North Yan & Huai Song Series: Epilogue 2 – Red Yan, Yin and Yang

After Yushu left, Nalan started a coughing fit. Several on-duty imperial physicians from the medical institute hurriedly ran into the Zhaoyang palace hall, took her pulse and brewed medicine. They were kept busy for more than two hours.

The main hall is permeated with the strong odor of herbs as Nalan lies in bed, still persistently gasping for breath through her mouth and tossing from side to side for half a day, making her face so pale that it looks almost bloodless.

“Empress Queen heard that the emperor is in the Green Dew palace hall tonight, with no one to serve his majesty.”

Nalan’s hand is clutching her chest, her breath is somewhat weak as she asked: “Imperial concubine Cheng is not in the green dew palace hall?”

“No, she’s not. The imperial concubine Cheng Fei has started her menstruation, so is evading the scarlet in Hong fang (Red Square).”

Nalan nodded, meditated for a moment, then said: “The weather is getting colder, you go instruct Cao Qiu to make his team of slaves be extra cautious. They have to be careful not to let his Majesty catch cold.”

“Yes.”

Wen Yuan has just left when Nalan suddenly opened her mouth and shouted: “Forget about it, you do not have to go.”

Then she turns around to lie down, her voice is very light as it transmits over: “You do not have to call for dinner. We need to sleep in this palace.”

“Yes, empress.”

It’s been five years since Yan Xun has established his imperial court, and like the dynasties of many emperors who lived at that age, his harem also livened up gradually and became bustling with noise and excitement.

Countless young beautiful women generally flowed into the palace, some of them are charming, some glamorous, some have minds full of poetry and literature, and some tender, gruff and lovable. Like the flowers of this world all are in full bloom in this lonely deep palace, all day a gathering of brightly colored decorations, a piece to glory.

It’s only a pity that although it’s been four years since she has entered the palace, Nalan still has not given birth to a son nor a half daughter, while the other concubines repeatedly got pregnant. Cheng General’s sister Cheng Fei has given birth to a pair of twin sons in one fell swoop, so in the harem status, hers has been almost equal to the queen and Cheng Fei has been pushing the Queen because of her disease to shun the world.

Also, the emperor, too, had not set foot in the Zhaoyang palace hall for a long time.

Today, if it were not for Yushu coming to visit with Yong’er, I am afraid he would not have come.

The sun gradually fell down, the moon climbed over the treetops, a pair of tall red candles is lit, flashing bright light. Nalan is now very thin, shrinking in the brocade quilt, looking like an emaciated bird, she emits a low cough from time to time.

Perhaps, I don’t think so anymore.

Six years ago, close to that day of finalizing their alliance, the news that the side young crown prince of Qinghai was born has spread over the Xi Meng mainland. Because during pregnancy the mother suffered a lot of jolts, her body was not good so the baby nearly died prematurely. The Qinghai Princess was very weak after birth, and was on the verge of death. The fact that the Qinghai King attaches great importance to his wife and children is world famous. In the past he had already given up the good opportunity to win the world by fighting with Yan Xun for his wife, the same could be said today.

Qinghai immediately issued a notice, posted a reward offering a large sum of gold, seeking for a world famous doctor. He has heard the news about the medical expertise of Mr. Mao Lingqing. But the doctor is old-fashioned, and regarded Qinghai as a land of barbarians so was unwilling to take steps towards the place. During that time, the Qinghai King unexpectedly dared to risk his life to go to Yanbei when Northern Yan successfully allied with Huai Song. He led only 3,000 elite soldiers to ride out of the Cui Wei pass, rushed ahead to Maoling, captured the physician, and finally saved the lives of the small crown prince and the Xiuli princess.

The news came that day, the date when she and Yan Xun officially exchanged gold cards and leisurely opened up the article as a happily married couple dressed in red, everything that has been her wish for many years.

She opened the gold cards, the top of which contains the names of the two people he had written in his own handwriting.

