Liu Qi POV
I then wiggled back and forth in front of the bronze mirror, the skirt swaying to and fro along with me. Ah, this clothing is so light and thin, and it feels breezy down there too…
Most of all, I wasn’t aware that this clothing was tied together at the chest level or so, which, along with the lack of a collar, meant that my neck would be completely exposed.
I reached out and felt my neck, feeling very awkward as I felt my own skin. Usually, I would always button every button on my clothing which revealed nothing below my face.
Un… Looks like I’ll need some time to get used to this sort of clothing…
“Little sister, what was your intention to have Jin Sheng hold this farewell banquet?”
… Un?
Just as I was trying to resolve my internal conflicts with this clothing, some voices came from outside the window. And the voices were rather familiar too.
This is… I stopped what I was doing and slowly crept over to the window.
I poked a small hole at the bottom of the paper window and peeked through. There were 2 skirts hanging, and from the feminine voices, the ones outside should be women.
By the way… That voice from before sounded like… Lady Cai?!
“Elder sister, please remain calm. Everything is under control and our preparations are ready.”
Cai Mao is here too? This… What is going on? Why is Lady Cai and Cai Mao having a conversation here? As a member of the military, shouldn’t Cai Mao be at the alternative venue?
And what did Lady Cai just say? She said Cai Mao went to look for father and asked father to hold this farewell banquet?
Kuh. I began to frown and an ominous premonition filled my heart. I haven’t heard anything of substance yet but I can tell that something will happen in this banquet.
And so I held up my long skirt and hid behind the curtains so I could continue to eavesdrop on their conversation. And just as I planted my ears against the walls, Lady Cai’s voice resounded once more.
“Little sister, you tell me this every time, yet what has the outcome been thus far? First, our personal troops were decimated. Next, our assassin failed and got killed. Even to this day, we still can’t find his corpse. So tell me, your preparations this time, how are they?”
Lady Cai seemed to be rather angry. I don’t know what’s the deal with the assassin but I do know about her personal troops. It’s clear that Lady Cai is losing patience with Cai Mao.
“Elder sister, please remain calm. A lot of work has gone into this.” Cai Mao was the same as ever and calmly said, “Our dream is at hand.”
“You say that every single time…” Lady Cai continued to complain and then turned to leave.
At the very end, Cai Mao didn’t divulge her plan at all.
Un… So what exactly is Cai Mao planning to–
“Elder sister, let me be honest.” Cai Mao suddenly spoke up and used the most normal and calm tone as she said, “I’ve deployed many assassins in the residence and the city who will be waiting for Liu Bei.”
“Eh?”
What!!
Lady Cai gasped but I nearly yelled out in surprise. Luckily, I was able to cover my mouth in time and stop myself from making any noise.
And so, I sat where I was silently for a moment. Only when I saw that the ones outside hadn’t detected my presence did I continue to eavesdrop.
“Little sister, can that really work?” Lady Cai yelled at Cai Mao as she walked back, her voice revealing a significant amount of anxiety, “It’s fine if we succeed, but it will be all over if we fail.”
“It’s fine, we will definitely succeed this time.” Cai Mao said as she placed her hands at her back and continued with confidence, “I’ve received intel beforehand from multiple sources that they will leave for Xinye today. They were well-prepared before, which made it difficult to act. Today is the last day they are here, which means their security will be lax.”
“And so, we will take this chance and act.” Cai Mao made a slicing action as she said so.
“But are your preparations really perfect?”
“Just trust me, elder sister. Liu Bei’s forces are far away outside the city so they will not know what will go on in the city. I have men deployed all around the city. Even the west side of the city which has nothing but rivers and cliffs has men as well.”
Even though I can’t see what Cai Mao’s face looked like now, just hearing her calm voice as she talks about her plans to kill someone sends shivers down my spine.
But now I understand. This banquet is exactly like the Feast of Hong Gate between Xiang Yu and Liu Bang.
(TL: See https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feast_at_Hong_Gate)
No matter what, I have to let uncle know. If uncle hasn’t come, then that’s good, I’ll just tell him not to come.
“Young mistress? May I ask if you’re done?”
!!
Just then, Xiang Lang, who was outside, started speaking to me in a rather loud voice which gave me a shock.
“Un? Elder sister, did you hear someone?”
