In a simply yet elegantly furnished study, a middle-aged man dressed in casual clothes sat upright at the writing desk, frowning as he read the letter in his hand. He was tall and powerfully built, and even beneath his close-fitting clothes, one could make out his strong and healthy physique and powerful muscles. His facial features were rugged, as if carved with a knife, and even carried a rough charm reminiscent of a burly man from the grasslands. Although not conventionally handsome, his well-proportioned features exuded an indescribable masculine allure. This man was none other than General Wei Chen, a fiercely loyal subordinate of the King of Bei Ling.
Just then, he received a secret message from an informant within Chu Jing ―― ‘The Third Prince has disappeared!’
Their carefully devised rescue plan, which they had painstakingly prepared to ensure nothing could go wrong, was just about to be put into action when the person they were rescuing suddenly disappeared. For a group that had been working tirelessly for most of the day, such a setback at this critical juncture was nothing short of a bolt from the blue!
Wei Chen set down the letter in his hand with a troubled frown, then looked up at the young man standing quietly beside the writing desk. “Is the information indeed certain?”
“Absolutely certain! I have already had someone verify it!” the young man replied. His hair was bound with a jade crown, and he had a gentle, refined air about him. “Moreover, according to the informant, someone else called the ‘Holder of Panacea’ has disappeared at the same time as the Third Prince. Apparently, the Emperor of Chu Jing summoned him to the Imperial palace to serve as the Third Prince’s personal physician. From what we know so far, it is highly likely that the Third Prince’s disappearance is connected to this man! If that’s the case, then who exactly is he? And what is his purpose?” Wei ZhongChu looked at his father and asked.
Faced with his son’s questions, Wei Chen, who likewise had no answers at present, furrowed his brows even more deeply. He then rose to his feet, clasped his hands behind his back, and slowly paced over to the bookshelf before turning around and instructing, “Chu’er, immediately send more men to investigate the Third Prince’s whereabouts. Be sure to watch out for the First Prince’s men. And give me a detailed account of that person called ‘Holder of Panacea’!”
“Yes, Father!” Wei ZhongChu bowed, cupping his hands in salute, and took his leave.
Wei Chen waved a hand and, gazing at the Ginkgo leaves
银杏叶
YínXìng yè
Something like this, I think:
1 drifting down outside the window, let out a long sigh.
YínXìng yè
Something like this, I think:
“The An Dynasty is certainly going through troubled times these days, ah!”
“Someone, come!”
“Yes, master, what are your orders?!” The old steward, who had served in the household for decades, walked in and asked.
“Steward Zhang, how many servants do we still have in the household?”
Please read His Majesty's Hostage Chapter 113 on Project Bezemwagen :-)
“According to Lord An’s wishes, over the past few months this old servant has found various excuses to dismiss five maids, two female cooks, three male servants, and two stable hands! At present, there are thirteen people left in the household, two maids attending the Young Lord, two maids attending the Young Madam, three male servants who tend to the courtyards, four cooks in the main kitchen, and two stable hands!”“Hmn!” Wei Chen nodded, “Steward Zhang, I will have to trouble you with managing the household!”
“Master, what are you saying? I, Zhang, have been managing affairs in the Wei household for decades and have long considered it my home!”
Wei Chen looked gratefully at the hunched old man in front of him and sighed, “Have the stable hands prepare the carriage. I am going to the royal palace! You may go and attend to your duties!”
“Yes, master!”
***
ZiLi paced back and forth in the room with a worried frown. Nearly half an hour had already passed, so why had the ‘Holder of Panacea’ not returned yet? Although he knew that the other often went out in the middle of the night, the ‘Holder of Panacea’ had never stayed away until this late in the morning, with not even a glimpse of him in sight! Could the other have run into some trouble? At the thought, ZiLi’s heart skipped a beat. Although he did not know the ‘Holder of Panacea’ very well, the other had helped him quite a few times and had even once saved his life. If the ‘Holder of Panacea’ really was in danger, ZiLi could not help but feel deeply uneasy.“Little thing, has anyone ever told you that your frowning face is quite pitiful?” Suddenly, a voice that was absolutely detestable sounded.
ZiLi abruptly turned around and saw the fat man sitting at the tea table, pouring and drinking by himself. At some point, the door had been opened without him noticing.
“How. Did. You. Get. In?” he asked through gritted teeth.
“Eh, do you really need to ask this? The way you got in, that is how your big brother got in!” The fat man replied with a perfectly straight face, stroking his chin with his chubby hand.
