东宫 Eastern Palace: Heavy Frost Made the Cold Ceramic Roof Tiles Seem Bright (Part 1)

The title of this side story also comes from the poem, Song of Everlasting Regret, which I mentioned before in side story 1.

...................

There was no lamp lit in the evening, the sky was dark and gloomy. There were dragonflies in the courtyard, flying very low. The Tuberose flowers by the stairs have blossomed, when a dragonfly landed on the stem of the flower, only the leaves were shaking.

There seemed to be a thunderstorm within the heat.

Sitting in the hallway would cause one to sweat quietly.

A'Wu was afraid that I was depressed, so she quietly sat next to me, waving the fan for me.

I couldn't help but think back to the times when I was seven or eight years old, I was still a carefree child, as well as A'Wu, who always sits next to me, waving her fan and watching me learn how to read and write.

The summer days were long. Because I saw the white silk fan in A'Wu's hand, I wrote a poem about the fan on the thin silk fan itself. 

"Made into a fan for joyous trysts, round as the bright moon. In and out of my lord's cherished sleeve, waved back and forth to make a light breeze [1]."

The poem was only written based on the fan, I did not expect that when A'Wu saw it, her expression would change dramatically, she said to me, "Your ladyship cannot write this poem anymore."

I couldn't help, but look at A'Wu.

A'Wu said: "This poem is inauspicious."

I then remembered the remaining second half of that poem: Often I fear the arrival of the autumn season, cool winds overcoming the summer heat. Discarded into a box, affection cut off before fulfillment [1].
 

It was the poem 'A Discarded Fan' by the former Han Dynasty's Ban Jie Yu, who was a famous and talented woman. She was also a well known Consort Xian, however her life did not end well. When she was in favor, she was afraid of being in the same carriage with the Emperor so she would refuse. After falling out of favour, she had lived in seclusion in the Chang Xin Palace with only scrolls that had a few words, which allows people to imagine that there would be such a woman that had lived before, who had written poems.

I actually didn't really care.

Because I am going to be the Empress.

Being the Empress is naturally different from being a consort.

Being an unfavored consort means you would have nothing, so you would worry about the gains and losses. However, the Empress is the wife that will be side by side with the supreme Emperor.

Not just me, my father is also quite expectant.

We are the noble Zhao clan, so of course we are qualified to enter the harem.

When I was thirteen years old, I first met Li Cheng Yin, Prince Jin.

     

Among the many sons of the Emperor, he is the most special one.

His birth mother died young and he was raised in the central palace since childhood, he is the adopted son of the Empress.

My father once privately said: "It's a pity that he is not the Empress's own son, in the end there is still a distance in their relationship."

The Emperor also has some outstanding sons, I know that Prince Jin was not very much loved by the Emperor.

Consort Shu was the birth mother of Prince Jin, a secret legend in the palace. People would quietly talk about her because she was once only one step away from the position of Empress. There was no children in the Central Palace, Consort Shu was a wise person, people who have seen her before would praise her for being smart. She was able to guess the Emperor’s thoughts every time. It was rumored that the Emperor had once sent her a blank piece of paper, on which she calmly drew or wrote on the original paper, sealed it and then handed over to the envoy to send back, all of which satisfied the Emperor.

At that time, she was like a bright moon, shining brightly within the harem. Although not as bright as the sun, but when the moon was in the sky, the stars were dim in comparison. 

If she had a few more years, she would have definitely taken the position of Empress instead.
 

But she died.
 

In the harem, smart people don't always live long.
 

Especially very ambitious smart people.
 

Therefore, sometimes hiding a weakness is also a kind of real intelligence.
 

Prince Jin is this type of smart person.
 

He was not brilliant, nor did the Emperor have high expectations of him. Being stuck between his brothers, he was not outstanding.
 

But I know that he is really a smart person.
 

When my father was still hesitating between Prince Jin and Prince Zhu, I said I want to marry Prince Jin.
 

My father asked me: "Have you thought it through?"

I nodded. 

Actually my father didn't know that I had met Prince Jin once.
 

Not deliberately, but my brother and I went out to watch willow shooting [2], they said that it was Prince Jin, so I immediately looked back while on my horse.
 

He also rode his horse, while grasping onto his bow. He was smiling and talking to person beside him. 

I recognized the person next to him, it was the young master of the Pei family.
 

Pei Zhao has always been known as a jade-like person, because he was born with elegant and refined looks that excel others. There were some of his achievements listed in the chamber.

Unexpectedly, they treated each other equally as if they were the same status. The two walked side by side, like two newly made lotus arrows in the summer, reflecting each other. Suddenly, it occurred to me that if his Majesty was born with such a handsome appearance, and Consort Shu was a famous beauty, it was natural that Prince Jin would be this handsome. 

The drums had sounded again, it was Prince Jin's turn to shoot the willow. I couldn't help but stop my horse and deliberately take a look at his attempt to shoot.

Prince Jin rode his horse while holding onto his bow, as if accidentally, he shot an arrow.
 

That arrow was not extremely exceptional, but it was impartial, it hit the gourd tied to the willow branch, the gourd fell down to the ground, and the little siskin [3] inside the gourd flew into the sky, countless people applauded. Prince Jin covered his forehead with his hand, raised his head to looked at the siskin that was flying higher and higher. The sunlight reflected on his cheeks, there were sweat droplets on his face that was as clear and sparkling as dew droplets on a jade plate.

I watched him look into the sky, but for some reason I felt that he was very far away from me, like an unattainable dream. He was definitely just a few feet away from me. I refused to accept this, because ever since I was young, there was nothing that was unattainable.

I don’t know why I was bothered by this thought, maybe it was because the sun was scorching that day, but the pride in the young man's eyes, it was as if it was inadvertently hidden in his expression. I still remember that day he wore a brown non-Han clothing. The gold thread on the collar was shining brightly under the sunlight, his whole person seemed to be shining brightly.

 

I thought, it must be him.

The historians have described Emperor Taizong as someone that was talented with the appearance of the dragon and phoenix.

I couldn't figure out what that was like until I saw Prince Jin. 

I was determined to marry him.

My father hesitated a bit, I calmly said that if Prince Jin was the Crown Prince, then I would be the Crown Princess.

I know that my family was still hesitant, but fortunately on the bright side, because he is the adopted son raised in the central palace, he is the closest one to the position of Crown Prince.

All I need is for my family to help push him to that position when the opportunity comes. 

My father was still hesitating. As a result Prince Jin was smarter than I thought, without waiting for my family to help him, he calmly sat in the position of Crown Prince.

Of course it was because Prince Wei had made a big mistake.

Prince Wei was just too impatient, the Emperor was still alive, but Prince Wei impatiently stretched out his hand, and even attempted to entrap his own brother, how could the Emperor tolerate him?

The brothers competed against each other for the position, but it was Prince Jin who easily won and became the biggest winner.

For a moment, everyone in court was shocked.

I secretly admired my own foresight. I knew that my father had expressed goodwill to Prince Jin several times. Prince Jin, actually no, now the Crown Prince, he also was quite interested in marrying the Zhao family's daughter.

I didn't expect that the Empress would be the one who complicated the situation.

She was probably very reluctant to see me become the Crown Princess, but she secretly instructed the ministers to persuade the Emperor to allow the Crown Prince to pacify the Western Regions, and then she planned out the political marriage.

I really could not calm down, I privately sent someone to inform the Crown Prince that I will meet up with him.

I knew that the Crown Prince would come, sure enough, he came on time.

In fact, this was the first time that we have really met each other. In order not to be seen by others, I was wearing a veiled hat that covered my face. I saw him standing near the jade railing in front of the courtyard well, smiling at me.

He smiled very beautifully, as if the sun that day was reflected on his face, his face that was like white jade, clear and bright.

I couldn't think of anything to say to him, the apricot blossom tree near the corner of the courtyard had grew very well, there was a siskin on one of the tree branches, pecking at the flower petals, the golden bell used to protect the tree that was blown by the wind had sounded. The siskin flew up, circled around and landed, still pecking flower petals.

I suddenly thought of that day of the willow shooting, that siskin, I don't know where it flew, could it be the one in front of me?

I swear I had the courage, and I had thought of a lot of things to say to him before the meeting, so I don’t know why when I got to meet him in person, I suddenly felt that there was no need to say anything.

Sure enough, he understood what I was thinking.

He snapped the tree branch and then gave me an apricot blossom, said, "Please rest assured."

I took the branch of apricot blossom, elegant and fragrant, that flower also symbolizes luck. I finally said: "I only hope that your Highness succeed, and return shortly after.”

 

I embroidered a pair of armguards for him. I have put a bit of effort into my embroidery skills, within the chambers I have some reputation in embroidery. After all, the Empress must officiate the silkworm ceremony [4].

 

On the side of the armguards is embroidered with my name, which is Se Se these two words.

The Crown Prince was an elegant and understanding man, because the next day, he ordered someone to send me a bunch of beads. These beads were jade colour and transparent, very beautiful. I ordered someone to make a bead necklace, even my father who was accustomed to seeing expensive items would be quite shocked. After all, these beads were more expensive and luxurious than pearls, a treasure from a distant foreign country.