“Was there?”
No!
“Yes, it seems like someone was calling for Lord Liu Qi.” Cai Mao said and turned over to where I was and walked over.
When I saw this, I retracted from the wall and crept under a small table without caring for proprieties and image whatsoever,
As I made my way inside, I found that the long skirt was a hindrance and pulled it up to my waist and hugged it, somehow managing to squeeze inside whilst sitting on the floor with my bare buttocks.
To my back was the wall with the mirror above it. Though the table was in the blind spot of the room, I can’t say for sure that I won’t be found out. I didn’t even dare to breathe, and I could almost feel like I could sense Cai Mao’s searching gaze from the window.
In my heart, I prayed that Xiang Lang wouldn’t call out to me again. It felt like time had stopped, and only after an eternity passed did I hear Cai Mao move.
“Was it a misconception of mine…”
“You’re being too sensitive.”
“… I hope so. If Lord Liu Qi had heard our exchange, I might have taken her out then and there.”
Wu!
“Don’t spout nonsense. If you do that, Jin Sheng will slaughter us personally.”
“That makes things easier… Forget it, I’ll leave it at that.”
Cai Mao and Lady Cai continued talking, but I couldn’t hear much of their conversation thereafter as they’d begun to walk away.
I slid out from under the table and peeked at the window. Only when I saw that Cai Mao was nowhere to be seen did I heave a sigh of relief.
Hu… I crawled out and stood up before putting down my skirt and tidying up my clothes. But soon after, I became tense again.
I walked over to the door quickly and yanked it open.
“Ah, young mistress.”
The sight of Xiang Lang sitting on the stone steps playing with wild grass greeted me. When she heard me, she got up, dusted herself and bowed.
“Young mistress was really slow so I couldn’t help but to call out to you. Please forgive me for that.” Xiang Lang apologised. She would never know what kind of terror she made me go through because of that.
I did my best to feign nonchalance. I still wasn’t used to this clothing and acted like I was sleepy and stretched my neck while covering it with my palm.
If it were before, I might have grown suspicious of Xiang Lang and think that she was an underling of the Cai sisters and that this was an elaborate ruse. This possibility was minute but I would still hold on to it.
“Un, it’s fine.”
But the me of now doesn’t think of such things. Compared to such minor things, I have bigger things to worry about.
“Xiang Lang, do you know if uncle has arrived?”
“Uncle… Ah, you mean Imperial Uncle Liu huh?” She was stunned for a moment but soon understood who I meant, “If you mean Imperial Uncle Liu, then he just arrived,”
… No good. I gave a long sigh as anxiety filled my heart and I looked up to the heaven helplessly.
Only I know of this, and if I don’t save uncle, then he will be in peril. When I realised this, I breathed in deeply and looked at Xiang Lang, “Xiang Lang, can you do me a favour?”
“Well yes, I suppose I can, but the banquet is about to start soon so I hope the young mistress will hurry and join.”
It’s just the Feast at Hong Gate, it’ll be terrible if I join them. I thought, and suppressed my anger as I nodded, “Alright, but do me a favour. Go to the alternative banquet and bring me the command seal from Wen Ping. Then send an attendant to tell Yi Ji to look for me as soon as possible.”
“But Lord Yi Ji should still be busy with the preparations for the negotiations with Jiangdong and will be unable to make it here.”
“She must come. Tell her that I, Liu Qi, have matters of paramount importance for her to handle.”
I, the representative for Jing state, am well aware of how busy Yi Ji is but the events that are about to happen take precedence over the negotiations.
“But…”
“It’s fine, just do as I say. Don’t worry, if father blames you for shirking your responsibilities, I’ll take the blame.” I did my best to allay her concerns and coax her to be at ease as I know full well that a newcomer like herself will be anxious.
“Un… Alright.” After a long while, Xiang Lang finally nodded.
“Good, thank you very much. When Yi Ji arrives, tell her to come and find me. I will be waiting here for her and the command seal.”
“But what about the banquet?”
“… It’s fine to be a little late to this banquet.” I said softly.
If it were any later, I wouldn’t be able to make this Feast at Hong Gate end well.
I just hope that I’m good enough to fill the shoes of Zhang Liang.
(TL: Read the Wikipedia link before to understand this reference.)
