Chapter: 29.2 of 87
(T/N: Going forward, the four magical items will be called the Four Divine Items.)
Qing Qiao decrepitly leaned against the wall and sighed deeply.
Death wasn't scary. It was waiting for death that was scary.
No matter what, it seemed that her fate with this world was ending. She regretted that she hadn't found the Emperor's Sprit. Would she transmigrate again after dying?
She stroked the silver bracelet on her wrist and quietly said, "Sorry, I'm afraid I'll implicate you. You'll turn to ash because of me."
But, then she saw the silver bracelet shining a white light. Just as she was feeling surprised, she heard the sound of the cell door opening again.
This time, Mister Qi was the one that walked inside.
Seeing the teenage girl's sunken cheeks and red eyes, he guessed that this girl had cried for an entire night and he pitied her even more.
Both of his hands reached out towards Qing Qiao and he asked in a hoarse voice, "Ah Qiao, how are you?"
Seeing the parental affection in his eyes, Qing Qiao started crying without knowing why, "... Mister Qi...."
Mister Qi helped her stand up from the ground, hugged her, and gently stroked her hair. "Obedient Ah Qiao, you've suffered."
Qing Qiao snuggled into his chest and felt indescribable warmth as if she was hugging her father. "Mister Qi, save me! I didn't know I was an orphan from Mu clan, much less have dreams of rebellion…”
Mister Qi sighed. In an anguish tone, he asked, "Ah Qiao, if you didn't have intentions of rebelling, why did you put so much effort into trying to find the Four Divine Items?"
"I didn't..." Qing Qiao lifted her head. Just as she was about to explain, she unexpectedly saw shining light in Mister Qi's eyes.
Who was he? Since Wan Shi Tong* was world famous, he probably knew as much as Duan Yu.
* (T/N: Mister Qi’s title)
"Mister Qi, actually, I..." She paused for a moment. She might as well tell him everything. Even if he didn't believe her, it would at least delay things for a while. Perhaps, it might even change things for the better and save her life in the future. "Actually, I chuan..."
(T/N: Chuan can have different meanings depending on the Chinese character that comes after it. All of the Qing Qiao’s nonsensical replies below start with chuan. Some of the sentences had to be rearranged to be grammatically correct in English.)
She gritted her teeth and raised her face again, but her face paled in an instant.
At the entrance of the prison, there was a gorgeous figure wearing a purple robe. He was quietly staring at them with a specious smile.
Immersed in the sentimental atmosphere, Mister Qi didn't notice the figure. He only focused on anxiously asking here, "Chuan?"
"Ch-Ch-Chuan..." Tongue-tied from surprise, Qing Qiao's brain started to quickly turn.
"Passing my hand through your black hair?" (T/N: A 1984 song by Lo Ta Yu.)
“Ah?”
"Pangolin’s (scaly ant-eaters’) favorite food is ants?"
“En?”
"Green chiretta is a good medicine for alleviating fevers?"
“Oh?”
"Ah Qiao, what exactly are you trying to say?" Mister Qi pressed his hand against his forehead. There were three protruding veins on his forehead.
Watched by the distant, "Definitely Going to Kill" gaze, Qing Qiao felt that her goose bumps were outdoing each other in coming out one after another. "Ch-chuan..."
"... The wind blowing through this place makes it so cold!* Right?"Her eyes suddenly brightened.
* (T/N: This is the last sentence that originally started with chuan.)
"Mister Qi, please help me by transferring me to different prison cell. I'm freezing to death here!"
Startled, Mister Qi looked at her for a long time. He finally understood her meaning, patted her shoulder, and faintly smiled. "Okay, I'll have people change you to a room with less wind."
Qing Qiao's face suddenly collapsed. "Can't you change me to a room without any wind?"
Just as Mister Qi was unable to resist laughing out loud, he heard a person from behind him idly said with faint mocking tone that carried a subtle hint of sarcasm, "Without wind, there can't be waves.* I say Mister Qi, how could you secretly make arrangement for this prince's prisoner?"
* (T/N: Chinese's version of "There's no smoke without fire.")
Mister Qi smiled bitterly and shook his head at Qing Qiao to signal that she didn’t have to be nervous.
He turned around and exclaimed, "Your Highness, I only came here to visit a deceased friend's granddaughter without any other intentions!"
Duan Yu stood at the cell's door and unfathomably opened his mouth to say, "... It's best if there aren't any other intentions. Mister Qi, you have to remember that the person imprisoned here is the imperial family's felon. Guo Jiu Ye, don't lose your senses and do something beneath your dignity!"
* (T/N: I think 國舅爺 Guo Jiu Ye is an address for the empress’s brother or relative instead of the literal translation of country’s granduncle.)
