The Princess’ Shadow Guard – Chapter 50
by Little PandaIf Yanyan wanted, I wouldn’t mind
“Yes, Qinqin, do you like the Commandery Princess?” Song Shuqing no longer rambled, crossing her arms and looking at her shimei as she asked, “Just like how the Commandery Princess likes you?”
Hearing this question, Ming Qin was stunned.
Her head had never considered this question.
To Ming Qin, Murong Yan was a treasure that needed to be cherished. The little shadow guard placed the noble Commandery Princess inside the deepest treasure chest of her heart, quietly leaning back against the chest to stand guard vigilantly, guarding against all evil people who delusionally wanted to lay a finger on the treasure.
As time went on, the things inside the chest became heavier and bigger, yet the guardian merely lingered, never thinking of personally opening the lid to see what the things inside truly were to herself.
A covetous, prying, private desire—not even a tiny bit of it had ever sprouted in the heart of the loyal dog who diligently fulfilled her duties.
Do I have those kinds of improper thoughts about Yanyan?
Towards that woman who was like a celestial being, inviolable?
Ming Qin asked herself.
But for a moment, she could not answer.
Song Shuqing looked at the person before her with an unsettled expression, her eyes looking straight at her as she asked patiently, “Qinqin, I think you now have three questions you need to ponder.”
She held up three slender fingers on her right hand.
“First, would you want to kiss the Commandery Princess? Second, have you thought about wanting to marry the Commandery Princess? Third…”
Song Shuqing choked, and then said somewhat awkwardly, “Would you want to sleep with the Commandery Princess… that is… the pleasure of fish and water1?”
Although one of them present was a donkey head2 who was straightforward to a fault, and the other was a widely experienced top huakui, asking this kind of fatally direct question still felt a bit strange to her.
“You should think about it properly, figure out your own feelings, and don’t be so foolish anymore.” Song Shuqing sighed.
If Qinqin continued being this muddle-headed, wouldn’t it make the shimei she raised with her own hands seem no different from those scummy men in web novels and TV dramas who only flirt but don’t marry, and even fake their own deaths?
As someone possessing twenty-first-century knowledge, if I fail at a child’s emotional education, that would be too heartbreaking.
Having returned from the qinglou3, Ming Qin lay on her bed plank, blankly gazing at the jade jar in her hand.
Her head was already a complete mess, as if she was going to use up all of this life’s thoughts tonight.
Do I like Yanyan?
If as ruler and subject, or as friends, I could nod without any hesitation. But what about the affection beyond that?
Do I like kissing Yanyan?
Yanyan’s lips were always ice-cold, yet they tasted soft and sweet. Every time, she would hook her arm around me, gently encircling my neck. Her fine, dense, light pecks felt as if she wanted to knead the two of us into one piece. Her throat would emit a light hum that made one’s heart itch, making me unable to help but feel a tender affection.
The pleasant peony fragrance belonging to Yanyan would always pour in domineeringly with her movements, forming a contrast with the soft warmth on my lips. Even after our lips parted, the fragrance would still linger in my nasal cavity for a long time, constantly reminding me of the intimacy just now with the flower’s owner.
This feeling, the feeling of kissing Yanyan, I like it.
Would I want to marry Yanyan?
But… I don’t know what normal people do after getting married.
The only thing that is clear is that Yanyan, as noble as a Commandery Princess, absolutely cannot marry a lowly person like me. What’s more, both of us are women. Yanyan has already suffered too much; I don’t want to let her be subjected to gossip from all sides again.
But if asked whether I want to stay by Yanyan’s side for a lifetime…
I am absolutely willing.
Yanyan’s joys, angers, sorrows, and happiness, every spring, summer, autumn, and winter she experiences, everything, I am willing to be by her side to accompany her.
If Yanyan turns her head and extends her hand, I will step forward. If Yanyan raises her head and takes a step, I will docilely follow behind her.
This sincere feeling has nothing to do with that thin sheet of marriage paper.
As for being entwined with Yanyan in bed…
Mm.
I don’t know…
Although I have seen others in the qinglou turning the luan and phoenix upside down4, and heard those high-pitched cries when they went to the clouds and rain together5, I really can’t figure out what fun there is for two sweat-drenched people to be hugging each other.
But if Yanyan wanted it, I wouldn’t mind.
If Yanyan could tremble comfortably because of my touch, if her always calm expression could appear crazed with pleasure, if her tone when calling my name could be filled with softness and attachment, I could do anything.
I could learn anything.
As long as Yanyan can be happy, it’s as if the misty world is lit up.
Could it be…
That this feeling is ‘like’?
The little shadow guard opened the treasure chest and discovered that the thing she needed seemed to have already been lying there quietly.
Ming Qin bounced up from the bed. Although there were still many things in her head she hadn’t figured out, she seemed to have already grasped the core of it.
She hurriedly went downstairs and knocked on Song Shuqing’s door. The sounds of peng peng peng transmitted through the quiet teahouse.
“So noisy! What are you doing!”
Looking at her shijie, who was wearing only a single layer of clothing with sleepy eyes, Ming Qin said with an excited face, “I think I know the answer! I want to go to the capital city!”
“It’s great that you found the answer, I’m going to clap for you.” Song Shuqing slowly and perfunctorily clapped the door plank a few times, then revealed a dangerous smile and asked, “But do you know what time it is now?”
“The fourth watch6,” Ming Qin answered obediently.
