Lady Kelpi Translations

Chapter Fifty-Nine:
Overthinking

From any perspective, this was an extraordinary banquet for the officials.

The Emperor was still warm and harmonious, the Empress was still elegant. Marquis Yu recited poems with deep affection as usual, General Wu danced his sword as usual, and Uncle Xuan Guo was the first to get drunk, and as usual, he rolled down on the food table. The Second Prince was not looking pleased with the Third Prince, as usual, and the cold words kept teasing him during the banquet, angering the Fourth Prince so much that he nearly took action. The First Prince quickly came out to argue and turned his head to scold the Second Prince.

The Third Prince took his time and waved his hand to the Fourth Prince to show that he didn’t need to continue. He then skillfully pointed out that the Second Prince’s companions had not returned yet. At first, the Emperor didn’t care. After a moment, the flying calvary reported back that those companions, who were young and full of energy, went against the sacred will and went hunting on their own in the mountains.

At that time, the Emperor’s face darkened. The Second Prince stole the chicken but could not eat the rice. He knelt down in panic and pleaded for mercy, but the Crown Prince had to turn to persuasion. The Fifth Prince interjected, “Is it difficult to miss the banquet today? I think there are still many more not in attendance.”

So, starting from that, the Emperor simply questioned all those who had missed the banquet. After a series of ups and downs, the results were gratifying – six or seven Confucian scholars who were drunk in the afternoon, four or five reckless teenagers who broke their legs at the horse race, three noble ladies who gambled in their tents, and two wild lovers who got lost in the forest.

To be fair, today there was no strict monarch. If there was extenuating circumstances, missing the imperial banquet was not a big deal. Therefore, the Emperor raised his hand and spared the unlucky ones who had broken their legs. The rest had their own punishments: the drunken Confucian scholars were expelled from the Imperial Academy. The gambling women were fined 30,000 yuan per person, deprived of their imperial decree, and their husbands and sons would be demoted two hundred stones in rank. As for the two pairs of wild mandarin ducks… one pair was the Duke of Zhong Shan and the newly widowed Madam Cheng Hou, and the other was the son of Warrior Tian Lang and Tai Xue, the daughter of Physician Ou Yang.

The Emperor was plain and upright, and immediately expressed his displeasure. “I didn’t want to pay attention to these matters, but Master Cheng Hou died in battle a few months ago. Even if his wife has to remarry, she still committed adultery with someone with a family during the mourning period. On one hand, it can be seen that there is no husband-and-wife kindness and righteousness, and on the other hand, it humiliates the wisdom of the deceased husband. She must be punished!”

After speaking, an edict was issued to expel the Madam of Cheng Hou from the capital and return her to her mother’s family. However, the wealth and silk of her husband’s family could not be distributed. Marquis Zhong Shan wiped the blackboard, seized the title, withdrew the official position, and then returned to his hometown for self-reflection.

The courtiers, seeing the Emperor’s irritable expression, stopped pushing and exchanging cups, laughing and chatting, and sat quietly at their tables waiting for the Emperor to settle. At this moment, Tian Liang and Physician Ou Yang had knelt in the center of the imperial tent, kowtowing and pleading guilty. The former argued that, “The young girl is not sensible and lost, not intentionally neglecting the imperial banquet,”’ while the latter blushed and grit his teeth, “My daughter has been engaged to someone else and was lured by the Tian family’s son!”

Sitting in the corner of the imperial tent, Cheng Shi was uneasy. Before the banquet, Madam Xiao sent someone to tell him that their daughter had not yet returned. He thought his daughter and Lou Yao had gone out for a private walk, but just before entering the tent, he saw Lou Yao sitting outside in the seat of a noble’s son.

The Emperor didn’t have time to worry about whether a girl from the middle-level general’s family came to the banquet. The three noblewomen were discovered only after a fierce battle of gambling, and Madam Cheng Hou and Young Madam Ou Yang were taken with them while the guards were searching for Duke of Zhong Shan. Master Tian Lang was piggybacked on.

Cheng Shi glanced carefully at the Grand Servant Lou opposite of him, and prayed to the Western Kunlun Holy Mother and Eastern Yuanshi Tianzun to protect his daughter from the storm.

Tian Lang and Physician Ou Yang were already flushed and quarrelling with each other by pulling their robes. Just as the Emperor was about to speak out, a small eunuch suddenly hurried in and bowed his head in front of the throne, whispering a few words.

The officials didn’t know what the small eunuch said, but the Emperor’s face was a bit surprised, and his eyes were shooting to several tables in the corner of the tent. Fifth Prince was close and vaguely heard the word ‘Ling,’ causing a fit of contempt. He hurriedly said, “Father, speaking of it, isn’t Eleventh Lang here today? Why hasn’t he come to the banquet this time?”

The Emperor gave him a deep look. “Today, the group of upright individuals who went hunting in the mountains will each go receive ten lashes. Isn’t it still chaotic in the north of Jizhou? Send them over there to serve, and only those who make contributions can return.”

