370 Intangible Matters of the Past
After a long time, some things could be imagined to have never taken place.
Some memories, after a long time of not bringing up, could be considered to have been forgotten.
But, when someone brought it up, they would realise that everything that happened was so vivid before their eyes, and every scene and emotion could never be forgotten.
Long ago, in Hang City, a small cottage by the lake, their family of three spent their days in a very ordinary and simple manner.
Lady Consort Xuan's expression gradually calmed down, and she said faintly, "Is he here?"
Xiao Se raised his eyebrows. "Does My Lady not know that he came?"
Lady Consort Xuan walked up to the mirror and picked up a comb again. "I haven't left this place for many years. I don't want to know what’s happening outside the palace, and no one tells me about it. As far as this world is concerned, I’m already a dead person."
"Regarding what happened between My Lady and Ye Dinzhi as well as my imperial father, Xiao Se has no right to know, nor do I want to know. But, there will always be someone who’s thinking about My Lady, who misses My Lady. A person is truly dead when there’s nobody left in this world who will think of her," Xiao Se said evenly. "And this friend of mine, he’s thinking of My Lady and also came to see My Lady."
"I didn't see him." Lady Consort Xuan shook her head.
"Perhaps he fell into somebody’s trap before he got a chance to meet My Lady. This friend of mine is very smart, but the smarter a person is, the more he becomes impulsive when he encounters something he truly cares about. Furthermore, he’s alone, but he has many enemies," Xiao Se said.
Lady Consort Xuan sighed. "Who would be his enemy?"
"He’s my friend, and the son of My Lady and Ye Dingzhi. Aren’t these two identities enough for him to have many enemies?" Xiao Se asked back.
Lei Wujie finally became impatient. "Stop talking around in circles. Lady Consort Xuan, will you or will you not give the one drop of blood?"
Lady Consort Xuan held the comb lightly and turned around to look at Lei Wujie. "You can try."
Of course, Lei Wujie tried immediately. He stepped forward and drew the long sword at his waist.
"The fourth-ranked sword under Heaven, Heart. It’s been a long time." Lady Consort Xuan also took a step forward, and with a light wave of her hand, she pushed Lei Wujie's unsheathed sword completely back into its sheath. The two brushed past each other, and Xiao Se also drew his staff at the ready. But, Lady Consort Xuan flicked her finger once. The comb in her hand shattered immediately and with a wave of her long sleeve, countless fine needles flew towards Xiao Se.
Xiao Se used his staff to knock down all the fine needles in one move, then, he pulled Lei Wujie’s collar and retreated over ten steps. They came to a stop and he bowed his head slightly. "Thank you, My Lady."
Lei Wujie inhaled a breath of cold air, thinking to himself that this Heavenly Revelations City was really not suitable to live in. Even a lady consort of the rear palace could easily have martial arts in the Heavenly Realm. He turned his head and asked Xiao Se, "Thank her for what?"
"Let's go." Xiao Se fastened his staff back on his waist, tucked his hands into his sleeves and turned around.
"If you see him." Lady Consort Xuan paused before continuing, "Do not let him come and see me."
"My friend is not the sort who listens to advice." Xiao Se smiled.
"Then tell him I'm dead," Lady Consort Xuan continued.
"If he can be so easily fooled…" Xiao Se still smiled.
"Maybe I'm really dead," Lady Consort Xuan interrupted Xiao Se.
Xiao Se’s smile fell off his face. He stopped walking, hesitated for a moment before he replied, "I understand."
Xiao Se and Lei Wujie opened the door, only to find a person sitting on the opposite wall. The man was wearing a purple python robe, his face was veiled, and he was looking at the clouds in the sky, as if in a daze. Xiao Se and Lei Wujie hesitated for a long time before they each took a step.
But a fallen leaf flew down and plunged into the ground in front of them like a sharp blade.
Plucking leaves and flying flowers, raise your hand to kill.
Lei Wujie exhaled a deep breath. "Why is this Heavenly Revelations City full of monsters."
Xiao Se wasn’t in the mood to be moved like Lei Wujie. He drew his Wuji staff immediately. "We have to leave this place quickly. The carriage that will bring us out will only have one chance to pass through."
The person on the wall finally stopped looking at the clouds, but he turned his head to look at them.
Fear.
This emotion ran through both Xiao Se and Lei Wujie at the same time. They did not feel this sort of fear when they faced the Wrath Sword Immortal, nor when they faced the Patriarch of Hidden River. Up till now, the only time they felt this fear rise in their hearts was when they witnessed the immortal, Mo Yi, descend from the sky.
Even though this opponent's power was far inferior to Mo Yi’s, his realm was definitely above that of Wrath Sword Immortal Yan Zhantian, at least.
The Heart sword vibrated with a cry.
Even the seals on the Wuji staff were shining faintly with an unnatural light.
"What are you doing here?" A cold voice sounded, and Lady Consort Xuan walked towards the door.
