The Princess’ Shadow Guard – Chapter 20

Does Ah Qin Not Like to Look at Beauties?

Ming Qin turned invisible and followed Murong Yan​¹ out of the Imperial Study.

She had just been on the roof beam, listening to the conversation between the Emperor and the Crown Prince, and a tempestuous storm was raging in her heart.

            

The Crown Prince had killed Murong Yan’s mother.

Princess Consort Yu had been killed by the Crown Prince because of Murong Yan’s marriage engagement.

Does Murong Yan know? Should Murong Yan know?

            

Should I tell Murong Yan?

But if Murong Yan finds out, how will she react?

How heartbroken and how guilty would she feel?

            

That was the mother who would coax her to sleep, who would play the zither for her. The mother for whom she would feel a murderous rage if anyone spoke ill of her.

The thought of Murong Yan, who would be devastated and filled with self-reproach, made Ming Qin’s own heart ache with sorrow.

She had always known the Crown Prince was a bad person, that he had killed his brother and poisoned his father, but the Ming Qin who lived in her own simple world had only known the Crown Prince as a ‘bad person’.

            

Now, thinking of all the things the Crown Prince had done to Murong Yan, a nameless fire surged within Ming Qin’s heart.

Not only did he imprison Murong Yan in a high tower and kill her wonderful mother, but now he was calling her his ‘thing’ over and over again.

Ming Qin, who rarely got angry, felt a rage rising from her heart, her hands clenched into tight fists.

            

Ming Qin forced herself to take a deep breath.

I will definitely work hard to complete Shifu’s mission and bring down the Crown Prince’s faction. Before that, I don’t want to see Murong Yan suffer any more heartache.

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Ming Qin hadn’t seen Murong Yan for seven days.

            

When she arrived at Cangyue Tower, the woman was reading a book. Before she could even react, she was swept into a lightning-fast embrace by Ming Qin.

Murong Yan placed the book on the tea table and returned the hug.

“I missed you so much.”

            

Ming Qin knelt halfway on the bed, holding the woman’s waist, her face pressed against her soft bosom. Inhaling the familiar scent, she spoke with a hint of grievance.

The moment she finished reporting to her Shifu, she had rushed to Cangyue Tower, so anxious that she hadn’t even eaten.

Murong Yan rested her chin on Ming Qin’s head, one hand gently patting the person in her arms while the other cradled her head. The corners of her lips lifted as she replied, “I missed Ah Qin very much too.”

            

It had only been seven days, yet it had felt so long. Only now, looking at Ming Qin again, did she feel the heavy weight of time begin to flow once more.

She took a deep, satisfied breath, but unexpectedly caught the scent of an unfamiliar fragrant cream. Then, she saw a mark of crimson lip rouge at the corner of Ming Qin’s mouth.

This caused Murong Yan’s smiling face to stiffen.

            

Ming Qin, completely oblivious, deepened the hug. After a few breaths, she finally loosened her arms and sat up straight. Her eyes fell on the book that had been placed by her feet, its cover wrapped so the title was hidden. “What were you just reading?” she asked curiously.

Murong Yan’s expression was calm. “Just a leisure book.” Her tone, however, was vague.

Looking at Ming Qin’s innocent eyes, she added with a hint of profound meaning, “I’m afraid it’s a book that’s a bit too early for Ah Qin.”

            

Ming Qin nodded with a vague understanding, assuming that Murong Yan was secretly reading legendary storybooks​² and was too embarrassed to tell her.

“Where did Ah Qin go these past few days?” Murong Yan suppressed the anxiety in her heart as she looked at the red mark on the girl’s skin. Feigning nonchalance, she took a sip of tea and asked probingly.

Naturally picking up a small pastry from the tea table, Ming Qin sat down beside the woman. “Baihua Pavilion​³,” she said honestly.

            

The moment Murong Yan heard this, she nearly spat out the tea in her mouth. Relying on the extraordinary self-control and etiquette cultivated since childhood, she managed to swallow it.

Her voice trembled slightly as she asked, “…What was Ah Qin doing in that… place of smoke and flowers​⁴?”

That was the most famous brothel in the capital city.

            

“It’s all Senior Sister’s fault!”

At the woman’s question, Ming Qin, as if she had finally found a piece of driftwood to cling to, began to complain to Murong Yan in a torrent of aggrieved words. “Gathering intelligence from Qin pavilions and Chu lodges​⁵ was never supposed to be my job.”

Ever since her Shifu had told her that she could tell the Commandery Princess anything without reservation, Ming Qin had held nothing back from Murong Yan.

            

As a result, Murong Yan was now privy to how many cats were in the Shadow Guard Camp, under which tree wine was hidden, and even which Junior Brother had a crush on which Junior Sister.

