Translator: 🍓SassyStrawberry | http://www.sassystrawberry.com
Project: 🐟 Jinyiwei (锦衣卫) | Author: Fei Tian Ye Xiang (非天夜翔) | Rating: Mature
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Arc 2: The Tortoiseshell Ring
Chapter 21 The situation of ganging up together to beat someone up
When Zhu Di entered the hall, he caught sight of Zhu Quan elegantly weighing that rabbit fur glazed cap, studying it carefully under a beam of sunshine.
The entire body of the rabbit fur glazed cup was glittering and translucent and the blue porcelain was set off against a shattered texture. Zhu Quan tsked in approval, and upon seeing Zhu Di arrive, he commented, “The things in Si-ge’s residence really demonstrate such attention to detail.”
“ Kid- -” Zhu Di extended his arm and smoothly retrieved the cup from him, and casually tossed it behind him, saying, “ Just a little piece of junk from a wayside stall [1] – worthless!”
Zhu Quan’s elegant eyes bulged, it couldn’t be.
The cup fell to the ground with a crisp clatter.
Zhu Quan, “…” Translator SassyStrawberryDOTcom
The main entrance was flung open with a loud crash! The minions swarmed in!
“ My sons [2]! Capture him alive for me!” Zhu Di’s expression was ferocious as he laughed loudly.
Zhu Quan cried out urgently, “Si-ge, what are you doing!”
Like a fish diving, Tuoba Feng threw himself at Zhu Quan. However, like a loach that had been soaked in oil, Zhu Quan dodged as he slid out of his grasp. Tuoba Feng actually didn’t manage to pounce on him!
“Be careful!” Yunqi suffered no small shock, Tuoba Feng’s ‘vicious dog eats that something’ stance may not have been elegant, but it still was a pounce that he’d poured his lifelong martial arts skills into! If one surveyed Nanjing’s twenty-two guard divisions, there would be only one or two people who could match Tuoba Feng in terms of martial arts skills – Yet Zhu Quan could actually evade him, what is this about?!
At first glance, Yunqi understood that Zhu Quan was a martial arts practitioner, and hastily ordered, “Sanbao, guard the hall entrance!”
At this time, Zhu Quan flashed to the left and darted to the right, as the skirt of his gathered waist princely robes flared open, his graceful movements akin to parting the flowers and brushing gently over the willows [3]. One couldn’t distinguish the image from reality. Zhu Di and Tuoba Feng simultaneously reached out to grab him, but he evaded them again; They weren’t even able to catch a corner of his robe. Such handsome kung fu skills!
“This fellow’s martial arts are exceptional, don’t let him run off!” Zhu Di roared.
Upon hearing these words, Yunqi and Tuoba Feng understood that Zhu Quan knew some of Zhu Di’s secrets, but was unwilling to associate himself with these undesirable elements. Hence they panicked, and the three of them’s efforts to capture this lone person became even more desperate as if their lives depended on it.
Zhu Quan stepped onto the low table, and leaped into the air as he said, “ Why must Si-ge do this? Xiao-di will certainly not communicate any news to the Imperial Court after returning to Huizhou…”
Zhu Di directly repudiated his words, saying, “ If the bird’s nest is overturned, how would any of the eggs remain unbroken [4]? Lao-Liu and Lao-Jiu [5] have already received news from the Imperial Court about the reduction of feudatories [6] …”
Yunqi flicked his hand and flung out the cicada wing blade – the ice silkworm silk thread refracted the brilliant daylight.
Tuoba Feng crouched and swept his leg outwards [7] and spun around to kick Zhu Quan where he landed.
“The Imperial Grandson… the Emperor must have more profound intentions, even if it is reducing the feudatories and surrendering our military powers, would he still set us aside and give us an idle position…”
Zhu Quan spoke as one leg stepped lightly onto the round table and used the momentum to push himself away obliquely.
“Good!” Tuoba Feng couldn’t resist applauding this move.
