The Princess’ Shadow Guard – Chapter 34

How could Ah Qin die (PTSD)

In these past few days, as Ming Qin held Murong Yan, she could feel her getting thinner and thinner. Therefore, Ming Qin piled all the food on the table in front of Murong Yan, patiently coaxing her to eat a bit more.

The woman in front of her chewed her food slowly and carefully, as if afraid she would choke. Ming Qin hastily went to boil some hot water, not noticing the pain and affection in Murong Yan’s eyes.

After Ming Qin poured the water for her, she propped up her arms and watched the eating woman with a giggly smile, as if Murong Yan eating a few more bites would significantly lift her spirits.

“Aren’t you eating, Ah Qin?” Murong Yan asked, noticing that the person in front of her was just watching her, and there was only one set of tableware on the table.

Ming Qin waved her hand and said, “I’ve eaten already, you eat some more.”

As a shadow guard, being hungry during missions was the norm.

Moreover, she had already eaten some dry food while Murong Yan was sleeping; even the sweet potato she had accidentally overcooked was devoured and settled in her stomach.

Murong Yan silently ate half of the dishes on the table, then put down her chopsticks.

Seeing that the woman seemed finished, Ming Qin tilted her head and asked with curiosity, “Won’t you eat anymore? Have a bit more.”

“But if Ah Qin isn’t eating, then I don’t have much of an appetite either,” Murong Yan said, as if she was certain the person before her hadn’t had her fill. She picked up an egg from the bowl and brought it to Ming Qin’s mouth, coaxing the slightly hesitant shadow guard, “Eat, consider it as keeping me company.”

Ming Qin leaned in and brushed her lips against the woman’s icy fingers before taking a bite of the egg.

Her cheek was swollen from the egg, making her injured left side look even more prominent.

With a smile on her lips, Murong Yan lowered her head to pick up vegetables. But in the next moment, she heard the sound of dripping on the table. When she looked up, she saw bright red blood pouring out of Ming Qin’s nostrils, mixed with dark red clots, flowing uncontrollably.

Ming Qin seemed unaware and thought it was just an itchy nose. She looked down at the blood on the table and hurriedly covered her nose. She retreated to the window side in a hurry, as if trying to avoid making a mess on the table.

Seeing Ming Qin’s face covered in blood, Murong Yan’s face turned pale in an instant. Her lips trembled as she reached out her hand towards her.

The warm blood stained Ming Qin’s hands red, afraid that her bloodied appearance would startle Murong Yan. She was about to explain that she was going outside to clean up on the well, but before she could speak, a blood clot unexpectedly flowed into her throat through her nostrils, causing her to cough uncontrollably.

“Cough… cough…” With each cough, more fresh blood flowed from her nose, making it difficult for her to speak.

“Ah Qin! Ah Qin!” Murong Yan anxiously got up, limping towards Ming Qin. The porcelain cup was knocked over, and the warm water dripped onto the floor along the edge of the table.

Ignoring the spilled water, Murong Yan’s tone revealed a never-before-seen panic and confusion. “Ah Qin… what’s happening to you!”

As the coughing continued, Ming Qin, in a hurry, untied her shadow guard black outer garment and covered her nose and mouth to stop the bleeding. The white inner lining she wore underneath was already damp with blood.

Looking at Murong Yan in front of her, Ming Qin, who couldn’t speak, just anxiously waved her hands, gesturing for her to not come any closer, fearing that her own blood would dirty Murong Yan’s hands and stain her clothes.

However, Murong Yan didn’t mind at all, her heart filled with torment and worry as she stretched her hand to caress Ming Qin’s face in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Her voice, thick with emotion, was nearly off-key, “…Ah Qin, what happened to you? Does it hurt?”

Ming Qin, also baffled as to why she was bleeding, merely shook her head slightly to indicate that she shouldn’t worry, then gestured towards the window, signaling that she intended to go outside.

Then, without waiting for Murong Yan to react, she elbowed open the window and leaped out, disappearing into the night veiled with drifting snow.

The drip-drop of red from the wooden table stretched all the way to the outside, mixing the spilled water on the ground with the traces of blood, which not only failed to eliminate the blood’s stench but made the scene all the more eye-catching.

Looking at the blood of Ming Qin in her hands, Murong Yan’s hands trembled violently, her mind a blank, with only the sight of the vivid red blood pulsing before her eyes, jolting her nerves.

Ah Qin, what happened to Ah Qin?

Ah Qin is bleeding?

So much blood has been lost.

So much blood… Can it be fatal?

It’s just like the time when her mother bled.

Leaning against the wall as if she were drained of strength, Murong Yan’s body slowly slid down.

Ignoring that her hands were covered in blood, Murong Yan curled her fingers tightly against her lips, daring not to make a sound, as if to force herself to suppress the absurd thought that had just flashed through her mind.