A glimmer flashed through Mister Qi's eyes. He lowered his eyes and tepidly said, "Your Highness, this one naturally understand proper behavior."
However, Duan Yu didn't acknowledge his words. He continued to stand at the cell's door and look at them. Calm and unruffled in the midst of chaos, he said, "It's getting late. Guo Jiu Ye, you should be going back to your home. Otherwise, a mishap might happen to the crown prince again!"
"You..." Mister Qi restrained his expression. He turned around and looked at the teenage girl wearing thin clothing in front of him. He took off his cape and firmly wrapped it around her. "Ah Qiao, you have to persevere. I'll come see you again."
Qing Qiao's fingers tightly held onto the cape and her nose felt tingly as if she was on the verge of tears. She lightly nodded.
As soon as Mister Qi left, Duan Yu immediately approached her and his forefinger lightly tilted her chin up.
"Don't have delusional thoughts that Mister Qi will save you."
The flickering candlelight brightened and darkened over him obviously handsome face. The depth couldn't be seen. Even ten beauties together couldn't match half of his splendor. "So if what you have a plum blossom mark? So what if you're the fated person? As long as I exist, no one will be able to overturn Duan dynasty!"
A crimson haze suddenly appeared in his eyes. It was red as blood.
Ah, what a beautiful image. It was like seeing Asura's reincarnation (T/N: A malevolent demi-god in Buddhism.)
"... Your Highness, if I told you that I wasn't gathering the Four Divine Items to rebel and only wanted them to fulfill a wish, would you believe me?"
Qing Qiao quietly stared at him. Her face was so pale that it looked like a layer of misty gauze.
"Wish?" Duan Yu let go of her, raised his head, and laughed loudly as if heard the most absurd joke in the world. "What wish would be worth you putting so much effort into collecting the Four Divine Items?" Wealth and riches? Fame and status? Little Qiao, don't tell me that you want to collect them just to look at them!"
He stopped laughing and fiercely glared at her with murder in his eyes.
Her heart throbbed. Qing Qiao powerlessly and slowly leaned against the wall.
In her heart, she laughed at herself for being foolishly naive. What did she expect would happen after she confessed to this person? He wouldn't let her go. He didn't have a heart. He was a devil. He only cared about Duan dynasty’s domain.
She had been too simple and naive.
She closed her eyes and murmured, "...Yes, I was lying to you. I didn’t have a wish. I don’t have anything..."
Chapter: 29.2 of 87
(T/N: Going forward, the four magical items will be called the Four Divine Items.)
Qing Qiao decrepitly leaned against the wall and sighed deeply.
Death wasn't scary. It was waiting for death that was scary.
No matter what, it seemed that her fate with this world was ending. She regretted that she hadn't found the Emperor's Sprit. Would she transmigrate again after dying?
She stroked the silver bracelet on her wrist and quietly said, "Sorry, I'm afraid I'll implicate you. You'll turn to ash because of me."
But, then she saw the silver bracelet shining a white light. Just as she was feeling surprised, she heard the sound of the cell door opening again.
This time, Mister Qi was the one that walked inside.
Seeing the teenage girl's sunken cheeks and red eyes, he guessed that this girl had cried for an entire night and he pitied her even more.
Both of his hands reached out towards Qing Qiao and he asked in a hoarse voice, "Ah Qiao, how are you?"
Seeing the parental affection in his eyes, Qing Qiao started crying without knowing why, "... Mister Qi...."
Mister Qi helped her stand up from the ground, hugged her, and gently stroked her hair. "Obedient Ah Qiao, you've suffered."
Qing Qiao snuggled into his chest and felt indescribable warmth as if she was hugging her father. "Mister Qi, save me! I didn't know I was an orphan from Mu clan, much less have dreams of rebellion…”
Mister Qi sighed. In an anguish tone, he asked, "Ah Qiao, if you didn't have intentions of rebelling, why did you put so much effort into trying to find the Four Divine Items?"
"I didn't..." Qing Qiao lifted her head. Just as she was about to explain, she unexpectedly saw shining light in Mister Qi's eyes.
Who was he? Since Wan Shi Tong* was world famous, he probably knew as much as Duan Yu.
* (T/N: Mister Qi’s title)
"Mister Qi, actually, I..." She paused for a moment. She might as well tell him everything. Even if he didn't believe her, it would at least delay things for a while. Perhaps, it might even change things for the better and save her life in the future. "Actually, I chuan..."
(T/N: Chuan can have different meanings depending on the Chinese character that comes after it. All of the Qing Qiao’s nonsensical replies below start with chuan. Some of the sentences had to be rearranged to be grammatically correct in English.)
She gritted her teeth and raised her face again, but her face paled in an instant.
At the entrance of the prison, there was a gorgeous figure wearing a purple robe. He was quietly staring at them with a specious smile.
