The Princess’ Shadow Guard – Chapter 8
by Little PandaA Belated Rebellious Phase
After returning from Cangyue Tower, Ming Qin shut herself in her room and did not come out for five whole days.
Whenever anyone sought her out, they were met with only a listless voice and a tightly closed door.
This abnormal behavior put all the shidi and shimei of the Shadow Guard camp on edge. The moment Song Shuqing returned from her mission, she was pushed by the crowd to go find Ming Qin.
“Qinqin.” Song Shuqing knocked gently on the door, her patience holding. “It’s me. Open up.”
A stretch of silence.
“Qinqin, are you going to open the door and let me in, or should I find my own way in, and then you can wait for me to pull your ears?” Song Shuqing’s tone was mild, but the content of her words was an undisguised threat.
“…”
The door was slowly pulled open. Ming Qin stood just inside, clutching her sleeves. “…You promised you wouldn’t pull my ears after I grew up,” she said in a small voice.
Song Shuqing strode past her to a stool and plopped down. She looked at her shimei’s face, etched with sorrow. Her eyes, usually sparkling, were clouded over, and she stood with her head bowed, her entire figure exuding a pitiful air.
“What’s wrong?” Song Shuqing frowned at the sight of her.
“…Nothing.” Ming Qin sat on the edge of her bed, avoiding Song Shuqing’s gaze.
“Who wronged you?” The moment Song Shuqing had returned, she’d heard that something major had happened with Ming Qin. Not only had she locked herself in her room, sick with misery, but she wouldn’t even show her face no matter what kind of food her shidi and shimei used to coax and tempt her.
One of the shimei had even whispered in Song Shuqing’s ear that she had once seen Ming Qin hiding in a corner of her room, brewing medicine for her sweetheart who doesn’t have long to live1 while sighing and weeping.
At first, Song Shuqing had dismissed the words as nonsense, but seeing Ming Qin now, she felt she was starting to believe it.
“Everyone at the camp is very worried about you,” Song Shuqing said softly. “Master is also very concerned now that he’s heard about it.”
The moment He Jingshou was mentioned, Ming Qin buried her face in her quilt, mumbling something.
“What did you say?” Song Shuqing couldn’t hear her clearly.
Ming Qin shot upright, pounded the bedframe, and yelled, “Master is a big jerk! I hate Master the most!”
Her lips trembled with grievance.
Hearing such words from Qinqin, who had always been obedient and regarded as the apple of their master’s eye2, left Song Shuqing stunned. Could this be a so-called belated rebellious phase?
Regretting that she hadn’t read more parenting books in her past life, Song Shuqing reached out, a little unsettled, and patted Ming Qin’s head. “There, there, Qinqin. Tell Shijie how Master bullied you.”
Ming Qin looked at Song Shuqing, clinging to her ever-clever and resourceful shijie as if she were a life-saving straw3. In a great rush, like pouring out beans4, she repeated the conversation she’d had with their master that night.
When she was finished, Song Shuqing thought for a moment, then asked, a little puzzled, “How did you come to know Commandery Princess Chongwen?”
Ming Qin then told her how she had been pursued through the Capital by the Crown Prince’s men, and how she had been forced to ascend the tower, where the Commandery Princess helped her escape.
“From the sound of it, this Commandery Princess Chongwen is a person of integrity and loyalty.” Song Shuqing nodded, listening closely even as Ming Qin told the story in a jumbled mess.
Seeing Ming Qin still puffing her cheeks in anger after she had finished speaking, the seated woman said with amusement, “Do you know why Master won’t let you see the Commandery Princess?”
Ming Qin shook her head miserably.
Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Song Shuqing sat up straight and asked, “What do you know about Commandery Princess Chongwen?”
Ming Qin tilted her head and thought for a moment. “Commandery Princess Chongwen, Murong Yan, is twenty-eight years of age. She is the legitimate daughter of the current Emperor’s blood brother, the Prince of Yu. Her legitimate elder brother is the Ever-Victorious General, Murong Can.”
Song Shuqing listened, nodding encouragingly.
“She was born in the Northern Borders with her brother in the fifteenth year of the Yongtai era, and was personally named by the former Emperor,” Ming Qin continued. “In the ninth year of the Shuntian era, she moved to the Capital with her mother, the Princess of Yu. At the age of sixteen5, she composed a poem on peonies at the Spring Festival poetry gathering, using the flourishing flowers as a metaphor for a prosperous age. She won thunderous applause, was granted the title ‘Chongwen’, and received an imperial decree of marriage to the Heir of Marquis Changping.” Her tone, which had been as flat as if she were reciting a book, paused for a moment.
“In the winter of the eleventh year of Shuntian, her mother, the Princess, passed away from illness. She observed a three-year mourning period at the Imperial Mausoleum. In the autumn of the fourteenth year of Shuntian, she encountered assassins during the royal hunt. She killed three of them at the cost of her right leg. For her meritorious service in protecting the Emperor, she was granted Changning Palace, but the marriage contract was voided due to her disability.” Ming Qin’s mouth was a little dry, and her pace quickened.
“In the sixteenth year of Shuntian, the Crown Prince began to rule as regent. In the name of her recuperation, he had Cangyue Tower built to hold her as a check against the Prince of Yu, and she has been imprisoned within it to this day.” Ming Qin licked her lower lip and let out a soft breath.
“You may be slow, but you’ve memorized your lessons well,” Song Shuqing said, nodding with satisfaction.