No.

No, no, no!

Ah Qin will not die.

How could Ah Qin die!

If that were so, it would be too cruel of the Heaves.

Murong Yan clutched at her arms as if embracing herself to prevent a collapse, repeatedly reassuring herself in her heart.

Ah Qin couldn’t possibly leave her.

Impossible.

Impossible.

In the grand hall of the royal palace, Murong Xiao, who always presented himself impeccably dressed, now sat disheveled on the dragon throne, surrounded by jade pots scattered haphazardly.

Scores of civil officials dressed in their official garb knelt on the ground, submissive before the man exuding the stench of alcohol high on his seat of power.

“Are you saying she has not been found yet?” Murong Xiao looked down disdainfully at the crowd prostrating themselves, toying with a jade cup filled with clear liquor in his hand.

The man in red being addressed kowtowed heavily, his head thudding repeatedly in echoes through the vastness of the hall, his voice trembling with panic as he spoke, “This servant dispatched all his men to track down and pursue Chongwen Princess – riding swiftly northward, all the way to the upper reaches of the Grand Canal where they seized an opportunity to commandeer a boat, but…”

“But what?” Murong Xiao raised an eyebrow and looked down imperiously, his tone turning ominously cold.

“But what was discovered on the boat was not the Princess; it seemed to be a servant disguised in an attempt to muddle our sight and hearing.” The man in red swallowed nervously, his voice filled with trepidation, his head pressed tightly against the ground, “My men have executed the impostor, and are currently continuing the search for the true whereabouts of the Princess.”

The man in red was anxious and fearful, not receiving the expected barrage of scolding he had imagined, he lifted his eyes slightly puzzled, to find Murong Xiao holding the wine cup, his face devoid of expression, slowly approaching.

The man known for his inebriation wasn’t ruddy but paler than ever. Approaching the prostrated man, Murong Xiao slowly tilted the wine cup.

The warm wine flowed down the crown of the man in red, trailing down his neck, seeping into his collar, and a few droplets, mixed with sweat on his forehead, dripped down his chin and fell drop by drop, staining the large red carpet below.

“I offer you a drink…” Murong Xiao crouched down, like a viper about to strike, slowly began, “Does it taste good?”

The man in the red robe couldn’t make sense of the unpredictable temper of the person before him. He trembled and humbly said, “It’s… it’s delicious.”

“Is that so?” Murong Xiao smiled, then grabbed the collar of the man in the red robe forcefully. He inserted his fingers into the man’s mouth and shoved the jade cup inside. With a sinister gaze, he laughed wildly and said, “Then I will give you a little more to drink.”

Murong Xiao pressed the struggling man to the ground, exerting all his strength on the man’s nose and mouth. The moderately-sized wine cup slipped into the man’s throat, depriving him of air, causing him to clutch his own neck tightly and froth at the mouth.

Disgusted, Murong Xiao took a handkerchief and wiped his hands. He stood up, his eyes staring at the man writhing on the ground as if he were watching a rat in a gutter.

In the entire grand hall, apart from the man’s painful groans, no one dared to speak for fear of their own safety.

A few moments later, again there was a silence so deep, one might have heard a pin drop.

Murong Xiao, nonchalantly shifted his gaze away and slowly advanced towards the crowd, saying, “You can’t even find a few mice that are hiding in the capital, and you can’t find my sister outside the city, what use do I have for you?”

“Hm?” Murong Xiao suddenly lashed out with a kick to the head of the person nearest to him, bellowing, “What use do I have for you bunch of good-for-nothings?!”

The person who was kicked to the ground clenched his teeth, not daring to utter a sound.

“Xiao He!”

Upon hearing the Crown Prince’s furious roar, a man with a scar on his face immediately pushed open the door and entered while standing guard outside the hall. “I am here.”

“You don’t need to prepare in the military camp. Leave the capital immediately and bring back my sister,” Murong Xiao said, staring at the man kneeling on one knee before him. His eyes were bloodshot as he yelled hysterically, “At any cost, bring back my sister.”

His voice was filled with madness.

“If anyone dares to stand in the way, kill them.”

The author has something to say:

The princess has PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) because she once watched her mother die and has been traumatized by her own injuries.

That is, under certain triggers (is it called “trigger” in Chinese?), she may have a panic attack.

P.S. Oh, by the way – I’ve heard that my story has been recommended, although I don’t know who did it, I really sincerely appreciate it (indeed, my readers are all super gentle and spoil me so much!

I really enjoy reading your comments. I take each one seriously and they always make me smile.

It’s truly heartwarming to know that someone enjoys the stories I write and shares them with others who also love reading.

I hope everyone is happy and has a wonderful week.

LP: Re-translated on February 13, 2024