“You’re crazy, why are you encouraging someone else [8]! Deducting money!” Zhu Di raged, “Of course, it won’t be an idle position! He’ll just find some random reason to put us to death! Did you think that Yunwen is so easy to get along with…”
“Si-ge! Forgive xiao-di for not being able to…” Stol3n translation.
Zhu Quan pressed onwards to the hall entrance!
Ma Sanbao wielded the bench, brandishing so swiftly that it made a whistling sound as it moved!
Zhu Quan extremely beautifully caught a glimpse of an opportunity and took advantage of it. When the bench swept over forcefully, he protected his head with both hands, and smashed the wooden window with a crash, as he glided outwards!
Zhu Di yelled, “It’s gone awry! Quickly chase!”
These four martial arts experts were unable to detain this young wang-ye who’d attained perfection in his qinggong. Yunqi sighed inwardly that they’d underestimated their opponent. The moment that they also leaped out into the garden, they witnessed Zhu Quan desperately running for his life. He turned his head to look back and unexpectedly ran straight into the currently yawning, Old Taoist Zhang who’d just woken up.
Zhu Di hurriedly shouted, “Zhenren, detain him!”
Zhu Quan turned around anxiously to discover that there was another damned old man [9] in front of him, as he hastily yelled, “Give way!” As he spoke, he extended his pointer and middle fingers and thrust them toward Old Taoist Zhang’s eyes.
“??” Old Taoist Zhang was baffled as he backhandedly drew the wooden sword at his waist.
Yunqi halted as he let out a sigh of relief, saying, “He’s finished.”
Tuoba Feng nodded in approval. Read on the original TL site.
Swifter than words could speak of, they watched as Zhu Quan was about to collide with Old Taoist Zhang, but was met by a wooden sword that would snap with a blow!
The wooden sword spun gently, wonderfully tracing a circle at the top of its arc. It would almost close in but not close in, it would move away yet not actually move away – entangling Zhu Quan’s arm with its illusiveness! Zhu Quan was greatly startled as he tried to extricate himself and retreat, but once he pulled back he felt as if his body was moving in mud, inside a sticky, viscous atmosphere that he couldn’t help feeling suffocated by.
Old Taoist Zhang’s sword movements resembled nature itself, and were unavoidable! The moment that the wooden sword came forward, Zhu Quan immediately shouted loudly, as he was smacked in the waist by the body of the sword and sent flying outward!
The dog legs trio immediately came forward and pressed Zhu Quan firmly onto the ground. It was fortunate that although Zhu Quan’s qinggong was unparalleled – so slippery that one couldn’t get a hold of him, his actual kung fu wasn’t actually that formidable. Once he’d been captured, he was fated to be helpless and could only wait for death.
Zhu Di smiled ingratiatingly, “Many thanks to Zhenren! Many thanks to Zhenren!”
Old Taoist Zhang cupped his hands together in a modest obeisance, before turning to return to his room. It was at this time that Zhu Quan had completely turned into a ‘big cup’ [10].
As Zhu Di distributed the money, Tuoba Feng stated, “ Four taels.”
Zhu Di, “…” Translator SassyStrawberry
Tuoba Feng stated, “ The appreciation fee for Shifu’s hard work should also be two taels. ”
Zhu Di flipped out as he went to find Xu Wen to bring the money over, handing it to the three people in a very fierce manner. Tuoba Feng said, “Here, Yunqi. This is for you.” He then presented the money to Yunqi.
As Yunqi smiled, he noted Sanbao’s apprehensive expression, and hurriedly said, “ Sanbao, you keep your own.” Consequently, these four people dispersed joyfully. Zhu Di lifted the trussed-up [11] Zhu Quan over his shoulder, and took him to be locked up in the small courtyard.
Yunqi took a while to realize what had happened; Why would Zhu Di place his own younger brother under house arrest? Just that when he went in search of Zhu Di to interrogate him, Zhu Di acted as if nothing had happened. Under the weight of Yunqi’s repeated questioning, he only laughed frivolously saying that he didn’t know, vowing that he absolutely would not kill him and would set him free after the Yuanxiao Festival [12].