 

This move of the Crown Prince, he must have regarded me as someone that's as precious as pearls, my father was very satisfied.

Some people in the court deliberately made things difficult for the Crown Prince by asking him to lead the Yu Lin army to the Western Regions. These Yu Lin soldiers are from noble families in the Capital, they can fight no matter where they go. Without wrinkling his brows, he took Pei Zhao with him and led the Yu Lin army to the West.

I was in the Capital, only waiting for his news. 

The Western Regions was very far away, thousands of miles away, it will take a few months to get there. His expedition to the Western Regions, although I was worried, but I could only look into the distance at the wild geese in the sky.

People in ancient times would tie a letter onto the goose's feet and send it flying into the long distance.
 

But I cannot write to him.
 

I don't know if he was safe, and if he had pacified the Western Regions. 

Until Pei Zhao had sent someone back to the Capital.

Only then did I knew that something had happened to him in the Western Regions, he stumbled and fell from the cliff, whether he was alive or dead was unknown.

What was surprising was that I wasn't panicking. The person I like, his fate was determined by the heavens, I would not believe that he would be this unlucky.

Besides, he was with the army, how could he stumble and fall from the cliff, I didn't believe the vague words of Pei Zhao's letter. I know that there must be someone that planned on taking the Crown Prince's life.

But he has grown up safely in the deep palace, I don't believe someone had planned this. 

Sure enough, his Highness has safely returned.

However, he also brought back a woman who was said to be the Princess of Western Liang.

The court officials have their own thoughts, but the Crown Prince was a huge contributor to the suppression of the Western Regions. The officials had tried to persuade the Emperor not to bestow the title of Crown Princess to that foreign woman, someone had also came up with an idea of marrying off the Princess of Western Liang to Prince Nan. I know that my father was also thinking of something too, no one wants the position of Crown Princess to fall on the head of a foreign woman.

I am only afraid that this situation was hard to resolve, because the Emperor was unpredictable, sure enough, his Majesty quickly issued an edict for the Princess of Western Liang to be married to the Crown Prince and become the Crown Princess.

My father was very disappointed, he asked me: "Daughter, do you still want to marry the Crown Prince?"
 

I know that as long as I say one word, someone will naturally get rid of the Western Liang Princess for me. Right now she lives in the inn, where it is sparsely populated. She can’t even speak the Central Plains language, with only one servant from Western Liang by her side, who can't speak. No matter what method is used, it would be easy to make the Western Liang Princess die silently before the wedding.

I hesitated not because I pitied the Princess of Western Liang's life, but I am worried that the Emperor would feel that our Zhao family's hand were stretched too long.

The Emperor would not tolerate Prince Wei, so he would definitely not tolerate a minister who played tricks in front of him.

I persuaded my father to forget about it. As for whether or not I will marry the Crown Prince, I decided to see him and then decide. 

A year have passed, the Crown Prince seemed to have changed a lot, but it also seemed that nothing has changed. It was just that he became pale and thin. It was said that he was once seriously injured in the Western Regions, his life was almost hanging on a thread. But now, he has recovered, although he still was a bit tired.

I could faintly feel that there seems to be a further distance between us. I can't explain it, it's just a woman's intuition. Although he still treats me kindly, but I would feel that his eyes does not have me. His eyes always seemed to look pass me, looking at another place.

He still gave me a bunch of beads.

I smiled and said, "You have already given me before."

He said: "I will give these for you to string it into a rabbit to play with."

I didn't know that beads could be strung into a rabbit. Suddenly he became interested and ordered someone to bring the needles and threads, and showed me how to make it. 

The Crown Prince suddenly became serious when doing this kind of children game. The beaded rabbit seemed very realistic, using black Agate beads for the eyes made it seemed very lifelike.
 

He knotted the knot and showed me the little clear green rabbit in his hand. He smiled and said: "Look, it's done."
 

I have never heard him speak so softly, as if he had become another person. I suddenly felt happy. At this moment, he was no longer unapproachable and distant, but kind and approachable, especially his eyes, looking at me in a pulsed manner. He said, "Is it fun? I'll give you a live rabbit tomorrow, then you can compare and see if they are similar to each other."

I placed the beaded rabbit in front of the necklace, the candlelight flickered during the night, which made the bead necklace and rabbit very green. I leaned on the seat and looked at the beaded rabbit, the candlelight reflected it into a small round shadow, like a small mouse. The candlelight flickered, the shadow of it became longer, the shadows of the rabbit ears were even longer. Now the shadow looks like a rabbit and not a mouse. I thought of the way Li Cheng Yin lowered his head to string these beads, so serious and careful, every bead he string it carefully, I don't know why I suddenly felt a tenderness in my heart. In the end, I decided to marry Li Cheng Yin.

Even if I could only be a Liang Di [5], I know that the Crown Princess was only an empty title.

Sure enough, she was just a Crown Princess by title.

The Crown Prince disliked that Western Liang woman very much, never looked at her in the eye.

Instead I would persuade the Crown Prince from time to time. On the surface, I was able to tolerate it, but actually I was barely able to tolerate it.

Notes:

[1] The translation of the poem was found through this site: academia.edu by Patricia B. Welsh. If anyone wants to read the full poem and learn more about it, you can go to that website.

[2]射柳 Willow Shooting - Gourds would be hung on the willow tree. Inside each gourd, there would be a siskin, once the gourd is shot with an arrow, it will open and the siskin inside would fly out. Whoever shot the gourd with the siskin that flew the highest wins the competition.

[3]黄雀 siskin - a yellow finch

[4]亲祭蚕桑 Silkworm Ceremony - This ceremony is officiated by the Empress. The purpose of this ceremony was to encourage silkworm farming and silk production as silk generates most of the country's wealth and is considered a valuable product. The ceremony will only start after the silkworm is born. The Empress would fast two days before the ceremony. The process of the ceremony includes the Empress picking mulberry leaves and feeding the silkworm. After the silkworm cocoons are formed, the best silkworm cocoon would be chosen and presented to the Empress. On another auspicious day, the Empress and the workers would go to the weaving room for silk reeling and to dye the silk into different colours for embroidering sacrificial clothing.

[5]良娣 Liang Di - A consort of the Crown Prince, second highest in rank out of the wives of the Crown Prince.

<Side Story 2 Part 6                                                                                     Side Story 3 Part 2>

东宫 Eastern Palace: Not Believing People's Hair Could Turn White (Part 6)

The fire was flickering, and the Princess seemed to be in the middle of a dream, her expression was calm. Her long eyelashes cast a curved shadow on her snow white face, it's just that she was breathing lightly, still unconscious.

Li Cheng Yin seemed surprised, taking half a step back, and then wrinkled his eyebrows.

Pei Zhao wondered, did he remember? How can he persuade him? He had once used his life wanting to save her, not hesitating to jump off the high cliff with her, how can he persuade him to abandon this person? 

After a long time, Li Cheng Yin suddenly said: "Why did Father want me to marry her? She is so ugly!"

Pei Zhao was stunned.

Li Cheng Yin grabbed a cloth to wipe his fingers, said: "Get her a tent and move her out, I dislike seeing her!"

Pei Zhao didn’t know what to say, in the end he could only agree, bringing people here to move the Princess elsewhere.

Since then, Li Cheng Yin would show an expression of dislike whenever the Princess was mentioned, even though Pei Zhao did not understand why.

After he exited the main military tent, as he walked he kept on thinking how should he explain to the Crown Prince, how should he say, and how much should he tell him?

The Yu Lin army did not know about Li Cheng Yin and the Ninth Princess’s personal matters. The only people who knew were him and Gu Jian, but Gu Jian's whereabouts were unknown, so it could be said that only he knew.

He tossed and turned, unable to sleep throughout the whole night. By dawn he was still very anxious. The kitten named Xiao Xue was by his pillow side, meowing. He reached out his finger and the kitten hugged it, snoring slightly, Pei Zhao actually fell asleep in the midst of the soft snoring sound.

He didn't sleep for long though, perhaps he only slept for the same amount of time it takes to boil a cup of tea, because he suddenly felt the presence of someone in the tent, so he woke up. It was Li Cheng Yin who had come in, he hurriedly turned around and bowed: "Your Highness......"

However Li Cheng Yin saw the kitten on his pillow, and reached out his hands to grab it, laughing: "Ah Zhao, I didn't expect that you would raise a kitten...." He held the kitten in his arms, Xiao Xue recognized him and licked his finger affectionately. Li Cheng Yin smiled, "Look, it licked my finger......" He hadn’t finish speaking when two drops of tears suddenly fell from his eyes, dripping onto the fur of the kitten. Pei Zhao was stunned, Li Cheng Yin himself was also shocked. He reached out his hand to wipe the rims of his eyes, staring blankly at his moist fingertips, not believing that he had shed tears.

It was quiet in the tent, only Xiao Xue could be heard softly meowing.

Li Cheng Yin put down the kitten and said: "I must be so sick that the wind had caused me to tear up."

Pei Zhao did not know why he was more shocked than him, he couldn’t help but call out: "Your Highness....."

Li Cheng Yin asked: "What?"

