Chapter 2: Fallen Gentleman – Part 1
Translated by: Ritpoppy
Edited by: Ren
The sedan chair bumped up, Ming ChangYan's head met the yellow ceiling and he woke up.
He lifted the curtain up and looked outside just in time to see them arriving at the entrance of Da Ming Hall.
The palace was getting closer.
These recent years, Ming ChangYan's body has suffered great difficulties. The sedan bumped tremendously, and his stomach shook with it, making him nauseous*. He wanted to complain endlessly.
*(TN: "翻江倒海"; "overturning seas and rivers" It's an idiom that means overwhelming, but in this case, it was uncomfortable to his stomach)
To the four eunuchs that were lifting the sedan, Kua*! The items in the sedan were missing 100 grams**, resulting in the equilibrium not being great. This caused the four eunuchs to sway the sedan all over the place***. Repeatedly moving from left to right, the four eunuchs were the splitting images of four wooden poles.
*(TN: "胯"; "crotch" Sound effect to sound sarcastic.)
**(TN: "下的东西少了二两" (?) I translated it just like it was said. Does this mean that since the sedan is light, it'll be easier to shake?)
***(TN: "四仰八叉"; "sprawled on your back" Ever seen those images of cats sleeping underside up? Here's a picture: http://www.negui.com/s/tm/tmbgt.jpg Just another idiom about walking crookedly)
Ming ChangYan lifted up the curtain and grudgingly said, "These four good brothers, could you walk properly and stop with the swaying."
When he entered the palace, unlike the other palace concubines, he didn't give sufficient silver to the palace eunuchs.
Even though Ming ChangYan's hands were clean of demonic practices, he became penniless. Forget about giving these eunuchs enough silver, being able to feed himself every day is already a problem itself.
If you don't give the eunuchs money, the eunuchs won't treat you well. He got what he deserved as the sedan shook even more furiously. Ming ChangYan sighed, with the way the four obligated* eunuchs were shaking the sedan, taking on the job of head cook for QingHe Lane isn't a problem.
*(TN: "少二两肉" Literal Meaning: "Lost 100 grams of meat" It's an idiom that pretty much means if they don't complete something, they won't feel satisfied. In this case, if the four eunuchs don't cause misery upon Ming ChangYan, they won't be happy ^^)
After repeatedly arguing back and forth, Ming ChangYan thought of an idea, lifting up the curtain again, he smiled and said, "These four brothers, aren't you afraid that I'll come back to settle scores with you guys once I've risen up in the palace?"
The eunuch on the left said, "Shaoshi being able to succeed in the palace will always be a good thing to these eunuchs, but those who want to enter the palace as concubines will range from one thousand to thirty thousand. Shaoshi should be more concerned if you'll be able to survive in the palace than to settle scores with us."
Shaoshi*, Ming Changyan thought, is what is used to address concubines who have just entered the palace.
*(TN: "少侍"; "Young Attendants" Attend to what, you should all know.)
Ming ChangYan states, "Does brother know that to shake a sedan this way, you could disturb the ghouls and demons below the earth? If that happens, then we all won't be able to live so freely."
The four eunuchs all seemed to be affected by this statement, one of them said, "Shaoshi should stop talking rubbish. The emperor has already secured the palace grounds. Ghouls and demons wouldn't dare rebel against the emperor."
The eunuch seemed to have said something by mistake, his hold on the sedan seemed to relax.
Ming ChangYan saw that his trick worked and went back inside his sedan. He thought, "There's definitely something wrong with the imperial palace. There's so much gossip to about, but just speaking a few words about the ghouls could frighten people to such a great extent."
The four steadily walking for a while, but once again began to cause trouble.
The eunuchs laid the sedan down in an orderly manner, lifted the curtains, the eunuch on the right side quickly dusted off his clothes, and kneeled in front of the sedan.
Ming ChangYan looked around and found that all the other sedans that were walking with them halted to a stop. A portion of the concubines that wanted to enter the palace had already begun to climb out of the sedan. They stepped on the eunuch's back while servant girls assisted them out.
When he put his foot on the eunuch, the eunuch grunted.
