The Princess’ Shadow Guard – Chapter 14
by Little PandaHis Majesty the Emperor Is Truly a Good Man
After the New Year, Ming Qin arrived at the Imperial Academy with the Eleventh Prince early each morning, her guard duty ending only when the midday lessons concluded and she accompanied the prince back to the palace.
The Eleventh Prince had no study companions, and imperial attendants were not permitted inside the Imperial Academy. Thus, aside from Ming Qin guarding him from the shadows, the Eleventh Prince was always entirely alone.
Watching an elderly tutor whose beard was snowy white and whose back was so hunched it nearly touched the ground lecturing with spit flying, Ming Qin crouched on the roof, idly counting the droplets of spit to pass the boredom.
She watched the Eleventh Prince, his spine held straight as a ramrod, and felt a touch of admiration for how he managed to listen so intently without once dozing off.
When the morning lessons finally ended and the Eleventh Prince stood up, Ming Qin, who was yawning so hard her eyes watered, hastily concealed her presence and followed.
Watching the Eleventh Prince eat alone from the food box1 of imperial cuisine delivered by his attendants, Ming Qin, crouching in the distance as she gnawed on a steamed bun, felt her own stomach give a slight rumble.
She really wanted to go find the Commandery Princess as soon as possible.
Murong Yan ate very little, so half of the dinner delivered by her maids always ended up in Ming Qin’s stomach. The dishes were all prepared by imperial chefs in the palace, and the flavors were so exquisite that Ming Qin—normally quite a picky eater—polished off every single scrap each time.
In the distance, a noisy group of youths dressed in lavish robes approached.
The tall youth leading the pack cast a sideways glance at the boy eating by himself. As he passed, he swept his wide sleeve with force. With a sharp clatter, the food box tumbled to the ground, spilling the rice, fish, and meat all over.
How wasteful. Ming Qin frowned.
“Oh my, isn’t this the Eleventh Prince, Murong Wan? I thought it was some little mouse. My mistake, my mistake!” The youth spoke with a mocking, exaggerated air as he clasped his hands in a mock salute2, drawing tittering laughter from the crowd behind him.
Murong Wan’s chopsticks remained suspended in midair. He said nothing.
His mother was of humble birth, having been nothing more than a palace maid before she conceived him.
After her death, he had grown up alone in the back palace. Though he was of imperial blood, he had no backing whatsoever. The servants’ care was inevitably negligent, and he had grown up on irregular meals, leaving him short and frail.
“Hey! Are you a mute? I’m talking to you!” The arrogant youth stepped on the hem of Murong Wan’s robe, his attitude insufferably overbearing.
“Have you prepared for the tutor’s assessment later, Zhang Yurong?” Murong Wan asked coldly.
Ming Qin tapped her head. So that was Zhang Yurong, the youngest son of the current National Uncle!
No wonder he was so arrogant. She remembered her master saying that as the late-born son of National Uncle Zhang Chi, he was thoroughly spoiled, highly aggressive, and domineering. If one ever crossed his path, they ought to run away as fast as possible.
“None of your business!” Zhang Yurong’s expression grew tense. Failing the assessment meant getting beaten with a wooden paddle. The old fogeys at the Imperial Academy were completely unyielding; otherwise, there would never be a day when he had to suffer a beating.
“Just you wait until we’re at the martial arts hall this afternoon!” With that, Zhang Yurong led his followers away to cram at the last minute3.
While Ming Qin was still on the roof beams mourning the wasted food, Murong Wan silently packed up his belongings and walked back to the schoolroom without a word.
The assessment consisted of recitation. Seeing Murong Wan smoothly recite a long string of texts she couldn’t comprehend in the slightest, Ming Qin almost clapped her hands in applause from the beams.
Could this Eleventh Prince actually be a genius?
Ming Qin was quite surprised by how easy her assignment was this time. She didn’t have to endure the wind and sun, nor did she have to skip meals; there was no fighting or shedding blood on the edge of a blade, and she could even finish her shift on a regular schedule.
Furthermore, based on her observations over the past few days, the Eleventh Prince was exceptionally well-behaved and dutiful. He studied diligently, never provoked trouble, and had no intention of sneaking out of the Imperial Academy. He was completely different from the targets her shixiong and shijie had guarded in the past.
This had to be what the other Shadow Guards called a 『lucrative post』—the kind they would fight tooth and nail over. By all rights, it should never have fallen into her lap.
His Majesty the Emperor is truly a good man, Ming Qin thought.
It was only when she followed the students to the martial arts hall that Ming Qin began to feel troubled.
Watching the Eleventh Prince get thoroughly thrashed, she was at a loss as to whether she should intervene.
Zhang Yurong’s heavy fists rained down on Murong Wan. Having been struck three times with the wooden paddle by the tutor earlier today, the sight of Murong Wan’s calm, unbothered expression only infuriated him further. Taking advantage of the martial arts training session, he used the pretext of sparring to vent all his pent-up rage on the frail prince.
“Do you think you’re so impressive? Once my cousin the Crown Prince becomes the Emperor, you won’t even have a place left to loiter!” Zhang Yurong cursed, his fists never stopping.
Murong Wan had no strength to resist. He simply shielded his head and remained silent.
“You mongrel of lowly blood, how dare you even dream of coming to the Imperial Academy!” Still unsatisfied, Zhang Yurong continued his verbal abuse. “Your mother was nothing but a filthy servant, which is why she birthed a lowborn spawn like you!”