Yunqi had all sorts of doubts and conjectures in his head as he stared at Zhu Di for a while. With the promise to release him after the end of the year, he was obliged to leave things be.
Translator: 🍓SassyStrawberry | http://www.sassystrawberry.com
As the end of the year approached, Xu Wen took care of all the large and small matters pertaining to celebrating the New Year at the Prince’s residence, and also chased no small number of people to return home. Yunqi had no choice but to lend a helping hand. In a few days, it would be New Year’s Eve. The Three Sacrificial Offerings [13] were laid on the table, and the vassal Prince’s Jade Book [14] that had been bestowed by Zhu Yuanzhang was also displayed on the desk. The joss sticks and candles were lit as Zhu Di led his entire family in offering sacrifices to their ancestors.
Although they were family since Yunqi was his wife’s brother, these ancestors had nothing to do with him.
Zhu Di stood in the lead position, and behind him was his adopted son [15] Tuoba Feng, behind whom stood his two sons Zhu Gaochi [16] and Zhu Gaoxu [17]. This was tantamount to publicly acknowledging Tuoba Feng’s identity, without fear of being implicated in the plot to assassinate the Imperial Grandson several years ago.
Yunqi observed from outside the hall for a while, feeling somewhat uneasy within his heart. Waiting for the New Year’s Eve dinner to start was rather boring, so he vacated the sacrificial hall and headed toward the rear courtyard.
He first knocked on Old Taoist Zhang’s door but didn’t hear a response. He pushed the door to enter and saw that the room was empty. Unexpectedly, Old Taoist Zhang had left on New Year’s Eve.
Yunqi glanced around the room and noticed a sword on the table. The sword weighed down a note, and beneath this note was a letter.
This sword belongs to my Wudang Sect, and is named ‘Qixing [18]. It is to be given to Feng-er. The letter is for Yun-er, to inform him about the pleasure of having met General Tiande once many years ago.”
Yunqi picked up the blunt sword which was precisely the one that Zhang-zhenren usually carried on his back, it never left his body. The material was neither inlaid with gold nor jewels, nor did it look particularly unusual. There were seven dark stars carved on the body of the sword, which was specifically the “Tiangang Beidou Array [19]”. Three characters were carved on the handle:
[20] Read this on the original site and not on aggregators.
Yunqi used it to hack at the table, but chopping at the table for a long time bore no results – it was just a piece of junk. Yunqi jeered in secret.
He opened the envelope, and when retrieved the letter to have a look, there were only 8 characters written inside:
[21]
What manner of thing is this! Yunqi only wanted to howl at the sky – how great it would have been if he’d left behind some secret martial arts manual! Yunqi carelessly tossed the sword to one side, crushed the letter into a ball, and threw it away. He gloomily turned to exit the courtyard and trekked towards the room in the back.
That area was where the incredibly unlucky Prince of Ning was being held.
Zhu Di during the last few days had only spent his time eating and sleeping. He no longer feigned insanity. Instead, he would come to this courtyard and spend time with the Prince of Ning – it was unknown what manner of business they were engaging in.
Yunqi’s curiosity was piqued, thus he peeked inside. He saw that Zhu Quan was completely normal, with no signs of his hair or clothing being in disorder as he’d imagined, nor did Zhu Quan weep with a handful of tears and snot, crying “Let me out”. Or perhaps a situation where he was bound to a chair with his eyes staring in the distance in a trance-like state, his chrysanthemum red and swollen, and his body covered in whip marks.
“Is it Yunqi? Come in then. “ Zhu Quan set down the book in his hand and smiled slightly.
Yunqi pushed open the door to enter the room. Noticing that both of Zhu Quan’s hands were bound together with ropes, he asked, “What are you reading?”
Zhu Quan voiced somewhat distantly, “Tonight is New Year’s Eve.”
Yunqi stated, “ Jiefu already agreed to send you back to Huizhou after Yuanxiao Festival [12].
Zhu Quan smiled and nodded, saying, “Thank you Xiao-shidi for interceding then.” Having spoken, his gaze fell upon Yunqi again – seemingly unable to look away, this stare made Yunqi feel nervous.