In the end, Pei Zhao did not say anything. Li Cheng Yin had a tough personality, he has never cried before. Why did he burst into tears at this moment, even he doesn’t understand, because he has forgotten.

These two teardrops have a sense of heaviness in that they could seal everything, sealing the words that Pei Zhao had once wanted to say.

Pei Zhao thought, just let it be this way, Li Cheng Yin and the Princess being two strangers, it might not necessary be a bad thing.

Just keep this huge secret to yourself.
 
Li Cheng Yin quickly restored to being his former self, the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace who has the world in mind. As for the Princess of Western Liang, he did not care much about her. 

"Just a woman from Western Liang." He said to Pei Zhao, "Don't think I don't know what the Empress is planning."

When the Ninth Princess finally regained her consciousness, she had also forgotten everything, only remembering that she is the Ninth Princess, and had received the imperial decree to go to the Capital for a political marriage.

She was still naive and cheerful. Even though Li Cheng Yin did not like her, she remained carefree, as if nothing in this world could bother her.

Pei Zhao did not know whether it was good. He carefully raised Xiao Xue, not letting the Ninth Princess see it.

He kept raising Xiao Xue for a long time, afterwards Xiao Xue gave birth to a kitten. However the Princess and the Crown Prince would still argue with each other.
 
The Princess was already the Crown Princess, but the Crown Prince did not like her, he even hated her. More than once, Li Cheng Yin complained about her in front of him, "That barbarian woman from Western Liang," he would always refer to her in a very contemptuous way.
 
Pei Zhao did not try to dissuade him.
 
This day was the Qixi Festival [1], it was not known why the Crown Princess would make the Crown Prince angry again, but the two quarreled with each other. Li Cheng Yin had summoned Pei Zhao into the Eastern Palace to drink wine with him. The palace was filled with excitement during the Qixi Festival, however this day was only celebrated by the ladies. Within the palace, fruits and other things were only bestowed to the ladies in the Eastern Palace.
 

When Li Cheng Yin mentioned the Crown Princess, he would be angry: "That barbarian woman from Western Liang, having already spent several years in the Central Plains, still doesn't know how to wear a hairpin even on the day of the Qixi Festival. She only knows how to cause trouble everyday and everywhere, this type of festival, I don't even want to spend a single moment of it!"

 

Pei Zhao pretended to unintentionally ask: "Why doesn't your Highness like the Crown Princess?"

Maybe because he had drank some wine and loosened up, Li Cheng Yin discouragingly said: "I don't know, I feel annoyed whenever I see her."
 
He paused before he said: "It's not annoying, I can't explain, it's just that I don't want to see her."
 

Pei Zhao said: "Just like not wanting to see my cat."
 

Li Cheng Yin was stunned, but a moment later, he nodded slowly and said: "You're right, just like not wanting to see your cat."

The Pei family knows, whenever his Highness visit them, he does not like to see the cat.

Pei Zhao drank a few more cups of wine with Li Cheng Yin before leaving. Li Cheng Yin didn't know why, but he felt unhappy, maybe because Pei Zhao had mentioned his family's cat. Li Cheng Yin had always felt a great shame because there was nothing wrong with him, but why would he cry upon seeing that cat, and he also felt very painful, as if his flesh was being cut off by a sharp blade. As time passed, he was really afraid of seeing that cat.

As the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, how could he be afraid of a cat?

He felt unhappy, drank another cup of wine, then got up and left his palace residence, not allowing anyone to follow behind, only saying that he was going for a walk to ease the feeling of drunkenness.

As the moon rose, the night wind became chilly, the plants in the courtyard were sparse. He walked along the bridge for a moment and only heard the insects chirping. The pond reflected the bright moon in the sky, the reflection was vibrant and sparkling. He stood by the pond for a moment, before suddenly feeling a bit disappointed, he walked across the bridge. After passing these rooms, it would be the path back to the main palace hall.

These rooms are for palace servants. Since tonight was the night of the Qixi festival, the palace servants had went to participate in the needle threading competition [2]. The rooms were lit by candlelight, but nobody was inside.

Li Cheng Yin suddenly went inside through the window. Suddenly there was a red cloud like object thrown at the window, he couldn't help but turn his head around. Inside the room, there was a palace maid tidying her clothes, which were thin clothing. She did not turn around, instead just put those clothes onto the shelf, but because she didn't use much strength, the clothes that were like a round cloud had fallen to the floor. 

Li Cheng Yin didn't know why but he stopped his feet. That palace maid was unaware, just humming a song as she tidied up the clothes, which made Li Cheng Yin felt that this scene was quite familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere. But it was just a hazy shadow, he was unable to catch it, too faint as if it was like the past.
 
The palace maid turned around and seeing that it was him, she became very shocked, and hurriedly knelt down, stuttered: "Your Highness."

The candlelight reflected her thin figure, making Li Cheng Yin feel a sense of tenderness that he has never felt before. He unknowingly reached out his hand to hold her hand, which were cold and still shaking.

He thought, don't be afraid, it's me, it's me.

Not knowing why, he always felt that the person in front of him would be able to recognize him and would give him a happy smile, as if she has done it countless times before.

As long as she smiles, the snow on the Tian Gen mountain would melt.

He wanted to say that name many times, but he couldn't remember it. Feeling a bit discouraged, he finally asked: "What is your name?"

"This servant's name is Ah Xu [3]."

He thought this name was not good, it's not this name, no it's not right. What's her name? What should be her name? He couldn't remember it, this kind of feeling he's never felt before, he suddenly didn't want to think about it anymore, because she has her own thoughts, she would remember her name anyways.

He felt that he must be drunk, very drunk, or else why would he have a feeling of grief and tenderness.

He suddenly felt afraid, afraid of something that he didn't know of, as if that thing was like a smoke that would disappear. He couldn't help but hold her hand tightly, gently putting her finger onto his chest where there was a slight pain. Her whole body was shaking, but he happily said: "Come with me."

He felt that he was looking around for a long time, not knowing what he was looking for, but clearly knowing that it was a huge absence that terrified him. It was a dream that he had countless nights that would cause him to shake in fear. It was a feeling of regret that he didn't understand. It was a deep, bone-aching wound in his heart.

Luckily, he found it.

At this moment, he was very satisfied, just like a long time ago.

He held her hand, passing by the beautiful pavilion, the magnificent palace rooms.
 
Tonight was the night of the Qixi Festival, a good day when the weaver girl and the cowherd met each other on the magpie bridge in the golden wind and jade dew.

The pool of water reflected the bits of starlight, as if it was immersed in countless fireflies, just like a dream that could make one feel intoxicated. 

He didn't know if he would lose everything the moment he woke up the next morning.

 

He held her hand and entered his own palace residence.

On the silver folding screen, a new poem was written with wine. The wine gradually faded away and the handwriting was disappearing, just like the way fireflies disappear.

If one does not experience the feeling of grief, they would not believe people's hair could turn white as a result.

Translator's Note: I am quite surprise when Li Cheng Yin shed tears as soon as the cat licked his fingers. It is as if although his mind does not have memories of the past, but his heart still remembers. Anyways I am happy we finally finished translating this side story, because it felt like it took forever.

Notes:

[1] 七夕 Qixi Festival - This is Chinese Valentine's Day, which originated from a folk tale about the weaver girl and cowherd, in which they met once a year on this day on the magpie bridge.

[2] 穿针乞巧 Needle Threading Competition - A tradition of the Qixi Festival. They use five, seven or nine needles, which are stuck on an object. The person that threads the needle holes the fastest wins the title of skillful hands. This event also reveals a person's intelligence and wisdom as well as predicting their future based on there needle threading skills. Back in ancient times, needle threading is an important skill for young ladies, so if you have great needle threading skills then it would mean you are very intelligent and would have a good future. The picture above is an example of the tradition.

[3] 阿绪 Ah Xu - This is Xu Bao Lin.

<Side Story 2 Part 5                                                                                      Side Story 3 Part 1>

东宫 Eastern Palace: Not Believing People's Hair Could Turn White (Part 5)

She spoke in Western Liang language in a soft and slow tone, not knowing why but it somehow seemed a little like Li Cheng Yin by the river that night. A long time have passed before Pei Zhao came back to his senses, it was actually a kind of desperate tone.

She said: "You bad people, my husband will kill you all to avenge me."

As she spoke, she was holding onto that kitten. She was clearly shaking in fear, but she spoke with certainty, as if she really believed that there would be a person who was capable of anything, appearing like a god to save her.

Until she saw Li Cheng Yin. When she saw Li Cheng Yin, she became stupefied and unknowingly loosened her grip, not realizing that the kitten had escaped from her hands.

Li Cheng Yin gently caught the kitten. Xiao Xue recognized him and licked his fingers feebly.

She finally understood what was going on, and she used all of her strength to spit on him: "Traitor!"

Meeting each other under these circumstances this time was of course very unpleasant and shameful. The Ninth Princess was cursing at Li Cheng Yin using Western Liang language. Pei Zhao had all kinds of important military affairs to handle, staying there would be very awkward, so he left early. When he was about to leave the tent, he turned around and saw Li Cheng Yin holding the kitten, just standing there.

