The Princess’ Shadow Guard – Chapter 20
by Little PandaDoes Ah Qin Not Like Looking at Beauties?
The conversation between the Emperor and the Crown Prince she had just overheard from the rafters had sent waves of shock through her heart.
The Crown Prince had killed Murong Yan’s mother.
The Princess Consort of Yu had been murdered by the Crown Prince all because of Murong Yan’s betrothal.
Did Murong Yan know? Should Murong Yan know?
Should she tell her?
But if Murong Yan found out, how would she react?
How heartbroken and ridden with self-blame she would be.
That was the mother who had lulled her to sleep and played the zither for her—the mother who, if spoken of lightly by anyone, would drive her to kill.
Just thinking of Murong Yan being utterly devastated and blaming herself, Ming Qin couldn’t help but feel sad.
She had always known the Crown Prince was a bad person. She knew he had killed his brother and poisoned his father, but Ming Qin, who lived entirely in her own simple world, had only ever understood him as an abstract 『bad person』.
Now, thinking of everything the Crown Prince had done to Murong Yan, a nameless fire flared in her chest.
Not only had he imprisoned Murong Yan in a high tower and murdered her dearest mother, but he now called her his possession over and over again.
Ming Qin, who rarely grew angry, felt a profound rage rising within her. Her fists clenched tightly.
She forced herself to take a deep breath.
She would work tirelessly to complete Master’s mission and bring down the Crown Prince’s faction. Before that was done, she didn’t want to see Murong Yan sad ever again.
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 recover her senses, she was caught in a full embrace by the lightning-fast Ming Qin.
Murong Yan set her book down on the tea table and returned the embrace.
“I’ve missed you so much!” Ming Qin murmured.
Ming Qin half-knelt on the bed, her hands lightly supporting the woman’s waist as she pressed her face against her softness. Inhaling that familiar scent, she spoke with a touch of grievance.
Having rushed straight to Cangyue Tower the moment she finished her report to Master, she had been in such a hurry that she hadn’t even eaten yet.
Murong Yan rested her chin against Ming Qin’s head. One of her hands gently patted the girl in her arms, while the other cradled her head. With the corners of her mouth curving upward, she replied, “I’ve missed Ah Qin very much, too.”
It had only been seven days, yet it felt incredibly long. Only when she looked at Ming Qin again did she feel the heavy weight of time begin to flow once more.
She took a deep, satisfied breath, only to catch an unexpected and unfamiliar scent of cosmetic balm. Then, she saw a vivid red mark of lipstick at the corner of Ming Qin’s mouth.
This caused Murong Yan’s originally smiling expression to freeze.
Entirely oblivious, Ming Qin tightened her embrace. After a few breaths, she finally released her arms and straightened up. Her gaze drifted to the book resting near her feet, its title hidden by a protective cover, and she asked curiously, “What were you reading just now?”
Murong Yan’s expression remained calm and composed. “Just some leisure reading,” she said, her tone vague.
Meeting Ming Qin’s innocent eyes, she added with a meaningful look, “Though I’m afraid this book is a bit too early for Ah Qin.”
Ming Qin nodded half-understandingly, simply assuming Murong Yan was secretly reading legendary romance novels and was too embarrassed to tell her.
“Where’s Ah Qin been these past few days?” Murong Yan asked, suppressing the rising anxiety in her chest as she stared at the red mark on her skin. Pretending to be nonchalant, she took a sip of tea and probed further.
Ming Qin naturally picked up a pastry from the tea table and sat down beside the woman. “Baihua Brothel1,” she replied honestly.
Hearing this, Murong Yan nearly spat out her tea, only managing to swallow it down by relying on the exceptional poise and etiquette drilled into her since childhood.
With her voice shaking slightly, she asked, “…What did Ah Qin go to… that kind of pleasure quarter for?”
That was the most famous brothel in the Capital, after all!
“It’s all Shijie’s fault!”
Asked by the woman, Ming Qin complained aggrievedly to Murong Yan in a rapid chatter, like a drowning person who had finally found a piece of driftwood to cling to. “Gathering intelligence from pleasure houses was never supposed to be my job!”
Ever since Master had mentioned to her that she could tell the Commandery Princess anything without reservation, Ming Qin had kept no secrets from Murong Yan.
As a result, Murong Yan now knew everything—from how many cats lived in the Shadow Guard Camp, to which tree had wine buried beneath it, and even which shidi was sweet on which shimei.
“I don’t even know how to dance or play the zither, yet Shijie still had the others smear rouge all over my face so I’d blend in and gather intelligence.” At the thought of that agonizing experience, Ming Qin wanted to hold her head and weep.
