The Strategy of Washing Clean a Slag Shou Volume 2 Chapter 19
The Prince's escaped fiancée (Arc 2-2)
After Tao Yunfeng left, Granny Wu hurriedly led in a group of doctors, all of them famous physicians in Jianzhou City. Apart from the Imperial physicians, these people were the most respected authorities on medicine.
This group of white haired elders clustered around Su Yang, nodding and shaking their heads, taking his pulse and questioning him closely, stroking their long beards as they conversed in low voices. Su Yang looked at them with amusement, deliberately tugging on their white beards as he played the part of a simpleton.
After the time it takes to burn an incense stick has passed, they discussed their findings and came to a conclusion. One of the old men cupped his hands in a salute to Wu Xueyan, saying: "Madame1, based on this elder's years of experience, the injury that the young master sustained is not a serious one, and will recover after a few days. As for the sudden memory loss, with the temperament reverting to that of a child, I'm afraid this may be a side effect of the head injury. There have been similar cases recorded in the ancient texts, it is not life threatening, and some people spontaneously recover after three to five days, but there are some….."
He trailed off, hesitating. Wu Xueyan said faintly: "It's alright, please continue."
The doctor bowed and said bluntly: "There are those who never recover in their lifetime. Madame, I would advise to prepare for the worst."
Wu Xueyan went stiff upon hearing his words, her fists clenched tightly by her side, but her face remained coldly stoic: "Perhaps this is karma, all his past misdeeds have now returned as misfortune to befall on his head."
Granny Wu hurriedly interjected: "My lady, don't say such things, our young master is under the protection of the Fu, Lu and Shou deities. It is common for youngsters to commit mistakes, Buddha is merciful, he will surely be forgiven." She turned back to the white bearded elder and said anxiously: "Physician Liang, since you say this is an illness, surely there must be a cure. You have to come up with a cure."
Note: 福禄寿 (Fú lù shòu) – The gods of the three stars and the three qualities of Prosperity (Fu), Status (Lu), and Longevity (Shou) in Chinese religion. The term is commonly used in Chinese culture to denote the three attributes of a good life.
However, Physician Liang could only lament: "There is no cure. A human's four limbs and internal organs are linked to the life gate. Among these, the head is the most important. Break your hands, break your legs, one can still live, but the injury of the head must be avoided at all costs. Even a miracle doctor would not dare rush forth to attempt healing, much less a sham2 like myself. Madame, please seek elsewhere for an expert."
Note: In traditional Chinese medicine, the lifegate (命门) is the root of the original Qi which enriches the viscera, without it, the functions of the organs will fail.
Wu Xueyan closed her eyes and tiredly waved her hand. Granny Wu quickly stepped forth and saw the doctors out.
After they left, Su Yang tugged on Wu Xueyan's hand and asked curiously: "Who were those people? Why are they leaving? What is a sham? Why did they call you Madame? Is your name Madame?"
Since this is now the reality they must face, there's aught else to do but make the best of it!
Wu Xueyan looked at him fixedly. After a long while, she suddenly smiled, her sharp eyebrows and the counters of her face softening immediately, but Su Yang felt a chill creep up his spine at the sight.
He could only listen as Wu Xueyan said faintly: "This… is not a bad thing." She touched Su Yang's head with uncharacteristic gentleness, as she continued slowly, "Since you don't understand anything, you won't be sad. You won't remember that it was your parents who pushed you into the fire pit with their own hands. If fortune allows your return to us in the future, Mother will guide you, and take care that you never step off the right path again."
Su Yang's face showed no reaction to her words, but inside, his heart felt like a lump of coal. So you're dead set on sending me off to save yourselves? Is there really no room for negotiation?
Although Jing Cheng is his target in this world, the current circumstances were not in his favour. If he was really dim-witted enough to enter the palace now, it would be no different from a lamb faced with a tiger, he will be eaten to the bones, without even a scrap of wooly fluff left!
His only possible support was Wu Xueyan, the only daughter of Wu Xingde. Back when Wu Xingde followed the previous Emperor into the war's battlefield, laying waste to Jiangshan3 for miles, he not only held the Death Exemption plate, but also had command of tens of thousands of Imperial troops.
Note: Death exemption plate : 免死金牌 (Miǎn sǐ jīnpái) – a plate bestowed by the emperor to his subjects in ancient times that would exempt them from the death penalty
If there is anyone in the whole of Greater Ming who could stand up to Jing Cheng, it would be none other than the great general Wu Xingde.
However, this Wu Xingde was rather fearsome, and Wu Xueyan had truly inherited his temper. Father and daughter were both famous for their unyielding natures. Regardless if the wrongdoer was their own child or grandchild, they would see to it that no crime goes unpunished.
These days, Jing Cheng is viewed as a selfless hero with matchless courage and unshakable loyalty to the nation. As for himself, he was a treacherous wretch undeserving of pity even if he was stomped to death by Jing Cheng.
Actually, Su Yang does privately agree that the original host was somewhat of a bastard. His betrothed was dying in the front lines, couldn't he have at least acted the part of a fiancée a little? Even faking it a bit would have been fine. Was it really necessary to have been so callous, rushing to burn bridges after he deemed the other to be worthless, and ended up stranding himself with no way out….