Pei Zhao's mind was in a mess. After Gu Jian saved the Ninth Princess, Pei Zhao finally was determined to ask Li Cheng Yin: "Mohu people have been very suspicious since the victory, I am afraid that they would change for the worst, so I would ask that your Highness to stay to suppress the current situation, and allow this subject to bring people to chase after the Princess of Western Liang."

Li Cheng Yin did not agree this time, he said: "No." He was very calm: "I'll bring people myself, you'll come with me."

Pei Zhao was fully aware that this Highness has already made up his mind, but he couldn't help but said: "Your Highness, you should make the decision when it's time to decide, or else you will suffer the consequences."

Li Cheng Yin seemed not to care about it, he even smiled: "What is the difference between killing her this way and killing myself? Pei Zhao, I can't kill myself twice."

Pei Zhao was deeply shaken, he couldn't help but take a step back, but then he step forward and called out: "Your Highness."

Li Cheng Yin said: "You don't have to persuade me, since it's my own decision, let me take the blame."
 

His words were said in a plain and unremarkable way, especially the four words 'let me take the blame,' which was spoken very plainly, that made Pei Zhao feel very shocked.

Li Cheng Yin held onto the kitten. When the Ninth Princess escaped, she did not take the kitten with her anymore. Now the cat was being raised in Li Cheng Yin's tent.  He gently rubbed the cat, and said: "Look, she doesn't even want Xiao Xue, I am afraid she doesn't want to live any longer."

Li Cheng Yin personally led three thousand Yu Lin soldiers, chasing until they have reached the Tian Gen mountain.
 

It started to snow within the mountains. When it snows in the Tian Gen mountain, it is impossible to hide. There were several times when the Ninth Princess was almost captured, but every time they would fall short by a little bit.

Pei Zhao finally opened his mouth and tried to persuade Li Cheng Yin: "Your Highness, let's forget about it. If this continues, Yu Lin army will be cold and hungry."
 

The Yu Lin army are all from the Capital, did they ever experienced this kind of bitter coldness? It snowed on the eighth month. The wind here was so cold that it could pierce through the bones, if not careful, one could get frostbites.
 
They were all wearing a light fur cloak, they were still cold and hungry even when they brought dried food. The Ninth Princess ran away with broken shoes, not sure how she survived within the mountains.
 

Li Cheng Yin insisted on not withdrawing his army, he looked at the blurry world and the distant snowy mountain range within the snowfall, he said: "I have already taken everything from her, if I don't allow her to hate, then I'm afraid she won't live any longer."
 

The army searched the mountain very strictly, as if the mountain was a fine toothed comb, but the Princess repeatedly escaped. There were several times when they had almost caught her, but A'Du and her were like gerbils, able to escape with great agility during the critical moments.

Pei Zhao gradually began to hope that she would quickly escape and go to a faraway place with the Jie Shou survivors. Then there would be no communication with the Celestial Empire, and everything would end.
 

However fate would not have it this way. 

Eventually the Princess secretly returned to the Imperial City, but she was taken by the soldiers who were in the palace and sent back again to Li Cheng Yin.

This time, she seemed much more docile. Even when she received the Celestial Empire's decree, she was determined to marry Li Cheng Yin.

Pei Zhao thought that nothing can be worse than this situation, because when he saw Li Cheng Yin privately go to see the Ninth Princess this time and placed the kitten in front of her, she wouldn’t look at that kitten, as if from now on she would not look at Li Cheng Yin.

Li Cheng Yin was holding the kitten in his arms as he came out, the weather was cold with snowflakes falling in the evening. He was walking in the snow for a while, staring in a daze, without knowing where to go, just walking around in circles. Pei Zhao followed him in silence. After a long time, he suddenly said, "Ah Zhao, I heard Gu Jian say that Western Liang people believe that there is a river of forgetfulness within the Tian Gen mountain, drinking the holy water of the river of forgetfulness would allow people to forget all their pain and worries."

Pei Zhao replied: "If your Highness does not speak about strange powers and deities, then this subject would not believe."

"I do not believe it either." Li Cheng Yin said, "How could there be such an advantageous thing, if you want to forget, then you can forget."

He lowered his head to caress Xiao Xue's fluffy white fur, Xiao Xue softly meowed, its head entered his sleeve, curled up.

Now that he was the person who would bring Xiao Xue around everyday, he would always hide it in his sleeve, or in the lapel of his clothes.

He cherished this kitten like cherishing his own eyes, until the Princess of Western Liang had fled and climbed the high cliff, he never forgot to give Xiao Xue to Pei Zhao before he climbed up the cliff to persuade the Princess.

The area on top of the cliff was small, not a lot of people could fit there, so Pei Zhao and the two people were a distance apart.
 

When the Princess jumped into the river of forgetfulness, Li Cheng Yin grabbed her sleeve and jumped into the river of forgetfulness as well. Pei Zhao couldn't stop it, but could only watch the two people jump into the bottomless abyss. Suddenly, his mind and feet were in a mess.
 
After a long time have passed, only did he quickly brought people to search along the downstream of the river valley, hoping that the so-called river of forgetfulness was really water, a deep river.

He led the people to search in the river valley for several days and nights.

In the end, everyone had lost hope. The Yu Lin army was dejected, and everyone was quiet as they were convinced that something bad had happened.

Only Pei Zhao had refused to give up, leading people through the river valley, along the upstream of the river. The valley was deep, hidden, and rugged. Some of the horses slipped into the water and were swept away by the current.
 

Even Pei Zhao himself was unclear what belief had kept him going, but he wanted to see the people if they were alive, or corpses if they were dead. There were thousands of people in the valley, but more than half of the army was gone. In the end, they had finally found Li Cheng Yin, Pei Zhao could hardly believe that there would be this kind of luck.

Li Cheng Yin and the Princess were pushed onto the huge rocks by the current, most of their body were submerged in the water, but Li Cheng Yin had tightly tied his hand and the Princess’s hand together with a belt, a tight knot that can’t be undone, so Pei Zhao could only pull out his sword and cut the belt.

Both of their wrists were bruised as a result of the tight knot. Pei Zhao could not separate the two people because Li Cheng Yin held onto the Princess’s hand tightly, his fingers were already cold and stiff, Pei Zhao was unable to pull their hands apart. Maybe when he fell from the cliff, he thought there was no way of surviving so he tightly held onto her hand, never to separate again.

Pei Zhao could only carefully carry the two people onto the horse’s back, and take turns changing the horse.

It took more than half a month to get out of that valley.

During that period of time, Li Cheng Yin and the Ninth Princess still did not wake up, they were still in a deep sleep, breathing weakly. Every day, Pei Zhao would worry that they would die.

 
But eventually both of them survived. The army had been moving slowly, already heading east for several miles, but then headed south because Pei Zhao wanted to quickly enter the city to find a better doctor.

When Li Cheng Yin woke up, it was dusk. Hearing this news, he quickly went to the tent. When he arrived, Li Cheng Yin was being served with porridge, maybe because he haven't ate anything in a long time, his complexion did not look good, but he smiled weakly at him and called him: "Ah Zhao."

"Your Highness!" Pei Zhao almost had teary eyes, he took a step forward and held onto Li Cheng Yin's hand, "You are finally awake."

Li Cheng Yin glanced at him with some thought, and then gently waved his hand. The rest of the people in the tent retreated, leaving only Pei Zhao behind.

Li Cheng Yin's expression was as if he still had some thoughts running through his head. He looked at the Ninth Princess who was sleeping on a felt carpet at the corner of the tent, and asked: "Who is that woman?"

Pei Zhao was speechless.

Li Cheng Yin said: "Why is it so windy and dusty here? Isn't the army going back to the Capital?"

Pei Zhao was secretly frightened, asked: "Your Highness, you don't remember?"

Li Cheng Yin looked at him, feeling a bit unexpected, said: "Didn't we just killed Qi Qi Ya, and the army is about to return to the Capital?" He paused before saying, "I've been sick for a long time, did I become muddleheaded?"

Pei Zhao didn't know what to say, but after thinking about it, Pei Zhao told Li Cheng Yin little by little such as Qi Qi Ya being killed, that this time they are coming from the West because the Emperor have issued a political marriage decree. He led the Yu Lin army out of the Western Regions to welcome the Ninth Princess of Western Liang.

Pei Zhao didn't know why he spoke up to here and then paused.

After hearing him say this, Li Cheng Yin looked at the Ninth Princess who was asleep on the felt carpet. The sky was already dark, although a fire was already lit within the tent, but the flame was flickering. The Ninth Princess was still unconscious, curled up like a baby.

Li Cheng Yin got up and slowly approached, Pei Zhao didn't know whether to stop him. Li Cheng Yin stretched out his fingers, but suddenly retracting them, as if he was afraid of disturbing something. However eventually, he hesitated before reaching out his hand to gently turn around the Princess's face.

<Side Story 2 Part 4                                                                                    Side Story 2 Part 6>

东宫 Eastern Palace: Not Believing People’s Hair Could Turn White (Part 4)

Hearing the horse’s steps slowly fading away during the night, Pei Zhao couldn’t help but sigh with exasperation. 

