Chapter 155: Chapter 155 - Monk Liao Tong

When Qinxin Gongzhu[+]Princess heard that Yuxi was the Fourth Miss of the Han family, she immediately asked, “Are you the one who won against Xiyu Jiejie[+]elder sister in a qi[+]Chinese chess game?”

Yuxi hurriedly denied the claim, “It wasn’t true. Chen nu[+]chen=I, your servant (used in addressing the sovereign), nu=female’s qi[+]Chinese chess skills are actually average. It was just a fluke that day for chen nu[+]chen=I, your servant (used in addressing the sovereign), nu=female to achieve a draw with Yu family young miss.” From Qinxin Gongzhu[+]Princess’s words, it was not difficult to tell that she had a good relationship with Yu Xiyu. So she shouldn’t try to grab the limelight.

Qinxin tilted her head up, and said with an arrogant look on her face, “A fluke? Then I have to see if you can beat me by luck today too. Someone, bring over the qi[+]Chinese chess board.”

Song Guifei[+]Noble Consort laughed and said, “You, this child, how can you say that the wind is the same as the rain[+]from Chinese idiom 听风就是雨 tīng fēng jiù shì yǔ [lit. believe in the rain on hearing the wind] : speak or act on hearsay?” Even when she said it this way, she still instructed a maid to bring over the qi[+]Chinese chess board.

There was still a decent smile on Yuxi’s face. While she was still here, she only had to obey and there was no room for any rejection.

The qi[+]Chinese chess board was set up quickly and the two began to play against each other. Qinxin Gongzhu[+]Princess was ready to show off her might and beat Yuxi till she became like fallen flowers carried away by flowing water[+]Chinese idiom : to be in a sorry state. In the end, she was the one who couldn’t stand it after seeing Yuxi make her second qi[+]Chinese chess move. She annoyingly shouted at Yuxi, “Do you know how to play qi[+]Chinese chess or not? So slow just like a snail. At the rate you’re going, we won’t be able to finish this game by nightfall.” She had never seen a qi[+]Chinese chess player play so slow.[T/N]Gongzhu, that’s how qi is played. One should use one’s mind thoroughly, not just put one’s piece randomly.

When Qinxin Gongzhu[+]Princess yelled at her, Yuxi’s hand shivered which made the chess piece in her hand fall to the ground. In response to this situation, she immediately stood up and kneeled on the ground, “Forgive me, Gongzhu[+]Princess.”

Yuxi’s nervous appearance made Qinxin Gongzhu[+]Princess’s anger rose even more, “Do you think I’m going to eat you? I’m not a tiger.”

Yuxi knelt down on the floor and kowtowed, “It is this chen nu[+]chen=I, your servant (used in addressing the sovereign), nu=female who is useless, and chen nu[+]chen=I, your servant (used in addressing the sovereign), nu=female ask Gongzhu[+]Princess to forgive chen nu[+]chen=I, your servant (used in addressing the sovereign), nu=female.”

Qinxin Gongzhu[+]Princess became even more angry. What kind of person was this? She didn’t even do anything. She only said some words, and this person already became this scared!

When Yuchen noticed that the situation was not good, she immediately smiled and interceded, “If Gongzhu[+]Princess doesn’t mind it, this chen nu[+]chen=I, your servant (used in addressing the sovereign), nu=female also wants to play with Gongzhu[+]Princess.” This was how Yuchen relieved Yuxi from her entanglement.

Qinxin Gongzhu[+]Princess reluctantly said, “All right! But I hope you won’t be like her.” This Fourth Han Miss was really lame. She wouldn’t want to play with her anymore in the future.[T/N]I believe Yuxi feels the same, Gongzhu.

Yuchen smiled and changed the subject of their conversation seamlessly, “Chen nu[+]chen=I, your servant (used in addressing the sovereign), nu=female’s qi[+]Chinese chess skill is slightly inferior to that of Yu family young miss. I will have to ask Gongzhu[+]Princess to show mercy later on.”

Qinxin was not going to be merciful, as she said, “If you want to play qi, then let’s just play qi. If you want me to be merciful, what’s the point of playing qi[+]Chinese chess then? All right, just stop talking and let’s start the game.”

Yuxi stood behind Yuchen, barely raising her head. Concubine Song glanced at Yuxi a few times, before she walked away and sat back on the couch.

Two quarters of an hour later, Yuchen won, but she won it with a narrow margin, beating Qinxin Gongzhu[+]Princess by a bit of the qi[+]Chinese chess pieces. Instead of being angry, Qinxin Gongzhu[+]Princess happily cried out, “One more match.”

In their second match, the two reached a draw. When Qinxin was about to suggest a third match, she heard the maid outside make an announcement, “Niangniang[+]addressing or referring to an empress or an imperial concubine, Master Liao Tong is here.”

