Chapter 17#

Chen Shuang#

“He said you look good.” Helan Feng shared the oil cake with him, opening his mouth to take a large bite. “I said, good-looking or not, your temper is certainly bad.”

Jin Yao: “…Is my temper bad?”

“Often deceiving me, does that not count as bad?”

Jin Yao was speechless and chewed fiercely on the oil cake. It tasted quite good. He ate two in one go, still feeling unsatisfied, and simply joined Helan Feng in waiting before the oil cake stall where a long queue had formed.

Helan Feng was very familiar with the Lantern Festival, his mouth never stopping as he continuously introduced things at the festival to Jin Yao. Jin Yao had never heard him speak so much or wear such a happy expression. He knew he was smiling too, infected by Helan Feng and the festival atmosphere.

Perhaps because the Northern Rong people seldom saw a young man as thin and pale as him, some bold Northern Rong girls struck up conversations with him and gave him gifts. Jin Yao received two hats and a belt. Helan Feng reminded him, “This means you’ll have to take three wives.”

The woman selling candied fruit had a child with her. The child liked Jin Yao and stuffed a half-eaten candied hawthorn into his hand. Jin Yao couldn’t very well refuse it, but taking it felt awkward, so he simply handed it to Helan Feng. Helan Feng, unaware of the situation, took it and ate it.

Jin Yao burst out laughing. Helan Feng didn’t know what he was laughing at, but seeing Jin Yao happy made him happy too.

He didn’t feel the cold of the Northern Capital. The familiar Lantern Festival, fire dragons, oil cakes, and performers all became interesting again. After thinking it over, it was all because he truly liked the surprise and happiness Jin Yao showed tonight. He hadn’t seen Jin Yao smile like that for a long time.

When Helan Feng squeezed out of the crowd holding an oil cake, he couldn’t find Jin Yao waiting. He held up the oil cake and looked for a while, spotting Jin Yao standing blankly at a street corner.

Helan Feng ran towards him and discovered a young man in tattered clothes lying behind Jin Yao, about twenty years old, huddled in the corner and shivering.

“He’s from Great Yu,” Jin Yao said. “He was being bullied, so I saved him.”

Helan Feng: “…You saved him?”

He eyed Jin Yao suspiciously, then looked at the young man. The young man got up and knelt before Helan Feng and Jin Yao, not uttering a single word.

Helan Feng: “Is he a slave?” He said this while pulling the young man up to examine his arm. In Northern Rong, once slaves were registered, they were branded on their arm. Some noble families would even include surnames or other marks, but the young man’s arm was smooth, without even a scar.

“This humble one is not a slave,” the young man spoke in a refined manner. “Last autumn, I traveled to the Northern Capital with my father to do business. We encountered bandits on the way, the caravan was decimated, and I was left destitute, forced to beg in the capital to survive.”

Just as Helan Feng was about to ask more, Jin Yao tugged at his sleeve. “Can we take him in? Just like we took in Ruan Buqi.”

Helan Feng: “…”

Jin Yao had never made any request of him before, so Helan Feng couldn’t think of a reason to refuse.

Moreover, he quickly found a reason to persuade himself to meet Jin Yao’s request: What did it matter to take in a Great Yu beggar? His elder brother was now a meritorious general in Northern Rong, and the military household had even given some rewards to their family ahead of time. Taking in one beggar child… But Helan Feng immediately felt a twinge of guilt; he knew Helan Jinying would not let him make such decisions on his own.

Jin Yao murmured looking at the young man, “How pitiful.”

Helan Feng: “…Let’s take him back.”

The three ended their lantern-viewing early. On the way back, Jin Yao even shared two of his pork lard oil cakes with the young man. The young man was polite and proper, thanking both Jin Yao and Helan Feng before eating. He introduced himself as Chen Shuang, from Bishan City in Great Yu. He had been doing small business with his father, but now with the caravan scattered, he was all alone.

Upon returning to the residence, they immediately ran into Balongge’er. Seeing the unfamiliar young man, Balongge’er instantly became alert. “What is this?!”

After Helan Feng explained, Balongge’er looked troubled and pulled him aside to talk privately.

