Green Dragon Totem Chapter 5 Part2

Ma Xin: "…"

Ma Xin went crazy in an instant.

"Back off! Everyone back off!" Ma Xin's screech was higher-pitched than his previous shouts by at least an octave: "n.o.body is allowed to fire arrows, back off!!"

Although the guards did not know why, they still moved back immediately, and the encirclement immediately expanded by half a zhang1. Ma Xin stood at the front of the crowd glaring at Shan Chao, almost describable as 'fl.u.s.tered and exasperated', yet he was unable to make even a complete sentence: "Wild monk, if you can even walk out of here today, little old me2 would take you and…"

"Commander Xie would not forgive you." That woman suddenly said, her gaze intent on Ma Xin: "Although I am a prisoner of the Xie manor, yet if I were to die here, Commander Xie would not forgive you either."

Ma Xin started.

Then, his eyes lit up with an expression of realisation, and his ruthless tone was abruptly packed away: "Monk Xin Chao, let's just speak calmly, first put down our Commander's family! A big man like you, what ability is there in seizing a wo… wo… woman?"

Shan Chao thought: with your appearance of helping the villain do evil, you were probably amongst this woman's torturers as well, and could not help but feel a stab of disgust, sneering: "Family? I do not know which man in this world would treat his family like this. No need for nonsense, everyone make way, or I will spill her blood right here!"

The s.h.i.+ning dagger point leant, and it began to cut open the woman's throat, a splotch of blood immediately appearing.

Ma Xin almost screamed himself hoa.r.s.e: "Stop!"

He gasped for a moment, and then made a determined turn towards everyone behind him and made a gesture: "…step aside, let this Master out."

Shan Chao held tightly to the woman before him, backing out step by step of the armoury, the Imperial guards immediately following blindly step by step. Ma Xin stared unblinking at Shan Chao, crooking his finger towards a subordinate, and whisper in the other's ear: "Where is Yuwen Hu?"

"At the small reception pavilion outside the study." The trusted subordinate also replied in a whisper: "I've already ordered some men to find an excuse to hinder the Great General Yuwen, and prevent him from leaving the study. We probably have about the time taken to drink a cup of tea3…"

"Try to delay as much as possible, if we collide with Yuwen Hu the decoy guard would be unable to conceal this. Go!"

The subordinate immediately left with his orders.

Ma Xin turned back to Shan Chao, and coldly said: "If Master wishes to leave that is fine, please leave this miss before you behind. The Commander's invitation to you at the start was purely a misunderstanding, and we have not mistreated you within these three days; yet if you insist on bringing this miss away as well, this enmity between yourself and our Xie manor would be considered established, and afterwards even if you flee to the ends of the earth…"

Shan Chao leisurely said: "No need for cruel words, lead a horse here."

Ma Xin choked, and the woman said in an extremely light voice: "And some money…"

Shan Chao immediately understood, saying: "And ten taels of fine silver4."

Ma Xin wanted to throw up blood.

Master since you're asking for money, why do you only want ten taels, is that enough? Are you planning on feeding your hostage cold water and steamed buns everyday?!

Yet this young master Ma was also helpless, and could only barely resist flying into a rage and make someone to go ahead with the preparations. Fortunately the Xie manor's luxury was a reputation well-deserved, and a moment later a fine steed, its body entirely glossy black, with white hooves, was led out with the purse loaded upon its back, its contents glittering an awe-inspiring gold.

"May this Master kindly accept, this is ten taels of pure gold." Ma Xin took out from within the purse a gold fragment of excellent purity to shake out, resolutely saying: "May Master listen to a word from me, on that day back in Ci'en Temple we have offended you, it was truly… truly a misunderstanding, if Master may lay down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot5, er, I swear on behalf of the Commander, from now on this thing would be written off with one stroke, and we will let bygones be bygones…"

A pity for Ma Xin's incoherent speech, that it was interrupted by Shan Chao's sneer: "Lay down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot? Do you know that if the Buddha sees a demon, he would also have moments where he has a face as terrifying as a temple's guardian deity6!"

Ma Xin was left speechless, as Shan Chao clasped the woman in his arms and vaulted to mount the horse, revealing the great door in an instant. Yet the Imperial Guards had barely seized the opportunity to let arrows loose, when he gave the horse's abdomen a hard kick underfoot, and yelled: "Go!"

"―yu!"

