Chapter 10 of Once Promised is much longer than I have anticipated so I have decided to put up what I have so far as part 2 of 3, instead of part 2 of 2.
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Chapter 10: Pledging The Rest of Our Lives Together under the Peach Blossom Tree (Part 2 of 3)
As Ah Heng dashed up Xiao Yue Ding, she knocked into someone
and nearly lost her footing.
Luckily, the person extended a hand to stop her or she would have
sprained her leg. Ah Heng smiled and tried to thank her saviour but her words
trailed off when she saw who he was.
Unbidden, her heart started beating wildly and she felt weak all
over. Looking at her red ears and
lowered head, Shao Hao asked apologetically: “Miss, did you hurt yourself?”
Shao Hao next noticed the man behind Ah Heng and gave him a nod
and a smile. Chi You’s smile disappeared as he walked up to the pair and
reached out for Ah Heng’s hand while he pushed away Shao Hao’s hand with the
other. “What is the Prince of Gao Xing doing at Shen Nong Mountain?”
When Shao Hao remained silent, they were joined by Yu Wang and
a young maiden dressed in red. Ah Heng guessed that the young maiden must
be the god-daughter of the Yan Emperor. She was beautiful, much like the
Mu Jin Flower, and Ah Heng thought the maiden had been aptly named.
Mu Jin smiled at Chi You, “Sister Yun Sang hurt herself. Luckily, she met His Highness Shao Hao who escorted her back.” Her smile disappeared when she noticed Chi You’s protective hand on Ah Heng.
Worried for Yun Sang, Ah Heng asked hurriedly, “What
happened to Yun Sang?”
Mu Jin looked at her with animosity, “Who are you to call Her
Highness by name?”
Chi You countered coldly, “Why else do we need names, if not for
people to call you by?”
Mu Jin was surprised that the normally aloof Chi You would
defend this stranger and bit down hard on her lips to prevent her tears from
falling. Yu Wang looked at Ah Heng
before saying gently: “We met several demons trying to stir up trouble on the
way here. Luckily, her injury was
not serious and she should recover after resting for a few months. Does Miss know my sister?”
Ah Heng nodded absently.
What had brought Yun Sang to Gao Xing for her to have met Shao Hao under
such coincidental circumstances?
A red bird flew down to perch on Yu Wang’s shoulder and he
smiled at the group. “Dinner is
ready and father bade us to go over.”
The Yan Emperor has prepared a table full of simple fare for his
guests. Everyone paid their respects to him before taking their places at the
table. Looking at them, the Yan
Emperor had mixed feelings.
Gathered in the house today were youngsters from the next
generation who could change the fate of the world. In another few hundred years, would they still remember their dinner tonight?
Ah Heng spoke up, “Your Highness, I am not hungry. May I visit the Eldest Princess
instead?”
The Yan Emperor looked at Shao Hao before replying. “Go ahead if that is what you want. Now that she has grown up, she no
longer share things with me so it is good if you can talk to her.” Apparently, the Yan Emperor did not buy
the story about trouble-making demons too.
After Ah Heng paid her respects and left the table, Mu Jin
could hold back her curiosity no longer. “Royal Father, who is she?”
The Yan Emperor looked at Chi You, Shao Hao, before turning to
face her and Yu Wang. “She is the
daughter of my sworn sister. Due
to my position, it was very hard for my sworn sister and I to meet, which is
why you have never met her today.”
His delivery was very sincere and even the normally cautious Shao Hao did
not doubt his explanation.
When Ah Heng walked into Yun Sang’s room, she saw that the
latter was staring blankly out of the window. “Big Sister,” she greeted, as she removed her Beauty
Preserving Flower and sat beside her.
Yun Sang was surprised to see her. When she saw the peach blossom in her hands, she took it
from Ah Heng and toyed with it a while before sighing. “So Chi You fought for it because of
you.” As she placed the flower
back on Ah Heng’s hair, she continued, “Shao Hao is here so be careful not to reveal your true face.”
“I have met him already.”
As she spoke, both Ah Heng and the flower morphed into another look. “Big Sister, how did Shao Hao end up
rescuing you?”
“I went to see Nuo Nai.”
“Wasn’t Nuo Nai in prison?” Then the truth sank in. “You broke into Gao Xing’s prison?”
“Um.”
“Did you manage to see Nuo Nai then?”
Yun Sang nodded.
“Did you tell him who you were?”
Yun Sang nodded again.
“What did he say?”
Yun Sang starting tearing at the question. “He was very cool initially and kept insisting
that I leave, although I could tell that he was actually surprised and happy to
see me. When I mastered my courage
to finally tell him that I am not Princess Xuan Yuan Ba of Xuan Yuan, but Yun
Sang, Princess of Shen Nong, he looked….”