“I clearly can’t dance or play the zither, but Senior Sister still had the others smear rouge on my face and made me blend in to gather intelligence.” Thinking of that painful experience, Ming Qin wanted to hold her head and cry.

She, the number one expert of the Shadow Guard Camp, whose entire life’s training was in the arts of stealth and assassination, had to mix in with a group of dancing girls and perform for a crowd of drunkards.

            

Fortunately, her memory was astonishing and her hand-eye coordination was good enough to barely keep up with the rhythm. Otherwise, she would have had to sacrifice her dignity and pour wine.

They could have just sent one of the other junior sisters, but Song Shuqing had tricked her, saying the mission was difficult and required exceptionally keen hearing, which was the only reason she had reluctantly agreed.

“And I had to stay up every night, secretly climbing onto the roof beams to listen to people having sex.” Ming Qin made a face as if she were about to vomit.

            

If she had known at the time that her superhuman hearing would be used to eavesdrop on the sounds of men and women’s fish and water mingling in joy​⁶, she would have resolutely refused her Senior Sister.

Those sticky moans and ox-like pants always made her want to pierce her own eardrums.

If it weren’t for the fact that her Shifu said the intelligence she brought back was of great use, she probably would have been too annoyed to eat for three days and three nights.

            

“So that’s how it was. Ah Qin has truly suffered.” Murong Yan breathed a sigh of relief and comforted her, then nonchalantly moved the unknown book on the tea table a little further away from Ming Qin.

So that’s why she was stained with rouge and powder.

“This mission was just too much. Next time, I’d rather go fight a hundred strong men alone than go to a brothel,” Ming Qin said, her cheeks puffed out in anger. “I really don’t know why anyone likes to go to the flower streets and willow lanes​⁷.”

            

In her innocence, she truly didn’t understand why some people would fight and shed blood over a beautiful woman, nor did she understand what was so captivating about the lewd sounds of pleasure in the bedroom.

“Oh?”

Murong Yan raised an eyebrow, her tone thought-provoking. “Could it be that Ah Qin doesn’t like to watch beauties play the zither and dance?”

            

Ming Qin tilted her head, thinking. “Perhaps it’s because I’m not a man, so I can’t appreciate the beauty of the women there. I always feel that the scented powder in that place is choking, and their faces are all painted deathly white with powder, like ghosts.”

She frowned and shook her head at the thought of it. “Besides, I don’t understand music either. I always used to doze off when I went to listen with Senior Sister.”

Seeing Ming Qin’s disdainful expression, Murong Yan’s lips held a smile, but she lowered her gaze.

            

After a moment, she spoke. “Ah Qin probably doesn’t understand the appeal of a beautiful woman because you’ve never seen a truly peerless beauty. Just as you can’t distinguish good music from bad because you’ve never heard a truly moving melody.”

Her voice was low.

Ming Qin was a little puzzled by her words. “But I’ve seen lots of beautiful people?”

            

Then she tilted her head and began to count on her fingers earnestly. “Senior Sister, Shimu, Miss Jiang, they’re all very beautiful. And you, you’re the most beautiful.”

“How can that count?” Murong Yan said softly, her tone tinged with bitterness.

Having been imprisoned for so many years, her sharp edges had long been worn away. What peerless beauty was there left to speak of?

            

But seeing Ming Qin’s earnest expression and tone, like a child showing off a treasured piece of candy, she couldn’t help but be struck speechless.

After a moment of contemplation, a look of interest suddenly appeared on her face. “If Ah Qin is free tomorrow, could you bring me something before you come?”

She nonchalantly wiped the red mark from the corner of Ming Qin’s mouth with her thumb.

            

“Of course,” Ming Qin agreed without hesitation.

Previously, no matter what Murong Yan wanted to eat, no matter how exotic, she had always found a way to bring it to her. It wasn’t a difficult task.

“It’s not food this time.”

            

Murong Yan seemed to know what the girl was thinking and spoke with a helpless tone. Then, she stroked her hand dotingly, her fingertips lacing with hers.

“You need to help me find some black bean paste​⁸.”

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The author has something to say:

            

When I was choosing the cover characters, between Ming Qin and Murong Yan, I chose Ming Qin without hesitation.

It’s not because I’m biased! It’s because, for me, the splendor of Murong Yan in my mind is something that can never be fully captured by a paintbrush.

So in the next chapter, Chapter 21, I will try to use words to convey the Commandery Princess I envision, for everyone to imagine (and then happily hand out some sweet moments).

            

I hope you all will like it.

P.S. So, was the book the Commandery Princess was reading really a legendary storybook? It really makes one curious (laughs).

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LP: Re-translated on June 20, 2025

            

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