qiao Sheng and then slowly persuade My Lord to abolish the new policy in order to maintain the peace and stability of the country.”
Old Madame Yang returned to the palace. Regarding Cheng Qianye’s execution of Mrs. Cui, although she felt discontented in her heart, she did not create an issue out of it.
And Cheng Qianye was simply too busy to care about this matter.
A few days later, they received the news that Mo Zang Peizhen had breached Nanyang city.
Li Wenguang and the defeated remnants of his troops had evacuated from Nanyang and returned to Liangzhou.
The situation suddenly became tense. The new army had only just been established and there were a plethora of issues they had yet to tackle.
Moreover, Wei Mingshan had already laid siege to Bianzhou for a long time now. If Mo Zang Peizhen and his troops moved north and joined up with Wei Mingshan and his forces, then Bianzhou would truly be stuck in a perilous situation.
It was extremely urgent to send in the reinforcements. Helan Zhen trained the new army recruits while Zhang Fu arranged the army provisions and Cheng Qianye mediated between the major forces in the central and northern areas, every one of them so busy that their feet didn’t touch the ground.
In the afternoon.
Cheng Qianye concluded the court and turned to head towards Anyuan Palace Hall to deal with the key tasks of the military strategies. Concubine Xu hurriedly halted her in her tracks with an anxious look on her face.
“How come you’re outside? Aren’t you still in confinement?”
“Quickly, My Husband, quickly go back to the harem.” Concubine Xu spoke agitatedly, “The Old Madame…. The Old Madame has ordered Mo Qiao Sheng to commit suicide.”2
“What did you say!?” Cheng Qianye grabbed her hand. “Qiao Sheng has been in the barracks all day, how can the Old Madame execute him all of a sudden?”
“I….. I don’t know. I heard that the Old Madame caught an adulterer in Concubine Yu’s chambers and that it was Mo Qiao Sheng. Right now, he has already been captured by the imperial guards and he has been pushed before the Old Madame and he will be executed immediately.”
Concubine Xu’s face was slightly pale. She wasn’t sure whether this was the right thing to do, but she knew that Mo Qiao Sheng had a special place in Cheng Qianye’s heart so she had to inform Cheng Qianye of this matter and let her make her own decision.”
“Thank you.” Cheng Qianye squeezed Concubine Xu’s hand.
She turned back and said to her personal guard, “Call all of our men, bring your weapons and follow me to the harem.”
The so-called “our men” here referred to the personal attendants that Cheng Qianye had picked out from the soldiers who had followed her from Bianzhou.
That old elder brother of hers, Cheng Qianyu, had been a mediocre and incompetent man who hadn’t been enthroned for long, and had no control over the defense forces in the palace.
After Cheng Qianye had transmigrated, she had stayed in Bianzhou which was outside of the capital. The defense forces inside the capital had long been divided into different camps.
She was fully aware that carrying out such a change was a risky affair. Hence, despite the fact that Helan Yanzhi, who was in charge of the defense of the palace was considered to be on her side;
She had still brought back her own private soldiers from Bianzhou, selecting a group of loyal and capable soldiers to be her personal guards.
At that moment at the rear palace, Mo Qiao Sheng had been pressed down on the ground in front of Old Madame Yang by several powerful imperial guards. There was a dishevelled imperial concubine collapsed on the ground beside him, weeping and wailing that she had been wronged.
Old Madame Yang who was sitting in the main seat spoke frostily, “Now that you have been caught in bed and with stolen goods, what are you still quibbling about?”
Mo Qiao Sheng clenched his teeth. He knew that he had fallen into a trap.
Today, when he was at the barracks, an attendant from the palace had found him and told him that the Lord had an urgent matter and asked him to return to the palace earlier.
Mo Qiao Sheng did not doubt him. He had followed him back and gone to the Lord’s chambers as usual, only to find a sloppily dressed woman tumbling down from the bed in panic.
Soon after, a group of fierce guards had rushed inside and seized the two of them without even allowing an explanation before tying them up and delivering them to the Old Madame.
Mo Qiao Sheng gnashed his teeth and thought inwardly to himself, I cannot give up easily. I must hold on until Master returns.
A palace maid brought over a tray with a pot of wine and two cups resting on it.
Old Madame Yang raised her chin and said, “Send them on their way, do it neatly.”
~
1. (氏 – shì) – Used after a married woman’s maiden name.↩
2. Commit suicide by imperial order (so as to be spared the indignity of execution)↩
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TL Note: Twice as long as usual chapters, so split it into two parts.