And so side by side, together the two names ‘Yan Xun’ and ‘Nalan Hongye’ are interwoven in the same pen, in a single stroke, one horizontal character stroke that turned upside down, it seems to outline half of her long lifetime. Her fingers slipped over the head of the white-colored phoenix on the double red and gold card, to the bronzed seal character, and completely stopped at those eight auspicious handwriting:

‘守望相伴 (Be on guard, to accompany each other), 永结同心 (you’ll be forever tied with the spirit of cooperation).’

Obviously they are just the simplest eight characters, but they somehow made her eyes a little moist.

That evening the two of them sat in the Huān (joyous) palace hall to eat the double happiness feast. Outside the court is an apricot tree within the village that is open and colorful. The wind is blowing, scattering the profusion of fallen petals like red clouds of hot volcanic ash. The sky is filled with pink powder, two colors flying in a fancy pattern, like a colorful rain.

He sat in front of her, looking calm and content. His speech is polite, his words little yet uncompromising, neither does he appear to be disrespectful nor overly intimate.

Nalan tried several times to open her mouth and reveal some of her long hidden past (that she is actually his long-time pen-pal), but was blocked by his indifferent expression. Seeing that the sky is getting dark, he will leave, and she could not help but become anxious. She was about to speak when his personal bodyguard suddenly said that there is an urgent military intelligence report.

The Qinghai king is soon approaching Maoling, is the important news reported by these talented people.

Yan Xun has always been calm and indifferent, but then changed his face. He gave the command for the army to assemble in the vicinity of Maoling, and at any cost, be sure to keep the Qinghai king blocked inside the city. But the bodyguard has not yet gone out, when he made a noise to stop by calling out to the bodyguard. The evening sun shone on his face, with the ignorance of light, his hand half stretched, maintaining a posture, seeming to want to speak, but saying nothing. In the courtyard, the apricot blossoms are beginning to fall, sprinkling over the entire place.

“Or, Let it pass.” He lowered his hand and resumed his usual calm.

“Let is pass?” The bodyguard gawks slightly, and unconsciously cried out.

Yan Xun heard and slightly raised his brow, did not speak, and just turned to stare at that bodyguard’s face, like a cold penetrating water.

The bodyguard was so frightened that he knelt on the ground and drew back to retreat.

The sky gradually darkened down, Yan Xun turned around, graced Nalan with a very natural smile, and as she caught a piece of green bamboo shoots with her chopsticks, said: “Eat more bamboo shoots, they’re good for your health.”

• Note: No matter what he tells himself, Yan Xun still cares for Chu Qiao. He allowed his lifelong enemy to enter and exit his territory without a fight if it means that her life will be saved; moreover, he wouldn’t the reason for her death which could have happened if the doctor was not brought to Qinghai. The natural smile he graced Nalan afterwards could have been a smile of relief that he had indirectly saved Chu Qiao’s life. All these events coincide with Qinghai series in Epilogue 7.

Nalan has spent half a lifetime immersed in the ups and downs of the official circle, so has already perfected the technique for reaching a high degree of proficiency and cultivating vital energy. She also smiled and nodded: “Many thanks Your Highness Yan Huang.”

This is just a very small interlude, all the servants and attendants, in a flash, have forgotten this insignificant thing, only she remained to the record it down.

That evening, in the sunset, she seemed to recognize one thing in her trance, but over the years, she has been refusing to acknowledge.

In the bedroom palace, a muffled cough is heard, as the outer palace attendant Wen Yuan grabbed and raise the handle of the incense burner to revive the incense sticks, her eyebrows were gently wrinkled.

Out of the window, moonlight shines gracefully, bathing the village in shadows, and showing that beautiful winter has come again.

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Yushu slept in the daytime, so that night she instead walked sleepily. She was wearing a silver fox lined cloak, and carrying a lantern, she went into Yong-er’s room. Yong’er is very well-behaved not to kick his quilt, sleeps very well, and pouts his tiny mouth, as if eating something in his dream.

