The Princess’ Shadow Guard – Chapter 62

The Story of Sleeping Beauty (The Fate of the Crown Prince)

Unlike the outside filled with the aroma of medicine, the dark room of the Imperial Medical Institute exudes a heavy atmosphere of illness and a strong smell of blood.

Originally a place for preparing medicinal herbs, it had been cleaned out after Ming Qin was poisoned, so that the unconscious could be easily cared for.

The solid wood floor was covered with various bottles and jars, stacks of medical books and ancient texts leaned against the wall, and a woman with an ashen face lay on a black slab, her limbs tightly bound by thick iron chains, unable to move.

Ming Qin, lying on the bed, would occasionally struggle and convulse with great effort, as if a crazed beast bound in chains.

The skin rubbed by the restraints had turned purplish from her immense strength, swollen and bleeding in areas where the skin had broken, despite being coated with thick ointment, it still appeared somewhat ulcerated due to repeated abrasion.

On the exposed arm, there were several scabbed wounds that didn’t look like sword injuries, but rather like deep scratches that had peeled off the flesh with five fingers.

Ming Qin’s brows were tightly furrowed, a piece of white cloth stuffed in her mouth to prevent her from biting her tongue, and she was covered in cold sweat mixed with tears and saliva, soaking wet.

Even though she couldn’t speak, the sounds of painful wails from the depths of her throat were incessant.

Sometimes it was a suppressed low growl, while at other times it was a broken and pained wail despite gritting her teeth, like a wildly out-of-tune instrument, each note revealing the excruciating agony the woman was enduring.

When Song Shuqing led Murong Yan into the room, this was the scene that greeted them.

“She… has been poisoned for a month and a half.” Song Shuqing, leaning against the door frame with arms crossed, said with a mournful tone, “Every day, we are trying to alleviate her pain.”

“…Ah Qin?”

Looking at the person in front of her who seemed to have withered away, Murong Yan was momentarily incredulous that this was the same strong, cheerful shadow guard who always had a bright smile.

How could this be? How could her Ah Qin become like this?

“She can’t hear you… can’t hear, can’t see, no sense of smell or taste, unable to perceive the outside world.” Song Shuqing cast down her gaze, looking at the person she had tried her best to protect, but who still struggled in lingering agony, her expression filled with sorrow. “The only thing she has now is pain.”

“Before, Qinqin didn’t have any sense of pain.”

The irony of this world is truly astounding.

“Why is this happening… why? Ah Qin…” Murong Yan dared not to blink, though her vision was gradually blurring, she still wanted to see everything clearly in front of her.

Dazed, she slowly walked forward, intending to grasp Ming Qin’s withered fingers, but was stopped by Song Shuqing.

“Qinqin can’t feel anything now, she might accidentally harm you…” Pulling up her sleeve to reveal the deep claw marks visible on her five fingers, Song Shuqing smiled wryly. “Who would have thought that even in a coma, Qinqin is still this strong.”

Every time she helped Qinqin take medicine and feed her congee, she would always be accidentally injured by her struggling.

“Wang Wei… Physician Wang is still working hard to develop an antidote, but even if successful, there’s still no guarantee of a full recovery,” Song Shuqing said, watching Ming Qin, who was forcefully struggling with a cloth stuffed in her mouth, and swallowing hard.

“Qinqin now… just wants to die…”

A mournful expression crossed her face.

“It’s all my fault, it’s all because of me, Ah Qin…” Murong Yan murmured, trembling all over. “Ah Qin… what should I do with you, what should I do?”

Originally, she thought she had everything planned out.

If Ah Qin lived, that would be great, and she would live alongside her.

If, unfortunately, Ah Qin had died, she would also slit her throat and accompany her to the afterlife.

Murong Yan lowered her head, hands propped on the edge of the bed, her weak legs slowly squatting down. Moisture gathered in her field of vision, her nasal passages filled with a sour sorrow. As waves of self-blame and guilt exploded in her chest, teardrops as big as beans fell one by one, leaving her feeling as if she had lost her soul.

But…

With this half-hearted existence, this unbearable pain, every breath longs for liberation.

How should she handle this? What decision should she make?

Dizzy and disoriented, the woman knelt down, feeling as if she couldn’t catch her breath. The gold hairpin on her bun slid off and hit the ground with a jarring sound, the sharp weapon emitting a glint of gold, unwittingly tempting Murong Yan to grasp it in her hand.

She pondered as if making a momentous choice.

Watching her beloved lying in bed, tormented and emitting agonizing groans, as if being gnawed at by hungry ghosts, Murong Yan was filled with sorrow, wishing only to pierce her heart in the next moment, ending her suffering, and then piercing her own chest, accompanying her on the same journey.

This astonishing idea began to grow wildly in Murong Yan’s heart, tears still streaking her cheeks, but the previously sorrowful expression had transformed into determination.

Ah Qin… Don’t be afraid.

It won’t hurt anymore.

I will be with you.

I won’t let you be alone.

Absolutely not.

Just as she was about to lift her arm when Song Shuqing suddenly spoke, “Princess, have you ever heard of the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty?”

