At the Lantern Festival, there were beautiful lanterns and various kinds of snacks. Yuxi looked at a booth with many people and asked, "Dage[1], Er Ge[2], what are they eating?"
Glutinous rice dumplings in sweet rice wine
Image credited to 依琴 via QQ.com (百果酒酿圆子，酒酿香甜，圆子小巧，光亮细腻糯软，百果馅心香甜, November 13th, 2018)
Image credited to 依琴 via QQ.com (百果酒酿圆子，酒酿香甜，圆子小巧，光亮细腻糯软，百果馅心香甜, November 13th, 2018)
"Glutinous rice dumpling in sweet rice wine?" Yuxi hadn't heard of it, but this didn't prevent her from trying it. "Dage[1],
Er Ge[2], let's try it too!"
As a result, this attempt was irremediable. Yuxi wanted to try every snack her eyes caught sight of, which made her taste many snacks, such as several thread eyebrow flaky pastries, three fillings lotus flaky pastry, crab meat-filled steamed bun, rolling donkey, pea flour cake, etc.
Yuxi muttered to herself, "I had lived in vain in my last life." She felt sad whenever she thought of her past. She didn't have many happy days back then.
When Han Jianming saw that Yuxi was having such a good time eating snacks, he smiled and advised, "Don't eat any more. You'll have indigestion if you eat too much. If you like to eat them, I'll let people buy them for you later. Now, let's go see the lantern boats." The lantern boat event was the liveliest moment at the festival.
Yuxi was going to walk there on her own, but Han Jianye grabbed her and held her up in his arms. "There will be many people around later on, so I will hold you for your safety," he said. Han Jianye was a martial artist, and his hands were very strong. Besides, she was not that heavy. So, holding her was not a big problem for him.
Hearing this, Yuxi smiled sweetly at him.
Not to mention Han Jianye even Han Jianming's mood grew better after seeing Yuxi's sweet smile. He said, "If you like it, I'll take you out again next year."
Yuxi was so delighted. "Okay! Thank you,
Dage[1]." In her previous life, she stayed at home every day and didn't know anything about the outside world. It would have been better if she still went out and looked at the world outside.
Immortal Old Man of Longevity with Immortal Peach(Great Birthday Party at Cooltron Group Shenzhen office, July 18th, 2016)
Han Jianye had beforehand asked his attendant to hold a favourable position for the best view of the boats for them. Once there, Yuxi looked at the lantern boats floating on a river by the city wall. They were built in different shapes, including Immortal Old Man of Longevity holding an Immortality Peach, water lilies with handwritten jin yu man tang[3] phrases, and animals in each colour, and each form[4] was also constructed.
Yuxi looked at a distant lantern boat built like a fairy palace, and music could also be heard coming from it. That boat was different from others as a live person was dancing on it, not just a design. She muttered, "Why is a female dancer dancing on that boat?"
Han Jianming answered with a smile, "Well, it happens that this kind of thing is getting popular."
They were excitedly watching the lantern boats when they suddenly heard someone screaming from the opposite river bank, followed by loud weeping and continuous cries for help. Those watching the lantern boats also started to rush in every direction. People could be seen surging around in chaos.
Then came the sound of people falling into the river. Splash! Splash!
Since both of the riverbanks were too far apart, everyone on one side couldn't see what had happened on the opposite riverbank. However, Yuxi caught sight of so many people who had fallen into the water, and she could not help but shiver. Even if she were in good health, she would still suffer a severe illness once she fell into the river, especially in this cold winter.
The people on this side of the riverbank also panicked when they heard the cry for help. Han Jianye hastily said, "Dage[1], let's hurry back!"
Han Jianming shook his head. "No, it's chaotic right now. The road must have somehow been blocked. It is better to find a safe place than leave immediately." This option was much safer for them.
Yuxi felt that her
Dage[1] thought much more thoroughly than her
Er Ge[2], who was somewhat inferior.
A group of people had chosen to stay safe inside a rouge shop nearby. At this time, there were already many people inside, which showed that many people shared the same ideas.
Han Jianming didn't care either way. He found a corner where no one was standing and said to one of his attendants, "Go and find out what happened just now across the river."
