Is everything slowly becoming clear…? Conspiracies are intertwined with yet more conspiracies, creating a web of complications.
No picture today because I’m lazy 😛
If you’re enjoying this, check out the other short stories by the same author!
Chapters 5-6
When he first awoke from his afternoon nap, Yun Cheng opened his eyes on his bed but his spirit seemed to be stuck within his dream. When he sat up blankly, everything in front of him seemed like the illusory moon reflected within the water. He felt this place was where the true dream was. The true Yun Cheng only lived in a dream, existing in the past.
He still remembered the start of summer in that year. The Emperor of Yue had come to the Qi Nation to ask for help with the rebel army who was beating them up badly. The Emperor consented and lent some soldiers to them, with the promise that after they suppressed the rebellion, the Yue Nation would cede ten cities to the Qi Nation. It was also around that time that Yun Cheng did the most reckless thing he would ever do in his life. In front of all the officials and all of the monarchs, he broke away and lashed out at the Emperor of Yue.
He shouted, “Why have you run away? Where’s the Princess? Where’s the Princess of Qi? Where’s…” my most precious Qing Shi?! Yun Cheng had handed her over to another emperor. Originally, she had been worthy of that emperor overturning the world for her, and worthy of that emperor’s kindness, but he had let her die from flogging!
He hadn’t expected that after he vented his anger, he would be sent to prison. Three days later, the Emperor personally came to visit him, “Are you willing to acknowledge your sins and go to the Yue Nation to suppress the armed rebellion?”
He lifted his head and looked at the Emperor. “Your majesty, will settling the rebellion bring back the Princess’s remains to the Qi Nation? Qing Shi… she must really want to come home.”
The Emperor was silent. After a sigh, he said, “If you can find her, then bring her home.”
Without the slightest hesitation, Yun Cheng draped the bladed leather over his body, and travelled to the Yue Nation. On the battlefield, Yun Cheng was exactly like a killing machine- whenever he came across the Yue State’s rebel army, there would not be a good ending. Daily, he slaughtered people; his heart was full of profound viciousness. He couldn’t sleep soundly at night, and the pain in his heart merged into an unerasable hatred. It burned luminously in him, day and night, making him unable to stay still, like maggots nibbling away to the bone, devouring him until he became clean, inch by inch…
His emotions bubbled forth. He didn’t think that even now, he would be unable to think about the past without his heart beating unevenly.
A “ge da” sound came from outside. Yun Cheng put on his clothes and walked out, and saw Qing Shi near his desk. She was currently looking at the painting on his desk. When Yun Cheng walked over, Qing Shi was startled and slightly bowed, “General.”
Yun Cheng nodded. He looked her over again. “How come you aren’t wearing your red clothes today?”
Qing Shi looked down. “My clothes… got dirty.” She softly finished, as her fingers stroked the fine writing paper on the desk lightly. “General, how come… this painting doesn’t have a face?” She could tell that the person in the painting was a she, but the charm and grace that this person had was completely different from her own. In addition, none of his paintings had a face, almost as if another spirit was living among these paintings.
Yun Cheng walked in front of her and silently rolled up his paintings. “I’ve already forgotten what the face looks like.” He softly answered, his words bringing a trace of a sad sigh with them.
He had once thought that he would forever remember Qing Shi’s face, no matter what happened in the future. But, how long was the future? In the endlessness of the years that surpassed his memories, he gradually forgot her voice, and slowly, he forgot her face. Time scraped his bones more sharply than the most merciless sword, scratching the Qing Shi in his head until she became little bits and pieces, until she could never be pieced together again.
Forgot? Qing Shi silently sized up Yun Cheng. She had numerous questions she wanted to ask. Who is the girl in the painting? Who did he see Qing Shi as? Why would he forget her face? But Qing Shi did not forget her own status; she did not have the right to ask those questions.
Qing Shi smiled. “Sir, you have napped for a long while today. I have made some gruel for you to relieve your tiredness.”
Yun Cheng nodded, and watched as Qing Shi brought the gruel over to him. He took the gruel, and slightly started. His eyes fell upon Qing Shi’s face, as he took in her gentle smile, her bent brows, and the the brightness that came from the sun washing over her. Yun Cheng lost his senses for a moment.