She, the grand number one expert of the Shadow Guard Camp, had spent her entire life learning nothing but stealth and assassination. Yet, she had been forced to mingle with a group of dancers and perform for a crowd of drunken guests.
Fortunately, her incredible memory and hand-eye coordination allowed her to barely keep up with the rhythm. Otherwise, she really would’ve had to sacrifice her looks to pour wine.
“Clearly, she easily could’ve sent the other shimei, but Song Shuqing bamboozled me, claiming the mission was exceptionally difficult and required incredibly keen hearing, so I reluctantly agreed.”
“Every night, I had to stay awake and sneak onto the rafters to listen to people having sex!” Ming Qin pulled a face as if she were about to throw up.
If she’d known beforehand that her extraordinarily keen hearing would be used to eavesdrop on couples in the throes of passion, she absolutely would’ve refused Shijie.
Those sticky moans and heavy, bull-like pants always made her want to stab her own ears.
“If Master hadn’t said the intelligence I brought back this time was incredibly useful, I probably would’ve been too annoyed to eat for three days and three nights.”
“So that was it. You’ve truly suffered, Ah Qin,” Murong Yan comforted her, letting out a sigh of relief. Then, with an air of natural composure, she moved the unidentified book on the tea table a bit further away from Ming Qin.
So that’s why she’s covered in rouge and powder.
“This mission was just too unreasonable. Next time, I’d rather fight a hundred burly men single-handedly than ever step foot in a brothel again,” Ming Qin said crossly. “I really don’t understand why people enjoy visiting red-light districts so much.”
In her innocence, she truly couldn’t comprehend why anyone would grow jealous and fight over a beauty to the point of breaking their heads and bleeding, nor could she understand why the wanton, lustful sounds of the bedchamber were so captivating.
“Oh?”
Murong Yan arched an eyebrow, her tone intriguing. “Doesn’t Ah Qin like watching beauties play the zither and dance either?”
Ming Qin tilted her head in thought. “Perhaps it’s because I’m not a man, so I can’t appreciate the appeal of the beauties there. I always found the scent of their powder choking, and they wear so much makeup that their faces look as pale as ghosts.”
She frowned and shook her head at the memory. “Besides, I don’t understand music. When I used to listen to it with Shijie, I’d always fall asleep.”
Seeing Ming Qin’s look of disgust, Murong Yan let a smile touch her lips, though she lowered her gaze.
After a moment, she spoke. “Perhaps Ah Qin has simply never met a truly peerless beauty, and thus doesn’t appreciate a woman’s charms. Just as someone who has never heard truly moving zither music can’t distinguish a fine melody from a poor one.”
Her voice was very low.
Ming Qin was a bit puzzled by her words. “But I’ve seen plenty of beautiful people?”
Then, tilting her head, she began to count seriously on her fingers. “Shijie, Shimu, and Miss Jiang are all very beautiful. And you—you are the most beautiful of all.”
“How can that count?” she murmured softly, her tone laced with bitterness.
Imprisoned for so many years, her sharp edges had long been worn away. How could she still have any peerless beauty left?
Yet, seeing Ming Qin’s earnest expression and hearing her tone—which resembled a child boasting of a prized piece of candy—she found herself at a loss for words.
After pondering for a moment, she suddenly showed a look of great interest and asked, “Ah Qin, if you’re free tomorrow, could you bring me some things before you come?”
Discreetly, she used her thumb to wipe away the red mark at the corner of Ming Qin’s mouth.
“Of course,” Ming Qin agreed without the slightest hesitation.
Previously, no matter how obscure or difficult-to-find the delicacies Murong Yan craved were, she had always managed to procure them. It wasn’t a difficult task.
“It’s not food this time,” Murong Yan said helplessly, as if reading the thoughts of the person in front of her.
Then, she caressed Ming Qin’s hand with a touch of doting affection, their fingers tightly clasping together.
“You must find me some black bean paste2.”
The author has something to say:
When I was choosing the character for the cover art, between Ming Qin and Murong Yan, I chose Ming Qin without a single second of hesitation.
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It’s not because I’m biased! Rather, to me, the sheer grace of Murong Yan in my mind is something that no paintbrush could ever hope to fully capture.
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So in the upcoming Chapter 21, I’ll try my best to convey the Commandery Princess as I imagine her through my words for you all to picture (and happily hand out some sweet fluff).
I hope you’ll all like it.
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P.S. So, is the Commandery Princess really reading a legendary romance novel or not? It certainly makes one curious (laughs).
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