The Princess’ Shadow Guard – Chapter 41

Ah Qin Did Not Lie to Her

The horse galloped along the path in the snow. The sky was cold and the ground was frozen, and Murong Yan, hugging the little tiger cub in her arms, gripped the reins tightly to barely keep her body from losing its warmth.

Her teeth chattered uncontrollably; she did not know if it was because of this harsh winter, or because her heart was a sheet of ice-cold.

            

Her thoughts seemed to have been frozen solid; only the same voice screamed in her mind.

Ah Qin, Ah Qin.

I don’t want to go alone!

            

And I don’t want you to be left behind alone!

I’m not afraid, I’m truly not afraid.

I would rather we die together, to be with you, than to be separated from you.

            

Murong Yan wanted to let out a wailing cry, but a chest full of grief and indignation was stuck in her throat, preventing any sound from escaping.

In truth, when she was in Ah Qin’s embrace, she had no fear of the pursuing soldiers behind them at all.

The thought of death, which she had always feared, did not even stir a single ripple in Murong Yan’s heart.

            

It was only when she saw her hands covered in fresh blood, when she heard Ming Qin say that she would stay behind to block the enemy, that Murong Yan felt a fear she had never known before.

Her heart felt as if it were shattering, the pain piling up as if it would break her entire being apart.

She wanted to stop. She wanted to turn back.

            

If she could close her eyes in that warm embrace, she would be willing.

But Murong Yan’s hand, holding the reins, dared not move.

Be good, Yanyan.

            

Be good.

The gentle yet domineering voice echoed in her head, as if it knew of her reluctance, soothing her consciousness, which was on the verge of collapse, over and over again.

Murong Yan could only continue forward.

            

An unknown amount of time passed. The horse was already too exhausted to run, merely managing to maintain a fast-paced walk in the heavy snow.

The long ride had also exhausted what little stamina Murong Yan had. She trembled, her thighs struggling to grip the horse’s belly to maintain her balance, but because of her incomplete body, her spirit was willing but her flesh was weak​¹.

No matter how hard she gripped the reins, her body still tilted uncontrollably to the left.

            

I can’t do it, Ah Qin.

Look!

Without you behind me, I can’t even ride a horse properly.

            

Without you by my side, I am nothing.

Let it be this way, Ah Qin.

Let it be this way.

            

Murong Yan relaxed her stiff hand on the reins, closed her eyes, and felt the sense of weightlessness of an impending fall from the horse.

But the anticipated pain and fall did not come. There was a pulling force on her right leg, firmly securing her posture and preventing the woman from falling off easily.

Looking toward her right leg, she saw that Ming Qin had used a black hair tie to tightly bind Murong Yan’s lower limb to the stirrup, making it impossible for the woman with the prosthesis to break free from the stirrup, let alone slip off easily.

            

Looking at her own right leg, even at a time like this, Murong Yan could not help but cover her face and laugh.

Always like this.

Ah Qin, always like this.

            

Always weaving herself into a net to catch her just as she was about to hit the bottom of the abyss.

So gentle, yet so domineering.

How could she not listen to her?

            

What other choice did she have?

Warm tears streamed down from between her fingers, one drop after another.

A large, furry head shot out from her robes, its bright eyes staring up in confusion at the woman who was both crying and laughing.

            

The little tiger’s rough tongue licked away the tears on Murong Yan’s cheeks, and a sharp, whimpering sound came from its throat, as if it were comforting her, telling its beloved woman not to cry anymore.

Looking at this beast that bore a seven-tenths resemblance to its master, Murong Yan could not help but lower her head and kiss its head.

Ah Qin did not lie to her.

            

Ah Qin was right; she could always tell if Ah Qin was lying.

Whether it was her expression, her tone, her body language—any spider silk and horse tracks​²—she could see through it.

And this time, Ah Qin had told her that she would not die.

            

She was not lying.

Murong Yan wanted to make herself believe.

The tears had already been dried by the wind, leaving only their tracks behind.

            

The woman forced her spirits up, tightened her grip on the reins again, and rode the horse north.

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Murong Yan, who had fainted from exhaustion on horseback, awoke in a warm bed.

The soft blankets and the exquisite furnishings in the room were a sight she had not seen for nearly two months.

            

In this unfamiliar environment, she touched the clothes on her body. The original rough, commoner’s cloth shirt had been replaced with a silk dress befitting her status. It seemed someone had already changed her clothes, but she could not find the things that originally belonged to Ming Qin on her person.

Murong Yan’s mind instantly cleared. She threw open the covers, anxious to get out of bed, but fell heavily because she was not wearing her prosthesis.