Helan Jinying’s promotion from centurion to general this time had an element of luck: he had originally been fighting under General Hu, but that day he was reassigned to another general’s command. Shortly after the battle began, that general was shot dead by an archer from the Great Yu Northern Army. Helan Jinying took the general’s horse, posed as the general issuing commands, and led the remaining forces to forcibly break through Bishan City’s defenses. He stabilized the Northern Rong army’s morale, acted decisively, and the commander was very pleased, immediately writing a military dispatch to the Northern Capital requesting exceptional promotion for Helan Jinying.

“If the Heavenly Lord hadn’t had a somewhat favorable impression of your brother, you would absolutely not have received this merit,” Balongge’er said candidly. “But General Helan is the first foreign-born general in Northern Rong in many years, and the ministers and generals in the council have many opinions. Your household already has two Great Yu slaves, Jin Yao and Ruan Buqi. Having another one is not acceptable.”

Helan Feng corrected him: “Chen Shuang is not a slave. He’s a vagrant I’m temporarily sheltering.”

Balongge’er: “This… what’s the difference!”

Helan Feng: “A great difference. When we bought Ruan Buqi, we certainly treated her as a slave, but now Ruan Buqi is Zhuozhuo’s friend. You are not to yell at or scold her in the future.”

Balongge’er paused. “Right, how did you come to buy Ruan Buqi?”

Their meeting with Ruan Buqi had truly been an accident. At that time, the three Helan siblings were sightseeing in the Northern Capital. While eating and drinking, a sudden commotion arose outside the tavern door, followed by someone bursting in and clutching tightly onto Helan Feng’s thigh, who was nearest the door.

The thin young girl seeking help had a face full of dirt, her hair cut haphazardly. Despite the freezing weather, one arm was exposed, and she clung to Helan Feng, trembling.

A burly man then burst in from outside, trying to drag the girl away. He was a human trafficker who had picked up this mute Han beggar girl on the road. Knowing that many nobles in the Northern Capital liked to torment weak Han girls, he brought her here to sell. Who knew the business hadn’t even started before she fled.

Helan Jinying didn’t want to meddle in this affair and urged Helan Feng to return the girl to the man. But Helan Feng actually turned around and begged his brother to pay for her, saying he wanted to find a playmate for Jin Yao.

Helan Feng didn’t want to explain too much to Balongge’er. He invoked Helan Jinying’s name and ended the conversation with, “If there’s any issue, we’ll discuss it when Brother returns.”

Meanwhile, Jin Yao took Chen Shuang to Helan Feng’s room to change clothes.

“Are you really from Bishan City? Are your family still alive?” he asked.

Chen Shuang smiled. “What I said just now was all made up.”

Jin Yao searched for a while, only to find his clothes weren’t suitable for Chen Shuang, who was about Helan Feng’s build. He then found two of Helan Feng’s old outfits. Chen Shuang appeared quite scholarly. Seeing Jin Yao standing in the room and not leaving, he grew somewhat shy and turned to a corner with his back to Jin Yao to change.

“Are you also from Mingye Hall?” Jin Yao asked.

“Yes, but I’ve only been in Mingye Hall for about ten years, not very long,” Chen Shuang replied.

“After I returned to Liangjing from Fenghu City, I haven’t been able to leave the city,” Jin Yao thought for a moment. “I’ve heard Mingye Hall is wealthy and powerful, and their headquarters are particularly magnificent?”

Chen Shuang laughed. “Yes, you should definitely go see it when you have the chance.”

After changing, he cocked his ear to listen for movement outside the door, then pulled Jin Yao close and whispered, “The secret message received last night: Great Yu and Northern Rong have already decided on a ceasefire. The Northern Army will only maintain defense, and Northern Rong forces will cease attacks. The court is currently discussing how to draw borders with Northern Rong and how to sign this territorial partition agreement.”

“Where will it be signed?”

“Bishan City.”

Jin Yao understood immediately. Bishan City was located beside the Liexing River and was the closest city to it. Great Yu chose this location for convenience, while Northern Rong choosing it meant they feared nothing.

Jin Yao said in a low voice, “Once this treaty is signed, I’m afraid Great Yu will be at an even greater disadvantage. The Jin Qiang threat in the northwest hasn’t been quelled, and now the northern border must cede so much land. This treaty will be very difficult to sign unless they can simultaneously restrain both Jin Qiang and Northern Rong.”

Chen Shuang stared at him, and after a long while, chuckled softly. “We all thought you would be too悲愤 (indignant and grief-stricken) for words upon hearing of Great Yu ceding territory. But you’ve adapted very quickly.”