The tears finally fell from her eyes “He did not say a single word, but he looked...his
expression… from disbelief to shock; from shock to anger; from anger to
despair. He stared at me without
blinking but I could see the sorrow in his eyes. It was as if his heart was dying inch by inch. I was so afraid when I sensed his anger. Yet when he was wallowing in despair, I
wished so much that he had remained angry and yelled at me…”
Ah Heng tried to probe further “What happened next? What did he say?”
Yun Sang only cried and shook her head. “Nothing. He refused to say anything. Not long afterwards, the guards rushed in and surrounded
me. Even when my safety was threatened,
I begged him to speak, even if he only had hateful words for me, but please
speak to me. But he resolutely
turned to face the wall. When I
started fighting with the soldiers, I told him that I would not leave until he
said something to me. And he said…
finally he said…”
“What did he say?”
“Get lost! He told
me to get lost!” By now, Yun Sang
was breathless from sobbing.
Halting between words, she continued. “I went crazy and told him that the more he told me to get
lost, the I more I am going to stay.
Despite having father’s divine medicine to protect me, I got injured and
ended up captured by the soldiers.
At that time, I was so afraid!
I was so afraid of the shockwaves I would bring if the Jun Emperor learns
of my identity. But I had no
regrets! Luckily, Shao Hao
appeared. He was very smart and
ordered everyone to leave the room while he questioned me.”
“When I refused to answer his questions on my identity, he said
‘Although I could not see your real face, I could tell that you are wearing a
mask made from the heavenly silkworm.
In all the realms, there is only one who could weave such exquisite silk
masks which is Lei Zu (Grandmaster Lei) from Xuan Yuan Mountain. Legend has it that she has only woven
four masks which she gave to her children. Since yours is a female mask, it must have been given to you
by Xuan Yuan Ba.’ The more he continued,
the more scared I was, but still I kept mum since I knew that there is no
way he could remove my mask. But
then he said something that convinced me to trust him.”
Yun Sang lifted her head to look at Ah Heng. “He said ‘Xuan Yuan Ba is my
fiancee. If you are her friend, that
makes you my friend as well. If
you do not wish to reveal your identity, so be it. Just let me know where is a safe place to send you and I will send
my trusted aide to escort you there.” Ah Heng caught her breath while Yun Sang sighed, “He is such a gentleman, how can I continue to doubt him? I told him to send me
back to Shen Nong Mountain, and he guessed my identity straight away. He said that the less people who knew about
my visit, the better, so that was how he ended up escorting me home personally. During the journey, he did not ask even
once for my reason in breaking into their jail nor did he mention my
injuries. Although Father knew I
was not being truthful, he has always trusted me and did not question me further. If he knew what I did today, father
surely would….” Yun Sang lowered
her head and dabbed her tears.
Ah Heng was quiet for a while before she said, “Big Sister, Nuo Nai still cares a
great deal about you.”
Yun San gave a self-depreciating laugh, “You need not console
me. I know I am eating my just
deserts.”
“When he scolded you and asked you to get lost, he was trying
to protect you. It was the same
reason why he kept asking you to leave when he first saw you.”
In terms of handling people, Yun Sang was normally way savvier
than Ah Heng. But because her
heart was troubled, she could not see what was in front of her. At Ah Heng’s words, Yun Sang was
skeptical at first until her thoughts finally cleared enough for logic to sink
in. Despite being heavily guarded,
there was no reason for Shao Hao to turn up so quickly unless Shao Hao knew
that the intruder was someone special to Nuo Nai. That would also explain his courteous manner towards her. His escort may not necessarily be for
Xuan Yuan Ba and was likely to be for the sake of the Yi He Faction behind Nuo Nai. Although she remained silent, Yun Sang
felt better gradually.
Looking at her, Ah Heng felt a wave of sorrow. Yun Sang had yet to know about the Yan
Emperor’s illness. How sad would she
be if she knew? When Yun Sang
looked up and saw her expressioin, she asked, “What is the matter? Why are you looking at me so sadly?”
Ah Heng stood up, “Let us go to the hall. It should be time for Shao Hao to bade
his leave.”
Yun Sang reached out to grab her hand, “Please help me thank Shao Hao.”
Ah Heng nodded.
Yun Sang seemed to want to say something, but she only sighed and let it go
in the end.
As Ah Heng walked towards the cliff, Lie Yang appeared and
circled over her. Sensing her low spirits, he landed quietly on her shoulder. Stroking his head, Ah Heng said, “Yun Sang would learn about her father’s illness sooner or
later. She had thought that all
was over when Sister Yao Ji died and had broken down then. Who would have
guessed…? Now was the time Yun Sang needed Nuo Nai the most, and if he valued Yun
Sang, he would definitely try to see her instead of letting her shoulder two
burdens alone.”