"Mother." But a person came out from the other side, swaggering openly past Xiao Se and Lei Wujie.
Red Prince Xiao Yu.
Lei Wujie and Xiao Se didn't try to stop him, because the person on the wall was still watching them. If they were distracted for a moment, that person would find the flaw in their defences.
Xiao Yu waved his hand, and the eight palace doors in the Palace of Great Dignity shut at the same time.
Within the main hall was left only him and Lady Consort Xuan.
"Consort Mother," Xiao Yu greeted with a shallow bow.
Lady Consort Xuan sighed. "That day, you said you were going to the Directorate of Astronomy to pray for blessings for me and said that you needed my blood as an offering. I knew that was not the truth but I let you have your way. But, I didn’t expect you would use it to harm your own brother."
"I don't have a brother. He’s just Consort Mother’s other son." Xiao Yu showed his wrist and said slowly, "The blood that flows in our bodies is different."
Lady Consort Xuan shook her head. "Then why are you doing this to hurt him."
"If I didn't hurt him, he would help those outsiders to hurt me." Xiao Yu smiled slightly, but his words were cruel. "Does Consort Mother wish to save one child by causing the other one to die?"
"Get out of my way." Lady Consort Xuan took a step forward.
Xiao Yu flipped out a sharp blade and held it against his wrist. "Consort Mother, please don’t walk out this door."
"You!" Lady Consort Xuan was furious.
"Yes, me. I merely wish to live." Xiao Yu lowered his head. "Consort Mother’s other child can also live, I promise Mother. But, I have to wait until this is all over."
Outside the main hall.
The person on the wall finally leaped lightly and landed in front of them.
Lei Wujie's long sword was instantly unsheathed.
Earlier, the sword he drew against Lady Consort Xuan was merely testing her.
But this time, his sword was an ultimate killing sword.
The multifarious Heart sword, one sword to break all techniques.
The man in purple withdrew and reached out a hand. Silver light flashed in his hand but in fact, he was wearing a silver-coloured glove. The nails were fitted with sharp and pointed spikes, each of them gleaming with a cold light.
He grabbed Lei Wujie's sword with one hand.
But another staff came slashing down at his head.
Xiao Se growled, "Who are you?"
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Note about imperial forms of address:
宣妃娘娘 Xuan Fei niang niang (Lady Consort Xuan)
This is how she’s referred to in the narration, but when Xiao Se addresses her, he says My Lady (娘娘). Can also be translated as Your Highness.
本宫 ben gong (lit. This palace)
Consort Xuan uses this in place of I/me when she’s speaking. This pronoun is used by an empress or high-ranking consort when speaking to someone of lower rank / status. In most of this chapter, however, she drops this pronoun and reverts to normal I/me. A lower-ranking consort would use chen qie (臣妾 lit. this subject consort).
奴婢 nu bi (This maid)
The prefix 奴 means slave, and is used whenever servants and slaves refer to themselves, especially in the presence of nobility. So, it’s literally, this slave maid. Xiao Se used this in place of I when he spoke the first line to Consort Xuan.
母妃 mu fei (Consort Mother)
Xiao Yu addressed his mother in this way, though sometimes, he also reverts to the normal Mother (母亲). Either way is considered formal, with the former slightly more formal. A similar address is Empress Mother (母后), which is used by children of the empress.
Reference: Chinese honorifics - Wikipedia
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Note about chapter title:
往事云烟 (lit. cloud and smoke of past events)
This carries the meaning that what happened in the past feels like cloud and smoke, i.e., it feels intangible and didn’t leave any evidence that it once happened. It’s a reference to the past between Consort Xuan and Ye Dingzhi.
(some spoilers below - if you want to know why Xiao Yu is older than Wuxin)
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When Ye Dingzhi first met Yi Wenjun (Consort Xuan), she was already betrothed to the Prince who later became the Emperor (i.e. Xiao Yu’s father). Nonetheless, they fell in love and Ye Dingzhi tried to abduct her before the wedding but failed. A little more than a year later, not long after Xiao Yu was born, the Prince became the Emperor. Then, Ye Dingzhi returned to try again and despite having to enter the imperial palace this time, he succeeded with Luo Qingyang’s help. The couple hid in Hangzhou and Ye Anshi was born.
Ye Anshi lived with both his parents until about the age of 3. Then, someone lied to Yi Wenjun that Xiao Yu was sick and asked her to return to the palace. Unable to abandon her son, Yi Wenjun left Ye Dingzhi, who wasn’t home at the time, and Ye Anshi behind.
Later, Ye Dingzhi became the Sect Leader of Outerheaven and formed alliances to lead an invasion into Beili. They were defeated by Baili Dongjun and the other sects. Finally, Ye Dingzhi committed suicide in front of Yi Wenjun and she was forced to choose between her two sons. She chose to return to Xiao Yu in the palace and Ye Anshi was brought to Wangyou to raise.