The Princess’ Shadow Guard – Chapter 2
by Little PandaToo Strange for a Shadow Guard
The ninth day of the month. The streets of the Capital were more bustling than usual.
Just past wu shi,1 people, as small as ants, rubbed shoulders on the grand avenues. It was a lively scene.
Despite her aversion to the cold, the windows in Cang Yue Tower were wide open. Murong Yan, her hair in a simple topknot,2 lay bonelessly on a couch. Her eyes, having stared out the window for a long time, were starting to ache. She blinked, her eyelids feeling a little hot.
She casually tossed the cold tea out the window. The white porcelain teacup clattered against the tea table with a crisp sound, slightly jarring in the silent tower.
She yawned out of sheer boredom. As she closed her eyes to rest, she felt a cool breeze on her cheek.
Murong Yan opened her eyes and composed herself. Once she saw who it was, she spoke without a trace of alarm. “This palace does not recall Cang Yue Tower ever opening its doors to guests, allowing people to come and go as they please.”
Her indifferent tone betrayed neither shock nor anger. “What do you think, Miss Fugitive?”
The woman who had worn night-travel clothes a few days ago was now dressed in a gray long-robe, her waist-length black hair tied back. The bangs on her forehead were a bit messy. If one were to only catch a fleeting glimpse of her slim, tall figure from behind, they would have taken her for an ordinary scholar.
The young Shadow Guard stood before the window and first offered a respectful bow. “Commandery Princess, this subordinate is called Ming Qin.”
Then, as if unsure where to begin, she scratched her head. Her flustered figure looked a little foolish in Murong Yan’s eyes. “Today is the Double Ninth Festival,3 so this subordinate thought…” Her voice trailed off, sounding a little guilty.
“So you climbed to a high place… and ended up at Cang Yue Tower?” Murong Yan let out a soft breath and raised an eyebrow, finding the situation somewhat absurd.
“I…” Ming Qin stammered, more panicked in this moment than in any of her countless near-death encounters on missions.
She carefully took out a bundle of zongzi leaves4 tied with hemp rope from her robes and quickly unwrapped the intricate packaging. Ming Qin explained, flustered and uneasy, “These are the chestnut cakes from the East Market. They’re delicious, and just came out of the oven.”
She offered the zongzi leaf package to Murong Yan. “This is a thank-you gift for the other day.”
Looking at the two neatly arranged pastries, Murong Yan saw that the small chestnut cakes were carved with a simple pattern, their surfaces glistening. The rich aroma of chestnuts made them seem even more delectable. They were even garnished with a chrysanthemum on the side, a rather elegant touch.
Meeting Ming Qin’s anxious gaze, Murong Yan lowered her eyes, silently gesturing for the Shadow Guard to place the zongzi leaf package on the tea table. She then turned to add some charcoal to the fire under the kettle.
Once the water boiled, Murong Yan opened a hidden compartment under the tea table, revealing rows of white porcelain jars filled with tea leaves. She chose one at random and steeped the tea.
After the brew had colored, she poured a cup for herself. Only then did Murong Yan unhurriedly pick up a chestnut cake, place it gently in her mouth, and take a bite to savor it.
The combination of the soft outer layer and the dense, delicious chestnut filling was exquisite. It was sweet without being cloying, with a faint fragrance of bamboo leaves. Paired with the freshly brewed oolong, it was impressive enough to surprise even a woman accustomed to the skills of the imperial chefs.
For a rare moment, a hint of warmth appeared on her face as she closely examined the chestnut cake in her hand.
When she finished and turned her head, she saw Ming Qin standing to the side, wringing her fingers and cautiously observing her reaction.
After a pause, Murong Yan responded, “Not bad.”
Seeing that the woman before her seemed pleased, Ming Qin finally let out a sigh of relief, a smile rising to her lips. “Granny Li’s pastries are the best in the entire Capital. Usually, if you don’t line up early, you’ll be waiting for nothing.”
Looking at the Shadow Guard’s proud expression, Murong Yan, who was always so calm and detached, couldn’t help but smile. “The best in the Capital is a bit of an exaggeration.”
Ming Qin disagreed. As if to prove her point, she puffed out her chest. “I’ve eaten every delicacy in the Capital, and I’ve tried every one of Granny Li’s pastries. If you don’t like chestnut, I’ll bring you mung bean cakes next time. That’s their specialty, you know.” Her tone was a little eager.