Even though Ming ChangYan is disguised as a woman, he wasn't at all light. His female confidante had helped him find a magical panacea. The legendary medicine was called "Turn Old into New Pill". Just like its name, the pill has the ability to shrink the bones and turn someone into their younger self by seventy percent. One's appearance will also change into a sixteen to seventeen-year-old version of themselves.
This work is translated by . Any repost of this work is stolen and should go to the time-out corner to think about your actions.
The Turn Old into New Pill must be consumed every 6 months, and the process of shrinking one's bones felt like knives being stabbed into you. It was so painful that you wished you were dead. During these 6 months, the effects of the pill will slowly fade and one's appearance and stature will also begin to rapidly grow. A second pill can be consumed after the 6 months.
After all, the medicine is going against the natural order of the world, thus there will be harmful side effects after consuming it. If he was to write it down all by himself, it would have become a full-fledged book*!
*(TN: "单独领出来都能成册" Not exactly sure about what this means, it just translates to; "If he were to do it himself, it could become a book/novel" I'm bad at understanding some Chinese idioms, so if you have any guidance, please do tell me :>)
His female confidante urged him three times to not take the pill, but Ming ChangYan was stubborn and did it anyway. He went through a thousand obstacles to enter the Inner Court after consuming the pill, so he's determined that his plan to get the Immortal Grass doesn't end in vain.
After being severely stepped on, the eunuch was resentful but didn't dare say it out loud.
The eunuch yanked at Ming ChangYan's sleeves instead, his body stumbled and Ming ChangYan nearly lost his footing.
"This Shaoshi! You've really got the nerve to not kneel when an Immortal is passing through! Ai*! Kneel! Do you want to die?!"
*(TN: "唉"; It just means to sigh but I thought to put in sigh would ruin the tone. Tell me if I should change it)
Ming ChangYan genuflected and kneeled on the ground, and while everyone was bowing their heads, he lifted his eyes to take a peak. He saw was a line of guards walking towards them, their wide sleeves flowed like skirts, their clothes rippled in in the wind, expressions solemn and attentive, they all had the aura of an immortal.
Behind the immortals, there were troops of soldiers wearing helmets and armor.
Ming ChangYan quietly whispered, "Who are they?"
The eunuch replied, "The Immortals of the Ninety-Ninth Temple."
Ming ChangYan said, "I was talking about the soldiers behind them."
The eunuch said, "The 13 Southern Guardians. Stop asking me questions, just worry about yourself."
The eunuch didn't want him to continue asking questions, but Ming ChangYan contrarily continued to ask, "What the heck are the 13 Southern Guardians?"
The eunuch dipped his head down, shut his mouth, and refused to say any more.
Only when two rows of troops entered Da Ming Hall, did everyone raise their heads.
The eunuch got up and glowered, "Pei*! Those bastards looked down on everyone. So what they were given a badge** from the Emperor? Showing such an absurd display, I pei!"
*(TN: "呸"; to spit. Cause when you spit you make a "pei" sound. I thought it'd be pretty weird to just write "Spit!" when he was talking xP)
**(TN: "腰牌"; It's a badge that determines a person's role. Here's a Wikipedia page that I found that could help: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paiza )
Ming ChangYan asked, "If the palace has 13 Southern Guardians, are there 13 Northern Guardians?"
After seeing the 13 Guardians leave, the eunuch replied, "The 13 Southern Guardians are the imperial guards within the palace. The Northern Guardians and the Southern Guardians are divided. Those who accompanied the Immortals are responsible for protecting and defending the order within the palace, and the 13 Southern Guardians are responsible for protecting the Emperor. The 13 Northern Guardians are in charge of guarding the border of the Imperial City. When Shaoshi entered the palace, did you see the two who were guarding the gateway? They were the 13 Northern Guardian's men."
A high ranked eunuch glanced at him and grunted, "You should stop talking, the 13 Southern Guardians used to be royal guards, they have the power to kill without having to report it first. You have the guts to talk behind the 13 Guardian's back, do you no longer wish to live?"
The one being pointed out said, "What about the 13 Guardians? In the palace, they strut around showing off, but if they were to go to Jiang Hu, they'd be the first ones to die! If not for…"
"Even if Ming ChangYan was still alive, he wouldn't fly 800 li* to come avenge you! Though you have a noble hero's heart, doesn't mean that you'll have the life of a hero! You and I are merely servants in the palace that are to be ordered around, we're not equal to those 13 Guardians. Xiao WanZi**, please stop daydreaming about unrealistic ideas. Attempting to enter Tianqing Sect every day, this person has already been dead for two years! Do you want to go dig him a grave?!"
