The Princess’ Shadow Guard – Chapter 3
by Little PandaI Thought We Were Friends
After the Double Ninth Festival, Ming Qin started bringing Murong Yan more than just pastries. There were meatballs from Wang’s Shop, steamed buns from the Listening to Rain Pavilion, and baked flatbread from Grandpa Wang on South Street.
Of her ten days of leave, she spent seven of them at Cangyue Tower.
Murong Yan never seemed annoyed when the young Shadow Guard suddenly appeared at her window. She would just calmly accept whatever Ming Qin was holding, without a word.
As Murong Yan held her chopsticks and elegantly savored the food, Ming Qin would stand at a distance, hands behind her back, hoping to read some new expression on that indifferent face.
Through her observations over these few days, Ming Qin discovered that Murong Yan liked sweet things but couldn’t handle spice. Compared to meat, she preferred vegetarian dishes.
When she came across a food she liked, she would squint her eyes as if in pure enjoyment.
If the food was too spicy, she would stick out the tip of her tongue to press it against her upper lip, the corners of her eyes turning red.
And if she ate something that wasn’t to her liking, she would put down her chopsticks without any change in expression and silently drink her tea.
At the hour of the Horse, Ming Qin stepped out of her room, wondering what she should bring the Commandery Princess before she left the Capital for her mission tomorrow.
Her shixiong, Lin Yan, came walking towards her along the corridor, followed by her shijie, Song Shuqing. Their eyes lit up when they saw Ming Qin. Lin Yan clapped her on the shoulder. “Qin-qin, heading out?”
Ming Qin nodded. Before she could speak, Song Shuqing wailed, “Qin-qin is all grown up! She doesn’t hang out with us anymore. On Double Ninth Festival a few days ago, Master said we were all going to eat at Listening to Rain Pavilion, and you were even late!”
Her exaggerated expression made it seem as if the sky were about to fall.
Ming Qin seemed long used to it and simply smiled. “So where are shixiong and shijie off to today?”
“I’m meeting Master at the tavern for a drink,” Lin Yan replied. “As for your shijie…” He stopped, a look of disgust on his face as if he’d recalled something unspeakable.
“The Flower Street1, of course! Qin-qin, want to come?” Song Shuqing boomed, turning to ask Ming Qin.
“Don’t you go corrupting Qin-qin! What’s a girl like her going to the Flower Street for?” The memory of Song Shuqing’s outrageous behavior made Lin Yan’s stomach twist into knots.
“What’s wrong with the Flower Street? The girls there are fragrant and soft, and they play the zither so beautifully.”
Song Shuqing’s tone was frank and utterly shameless. She shot Lin Yan a look of contempt. “You old-fashioned fossils. I don’t see you going there any less, do I? What? Only men are allowed to go to the Flower Street to listen to music? Have you ever heard of women’s rights2? Women’s rights!”
“What nonsense are you spouting now?” Lin Yan’s head throbbed, choked by her bizarre logic. “And what in the world is a ‘women’s spring’?”
Already accustomed to Lin Yan’s nagging and Song Shuqing’s crude talk, Ming Qin had no desire to get involved in their war. She was walking briskly towards the barracks gate when Lin Yan turned to call after her, “Qin-qin, don’t stay out too late. You have to set off early tomorrow to rendezvous with Cao Yun.”
Ming Qin nodded to show she remembered. Lin Yan immediately turned back to his noisy debate with Song Shuqing.
Being a Shadow Guard was an extremely high-risk profession, with a considerable attrition rate.
Of all the disciples her Master had trained over the past ten years, the only ones at Ming Qin’s level who were still alive were her shixiong Lin Yan, Cao Yun, and her shijie Song Shuqing.
The four of them cherished one another, treating Ming Qin, the youngest, like their own little sister.