Liu Qi POV
I then wiggled back and forth in front of the bronze mirror, the skirt swaying to and fro along with me. Ah, this clothing is so light and thin, and it feels breezy down there too…
Most of all, I wasn’t aware that this clothing was tied together at the chest level or so, which, along with the lack of a collar, meant that my neck would be completely exposed.
I reached out and felt my neck, feeling very awkward as I felt my own skin. Usually, I would always button every button on my clothing which revealed nothing below my face.
Un… Looks like I’ll need some time to get used to this sort of clothing…
“Little sister, what was your intention to have Jin Sheng hold this farewell banquet?”
… Un?
Just as I was trying to resolve my internal conflicts with this clothing, some voices came from outside the window. And the voices were rather familiar too.
This is… I stopped what I was doing and slowly crept over to the window.
I poked a small hole at the bottom of the paper window and peeked through. There were 2 skirts hanging, and from the feminine voices, the ones outside should be women.
By the way… That voice from before sounded like… Lady Cai?!
“Elder sister, please remain calm. Everything is under control and our preparations are ready.”
Cai Mao is here too? This… What is going on? Why is Lady Cai and Cai Mao having a conversation here? As a member of the military, shouldn’t Cai Mao be at the alternative venue?
And what did Lady Cai just say? She said Cai Mao went to look for father and asked father to hold this farewell banquet?
Kuh. I began to frown and an ominous premonition filled my heart. I haven’t heard anything of substance yet but I can tell that something will happen in this banquet.
And so I held up my long skirt and hid behind the curtains so I could continue to eavesdrop on their conversation. And just as I planted my ears against the walls, Lady Cai’s voice resounded once more.
“Little sister, you tell me this every time, yet what has the outcome been thus far? First, our personal troops were decimated. Next, our assassin failed and got killed. Even to this day, we still can’t find his corpse. So tell me, your preparations this time, how are they?”
Lady Cai seemed to be rather angry. I don’t know what’s the deal with the assassin but I do know about her personal troops. It’s clear that Lady Cai is losing patience with Cai Mao.
“Elder sister, please remain calm. A lot of work has gone into this.” Cai Mao was the same as ever and calmly said, “Our dream is at hand.”
“You say that every single time…” Lady Cai continued to complain and then turned to leave.
At the very end, Cai Mao didn’t divulge her plan at all.
Un… So what exactly is Cai Mao planning to–
“Elder sister, let me be honest.” Cai Mao suddenly spoke up and used the most normal and calm tone as she said, “I’ve deployed many assassins in the residence and the city who will be waiting for Liu Bei.”
“Eh?”
What!!
Lady Cai gasped but I nearly yelled out in surprise. Luckily, I was able to cover my mouth in time and stop myself from making any noise.
And so, I sat where I was silently for a moment. Only when I saw that the ones outside hadn’t detected my presence did I continue to eavesdrop.
“Little sister, can that really work?” Lady Cai yelled at Cai Mao as she walked back, her voice revealing a significant amount of anxiety, “It’s fine if we succeed, but it will be all over if we fail.”
“It’s fine, we will definitely succeed this time.” Cai Mao said as she placed her hands at her back and continued with confidence, “I’ve received intel beforehand from multiple sources that they will leave for Xinye today. They were well-prepared before, which made it difficult to act. Today is the last day they are here, which means their security will be lax.”
“And so, we will take this chance and act.” Cai Mao made a slicing action as she said so.
“But are your preparations really perfect?”
“Just trust me, elder sister. Liu Bei’s forces are far away outside the city so they will not know what will go on in the city. I have men deployed all around the city. Even the west side of the city which has nothing but rivers and cliffs has men as well.”
Even though I can’t see what Cai Mao’s face looked like now, just hearing her calm voice as she talks about her plans to kill someone sends shivers down my spine.
But now I understand. This banquet is exactly like the Feast of Hong Gate between Xiang Yu and Liu Bang.
(TL: See https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feast_at_Hong_Gate)
No matter what, I have to let uncle know. If uncle hasn’t come, then that’s good, I’ll just tell him not to come.
“Young mistress? May I ask if you’re done?”
!!
Just then, Xiang Lang, who was outside, started speaking to me in a rather loud voice which gave me a shock.
“Un? Elder sister, did you hear someone?”