He and Li Cheng Yin’s relationship is subject and ruler, but also close friends growing up together. Their understanding of each other was rather unusual, one could say that Pei Zhao could always roughly guess his Highness’s thoughts. This evening he defied the world by questioning him twice, that is, his friendship.

It’s just that in the royal family, where can you find any little bit of affection?

Their trip to the west had originally been a comprehensive plan. The Central Plains have always attached great importance to strategy and seek to build a comprehensive plan, using full use of their military forces and would not object to using tricks, so all aspects would be thoroughly considered.

Pei Zhao had always been a cautious person, but this time he doesn’t know why he didn't send a letter to his father who was currently in the Capital or even tell anyone about this matter.

Even he doesn't understand why.

About a few days ago, he was disguising himself as a merchant to meet Li Cheng Yin at the warehouse, but it was very quiet inside as nobody was there. Only the gerbils, A’Ba and A’Xia were eating beans in the cage. When he saw that the ladder was down, he knew there were people on the rooftop, so he went up the ladder. The rooftop was filled with racks of air dried tea leaves, the Ninth Princess was probably tired, sleeping against the rack while hugging the kitten, Li Cheng Yin was sitting on the side helping her block the sunlight with his sleeve. The Princess and the kitten slept soundly, while the person who held out his sleeve was smiling while looking at the person sleeping.

The sun was so big that the shadows of the two people looked short and small, it seemed to be reduced into one round shadow, like two children leaning onto each other.

Pei Zhao did not disturb him, instead quietly climbing down from the ladder. The warehouse was cold, the scent of tea leaves was faint. He boiled his own tea and drank it. However the rooftop was still quiet, as if no one was there. As the sunlight slowly moved from the window panel, Pei Zhao understood how short and long this moment was. At this very moment, there was no need to disturb this daydream.

Particularly, this dream that was easy to wake up from.

The Li Cheng Yin in the dream, does he hope that he really was the tea merchant Gu Xiao Wu? 

Maybe he doesn't even know.

At the Jie Shuo royal camp that was by the riverside, when Gu Xiao Wu caught one hundred fireflies, it was like a wave of stars to the eyes of the Princess.

The two people were standing in the middle of countless fireflies that were flying everywhere, it was as if they were standing in the galaxy, with countless shooting stars gently flying past them.

One must make a wish, whenever a shooting star is seen.

Li Cheng Yin suddenly remembered that she had once said with a naive and genuine expression, and seriously told him that a wish could come true if you quickly tie a knot with your belt.

He couldn’t help but try to tie a knot with his belt, only he couldn’t tie a knot properly, tying it incorrectly every time. She reached out her hand from the side, laughing while scolding him: "Idiot!" Afterwards, she helped him tie a knot with his belt.

He had already forgotten his wish, seeing the bright fireflies fly beside her face. A firefly landed on her hair, shining like the brightest little pearl.

He doesn’t know why he suddenly became bold, leaning forward to give her a kiss on the face. The Ninth Princess was probably shocked, and a moment after, she ran away.

"Hey, you promised that you will marry me!"

He was shouting into the distance behind her.

She was probably very shy, not looking back, running away even faster with her ears covered. After running half an arrow's distance away, she suddenly came back, grabbing Xiao Xue that was sleeping inside his clothes. Xiao Xue was meowing, pushing aside her finger while looking at her with drowsy eyes, as if it couldn’t understand what was going on. He grabbed her hand: "The kitten is mine, what are you taking it away for?"

"Nonsense!" The Princess must have felt guilty, but showed a bold expression, “Xiao Xue is mine, you gave it to me, this is my dowry.”

After she finished talking, she turned around and ran away.

He could feel an extra bit of warmth in the palm of his hand, unsure if it was left behind by Xiao Xue or her.

He didn’t know why, but he used that warm hand to touch his own face.

She had never kissed him, but she promised to marry him.

He knows she had promised wholeheartedly.

Promised Gu Xiao Wu.

Gu Xiao Wu, the tea merchant from the Central Plains.

He stood in the night wind, looking back at the countless fireflies by the riverbank, like a hazy dream that was gradually fading away. A singing voice could be heard from a distance, that was a Jie Shuo person, singing a love song in front of his beloved girl’s tent.

Under the starry sky, the flowing river water was like a clear silver cotton yarn. He sat down by the river for a while, until dew flowed down, the inclining moon had set, the fireflies scattered little by little, no longer able to be seen again.

On the wedding day, when Pei Zhao led the army for the ambush, he felt a bit uneasy.

Behind him, there were hundreds of thousands of soldiers preparing for the coming war.

However he thought, his Highness would not fail to come right?

That thought flashed through his mind like a flash of lightning, but just like lightning it quickly disappeared. He thought, if he really did not come, then his Highness would probably really just be a tea merchant in Western Liang. Thinking up to here, he didn’t know why but even though knowing that it would be a horrible thing to happen, he felt a bit of hope and expectation.

However if such a nonsense matter happened, then it would be a great disaster. When the Emperor is angry, he will lay down a million of corpses in which the blood would flow for thousands of miles. If his Highness really thought so, then the Emperor would send an army to flatten the entire Western Regions.

Eventually, when Li Cheng Yin led the Jie Shuo elite troops to the tight encirclement accordingly, Pei Zhao did not know whether he felt relieved or not.

This bloody war was the most ruthless war Pei Zhao has ever experienced, Jie Shuo people were naturally very fierce and ferocious. An army of four hundred thousand soldiers surrounded the Jie Shuo clan, and the war lasted for several days. In the end, the Great Chanyu had died in the chaos, putting the disposition of the Jie Shuo troops into a state of disorder, but they were still quite capable of fighting. They fought until the last moment to allow the old, weak, women, and children to escape.

The Ninth Princess went missing in the chaos, the Yu Lin army had reported that the Princess was killed amidst the chaos. When Pei Zhao heard this news, he felt that this was good. It was just that there were corpses everywhere that were badly mutilated, so it was impossible to determine whether this news was true or not. They did not know which corpse was the Ninth Princess of Western Liang.

After a big win, at night the Mohu people set up their camp. Pei Zhao was a cautious person, so he set up the camp by the upstream of the river.

The sky was completely dark, and the fireflies by the riverside slowly appeared.

Li Cheng Yin was sitting by the river, watching the fireflies fly quietly, like shooting stars.

Pei Zhao approached slowly and called out: "Your Highness."

Li Cheng Yin did not speak, he reached out his hand and caught a glowing firefly. That bright firefly in his hand was flickering, like a small lantern that was about to be extinguished, but also resembling a beating heart that was dying.

Pei Zhao said: "Your Highness did not have dinner, tomorrow we will be marching......"

Li Cheng Yin opened his hand, and that firefly struggled to fly away, swaying as it tried to fly. Finally it flew a little higher, gradually merging with the fireflies along the river. The river water reflected the scattered brightness of the stars from the sky, making it hard to tell whether the brightness is from the fireflies or the stars.

"Ah Zhao......" He finally spoke, his voice sounded light like a firefly, as if it could be blown away by the wind, he said, "Am I a coward? She's already dead, but I don't dare to go and take a look."

Pei Zhao didn't know what to say, he was holding a sesame pancake. Li Cheng Yin didn't eat anything the whole day. Apparently he wanted to persuade him to eat, but at this moment he felt like he was unable to speak.

Li Cheng Yin's voice sounded even lighter: "Xiao Feng and Xiao Xue would not be separated. She clearly meant that Xiao Feng and Xiao Wu would not be separated. I was cowardly, pretending to not know. Ah Zhao, apparently I am such a cowardly person."

Pei Zhao said: "Your Highness......" He wanted to persuade him, but suddenly a loud voice could be heard, one of the soldiers rushed forward, calling out from a distance, "General!" The soldier had dismounted, and said, "The Princess of Western Liang has fled! Our men have been chasing after her for hundreds of miles, almost catching up to her! They sent me to report back!"

Pei Zhao was shocked, he turned around to look at Li Cheng Yin, who seemed as though he did not hear what the soldier had said. The soldier repeated his words, Li Cheng Yin then said, "If that's the case, then chase after her." He even smiled, "Bring my horse here, I'll chase after her."

"Your Highness!" Pei Zhao remained calm while trying to stop him, "Your Highness must be tired, let this subject bring people to chase after her."

Li Cheng Yin looked at him for a while as if he did not recognize him, before nodding: "Then go."

As Pei Zhao cupped his hands at him and turned around to leave, he heard Li Cheng Yin's voice softly and slowly, said: "Don't kill her."

Pei Zhao originally had this intention in mind, but after hearing him expose his intention, he could only agree.

Pei Zhao led a group of soldiers to chase after her for six days and six nights. The group of soldiers split up going separate ways, surrounding the Princess. In the end, the Ninth Princess who had no way out, was finally captured alive and sent back to the military camp.

She had fled for several days, her body was covered with blood, her hair was disheveled, but she was as alert as a small animal. Her eyes were wide open, her hands were tied with a rope, but she raised her hands to her chest, seemingly protecting something. Pei Zhao observed for a while, only to discover that she was protecting that kitten. The snow white kitten was so hungry that it did not have any strength to make a sound.

Not sure how she had managed to escape from the chaos, being in a panic but still brought the kitten with her.