A vein bulged on ZiLi’s forehead. He strode over, grabbed the fat man fiercely by the collar, and snarled, “Your face is thicker than a wall, you damn fatty! This laozi still has not settled the score with you for kissing and groping me last night, and now you are clinging to me like scorched rice! This laozi is really thinking about cutting you up……”
“Angry again? You little thing, why are you always getting angry? Though you do look pretty cute when you’re angry……”
“Aaaargh――” Enraged, ZiLi grabbed the other by the throat and squeezed hard. “Don’t call me little thing, you disgusting fatty!”
“Cough, cough, I’m dying, little thing, you’re using too much force!”
“I said killing him is not a problem, but the trouble is how to dispose of the dead body. It’s broad daylight and the city is under lockdown, so openly transporting a corpse does not seem feasible!”
Please read His Majesty's Hostage Chapter 113 on Project Bezemwagen :-)
“Eh, Holder of…… uh, brother, you’re finally back!” ZiLi turned to see the person standing at the door.“Oh, the beauty in black is back too!”
“I agree with killing him. Disposing of the dead body is not a problem. Using corpse-dissolving water can instantly destroy the corpse, leaving not even a single hair behind!” the person at the door said coldly.
“Hehe, nonono, although corpse-dissolving water is convenient, the smell cannot be hidden. If it chokes you two, that wouldn’t be good, would it!” the fat man said with a grin as he hopped to the side.
ZiLi was extremely angry but ignored him, turning to ask the ‘Holder of Panacea’, “Brother, where have you been?”
The ‘Holder of Panacea’ had originally been unwilling to say much, but when he saw the clear anxiety in ZiLi’s eyes, his heart softened, and he explained, “I went out and set up a small fog formation. I think we should be able to leave the city in at most two days!”
“Great!” ZiLi’s eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands.
“Uh, if you don’t mind me asking, what kind of fog formation did you set up?” the fat man interjected.
The ‘Holder of Panacea’ shot the other a cold look, his expression clearly saying, ‘What do you think?’
The fat man gave an awkward little chuckle.
***
Sure enough, the city gates were unsealed within two days. After going through a thorough inspection, the two of them finally made it out of the city. Once they reached the official road, ZiLi could not help but ask, “Just what kind of fog formation did you set up that left the city with no choice but to lift the lockdown?”The ‘Holder of Panacea’ shook the reins and explained, “The substance on the fat man was the key to tracking us. Since they were identifying him by that, I put the same tracking substance on some of the people throughout the city.”
“ Passing off fish eyes for pearls
鱼目混珠
yúmùhùnzhū
To pass off fake products as genuine.
2 ! Haha, that’s brilliant!” ZiLi laughed heartily.
yúmùhùnzhū
To pass off fake products as genuine.
As they were talking, they heard the sound of horse hooves behind them.
“Wait up, you two beauties!” an annoying voice called out.
Please read His Majesty's Hostage Chapter 113 on Project Bezemwagen :-)
The big-bellied fat man rode up and blocked their path.“What do you want now?” ZiLi asked coldly with displeasure.
“Heh heh, we are about to part ways, don’t be so cold!” His rogue expression made people irritated. “I am here to thank you!”
“No need to thank us! Don’t think we did it for your sake!” the ‘Holder of Panacea’ said, frowning as he looked at the fat man.
“Heh heh, even if you two did it for your own sake, you still helped me indirectly! So how could a refined gentleman like myself simply pretend nothing happened and leave without saying goodbye?”
ZiLi’s mouth twitched, feeling like he was about to throw up.
“Now that you have said your piece, you can leave!” the ‘Holder of Panacea’ said impatiently.
“Heh heh, then I’m going! I’ve still got to hurry back and report in!” As he spoke, the fat man turned to ZiLi and gave him a wink with his tiny eyes, the pupils almost impossible to see. “Little thing, I’m off. Don’t forget to think of me! Until we meet again!”
“Get lost――” ZiLi shouted at the fat man’s retreating figure as the other ran off, “Don’t let me see you again!”
The ‘Holder of Panacea’ looked at the clearly furious ZiLi and said disapprovingly, “Why bother stooping to his level!”
Suppressing his anger, ZiLi let out a long sigh. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he asked, “Where’s that fat man’s bundle? Why didn’t I see it?”
The ‘Holder of Panacea’ smiled coldly, “Didn’t you notice? It’s in his belly!”
“Ah?” ZiLi turned his head in confusion.
“What a simple mind! Did it never occur to you that the fat man might have been in disguise too?”
“……”
I am actually quite curious to see how the plot concerning Bei Ling will unfold (˵ •̀ ᴗ •́ ˵ ) ✧
Translation Notes
Comments
Post a Comment