Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Sailing in the Night
During late autumn in October, the wind was blowing heavily with quick gusts, bringing with it light rain that tapped against the water and black awning boat . [1]
Thinking about it, it’s already been one and a half shichen[2] since leaving Zhencheng .
During the rainy night on the boat, a man stood at the bow of the ship, wearing white clothes and a longsword[3] . His eyebrows were furrowed as he played the bamboo flute, while his clothes endlessly rippled through the wind like a cloud . Already deep into the night, the river surging underfoot, the boat had left the city along the canal, and there was silence in all directions . Only the flute’s melody which carried a hint of sorrow and indignation and the sound of the oarsman’s rowing were heard in the wind and rain .
“Mister Yan, it’s raining, go into the cabin and rest . ” The old boatman changed into his raincoat coat and shouted at the person at the bow of the boat . However, the white-clothed man did not listen and continued to play his flute in the rain; the sound from the flute became even more intense .
The old boatman sighed slightly — perhaps this little brother had encountered some unpleasant matter in Zhencheng? A few days ago, this Mister Yan hired his boat in Shangzhou, and they went straight down the river, saying he was going to Zhencheng for an urgent matter . When he reached the port of Jinsha, he instructed the boatman to wait for him for a few days in his boat, and then he went ashore .
However, the wait lasted almost half a month, and only until the seventeenth day had mister Yan returned . Carrying a chest of things, the anxiety on his previously ashen face had eased considerably, presumably because he had finished his business .
But for some reason, from the moment he boarded the ship and onward, his expression turned visibly grim .
The boatman also did not dare inquire, merely following his instructions . During the night, the boat rushed out of Zhencheng, back up the river north to Shangzhou .
The boat pushed through the waves in the middle of the night . The old boatman rowed while listening to the flute played by Mister Yan, and after listening for a long time, he suddenly said, “So mister is a foreigner . ”
The sound of the flute instantly stopped, and the white-clothed gentleman’s gaze became sharp as he glanced at the old boatman with the gray sideburns . The old boatman’s face remained unchanged as he waved his oar and softly sighed, “Is it ‘Tie Yi Han’[4] that you’re playing?”
Pausing, the old man looked deep into the night and then faintly said, “In those years, Li Country’s founding emperor Yan Feizheng was considered both a fine scholar and an adept soldier . He had obtained unparalleled achievements, but unexpectedly, his legacy lasted only three generations, and the empire which he single-handedly created had already erupted with great civil unrest and was close to falling apart . ”
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“You are—” Somewhat guardedly, the white-clothed mister tightly grasped the flute in his hand . During the journey, the boatman rarely spoke, but now that he did, one could not help but be impressed .
The old boatman smiled dryly, “I had previously been living in Li Country for a few years . When the civil war started eight years ago, I wandered from place to place before arriving at Yang Country . ”[5]
The white-clothed mister’s eyes darkened, and with his hands behind his back, he sighed lightly, “Eight years…… . that’s right, it’s already been eight years since Li Country fell into chaos . ”
Eight years ago, Emperor Lixi passed away, and Lord Yonglin, the Fourth Imperial Uncle, gathered troops for a rebellion, raising the curtain on the civil strife in Li Country . After that, several other imperial relatives revolted, and the political situation became even more turbulent and unstable . Gradually, neighboring countries began to spy and infiltrated the country of Li by supporting the parties involved in the civil war, causing their influence to seep into the country .
The barren lands overflowed with bones of the dead, and the flames of war had spread across all of the four borders . In a flash, eight years had passed and it was unknown how many people have lost their lives during this war .
“Did Your Highness the Seventh Prince achieve your desired objective in the visit to the country of Yang?” Looking at the white-clothed mister frowning and muttering to himself, the boatman suddenly asked . Then, to be expected, the white-clothed mister raise his head in shock . In the night rain, he only saw the man in the white clothes move slightly, and in the next instant, the man on the bow of the boat abruptly reached the stern; his cold, sharp blade approached the old man’s throat .