While Yuxi hastily said to Han Jianye, "Er Ge[2], please let me down!" Just now, when an accident happened on the opposite riverbank, Han Jianye immediately picked her up, making her very irritated.
The attendant who went to inquire about the news soon returned. They finally knew why there was chaos across the river. It turned out that the 10th Prince had secretly come out of the palace to see lantern boats and eventually met an assassin.
Yuxi was stunned. The 10th Prince was Yuchen's future husband and future Emperor. It was unexpected that he would come to see the lanterns and meet the assassins that day.
Han Jianming's face was a bit ugly. "Is the 10th Prince all right?"
The attendant nodded. "10th Prince is alright. I heard he was just frightened." The 10th Prince might have escaped the disaster, but the ordinary people around him couldn't even save their lives.
Meanwhile, Han Jianye was concerned about another thing. "Has the assassin been caught?"
The attendant shook his head as he answered, "I don't know."
Han Jianming whispered, "I'm afraid there will be another storm." The 9th Prince and the 10th Prince were all born by Song Guifei[5]. The Emperor also deeply favoured her, so the Song family now held great power in the Imperial Court. The assassination attempt on the 10th Prince was bound to set off another massive storm once this news reached the palace.
Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, Yuxi hastily said, "Fortunately, we are not across the river today. Otherwise, we will certainly suffer too." She said this intentionally to change the subject, not that she wasn't aware of this specific incident, merely that she found this situation odd.
Han Jianye nodded. "That's true. If someone falls into the water, that person will have a severe illness."
Han Jianming was not worried about his own family. His father was currently not in the Imperial Court, and his second maternal uncle, who had an official position, was also assigned outside the capital. They would not be dragged into any significant conflict inside the Imperial Court.
Less than half an hour later, the people outside had all started to disperse. Han Jianming took Yuxi out of the rouge shop to find his carriage.
"Jianming
Biaoge[6], wait a minute." As they walked along the road, they suddenly heard someone calling.
Yuxi's ears were very sharp. Just by hearing this voice, she immediately knew it belonged to Yun Qing and turned muddleheaded. She did not understand why she kept meeting him when the capital was even this huge as they were fated to meet.
As they approached, they discovered that Yun Qing was holding a girl. The girl looked as if she were asleep.
Han Jianye was somewhat surprised and asked, "Whose girl are you holding in your arm?"
Yun Qing shook his head. "I don't know. I caught sight of one crafty-looking[7] guy carrying this girl in his arms. At that time, it was chaotic, and since I couldn't do anything, I started to follow that man. When questioned, the man was indeed a kidnapper and tried to take advantage of the chaos to kidnap this little girl."
Yuxi felt that her eyes must have been blind. The Murderous Devil from the rumour unexpectedly just saved a life. This situation had changed her view of him from his fearsome reputation.
When Han Jianming saw that they were having a conversation, he noticed that the little girl still had not woken up, so he immediately asked, "Has this little girl been drugged?'
Yun Qing stopped Han Jianming's further questioning to ask for his help. "I don't know. She was already unconscious when I saw her. Ming
Biaoge[6], do you think I can put her in your carriage?" Yun Qing rode a horse when he left his house. It was no problem for him to ride alone, but bringing an unconscious girl was inconvenient.
Han Jianming nodded. "Okay."
Yuxi carefully looked at the little girl in Yun Qing's arms. The little girl looked about six or seven years old. She was wearing a pink rose-scented golden brocade dress. The jewellery she wore was also exquisite. Yuxi knew at a glance that she was a child from a wealthy family. No wonder Yun Qing could quickly conclude that the man holding the little girl was a human trader.
Yuxi's mind started to turn as she said, "Dage[1], it is inconvenient for Yun Qing
Biaoge[6] to bring along a little girl with him. Why don't we take her back to our residence and ask a physician to check on her?"
Han Jianye didn't know that Yuxi could be this warm-hearted, though he also thought her idea was good. He immediately asked for Yun Qing's opinion.
Yun Qing didn't have that much thought on the matter. He just assumed that Yuxi had just suddenly overflowed with compassion. He nodded. "This is just right. I'm separated from my
Biaodi[8]. I have to find him." Jiang Hongfu had his family to protect him, so Yun Qing was not worried about his safety. What he was afraid of was his
Biaodi[8] being concerned about him.