The kitten’s ears were covered with blood, it was not known whether it was injured or if it was someone else’s blood. At this moment, she was holding the kitten while glaring at Pei Zhao.   

<Side Story 2 Part 3                                                                                      Side Story 2 Part 5>

东宫 Eastern Palace: Not Believing People's Hair Could Turn White (Part 3)

The spectators at the bottom were already cheering nonstop, the Siamese kept on swaying until he reached the end of the rope, taking out a snow white kitten from their arms and placing it on the pillar.

The kitten was the size of a palm, but it was frightened by the height that the kitten kept on meowing, shaking as it squatted on the pillar.

At this time, the Siamese began to speak. As he spoke, someone nearby translated it aloud in Western Liang language. It turns out that the Siamese wanted to walk on the rope while swinging the bucket of water, and that the water would not spill out of the bucket.

All of the spectators gasped in shock, the Siamese started to gently shake the bucket, which was already filled with water, he continued to speak, the person next to him shouted: Not only that, but he's going to put the kitten in the bucket in the last round......

Listening up to here, the Princess couldn't help but jump up, said: "The bucket is filled with so much water, the kitten will drown!"

The Siamese proudly placed down the bucket of water. He grabbed the kitten with one hand to let everyone see that it was a lively kitten, which had two eyes of different colour, with one eye blue while the other eye was green, a pair of different coloured eyes. This type of kitten comes from the Siam, very valuable.

The Siamese spoke saying that if someone was willing to come up and compete against him in ropewalking, if that person grabs the kitten first, then they will give away a hundred gold, but if the kitten drowns first, then he will win one gold.

Hearing this, everyone got into a state of uproar, even merchants that come to Western Liang to do business could not earn that much gold.

As the saying goes, there will always be a brave man under a heavy prize. Even if you might win a hundred gold, you only have to pay one gold if you lose. Several people were eager to try, but the rope was tied in midair and it seemed so high and thin, which made people feel a bit intimidated. The princess was so anxious that she was not so anxious about the gold, but was afraid that the kitten will be drowned to death. She shouted: "Don't bet on this kitten, I'll give you ten gold, you can compete on other things!" 

Even though this kitten was especially rare and valuable, but it was not worth ten gold. The Siamese saw that she was anxious, but he refused only saying that he would not sell it as the kitten was used for gambling, intentionally trying to get more money from her. He grabbed the kitten in his hand, intentionally showing her the kitten that was struggling in his grasp, while shaking his head to express that he did not want to sell it but only use it for gambling purposes.

The Princess was so anxious that she stomped her feet. As she was about to take her shoes off to compete with the Siamese, suddenly a man could be seen climbing up on the rope. It was the tea merchant, Gu Xiao Wu.

The Ninth Princess opened her eyes wide, only seeing Gu Xiao Wu standing unsteadily on the rope, the spectators couldn't help but hold their breaths. He took two steps on the rope and swayed a bit, suddenly his body leaned backwards as if he was about to fall, and the Princess screamed along with the spectators. He had caught the rope with his toes, which turned out to be an upside down hook move, he lifted the two buckets of water that was on the ground, the moment he twisted his body, the rope twisted as well, he then stood on the rope again, carrying two buckets of water.

The Siamese saw his moves, and knowing that he was confronted by a skillful enemy, he placed the kitten on top of the pillar that was at the end of the rope, holding two buckets of water and standing in front of him to stop him.

The two people on the rope walked back and forth, trying to kick each other off the rope, and the Siamese swung the buckets of water in his hand, almost hitting Li Cheng Yin several times. The crowd was crying out in shock, and the Princess was also very worried.

This Siamese specialized in tightrope walking, so naturally he has this kind of ability. When he saw Li Cheng Yin who was as stable as a rock, he couldn't see any of his flaws in the long struggle, he failed to kick him off the rope several times. He was worried that he would actually lose a hundred gold today, so he impatiently used his last trick. He was carrying two buckets of water, suddenly he bent his legs, jumping up into the sky from the rope, turned back to the sky with a somersault, the rope also bounced high because of the jump, the Siamese wanted to scoop the kitten from the pillar with his bucket and drown it as soon as it enters the bucket.

At this time, Gu Xiao Wu jumped up into the air with his toes. He soared into the sky, flew across the Siamese who was doing the somersault, and landed standing in front of him. The bucket went flying in midair, he grabbed the kitten and the kitten meowed, the bucket was about to fall, he took the kitten into his arms, while also grabbing the bucket that was about to fall, unexpectedly not a single drop of water was spilled.

The crowd below were stunned at first, but then they clapped their hands and cheered, someone also climbed on the roof and blew the horn. When the Ninth Princess saw that he had caught the kitten, she jumped up and shouted his name: "Gu Xiao Wu! Gu Xiao Wu! Gu Xiao Wu....."

When the Siamese saw that he had caught the kitten, he felt sad. He loosen his grip and the buckets fell to the ground. Water was splashed all over the place. The crowd below were unable to dodge, so water was splashed on them, they couldn't help but shout and scold.

Li Cheng Yin climbed down from the rope. Some people in the crowd recognized him as Gu Xiao Wu, a tea merchant from the Central Plains, and surrounded him to congratulate him on winning a hundred gold. He looked back and saw the Ninth Princess standing there.

When the Ninth Princess saw that he had saved the kitten, she was so happy that her face was filled with a smile. But she suddenly remembered A'Ba, so she angrily turned her head to look away, pretending to not see him.

Li Cheng Yin took out the kitten from his arms, which was the size of a palm, with snow white fur, a pair of different coloured eyes, and an indescribable cuteness. The Ninth Princess couldn't help but look at Li Cheng Yin, who smiled at her and raised his hand to hand over the kitten to her: "I'll give it to you."

The Ninth Princess cheered, gently reached out her hands to grab the kitten. The kitten softly meowed, sticking out its little pink tongue and licking her fingers. She immediately laughed with joy: "It licked me! It actually licked me! Very itchy......"

Li Cheng Yin said: "You can't be angry anymore, and if you do, then I won't give you the kitten."

The Ninth Princess twitched her mouth, said: "You won a hundred gold, so rich, but you are still so stingy!"

Li Cheng Yin laughed. The Siamese person had already disappeared within the crowd, don't mention a hundred gold, not even one gold was left behind.

The Princess was holding onto the kitten, not caring about whether or not there was a hundred gold, just happily walking with Li Cheng Yin back to the warehouse. She didn't come here for the past few days, the two gerbils fed by Li Cheng Yin were getting fatter. The Ninth Princess was holding the cage: "A'Ba, A'Xia, look, you have a new friend."

When the two gerbils saw the kitten, even if it was just a kitten, the gerbils were so scared that they almost fainted. The Princess talked to the gerbils: "A’Xia how come you have no courage, also A’Ba, umm you look like A’Ba so I will just call you A’Ba.......” Speaking up to here, her tone of voice was somewhat disappointed. She played with that gerbil, one hand pinching its cheeks, the other hand using a finger to gently poke at the soft plump belly of the new A’Ba.

Li Cheng Yin knew that she was still upset as she was thinking of the old A’Ba, so he talked about something else: "Give the kitten a name."

The Ninth Princess thought about it, and then said: "The fur is so white, so we should name it Xue Hua [1]! No, your name is Xiao Wu, my name is Xiao Feng, so it should actually be named Xiao Xue! That’s it, it will be named Xiao Xue!"

Xiao Xue was mischievous, everyday the two gerbils were frightened. Although they still eat a lot of broad beans, the two gerbils gradually slimmed down because they would always be chased by Xiao Xue. However Xiao Xue was still a very small kitten, it was just catching up to the gerbils to play with them. Gradually, the two gerbils did not fear Xiao Xue anymore, reaching out their claws from behind the cage to grab Xiao Xue, playing together.

The Ninth Princess likes Xiao Xue very much, carrying it with her wherever she goes. The two gerbils got used to staying in the warehouse, so they stayed there. This time Gu Xiao Wu had experience raising gerbils, so the gerbils were well taken care of, both gerbils were good looking and have very smooth skin. The Princess would come over everyday to play with them, sometimes the two would ride their horses outside the city, other times they would drink wine with a group of merchants, and even compete in riding camels.....

These days were spent very happily.

Li Cheng Yin grew up in the palace. As a child, he had always walked on thin ice every day, every step that he takes, he must consider the next few steps carefully. He has never been so reckless before, every day acting willfully. Spending time with her, he felt relaxed and carefree, like a child in the world, who doesn't need to work busily and exhaust oneself. He hopes that these days will last longer, if the days were longer, even the Central Plains, Celestial Empire, and the Eastern Palace would be forgotten for a while.

The Ninth Princess did not like when the Mohu sent people to Western Liang to propose marriage, that night she snuck out from the palace to see A'Ba and A'Xia. 

Li Cheng Yin was already used to her coming over. When he saw that she stood there alone at the table, he approached quietly from behind, only wanted to cover her eyes with his hands to frighten her. But just as he was about to do so, suddenly he heard her sigh, so he stopped.