A horse's neigh sounded towards the reception pavilion, and Yuwen Hu put down his teacup, raising his head in suspicion: "Who dares to release a horse in the Xie manor?"

"I suppose the guards are on the practice field playing polo." The maid dressed in pink and seated a position lower than him put down her konghou7, and with a timely smile: "Great General has no need to care about them, would General like to listen to your servant8 play another song of the Nine-Parts Rhyme9?"

"…where is your Commander?"

"The Commander is taking his medicine in the inner study, and will be out in a moment, may General excuse us."

Within the study, the young man in a robe of white satin brocade put down his brush and make-up case and other paraphernalia, setting up his mask, and made a smile towards the water surface of the bronze basin.

That angle did not seem quite right, so he closed his eyes and adjusted it, before opening his eyes to curve his lips again.

This time it was correct.

He nodded in satisfaction, making an all-clear gesture towards the aides around him, and rose to push the door open and leave.

The reception pavilion.

Yuwen Hu saw that his surroundings were redolent in fragrant mists and surrounded by beautiful women, with exquisite maids giving pretty smiles, and could not help but feel moody in his heart.

In the two years that Xie Yun had been the Imperial Guard Commander, he had been increasingly vicious and merciless in his bombastic actions, and reportedly the style of his private life was somewhat licentious, with many being open secrets. Although these rumours were only limited to the capital, yet looking from this manor of beautiful maids, it seemed that there was no smoke without fire.10

"I11 am going out for a stroll." Yuwen Hu sucked in a breath, rising as he spoke: "Call me when your Commander arrives."

Out of the blue the maid abruptly rose: "General cannot do that, please hold!"

"En?"

The maids hesitated in speech, and it was a testament to Yuwen Hu's quick reactions, that his suspicions were immediately raised: "What are you doing?"

Right at this time, the neighs of horses sounded again outside the reception pavilion, and then a ceaseless swoos.h.i.+ng, which was astonis.h.i.+ngly the sound of sharp arrows flying through the air.

Yuwen Hu's face changed in an instant, and he pushed aside the maid: "Step aside!"

The maid of course could not stop this n.o.ble general who had fought on the battlefield, and as a shadow like a hurricane swept under the night, Yuwen Hu dashed out of the reception pavilion. The soldiers hidden behind the hanging flower doors12 also fell short, only able to stare blankly as the Great General Yuwen rushed out of the inner courtyard, pa.s.sed through the moon gate13, and then his figure froze at the doorway of the front courtyard outside of the main hall.

He saw a spirited dark horse sweeping across the sky, and on the horse's back Shan Chao held the reins in one hand, and one hand drew his sword, turning around to slash out―

The Seven Stars Longyuan let out a hissing cry, and like lightning it cut several fletched arrows into several parts!

The light reflected off the sword was as brilliant as the moon, illuminating the other person astride the horse.

That person leant forward to press against the horse's back, the long hair tied in a bunch sliding around, sweeping across a robe of white raw silk and spinning around in the wind.

Right now the curtain of night had just fallen, and torches had been lit in the courtyard, s.h.i.+ning on that person's flawless profile, as if white jade shone within a blaze.

Yuwen Hu recognised him in a split second, and in his mind only disbelief was left.

In the next moment, that person averted his eyes, and that eye contact that the two people had made in mid-air was broken in a touch.

"…men! Harness a horse!" Yuwen Hu nearly went insane: "Stop that monk, quick!"

On the other side Ma Xin saw Yuwen Hu rush over, and instantly closed his eyes forcefully, the expression on his face a tragic sight.

"Come here quick," he raised a hand to summon an aide, and whispered instructions: "Go to the study and tell the decoy guard to hide for now, by all means do not rush to meet General Yuwen right at this moment, this man has really gone onto the battlefield to kill people…"

Meanwhile, Shan Chao rode the horse and charged towards the main doors of the Xie manor, appearing like black lightning within the night, and everyone who tried to block his path were either forced out of the way or trampled under the hooves, with broken arrows littering the ground behind him, spreading to carpet the road.

Seeing him about to charge out, Yuwen Hu was unable to stay still, immediately taking a breath to release a jump, his entire body rising above the courtyard walls ― he had been stationed for a long time at the frontiers, and had the rough and valiant style honed at the northern frontiers, and his body was larger than the average person, even being slightly taller than Shan Chao; yet this leap was like the antelope hanging its horns without touching the ground14, displaying the depth of his lightness skill.

