Teahouse Team Building (1)
This is outright blackmail! (Setting off again)
Late one autumn, in a certain year.
Song Shuqing looked at the reins tightly gripped in her hand, tilting her head in bewilderment.
Clearly, the operation of the teahouse was basically left to the other hired staff to manage, and she should have been at home, leisurely counting her money.
But why!?
Why on earth, at the end of autumn, did she have to risk her life rushing north, with her mouth full of wind and sand?
Should she blame the inconsiderate big forest? Or the untimely barbarians? Or the all-too-timely death of Prince Yu?
No matter how hard she thought, she couldn’t make any sense of it.
As autumn was approaching, news of Prince Yu’s death came from the northern border. Murong Can, who was stationed in the capital, dressed in white and requested the Emperor’s permission to return to the frontier to guard the borders and mourn his father.
Who would have thought that as soon as he returned, before he even warmed his seat, the barbarians, rejoicing at the news of Prince Yu’s death, gathered their heavy troops to take advantage of the chaos and launch an attack.
Originally, none of this had anything to do with the lazy woman.
After all, it was only natural for Murong Yan to go back to the northern frontier to pay respects, and it was also very natural for Ming Qin to go along as an escort. The 『former』 shadow guard Song Shuqing, who had retired, only needed to stay home with her wife under the warm blankets. Unexpectedly, she received a quick letter from Lin Yan in the capital.
The thin letter lightly suggested that Song Shuqing accompany them to the northern frontier, to assist the newly reinstated Murong Can and organize the timely transmission of intelligence from the northern border.
The woman, lazy to her bones, sneered at the idea, completely unwilling to do it. But just as she was about to tear up the letter, her eye caught a line of tiny, tiny, barely visible characters in the corner.
It was a long, drawn-out sentence written slowly by Lin Yan.
『Imperial Physician Wang, who has been recalled to the capital, misses you very much and keeps mentioning that he wants to return to Shu to find junior sister. You are really quite popular. Remember to visit when you have time.』
Damn it!
So petty!
So despicable!
This is blackmail!
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Blatant blackmail! Blackmail!
Faced with the choice between spending a winter eating wind and sand in the northern frontier and sacrificing her remaining years to stay up late and go bald writing papers, the woman gritted her teeth and decisively chose the former.
When Song Shuqing, looking world-weary, packed her bags to set off with the Princess and Qinqin, she looked at Zi Yan, who was helping her pack and trying hard to hide her reluctance.
『Hey, dear Zi Yan looks really sad. Are you sure you want to leave her alone in Shu?』
『Should we take dear Zi Yan with us? But the northern frontier will be very dangerous! We might have to fight the barbarians!』
『But, Qinqin is also taking her wife. Why can’t you take yours? Are you not confident you can protect her?』
『That’s different. The Princess has to go! And Qinqin can’t be separated from the Princess for even a second.』
『Hmph! It’s just a matter of degrees. Can you really be separated from your dear Zi Yan? This separation will last at least three months!』
After an internal battle of three hundred rounds between the little angel and little devil, Song Shuqing shook her head vigorously and said, resignedly, “Fine, fine! If we go, everyone goes together!”
Thus, in the luxurious carriage of the Princess, besides the Princess herself, there were also Ming Qin, Zi Yan, Hu’er, and the unfortunate Song Shuqing driving the carriage outside.
“What kind of terrible team-building trip is this…” she muttered to herself, holding the reins in one hand and her head in the other, “Ah Yun must be boating warmly in Jiangnan with Zhao Zhao… Damn it! I’m so jealous!”
Just as the woman was pounding her chest in frustration, almost pulling out her own hair, Ming Qin lifted the curtain and poked her head out, “Senior Sister, do you want me to drive the carriage?”
“No, no.” Waving her hand casually, Song Shuqing flipped through the map, “We’re almost at the inn for tonight. Tomorrow morning, you can take over.”
“Got it.” Turning back into the carriage, Ming Qin sat back beside Murong Yan. The white-haired woman in a fox fur robe was reading a book, while opposite her, Zi Yan gently stroked Hu’er’s big head as she coquettishly nudged her.
“Hu’er is really close to you now, Zi Yan.” Tilting her head, the carefree shadow guard didn’t notice the woman’s obviously stiff movements, only speaking happily.
“Ah…” No matter how much time passed, Zi Yan, who was still somewhat afraid of the beast, forced a smile and replied, “Perhaps… because I’ve fed Hu’er a few times while cooking.”
Listening to their conversation, Murong Yan looked up from her book and smiled at the slow-witted Ming Qin, then patted the cushion, signaling Hu’er to come to her feet.
Seeing Hu’er’s head finally leave her leg, Zi Yan discreetly breathed a sigh of relief and threw a grateful glance at Murong Yan.