Having settled the matter, Han Jianming left two attendants to see if anyone would come back to look for the child. If there was, they should immediately be taken directly to the Duke of the State's official residence.
Qiu Shi heard the news that an accident happened at the lantern festival, and many people died. At that time, she almost passed out of fear. However, she managed to send out a group of people to inquire more about the news.
Mama Li lifted the curtain and looked at Qiu Shi, who was over-worrying. She felt this was not good, so she said, "My Lady, I just got the exact news. Both Master
Shizi[9] and Second Young Master are alright. My Lady doesn't have to worry so much about it anymore."
Qiu Shi still couldn't believe the news. She had to ask, "Really?"
Mama Li nodded. "It's absolutely true. I have been told that Master
Shizi[9] and the others will be home soon."
When Han Jianming finally arrived at the Duke of the State's official residence, he asked a strong old woman to hold the unconscious little girl. Before, he couldn't do anything when the little girl was in Yun Qing's arms. However, now that they were in a public place, for the little girl's reputation, it wasn't good for him to let any other male carry her.
Han Jianming ordered his attendants, "Send for a physician immediately." The girl hadn't woken up yet, which was troubling.
When Qiu Shi saw Han Jianming coming back with a little girl, she was shocked that she asked, "What's wrong with this girl?" It was impossible to fall asleep in this situation. The only explanation was something had happened to the little girl.
Han Jianming replied, "It was a mess just now. A child kidnapper took the opportunity to kidnap this girl. Fortunately, he met Eldest Brother Yun, and it was he who had saved her. Mother, don't worry; I have already asked for a physician."
Qiu Shi cried a prayer, 'Merciful Buddha', then hurriedly asked the old woman to put the little girl on the bed.
The physician soon came. After making some diagnosis, he asked them the cause. When he heard their answers, he said, "This girl has been drugged." Once he had said that, he took out a small blue porcelain bottle from his medicine cabinet. He opened the lid and put it under the little girl's nose.
Yuxi smelled a pungent smell.
Although she didn't know what was inside the little bottle, she knew it had a remarkable effect as she saw the little girl quickly open her eyes.
The little girl was shocked to find so many people around her. She thought she had been captured by the kidnapper, so she cried in horror, "Who are you?"
"Jiejie[10], this is Duke Han of the State's official residence," Yuxi quickly answered.
When the little girl heard it was the Duke of the State's official residence, she asked incredulously, "Is this really the Duke Han of the State's residence?" Not that she didn't believe it, but what she saw before she became unconscious was a scoundrel.
Yuxi responded with a smile, "Jiejie[10], rest assured. The kidnapper has been caught.
Jiejie[10], where is your home?"
The little girl looked at Yuxi's clothes and the furnishings in the room. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Did you save me?"
Yuxi did not dare to take credit for it. "No, it was Yun Qing
Biaoge[6] who had saved
Jiejie[10]. We met him on the way and brought
Jiejie[10] here."
Qiu Shi felt that Yuxi had talked for a long time without getting to the point. "Little girl, can you tell this aunt about your parents? I'll send a letter to them, or they'll be distraught." She was also a mother. If she knew her child had been lost, she couldn't say how worried she would be!
The little girl hurriedly said, "My name is Duan Xinrong. My grandfather is the Right Imperial Censor of the Capital Censorate."
The Right Imperial Censor of the Capital Censorate was a second-rank senior official. It wasn't complicated for Qiu Shi to understand the situation. So, she immediately ordered people to send letters to the Duan family home.
Footnotes Full List
- eldest brother
- er=second, ge=older brother, short form for Gege
- Chinese phrase: may gold and jade fill your house (hall)
- Chinese idiom: Variety / diverse / in all kind
- noble consort
- elder male cousin from mother's side
- Chinese idiom: shifty-eyed - having the appearance of being dishonest, esp as signified by a lack of eye contact
- younger male cousin from mother's side
- an heir of a noble family
- older sister and sometimes used informally to call an older female
Noob Translator's Musing
Currently, I keep on playing this song on my phone.
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi