Translator – Xiao He Lian
Chapter 85
When he got home, Xian Sheng still looked preoccupied. He sat by the small window and looked at the green plants. He didn’t know what he was thinking.
“Baby1Bao’er”
His waist was suddenly touched. Xian Sheng returned to his senses. Zhan Zhen touched his lower abdomen and said, “If you really want to be pregnant and get diagnosed with a happy pulse, who will investigate your affairs?”
“But your father and mother have already speculated that there is something wrong with me. Even if it is not this, there are other things and they will not trust me too much.”
Zhan Zhen hesitated: “Then, tell them that the child came out of the father’s belly? Don’t they all say that a divine son came into the world recently and that it is extraordinary? Why don’t we take advantage of this east wind2A metaphor for favorable situations, revolutionary forces, or advancing forces?”
“It can’t be true.” Xian Sheng frowned, suddenly feeling irritable, reached out and patted the hand on his stomach and said, “Get up.”
Zhan Zhen shrank his hands, he squatted beside Xian Sheng, looked up at him thoughtfully: “Recently, your temper seems to be getting worse.”
“What, dislike me?”
His eyes were suspicious and Zhan Zhen shook his head hurriedly: “How can it be, our Sheng’er is naturally the best.”
Xian Sheng ignored him.
He was restless and always felt that something was going to happen. He lay on the bed at night, fell asleep. He woke up in the middle of the night. Zhan Zhen slept beside him. He was very quiet. He moved slightly, rubbed against each other’s arms, looked at his beautiful face and kissed him gently
The corners of Zhan Zhen’s mouth were suddenly pulled apart, and Xian Sheng’s body was hugged by him. The man’s voice was hoarse: “It’s midnight and you’re stirring trouble.”
“…I’m not” Xian Sheng wanted to say something. In the end he said, “Go to sleep.”
The blessing ceremony was held at the Sky Tower3Tian Ta/ Sky pagoda / Heavenly Pagoda
altar. In the past, sacrifices to the heavens were all done here and all the people gathered neatly in rows.
Xian Sheng took the lead to familiarize himself with the venue with Qin Tianjian4Qin Tianjian , an ancient Chinese official name. In charge of observing astronomy , calculating the calendar , timing and other work. It was abolished after the founding of the Republic of China
to learn the blessing rituals. Zhan Zhen took the time to stay with him and the emperor of Jin also took the time to have a look.
The woman on the altar has a straight back, an elegant figure and a noble demeanor. Although she is not wearing a crown, it is enough to make people unable to look away.
Eunuch Liao said softly: “The Crown prince and the Crown princess have been glued together recently, which is very good.”
“Is there negligence in official duties?”
“That’s not the case. Military affairs are sent every day and they are handled on time. He also goes to the barracks regularly… like newlyweds and like family.”
“What family, that is his wife.” Emperor Jin said, “Where is Xian Shang?”
They spur on the flying horse to full speed5[快马加鞭 [kuài mǎ jiā biān]- spur on the flying horse to full speed] is a metaphor for speeding up and moving forward, braving the wind and dew6风餐露宿 [fēng cān lù sù] brave the wind and dew; stand exposure, deprivation and hunger; go through the rigors of living in the wilderness; exposed to cold and wet on a journey and now they have reached the boundary of South Liang. There are spies of the Crown prince along the way, which should be to reassure the Crown princess.
Emperor Jin gathered up his sleeves and frowned, “How about the new people sent to South Liang?”
“I heard that they found out some things from the Crown Princess’s nanny7wet nurse but this matter is of great importance, so it is difficult to explain it in a letter.”
“Then let’s pray first.” Emperor Jin turned to leave but he took another look at Xian Sheng. The beauty turned around. Her peerless face made it difficult to look away. Every smile and every frown seemed to come out of a painting making everything around her surreal. He suddenly sighed and said: “It’s a pity.”
He narrowed his brows and turned to leave. Eunuch Liao hurriedly followed, but his heart shivered slightly.
In the blink of an eye, the day of praying for blessings came. This was an extremely important day for the state of Jin because throughout the year, people rarely get to see the emperor. Praying for blessings was a way for the people to get closer to the emperor.
As always, Xian Sheng and Zhan Zhen rode in the same chariot and slowly followed the mighty procession. The curtains on both sides were blown up by the wind and the people on the side only saw him sitting upright and his hands quietly placed on his knees.
“Is that the princess?”
“I can’t see clearly.”
Now that the Crown Princess has a reputation for being the most beautiful person in the capital, he has always kept a low profile coupled with Zhan Zhen’s tight protection of her, making everyone more and more curious and wanting to take a look.
“What’s the hurry? Later, pick a good location at the altar, won’t we be able to see?”
“That’s nice to say. Look at so many people today. Where can we find a good place?”
