T/N: In case you forgot, Li Yanzhen is the emperor’s name, and Xu Tong is the guy they were betting against in the casino. Please ask me if you wish to repost this translation on another site.
Chen Siheng’s stance seemed to imply that he was intending to perish together with this enemy. Light reflected in a sharp glint off the dagger in his hand as it stabbed towards Chu Mingyun viciously.
Chu Mingyun turned his head, and squeezing Chen Siheng’s hand, he shoved him away with ease. Chen Siheng fell heavily to the ground, his dagger dropped out of his hand and fell far away, but he didn’t even look at it. As soon as he got up he lunged towards Chu Mingyun again and flailed indiscriminately towards him. He actually snapped Chu Mingyun’s hair tie abruptly. Long crow-coloured hair immediately scattered over his shoulders.
”Tsk.” Chu Mingyun ran out of patience and threw him to the ground. He lifted his foot and stepped on the shoulder of Chen Siheng, who was struggling to get up but couldn’t move anymore.
”Brat, what are you trying to do?” Chu Mingyun’s eyes scanned him.
Chen Siheng’s eyes were reddened, and in a voice so loud it resembled a roar: “You killed her! You killed her!”
”Oh,” Chu Mingyun sneered, “Before you even grow up, you’ve become muddled by infatuation with pretty ladies?”
”She saved me! Only her!” Chen Siheng was already in tears, “You said that you were colleagues of my grandfather, said you’ll take care of matters for me, but where were you when my family was ruined? Only her! It was only her who saved me from the fire!”
”If she didn’t cause your family’s ruin, would you even need her to rescue you?” Chu Mingyun said coldly.
”You’re speaking nonsense!” Chen Siheng glared at him, “As if I’d believe what you say!”
Su Shiyu walked over, looked down at him and said, “Earlier you said, that it was Miss Jingshu who went into the fire to rescue you?”
”Yes! “
”Then do you remember, how you described it to us at the Red Sleeve House? “Su Shiyu said.
Chen Siheng was suddenly speechless.
Su Shiyu then said slowly: “She said, you escaped from the house by yourself, and then fainted in front of her carriage.” He gazed downward at Chen Siheng, and continued: “There’s something wrong about Miss Jingshu, you’re aware of it in your heart, aren’t you?”
Chen Siheng remained silent.
”You deliberately ignore and avoid it, because you are afraid that once you figure it out, you would no longer have anyone to rely on?”
This man’s voice was so gentle, and each word broke the self-deception that he used to go on living. Chen Siheng closed his eyes, and lay back on the ground as if sapped of strength. Tears slid off his pale cheeks, and fell to the ground.
Chu Mingyun lowered his eyes to look at him and said abruptly, “One more thing, when did we say we decide matters for you?”
Chen Siheng opened his eyes and looked at him, startled.
”Brat, how old are you?” Chu Mingyun asked.
”Fifteen.”
”Fifteen…?” Chu Mingyun leaned down slightly and looked Chen Siheng in the eye, his loose hair spreading to cover his expression. Su Shiyu could only see his eyes, clear and bright under the dawning sky. His tone was completely flat and even, and he said without emotion: “So what if you’re fifteen, from the moment your home and family was ruined, you were no longer a child. You can no longer think about relying on someone, you have to stand up for yourself. Your family’s blood feud, if you don’t clear it, are you waiting for someone to do it for you?”
”…But what can I do?” Chen Siheng choked up, “I don’t know anything, anyone can kill easily. I, how can I take revenge?”
”What are you being humble for,” Chu Mingyun raised his hand to sweep his hair to the back and said coldly, “Don’t you still have the stupidity that you just wanted to kill me with?”
”…Master Chu.” Su Shiyu couldn’t help but say.
Chu Mingyun turned his head and smiled at Su Shiyu, then cast his gaze over the Chen Siheng beneath his foot and said, “Okay, who are you still keeping this half-dead look for? I will raise you on behalf of Chen Xuanwen, but I don’t care about everything else. What to learn, finding who to take revenge on, you make that decision yourself. “He paused and added,”But if you use that hot-blooded head to come at me again, I’ll break your legs, alright? “
The boy’s slight rebellious mentality was finally induced by Chu Mingyun, Chen Siheng stared at him vigilantly, “You said that Sister Jingshu saved me to harm me, so why should I believe you? How do I know that you’re not trying to use me too?”
Chu Mingyun looked at him unhurriedly from head to toe, “What about you do you think is useful to me?”
Chen Siheng ignored his words, only gritting his teeth and asked persistently, “Why should I believe you?”
Chu Mingyun finally lost his patience, “Believe it if you like to. If you don’t believe me, you can just lie here and wait for the wolves to pick at you.” After saying that, he lifted his foot, turned and left.
Chen Siheng couldn’t react for a while.
Su Shiyu couldn’t help smiling slightly, raised his hand and grabbed Chu Mingyun’s arm to stop him. He turned his head to Chen Siheng who was still lying on the ground and said, “Do you recognize who he is?”
Chen Siheng shook his head confusedly.
”Then do you know the General Chu who repelled the Huns?”
Chen Siheng nodded confusedly, but halfway through a nod, he suddenly froze , seeming to understand something, and stared at Chu Mingyun’s figure in shock.
Su Shiyu smiled faintly: “Even if he adopts you with the intention to use you, aren’t you able to use him more? You don’t know martial arts now, but don’t you plan to learn?”
Chen Siheng got up and looked at the two of them hesitantly. “But he clearly said he doesn’t care…”
Su Shiyu smile deepened, “I guess if you can bother him to irritation, there may likely be a point at which that changes.”
”Master Su…” Chu Mingyun looked at him with a complicated expression.
”But he…”
”He didn’t break your leg just now, right?” Su Shiyu smiled, “Aren’t you coming over?”