The Fifth prince was a child of fate, did you think it'd be so easy for him to be killed offscreen4? Fantastic, how do you expect me to worm my way into his heart after you've crushed it!
Wu Xueyan was unaware that beneath the sweetly innocent face, he was spitting with rage inside. She avoided gazing at him for too long, afraid that her heart would waver at the sight of her son who was now like an innocent babe. She got up suddenly, leaving only a single curt instruction as she left.
"Look well after him."
The rest was left unsaid, but all who were present understood; once the young master's injury has healed, he will still be bundled off to the Fifth prince's residence as a show of apology.
This time, the proud and haughty Di son of the Minister of Revenue, is completely and utterly finished.
……
The next day, the legions from the Northern Desert5 campaign returned to court.
Be it the common people of Jianzhou city, or the entire imperial court of ministers for civil and military affairs, everyone was overjoyed. The Tatars of the North have lived in the great desert6 for generations, every man and child of the tribe was as fierce as they were fearless. In recent decades, they have been the cause of much strife in the Northern Desert, a constant thorn in the side of Greater Ming that was maddeningly aggravating.
Note : 塔挞 (Tǎ tà) – Not sure if it's a mistranslation on my part, or if the author made some weird typo again. 塔挞 (from original text) is gibberish to me. But 塔塔 (Tǎ tǎ) is the Chinese Tatars, one of the 56 ethnic groups of China.
It went without saying that a vast and proud nation such as Greater Ming wouldn't tolerate such provocation. Troops were sent successively to suppress the North, but suffered resounding losses each time.
When Jing Cheng requested to be sent on this expedition, he was laughed at for a fool. In the past ten years, how many experienced and outstanding generals have lost in the battle of the Northern Desert, how could a pampered royal upstart hope to do any better?
It was beyond anyone's expectations for him to not only return alive, but also managed to recover all the land that was lost to the North in just three short years, while driving the Tatars out a hundred miles beyond the border. Word of him struck terror in the hearts of the barbarians, to the gratification of the people and the shock of their foreign enemies.
Currently, he was astride a splendid chestnut stallion at the forefront of the procession, looking resplendent in black robes embroidered and trimmed with gold. His cold, handsome face was a picture of unruffled calm, the innate violence masked, like a quiescent blade returned to the sheath after being honed to a keen edge by a thousand days and nights of bloody battles.
Those who once mocked him as the cut-sleeve prince and an old cow grazing on young grass, now sealed their lips and trembled. No word against him was uttered even in private, the sight of him alone made their knees go soft.
Note:
Cut sleeve : 断袖 (Duàn xiù) – a chinese slang for homosexuality, based on the story of the relationship between Emperor Ai and Dong Xian.
Old cow grazing on young grass : 老牛吃嫩草 (Lǎo niú chī nèn cǎo) – describing a huge age gap between both parties in a relationship.
All the genteel, young ladies of the city had initially also turned up to welcome this valiant hero, but dared not approach him. He was no longer the cold faced Prince from three years ago, he now carried the heavy air of blood and death, bringing to mind a terrible and ferocious God of destruction.
As the procession gradually trooped away, someone said:
"Say, do you still remember that incident a year or so ago, when the young master of the Tao family wrote that reneging letter and fled from the arranged marriage?"
"Oh I know, I know, it's that rich, spoiled brat Tao Ziyu. The Fifth Prince used treat him like the apple of his eye, but when he met with an accident at the border, that Young master immediately turned around and severed all ties with him. Really cruel and shameless."
"That's right, that's right, in the past, he took advantage of the Fifth Prince's position to throw his weight around, when the other fell, he couldn't wait to wash his hands off him, there's really no one more shameless than him."
Amidst this enthusiastic denunciation, one voice stood out unexpectedly, heavy with derision.
“Truly? How is it that I recall that back then, he was praised for a job well done, and that the Fifth Prince was not just great deal older but also a cut sleeve, out to cradle rob people's young sons.” Their gazes landed on a handsome young man with a distinguished air, beautifully clad in sapphire blue robes, gently waving a gold lacquered paper fan from which swung a jade pendant.
Everyone fell silent, except for one who stiffened his spine and argued back: “Nonsense, everyone knows that this marriage was personally decreed by the previous Emperor Taizong. What Tao Ziyu did was not just unfaithful but an act of defiance of the majesty of heaven. No matter how dissatisfied with the Fifth prince he was, he should have just accepted it. How can he take it on himself to throw off the marriage arrangement.”
Everyone else echoed this sentiment.
A gleam lit the eyes of the young man in blue, he laughed merrily and tapped his fan as he praised: “That's right, that's right, this was arranged by the previous Emperor, no matter how dissatisfied he was, the burden was his to bear! Your excellency is truly wise!”
With that said, he turned and left with his little smooth faced serving boy in tow, leaving the rest behind perplexed and scratching their heads. Must have been a lunatic.
The little servant boy caught up with him, and asked: “Your Hig…. cough cough, Young master, do we head back now?”
