一只MarMar酱

(我说了二十四小时以内放出来吧 看我多守信，这还有两小时呢 o_o) 

前几章有位细心的小天使说故事应该放到外网的，其实一直都有在AO3上同步更新的，内容一模一样滴，不过因为是面向英文同僚的，所以很多章都有附加的注解，比如人名啦，比较细小的剧情啦什么的，毕竟如果看剧的时候对中文不是特别熟悉很多细节可能会漏掉。

愿意到AO3看的请走 这里。

貌似也有从AO3上过来捧场的看官哦，欢迎各种勾搭哈！！

然后特别欣喜地发现已经百粉了好开心啊！！！虽然跟圈里各位资深大大简直不能比，但是对于我个人还是一个非常特殊的事情啦！一开始翻译的时候真的就是为了分享这篇写得非常用心非常细致的好文，最开始的读者也只有几个朋友而已，没有想到会得到这么多的喜爱，真的谢谢大家！！每次看到小红心小蓝手跟评论都好开心，顿时就有动力去翻下一章啦！↖(^ω^)↗

越翻越是深觉翻译这活儿真不是人干的 这是我首次译如此长篇的fiction, 从中真的学到了不少的东西；不仅是对原文需要有很深刻的理解，对于英文的遣词造句语法润色之类也要有细致入微的钻研。然而译了一大堆以后 发现字里行间完全是我平时写作的风格（摊手。。）顿悟。。。与其说翻译是技术活，不如说是创作~~ 

以后再也不给自己挖这种坑了

不过要是大家看得开心，我也比什么都高兴 ^___^

（你问我有百粉福利吗，额，亲们想要什么就说吧！）

废话完毕，这里是 原文章节

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It is the New Year's banquet today. Nobles and other esteemed guests are slowly trickling into the palace shortly after noon.

 

Ever since their first encounter in the House of Mu, Yujin has been obsessed with teasing the young Mu Qing. Now whenever the other boy sees him, he runs with all his might in the opposite direction. As Mu Qing is focused on getting away from his tormentor, he sees a small figure by a plum tree and suddenly remembers that it is the young son of Prince Qi. He squeals in delight for having found someone even younger than himself, and rushes over to make friends with the bored-looking boy. In all honesty, Tingsheng has no desire to engage in any kind of conversation with Mu Qing, yet the other boy is persistent and even offers to share cookies with him. Annoyed with the incessant yapping to his ears, Tingsheng finally caves.

 

They are interrupted in the middle of a game by an unfamiliar-looking maid who says to Mu Qing that the Noble Consort Yue would like to invite him to her residence to try some pastries from her Southern hometown. She chuckles when she sees powdered sugar covering the boy's face from hastily stuffing cookies into his mouth, and takes out her handkerchief to gently wipe away the residues.

 

Mu Qing, who is already thrilled that his sister is coming soon to visit, practically jumps up at the mention of flavors from home. He turns around and shoves the rest of the uneaten cookies into Tingsheng's arms, and skips away with that maid to Noble Consort Yue's place.

 

No one has noticed that Tingsheng's eyes were trained on embroidery of the maid's handkerchief, a cold glint in his eyes.

 

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Before the banquet, the emperor is chatting in a casual audience with his sons in the reception hall. When Tingsheng enters the room with his nanny, everyone's attention turns to him as the princes all come over to ruffle his hair. The boy bows a proper courtesy to each of his uncles, but then pauses abruptly when he reaches Jingyan.

 

Prince Yu and Prince Xian cannot even hide their amused smirk at the child's obvious bewilderment. Prince Yu tugs Tingsheng closer with one arm affectionately, laughing, “What's wrong? It's your Uncle Jingyan!”

 

Jingyan crouches down to meet the eyes of the child who is been raised with so much love this time, and forces his face into a bittersweet smile, “Do you still remember me?”

 

Tingsheng shakes his head and quickly ducks behind Prince Yu. Jingyan's outstretched hand freezes in midair.

 

Prince Yu suppresses a pleased grin and chastises, “Hey, do not be rude to your Uncle Jingyan.”

 

“It's ok. I have not gone to visit him often, it's no wonder he does not remember me,” Jingyan says, trying to hide the sharp disappointment coiling in his belly.

 

Prince Xian chimes in, “Yeah, Jingyan, you've been soooo busy lately that you rarely visit any of us anymore.”

 

Tingsheng's lips quiver briefly and he runs towards the emperor with a distressed expression.

 

The emperor takes one look at the boy's red face and picks him up easily, laughing, “Now now, who dared to upset our little Prince? Granddaddy will punish them for you!”

 

His eyes fall on Jingyan's awkward expression and he instantly comes to a conclusion. His heart gives a satisfied leap at the realization that Jingyan has been estranged from Prince Qi to such an extent that even the little boy doesn't recognize him. Yet he says with mock reprimand, “You are right, your Uncle Jingyan is always so stern and scary. Now granddaddy shall punish him!” then proceeds to give Jingyan a few slaps, causing a round of laughter from his audience.

 

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“This way, Princess,” gestures a maid towards Noble Consort Yue's residence, “Our Lady has recently received some baked goods from the South and has invited the young prince Mu Qing to come and have a taste, knowing that His Highness must miss home from being in the capital for so long. My Lady has gone to the banquet so she has bid me to ask Your Highness to pick him up.”

 

“That's fine. My brother is young and might have imposed on Her Highness,” Nihuang says.

 

“My Lady has also said that since the night is cold, we would be delighted to offer Your Highness a drink to warm up,” continues the maid.

 

“I am still in mourning and cannot linger for long.”

 

“Actually...My Lady has a favor to ask Your Highness regarding her hometown in the South. She would like to arrange for a meeting tonight.”