*(TN: "里"; about 500 meters)
**(TN: "小丸子"; "small balls"….please understand why I couldn't just translate it.)
Ming ChangYan questioned, "Ming ChangYan? Which Ming ChangYan?"
Xiao WanZi who had been stabbed by the hurtful words furiously said, "Mind your own business! Get on the sedan!"
Ming ChangYan replied, "Ai, why can't I listen to what you guys are saying? Who doesn't know that Ming ChangYan was a gentleman? He died two years ago at Yanbo river, but do you guys know why he died?"
Xiao WanZi unwillingly assisted Ming ChangYan onto the sedan, lowered the curtain, but he popped his head out from the windows.
"How else would he have died? He murdered Guifeng sect's master Wan QianQiu, then wiped out the entire Zhuifeng Village using those 13 demonic needles of his. With thousands of needles pierced through their throats, the elderly, women and children, and infants were all fastened together in their rooms using silver string. Any sort of movement would cause the strings to dismember their bodies, it was extremely ruthless."
Ming ChangYan's chest became heavy, this kind of savage tactic, just listening to it made his blood run cold. After taking a dip in Yanbo river, his head was full of water, and he couldn't remember if he committed such a horrible crime. Although the statement from the eunuch wasn't much different from the rumors that he'd heard around, he had always had a good relationship with Wan QianQiu, and they often paid visits to each other. This affair definitely wasn't something he could've done. Taking a few steps back, let's say he really was the one who did all that, why would he kill all those innocent people without a good cause?
Xiao WanZi said, "Wan QianQiu's death was odd. After he died, many of the same baseless massacres occurred in Jianghu sect, and they were all killed in the same style. Many cultivators couldn't understand why this happened, I think that Wan QianQiu wasn't killed by Ming ChangYan. Maybe Ming ChangYan was just treated unjustly by all the six great sects, and after being persecuted, his heart was full of resentment and became a malicious spirit to come take revenge!"
Throughout Ming ChangYan's life, he'd taken a countless amount of lives, the people he killed all had a low status and were all sinister beings. Everyone was eager to see him become a master and kill all the evil-doers on this world, so no one was willing to become an inconvenience to him. But then, Ming ChangYan killed a hero from the Jianhu sect whose status was very high. When killing a bad person, that's called purging the world from evil; but when killing a good person, then that's called slaughtering an innocent. So, after the hero-Wan QianQiu- was killed by Ming ChangYan, Ming ChangYan was attacked by all of the well-known cultivators.
On May 29th in the 20th year of the Renhe emperor's reign*, the six main sects crusaded into Tianqing sect, told Tianqing sect that they were here to purge Ming ChangYan, and asked Ming ChangYan to come fight with them at Jianghu River. He was suppressed by the hoard of cultivators, fell into the river, and his was body lost forever.
*(TN: "仁和帝二十年"; what that heck is this saying???)
A disciple from Guifeng sect pondered over the hero and guarded Yanbo river for seven days and seven nights, but didn't see Ming ChangYan's body flow up onto the shore. Since they couldn't find a body, the disciple didn't know how to face the cultivators. So he personally went to Banpo village, found someone else’s gravestone, and then proceeded to straightforwardly dig up the body of a youth. What the sect disciple was doing was inhumane, thus he could only secretly dig up the body. He soaked the body in the water for two days and to the point where the body was so pale and swollen, even the corpse's own mother wouldn't have been able to recognize the body.
After inspecting the body and thought that it was enough, he patted his sleeves and gave the corpse a new name: "A Noble Gentleman."
The circle of cultivators came to a conclusion: The noble gentlemen, Ming ChangYan has died! He had an outstanding life and died in an embarrassing way. His entire body was soaked to the point where it was swelling and he looked like a steamed, white dumping.
Ming ChangYan had control over the common people, and after he suppressing his cultivation for several years, he was easily killed. Jianghu was corrected to follow the righteous path and everyone was joyous. Everyone celebrated by drinking and eating for 3 days and 3 nights, visiting friends and relatives, and posting announcements. They had a worldwide celebration.