Yuxi’s heart thudded, the monk? Wouldn’t that be the old bald donkey[+](derog.) Buddhist monk who proved that Heshou had opened her all-seeing mind[+]Buddhism : mind which perceives both past and future? The Great Master of Huangzhi Temple who was actually a bald donkey that had his eyes grew round with delight at the sight of money[+]Chinese idiom : thinking of nothing but personal gain / greedy / money-grubber.[+]This noob translation was translated by a noob translator, きつね. Please read this chapter at xin-shou.blogspot.com.

Song Guifei waved her hand toward Qinxin Gongzhu[+]Princess and said, “Don’t continue your match. Come here.”

Qinxin was unwilling to put down the qi[+]Chinese chess pieces in her hand. While Yuchen got off from the qi[+]Chinese chess table and walked respectfully to Song Guifei’s side. As for Yuxi, she naturally followed behind Yuchen.

Jiasha (Kasaya)

Image Credit | 古月探秘 (佛教禅宗真的有木棉袈裟吗, May 26th, 2019)

In a short while, an old man wearing a jiasha[+]kasaya, a patchwork outer vestment worn by a Buddhist monk while holding a string of Buddhist beads in his hand, who was about sixty years old and had kind eyebrows, came in, “Liao Tong is happy to meet Guifei Niangniang[+]addressing or referring to an empress or an imperial concubine.” Monk Liao Tong was a monk, so he didn’t need to kowtow.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Song Guifei’s face was full of smiles as she said, “You don’t have to be so polite, Great Master. It has really been hard for Great Master to come and explain the scripture to bengong[+]I, usually used by an Empress or higher rank concubine in the midst of your busy schedule.”

Yuxi lowered her head. She didn’t believe this nonsense at all. She didn’t know what medicine did Song Guifei sell in her gourd[+]Chinese saying : what someone is planning for her to ask Monk Liao Tong to explain the Buddhist scriptures on the day they entered the Imperial Palace.

Monk Liao Tong respectfully spoke, “It is an honour for this humble monk to explain Buddhist scripture to Guifei Niangniang[+]addressing or referring to an empress or an imperial concubine.” His words were not false. Just by explaining Buddhist scriptures to Guifei, he would naturally be sought after by the noblewomen of the capital afterwards.[T/N]Huh, he really does love money and fame, doesn’t he?

Song Guifei smilingly introduced Yuchen and Yuxi to Monk Liao Tong, “These are Third Miss Han and Fourth Miss Han.”

Yuchen and Yuxi respectfully greeted, “It’s good to meet with Great Master.”

Qinxin found it interesting to see that the two moved in unison. Those who didn’t know would think that those two had specially practiced for it. Otherwise, how could they cooperate with each other so tacitly.

Monk Liao Tong gave the two girls a deep look before returning their greetings with his own greeting.

Qinxin Gongzhu[+]Princess didn’t have the patient to listen to Buddhist scriptures. She would rather go to sleep than listen to one. Thus, when Monk Liao Tong was about to speak about the Buddhist scriptures, Qinxin stood up and said, “Mu Fei[+]mu=mother, fei=consort, you can continue listen to the Great Master’s teaching of the Buddhist scriptures, while I will take Han Jiejie[+]elder sister to the Imperial Garden for a walk.”

Song Guifei didn’t force her either. She just smiled and reminded her daughter, “Alright! But don’t play until you’re sweating whole over again.” For this only daughter, Song Guifei would have cradled her in her mouth if only she wasn’t afraid that she would melt. She would have cupped her in her palms if she wasn’t afraid that she would drop. She truly treated her as if her daughter was a rare treasure. It was also because Song Guifei had been overly protective of Qinxin that Qinxin had developed this naive and innocent temperament.[+]This noob translation was translated by a noob translator, きつね. Please read this chapter at xin-shou.blogspot.com.

When Qinxin and Yuchen walked out of Liuli Palace, Song Guifei looked at Liao Tong and asked, “Is there anything peculiar about these two girls?” Song Guifei had called Yuchen and Yuxi into the palace because Heshou told her before she went to Wutai Mountain that Han Yuchen would turn 9th Prince and 10th Prince into enemies, and brought disaster to the world in the future. As for Yuxi, Heshou only said that Yuxi would act as Yuchen’s helper.

Heshou wanted to say that Yuxi would do harm to the people, but Yuxi’s appearance and talent were not particularly outstanding, and she had been keeping herself low profile so far. Therefore, no one would believe her if she said that Yuxi would do harm to the people of the world.

Heshou’s words were poking at Song Guifei’s weakness. What was Song Guifei’s greatest fear? Her greatest fear was that her two sons would turn against each other. However, Song Guifei would not let herself be led on the nose by Heshou, as that damned girl probably wanted to kill someone with a borrowed knife[+]Chinese idiom : get sb else to do one’s dirty work. How could she let herself do what Heshou had been wishing for? But just in case, she would rather see the real person first. To be precise, she wanted to see if there was really anything wrong with Yuchen. As for Yuxi, she was merely a foil. However, after seeing how she behaved just now, she was even taken less seriously by Song Guifei.

With a shout of ‘Amitabha Buddha’, Liao Tong replied, “The Third Miss Han has a very good face, and she will definitely become a very rich person in the future.” With such a good look and temperament, how could she not be rich and famous![T/N]Huh! So every beautiful people will become rich in the future, while the not beautiful people will become poor? Bias!

