The Princess’ Shadow Guard – Chapter 12
by Little PandaA New Year’s Eve Drunken Confession (Exchanging Keepsakes)
On the night of New Year’s Eve,1 the Capital was a spectacle of trees of fire and flowers of silver.2 Every household was dyed in the auspicious color red, and even from a distance, one could feel the warmth of the bustling crowds in the streets and alleys.
The fireworks in the distance were dazzling, blooming across the night sky in brilliant bursts. Against this backdrop, the silhouette of the beautiful woman, alone in her high tower, seemed all the more desolate.
Murong Yan reclined in the darkness, the colored light of the explosions glinting off the cup of clear wine in her hand. On the table sat a sumptuous feast, completely untouched. She simply stared out the window, lost in thought.
This kind of loneliness… I should be used to it by now.
Murong Yan swirled the wine in her cup, finding the sight of the radiant lights mingling with the joyful crowds below to be an eyesore.
The whole Capital’s jubilation had overcome the winter chill, yet it failed to cross the threshold of her heart.
Her chest felt empty, and her body remained cold even after the warm wine slid down her throat.
She let out a soft, self-mocking hum.
It was all too clear what she was thirsting for now, and Murong Yan could only sigh at the thought.
She, who had always been so calm and self-possessed, seemed to have developed an addiction she couldn’t shake. Had she been immersed in the cold for too long, or was it simply that the other person’s embrace was too warm?
The fireworks faded.
Tilting her head back, Murong Yan drained her cup. As she reached out to close the window, a figure clad in black night-travel clothes vaulted up, and her gaze suddenly met a pair of sparkling eyes.
“I’ve come to give New Year’s greetings!” Ming Qin grinned, as happy as an innocent child. She rested her head on her arms, leaning on the windowsill. “Happy New Year!”
Before Murong Yan could even react, Ming Qin had scrambled inside, hands and feet working in concert.
“Ah Qin, why are you suddenly free today?” Unaware of the surprise blooming in her own heart, Murong Yan placed one hand over her chest and used the other to brush the snow from Ming Qin’s shoulder, her voice soft.
“Shixiong—Cao Yun-shixiong—said he was willing to take my shift today!” Ming Qin answered, pressing down on Murong Yan’s hand to stop her. “Don’t touch! The snow is cold.”
“Willing to give up his holiday on New Year’s Eve?” Murong Yan was inwardly astonished, but her tone was forcibly nonchalant. “This Cao-shixiong of yours is certainly good to you.” She straightened Ming Qin’s collar.
“Right? Ah Yun-ge is truly a great person!”
Ming Qin, oblivious to the subtle shift in the other woman’s tone, continued on excitedly. “Cao Yun-shixiong is so much better than Lin Yan-shixiong! Lin Yan-shixiong is always nagging. He won’t spar with me, and he’s always off to the tavern.”
“Is that so?” Murong Yan’s hand moved to Ming Qin’s neck. Her fingers tightened unconsciously before she gave it a light pinch, as if to stop the other woman from saying any more.
She felt an inexplicable urgency to change the subject. “Are you hungry?”
The big-hearted Ming Qin nodded, her eyes on the dishes on the table. Then she looked a little embarrassed. “I came straight from the palace as soon as I was off duty. I was afraid I’d miss the time to keep the New Year’s Vigil3 with you, so I didn’t have time to eat.”
“This…” Murong Yan’s hand paused, and unconcealed joy lit up her face. “Does that mean Ah Qin is going to keep the vigil with me?”
“Of course.” Ming Qin picked up a pair of chopsticks without hesitation. “Will you eat a little with me, too? This is our New Year’s Eve dinner!”
Although she felt a little bad for her Mistress, Ming Qin much preferred keeping Murong Yan company and eating the lavish food of Cang Yue Tower to going to her Master’s house, eating her Mistress’s cooking, and being teased by everyone.
Murong Yan, who had lost her appetite earlier, now picked up her own chopsticks and served herself a small portion. Watching Ming Qin eat with such gusto, she found her appetite returning for once, and she ate nearly half a bowl more rice than usual.
“This is so much better than what Mistress usually makes!” After a whirlwind sweeping away leftovers, Ming Qin patted her stomach in satisfaction.
Murong Yan smiled at her blissful expression.