Immersed in the sentimental atmosphere, Mister Qi didn't notice the figure. He only focused on anxiously asking here, "Chuan?"
"Ch-Ch-Chuan..." Tongue-tied from surprise, Qing Qiao's brain started to quickly turn.
"Passing my hand through your black hair?" (T/N: A 1984 song by Lo Ta Yu.)
“Ah?”
"Pangolin’s (scaly ant-eaters’) favorite food is ants?"
“En?”
"Green chiretta is a good medicine for alleviating fevers?"
“Oh?”
"Ah Qiao, what exactly are you trying to say?" Mister Qi pressed his hand against his forehead. There were three protruding veins on his forehead.
Watched by the distant, "Definitely Going to Kill" gaze, Qing Qiao felt that her goose bumps were outdoing each other in coming out one after another. "Ch-chuan..."
"... The wind blowing through this place makes it so cold!* Right?"Her eyes suddenly brightened.
* (T/N: This is the last sentence that originally started with chuan.)
"Mister Qi, please help me by transferring me to different prison cell. I'm freezing to death here!"
Startled, Mister Qi looked at her for a long time. He finally understood her meaning, patted her shoulder, and faintly smiled. "Okay, I'll have people change you to a room with less wind."
Qing Qiao's face suddenly collapsed. "Can't you change me to a room without any wind?"
Just as Mister Qi was unable to resist laughing out loud, he heard a person from behind him idly said with faint mocking tone that carried a subtle hint of sarcasm, "Without wind, there can't be waves.* I say Mister Qi, how could you secretly make arrangement for this prince's prisoner?"
* (T/N: Chinese's version of "There's no smoke without fire.")
Mister Qi smiled bitterly and shook his head at Qing Qiao to signal that she didn’t have to be nervous.
He turned around and exclaimed, "Your Highness, I only came here to visit a deceased friend's granddaughter without any other intentions!"
Duan Yu stood at the cell's door and unfathomably opened his mouth to say, "... It's best if there aren't any other intentions. Mister Qi, you have to remember that the person imprisoned here is the imperial family's felon. Guo Jiu Ye, don't lose your senses and do something beneath your dignity!"
* (T/N: I think 國舅爺 Guo Jiu Ye is an address for the empress’s brother or relative instead of the literal translation of country’s granduncle.)
A glimmer flashed through Mister Qi's eyes. He lowered his eyes and tepidly said, "Your Highness, this one naturally understand proper behavior."
However, Duan Yu didn't acknowledge his words. He continued to stand at the cell's door and look at them. Calm and unruffled in the midst of chaos, he said, "It's getting late. Guo Jiu Ye, you should be going back to your home. Otherwise, a mishap might happen to the crown prince again!"
"You..." Mister Qi restrained his expression. He turned around and looked at the teenage girl wearing thin clothing in front of him. He took off his cape and firmly wrapped it around her. "Ah Qiao, you have to persevere. I'll come see you again."
Qing Qiao's fingers tightly held onto the cape and her nose felt tingly as if she was on the verge of tears. She lightly nodded.
As soon as Mister Qi left, Duan Yu immediately approached her and his forefinger lightly tilted her chin up.
"Don't have delusional thoughts that Mister Qi will save you."
The flickering candlelight brightened and darkened over him obviously handsome face. The depth couldn't be seen. Even ten beauties together couldn't match half of his splendor. "So if what you have a plum blossom mark? So what if you're the fated person? As long as I exist, no one will be able to overturn Duan dynasty!"
A crimson haze suddenly appeared in his eyes. It was red as blood.
Ah, what a beautiful image. It was like seeing Asura's reincarnation (T/N: A malevolent demi-god in Buddhism.)
"... Your Highness, if I told you that I wasn't gathering the Four Divine Items to rebel and only wanted them to fulfill a wish, would you believe me?"
Qing Qiao quietly stared at him. Her face was so pale that it looked like a layer of misty gauze.
"Wish?" Duan Yu let go of her, raised his head, and laughed loudly as if heard the most absurd joke in the world. "What wish would be worth you putting so much effort into collecting the Four Divine Items?" Wealth and riches? Fame and status? Little Qiao, don't tell me that you want to collect them just to look at them!"
He stopped laughing and fiercely glared at her with murder in his eyes.
Her heart throbbed. Qing Qiao powerlessly and slowly leaned against the wall.
In her heart, she laughed at herself for being foolishly naive. What did she expect would happen after she confessed to this person? He wouldn't let her go. He didn't have a heart. He was a devil. He only cared about Duan dynasty’s domain.
She had been too simple and naive.
She closed her eyes and murmured, "...Yes, I was lying to you. I didn’t have a wish. I don’t have anything..."