“…If you were in a place like Northern Rong, all alone for several months, you would become like me too,” Jin Yao said, his expression calm. “You would realize that self-pity is useless, that worry and indignation accomplish nothing. Besides, only thinking and action can prevent one from drowning in pain.”

Chen Shuang looked surprised, then after a long while, nodded.

However, on how to act, Jin Yao had no clue. He was in Northern Rong, and the situation in Great Yu relied entirely on Yue Lianlou and others for information; or rather, even if he were in Liangjing, there was nothing he could do: he held no official position, had no merit, though he was Jin Mingzhao’s child, he held no rank or status, and no one would listen to him.

Balongge’er arranged for Chen Shuang to stay in a servant’s room. When Ruan Buqi and Zhuozhuo saw Chen Shuang, they were both surprised. Ruan Buqi stood staring, sizing him up and down. Zhuozhuo was a bit shy and asked for his name in carefully enunciated Han Chinese he had learned.

Chen Shuang had a good temper; he spoke and acted calmly, without a trace of flattery or cowardice. Hunda’er and Du Ze had never met such a Great Yu person and were rather hesitant to provoke him. He often stayed with Jin Yao. Though Helan Feng was suspicious of Chen Shuang, seeing Jin Yao happy, he didn’t dare interfere.

It was Chen Shuang who quietly told Jin Yao, “Helan Feng is a good person. You need to make him trust you more, so our operations will be more convenient. His brother is Helan Jinying. By utilizing Helan Feng well, we can find clues about Bai Ni. He can even guarantee your safe return to Great Yu.”

Jin Yao truly did not want to discuss this topic with him further.

His thoughts were too heavy, and he suffered from insomnia for several days. In Helan Feng’s room, besides his own bed, there was a narrow daybed by the window, meant for reclining and enjoying the scenery. Early spring was still bitterly cold, and there wasn’t much scenery to see, so Jin Yao treated this as his bed. Helan Feng knew he couldn’t sleep at night, always tossing and turning.

Helan Feng also noticed he had started drawing messy things on paper—thick black ink lines like a black dragon, or a river. When asked, Jin Yao would say he was studying how fire dragons were made. He had drawn many circles along the ink lines, with the heaviest stroke at the starting point.

On this day, Jin Yao ate very little and spoke little, stopping abruptly while working, frowning in thought. Helan Feng sometimes glanced at him, a sense of suspicion rising in his heart.

Before bedtime, Jin Yao seized an opportunity to speak privately with Chen Shuang. “Your room is closest to the back gate. Open the back gate for me tonight.”

Chen Shuang: “Of course. What are you planning to do?”

“To find Yue Lianlou.” Jin Yao’s dark eyes sparkled with excited stars. “I’ve found a way to simultaneously restrain both Northern Rong and Jin Qiang.”

After everyone had fallen asleep, Jin Yao quietly climbed out of the window and slipped out through the back gate. Chen Shuang accompanied him. Jin Yao discovered Chen Shuang’s martial arts hadn’t reached Yue Lianlou’s level yet—at least, he couldn’t yet achieve “melting snow into water.” But his steps were light, his form nimble, always finding a path where none seemed possible, leading Jin Yao away from the crowds patrolling the streets towards Huixin Courtyard.

“I’ve only reached the second level of the ‘Spring Transformation Six Variations,’ the ‘Wind Reporting to Willow,’” Chen Shuang explained. “‘Wind Reporting to Willow’ is the foundation of lightness skill for Mingye Hall members. I… ahem, I’ve practiced it quite well.”

Jin Yao liked his modesty tinged with a hint of pride.

Chen Shuang carried him over the courtyard wall, landing in the back courtyard of Huixin Courtyard. Both were appropriately dressed, so they adopted the manner of guests and walked boldly up the stairs.

Yue Lianlou typically stayed in Zhu Ye’s room, but no one answered inside.

“Wait here, I’ll go look in the front,” Chen Shuang said, leaving via the staircase.

Jin Yao crouched in a hidden corner to wait. He plucked a flower branch nearby and continued sketching his plan on the ground.

A voice came from above: “You really do like Huixin Courtyard, don’t you?”

Hearing this, Jin Yao stiffened. He turned to see Helan Feng standing on the corridor railing, his expression cold, frowning down at him.

Author’s Note:

Brother is coming home tomorrow!

(Everyone trembles)