Collapsing to the ground, Murong Wan’s eyes turned bloodshot upon hearing these words. Seizing a moment when Zhang Yurong let down his guard, he lunged forward and bit hard into the youth’s calf. “Don’t you dare speak of my mother!”
“You! How dare you bite me!” Zhang Yurong kicked at Murong Wan in a fury, trying to force him to let go.
“Don’t you dare insult my mother!” Blood dripping from his nose, Murong Wan gritted his teeth and growled, “If I am a mongrel, then that grand Crown Prince brother of yours shares half my blood! What kind of trash is he?”
The lackeys surrounding Zhang Yurong rushed forward to drag Murong Wan off him, and the crowd began kicking the bleeding prince.
Though some watching from a distance felt a pang of pity, none dared step forward to intervene, terrified of the National Uncle’s immense power and Zhang Yurong’s tyrannical nature.
Ming Qin was somewhat perplexed. The order she had received was to guard the Eleventh Prince, which meant ensuring Murong Wan’s survival. Although the Eleventh Prince was currently being beaten by a crowd, it likely only caused him pain; the scuffles of children surely wouldn’t turn fatal.
That being said, the malice shining in those boys’ eyes toward the Eleventh Prince was pure and unchecked; they truly intended to harm him.
In that case, should she step in to stop them?
But if she did stop them, should she tie up Zhang Yurong and the others, or just kill them?
If she trussed them up and brought them back, she felt Master would be displeased. But if she killed them, she felt he would be even more displeased.
Why would His Majesty the Emperor give her such a difficult task? Ming Qin fretted. If only Shijie were here; Shijie would surely know what to do.
While Ming Qin was agonizing over her options, Zhang Yurong led the others away, leaving Murong Wan entirely alone.
Watching the Eleventh Prince lie filth-covered on the ground, his hands covering his face as his muffled sobs grew louder, Ming Qin felt increasingly restless.
Forget it. If she got scolded, so be it.
Ming Qin leaped down from the tree. At a loss for how to comfort him, she crouched beside Murong Wan and offered him a handkerchief. “Here.”
Murong Wan stared with wide eyes at the masked woman in black who had suddenly appeared without a sound. Hastily covering his tears, he scrambled backward. “Y-Y-You… who are you?”
“This subordinate is Ming Qin. By order of His Majesty the Emperor, I am here to protect the Eleventh Prince,” Ming Qin answered, stuffing the handkerchief into Murong Wan’s hand.
“That’s impossible!” Murong Wan clutched the handkerchief tightly. Tears mixed with blood and dirt ran down his face in grimy streaks. He shook his head in distress. “Imperial Father would never send a Shadow Guard to protect me.”
Ming Qin tilted her head. “But I’m not lying to you.”
“If you’re really here to protect me, why didn’t you step in just now?” Murong Wan questioned in disbelief, wiping his face with the handkerchief.
“The Eleventh Prince was in no mortal danger just now,” Ming Qin said honestly, indicating to Murong Wan that his nose was still bleeding.
Murong Wan let out a frustrated laugh. He was about to ask the woman in front of him what exactly counted as “mortal danger” when his stomach let out an untimely growl.
Hearing the sound, Ming Qin pulled several steamed buns from her robes and offered them to the embarrassed prince.
Ming Qin propped her chin in her hands, watching Murong Wan wolf down her snacks, and thought to herself, I should buy something else to tide me over before I go see the Commandery Princess later. Otherwise, I might end up eating her dinner all up.
The author has something to say:
Taking this opportunity to explain a few things to everyone:
The 『Yan4』 in the Commandery Princess’s name, Murong Yan, is homophonic with 『flame5』. It refers to the undulating, overflowing motion of water.
(Referencing the poem 〈Passing by the Former Residence of Vice Director Fan》: 「The water ripples in the old pool, under the vast glow of the setting sun.」)
I like this character because, despite sounding identical to 『flame』, it is actually used to describe the undulating waves of water.
This contrast of 『seeming like fire at first glance, but being water once understood』 is very intriguing, and I feel it fits the Commandery Princess perfectly~ (laughs).
The 『Qin6』 in Ming Qin’s name means to seep in, to permeate.
(For reference, see the Tang Dynasty poet Sun Xin’s 〈On Testing the Cold Well〉: 「The well by the celestial gate is newly dug, as spiritual liquid seeps to form a spring.」)
As for whose heart Ming Qin has seeped into, and whose bones she has permeated… I won’t say any more. (Gives you a look of ‘figure it out for yourself’.)
Footnotes
- shíhé (食盒), a traditional multi-tiered wooden or lacquer container used to carry prepared meals, often seen in historical China.
- gǒngshǒu (拱手), a traditional gesture of respect where one cups one hand over the other chest-high, often used in greetings, apologies, or mock politeness.
- bào fó jiǎo (抱佛脚), literally to clasp the feet of Buddha, an idiom meaning to make a frantic, last-minute effort when unprepared.
- yàn (灩), a Chinese character meaning water overflowing or rippling.
- yàn (焰), meaning flame or fire.
- qìn (沁), a Chinese character meaning to seep in, soak, or permeate.
Chinese authors are something else – start quoting poetry at the drop of a hat.
I would recommend you fill out the tags in novel update I added some but on the bottom section it only had misunderstanding for some reason.
Thx for the translation.
I would recommend you fill out the tags in novel update I added some but on the bottom section it only had misunderstanding for some reason.
Thx for the translation.