Song Guifei relaxed her mind after hearing these words. As far as Han Yuchen’s appearance and talent were concerned, she would surely be married into the royal family, thus it was not surprising that she would be rich. However, Song Guifei still asked more questions, “Other than that? Is there anything unusual about her?”

Song Guifei breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that there was nothing unusual about Yuchen. Then she casually asked, “What about that other girl?”

Liao Tong shook his head and said, “As for the other female benefactor, by looking at her facial features, she is a person who has a fate that is full of trouble and misfortunes.” The term ‘fate that was full of trouble and misfortunes’ referred to a person who was born under an unlucky star.

Song Guifei didn’t care whether Yuxi’s fate was going to be good or not. What she cared about was Heshou saying that Yuchen would turn her two sons into enemies. As Song Guifei thought of this, she summoned her personal Imperial Maid and gave her a few instructions in a low voice.[T/N]You will regret that, Niangniang. – (ʃƪ¬‿¬) –

Qinxin took the two to the Imperial Garden by herself, because the backyard of the Imperial Palace was solely dominated by Song Guifei, and Qinxin was also very much loved by the Emperor. As a result, she didn’t encounter any difficulties and calculations while she was on the road.

When they finally reached the Imperial Garden, Yuxi’s eyes almost popped out. What did it mean to have deep purples and bright reds[+]Chinese idiom : beautiful flowers? What was a picturesque scenery? What did it mean to be in a fairyland? She right now had a personal experience with them all. After Yuxi had completely looked at everything, she couldn’t help herself from saying, “It’s so beautiful, as if we’re inside a painting.”

Yuchen was embarrassed when she noticed Yuxi’s expression was like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world.

Qinxin curled her lips and asked Yuchen, “Don’t you have a garden in the State Residence? Why does your sister look like she has never seen a flower before?”

Naturally, Yuchen would not let Yuxi lose her face. She simply gave out a soft laughed, “She, ah, just likes flowers and plants. When she sees beautiful flowers and plants, her legs will not be able to move.”

Qinxin felt that Yuxi’s pattern was too small for her to look up for. So she only talked to Yuchen along the way, and Yuxi was deliberately ignored by her. Yuxi didn’t care though. She simply kept following behind the two of them, while listening to their chatter.

After staying outside for less than two quarters of an hour, a maid urged Qinxin to go back. Everyone was afraid that Qinxin would suffer a heat stroke if she was exposed under the sun for a long time. This happened once before. As a result, all the servants serving by Qinxin’s side were replaced.

Qinxin felt very tired from hearing this kind of reminder, as she said with displeasure, “Hurry, hurry, hurry. They really like a prodding ghost[+]someone who keeps pushing people to do things; a nagger. They truly don’t want me to have a good time.” What Qinxin hated the most by having a bunch of followers around her was that they kept on humming in her ear all the time.

Yuchen smiled and said, “Gongzhu[+]Princess, it’s almost noon. It’s also about time that we have to return to the residence.” Before returning to their own residence, they naturally had to bid farewell to Guifei first.

Qinxin felt that Yuchen was really to her liking, so she was a little bit reluctant to part with Yuchen, “It’s the same if you have lunch here before you go back!”

Before entering the Imperial Palace, Yuchen had learned a lot about Qinxin from Momo[+]wet nurse Gui. Since Qinxin Gongzhu[+]Princess had been overly protected, she had become a little naive and tended to act very casually. She didn’t like being restrained, and for others to act too polite with her. Yuchen immediately said with a smile, “I have always heard that the food in the Imperial Palace is extremely good, which make them extremely delicious in the world. Today, thanks to Gongzhu[+]Princess’s blessing, chen nu[+]chen=I, your servant (used in addressing the sovereign), nu=female is also able to taste them.”

Qin Xin shook her head as she refuted her words, “What with this Gongzhu[+]Princess calling. Just call me Qinxin. Don’t be so courteous around me.” There were very few people who could get along with her temper. Yu Xiyu was one of them. Now there was another person, Yuchen.

Heshou had always wanted to please Qinxin, but it was a pity that Song Guifei was very defensive against her and prevented her from contacting her daughter. Song Guifei was not a fool. She treated Heshou decent for the benefit that Heshou could bring to her, but this did not mean that she would let Heshou calculate against her daughter.

Yuchen readily accepted a good advice, “Okay! Qinxin Meimei[+]younger sister, let’s go back first! Otherwise, Guifei Niangniang[+]addressing or referring to an empress or an imperial concubine will be anxious. ”

Qinxin cheerfully responded, “Okay.”

Yuxi sighed in heart. No one could deny that by using this method, one could deal with Qinxin in such a short period of time! But, if it was her, she decided that she wouldn’t be able to do it.

PS : ~~~~(>_<)~~~~. Tears streamed down Yuxi’s face, ‘How could a good person like me suddenly become a person who had a bad life? They really don’t want to see me having a good life.’