“The fourth watch…”
The woman gritted her teeth, clenching a fist she almost swung. “This is the time for little cats to sleep, it’s also the time for little dogs to sleep, and it’s even more the time This Old Mother7 wants to get her beauty sleep!”
“Scram!”
『Peng.』
With a sound.
The door plank was heavily shut.
Ming Qin, who thought she would be greatly praised by her shijie, could only rub her nose and obediently lie back down in her bedcovers.
On a cool night thick with the feeling of autumn, Ming Qin and Song Shuqing arrived at the capital city.
Although the city gates were already closed, the two ‘former’ senior shadow guards still had ways, like flying thieves, to flip over the tall surrounding walls and enter the city.
Originally, it was only because she didn’t feel at ease about her little shimei that she thought of following her into the capital. Who would have thought that the excited Ming Qin would rush on her journey day and night, unable to even stand waiting one more day outside the city, which tired the always-lazy Song Shuqing half to death.
If I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have come.
“We can’t get into the Imperial City8 now anyway, Qinqin, what are you so anxious for?” Looking at her energetic shimei, Song Shuqing complained, holding her waist and panting.
“Hm? We’re not going to the Imperial City?” Ming Qin was puzzled, and then said as if it were a matter of course, “We’re going to the Cangyue Tower.”
Song Shuqing rolled her eyes at her shimei’s words, trying to catch her breath while saying, “How could the Commandery Princess possibly still be at the Cangyue Tower.”
Who would voluntarily return to the place that imprisoned them for six or seven years?
“She is definitely there,” Ming Qin said stubbornly.
“On what basis are you deducing this?” the woman asked helplessly, her legs still a bit sore and weak from just having climbed over the city wall.
“Hm? Intuition.”
After speaking, Ming Qin leaped down from the high place without hesitation.
Her black outer robe billowed in the moonlight with the wind. Her surging emotions left her no time to care about her shijie behind her; a heart full of longing and expectation made her run straight towards the Cangyue Tower.
But upon arriving at Changshou Street9, the woman in high spirits suddenly felt that something was strange.
It was truly, excessively quiet.
There were no lights on the entire street, nor could any faint breathing be heard. The beast-like sense of smell that she was born with, sensitive to the aura of danger, made Ming Qin’s hairs inexplicably stand on end.
Something’s not right, there’s something not right somewhere.
Her blood was boiling, the scars on her body faintly aching.
It wasn’t until she turned the corner and saw the entrance to the Cangyue Tower that she found the reason for the indescribable feeling welling up in her chest.
Killing intent gushed out. Ming Qin looked at the man in front of her who made her feel resentful, and she roared in a low voice, grinding her teeth.
“Xiao He!”
The author has something to say:
Mm… remember how I said the Crown Prince still has one last time to be naughty? That’s tomorrow…
Because Ah Qin’s feelings for Yanyan need a bit of sublimation, I will probably torment Ah Qin for about seven or eight chapters.
Let’s agree first that you all can’t be angry with me, okay? You can be angry with the Crown Prince, but don’t be angry with me (pinky swear)!
LP: Re-translated on August 20, 2025
Footnotes
- 魚水之歡 | yú shuǐ zhī huān | A classical Chinese idiom literally meaning “the pleasure of fish and water.” It is a poetic euphemism for sexual intercourse, implying a natural and harmonious union.
- 驢腦袋 | lǘ nǎodai | A colloquial insult meaning “donkey’s head.” It is used to describe someone who is extremely stubborn, obstinate, or foolish.
- 青樓 | qīnglóu | Literally “green mansion” or “azure tower.” A poetic and historical term for a high-class house of entertainment with courtesans, which could range from a place of artistic performance to a qinglou.
- 颠鸾倒鳳 | diān luán dǎo fèng | An idiom used as a euphemism for sexual intercourse. The Luan and Feng (Phoenix) are mythical birds that often symbolize a married couple or lovers. The “turning upside down” imagery poetically alludes to the physical act of lovemaking.
- 共赴雲雨 | gòng fù yún yǔ | Literally “to go together to the clouds and rain.” Another classical and very common literary euphemism for sexual intercourse. It originates from a story about a king dreaming of a goddess at Mount Wu.
- 四更天 | sì gēng tiān | An ancient Chinese timekeeping unit. The night was divided into five watches (更 | gēng), each lasting about two hours. The fourth watch is from approximately 1:00 AM to 3:00 AM.
- 老娘 | lǎoniáng | A first-person pronoun literally meaning “old mother.” It is used by women, often in anger or to assert dominance and seniority, carrying a coarse, powerful, and sometimes arrogant tone. It’s similar to a man using “Laozi” (老子, “old father”).
- 皇城 | huángchéng | The section of a traditional Chinese capital city that contains the imperial palace and other government buildings. It was typically walled and separate from the outer city where commoners lived.
- 長壽街 | Chángshòu Jiē | A proper name for a street. Chángshòu (長壽) means “long life/longevity,” and Jiē (街) means “street.”
Damn, he’s the definition of an evil grass. Thank you for the chapter!
Damn, he’s the definition of an evil grass. Thank you for the chapter!
Just die already !!! Arghhh
Thank you for the chapter 😁
Just die already !!! Arghhh
Thank you for the chapter 😁
Fucking hell, I thought I was finally gonna see them reunited! Just let this dude drop dead so she can go to her princess
Thank you for the chapter!
Fucking hell, I thought I was finally gonna see them reunited! Just let this dude drop dead so she can go to her princess
Thank you for the chapter!