Yunqi abruptly asked, “What’re you looking at? You learned martial arts from my Dad [22]?”
Zhu Quan said as if fascinated, “You and the Wang-fei seemed to be cast from the same mold, both of you resemble Shi-niang greatly…”
Yunqi blushed a little, and said, “You shouldn’t call my mother Shi-niang, she was merely a concubine [23]. My Er-ge’s mother was the legitimate wife…”
Zhu Quan said, “I got used to calling her that. Anyway, Wen Shi-niang treated us all very well… So be it, let’s not speak of this. General Xu has been gone for many years. Did your Jie ever tell you how he died of illness?”
Yunqi frowned slightly, “I don’t know either. I heard from Jie that there seemed to be some inside story about how he died. You might as well ask her.”
Yunqi had never felt too much sentiment for Xu Da. Whatever you can say about this father of is, it wasn’t his fault that he’d died early. But four-year-old Yunqi who’d been sent into the palace before experiencing much affection and familial love had been imprisoned within the high walls, and when he grew up, he was merely considered an obedient dog. Come to think of it, he’d never felt a father’s love. The inside story with regards to his birth father’s death had nothing to do with him at all.
In retrospect, Zhu Quan spoke again, “General Tiande doted upon [24] you and Wen-jie the most because you both resembled your mother.”
It’s fine if no one mentioned it, but once it was brought up, Yunqi immediately seethed with anger, saying, “ Doted on my *beep*, he sent me into that prison-like palace since I was young – that is called doting upon?”
Since the conversation was disagreeable, it was pointless to speak any further. Having spoken, he didn’t want to look at Zhu Quan’s expression. He got up and left.
He’d originally intended to inquire solicitously about Zhu Quan’s well-being, but with the topic of Xu Da being raised, and recalling that Zhu Di would be subject to the reduction of the feudatories – his and his Jie’s status would likely suffer a disastrous decline. When he returned to the capital, he’d have to suffer another round of bullying and oppression by the civil officials. Yunqi felt extremely displeased, and he left the courtyard, not in the mood to bother with Zhu Quan.
Just as he’d walked out a few steps, he suddenly caught sight of Tuoba Feng attired as the shi-zi [25] to the Prince’s residence, he’d walked into the courtyard in search of Yunqi.
On regular days when Tuoba Feng wore the Jinyiwei uniform, his elegant demeanor was already been extraordinary. Now that he was garbed in the luxurious and resplendent, princely robes of the shi-zi; he was extremely presentable and undoubtedly looked the part.
Tuoba Feng said, “We can finally eat. Let’s go.” Having spoken, he yelled towards the inner room, “17th Wang-ye, please come to the hall to eat the New Year’s Eve dinner.”
Zhu Quan was unsurprised by such favorable treatment as he responded and left the room. Tuoba Feng didn’t bother avoiding taboos, and held Yunqi’s hand, their fingers interlocked. In this manner, the three people went towards the hall.
Translator: 🍓SassyStrawberry | http://www.sassystrawberry.com
By this time, ancestral worship had already been concluded. The Prince of Yan’s residence was covered in the pure white snow of winter. Aside from the servants attending to them, the rest of the servants sat at a table outside the flower hall. The Prince of Yan, Zhu Di, and Xu Wen hosted another table; there were seven seats at the table, for the Prince of Yan, his wife, and their two sons – and another three for Tuoba Feng, Yunqi, and Zhu Quan – it was exactly right.
When Zhu Di saw the three people arrive, he hurriedly offered them his seat. Each person took their place in the seating arrangement. Upon seeing that the space beside Zhu Di was vacant, Zhu Quan sat down without any hesitation.
The dishes laid out on the table were extremely sumptuous, with a superb and dazzling selection of delicacies from across the land and sea. There were several maidservants standing by awaiting orders. Zhu Di lifted his cup and said, “ As we celebrate the New Year, it’s rare that everyone can gather together like this. Even Xiao-jiu-zi is here. Come, come, everyone drink.”