In mid-air his figure was like a demon, approaching the horse from the skies, as he suddenly drew his sabre!

"Let― go―"

Shan Chao turned around, his pupils contracting slightly, yet it was already too late.

The sabre's killing intent was earth-shattering, and it was forced before him in an instant, even so much that the muscles on his face could feel a p.r.i.c.kling pain.

Anyone's first reaction at this moment would be to yield back, yet he knew that he could not hide. There was a person in his arms, and if he dodged now, he would undoubtedly reveal that woman, and this sabre falling would cut off her life!

Shan Chao's jaw tightened in an instant, and in a flash this young man's handsome and straight face lit by the flames and swords, exhibited a depth and strength akin to a status chiselled from rock.

His upper body twisted, as if his entire person pressed forward, both hands swinging the sword to meet the sabre blade―

Clang!

The waist strength, and arm strength behind this strike could be described as fearful, and in the instant the sword blade blocked the sabre, the point at which the metals struck released innumerable sparks!

Yuwen Hu's mind had a great shock, and his sabre tore out of his hands, revolving out between the interweave of night and flames, and with a 'Dou!' sound it heavily stabbed into a distant green-brick courtyard wall three feet thick!

Twelve years.

Yuwen Hu had galloped on the battlefield for twelve years, and this was the first time in his life that he had been disarmed in one strike.

In an instant what flooded up from his heart was not just disbelief, but also a deeply indescribable, unspeakable… shame.

"I said let go, do you―" Yuwen Hu yelled as he landed, violently las.h.i.+ng out, his palm like red light flas.h.i.+ng out, unexpectedly going all-out with the Tiger Roar true qi which he had cultivated his entire life!

Shan Chao's forehead rose, his right hand withdrawing the sword, as his left rose to outrageously meet it, and in a flash there was an ear-splitting ― boom!

If anyone had been standing within three steps, they would inevitably have heard acc.u.mulated within a great boundless ocean of true qi, the distant roar of a dragon.

And then Yuwen Hu's internal force flowed backwards, ravaging his internal organs without exception, and as he wildly spat out blood, he was forcibly knocked back!

The bang resounded, as Yuwen Hu fell to the ground, his entire body doing all it could to bend its knees and kneel, before with difficultly it barely stopped the momentum which had been sending him backwards.

He violently gasped for breath, ferociously raising his eyes, to see the black horse leave with a whistle, and that person astride the horse turning around to smile at Shan Chao.

―that smile was very shallow, but the meaning behind it deep; as if from the bottom of the heart, the depth of the eyes and revealed after being unable to cover it up, as if a treasury of pearls and jewels could no longer hide it, and from within a bottomless canyon shone that magnificent and sinful light.

Then that person's sight turned towards Yuwen Hu.

That was truly an extremely quick glimpse, and anyone else would have thought it a misconception, yet Yuwen Hu knew.

That glimpse was filled with malice.

It was malice, ice-cold and iniquitous, as dense and gorgeous as a viper.

― the first time these eyes gazed at him in such a manner was seven years ago, Qingning Palace. On that year he had just gained military authority and met with a.s.sa.s.sination, though he had escaped by a fluke, yet he was heavily injured; the four great n.o.ble clans15 jointly exposed that it was the doing of the Empress Wu, the Emperor was furious upon hearing this, declaring a summons to confront the Empress directly, yet the Empress even when faced with a mountain of conclusive proof, persisted in every way to resist admission.

Just as the Emperor in the throes of fury was about the depose the Empress, a young secret guard beside the Empress suddenly knelt, saying: "Your humble servant surrenders. This in fact has nothing to do with the Empress, it is your humble servant who tried to a.s.sa.s.sinate the Great General Yuwen."

Right then everyone was startled, and the Emperor did not believe it, asking: "Why did you a.s.sa.s.sinate Yuwen Hu for?"

That youth raised his head, and took off his mask in public, and quietly said in the stunned silence: "On that night General Yuwen was drunk, and mistook your humble servant as a woman, and thus he made disrespectful amorous motions; your humble servant acted on impulse out of humiliation, and thus lashed out and injured him."

"If the general is bitter about unbearable grievances, your humble servant is willing to pay with his life outside the south gate, may the General please forgive me."

As he spoke he turned towards Yuwen Hu, leaning over in a deep kowtow.