Outside of the sedan, Xiao WanZi said, "It's a pity that Ming ChangYan was so talented before he withdrew from worldly affairs (became an immortal/cultivator). He was a lord within the common people for forty years and had just begun to mature. His achievements those days in the Central Plains was astonishing even among cultivators, making his name world-famous. I once got to meet Tianqing Sect's Zhong shaoxia, and heard about the time when Ming ChangYan appeared. He wore black clothes and had a black veil covering his face. He never showed his true appearance to others, very few people are able to see his real face. After he died, the common people were unable to identify him, and Tiangqing sect was at a lost too. During these past two years, Jianghu river has been in chaos. I think it would've been better if he lived, rather than have cultivators cower in fear, not daring to go and stand up to Ming ChangYan's malicious spirit."
Ming ChangYan sat silently in the sedan chair for a long time before closing his eyes and indifferently sighing.
After lighting an incense stick and gaining the support of a palace maid, he walked through two corridors*. On his way, he met Imperial Concubine Yuan's Aunt Chun. She did not greet the other concubine and with her right hand gripping on a basket, Aunt Chun pretended to not see Ming ChangYan. Xiao WanZi didn't dare to speak up, lowered his head and quickly scurried past. After taking a left at the end of the long corridor, Ming ChangYan was separated from everyone else and was headed towards the Bamboo House.
*(TN: They're actually quite pretty. I walked through one when I visited China: http://scenic.cthy.com/UploadPic/editorUpload/20121226111738757.jpg )
The Bamboo House had three openings and two exits. Its courtyard had a lotus pond that was the home to tortoises and red carps. As soon as Ming ChangYan entered, the carps were frightened and quickly swam off. The two palace maids had been waiting for him for a long time. One was called Peony and the other was called Fu Ling; the two greeted him and led him into the living room. In the living room, there was a square table full of plates of food, and on the left and right sides of the table there two chairs with handles on them. In the inner part of the living room, there was a bed that had a screen* that showed a picture of the East China Sea.
(TN:https://img11.360buyimg.com/n1/jfs/t20848/38/648666740/463996/c6ad7b0b/5b14b2a5N3efc92f6.jpg Like this, but just imagine the East China Sea on it.)
Ming ChangYan asked, "Why did you guys put this image in the bedroom?"
Peony answered, "Shaoshi, this screen was bestowed to you by the emperor, every concubine who enters the palace receives one. It is used to dispel the evil spirits that the concubines might have brought into the palace."
Ming ChangYan chuckled a little and walked towards the screen. He discovered that behind the screen there was a long desk. On the desk, there was an incense burner, a fruit and vegetable platter, incense sticks, talismans, and a stack of cinnabar*.
*(TN: A makeup product back in ancient China. Was also used as a dye: http://pic.pimg.tw/kaymeimei/1310797143-632440060dba348ecdf0fc418cef3e3a.jpg )
"This was also given to me by the emperor?"
Peony faintly lifted her body, "Yes, Shaoshi. These were personally arranged by the Immortals. Every residence has them, they wanted every Shaoshi within the palace to be satisfied and to not be subjected to mistreatment."
Ming ChangYan went up and grabbed a snow pear, wiped it on his clothes, and took a bite out of it, juice splattering everywhere.
Peony saw him brazenly eating the snow pear and was startled. She took a step back. Astonished, she said, "Shaoshi, you, you dare to eat the items that were bestowed upon you by the Immortals?"
Ming ChangYan ginned and said, "The Immortals are generous, if they were to visit me, I should treat them to a meal. Ai, Fu Ling, that emperor, where is the Emperor's bedroom? I'm here to become his wife. I want to see this husband of mine's face, how should I go see him?"
This work is translated by . Any repost of this work is stolen and should go to the time-out corner to think about your actions.
Here’s chapter 2! Sorry, the male lead didn’t appear in this chapter. My sister miscalculated (cause she’s dumb).
If you have any corrections you want to be made on for this chapter or anything you want to say, please comment! I love reading comments :>
Also, the chapters will be posted every Monday from now on!
See you next week ヾ(＠＾▽＾＠)ﾉ