“Did Fourth Imperial Uncle send you?” The flute’s hidden dagger extended and pressed against the loose skin of the boatman .
The old boatman raised his gray eyebrows . His face remained unchanged as he laughed grimly . He laughed for a while before speaking with emotion, “It is said that the Seventh Prince Xueya is the most talented of the princes, and the reason being his efforts to assist Crown Prince Chengde . Because of this, the Yan Clan had survived during troubled times until now — it’s a pity… these days it seems it’s merely like this[6], it seems that the Yan Clan truly is nearing its fated end .
The rain dampened the prince surnamed Yan’s hair . Prince Xueya’s clear eyes unblinkingly studied this unfathomable old man for a long time before finally lowering his hand . Withdrawing, he bowed and clasped his hands in respect: “This humble one is indeed the seventh son of Emperor Lixi . Conferred the title of Lord Bai and known as Xueya[7] — may I be so bold as to ask what senior’s name is, and how you knew?”
When the old boatman saw that His Highness understood when to withdraw, he nodded his head slightly but continued to row for a long time before he said in a heavy voice, “This old man’s name is no longer of worth to others… As for the identity of the Seventh Prince — you cannot be said to be imprudent… Is the aroma on your clothes Li Country’s Suoluo Incense?”[8]
Yan Bai was shocked again: Suoluo Incense was a secret product of the Imperial Palace in the country of Li, which was rarely granted to even close ministers, so it can be seen that this ordinary old man in front of him must have had a remarkable identity in the past .
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“The Crown Prince’s army is now besieged by rebel forces from all sides, and has been trapped in Ye City on the Dragon Head Plains for almost a year now, I presume?” However, without waiting for him to ask further questions, the old boatman calmly rowed his boat and began to chatter about the situation, “If Ye City is lost, the Dragon Head Plains will be left undefended, and areas all across the plains will inevitably be broken through . Ye City has been surrounded for a hundred days and its financial and material resources are depleted . And with the harsh winter fast approaching, holding on any longer will be extremely difficult — without outside help, the army of Crown Prince Chengde’s defeat is already assured . ”
The white-clothed prince’s expression displayed respect as he clasped his hands again and requested, “This Xueya is ignorant . I would like to ask senior for more guidance . ”[9]
But the boatman didn’t respond and after a while asked a question in reply, “What was the Seventh Prince’s intention sneaking into Yang Country while wearing such attire?”
Yan Bai was about to speak but then stopped . His face was somewhat dark, and after a long time, he heaved a sigh, “Senior, I’m sure you know the answer in your heart, so there is no reason I[10] have to personally admit it . ”
“No one had agreed to give Prince Chengde any more aid, did they?” The old boatman asked indifferently .
The Seventh Prince nodded, “There are always very few people who send charcoal in snowy weather . ”[11]
The old boatman nodded his head but did not speak, and after some time, he asked again, “However, looking at the Seventh Prince’s return this time, your expression shows mixed feelings, and this matter you’ve brought back is something you cannot say — what is it?”
Yan Bai was stumped as he was repeatedly shocked by the old man’s perceptive eyes . However, although the heroic spirit could be seen on his face, because of this one question, he felt slightly embarrassed and helpless . It was almost as if a bright star’s light had dimmed for a moment . His fingers held the flute with some strength and he mumbled, “I, I…I have married into the Yutang Jin Family . ”[12]
The old boatman lifted his head from under his bamboo hat despite the rain to glance at this mister with the snowy white clothes — the seventh prince of Li Country was known for his elegant demeanor and fine features, and whose resourcefulness and military accomplishments were praised by all under the heavens . If it weren’t for his weak position for the crown and the fact that from the beginning he’s been doing his utmost to assist his blood-related brother, Prince Chengde, then Prince Chengde simply would not have been able to survive the fight for the throne to this day—
However, as matters had reached this stage, unexpectedly, even Prince Xueya also ran out of ideas and had to resort to this gamble?