“Was there?”
No!
“Yes, it seems like someone was calling for Lord Liu Qi.” Cai Mao said and turned over to where I was and walked over.
When I saw this, I retracted from the wall and crept under a small table without caring for proprieties and image whatsoever,
As I made my way inside, I found that the long skirt was a hindrance and pulled it up to my waist and hugged it, somehow managing to squeeze inside whilst sitting on the floor with my bare buttocks.
To my back was the wall with the mirror above it. Though the table was in the blind spot of the room, I can’t say for sure that I won’t be found out. I didn’t even dare to breathe, and I could almost feel like I could sense Cai Mao’s searching gaze from the window.
In my heart, I prayed that Xiang Lang wouldn’t call out to me again. It felt like time had stopped, and only after an eternity passed did I hear Cai Mao move.
“Was it a misconception of mine…”
“You’re being too sensitive.”
“… I hope so. If Lord Liu Qi had heard our exchange, I might have taken her out then and there.”
Wu!
“Don’t spout nonsense. If you do that, Jin Sheng will slaughter us personally.”
“That makes things easier… Forget it, I’ll leave it at that.”
Cai Mao and Lady Cai continued talking, but I couldn’t hear much of their conversation thereafter as they’d begun to walk away.
I slid out from under the table and peeked at the window. Only when I saw that Cai Mao was nowhere to be seen did I heave a sigh of relief.
Hu… I crawled out and stood up before putting down my skirt and tidying up my clothes. But soon after, I became tense again.
I walked over to the door quickly and yanked it open.
“Ah, young mistress.”
The sight of Xiang Lang sitting on the stone steps playing with wild grass greeted me. When she heard me, she got up, dusted herself and bowed.
“Young mistress was really slow so I couldn’t help but to call out to you. Please forgive me for that.” Xiang Lang apologised. She would never know what kind of terror she made me go through because of that.
I did my best to feign nonchalance. I still wasn’t used to this clothing and acted like I was sleepy and stretched my neck while covering it with my palm.
If it were before, I might have grown suspicious of Xiang Lang and think that she was an underling of the Cai sisters and that this was an elaborate ruse. This possibility was minute but I would still hold on to it.
“Un, it’s fine.”
But the me of now doesn’t think of such things. Compared to such minor things, I have bigger things to worry about.
“Xiang Lang, do you know if uncle has arrived?”
“Uncle… Ah, you mean Imperial Uncle Liu huh?” She was stunned for a moment but soon understood who I meant, “If you mean Imperial Uncle Liu, then he just arrived,”
… No good. I gave a long sigh as anxiety filled my heart and I looked up to the heaven helplessly.
Only I know of this, and if I don’t save uncle, then he will be in peril. When I realised this, I breathed in deeply and looked at Xiang Lang, “Xiang Lang, can you do me a favour?”
“Well yes, I suppose I can, but the banquet is about to start soon so I hope the young mistress will hurry and join.”
It’s just the Feast at Hong Gate, it’ll be terrible if I join them. I thought, and suppressed my anger as I nodded, “Alright, but do me a favour. Go to the alternative banquet and bring me the command seal from Wen Ping. Then send an attendant to tell Yi Ji to look for me as soon as possible.”
“But Lord Yi Ji should still be busy with the preparations for the negotiations with Jiangdong and will be unable to make it here.”
“She must come. Tell her that I, Liu Qi, have matters of paramount importance for her to handle.”
I, the representative for Jing state, am well aware of how busy Yi Ji is but the events that are about to happen take precedence over the negotiations.
“But…”
“It’s fine, just do as I say. Don’t worry, if father blames you for shirking your responsibilities, I’ll take the blame.” I did my best to allay her concerns and coax her to be at ease as I know full well that a newcomer like herself will be anxious.
“Un… Alright.” After a long while, Xiang Lang finally nodded.
“Good, thank you very much. When Yi Ji arrives, tell her to come and find me. I will be waiting here for her and the command seal.”
“But what about the banquet?”
“… It’s fine to be a little late to this banquet.” I said softly.
If it were any later, I wouldn’t be able to make this Feast at Hong Gate end well.
I just hope that I’m good enough to fill the shoes of Zhang Liang.
(TL: Read the Wikipedia link before to understand this reference.)