The Second Prince let out a mournful cry. “Imperial Father?! You, think twice…” Those companions were all his daily acquaintances of officials, nephews, and sons which could have ruined his years of achievements.

The Emperor remained motionless. “The Second Prince is not able to restrain his left and right sides effectively. Together with the Fifth Prince, you will also go and receive ten lashes.”

The Fifth Prince was smiling proudly when he suddenly heard this statement. “Imperial Father,” he said in a daze, “did you say something wrong?”

The Emperor was too lazy to pay attention to those two living treasures. He whispered to the small eunuch to lead people to the side tent, and then left the table and walked out. The officials and princes also stood up to send him off. The Emperor only took a few steps and then stopped, turning back to say, “General Cheng, come with me.”

The gaze of all the ministers instantly flashed towards him, and Cheng Shi couldn’t understand this inscrutable holy intent even if he were a genius. At this time, he could only hold his burning gaze and shrink his neck to go forward and follow.

After the Emperor left, the tent became noisy like bees buzzing.

“What’s the matter, what happened?”

“I just heard from a guard outside that Eleventh Lang is back!”

“Come back as soon as you do, Your Majesty. Why has your face changed? His Majesty will never punish Eleventh Lang…”

“I heard Eleventh Lang was injured and helped back!”

“What?! Who could have hurt Eleventh Lang?! Those who helped him back, I want to hurt him a lot!”

Cheng Shi couldn’t hear any of those comments. He really didn’t know why the Emperor had called him alone. He thought to himself that even if his daughter was late for the banquet, he wouldn’t have attracted such high standards of attention. He followed the Emperor closely, unable to keep in mind the recent court affairs. The Emperor suddenly spoke, “Official Cheng, how many children do you have under your knee?” His expression was very pleasant.

Cheng Shi paused and mechanically said, “I have four sons and one daughter.”

“Only one daughter?” The Emperor paused with a frown.

Cheng Shi’s heart beat like a drum. He felt at a loss. “Yes, I only have one daughter.”

The Emperor furrowed his brows. “Has she been betrothed to the nephew of Grand Servant Lou?”

“Exactly,” Cheng Shi thought to himself, ‘Your Majesty, didn’t you also issue a decree to my family for the marriage?’

The Emperor looked completely displeased. “Why do you only have one daughter?!” The underlying meaning seemed very dissatisfied.

Cheng Shi was completely confused. Was it wrong to only have one daughter?!

“Master Ling’s left arm was injured, and he came back with the help of General Cheng’s daughter,” had been the words whispered by the small eunuch.

The Emperor felt that in this short sentence, every word was strange.

First of all, would he not know who his adopted son was? He hurt his arm, not his legs. Why would he want someone to help him? Even if he hurt his leg, he would be able to walk straight from Liangzhou back to the capital city with three knives and six holes, without showing weakness.

Secondly, it was a little girl who had come back! Even if the mountain god was worshipped today, and a spirit fairy suddenly appeared to sing a little song, it would not surprise the Emperor even more.

Once, someone slandered Ling Buyi for not getting close to women because he was homosexual. He angrily criticized the words in vain, but his heart was filled with anxiety and he didn’t sleep well for two nights. It wasn’t until later that someone gave his adopted son a few beautiful boys and was badly beaten did that idea leave his heart.

After walking through the camp about ten feet, he came to a slightly smaller golden imperial tent. Before the small eunuch could open the tent, the Emperor heard a gentle, soft girl crying inside, and his famous, lonely, adopted son was whispering reassurances.

With a sigh, the Emperor told the small eunuch to announce him and strode in, followed by Cheng Shi, who was pale when he heard the voices.

After entering, they saw Ling Buyi sitting by the fire. A doctor was fixing his left arm to a wooden flat and dressing it. A young girl was kneeling beside him. Although her crying face was like a cat, he could still see that she was beautiful, childish, and weak. Like jade snow had piled up.

…So, his adopted son actually liked this one? The Emperor thought to himself, hadn’t anyone ever sent such a beautiful concubine before? No, since his adopted son was fifteen years old, he should have given him all kinds of flowers, willows, and greens.

“Father…” Shaoshang tugged at Cheng Shi’s hem, tears hazy and pitiful.

Cheng Shi knew that his daughter’s safety would not be affected, and those who were affected were afraid it was due to marriage. “Whatever His Majesty asks, you can say,” he whispered.

Shaoshang nodded – according to the words set by the two of them, she rode a horse to the cliff and wanted to climb down to see the flowers at the edge and accidentally slipped down. Fortunately, she hung on the crooked-neck tree at the edge of the cliff and Ling Buyi was passing by during that moment and heard the cries for help. When he pulled her up, he broke his left forearm.

He heard the call for help and went over? The Emperor really wanted to turn his head and remind his adopted son, ‘Do you remember when the eleventh daughter of the Yu Hou family fell into the water, and you kicked a wooden stake and threw it to be held while floating?’ However, Yu Hou also understood his meaning.

After listening to his story, Cheng Shi felt relieved and thought that this was the best way. Immediately, he kowtowed and thanked Ling Buyi for rescuing his daughter, and then loudly confessed to the Emperor.