Chen Siheng hesitated in walking over.
Su Shiyu looked at the sky and sighed slightly: “In a while, he and I still have to attend morning court. If you delay any longer, then there really will be no chance.”
Chen Siheng hurriedly followed and looked at Chu Mingyun’s side profile uneasily, “Chu…”
Chu Mingyun cast an uncaring glance at him, then his gaze swept over Su Shiyu, who was smiling broadly, and walked away.
In the end, Chu Mingyun placed Chen Siheng in a quiet house outside the city. He hurriedly tied his hair, changed his clothes, and went to enter the palace.
The fragrance of imperial incense wafted from the burner, and the calls of orioles had yet to cease. Ten thousand arrival bells sounded in the palace, and a thousand officials gathered round the insignia flags on the jade podium1.
Eternal Joy Casino had been sealed for investigation, but no traces of third-party forces suspected by Chu Mingyun and Su Shiyu had yet to be found. Chen Siheng’s case was only known to the two of them. Therefore, High Official Lu Shi of the Ministry of Justice was the one appropriate to report the handling of the casino case to the Emperor in the Golden Palace. The only suspicious point in this case, is that the building was clearly opulent and prosperous, and yet there was no vault stored with money.
After listening, Li Yanzhen complimented his efforts and showed appreciation according to the usual practice, simply saying that they could continue to investigate slowly.
However one looked at it, it seemed to be just an ordinary case, but only few people knew of the undercurrents beneath it.
After court was dimissed, Chu Mingyun stepped out of the Golden Palace. Xu Yin hastily followed, and respectfully said: “Master Chu.”
“En.” Chu Mingyun glanced at him, “Need something?”
”This…” Xu Yin gave an embarassed smile. “It’s not anything important. My son has always been accustomed to troublemaking, and this humble official never thought this time he would even go to this sort of place, and was even implicated and imprisoned…”
Chu Mingyun waited for him to finish speaking.
”Although he can be released in a few days’ time, this humble official only has this one son, who hasn’t experienced suffering since he was young. Also, because my old mother loves her grandson, she couldn’t sleep all night after hearing about this matter last night…” After speaking for so long and watching Chu Mingyun’s indifferent expression, Xu Yin finally got to the point, “I heard that Master Chu also contributed a lot to the Eternal Joy Casino case. This humble official thus wishes to plead Your Excellency to make an exception, and see if it’s possible for that unfilial son of mine to be released earlier.”
Chu Mingyun suddenly smiled and said, “Your son said he wants to sleep with me. Did you know this?”
Xu Yin’s face changed suddenly, and in his panic dared not look at him, and said, “This…this is truly,.. this humble official will surely discipline him another day, I still hope Your Excellency will be magnanimous.”
Chu Mingyun mockingly laughed and said coldly: “You don’t have to scared to this extent. I don’t intend to kill him just for this one word.” He said with a light tone. After a pause, his smile slowly deepened and said: “But don’t the books also say, if the child is raised without teaching, it’s the father’s fault.”
Xu Yin said hurriedly: “Yes, what Your Excellency said is right, this humble official was incompetent in educating…”
”I’m not talking about this,” Chu Mingyun said slowly, taking a step forward and staring at him: “Although I usually don’t care about how you talk about me in private, it is still better to act a bit proper after all. Since I am a man of such unpredictable moods, don’t you agree?” He stretched the last syllable slightly, with a faint amusement. Xu Yin’s back was soaked in cold sweat for an instant, and he dared not respond.
Chu Mingyun retracted his gaze and walked away. During this conversation of his, Su Shiyu had already walked a few feet away from the side, and Chu Mingyun called out as he tried to catch up, “Master Su.”
” Master Su?” He raised his voice slightly and called out twice, but Su Shiyu kept heading forward.
Chu Mingyun raised his eyebrows slightly and stretched his tone of voice: “Baobei’er–“
Su Shiyu turned around, looked at him somewhat helplessly and said, “Is there something Master Chu needs?”
“I didn’t even pick a fuss with you over the matter with Chen Siheng, so why are you still keeping me at an arm’s length? “Chu Mingyun keep up with him side by side to go out, “After what happened last night, couldn’t you and I be considered to have some friendly relations? “
Strolled through a brothel together and shut down a casino, this was beyond having some friendly relations.
Su Shiyu smiled faintly, “Master Chu, what do you want to say?”
” Why don’t you and I have a good chat, talk about the past, and confide in each other.” Chu Mingyun pondered briefly, “Doesn’t Master Su think you and I are well-matched?”
”… …” Su Shiyu said, “Last night you didn’t sleep all night , it’s better for Master Chu to return to his residence and rest.”
The author has something to say:
Su Shiyu: “Wash up and sleep.”
T/N: Thought this was going to be a simple chapter to translate, took even longer than the previous chapter ORZ. Acquired an adopted child, check. This is starting to resemble Word Of Honor/ Tian Ya Ke a bit.
1. 御炉浮香，莺啭未央。金阙晓钟开万户，玉阶仙仗拥千官。This actually stumped me a bit because the author used different words for the first verse (matching phrases highlighted in blue), but this is actually a reference to the poem 《奉和中书舍人贾至早朝大明宫》by Cen Shen. The poem is in seven-character-verse ode-style, and the original verse goes: 鸡鸣紫陌曙光寒，莺啭皇州春色阑。金阙晓钟开万户，玉阶仙仗拥千官。Note that the last two verses are the same, but instead of talking about the spring scenery and the cold light of early morning, the author used four character verses to talk about the imperial incense and the call of orioles. Because the call of orioles has yet to stop, spring is not over. I can’t remember if the earlier chapters mentioned that the current season is spring, but I’ll edit this if that is the case.