If the imperial chefs in the palace knew their painstaking work was being compared to that of the Shadow Guard leader’s wife, they would probably weep into their sleeves.
“Oh no!”
Ming Qin suddenly cried out. In her haste to eat, she had grabbed the nearest jade pot and taken a large gulp, only now noticing the faint aroma of wine. “I’m not supposed to drink.”
“It’s fine for an off-duty Shadow Guard to have a little wine. His Majesty won’t blame you,” Murong Yan said, a little puzzled by Ming Qin’s sudden panic. She soothed her with a gentle voice.
“But… Master warned me again and again not to drink,” Ming Qin said, wringing her hands anxiously. “Shijie also always tells me I must never drink with others.”
“It’s alright. Only I know about this, and I certainly won’t tell anyone,” Murong Yan said, taking Ming Qin’s hands to calm her. “Besides, I’m not just ‘others,’ am I?”
Ming Qin was about to say something, but she was interrupted by the crackling of firecrackers outside and turned to look out the window, stunned.
Streams of white light and smoke flowed through the streets and alleys of the Capital in a joyous celebration.
About one stick of incense later, after Ming Qin had cleared away the dishes, Murong Yan sat nestled lazily in her arms. She watched the lights of the city’s homes and the wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys, a smile playing on her lips. “What a pity. I didn’t know you were coming today, so I didn’t prepare any New Year’s money4 for you.”
Ming Qin’s face flushed slightly, and she shook her head vigorously. “A Shadow Guard’s salary is very high. I don’t need money.”
Then, a moment later, she added, “Besides, only children need New Year’s money. I’m nearly twenty-three, I don’t need it!”
A long time passed, so long that Ming Qin was growing dizzy and sleepy. At last, Murong Yan looked up at her and asked in a soft voice, “If you don’t want money, then what does Ah Qin want?”
As Ming Qin gazed at the peerless beauty in her arms, her eyes were hazy and her mind was muddled. Her head felt hot, and her temples were throbbing.
“What does Ah Qin want?” the woman pressed, her hands wrapping around Ming Qin’s neck, her gorgeous face drawing closer.
What must I give you to make you stay for me?
Their lips were only inches apart. A thin fog seemed to have settled over Ming Qin’s consciousness as she stared blankly at Murong Yan’s slightly desperate face.
A pleasant floral scent, like peonies, drifted from her.
“Yanyan.” The thought in her mind slipped out. Ming Qin broke into a brilliant smile. “Yanyan, so beautiful.” The back of her hand came up to stroke the woman’s cheek.
This sudden, frank praise and rare display of affection made Murong Yan blush, unsure how to react.
But she was also quite surprised. The scent of wine was on the other woman’s every breath. Could this be why Ah Qin’s Master and shijie forbade her from drinking?
Because a single cup was enough to leave her muddle-headed and drunk?
How utterly adorable.
Forcing herself to calm down, Murong Yan looked at the girl, who had completely let down her guard, and coaxed patiently, “Does Ah Qin want Yanyan?”
Face beet red, Ming Qin nodded, her expression dazed. “Want Yanyan. Like.”
“Ah Qin likes Yanyan, right? You’ll never leave Yanyan, right?” Murong Yan’s breathing grew ragged, her voice rising with the desperate hope of hearing her confirm it.
“Like Yanyan. Never leave,” Ming Qin whispered in reply. The directness of her words sent a jolt through Murong Yan’s heart.
She said it. She said the promise I needed to hear most.
A possessiveness, greater than she had even realized she felt, was satisfied in that moment.
Murong Yan raised a hand, gripping Ming Qin’s palm tightly against her cheek.
Ming Qin was still talking. “…Like Yanyan. Also like candy, like buns, like flatbread, like shijie, Mistress, Master…”
After a series of mumbles, she began to snore softly.
Listening to Ming Qin’s sleepy ramblings, the emotionally stirred Murong Yan couldn’t help but laugh in spite of herself, a sense of helplessness washing over her.
Oh, well. At least she said she likes me, and that she won’t leave.
Even if I’m currently ranked alongside candy, buns, and flatbread, I still have time.
Be patient. I absolutely must not rush, she told herself.
One day, I will be the person Ah Qin cares about most.
One day.