In the middle of the old man’s contemplation, Prince Xueya’s expression changed . Looking upstream, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Ah, she’s chasing after us?”[13]
The old boatman was a bit surprised when he looked in the direction of the Seventh Prince’s gaze and saw a fast ship with bright lights appearing from the dark river . Evidently, someone instructed the paddlers to row with all their strength, since the ship was quickly approaching them .
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The most surprising thing was that the woman who stood on the prow of the ship was still wearing her dowry clothes . The servant girl next to the woman had the job of holding her umbrella open but staggered away . The woman, who was tall and had a good figure, grasped her pearl headdress and threw it to the side . She stood on the ship’s prow, pointed her finger at the boat ahead, and angrily yelled, “Yan Bai! Stop right there! Are you trying to escape?”
The old boatman looked at that through the eyes of most people and also couldn’t help but think in astonishment: Yang Country’s etiquette had always been so strictly enforced that it was little short of being oppressively cruel . Women were not allowed to meet men other than their father and brothers, and they were not allowed to leave their homes until they were married . However, although this woman’s figure was still far away, her bold and spirited aura had already arrived, displaying no hesitation .
“My God! She is—” the old boatman muttered a single line . The white-clothed mister next to him knew that he could not escape, but he could not help but laugh bitterly . His face was complicated as he whispered, “That is my new wife, the only daughter of the Jin Family, Bihui . ”
The old boatman suddenly laughed bitterly as well and spoke inadvertently, “It’s almost ‘jin bi hui huang’… As it turns out, the wife you married was Yang Country’s famous ‘Terrifying Tigress’?”[14]
As said above, my next release won’t be out very quickly because of school and also the next chapter has about double the amount of characters as this one… (；ﾟДﾟ)
Footnotes:
[1] Also known as Chinese gondolas, they are common in the Jiangnan region . More info can be found here
[2] an ancient and old way of describing time . One shichen is equal to two modern hours . There used to be twelve shichen/hours in the day before the current 24 hour system was introduced . (Should I just convert it to what the amount of hours would be instead of writing shichen?)
[3] I’m not too sure if the longsword part is correct, so if anyone knows it’s wrong, please let me know .
[4] Not exactly sure what I’d translate it as so I left it like that . I think it’s something along the lines of “Cold Iron Clothes” or “Iron Clothes in the Winter”, but I’m not sure if it’s referencing anything in particular .
[5] This line confused me lol . Forgot Li was the name of the country -~- ;;
[6] I think the author could’ve meant the idiom, idk <;-;<
[7] “White” in Chinese is “Bai” btw, and I’m pretty sure Yan Bai is his actual name since Yan is his clan’s/family’s name . As for his other name Xueya, it should be a style name (also known as a courtesy name) which was traditionally given to males aged about 20 and marked their coming of age ceremony . Someone would refer to a person’s courtesy name as a sign of respect, hence the “courtesy” . More can be found on the wiki page here
[8] It’s a plant called Cyathea spinulosa with its other name being flying spider-monkey tree fern…
[9] Yan Bai is being very respectful and humble here
[10] He’s using the humble and self-deprecating version of “I” to show humility . If translated literally, he’s saying he is the one below him or not as important as him . A lot about Chinese honorifics can also be found on this wiki page
[11] Provide timely help
[12] Hehe… feels like the FL’s introduction is close…
(￣∇￣)
[13] lol
[14] Jin Bihui’s name is similar to the idiom ‘金壁辉煌’, so the old man’s making a joke about how her name is similar . Her name is ‘金碧辉’ for comparison . Her name and the first three characters of the idiom are pronounced the same way . Honestly couldn’t think of a better translation for ‘女金吾’ so I used the same one that Odd Squad Scanlations used . Their translation fits pretty well .