The Emperor nodded to himself, thinking that Cheng Shi had no intention of attaching himself and was still useable.

“Young Mistress Cheng and Eleventh Lang, have you met each other before?” No matter how tumultuous his heart was, the Emperor’s face would not show a trace of emotion.

Shaoshang lowered her head and looked at the hem of the Emperor’s two-colored dress hanging on the carpet, her palms sweating uncontrollably. This was the first time in her life she was meeting the nation’s Big Boss, how could she not be nervous?

The Emperor looked at her panicked posture, and it turned out that it was the etiquette of the family towards elders, rather than the ritual of facing the Emperor. It was evident that cultivation was lacking, and he forced himself not to frown, glancing at Ling Buyi.

Ling Buyi was completely unaware, holding his wrapped left arm and kneeling down to greet. “I have met Young Mistress Cheng several times,” he said, “I couldn’t ignore her.”

The Emperor ignored him and continued to ask, “Young Mistress Cheng, where did you meet Zisheng?”

“Your Majesty, why don’t you ask me these things?” Ling Buyi’s face had turned pale but he still smiled.

“Young Mistress Cheng, Zisheng is a powerful official and a pillar of the country. Do you know that you are guilty of causing him injury?”

Shaoshang was about to open her mouth when Ling Buyi took the lead again and smiled. “If I had known Your Majesty wanted to scare her to death, I wouldn’t have given up my left arm to save her just now,” he said.

The Emperor couldn’t help but turn his head and was about to scold his adopted son with a stern expression. However, when he saw the sadness in Ling Buyi’s eyes, he sighed inwardly and waved his hand to let the Cheng father and daughter retreat.

Cheng Shi took his daughter’s arm and sighed repeatedly as he walked. “What’s wrong with you?” he accused.

“What’s wrong? Didn’t Father hear everything?” Shaoshang couldn’t care about her demeanor and pulled her sleeves to wipe the tears from her face.

“You… why did you get involved with Eleventh Lang again?!”

“Master Ling is righteous and benevolent. When I get back, I will ask A’Yao to come with me to his door to thank him! Father, please prepare a gift for me.”

“Is that all?” Cheng Shi was confused.

“What else would we do?” Shaoshang looked back at Father Cheng with a strange expression.

Someone had saved her life, thank you very much. If she had the opportunity to repay in the future, what was the problem?

As for the matter of the goose returning upstairs, it could not be said.

Cheng Shi thought, ‘Am I overthinking this?’

…

In the wing opposite, Grand Servant Lou had heard some news and pulled his nephew to a secluded spot. “Just now, Eleventh Lang came back with an injury. Do you know who helped him back?” he whispered.

“Your nephew knows that it was Shaoshang.”

“Ah.” Grand Servant Lou couldn’t react.

Lou Yao had a straightforward expression on his face. “Just now, Shaoshang asked all the maidservants around her to tell me. Elder Brother from the Ling family saved her life. When we get back, Shaoshang and I will go and thank him.”

“Is that all?”

“What else would they do?” Lou Yao thought his uncle was very strange.

Grand Servant Lou thought, ‘Do you think about yourself at all?’

…

In the tent, the Emperor circled around Ling Buyi. “You and the young mistress of the Cheng family…”

“What does Your Majesty want to say?” Ling Buyi leaned on his good arm and stared at him.

The Emperor straightened up and walked slowly with his hands behind his back and changed the topic. “That day when I gave the marriage edict to the Lou-Cheng family, I remember you were there on the side.”

“Yes, I was on the side,” Ling Buyi said lightly.

The Emperor stared at his adoptive son for a while, feeling like he had nowhere to say anything.

Ling Buyi glanced at the small eunuch beside him. He understood and whispered, “Your Majesty, the banquet outside…”

The Emperor waved his hand impatiently and left after telling him to recover well. He strode back to the main tent. After sitting down, he saw Tian Lang and Physician Ou Yang staring angrily at each other. He sighed. “It’s okay, a young man’s love is not easy. Physician Ou Yang, prepare to marry a daughter into the Tian family when you go back.”

Physician Ou Yang began to sputter. “Your Majesty, my daughter is already engaged.”

Seeing the Emperor’s tired expression, General Wu roared with a thunderous sound, “Even if you become a relative, there will be those who will never get married! What are you talking about?”

Marquis Yu twirled his elegant scholar’s beard and smiled. “Physician Ou Yang,” he said, “so many people have witnessed this today. I think it makes your daughter’s original betrothal family unwilling to continue their relationship. This is not the Tian family’s marriage, but the young children are in love with each other. His Majesty intends to help them achieve that, why are you stubborn?”

Physician Ou Yang fell to the ground in despair and dared not refute again. Tian Lang’s face was full of joy and he loudly kowtowed to express his thanks.

The Emperor’s mind began to drift and he thought, ‘Am I overthinking this?’

…

I freaking love this emperor. He is the best and amazing and not to mention the actor his smokin’! Such a refreshing thing to have a good, slightly neurotic Emperor/worried father lol.

Next Chapter: The Third Scandal Of My Life