“The recent rumors are half-true. I do not know if the Crown Princess is pregnant with a divine son.”
“It’s not necessarily her. She’s not the only royal daughter-in-law.”
“She was the most popular. If the son of God came down to earth, wouldn’t he choose the best mother?”
“You don’t say, His majesty let her go to the altar this year, which is a great honor!”
“Your Majesty’s standards are high. It seems that she is really beautiful.”
The common people were blocked by officers and soldiers with long spears, staring eagerly at the royal procession in the middle.
The convoy was very long and the people on both sides were more like two long dragons, crowded and bustling. They were all over the streets that the convoy passed through, all the way to the sky tower.
The Emperor Jin and the Empress supported the Empress Dowager and took the lead, followed by the concubine with the highest rank, followed by the eldest son, the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess. All the princes got out of the carriages one after another and followed them.
Praying for blessings is an ostentatious event and the voices of the people are not small.
Emperor Jin found a good place to sit down, just right where he could look directly at the altar. The altar was octagonal in shape and the raised circle in the center was the yin-yang eight trigrams array. It was very large and dignified. Those who could guard the altar were also close officials of the son of heaven, otherwise they had to stand under the stage.
Zhan Zhen accompanied Emperor Jin, while Xian Sheng temporarily changed into his robe inside. Ruyi praised him: “The princess looks quite like a female emperor today.”
Yuehua hurriedly reprimanded: “Don’t talk nonsense.”
Xian Sheng smiled lightly but his mood still did not improve. On the altar outside Qin Tianjian was still making preliminary preparations. When the auspicious time came, Xian Sheng would come to the stage to pray.
Ruyi knelt down to tidy up his robes. Xian Sheng could only stand, for fear of wrinkling his clothes.
The outside gradually quieted down and several Qin Tianjian officials came to the stage to start the preliminary ritual. Xian Sheng slowly walked over to take a look.
He stood high and saw the crowds of people under the stage all the way to the people standing on the far city walls. The altar was surrounded by a dense crowd but because of the excessive silence, it gave an air of solemnity.
Emperor Jin had strict laws and the founding of the country was only more than a hundred years old. In South Liang, not only the ancestry is deep but also the Liang people have a long history of living and working in peace and contentment. Several Liang emperors were also known for their benevolence. As a result, some people forget that their good days were brought by heroes who sacrificed their lives for the country.
A developing country and a country that has developed to a certain extent, the former is bound to have more explosive power than the latter.
Xian Sheng sighed in his heart and heard someone shouting, “the Crown princess is offering sacrifices.”
He stepped up and was about to walk out but suddenly heard someone say: “Wait a minute!”
The scene was too quiet and tens of thousands of pairs of eyes were looking at the scene. Xian Sheng stopped and turned his head slightly, realizing that it was Qing Rong.
The empress frowned suddenly and the empress dowager’s face changed abruptly. Emperor Jin smiled slightly and said, “If there is something wrong, we will talk about it after the sacrifice to heaven is over.”
He waved his hand but Qing Rong suddenly knelt down: “Your Majesty! Please think twice. Xian Sheng is the Princess of South Liang after all. You ask him to pray for Jin, can his heart be sincere?”
Emperor Jin’s eyes turned cold, “Since she has already married to Great Jin and entered the family tree, she is a princess of Great Jin. By saying this, are you questioning my decision?
“I dare not!” Qing Rong bowed her head neither overbearing nor servile and said: “But if he is really the eldest princess and became the crown princess then naturally he is devoted to Jin.”
“Come!” Zhan Zhen yelled: “Take her away! How important is the ceremony to worship the heavens? Who can afford to miss the auspicious time?!
Emperor Jin didn’t move, which was tantamount to acquiescing to his words.
Immediately someone stepped forward to hold Qing Rong. She suddenly raised her head to look at Zhan Zhen, suddenly smiled and almost sullenly said: “What are you afraid of? Zhan Zhen, are you afraid I’ll say he’s a man?”
There was an uproar.
The people came back from their pious attitude and immediately there was a lot of discussion.
“What’s going on??”
“Are they crazy? Let the prince of the enemy country go to the altar?”
“Isn’t it said that the princess is a goddess who descended to the earth? Why did she suddenly become a man?”
Emperor Jin’s face was solemn. Zhan Zhen squeezed his fingers, his eyes overflowing with murderous intent. The queen suddenly stood up: “Nonsense!”
The audience was silent.
“If the Crown Princess is a man, how come the Crown Prince doesn’t know about it, and you, a little girl, how do you know more than the Crown Prince?”
Emperor Jin and Zhan Zhen are both men. So the Empress took a stand and calmly stepped out. Looking at Qing Rong, she said coldly, “Where did you hear this from?