“Sleeping Beauty?” Murong Yan repeated with some confusion, still clenching the hairpin in her hand.

“Yes, Sleeping Beauty.” Even seeing the weapon in the woman’s hand, Song Shuqing calmly continued, “It’s a story of a person in a deep sleep awakening again at the call of their beloved.”

She squatted down, took out a handkerchief from her pocket, and handed it to Murong Yan. “In addition to the antidote developed by the Imperial Medical Institute, Qinqin’s life also depends on her own desire for survival.”

Skillfully taking the hairpin from the person in front of her, Song Shuqing asked, “Princess, would you like to become that person who reignites Qinqin’s will to live in her dreams?”

The originally quiet and gloomy dungeon echoed with the creaking of the iron door being opened.

Several jailers carrying oil lamps shouted as they dragged the huddled Murong Xiao from the corner, rudely ushering him out of the cell and throwing the weak man into a carriage.

The carriage slowly drove out of the palace walls, and after some time, it stopped at a granary. When Murong Xiao was brought out of the carriage, he saw Song Shuqing and Xu Jun standing in the snow outside.

“You despicable person.”

Although he didn’t know Xu Jun, Murong Xiao could never forget the woman in front of him who had tortured him cruelly. His hand, which lacked fingernails, throbbed with pain. “You lowly, baseborn dog.”

“Yes, yes, yes, you’re right about everything, you’re the best and most noble.”

With long nails piercing through her hair, Song Shuqing yawned and scratched her ear with her pinky finger.

“As a soon-to-be infamous fossil that will be remembered for eternity, can’t you choose a more melodious last words? Like 『May my body never be reborn in the royal family』 or something, it’ll be more dramatic if adapted into a TV drama.”

“Senior Sister Song, should we tell the historian about those words just now?” Xu Jun inquired uncertainly.

“No need, no need, I was just joking. This kind of trash person doesn’t deserve too much attention in a TV drama.”

Casually waving her hand, Song Shuqing walked towards the menacing Murong Xiao and said with a smirk, “Today is your execution day. Unfortunately, you’ll be disappointed. Chongwen Princess is busy and has no interest in dealing with you, so she entrusted me to supervise you.”

“Sister, that’s impossible.” Murong Xiao’s eyes widened, his mind in disarray for the first time as he looked around, searching for the figure he longed to see. “No, Sister will come to see me…”

“Oh, Chongwen Princess’s heart is already filled with something else, she doesn’t care about you anymore.” Song Shuqing put her hands behind her back, looking at the panicked man ahead. “Don’t blame me, I really don’t want to see you.”

She gestured to the guards on the side with a tilt of her head and then turned to enter the granary.

“But don’t be too upset, at least your fate was ordered by the princess herself.” The woman tried to console insincerely as she walked, “From before your death to after your death, and even your burial place, it’s all designated by the princess.”

Although the princess’s 『crush bones and scatter ashes, never to be reincarnated』 sounds a bit vague, she is dedicated and will find a way.

“Senior Sister Song, they are ready,” Xu Jun said as he watched the guards strip Murong Xiao and tie him to a wooden post, lying in a spread-eagle position.

The woman nodded, “According to the investigation by the Shadow Guard Camp, there have been 23 women who were standing when they entered the East Palace but were carried out lying down. The cause of death, verified by the coroner, includes scalp tearing, lower body piercing, internal organ ruptures due to severe blows… well, it’s quite varied.”

With a look of disdain, Song Shuqing looked down at the bound man as if he were filth. “Tsk, your taste is really terrible. You should have been sent for chemical castration, but unfortunately, Wang Wei’s abilities are limited.”

“How dare you! What do you intend to do to me?” Murong Xiao looked up at the woman standing nearby, alert and wary.

“I think before you enter hell, you should taste the flavor you often bring to others yourself.” Opening the jade jar she had in her arms, Song Shuqing poured the foul-smelling liquid inside onto Murong Xiao.

“I hope you enjoy the fun later, after all, you like it so much, don’t you?”

Just before leaving the granary, Song Shuqing suddenly turned back, “Remember to grit your teeth, don’t die too quickly, after all, this is just the first step.”

The iron door slammed shut. Just as Murong Xiao was confused, he heard the rapid breathing of a beast nearby.

The side door creaked open slowly, and a giant bull, five people tall, with red eyes and bulging neck veins, stamped its powerful front legs restlessly.

When it saw the man in front of it and smelled the fishy odor emanating from his body, its tense nerves snapped, and it lunged towards the wooden post.

Outside the granary, they heard the cries and the low roar of the bull coming from inside. “This medicine seems to be quite effective,” Song Shuqing said casually, turning the jade jar in her hand to Xu Jun. “By the way, have you eaten recently?”

Listening to the man inside screaming in agony, Xu Jun broke out in a cold sweat and subconsciously crossed his legs. “No, Senior Sister told me not to eat yesterday, so I didn’t. Is something wrong?”

“Nothing,” Song Shuqing, worried that the man inside might die too quickly, said as she calculated the time. “It might get a bit messy later. I’m worried you won’t be able to hold it in.”

“After all, it’s still early, and we have plenty of time.”

LP: Re-translated on April 04, 2024

Deserved!