In their leisure time, they would sometimes play flower cards3 together. The straightforward Ming Qin could never outwit her cunning shixiong and shijie, and could only pay them back during martial arts sparring. When an assignment was over and they had a long break, her shixiong and shijie would often take their rewards and go out to 『live it up』.
Ming Qin had tagged along a few times. Her shixiong drank, so she drank too, but the wine was bitter and harsh, and she really couldn’t stand the dizzy, muddled feeling it gave her.
She had also followed her shijie to the Flower Street to listen to people play the zither, but the melodious music just made her sleepy.
Her shijie told her not to just listen to the music, so she turned her attention to studying the peanuts on the table. But perhaps they had been sitting out for too long; they were soft and not the least bit fragrant. They were horribly unappetizing.
The tavern and the Flower Street—what kind of fun was there to be found in those places?
She didn’t like them at all.
Ming Qin’s gaze fell on a vendor selling glutinous rice balls. The soft, sticky spheres of various colors had just come out of the steamer. They were skewered on bamboo sticks and drizzled with a gleaming, golden osmanthus honey4. The sight alone was enough to make one’s mouth water.
When she came to her senses, she was already holding three skewers of glutinous rice balls packed in a split bamboo tube.
The image of the Commandery Princess squinting in satisfaction flashed through her mind. Ming Qin couldn’t wait. She hurried towards Cangyue Tower. Compared to taverns and the Flower Street, this—right now—was true happiness.
When she landed on the windowsill, the first thing that met Ming Qin’s eyes was the sight of the Commandery Princess sleeping on the couch.
The woman’s hair was down, her body curled up and covered with a thick fox-fur robe. Even so, her slender frame still trembled with the cold wind that blew in.
Several classic books were scattered on the floor beneath the couch, their pages clearly creased—abused to a degree that would probably give a collector a heart attack.
Ming Qin quietly set down the glutinous rice balls and gently closed the window behind Murong Yan.
She was about to leave, but hesitated.
After a pause, Ming Qin turned back and added some more charcoal to the brazier by the tea table. It was clearly high-quality silver-thread charcoal5, yet it still made a faint crackling sound as she stirred it.
The sudden noise in the silence woke the sleeping woman. Ming Qin guiltily met the Commandery Princess’s open eyes. Just as she was about to apologize, Murong Yan waved a dismissive hand and sat up, rubbing her temples.
Ming Qin used the boiled water and the tea leaves from the table to brew a cup of tea, mimicking Murong Yan’s process. She offered it to the Commandery Princess, trying to curry favor.
Murong Yan, still drowsy from her nap, was silent. After she had collected herself, she took a sip of the tea Ming Qin offered.
But she spat it out the moment it entered her mouth.
“Are you trying to poison this palace?”
Ming Qin jumped in fright, hastily clarifying, “No! I’m really not!”
With that, she reached for the cup Murong Yan had used, ready to test it for poison herself.
“The tea you brew is truly awful.” For once, Murong Yan’s voice was laced with strong emotion—a mixture of disgust and disbelief. “This isn’t tea at all. It can only be called water soaked with dead twigs!”
Murong Yan took the tea set herself. She casually tossed the remaining “twig water” from the pot out the window, then skillfully poured fresh water, added the tea leaves, observed the color, and smelled the aroma. The entire sequence of movements was as smooth as flowing water6.
The brewed tea was poured into two white porcelain cups. She slowly pushed one of them towards the seat opposite her.
Sipping her own handiwork, the sweet fragrance filling her throat, Murong Yan revealed a satisfied expression. Only then did she gesture for the petrified Ming Qin to sit and drink.
Ming Qin snapped back to reality and carefully lifted the cup for a sip. This was the second time she had tasted tea brewed by the Commandery Princess herself.
To be honest, she couldn’t tell the difference between this and her own “dead leaf water” at all.
She might have some opinions when it came to food, but as for her ability to appreciate tea, she could only offer such profound assessments as 『very bitter』 and 『slightly less bitter』.