When Ming Qin woke up and realized she had slept through the New Year’s Vigil, she was so panicked she nearly kowtowed and knelt on the ground. It wasn’t until Murong Yan gently patted her face and coaxed her that she finally calmed down.
“I’m so sorry,” Ming Qin said, looking so guilty that the corners of her mouth nearly touched the floor.
Murong Yan shifted in her arms, comforting her. “Just by being here, Ah Qin has kept the vigil with me. Don’t blame yourself anymore.”
As if to distract her, she asked, “Since there’s no New Year’s money tonight, why don’t you look around the room and take anything you like.”
Everything in her rooms, down to a single spoon or bowl, was of extraordinary quality, to say nothing of the landscape paintings on the walls or the furniture.
But if Ming Qin liked it, even an item worth ten thousand taels of silver would be worth it, if only for her to smash for fun.
Ming Qin looked around, frowning in deep thought. Then she looked at the woman in her arms and asked, “Can I have this?”
A garnet was dangling from Murong Yan’s earlobe, glowing with a color so red it was almost black.
Murong Yan touched her ear. “You just want this pair of earrings? What about that painting on the wall?”
Ming Qin shook her head. “I only want one. I can’t wear any of the other things on my person, but I can wear this.”
“If Ah Qin likes gemstones, you can take your pick from the box on the dressing table,” Murong Yan said, removing the garnet earring from her right ear.
“I only like this one!” Ming Qin said stubbornly, holding out her hand.
Murong Yan smiled and placed the earring in her palm.
Without an ear piercing, Ming Qin simply took the earring and jabbed it forcefully through her right earlobe. As if she felt nothing, she wiped away the bead of blood with her finger.
Ming Qin said softly, “The color of garnet suits you especially well. If I wear your color, I can think of you all the time.”
Murong Yan, who had been gently wiping Ming Qin’s fingers with a handkerchief, froze. She looked at the only splash of color on Ming Qin now—the deep, black-red garnet that had come from her.
It was as if Ming Qin’s entire being now bore a mark left only by her.
“Then what about mine? What is Ah Qin’s color?” Murong Yan’s throat felt a little dry.
Ming Qin scratched her head, thought for a moment, then undid her hair, taking down a cord nearly two chi (roughly 60 centimeters) long. It was a knot braided from three strands of black rope.
“I only have this! I braided this hair cord myself. It’s very sturdy,” she said proudly.
But immediately, Ming Qin looked at Murong Yan, then back at her own rather shabby offering, and decided it wasn’t suitable. Just as she was about to stuff it back in her pocket, the other woman snatched it away.
“Hey… don’t!” Ming Qin was embarrassed and reached for it. “That black thing… it doesn’t suit you at all.”
“But I like it.” Murong Yan tilted her head and tied the thin cord onto the pin securing her “falling-off-a-horse” bun.5 “This is my New Year’s gift.”
“Absolutely not! I’ll buy you something better later!” Ming Qin said in a fluster.
“But I just want this one.” There was a smile in Murong Yan’s eyes, but her tone was firm.
I only want this one. This one is the best.
The author has something to say:
I did a little research, and the length of a chi (a traditional Chinese foot) varied between dynasties.
In my mind, I estimate the hair tie Ming Qin gives Murong Yan is about 30cm to 50cm long. A very suitable length for tying just about anything?
(Laughs)
LP: Re-translated on June 09, 2025
Footnotes
- Original: Chúxī (除夕). The last day of the lunar year, a time for family reunion dinners and celebration.
- A Chinese idiom (huǒ shù yín huā) literally meaning ‘trees of fire and flowers of silver,’ used to describe a spectacular display of fireworks or lanterns at night.
- Original: shǒusuì (守岁). The tradition of staying up through the night on New Year’s Eve to ward off evil spirits and welcome the new year.
- Original: yāsuìqián (压岁钱). Literally ‘money to suppress the year-demon,’ a gift of money traditionally given in red envelopes to children and younger relatives during the Lunar New Year for good luck.
- Original: zhuìmǎjì (坠马髻). A women’s hairstyle popular during the Tang dynasty, characterized by a high bun that appears to be tilted to one side, as if the wearer had just fallen from a horse.
whoa there author
cuteness overload omg
They’re way too cute. That’s so adorable, I think murong yan was getting a lil jelly at the start there