Inner Residence arc ー Chapter 11 (Part 3): Three Months Fireworks
My mouth twitched. Records of the Memory of Astronomy? I hoped that while expounding that Pluto actually another dwarf planet, he could detailedly describe the detoxification method for Three Months Fireworks.
I said, "What kind of person is so treacherous? Using this type of poison makes you look as if you have died from excessive ejaculation due to excessively indulging in debauchery."
Xie Zhaoying's face twitched. "Thank you for your depiction of the image."
I dusted away the residual biscuit bits on my hands. "Anyway, you have to lie down on the bed for these few days. I have already written prescription to enrich your blood. When it is time, call Xiao San* to simmer for you to drink. That said, you didn’t turn up at home for a few days but how come Father and Mother didn't really care about you?"
*T/n: Referring to Song San
Xie Zhaoying said, "It's not like you don’t know about Father and Mother. Father is busy writing books while Mother is busy trying to marry you off."
As soon as he spoke of it, it actually reminded me. I said, "I don’t want to enter the palace. Second Elder Brother, you have to help me!"
Xie Zhaoying stretched out his hand to pinch my face. "I know. I'm also unwilling for you to go to that cannibalistic* place. You're my little sister after all."
*T/n: The most direct translation would be man-eating, meaning that the place is very oppressive and exploitative. It is left in the more literal translation to express the intensity.
I also intimately grasped his hand tightly and shook it.
Xie Zhaoying said as if he was making a promise, "I won't let you live a life you're not willing to live."
My heart became warm. Just as I was about to open my mouth, I suddenly heard Xie Zhaoke's voice from the outside.
"San Er*, where's your Teacher?"
*T/n: Referring to Song San. 'Er' is attached to the end of 'San'.
Song San replied, "Teacher has gone out. If Third Miss has any matter, feel free to instruct me. When Teacher has returned, This Petty One will definitely pass it on."
Xie Zhaoke was a little displeased. "How come he went out again?"
Her maidservant, Bao Ping(Băo Píng) wittily resumed, "That's right. We came ten times but he was actually not around eight times. When others come looking for Teacher Song, I don't see them being unable to find him. It can't be that he's hiding from our Miss?"
Xie Zhaoying and I didn't dare to breathe heavily in the room. We then heard Xie Zhaoke's voice which was filled with complaints say, "If he is fed up with me, he only needs to say it once clearly and I will naturally not come again."
Oh please, Song Zijing wasn't tired of living.
In the end, we heard Xie Zhaoke said, "I will wait for him here today. I will keep waiting until he returns."
It looked like she was resolved to do it.
Xie Zhaoying moved closer and whispered, "What should we do?"
I said, "Is there a backdoor here?"
"There is an enclosing wall while the other side is the Capital's Magistrate Wang's residence. Lord Wang doesn't have much hobbies except that he just likes to raise dogs, more specifically, hunting dogs."
I withdrew my neck. "Then we better endure it."
Xie Zhaoying instead said, "But I want to relieve myself."
I angrily replied, "Endure it!"
"What sound is that?" Bao Ling's ears were sharper than that of the dogs from Magistrate Wang's residence.
Xie Zhaoying and I looked at each other in consternation. I lip-synched to him, 'Hide yourself quickly!'
'Hide where?' He gestured.
'Have nothing but four bare walls' could be used to describe Song Zijing's living quarters. This person was practically living in a feudalistic society but living the life of a Communist Party member.
Outside, Xie Zhaoke was saying, "Is there someone in the house?"
Song San hurriedly replied, "There's no one. Teacher Song had indeed gone out."
"That's not right, I clearly heard a sound coming from inside."
"How can that be? Third Miss must have heard wrongly…."
I was so anxious that I was in a terrible fix and suddenly pointed to the bottom of the bed, "Go down quickly!"
"Under the bed?" Xie Zhaoying was incredulous.
I seemed to hear the sound of Xie Zhaoke's footsteps as she walked closer. There no time to wait that much. I hauled Xie Zhaoying up at one go and squeezed him under the bed. The door made a creaking sound. As luck would have it, I managed to completely kick him inside in time.
"Xiao Hua?" Xie Zhaoke was dumbstruck.
I flashed an amiable smile at Xie Zhaoke. "Third Elder Sister, it's such a coincidence."
However, Xie Zhaoke was not at all amiable. She asked suspiciously, "Why are you here?"
"I…." My eyes drifted to the pastry plate on the table and said as an idea struck me at the crucial moment, "I came to send pastries to Teacher Song."
Three seconds later, I regretted this method of saying, because I saw the piercing cold gaze only present when a woman has encountered her love rival, firing out from my beloved elder sister's eyes.
"You came to send pastries to him?"
Probably because I was scared silly by her gaze, I recklessly added, "Don't you often send them too?"
Bao Ping and Song San looked at me then looked at Xie Zhao Ke and tactfully retreated outside.
Xie Zhaoke stiffly smiled, "So it's like that."
I finally remembered a phrase commonly used by the masses, "It's not what you think."
Xie Zhaoke stared at me relentlessly while she said with a devastatingly beautiful smile, "I know. Younger Sister only came to thank Teacher Song for his guidance all these while."
I took advantage of the opportunity to go with the flow as I hurriedly nodded. "That's right, that's right. It's just like that."
Xie Zhaoke smiled but said nothing and was very abnormal. I immediately quivered as realization dawned upon me.
"Then, I'll be going now. Won't disturb you anymore."
Xie Zhaoke smiled in satisfaction.
I escaped and fished out a handkerchief to wipe my sweat. What a close call! What a close call!
I have never considered Xie Zhaoke as just a pretty face. Actually, aristocratic woman like her who had grown up receiving traditional court lady education all had tactful and doughty political finesse. Everything she had learnt in the past were all for adapting to life in the imperial palace whereas being the emperor's wife was a profession with an extremely high danger coefficient. She who was about to undertake this profession definitely wouldn't hold the 'Annals of Qi' while dozing off or use the 'Canon of Women' to drive away mosquitoes like me. The fight between two women was her lifelong research topic. Based on her diligence and wisdom, she was obviously an outstanding learner and practitioner.
Moreover, although we were siblings in this family, her status was actually distantly higher than mine. This was also the reason I have always been genial but not intimate with her. When an elder sister like this who was born under a lucky star have a conflict with me, who would be the party that loses out?
I continued to wipe my sweat and while I was at it, I prayed that comrade Xie Zhaoying could be rescued from under the bed soon.
Goddess of Mercy (Guanyin), Hallelujah, sages, please bring me back home!
Translated and Edited by: HaruOngy and LalaKurouds