“This palace was under the impression that the palace’s Shadow Guards were occupied with a myriad of affairs day and night.”
Seeing Ming Qin’s anxious look, Murong Yan slowly picked up the second chestnut cake and said leisurely, “I didn’t realize you were all so idle, with time to run all over the Capital eating pastries.”
The image of one of the Emperor’s feared hawks and hounds queuing obediently, searching all over the city for various pastry shops and critiquing their wares, made Murong Yan take a sip of tea to suppress the smile at the corner of her mouth.
“I…”
Unsure whether to explain to the Commandery Princess that Shadow Guards were not ones to neglect their duties, or to frankly admit that she did indeed spend all her rest days running around the Capital in search of delicacies, Ming Qin scratched her head in embarrassment. As if to divert attention, she tossed the bamboo leaves from the tea table into the furnace to destroy the evidence, squatting down silently to poke at the ashes with an iron rod.
Ming Qin’s dejection made the other person seem a bit mischievous. Murong Yan carefully wiped her fingers with a handkerchief, blinked, and then said lightly, “As a thank-you gift, it is adequate.”
Lifting her head, Ming Qin’s face broke into a childlike smile. “Really? That’s wonderful! I’ll bring something else next time.”
Murong Yan looked at Ming Qin’s radiant smile and found it marvelous.
She had encountered many Shadow Guards in the palace before. With her keen eye, she could tell that Ming Qin’s martial arts were superior even among the highly skilled Shadow Guard camp—after all, she could climb Cang Yue Tower—yet she looked to be only twenty, which was far too young.
Furthermore, while the work of a Shadow Guard was always mired in filth and hidden from the light, Ming Qin was as straightforward as a child, allowing one to see through her thoughts at a glance.
Truly a strange person.
Murong Yan was lost in her own complex thoughts, nodding unconsciously in response to the person before her. She didn’t even snap out of it until after Ming Qin had left.
So, when she saw the young Shadow Guard appear at her window again the next day after lunch, holding a package of mung bean cakes with a huge grin on her face, Murong Yan was truly astonished.
It really was improper. Ming Qin zipped across the rooftops using her qinggong.5 While the first time had been a matter of desperation, the second time was certainly a breach of etiquette. If she were a man, she’d be no different from a common peeping Tom,6 and the other party was a Commandery Princess, the most noble woman outside the Imperial City today.
Ming Qin recalled.
That night, she had been rushing back to the Capital with a secret letter, using her qinggong the whole way. Before she could even enter the Imperial City, she was ambushed by the Crown Prince’s men, who had received intelligence of her movements. The fatigue from her journey, combined with the injuries sustained during her mission, left her barely able to fend them off. Unwilling to cause a disturbance in the Capital and involve innocent people, she had thought of the Prince of Yu, who had always been loyal to the Emperor and stayed out of political strife. Seeking refuge with Murong Yan, a Commandery Princess who was closest to her location, was the best decision she could have made at the time.
Suffering from internal injuries, she had risked her life just to avoid falling to her death while climbing the tower.
But the Commandery Princess’s unruffled reaction had been completely unexpected. And her appearance and demeanor were completely different from when Ming Qin had first seen her. Ming Qin thought back.
She still remembered ten years ago. She had been a young girl training at Yelan Pavilion. Besides the daily practice, there were regular whippings to temper her will and the torment of starving for days on end. But even as her peers cried out in misery, she gritted her teeth and endured.
This pain and training are for my own good. Only by becoming strong can I survive.
It was this belief that supported her, keeping her from collapsing during the arduous training.
The only exception was when she was twelve. On the verge of graduation, her Mistress7 fed her poison daily to build her resistance. Her body felt as if thousands of scorpions and vipers were squirming inside her. Her muscles and bones, which she thought had long grown numb to pain, endured a heart-gouging agony day after day.
That day, her taut nerves snapped like an over-tuned zither string. A dissonant ringing in her mind seemed to scream at a high pitch. Overwhelmed by the pain, she reached her limit and, under the cover of night, used all her strength to shatter her handcuffs, escaping from Yelan Pavilion for the one and only time.
Her weak and battered body gave out, and she collapsed at the edge of the Imperial City like a sewer rat on the verge of death. Just as her consciousness was about to slip away, a bright red sleeve stopped at her wrist under the moonlight. Then, she felt herself being lifted into the air and placed on a horse.
