《一世真》中英翻译 CH.4
原文章节 点我
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Lin Shu has taken an uncanny interest in this Mei Changsu character. He always manages to mention his name in conversation in the most casual way, then proceeds to probe for more information, “So when and how did you two meet? Does he know when your birthday is?”
Jingyan is totally bewildered. “Why does it matter? I think he knows,” he replies nonchalantly, watching Lin Shu practice his sword moves from the window.
“Does he know what your favorite dessert is?”
“Yeah.”
Silent, Lin Shu chops off several branches of a plum tree with a violent swing of his sword. A new servant is about to move forward to tell him to be careful, only to be grabbed roughly by an old butler-- 'Shh, don't ever say anything against Young master Lin's wishes, he can chop off all the plum trees and our Prince will let him.'
“But he has also told me something else,” Jingyan lowers his voice mysteriously, luring Lin Shu to abandon his sword and come to the window. He told Lin Shu about the murder case in the Lan Yuan mansion.
“I'll take the matter to Brother Qi,” Lin Shu exclaims, indignant.
“Xiaoshu, do you really want Brother Qi to handle this?”
Stunned momentarily, Lin Shu quickly realizes what Jingyan means-- if Prince Qi were to handle the case, he would submit all the necessary evidence to the Ministry of Justice, which no doubt would implicate many officials in various areas of the court. Once they are removed for questioning, the vacancies cannot be filled quickly enough; blowing up the case to such proportions would no doubt anger the emperor.
“I see,” says Lin Shu after a short pause, smiling assuringly, “Don't worry, I have my ways.”
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The Mu residence is rather lively this month because Princess Nihuang has returned to the capital with her five-year-old brother Mu Qing. The young boy is such a gem, his innocence so pure that everyone flocks to him in affection. Even the normally recalcitrant son of Marquis Yan cannot stop teasing him.
“Mu Qing right?”
“Who are you..?”
“I am brother Yujin, of the Yan family.”
“That's a really long name…”
“Oh but your name is so pretty!”
“Really??” Mu Qing perks up instantly at the praise, raising his head with a bright smile.
“Mu Qing means to be admired and love by everyone!”
“...Really?”
“Really really!” Yujin snatches the chance to grab Mu Qing tightly to plant several wet smoothes all over his chubby face. The young boy now realizes that he's been teased rather badly, so starts protesting in the only way he knows-- he howls in tears.
The Mu residence is bustling with servants trying to get ready for a family banquet at night, so no one notices when Lin Shu sneaks in from the side door.
“Aren't you two bored in the house? Why don't I take you outside and we can go to the market?”
Mu Qing glances at Lin Shu hopefully, savior!!
“We can go grab some food~~”
Mu Qing’s eyes glitter with want.
“And I'll teach you how to get past the guards to sneak out!” Lin Shu lays down the final blow.
“Yes yes, let's go now!!” Yujin throws his arms up in support.
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“Your Highness, the capital guards have been dispatched,” Prince Jing's vice commander Lie Zhanying reports.
“Oh, how come?”
“Marquis Yan's son and the young prince Mu Qing somehow got lost near the abandoned Lan Yuan mansion. The capital guards are looking for them, even Prince Yu have sent his men to help.”
“Of course Prince Yu would jump at the chance to curry a favor of the Mu family,” Jingyan scoffs with disdain.
“Vice commander Lin Shu is taking the two children around the market, so they are safe and away from the commotion,” Zhanying adds in a low voice.
“Excellent.”
Without the bloodshed of the Chiyan army, Xie Yu in this life is not a high-ranking marquis yet, so he does not have control over the capital guards. With Prince Yu's men involved now, Xie Yu has no means to protect the officials guilty of murder. Even though unveiling the case now does not have nearly the same impact as ten years later, Jingyan cannot stand by and risk more girls dying in the scheme.
“Now Prince Yu can search Lan Yuan mansion thoroughly with the excuse of looking for young prince Mu Qing, and he would be the one submitting the case to the emperor. No one would ever think to trace it back to us,” Zhanying says happily, “Good thing we have Vice Commander Lin on our side, Your Highness will be less burdened.”
“He isn't,” Jingyan whispers.
“Pardon?”
“...Nothing, you may go.”
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Things are moving swiftly. The Lan Yuan mansion is sealed off for inspection, soon several female corpses are dug out from a dried well. In his fury, His Majesty orders the Ministry of Justice an immediate and thorough investigation, and soon enough a commoner comes to the magistrate bearing a list of officials who used to frequent the mansion in secret.
While the entire capital is in an uproar over this scandal, the kids who instigated the the whole incident are safely tucked away in Prince Jing's residence.
“ 'M tellin' ya, I spoil y'all too much,” Lin Shu squeezes his words out, muffled by too many cookies in his mouth, “as soon as I got to the market, I bought an entire basket full of your favorite snacks.”
Jingyan nods in agreement; it's truly been a long time since he has had those treats. After the Chiyan tragedy, he avoided anything that could have reminded him of Lin Shu, including the capital itself. But after he lost Mei Changsu, he also lost the freedom to leave this very city.
“Lin Shu-gege, stop lying through your teeth, you had no idea I would come today! All those treats are just for Jingyan-gege, I don't like anything in here!” Nihuang protests.
“How am I lying? Both Jingyan and I are here in his house, so I bet you would come too, right?”
Jingyan watches silently as Nihuang and Lin Shu have their heads together, squabbling about nonsense, a dull ache throbs in his heart.
“Oy, Lin Shu-gege, what about that pigeon egg-sized pearl you said you'd show me?”
“What? Oh right, Jingyan, where's my pigeon egg?” Lin Shu turns accusing eyes to the other boy.
“......”
“You forgot?” he grabs the pastry Jingyan is about to eat from his hands and shoves it violently into his own mouth, “Come Nihuang, let's go have a spar outside, let him starve!”
“...But Lin Shu-gege, you left the treats inside, how are you going to starve him?” Nihuang laughs in amusement.
“I shall forbid him to eat them!” his voice shouts from the courtyard, just as Jingyan bites into the next piece of pastry with a satisfying crunch.
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That pearl is in the cabinet, the same place where it waited for its recipient for thirteen years. It rightly belongs to Xiaoshu, but for some unnamed reason, every time Jingyan takes it out to give it to him, he cannot bear to part with it. It has experienced too much through the years with him.
Sometimes when Jingyan sees it, he thinks of the past, of the people in the past.
--Those who have only existed in the past.