Fearing Murong Yan would ask for her thoughts on the tea, Ming Qin quickly presented the glutinous rice balls she had just bought. “Osmanthus glutinous rice balls from Tianhe Street. I waited in line for a long time.”
Murong Yan carefully examined the honey-drizzled rice balls, then took a bite straight from the bamboo tube.
The fragrance of osmanthus enveloped the smooth, soft texture. The sweet taste made the Commandery Princess squint in satisfaction. Seeing this reaction, Ming Qin was overjoyed. It was worth spending an entire evening deciding what to bring today.
Murong Yan finished just one skewer, then unhurriedly began to wipe her fingers, no longer looking at the remaining rice balls.
Ming Qin was a little confused. “Does Your Highness not like them?”
“Not at all,” Murong Yan replied. “This snack is… acceptable.”
Hearing this, Ming Qin was even more puzzled. “Then why…”
Murong Yan cut her off. Licking the residual honey from her lips, she explained, “Glutinous rice is not good for the spleen and stomach. One shouldn’t eat too much.”
Seeing the Shadow Guard’s shocked expression, Murong Yan raised an eyebrow. “You eat your way through all the delicacies in the Capital without any restraint. Have you never suffered from indigestion7?”
“Never,” Ming Qin said, shaking her head honestly. “I have a very strong constitution.”
She thought for a moment, then added in a proud tone, “Once, for the New Year, shiniang made a whole table of dishes. The next day, my shixiong and shijie all had stomachaches. I was the only one who was still full of life.”
Murong Yan found this somewhat amusing, and took a sip of tea to hide the smile at the corner of her mouth.
Ming Qin glanced at the bamboo tube, then naturally took the remaining glutinous rice balls and finished them off in a few bites. But Murong Yan was watching her strangely, her brow slightly furrowed.
“What is it?” Ming Qin mumbled, her cheeks puffed out as she chewed.
Murong Yan was about to speak, but seeing Ming Qin’s oblivious face, she gave up with a shake of her head. She only said pointedly, “It seems your spleen and stomach aren’t the only things as robust as an ox. Your heart is quite large as well.”
“You sound just like my Master,” Ming Qin said, her voice muffled, completely missing the hidden meaning in Murong Yan’s words.
“Oh, right!” Suddenly remembering something, the Shadow Guard slapped her thigh. “I can’t come anymore after this.”
She finally swallowed the food in her mouth. “My leave is over. I’m leaving the Capital tomorrow.”
Ming Qin couldn’t reveal the details of her mission, so she couldn’t tell the Commandery Princess any more. “But I’ll bring back something delicious next time! I promise!”
The hand with which Murong Yan was toying with her teacup suddenly stilled. Hearing Ming Qin’s earnest promise, she said calmly, “You don’t have to bring anything for this palace.”
Her expression grew distant, her tone suddenly icy. “You have no reason to come to Cangyue Tower, nor do you need to inform this palace of your comings and goings.”
“But…” Ming Qin grew flustered, not understanding why the Commandery Princess seemed angry. She wrung her hands so tightly her knuckles turned white. “I thought we were friends.”
At these words, Murong Yan’s usually composed face showed a rare flicker of shock.
“Aren’t we?” Ming Qin tilted her head. “My Master told me that people you want to see, and are happy to be with, are friends.”
As if afraid Murong Yan wouldn’t understand, Ming Qin slowed her speech to explain, “I want to see the Commandery Princess. I’m very happy every time we meet. So I come to Cangyue Tower. Is that not reason enough?”
She carefully watched the woman’s expression. “Or… does the Commandery Princess not want to see me?”
Murong Yan lifted her cup, feigning composure. “Mm,” she answered after a long pause.
As if afraid Ming Qin would misunderstand, she added, “We can be friends.”
She moved to drink, but failed to notice that her cup was already empty. Her hand froze awkwardly in the air.
“Come if you wish,” Murong Yan finally said, putting the cup down in a gesture of concession.