To the rhythm of hoofbeats, she vaguely heard a man’s voice from the side, 『Commandery Princess, let this lowly one do it. Don’t dirty your clothes.』
The woman didn’t answer. The man suggested, 『This is likely someone from Yelan Pavilion. Shall this lowly one send someone to notify them to come pick her up?』
After a silence, she heard the woman let out a soft sigh, 『We’ll deal with it tomorrow. She’s just a poor child.』
The young her didn’t know how long she remained in that warm embrace, only that the piercing sounds in her head had been entirely wiped clean.
When she had enough strength to struggle to open her eyes and see clearly, she vaguely saw what looked like a celestial being who had descended to the mortal realm. The woman before her was as radiant as a blooming scarlet peony.
Sensing the movement in her arms, the woman reined in her horse and looked down. Her eyes shimmered, a smile played on her lips. Her free hand produced a piece of candy from somewhere and placed it in the child’s mouth.
Lying obediently in the woman’s arms, Ming Qin docilely opened her mouth, feeling the sweet rice candy slowly melt on her tongue.
It was the most delicious thing she had eaten in her twelve years of life.
Before she lost consciousness again, only that one thought remained in the girl’s mind.
Waking from her memories, Ming Qin thought.
She had thought the beautiful woman of that year, all bright clothes and spirited horses,8 would still be in full bloom. But now, it was as if a bright pearl was covered in dust.9 The peony had withered, its petals scattered, leaving only a dry branch.
If her heart hadn’t been moved, she wouldn’t have, during her rest day on the Double Ninth Festival, unintentionally found herself perched on a tree branch, witnessing the sorrow and desolation on her face. Nor would she have been unable to bear it, leaping up to the tower, awkwardly and haltingly pulling out the freshly bought chestnut cakes, frantically making excuses for her own uncontrollable impulsiveness.
Ming Qin’s body dropped, and she appeared silently at the market street entrance, naturally blending in with the coming and going pedestrians.
“Granny Li,” Ming Qin called out to the shop from across the crowd.
“Miss Ming!”
A kind-faced woman quickly wiped her hands and walked toward Ming Qin through the queuing crowd, carrying a hemp-string-tied package.
Handing over the copper coins, Ming Qin took the item from her and gave a solemn, cupped-fist salute in thanks.
“No need to be so polite! Miss Ming is the benefactor who helped me drive off those local ruffians.” Granny Li laughed. “Just keep giving me your business, Miss Ming. I saved these mung bean cakes especially for you. If I hadn’t wrapped them up secretly, people would have started a fight over them.”
“With Granny Li’s skill, it wouldn’t be strange for people to come to blows over them,” Ming Qin said sincerely.
“You’re just a sweet-talker.” Waving her hand, Granny Li turned around briskly. “Alright! I’m heading back to the shop.”
Ming Qin nodded and hurried away, protecting the lotus leaf package in her hands.
I hope she finds this delicious too.
If she hits me, I promise I won’t hit back.
Yes, I promise.
LP: Re-translated on May 29, 2025
Footnotes
- The Hour of the Horse, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the traditional Chinese timekeeping system.
- A simple, single-bun hairstyle (danji/单髻) typically worn informally at home, as opposed to elaborate formal hairstyles with multiple ornaments.
- A traditional Chinese holiday observed on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. Customs include climbing high places, drinking chrysanthemum wine, and eating special cakes.
- Typically bamboo or reed leaves used to wrap zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), but also used for other foods to impart a fresh fragrance.
- Literally ‘lightness skill.’ A martial arts technique allowing practitioners to move with superhuman speed and agility, as if weightless.
- The original term is ‘dengtuzi,’ a classical literary allusion to a lecherous man.
- Shiniang. A term for one’s female master or the wife of one’s master in a martial arts or trade school.
- From the chengyu (four-character idiom) ‘xian yi nu ma,’ describing a young person in their prime, full of vigor and splendor.
- From the chengyu ‘ming zhu meng chen,’ an idiom for a talented person being unrecognized or a beautiful thing being sullied and obscured.
Thank you so much for translating this story. I am one of those picky readers who usually do not go for translated baihe novels, but this story (and the writing quality) and more importantly, your translations has quality that made me actually invest in this story.
Thank you for translating this story ??? This story is addicting. Min Qin is someone that although she suffered a lot she is still nice and Murong Yan is so interesting too, I hope that they can be happy bcause poor girls they are suffering a lot. The flashback was so interesting and it gives place to make several theories.
Happy Valetines day ???