“I saw His Royal Highness customize men’s clothing for him. Originally, I was only skeptical. Yesterday, I received reliable information, which made me certain.”
“Who gave you the information?”
Qing Rong paused, reluctantly looked up at the queen and said, “It’s my father’s former subordinates, I believe them.”
The queen looked at her condescendingly.
Qing Rong pursed her lips and forced her to be calm.
“What a former subordinate of Marquis Qi! ” Suddenly there was a voice from the rooftop. Xian Sheng and Zhan Zhen looked turned simultaneously and their faces changed.
The black-clothed man stood with a smile. Because he stood tall, people could see clearly. He clapped his hands and said, “You are a daughter of a minister and you are close to your father’s former subordinate. Is it because you are an ambitious woman who wants to scheme against the world?
“Qin Yi! ” Zhan Zhen walked out, raised his jaw. His deep voice contained internal strength8Neigong (內功) – Neigong, also spelled nei kung, neigung, or nae gong, refers to any of a set of Chinese breathing, meditation and spiritual practice disciplines associated with Daoism and especially the Chinese martial arts: “Have you come to seek death?”
“Don’t get me wrong.” Qin Yi said: “I’m just an admirer of Princess Xian Sheng. I can’t bear to see him being wronged, so I’m here to show the true face of this woman.”
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Qing Rong was detained and said to Zhan Zhen: “It’s not easy to find him. Aren’t you going to kill him!”
“Kill me?!” Qin Yi raised his voice and said, “No one knows the reason I broke your hand because you took advantage of the chaos during the ice skating to push Xian Sheng down the stairs?”
There was a sound of gasps around, if Qing Rong had pushed Xian Sheng down the stairs, then her actions today could be called deliberately discrediting Xian Sheng and throwing dirty water on him.
“You’re lying!!’ Qing Rong panicked: “I didn’t!!”
“If he is really a man, why didn’t you talk to her father in private?” Zhan Zhen asked her and said,” Today when all the people gather together, even though you know perfectly well that his matter is false, you want to ruin his reputation!”
This sounds very logical but after careful deliberation there are many omissions. After all, if Qing Rong is not sure about this matter, how can she dare to say it here?
But at this moment, Qin Yi and Zhan Zhen seemed to have colluded in advance. The former curved his lips and said: “Probably, because cleverness is mistaken for wisdom9聪明反被聪明误 [cōng ming fǎn bèi cōng ming wù] Cleverness may overreach itself; A wise man can be ruined by his own wisdom; Clever people may be victims of their own cleverness; Every man has a fool in his sleeve.”
This is equivalent to saying that she is stupid in disguise and Qing Rong suddenly looks at him: “Qin Yi, you use me, you…!!”
The people were in an uproar again.
This is the daughter of Marquis Qi?!
It is shameful to frame the Crown princess like this.
“I didn’t frame him!!” Qing Rong said, “The prince fell out with the crown princess some time ago. It was because he found out about this but Xian Sheng is beautiful and unparalleled, so….”
“She’s crazy. Take her down” The emperor of Jin gave Eunuch Liao a meaningful glance and the latter immediately came forward and whispered to people to cover Qing Rong’s mouth and drag her down.
The emperor of Jin got up and said, “Today’s blessing is related to the national fortune. Don’t miss the auspicious time.”
“Is the Crown princess a man and a woman?!” Someone asked: “Is it true that the Crown Prince is lustful and hiding the truth for him?”
“Is he Male or female?”
Before the words fell, someone said: “Look for yourself! The Crown princess is out!!”
Deep black and bright gold, the man was like jade. The light crown on his head is towering between his hair. When the sun shines, it is dazzling
His robes were sweeping the floor and his clothes were scrupulous. He was not in a hurry, neither humble nor arrogant. He walked slowly, step by step as if descending from heaven.
Everyone’s eyes widened.
The seated noblemen stood up unconsciously and their eyes moved with his figure. A small group of officers and soldiers who were preparing to go upstairs to capture Qin Yi stopped in the corridor and looked over.
Xian Sheng’s expression was very pale and his eyes were also very light. Under the light and shadow, his figure seemed to be weak.
When the auspicious hour came, the light and shadow reluctantly moved away from him. The figure changed from fuzzy to real, as if simulating a dream in everyone’s eyes.
When they woke up from the dream, no one asked him whether he was a man or a woman.
Xian Sheng lowered his eyes: “Father Emperor, Queen Mother.”
“Erchen dare to ask, should I climb the altar or not?”
The author has something to say
Emperor Jin: Ascend!
People: Go on!!!
Lue lue: I am the god of darkness, I want to swallow the light so that you can’t see my wife!!
Translator – Happy valentines day!!! Wishing you a beautiful day filled with all the love and happiness you deserve.
Next Chapter will be released on Friday.
P.S. – I really enjoy reading your comments ^_^