Hearing this, the tension in Ming Qin’s brow eased, and she broke into a joyful smile. “That’s great!” She thoughtfully refilled the teapot with boiling water.
“Your name, Ming Qin…” Murong Yan began, her tone a little hesitant. “How is it written?”
Using the water spilled on the table, Ming Qin traced the characters.
“The sun and moon make ‘Ming’. A rare surname,” Murong Yan mused, tilting her head.
“It’s not my surname.” Ming Qin waved her hand, wiping the marks from the table with her sleeve. “I don’t have one. My Master found me when I was drowning in a lake, right as day was turning to night, and just gave me a name.”
Her tone was light, as if she didn’t care at all.
Murong Yan, however, felt a pang of guilt. She cleared her throat. “Murong Yan.” She introduced herself, though she knew Ming Qin must have known her name already.
“My name is Murong Yan.” She dipped her finger in the water and wrote it, stroke by stroke.
As the hour of the Rooster8 approached, after Ming Qin had left, Murong Yan stared at the half-open window, resting her forehead on her hand in thought.
She already knew this Shadow Guard was straightforward and uninhibited, but to dare call a Commandery Princess her friend… she truly didn’t know if the girl was impulsive and reckless, or just outrageously bold.
She impatiently sent away the maidservant who came to deliver her evening meal. Murong Yan lay down languidly, toying with a white jade hairpin9 in her hand.
When Ming Qin said she couldn’t come anymore, her heart had indeed skipped a beat. A dull, unpleasant feeling.
She had truly been in this cage for too long, for a single sentence from a little Shadow Guard to be able to sway her mood.
Murong Yan laughed at herself.
She tucked the fox-fur robe tighter around her body, but she still felt a little cold.
It’s fine if she comes back, and it’s fine if she doesn’t. It doesn’t matter, Murong Yan told herself calmly.
Right. Nothing matters.
Footnotes
- Huā jiē (花街), literally 'flower street,' is a common euphemism for a red-light district or entertainment quarter with courtesans and brothels.
- Original: nǚquán (女权), a modern term for 'women's rights' or 'feminism.' Its use here is anachronistic for comedic effect, highlighting Song Shuqing's modern sensibilities. Lin Yan's confusion stems from mishearing it as a homophone, like 'nǚ quán' (女泉), which could mean 'women's spring'—a term that makes no sense to him.
- Huā pái (花牌), literally 'flower cards,' is a traditional Chinese card game typically played for leisure or light gambling, popular in Chinese popular culture across many eras.
- Guìhuā mì (桂花蜜) is a sweet syrup infused with the highly fragrant blossoms of the osmanthus tree.
- Yín sī tàn (银丝炭), or 'silver-thread charcoal,' was a premium, smokeless charcoal used by wealthy households in ancient China.
- Xíngyúnliúshuǐ (行云流水), literally 'moving clouds and flowing water,' is an idiom describing actions that are perfectly smooth, natural, and graceful.
- Jī shí (积食), or food stagnation, is a concept in Traditional Chinese Medicine referring to indigestion caused by overeating or consuming food that is difficult for the spleen and stomach to process.
- Yǒu shí (酉时) is the hour of the Rooster in the traditional Chinese timekeeping system, corresponding to the two-hour period from 5 pm to 7 pm.
- A bái yù fāzān (白玉发簪) is a hairpin carved from white jade, a stone highly valued for its purity and beauty.
My heart is so soft for these two. Ming Qin’s bright personality like the sun in contrast to the cool personality of Murong Yan like the moon.
I am really a sucker for the intellectual yet physically weak and simple yet physically strong pairings in Baihe.
I really feel for the princess myself. The only differences are that she has a missing leg while I can only wish that mine was, and her mind is more clear than mine is most of the time (enough painkillers to kill Andre the Giant will do that to you). Even her outlook on life is the same. If I had a Ming Qin in my life, I’d never give her up
Thank you for the chapter!!