“A few days ago, the Crown Prince sent people to kill the Eighth Prince in Qiongzhou. Among the imperial heirs, besides the Crown Prince, only the sickly Fifth Prince in the Capital and the nine-year-old Eleventh Prince remain. For the Crown Prince, the throne is likely already in the bag6.” Song Shuqing’s face grew serious. “Right now, more than half the imperial court has turned disloyal. All our small Shadow Guard camp can do is strive to protect His Majesty the Emperor and the remaining princes, and watch how things unfold. Do you understand these principles?”
Ming Qin nodded in confusion. She understood the principles, but what did any of this have to do with her not being able to see the Commandery Princess?
Song Shuqing looked at her face and sighed helplessly before explaining, “The only person the Crown Prince, who already controls most of the court officials, fears is the Prince of Yu, who commands a large army in the Northern Borders.”
She poured herself a cup of water and continued, “I’m afraid he won’t make any rash moves until he succeeds in killing the Prince of Yu or dismantling his military power. After all, the Prince of Yu, who protects the borders and defends the nation, holds immense prestige within the army.” She slowly took a sip of water.
“If we were suspected of having contact with the Prince of Yu, our ever-cautious Shadow Guard camp would basically be jumping in front of the Crown Prince and shouting, 『Hey, hello! The Prince of Yu is definitely on our side!』 If the Crown Prince were to become a cornered dog and leap over the wall7, it would be bad for His Majesty the Emperor, the Shadow Guard camp, and even for Commandery Princess Chongwen, who is a hostage.” Song Shuqing watched Ming Qin, whose face had turned deathly pale.
Stunned by the tangled web of intrigue, realizing that such a simple matter was backed by such complex reasons, Ming Qin felt as if her head had been filled with paste. “So that’s why. Master isn’t a jerk after all.”
“Master is usually pretty annoying, but this time he was just frantic with worry.” Having said so much, Song Shuqing was a little tired. “However, after hearing your story, I actually think this Commandery Princess Chongwen is someone worth getting in touch with.”
Ming Qin looked at her shijie with suspicion. “But, didn’t you just say we can’t let the Crown Prince suspect the Shadow Guard camp is in contact with the Prince of Yu? And that it would put the Commandery Princess in danger?”
Song Shuqing shot her shimei a look of disdain. “Not wanting to be suspected is one thing. Making contact when we need to is another.”
The Prince of Yu was a world away, but he could still make the mad-dog Crown Prince hesitate. If they could take this opportunity to befriend Commandery Princess Chongwen, it might be a great help in the battles to come.
And…
Song Shuqing thought to herself, looking at the fool before her.
This Commandery Princess seems to have a soft spot8 for Qinqin.
“As for the Commandery Princess’s safety,” Song Shuqing winked, “are you so easily discovered? And won’t you protect her?”
“Of course I won’t be discovered! And I will protect the Commandery Princess!” Ming Qin nodded excitedly. She was aware of every movement within a twenty-zhang9 radius, her qinggong was superb, she had never failed at stealth, and she had never lost a fight. She was absolutely confident that she would never let a villain touch a single hair on the Commandery Princess’s head.
“Of course, I know you will,” Song Shuqing said perfunctorily, her mind already elsewhere as Ming Qin babbled on.
Actually, from a certain perspective, the Commandery Princess is the safest person in the entire Capital.
She had once secretly investigated the Crown Prince’s residence and discovered that all the women sent into his palace bore a six- or seven-tenths resemblance to portraits of Commandery Princess Chongwen. Adding that to the various private rumors, the intelligent woman had long since pieced together the general picture.
“But,” Ming Qin suddenly grew despondent, “she told me to get lost last time. She probably doesn’t want to see me again.”
Song Shuqing watched her shimei curl up on the bed, tracing circles on the wooden planks in frustration. She offered a comforting word. “That’s because she misunderstood you. She was hurt and angry, so she blurted it out. As long as you tell her what you’re really thinking, she definitely won’t be angry anymore.”
Ming Qin thought about this, then nodded with great conviction. With a 『whoosh』, she shot to her feet and made to rush out the door.
“You can get lost and go take a bath first.”
Song Shuqing hastily grabbed her. Looking at Ming Qin’s messy, disheveled hair, she said, “Forget the Commandery Princess—if you dared to burst into my room stinking like this, I’d kick you out before you even opened your mouth.”
The author has something to say:
Shijie really has her hands full, doesn’t she?
Also, I don’t know if it’s too late to say this, but the background and setting are all made up without any historical research. Just have fun reading, thank you everyone.
Footnotes
- Original: mìng bù jiǔ yǐ de xīnshàngrén. A melodramatic phrase meaning a lover or sweetheart who is on the verge of death.
- Original: xīntóuròu, literally 'the meat of one's heart'. A common term of endearment for a deeply cherished person, like 'the apple of one's eye'.
- Original: jiùmìng dàocǎo. A common idiom for a last hope or something to cling to in a desperate situation.
- Original: rú dào dòuzi, literally 'like pouring out beans'. An idiom for telling a story all at once, holding nothing back.
- Original: nián fāng èr bā, literally 'age is two eights'. A classical way of saying someone is sixteen years old (2 x 8 = 16).
- Original: náng zhōng qǔ wù, literally 'to take something from one's own bag'. An idiom for something that is very easy to obtain.
- Original: gǒu jí tiào qiáng, literally 'a cornered dog will jump over the wall'. An idiom meaning to do something desperate when there is no other way out.
- Original: qíng yǒu dú zhōng. An idiom meaning to have a special fondness or a particular soft spot for someone or something.
- A zhàng (丈) is a traditional Chinese unit of length, roughly 3.3 metres or 11 feet. Twenty zhang is about 66 metres.
What the hell, why is she so cute, I don’t generally find things cute but Ming is so precious…
Lmao that ending. Thanks for the translation!