When they arrived at the inn, after Song Shuqing had taken care of the arrangements, Ming Qin jumped down from the carriage, extending a hand for Zi Yan to hold as she disembarked. Then she half-leaned into the carriage to lift the immobile woman out.
“After the long journey, does Yanyan’s leg hurt?” Ming Qin asked, looking up at the woman she was carrying.
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“It doesn’t hurt.” Shaking her head, Murong Yan brushed aside the hair on Ming Qin’s forehead and smiled gently, “Do you think I’m heavy?”
If you looked closely, the woman who would soon be turning forty already had faint lines at the corners of her eyes, yet she was still stunningly beautiful. Despite being in mourning attire, the white clothes were intricately embroidered with silver peony patterns, and her every smile was still strikingly beautiful.
“Not heavy, of course not heavy.” To prove it, Ming Qin lifted her slightly, saying firmly, “I can carry Yanyan anytime.” Entering the inn, she nodded at her senior sister and then deftly led the woman upstairs.
Though their destination was still the northern frontier, this time there were no pursuers behind them. With the title of the Chongwen Princess and an imperial letter, the group stayed at the best inns along the official road, with local authorities dispatching people to guard the surroundings closely.
Removing Murong Yan’s shoes, socks, and prosthetic leg, Ming Qin undid her hair while saying, “Yanyan, rest for a while. I’ll discuss tomorrow’s journey with Senior Sister.”
“Alright.” Compliantly lifting her neck, Murong Yan gazed at her lover, “I’ll wait for Qinqin to have dinner together.”
As Ming Qin exited the room, she saw Hu’er lying in the hallway and Song Shuqing yawning as she came out of the neighboring room.
“Senior Sister, why don’t you rest first? I’ll take the night watch tonight.” Seeing her senior sister’s teary eyes, Ming Qin suggested.
“Ugh, it sounds tempting, but considering my dwindling conscience, I’d better not.” Casually wiping her face with her shoulder, Song Shuqing and her junior sister walked downstairs shoulder to shoulder, “After dinner, you take the first half of the night watch, and wake me up for the second half.”
Nodding, Ming Qin showed concern, “Is Zi Yan alright? The further north we go, the colder it gets. She must be feeling uncomfortable.” The two of them entered the back kitchen.
“Don’t worry, I’m here.” Patting her chest, the shadow guard, skilled in medicine, tilted her head and said, “If the Princess has any problems, come to me first.”
“Yanyan seems to be doing quite well. Emotionally, she doesn’t appear to be affected.” Ming Qin said, sniffing lightly as she inspected the delicately cooked dishes. “At first, I thought Yanyan was forcing herself to stay strong, and I was a bit worried.”
That day, when Ming Qin first learned of Prince Yu’s death and delivered the urgent news to Murong Yan, she was internally anxious, fearing that her beloved would be heartbroken and tearful. However, Murong Yan’s expression remained calm as she read the letter, as if unaffected, and she simply made the composed decision to return to the northern frontier to pay respects.
“Hmm… I don’t think you need to worry about the Princess being troubled by Prince Yu’s death.” From a certain perspective, Song Shuqing knew Murong Yan’s personality better than anyone. She skillfully placed the dishes into a food box with silver chopsticks and calmly responded, “There really aren’t many things in this world that can shake the Princess.”
Ugh… she was still being too conservative.
It should be said that her junior sister was the only person the Princess cared about.
She was Murong Yan’s one and only emotional stabilizer, capable of both igniting and extinguishing her flames. (A human fire extinguisher?)
“Is that so?” Ming Qin, somewhat puzzled, closed the food box and checked the color of the chopsticks, admiringly saying, “It seems that Yanyan is truly very strong.”
“But…”
As if recalling something, Ming Qin suddenly spoke, “Senior Sister, there might be something I need to trouble you with tomorrow.” Scratching her head, she pulled out a map from her bosom. “If it’s possible tomorrow, though it might take a bit more time, could we bypass this forest?”
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“Why…” Just as she was about to ask, Song Shuqing understood upon seeing the area Ming Qin pointed to. She sighed, “Does the Princess still have nightmares after all this time?”
“Ugh… it’s very rare now.” Ming Qin scratched her head, her expression suddenly downcast. “Only in winter, there might be one or two times…”
Thinking of her lover waking up in cold sweat, frantically searching for her, touching her face repeatedly as if to confirm her presence, Ming Qin felt her heart break.
“Is that so…” Biting her lip, Song Shuqing pondered and then slowly spoke, “Rather than taking a detour, perhaps there’s a better method…”
“Hmm?” Ming Qin looked up suddenly, her eyes sparkling with light. “Does Senior Sister have another method? Is there something I can do?”
Rubbing her temples and then seeming to make a decision, Song Shuqing clapped her hands and spoke, “After all, as you said, the Princess is very strong, and you are by her side.”
“Let’s give it a try.”
LP: Re-translated on June 09, 2024