Yunqi’s expression did not look very good. Glimpsing that Zhu Quan’s wrists were still bound, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry – How is he going to drink like this? You’re clearly trying to embarrass 17th Wang-ye, aren’t you?”
Regardless, Zhu Quan was open-minded and tolerant. He chuckled, and used both hands to hold the wine cup as he said, ‘Let’s drink.”
After a round of drinking, Zhu Di smiled and said, “Why is Xiao-jiu-zi unhappy? Come, Furen, you feed your Di, and I’ll feed my Di! Everyone should not feel restrained!”
Xu Wen and Zhu Di had a tacit understanding, as they individually each picked up a piece of chicken; Xu Wen fed it to Yunqi, as Zhu Di proudly and delightedly fed Zhu Quan, and they said simultaneously, “Di, Ah–“
Zhu Quan smiled as he ate, but Yunqi spat out a mouthful of wine as he said, “ I really don’t know what to do about the two of you…”
Yunqi wanted to take over the food, but Xu Wen wouldn’t allow him to, forcing him to eat it. Yunqi suggested, “Let’s switch seats, you, you… you go take care of Gaochi.”
Xu Wen smiled daintily, “Gaochi is extremely sensible, there’s no need for me to take care of him.” She instructed him, “Gaochi, you also take care of your Di.”
“ En.” Zhu Gaochi was only sixteen years old but behaved like an old soul [26]. He had a foot ailment, and his features had been inherited from an unknown unfortunate ancestor; his appearance actually somewhat resembled Zhu Yuanzhang – they were both rather dark-skinned, with broad, large noses. Quite unlike his younger brother Zhu Gaoxu.
Zhu Gaoxu resembled Zhu Di greatly, and thus garnered more of Zhu Di and Xu Wen’s favor. However, Yunqi had a little psychological shadow towards this brand of ruffian looks and thus wasn’t too fond of Zhu Gaoxu. He got along better with Gaochi, at this time he heard this and smiled, “Gaochi is already an adult. Do you have a girl that you’re on familiar terms with? Is the relationship good?”
The plump Zhu Gaochi bantered, “This nephew isn’t like Xiao-jiu who looks as handsome and graceful as jade trees in the wind [27], naturally, there wouldn’t be anyone who finds me pleasing.”
The people present at the feast all burst into laughter. As Zhu Di fed Zhu Quan meat and vegetables, Yunqi thought that these two wang-ye were already in their twenties and thirties; Grown men still doing such foolish things, unafraid of the younger generation laughing at them. Just unbind his hands and let him eat on his own, wouldn’t that be the end of the matter?
Unexpectedly, Zhu Quan abruptly stated, “ Earlier, this Prince said that General Tiande was most fond of you two siblings, and doted upon Yunqi. Xiao-shidi didn’t believe it, and even got angry with me.”
Xu Wen pulled up her sleeves as she topped up the wine for Zhu Di and Zhu Quan, and smiled, “Of course, he did dote upon Yunqi. It’s not up to him to disbelieve it; Yunqi’s temperament has always been very stubborn – that cleverness in trivial matters muddles his vision that he can only see the matters on the surface…”
Zhu Quan nodded, and smiled, “Make great contributions during turbulent times, and during times of prosperity a wise person would focus on self-preservation [28], but if a wise person wishes to focus on self-preservation…”
Zhu Quan continued, “Of course, you’ve already become a Jinyiwei, serving the Son of Heaven alone; someone who can look askance at officials of all ranks. Your relationship with Yunwen is of bamboo horses [29] – you grew up together so who would dare touch you?”
It was only now that Yunqi understood that Xu Da had profound reasons for sending him into the palace at a young age.
Zhu Quan spoke again, “Even if we don’t speak about how Yunwen is firmly on the throne. Were it changed to someone else, you are someone who waited upon the previous Emperor, I fear that no one…”
Zhu Di’s expression altered, and he hastily interrupted the conversation, “Let’s not speak of national affairs. Come, come, let’s drink.”
I love the mix of angst and humor. Zhu Di is a shrewd guy. It’s very cute the Tuoba always gives wifey Yunqi his money.
Thanks for the new chapter!