The Princess was disappointed, said to A'Ba and A'Xia: "What should I do? I don't want to marry the Mohu king, an old man with a white beard who is older than my father." She pouted, "I also don't want to marry the Crown Prince from the Celestial Empire. I heard that men from the Celestial Empire cannot draw their bows, they only know how to read and write.......Marrying a husband who can't even draw bows is quite unfortunate......"

She was talking when suddenly someone from behind said: "You really want to marry someone that much?"

When she turned around and saw that it was Gu Xiao Wu, she was angry and said: "Yeah, I really want to get married!"

Li Cheng Yin teased her: "Since you are going to get married, give me back Xiao Xue. This is my cat, not your dowry."

The Ninth Princess was angry and annoyed, said: "Even if I am going to marry someone, I would not be separated from Xiao Xue! Xiao Feng and Xiao Xue will not be separated."

She felt very wronged, turned around to leave when she finished talking.

She walked far away on the street. When she turned to look back, there was just an empty street market, only the moonlight that reflected her stretched shadow could be seen. Even the warehouse was completely dark, so he must have put out the lights, and went to bed.

Feeling sad, she held Xiao Xue in her arms, and left without looking back again.

Even she doesn't understand why she felt so wronged. It must be because every time they argue, Gu Xiao Wu wouldn’t give way for her, but not only that, he also wouldn’t coax her. If he chased after her when she had left, she would probably marry him, anyway it would be better to marry him than to marry the Mohu King or the Crown Prince of the Central Plains.

She stomped her foot, a little annoyed as to why she was thinking about these things, she doesn’t want to marry Gu Xiao Wu!

Feeling deeply hurt, she decided to escape from this marriage and go to Jieshuo, only her grandfather loves her the most.

She packed her bags, bringing Xiao Xue with her to escape this marriage.

Pei Zhao had his people watch over the Ninth Princess, her every move could be seen clearly, not to mention also knowing such a big matter such as her leaving the Imperial City to escape the marriage. Therefore, he divided his people into two groups, one of the groups will quietly follow the Princess, while the other group would return to report back to Pei Zhao. After Pei Zhao heard about this matter, he did not speak for a while, but in the end only waved his hand telling the people there to retreat.

He went to see Li Cheng Yin alone. After Li Cheng Yin heard about the Ninth Princess escaping from the marriage, he wasn’t in a hurry, instead he just said: “Is there any backup? I’ll just chase after her later.”

Pei Zhao couldn’t help but said: "The Princess didn’t bring anything, just brought dry food, water, and that kitten."

Li Cheng Yin laughed: "She’s escaping from a marriage, but why is she also bringing Xiao Xue with her?”

After saying this, he stared blankly because he suddenly remembered that the night before yesterday, he asked her if she wanted to marry the Mohu King, but after that the Ninth Princess suddenly became very unhappy and said: "Xiao Feng and Xiao Xue will not separate."

When she finished talking, she turned around and left.

Because she often makes such a fuss, he didn’t pay much attention, just thought that she’s a naughty princess throwing a tantrum. However when she said those words, she seemed very angry.

Pei Zhao already noticed something strange, seeing his worried expression, he called out: "Your Highness."

Li Cheng Yin said: "Such a childish temper."

He got up and took the sword: "Prepare the horse, I'll go after her. If we wait longer she would be too far away, and we wouldn’t be able to catch up to her."

But Pei Zhao suddenly reached out his hand to hold down the sword on the table and said: "Your Highness, have you thought this through? Are we going to proceed?"

He said each word with a pause, the candle on the table flickered slightly, blurring Li Cheng Yin’s expression. He didn't make a sound, but Pei Zhao knew he understood what he meant, so he slowly repeated it again: "Your Highness, have you thought this through?"

Li Cheng Yin didn’t speak, picked up the sword on the table and left alone.

Notes:

[1] 雪花 Xue Hua - This means snowflake.

<Side Story 2 Part 2                                                                                     Side Story 2 Part 4>

东宫 Eastern Palace: Not Believing People's Hair Could Turn White (Part 2)

The young girl sat beside the wooden bathtub, humming a song, undid her skirt, and threw it to the back of the room. Li Cheng Yin watched the skirt being thrown at the curtain before falling to the ground. She did not notice anything unusual, just undressing herself, and casually throwing her clothes.

The young girl stood up, and the sun shone on her naked body. Li Cheng Yin did not dare to look again, only felt that his own heart was beating fast, turned around to lean against the curtain. But the reed curtain was vaguely transparent. When he heard the sound of water splashing, he looked again through the curtain, the young girl had already jumped into the water.

Her long hair was spread on the water surface, like the water plants, the thick steam made her pair of eyes look like black grapes soaked in water. As she bathed and sang, her arms were raised to wipe the water on her body, her snow white chest was patted with water, showing a beautiful arc.

Li Cheng Yin stood behind the curtain, and only listened to her singing cheerfully about a fox and a sandy hill.

The etiquette of the Central Plains was very strict. Li Cheng Yin have only seen well behaved ladies from noble families and ladies from the harem. He has never seen such an innocent and bright young girl, only felt that she's carefree, like a bird in the sky.

She sang for a while, until the palace maid came to bring more hot water. The palace maid bowed to pay respect: "Ninth Princess."

The Ninth Princess responded happily, the palace maid picked up her clothes from the floor, said: "Ninth Princess, please don't throw the clothes on the ground. If the Queen sees this, she will scold me again...."

When the palace maid picked up the red cloud like clothing, she screeched in shock.

"What's wrong?"

"How did the clothes split in half?"

The clothes were split apart with a clean cut, as if someone had used a pair of scissors to cut it apart, it was not like it was being accidentally torn apart. The palace maid felt that it was suspicious, so she lifted the curtain, the window behind the curtain was half opened, with only the bright sun shining onto the ground.

Pei Zhao led the army and camped at the foot of the snow mountain, which was facing towards the river. On the trip to the west, Li Cheng Yin was instructed to lead three thousand soldiers of the Yu Lin army, all of whom were from noble families. They were to come out of the Capital to guard the border for the first time, bringing with them a small hunting dog and a falcon, and were very excited as if they were going on an hunting expedition. Fortunately Pei Zhao was able to control the army, training the soldiers while marching to the west until they have arrived at the Western Regions. Unexpectedly, the camp was organized in a strict manner.

After setting up the camp, the army filled up the pot to cook the food. When it came time to eat, the army would take turns. Pei Zhao as the general would be part of the last group to eat, as he picked up his bowl of rice, suddenly a shout could be heard. Only a horse could be seen heading towards the camp in a steady pace, it was Li Cheng Yin who had returned.

Seeing that he had returned safely and unharmed, Pei Zhao couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief and walked forward to welcome him. Someone had already gotten a hold of the horse's rein. Li Cheng Yin turned around to get off the horse, and asked: “Where is Gu Jian?”

Pei Zhao said: "Seeing that your Highness still haven’t returned after a long time, he went back to the city to gather information." He then asked: "Did you see the Ninth Princess?"

Li Cheng Yin nodded and said: "I saw her."

Li Cheng Yin said: "A face that is very child-like, she doesn't seem to be a person that schemes, because she's like a child." Speaking up to this point, he suddenly thought of that person's white skin in the clear water, and felt his ears become hot, an uncomfortable feeling like a person who was telling lies. Thus he bent down to enter the tent, only said, "I'm hungry, bring a bowl of rice."

Pei Zhao did not notice anything strange. Since they have come to a foreign country that was faraway, and the plan was big, if the Princess of Western Liang really is not a person that schemes, then that'll be good.

After days of traveling, everyone was tired. Since everyone in the army were men, they didn't pay particular attention to each other, just going into the water when they see the river. The camp was stationed by the riverside, the river water came from the snow that melted on the snow mountain. Although it was the sixth month, the water was still freezing cold. At dusk, a group of soldiers jumped into the river. Everyone felt so cold that they grimaced in shock while shouting. However Pei Zhao and Li Cheng Yin were competing against each other to see who swims faster, floating and submerging into the water, swimming far away from the group. After some time have passed, the competition still did not end yet. The Yu Lin army likes to wait for the results of competitions, cheering very loudly along the riverside while chasing after them, and beating the drums. However since the two people in the river were pushed by the waves, and the sky gradually darkened, the people by the riverside were unable to catch up.

In the end, it was Pei Zhao who had won. Li Chengyin was exhausted and choked on two mouthfuls of water, as Pei Zhao dragged him out of the water. The two people pulled each other to the riverbank. Pei Zhao turned around and saw tiny dots that looked like stars in the distance, the Yu Lin army must have lit their torches and was searching for them.

Exhausted, Pei Zhao and Li Cheng Yin fell onto the grass by the riverbank, only looking at the bright stars. The starry sky seemed much lower than the sky in the Capital, the stars seemed so close as if you could touch it when you reach out your hands.

The two people laid on the grass, seeing that they were drenched in water, they looked at each other dumbfounded, before finally laughing.

"Ah Zhao, have you ever thought about who you're going to marry in the future?" Li Cheng Yin lazily asked.

Pei Zhao said: "I want to marry someone I like, and have mutual respect in the marriage. But......" He didn't say anything afterwards.

Li Cheng Yin knew that based on Pei Zhao's background, he would most likely marry a princess. He could help him with this matter, so he smiled: "If you like a princess, I can help you pull some strings."