When he placed the gruel to his lips, the light fragrance swirled about his nose. Yun Cheng laughed and then raised his head to drink some. Then, he extended his hand and lightly patted Qing Shi’s head.
—
Tonight, Yun Cheng dreamed of a very young Qing Shi. She was still a little girl that resembled a meatball. That year, his family suffered a reversal of good fortune, and he was sold to the Princess’s residence as a servant. The first time he saw Qing Shi was at night when the little Princess had snuck out to the pond to catch fireflies. She grabbed for them for a long time, but didn’t manage to catch any. When he reached his hand out, he grabbed a firefly and gave it to her. The big eyes on the round face of the little girl looked at him with admiration, as her chubby and pudgy lips yelled, “Oh oh!”
“Big brother is so amazing.”
Back when he owned property, he didn’t feel he was inferior to other people. He said, “They’re everywhere. It’s easy to catch them.”
The meatball princess clasped the firefly he had given her, as she muttered angrily, “Qing Shi can’t catch them!”
His heart softened, and he patted the princess’s head. “I’ll help you.”
After they caught a bag full of fireflies, Qing Shi began to laugh. Later, Yun Cheng thought, perhaps it had started then when he lost his resistance to that type of laugh.
Later, the servant who was waiting upon Qing Shi found her and scolded Yun Cheng, allowing him to say nothing in his defense.That servant had seniority over him, which meant that he could not rebut her. He became so flushed with anger that his face turned red. It was Qing Shi who bit that person, and stumbled along as she hugged his elbow. “Scold me! Qing Shi was wrong so scold me! Don’t bully big brother!”
Afterwards, he became the princess’s respected bodyguard. Qing Shi treated him differently from everyone else.In turn, he did all he could to make up for the difference between them, but no matter how hard he tried, he still fell short of her in an irrevokable way.
At daybreak, Qing Shi cooked some more gruel for him, and he silently drank it.
He wanted to use everything he had to make up for that deficiency. Even if the part that he wanted to make up for was only related to Qing Shi a tiny bit, to him, that tiny part was better than nothing.
Springtime left, as autumn settled in. The General became ill, and could not rise from his bed.
Concerned, the Emperor sent some imperial physicians over to take a look, but they all said the same thing. His qi was deficient and his body was weak. Everyone believed that Yun Cheng had really arrived at the end of his life. On the other hand, Yun Cheng didn’t feel this was anything bad. Everyday he got to sleep more, and thus he could dream of Qing Shi more. Even if their past was painful, after Yun Cheng woke up with a clear mind, he still felt their memories were full of happiness at their core.
Everyday, Qing Shi stayed next to his bed to serve him. On a day when the fragrance of some osmanthus flowers floated about in the breeze, Yun Cheng, who had been sleeping soundly, seemed to have a nightmare. He began to turn to and fro, his lips murmuring various words. Qing Shi moved closer and listened, faintly feeling him call her name, “Qing Shi, Qing Shi…”, as if he wanted to carve these words into his bones and ultimately, into his heart. Even if he died, he could not allow himself to forget those words.
Qing Shi sat there blankly, inadvertently noticing a flat wooden box by Yun Cheng’s pillow. He had never shared the same bed with her, so this was something Qing Shi had never noticed before. Her heart tensed, but in the end she curiously took the box out.
The face of the box was very glossy, like it had been caressed countless times. When she opened the little lock, there was a red silk cloth covering the bottom of the box, and there were only ten pieces of hair on top of the red cloth. They had been cherished by someone and they were rolled up together with red rope.
Qing Shi could not help but extend her hand and softly fondle the long hair. It appeared as if the hair had been there for many years. This hair was already somewhat dried up, but Qing Shi could imagine that this hair had been very beautiful at one point in time.
Translated by tranzgeek
Edited by Ely
MerakiTranslations 
Man this story it hurts so god QWQ
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sameee
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😭😭😭😭😭 yyyyyy!!!!!! 😵😵😵😵 just kill me!!!! Ur so evil yyyyyy!!!!
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Thank you for the chapters~
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