Yushu sat down on his bedside, the night wind is so quiet, the corner of the soothing incense spiral straight upwards, creating a bound circle, and resembling the smoke spiraling out of the kitchen chimneys in the countryside. Yushu reach out to touch her son’s face, but was afraid her hands are cold from outside and will wake up the boy, so finally she just stroked the hair on his forehead, the corners of her mouth lifting into an unconscious smile. Suddenly, three drumbeats sounded from afar, the watchman’s voice is also long. Yushu is filled with peace at this moment, that even the sound that continuously warn to be careful of fires and candles also sounded mellow, her thoughts are especially gentle. She stood up and went out, carefully closed the door for the child, and was about to turn around to head back to her room, when she saw the candle flame in the back of the room.

Suddenly she was so stunned.

And for a time that seemed like thousands of years, she just stood there, staring silently.

It has been five years, the East China Sea stone statue was left behind and became covered with dust, and the factions of the ruling and opposition parties also forgot that name. Even the coastal people who prayed for him day and night have probably already removed his spirit tablet in exchange for their own parents’ families.

Everyone gradually forgot that person, forgot his achievements, forgot his payout, forgot his voice and smiling face, forgot what he had once done for this country, for this land, and how he paid a heavy price.

Only her, this silly woman, every day she has never forgotten to come into his study when the night falls to light a candle in the room for him. She did not dare approach, just as when he was alive, she would personally make the soup, but can only let the maid servant deliver it for her.

He said that he was busy with government affairs, and that no one is allowed to disturb him, she believed.

He said that he had urgent military intelligence, and that no one could get near, she believed.

He said that he is busy and will be very late tonight, so will simply sleep in the study, and that she did not have to wait, she also believed. She is this kind of silly woman, whatever her man says, she will believe. But sometimes, she also wanted to say something, just a few simple words, such as she is the same as the servants, even if she comes out to deliver the bowl of soup, she will not disturb him. For example, she is his wife, perhaps she should not be considered as the miscellaneous personnel. For example, she sleeps late every night, so even if he is too busy and stays up late, he did not need to fear that he will awaken her by making noise.

But she still did not dare say these things. Perhaps, she just feels a little shy, and cannot speak even a little bit.

So, every night she leaned her head at the window painfully looking at the lamp in the study room, waiting until the lights were extinguished, before she can climb to bed, and with peace of mind, close her eyes.

She will also think sometimes, like this, is there no interest in sleeping together as well?

But just thinking about such ideas, she was already blushing.

Every time she goes back to her maternal home, her elder sister will closely follow on her heels and say to her, “Aren’t you pregnant yet? Aren’t you concerned that your family prince might become interested in a third party? And so on. Every time she hears this, she will be very angry. The prince is not that kind of person; how can they use such thoughts to slander him?

But for her, it was really bad, so she argued strongly a few times based on what is right, all to explain to her older sister. Gradually, she visited her mother’s home less frequently.

She knew that she had the best husband in the world. He was upright, kind, talented, his painting was often lauded with praises, his word was a must for the capital city of Huai Song, his poetry was widely circulated, he never drank wine at home, and when he sometimes went outside for entertainment, he treated everyone with courtesy, also never got drunk, he did not have a concubine, was never involved in dust and fireworks, he is the famous Hyun Yin Wang, the most famous general in the army.

Though he sometimes neglects her because of his endless government affairs, what about it? Compared with her mother, compared with her elder sister, compared with those upper-class women who have been fighting in secret and struggling for favors all day at home, she has been too lucky.

He is her husband, her day, her entire world. Isn’t she supposed to trust him, take care of him, and wait for him?

How can there be doubt, suspicion, slander, injustice, resentment and indignation that injure spring and grieve autumn?

Moreover, even after his death, she still enjoys the fruits of his exploits that he left behind. And most of all, he left her his most precious child.

There’s nothing to be dissatisfied with.

She smiled slightly, her smiling face is bright and pure, she pulled the collar of the cloak, and silently thought: ‘Tomorrow, I must buy window paper, the weather has turned cold, and the window paper of the study should be changed.’

 

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Novel @ http://91baby.mama.cn/thread-512449-29-1.html

P.S. Translations are done by google. I simply interpreted the translations to make sense of the events that occurred in this chapter. If there are mistakes in my interpretation, please don’t hesitate to inform me.