Ah Heng took out a bamboo slip and started carving ‘The Yan
Emperor is critically ill’ while Lie Yang looked on. However, she stopped when Yun Sang’s words - that the matters involving the royals are
never simple - came to mind. The news of the Yan
Emperor’s health not only affected the power distribution of the world, it also raised
the succession issue within Shen Nong.
Not only must it be a secret from other countries, it must even be a
secret from key ministers like Zhu Rong and Hou Tu. Yun Sang may need to hide the news from Nuo Nai so how could
she take it upon herself to leak the news of the Yan Emperor’s illness to an
important Gao Xing General holding military power?
Why? Why were things like this? If this was a normal family, it would only be most natural
for Yun Sang to crave the companionship of her closest kin when her father was
critically ill. But not only must
Yun Sang keep this from Nuo Nai, she must also feign indifference to her own suffering.
Nuo Nai would never know the pain
she was going through. Finally, Ah
Heng erased her words and merely wrote that the misunderstanding between Nuo Nai and Yun Sang at their first meeting was not deliberate, and begged Nuo Nai to
forgive Yun Sang for her spur-of-the-moment cover up.
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Some thoughts of mine:
I love Yun Sang and Nuo Nai. In my mind, Yun Sang is beautiful, gentle and capable. Although she is fit to be the Empress of her kingdom, her heart has settled on a General from another country so her romance path is understanably bumpy. Come to think of it, this is what happened to Ah Heng and Chi You too. If that is the case, why not let Yun Sang and Nuo Nai ally Shen Nong and Gao Xing together while Xuan Yuan Ba and Chi You can link Shen Nong and Xuan Yuan together.... and Shao Hao can either marry or bromance Qing Yang to complete the loop for Gao Xing and Xuan Yuan? *sigh*
- Moonblossom -
Want to express my love to Moonblossom for helping me translate Chapter 10. It's interesting also because I have a tendency to skip the Yun Sang Nuo Nai parts haha, so it's nice to see it from someone else's view. I agree that Yun Sang/Nuo Nai - another princess and general coupling, are a natural parallel to A'Heng and Chi You's princess and general coupling. How, I wish that they could marry their heart's desires, but more powerful and ambitious forces are at large. I love Chi You <3
ReplyDeleteYou are most welcome and I am lucky to get this chapter then since I love this pair! These two seldom appeared together - theirs really was just a small, small arc - but they got me especially at the end when we see how their hearts were always together despite being physically apart. Yun Sang totally rocks, as the steady, big sister to Yu Wang and Ah Heng, Eldest Princess of Shen Nong. I'm glad she fell for Nuo Nai, who is handsome, talented and returns her love too.
ReplyDeleteHahaha no, Nuo Nai and Yun Sang fans are lucky that you got this chapter hahaha, because I really honestly might have just summarised it. Hahaha. It's beautiful though, reading it, Yun Sang truly is a dear princess who has such little happiness. I'm glad that the person she loved was deserving - though their love story is really twisted. Haha.
DeleteThank you Decembi and Moonblossom for your amazing translations and insightful commentary. Although I worry that my heart won't be able to handle the angst, I'm addicted to this story and stop myself from not reading! Keep up with the awesome work; I love this blog:)
ReplyDeleteLily
Welcome! Don't worry, I'm like the fluffiest heart person ever and Once Promised was ok for me. But I haven't really finished Book 2. Book 1 is actually quite happy and wonderful most of the way - that's Tong Hua's evil genius. <3
DeleteThank you Moonblossom and decembi for these translations! SH is one careful and calculating person...
ReplyDeleteYeah! I'm actually very curious if there are actually SH fans out there. Please holler!!! I like to hear about contrary views.
Deleteme me me!! well i like daddy shao hao in LFY. i dont know if i would like the shao hao in once promised
DeleteOooh that's interesting! Ok, Shao Hao's scenes will increase in the next few chapters, do say if you like Shao Hao or Chi You more later. :)
DeleteThank you for the translation. it made my day :D
ReplyDeleteThanks for the good read Decembi!!
ReplyDeleteVery sad reality... as royalty they live with such luxuries that the common person can only dream of but in return forgo the simple luxuries that common people may never fully appreciate, such as the right love or laugh or grieve.
Teehee, awesome translation is by Moonblossom.
DeleteYou are absolutely right! The simple common day actions that are luxuries they cannot afford :(
All finally have time to read all your updates, thank you Moonblossom.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your commentary above. I actually like the pairing of Yun Sang and Nuo Nai, they're sort of like the couple Ah Heng and Chi You won't able to be. Hopefully they have a happy ending compared to our ill fated couple/
You r most welcome! When I first read OP, this couple is just passing cloud to me. But somewhere behind, I started getting invested in them. Maybe it is because Yun Sang is such an awesome princess. :)
DeleteYay for some Yun Sang and Nuo Nai, I hope these two will have a happy ending together, or at least on sweet moment or two.
ReplyDelete*SPOILER* Yun Sang and Nuo Nai's fate continues......
Delete