Thus the pitting of two irreconcilable adversaries turned into a farce in the end, and ended with matchless awkwardness and ambiguity.

After the event n.o.body mentioned anything about what happened that day in Qingning Palace, and in the daily treacherous power struggles of the Tang imperial city, it was very quickly forgotten, with everyone's deliberate and tacit mutual understanding.

Yet Yuwen Hu could not forget that day after the kowtow when he rose, and shot a glance towards him.

As if a knife which had been dipped in poison and thus especially beautiful, flickering with barely concealed, seductive and malicious iniquity.

Xie manor, front courtyard.

Under Yuwen Hu's sight Xie Yun smiled and looked away, and in the next moment Shan Chao urged the horse to rush, and with nothing still able to block the sword where it pointed, like an arrow they forcibly killed their way out of the Xie manor!

Author has something to say:

I see you guys saying that the gong and shou hold hands and resign themselves to seclusion … course not, this story is alternate history, the end is of course ascending to the throne as Emperor!

Translator's Notes Chapter 4: The Tang Imperial Guards, Part 1

The Tang dynasty was founded on conquering its immediately predecessor the Sui dynasty. This was also a family struggle - the Tang founder's mother was sister to the Sui empress dowager, which also made this an extended family struggle. Either way, early Tang history was marked with a pattern of fratricide of which no Chinese drama scriptwriter could match; there is just no way to make this sort of thing up.

So, the Xuanwu Gate Incident and the rebellion plot of Li Chengqian was still fresh in the memory of the Imperial court, especially since it put the current Emperor Gaozong on the throne - keep in mind that he was the ninth son, and not exactly likely to inherit with both his legitimate elder brothers before him. Yet since they offed each other (metaphorically), he ended up on the throne.

In all these violent conflicts, the Tang Imperial Guard thus plays a key role, since they are usually the largest military force within close proximity to the throne. Of course, this also depends on which Imperial Guard we discuss - what Xie Yun heads is more properly called the Northern Bureau (北衙 běiyá), which is directly under Imperial command and responsible for manage the Palace and the Imperial capitals as well as security of the royal family.

Since here the Imperial Guard Commander sided with the Empress, the Crown Prince thus really has every right to be very nervous for his life.

- LLS

1 ZH: 丈 - Chinese unit equal to ten Chinese feet (=10尺).

2 ZH: 小爷 - another first-person p.r.o.noun, literally 'this grandpa'.

3 ZH: 一盏茶 - Chinese unit of time, about 10 minutes.

4 ZH: 纹银 - this refers to currency-grade silver, and not silver tools. At this point, the economy was still calculated in terms of coppers, with one silver tael equal to one string of cash (supposedly 1,000 coins, but since special inst.i.tutions existed to count the cash and would take commission, the actual value of a string ranges anywhere lower than 970 coins or so).

5 ZH: 放下屠刀，立地成佛 - idiom meaning to repent and be absolved of one's crimes.

6 ZH: 金刚怒目 - refer to Four Heavenly Kings.

7 ZH: 箜篌 - ancient Chinese harp. The picture above is a depiction of a konghou player in a pavilion by Qiu Ying, from Wikimedia Commons

8 ZH: 奴家 - first-person p.r.o.noun used by young women.

9 ZH: 九张机 - this is a Song-dynasty poem.

10 ZH: 空穴来风未必无因 -'wind does not come from an empty cave without reason'

11 ZH: 本将军 - 'this general'; another first-person p.r.o.noun.

12 ZH: 垂花门 - Chinese architectural structure, of a second door which usually divides the outer and inner courtyards of a siheyuan manor. An example from Baidu:

13 ZH: 月亮门 - a circular opening in a garden wall that acts as a pedestrian pa.s.sageway, and a traditional architectural element in Chinese gardens.

14 ZH: 羚羊挂角无迹可寻 - in ancient legend the antelope was said to sleep by hanging from tree branches at night by its antlers, leaving no sign of its existence on the ground. Later this saying was borrowed in literature to mean that creation relies on the glimpse of the illusion and cannot be rationally interpreted.

15 ZH: 四大世家 - the exact four families are unidentifiable, but backtracking, this would be around 658, which, with other clues, implies that these clans are part of the Guanlong aristocrats led by Zhangsun Wuji, who would in 659 be falsely accused of treason by Wu Zetian's ally Xu Jingzong, be exiled, and then be forced to commit suicide.

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