The loud noise attracted a woman’s cry of alarm from outside the door. A kind-faced woman of about sixty entered the room and, seeing Murong Yan sitting on the floor, was about to step forward to help her up.

            

“Stop!” Murong Yan looked up at the newcomer, her gaze icy. “Who are you?”

The approaching woman stopped immediately, bowed respectfully, and said, “Greetings, Commandery Princess Chongwen. This old woman​³ is Hu Xianghe​⁴, the wife of Su Wen​⁵, the Prefect of Qingzhou​⁶. I was entrusted by my husband to care for the Commandery Princess.”

“This Palace is already in Qingzhou?” Murong Yan supported herself on the bedframe and rose with difficulty, her eyes still full of vigilance.

            

“Yes, the Commandery Princess arrived the day before yesterday.” Hu Xianghe still submissively bowed her head. “My husband asked me to inform the Commandery Princess that Prince Yu has been notified. As soon as the Commandery Princess is ready, you can be sent to reunite with Prince Yu.”

The words Hu Xianghe spoke did not stir the slightest ripple in Murong Yan’s heart. She sat back down on the edge of the bed, her face still cold as she said, “Where are This Palace’s things?”

The old woman retrieved a wooden box from the corner and handed it to the woman on the bed. Murong Yan immediately began to rummage through it.

            

She saw the black hair tie and gripped it tightly, struggling to suppress the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her at any moment. She then checked the other items inside and, finding the oil-paper package still untouched, she breathed a small sigh of relief.

“Where is This Palace’s little tiger cub?” The woman suddenly looked up, her gaze fixed on Hu Xianghe, who was waiting by the side.

“…My husband was worried the beast would harm the Commandery Princess’s safety, so he ordered his men to lock it up.” It seemed Hu Xianghe had not expected the Commandery Princess to ask about the tiger’s whereabouts, and she hesitated for a moment before answering. “It bit many people.”

            

At that time, when Su Wen and his servants had discovered the unconscious Murong Yan, they had wanted to untie the Commandery Princess and take her back to the residence to recuperate. But the little beast in the Commandery Princess’s arms had jumped off the horse as if it had gone mad, waving its paws and letting out a tender roar, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws at the servants who tried to get near the Commandery Princess’s person.

Seeing them carry the Commandery Princess away, it ignored the iron chains tied to its body and the whips striking it, and charged fiercely toward Murong Yan. Left with no choice, Su Wen could only order his men to lock the little tiger in an iron cage.

“That is This Palace’s tiger,” Murong Yan said in a low voice, but her tone was unquestionable. “Return him to This Palace.”

            

Hu Xianghe bowed her head in assent, then withdrew from the room to call for someone and give the order.

By the time the little tiger, baring its teeth at the people around it, was brought in on a rope, Murong Yan had already put on her prosthesis.

Seeing the familiar woman on the bed, the originally roaring ball of fur immediately raised its head and let out a pitiful howl, then violently broke free from the servant holding it and ran toward Murong Yan.

            

Amidst the worried gazes of the others, Murong Yan revealed a trace of loving affection, lifted the little tiger onto her lap, removed its rope, and lowered her head to kiss its large head.

And the little beast merely licked Murong Yan’s cheeks gently, as if to confirm whether the woman its master had told it to protect was unharmed.

“Tell Su Wen that This Palace is ready to see Prince Yu.”

            

Composing her thoughts, Murong Yan looked up at Hu Xianghe, her posture possessing the dignity and nobility of a Commandery Princess, and faintly gave the order, “We depart immediately.”

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The author has something to say:

This part is from the Commandery Princess’s perspective. Ming Qin will probably come back online in about six or seven chapters (that’s come back online, not meet again…).

            

To reiterate, although there are a few twists and turns (okay, I admit, there’s real angst later, so much angst that it gave me writer’s block and I didn’t want to write for several days), this book is really a HE (Happy Ending)!

Their relationship needs a bit of a catalyst, especially since Ming Qin is so dense…

Everyone can look forward to the deep and heart-wrenching feelings they have for each other later. You’re also welcome to recommend this to other friends who also love to read to have them accompany you in being tortured (?).

            

(When I write this, I get into a bad mood myself, and then I’ll run off to write my sweet campus romance novel, and then come back to continue writing this. My brain is about to split from going back and forth like this.)

The story is officially entering its second half.

Director: Ming Qin, you can go offline for a bit. You can go get your lunch box​⁷ now.

            

Commandery Princess: Don’t go, don’t go.

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LP: Re-translated on July 30, 2025

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