The young man waved his fan and beamed: “Indeed! To think that there were hidden gems amongst the common people. The problem that Father couldn't solve, wasn't actually that hard, hahaha! We've all forgotten that this marriage was first decreed by Grandfather. But Fifth uncle began to increasingly care for Tao Ziyu, so that we've all forgotten about this point.”
The little serving bow bowed his head as he listened silently, not daring to voice his questions, and had to speed up his steps to keep up.
……
Su Yang remained confined in his room to recover from his injury. As a matter of fact, this so called recovery process consisted of: eat, sleep, rinse and repeat.
He was spooning himself some sweet soup from a bowl, as Ah Gui sat on his side and recounted the grandeur of the day's procession of the army returning to the city. Speaking of the extraordinarily handsome and brave Fifth Prince, his tone dipped, sounding somber.
“Ai, master, it's not a bad thing for you to be stupid now. If the Fifth Prince wants to kill you, it's as simple as squishing an ant. Now, he only needs to glare at you, and you'll drop dead from fright!”
Su Yang："……"
Would it kill you to shut up! Is your life not complete without terrifying me!
Ah Gui continued, “Master, you wouldn't believe this, in the whole of Ah Gui's life, never have I seen such a terrifying person, I felt chills in my spine just from looking at him from a distance. When I was young, my granny used to tell me, this was the aura of bloodlust that only those who have killed a lot of people would have!”
Su Yang's legs went soft, and he almost fell from the chair. The sweet soup spilled over the table. Startled, Ah Gui instructed the maidservants to clean the mess up.
Su Yang's mind was a whirl of chaos. The Jing Cheng of today did not match with his impression from the original host's memories one bit, he couldn't just sit with his neck outstretched and wait for the axe to fall!
He pushed aside the maids who were trying to help him change his clothes, shoved open the doors and ran out. Right now, the only one who could possibly save him was grandfather Wu Xingde. Didn't they say that the elderly are usually more concerned for their family, and should dote on their grandchildren? He could seek refuge from him.
But he had forgotten that Tao Ziyu was a youth brought up on the lap of luxury with no concept of exercise or physical exertion. His body was so delicate, he was already out of breath after a few steps. Attempting to escape from so many maids heavily surrounding the ‘nursing home' was nothing more than a pipe dream.
He had just fled the courtyard when he fell to the ground with a cry of pain. The spirit was willing but the flesh was much too weak!
And then he was surrounded by a group of maids, blocking off all routes to escape. Ah Gui pushed his way through the press of bodies to ask: “Master, are you hurt?”
Su Yang lay sprawled on the ground and glared at them coldly, feeling aggrieved. This master has an A class physique okay! How could I be so easily hurt?
That's what he would like to say, but in reality it hurt like a motherf*cker! The legs must have been broken okay!
“Go away all of you! Don't surround me!” Su Yang yelled. “Ah Gui, you don't touch me!”
He has finally learned what it meant to have skin as soft as a baby's bottom7. Just a scratch was enough to set him howling in pain! He had to slow down and collect himself first, to avoid embarrassing himself further in front of so many people.
“Oh oh….” Ah Gui took a step back.
The rest of the servants also backed away, increasing the diameter surrounding him, but still keeping him penned in, wary of frightening this soft-headed young master into another act of reckless stupidity.
When Su Yang felt sufficiently calm, he said: “Can someone help me up.”
His wrist was caught in an iron grip, and he was bodily hauled up from the ground. He realized that the maids who had been surrounding him before had vanished, to be replaced by Tao Yunfeng and Wu Xueyan who were wearing stiff, awkward smiles.
Su Yang blanked out for a moment, slowly turned his head, and was met with an icy stare.
Su Yang："……"
Dare he ask who was this cold, handsome man exuding a stiflingly murderous aura? You wouldn't happen to be the ex-husband who was kicked to the curb before I crossed over to this world, would you?
Bits and bobs:
The Physician Liang actually referred to himself as the modern equivalent of a quack (庸医), I substituted it for sham. Wu Xueyan is addressed as Fūrén (夫人), (Eg. Granny Wu calls her my Lady, the doctor calls her Madame, but both were actually fūrén) Jiangshan : 江山 (Jiāngshān) – county-level city located in Quzhou prefecture, in the southwest of Zhejiang Province, China, bordering Jiangxi province to the west. Killed offscreen : 领盒饭 (Lǐng héfàn) – Literally means receive a boxed lunch. It's a reference to drama actors who have completed their roles (generally by dying) and receiving a boxed lunch as compensation after walking off the set. I didn't want to substitute it with the more recognisable 'kick the bucket' as Su Yang was an actor/idol before he transmigrated, and him using showbiz slang is in character for him. Northern Desert : 漠北 (Mò běi) – The northern part of the Gobi desert in China Desert : 大漠 (Dàmò) – literally big desert, but is actually referring to the Gobi desert (戈壁大漠 – Gēbì dàmò). Soft as a baby's bottom : 细皮嫩肉 (xì pí nèn ròu) – literally fine skin tender meat, describing fine and well maintained, delicate and tender skin.
I have no fixed update schedule. Releases can be anywhere from once every 1-2 weeks.