 

Nihuang hesitates for a brief moment then nods, “I see, then please lead the way.”

 

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Since Princess Nihuang is still in mourning for her father, she cannot attend the banquet, and would likely return to the South immediately afterwards to take care of the aftermath of the battles against Chu. The only chance to get her would be tonight, when she is in the palace visiting her brother Mu Qing.

 

The maid leaves to inform her mistress after she has settled the Princess in Noble Consort Yue's residence. When she passes through the Imperial Gardens, a small figure on the bridge catches her eye. It's the young son of Prince Qi.

 

She is in a lighthearted mood: she has done her job to lure both Mu Qing and Princess Nihuang into the trap, and secured a bottle of the aphrodisiac “Qing Si Rao” for the Noble Consort. Now all there is to do is to wait until the Princess drinks the liquor and falls into the awaiting arms of the man they arranged. The maid cheers internally at the successful plot, her mind filled with happy thoughts of New Year’s celebrations with friends. So when she sees Tingsheng all by himself, dressed like an exquisite doll, she cannot resist the urge to pick him up.

 

“How come you are here all by yourself, Your Highness?” inquires the maid, pinching Tingsheng’s chubby cheeks.

 

“I got lost and can't find my nanny. You are a maid from the Royal Tailors right?” asks the innocent boy.

 

She startles in surprise; there are hundreds of maids in the palace, even the guards cannot tell them apart, how is it that a mere kid recognized her right away?

 

“Cookie,” Tingsheng shoves a plum cookie into the maid's mouth. She smiles at the crumbs on the boy’s face and wipes it away with her handkerchief.

 

“Thank you, Your Highness,” she swallows the treat.

 

“Do you like me?” Tingsheng asks, his eyes glittering in the night.

 

“Of course! If I may be so bold as to say that I wish I had a brother as adorable as Your Highness is!” she gives him a huge smile.

 

“Oh? I bet all of you like me because I am Prince Qi's son,” mumbles the boy as he twists her handkerchief between his little fingers, apparently quite taken with it, “If I was the son of a prisoner, born in the servant's prison, you'd be walking all over me.”

 

“......Why do you say that, Your Highness?”

 

“You are one of the Hua people, right?” the boy's casual statement sends a sharp chill down her spine. He fixes her with his bright and angelic eyes, yet something in them causes cold sweat to break out on her back in the wintry night. In front of this three-year-old who cannot even harm a fly, the maid feels like drowning in fear.

 

“Where did Your Highness hear that?” she inquires in an unsteady voice.

 

“That embroidery on your handkerchief-- it's a pattern favored by many Hua girls. Tell me, the person who taught you the embroidery, was it Princess Xuanji or Princess Linglong?” 

 

“Wh--what? What Princess? I have never heard of those names...Your Highness must be tired, please return to the banquet,” now she is truly terrified, her voice trembling as she tries to walk away, only to have her legs give out and she grabs onto the railings for support.

 

No wonder she is so appalled; only someone who is intimately familiar with the Hua people would know such a detail.

 

Last life, eleven years after Jingyan had ascended the throne, there was a terrifying incident that shook the entire kingdom. During the Autumn Hunt, Jingyan was shot by a poisoned arrow, and the assassins turned out to be some of the Hua extremists that he mercifully pardoned years prior. The arrow was precariously close to the his heart, and the poison fatal. If Master Lin of the Langya Hall had not arrived in time to treat the injuries, Tingsheng would have lost the only family he had in the world.

 

After Jingyan's close encounter with death, Tingsheng had taken upon himself to identify and expel every Hua person he could find from the capital. In the process, he read every report documenting their customs and history, including the role of Princess Xuanji in the Chiyan conspiracy. 

 

So when that maid took out her handkerchief to help Mu Qing earlier, Tingsheng immediately recognized the embroidery as a traditional Hua pattern. He does not know who is behind the plot to harm Princess Nihuang, but even if it isn't the Hua people, this girl's involvement is undeniable.

 

“If harm comes to Princess Nihuang in the capital, not only would Lin Shu investigate it thoroughly, that person would also feel guilty for not having protected her,” says the boy, the cold in his voice a sharp contrast to his childish and chubby appearance, “I can understand your scheming for your own benefit, but how dare you pollute his sight with such sordid and underhanded dealings!”

 

His voice lowers to a whisper, “The only solution is your death.”

 

Suddenly a group of guards led by Prince Jing are rounding the corner with torches in hand, shouting Tingsheng's name.

 

“Do you know why I bothered to tell you this much?” Tingsheng smiles up to the girl who is completely frozen in shock, “ 'Cuz I was waiting for him! I was waiting for him to come looking for me! I've been away from the banquet for too long; even if His Majesty and the Empress Dowager have not noticed, he would surely worry and personally come with a search party.”

 

“You...you mean Prince Jing, not Prince Qi??” stutters the maid, now more than ever terrified.

 

“Oh yeah, pity you realized it too late,” the boy has a beatific smile on his angelic face, “the cookie you just ate was poisoned, so since you are gonna die anyway, might as well make the most of it.”

 

“Wh...what??”

 

“I mean, you are about to push me into the pond,” Tingsheng tips himself over the railing and falls into the frigid water below with a high-pitched scream of help.

 

With his fall, all the Imperial Guards would be on high alert, which would nicely prevent that man arranged by Noble Consort Yue from entering the palace; Princess Nihuang would be safe. The maid notices at the last moment before Tingsheng hits the water that the child still has her handkerchief tightly clasped in his hands; she wants to snatch it, but her entire body is petrified.

 

The splash resonates in the quiet night and all the guards are attracted to the site.

 

With a horrified shout of Tingsheng's name, Jingyan tosses aside his cape and jumps into the water after the child, Commander Nie Feng's warning a useless afterthought behind him.