Pei Zhao calmly said: "Then I will thank your Highness first."

As the noise was getting increasingly louder, the soldiers with the torches finally found them. The soldiers were overjoyed as soon as they saw them, bringing the horses, and clothes for them to change. Li Cheng Yin wiped his body with a cloth, changed into clean clothes, and got on his horse. Coincidentally, he saw Pei Zhao who had just changed his clothes and got on his horse.

Li Cheng Yin said: "Let's go for another round, ride from here to the main camp."

Pei Zhao said: "Your Highness has already lost one round, you still want to lose another round today?"

Li Cheng Yin whipped his horse while turning around, smiled: "That might not be true!"

The torches shone against his eyes, making him look like a proud young man as he rode his horse to leave. The brightness of the torches overshadowed the stars. At that moment, both of them had thought that despite of the hardships and dangers ahead, all living things along with the world would be easily accessible.

The first time Pei Zhao saw the Ninth Princess was when he was living in Western Liang, and Li Cheng Yin was already known as Gu Xiao Wu. At that time, Pei Zhao who was dressed as a tea merchant, went to meet up with Li Cheng Yin, but happened to see the Ninth Princess at the door. Pei Zhao was wearing a robe worn by Western Liang people and had a fake beard on his face. The Princess thought he was a friend of Gu Xiao Wu, so she smiled at him. She was holding a cage with two gerbils in it, and greeted Li Cheng Yin excitedly: "Look, this is A'Ba and A'Xia!"

The two gerbils were very handsome, smooth, and plump like two round pieces of dough.

The Princess stuffed a broad bean in Li Cheng Yin's hand and said: "You try feeding them!"

As soon as Li Cheng Yin reached out his hand, a gerbil jumped up and snatched the bean with his mouth. Another gerbil rushed over and tried to snatch the bean, but because it was too fat, it stumbled. Its feet were facing towards the sky, revealing his pink belly, it just squeaked, and the four little claws grasping the air, but it could not turn its body to climb up.

Seeing this the Princess couldn't help but laugh out loud. Li Cheng Yin also couldn't hold in his laughter, both of them were staring at the cage. Li Cheng Yin reached out his finger to help the gerbil turn over, but accidentally poked its soft belly, and the two of them laughed loudly. Seeing the two happy people in front of him, Pei Zhao did not know why he suddenly felt his heart sank, as if something bad was going to happen.

However, Li Cheng Yin didn't notice anything. After feeding the gerbils, he went out of the city with the Princess to ride their horses. 

The sunset glow filled the whole sky, and the two people took the reins and rode their horses with great speed. Afterwards they sat on the sandy hill, watching the sun gradually go down.

The achnatherums [1] swayed in the shadow of the sun, the sound of the camel bells could be heard from a distance, and a group of merchants passed by. The Princess sat on the sandy hill and pointed at the bright red clouds, told Li Cheng Yin: "A type of tree by the desert lake has red leaves that are as red as the clouds, like a bright light, the leaves look very beautiful when they are reflected in the water of the lake! When I was born, my mother said, ah, it's a girl! She was so happy because before she has only given birth to boys. She felt that since she had finally given birth to a baby girl, in the future her daughter would be able to wear red clothes that are as red as like the leaves of the Maerqima trees, the red clothes would look so beautiful when reflected in the water of the lake, so she named me Maerqima. That type of tree was called Maerqima."

The glow from the sunset reflected on her face. Her cheeks did not have any blush powder put on, but her cheeks seem to turn red when the light was reflected on her face. She was sitting on the sandy hill while hugging her knees, even her clothing was dyed in red by the sunset glow. Li Cheng Yin suddenly realized that she really loved to wear red clothes. Every time she came to see him, she wore red clothes, even when he sneaked into the Imperial City of Western Liang and saw her. He suddenly thought of the red cloud like object that slowly fell by the curtain, and of the girl's smooth back, he could not help his face and ears from suddenly turning red. Fortunately the Princess did not have a scheming heart, and under the sunset glow, she did not notice anything strange about him. He lifted his head to look at the clouds, he said: "In the Central Plains, there is also a type of tree that when in autumn, the leaves would turn as red as the clouds. That type of tree is called the Maple tree."

The Princess clapped her hands and said: "That's great, if my name uses Central Plains' words, then it would be Feng."

"The ladies in the Central Plains are all called Mou Niang, then I will call you Feng Niang."

"I don't want to be called Feng Niang, it sounds horrible." The Princess pouted her mouth, "I want to be called Xiao Feng. If I am called Xiao Feng, then you will be called Xiao Wu, this sounds about right."

Li Cheng Yin looked at her pair of eyes that were shining brightly like jewels under the sunset glow, and unconsciously nodded his head: "Xiao Feng is a good name."

"Then I will be called Xiao Feng!" The Princess was so happy that she stood up and shouted at the sun far off into the distance, "I have a Central Plains name! My name is Xiao Feng! My name is Xiao Feng......."

Her voice echoed through the sea for a long time, the wind blowing the sand, as if the sound was accompanying her voice.

Li Cheng Yin sat on the sandy hill. Watching her dance under the sunset glow made him smile unconsciously.

Pei Zhao had stationed the Yu Lin army under the snow mountain and would not enter the city until some time have passed. On this day, Li Cheng Yin suddenly rode his horse out of the city and returned to the camp. He thought something had happened to him, as Li Cheng Yin seemed very upset. He pulled out a gerbil from his arms, which stood upright in his palm, not moving.

Pei Zhao was surprised that he could not help but called out: "Your Highness." Li Cheng Yin said: "I didn't notice for a moment, letting A'Ba slip out of the cage, who knew it would climb into a jar and secretly ate too many broad beans, suddenly choke to death."

Li Cheng Yin said: "On my way back to the camp, I saw quite a few gerbil holes, so we could catch a gerbil that looked like A'Ba, she probably wouldn't notice anything different."

Seeing that it was a trivial matter, Pei Zhao couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief, and immediately ordered people to capture a gerbil. If the soldiers have nothing to do, they would always cause trouble. Even though they dug the gerbil holes, they just played for fun, causing trouble. The gerbils at the foot of the snow mountain were pitiful, countless gerbils were captured, sorted based on fur colour and their size, then they were placed in cages for Li Cheng Yin to pick. 

After half a day have passed, Li Cheng Yin finally picked a gerbil that looked exactly like A’Ba and said with satisfaction: "This is the one.” He placed the gerbil in the cage, said, "A’Ba! Do not reveal the secret, if Xiao Feng calls you, you must remember that you are A’Ba."

The gerbil just squeaked, how could it understand? Li Cheng Yin brought the gerbil back to the city, but Pei Zhao was worried, so he went to the city the next day to see Li Cheng Yin. At the same time, the Ninth Princess recognized that the gerbil was not A’Ba, angrily lifted the curtain to walk out, but stopped and said: "This is not my A’Ba! Liar! Gu Xiao Wu, you're a big liar! I will not care about you anymore!"

The reed curtain hit the wall very loudly. The Princess angrily whipped her horse to leave, not paying attention to Pei Zhao. Pei Zhao lifted the curtain and saw Li Cheng Yin sitting in front of the table, looking carefully at the gerbil that was in the cage, unhappily said: “How did she notice it? This gerbil look exactly like A’Ba.”

Pei Zhao said: "She had raised that gerbil, so naturally she would recognize the differences."

Li Cheng Yin sighed: "It's the first time I've seen her so angry since I've met her.  How is this good?"

For several days, the Princess was still very angry, however Li Cheng Yin wasn't worried, because the Yu Lin army beneath the Tian Gen mountain have heard that a group of Siamese merchant have brought along an acrobatic troupe. In two days, they will be in the Imperial City of Western Liang to perform acrobatics. This kind of excitement, he knows that the Princess will definitely want to come and watch the show.

As expected, by that day it was really lively. If there were ten groups of merchants, at least nine groups would stop by Western Liang to rest, organizing their camel caravans. There were also some merchants selling cloths that came from the east, and silk as well. Further down the west direction, it was bustling and crowded even outside the city. When the acrobat show was about to start, the sound of drums could be heard, echoing through the mountain, all the floors were filled with spectators.

Li Cheng Yin had rented a warehouse located on the main street of the Imperial City under the name Gu Xiao Wu. The tea leaves from the Central Plains sell well here, many people came, some of them were the Yu Lin army pretending to be merchants, while others were real merchants buying tea leaves. The street was crowded with spectators, knowing that there were so many people, he closed the warehouse door and went onto the roof to watch the lively scene.

Because Western Liang barely rains, the rooftops are flat. On the rooftop of the warehouse, there were racks of air dried tea leaves. He sat at the corner of the roof. As expected, he saw the Princess in the crowd, clapping her hands along happily, because a Siamese was walking on a rope. The thickness of the rope was as thick as a thumb, and that person was carrying two buckets of water, swaying while walking on the rope, it was rare that there wasn't even a single drop of water spilled.

Notes:

[1] 芨芨草 Achnatherums - A type of needlegrass plant, the picture above is an example of it.

<Side Story 2 Part 1                                                                                     Side Story 2 Part 3>