I [Imperial] Am Not This Kind of Man

This chapter was translated by Daed and edited by Shiny to be hosted on Foxaholic.com only.  

Daed: I finished this months ago and forgot about it…

Qin Nuo climbed to his feet. After kneeling for so long, his knees had become numb. He was in this condition, and the others were even worse off. There were some princesses who had cried straight-up till they lost consciousness and had to be supported by palace maids1.

Aside from the emperor’s death,  Qin Nuo still had another matter weighing on his mind—the result of the political intrigue of the previous night. When he returned to the palace to change into funeral garments, he unexpectedly heard some news from Li Wan’s mouth. 　　

It turned out that last night, Great General Pei had been so anxious upon receiving word of His Majesty’s critical condition that his old wound had relapsed. Half-way through his journey to the palace, he had suddenly vomited blood and fallen unconscious. His companions who accompanied him were left helpless; they could only help support him back (to his residence).　　

After all that scheming and preparation, the palace coup hadn’t even happened! His anxiety and worry earlier had all been in vain. At the end of the day, it had been an ‘unexploded cannon’2.　　

‘Vomiting blood and falling unconscious’, was it? Qin Nuo recalled the imposing Great General Pei whom he had encountered last night. For some reason, Qin Nuo found the image of that formidable body in such a frail state hilarious.　

Then he thought about how when he had met Pei Ling, the latter had already reached the entrance of Qian Yuan Palace Hall. If he (PL) had ‘vomited blood and fallen unconscious before entering the palace’……Could it be…… “Where was General Pei when he had this fit?”　　

Li Wan thought about it, “I think he was at the entrance to Qian Yuan Palace Hall. This servant only heard the palace workers from there mention it briefly.”　　

The entrance to Qian Yuan Palace Hall! Could it be that as soon as he had left, General Pei had fallen ill? Wait, something was amiss. He was halfway there, yet he fell ill at the palace entrance. Pei Ling must have perceived something was awry and changed his decision to enter the palace on the spot. It couldn’t be that this ‘something awry’ was him, could it?　　

This series of events was too strange; Qin Nuo couldn’t help mulling over it. However, there was no time for him to keep pondering over these thoughts. He hastily finished changing his clothes and rushed over to Qian Yuan Palace Hall.　　

The emperor’s grand memorial had already been set up swiftly. Austere white silk fabric was hung all over Qian Yuan Palace Hall. The once resplendent palace was now completely cold and grim, as though the severe winter had arrived in advance.  　　

All the princes had congregated in the east side hall. Qin Nuo had initially planned on inquiring about Pei Ling; however, as soon as he walked in through the door, he felt that the atmosphere wasn’t right.　　

Everyone’s faces were very grim. Qin Ze, in particular, was pale and haggard. He looked like he was on the verge of breaking down.　　

Qin Nuo’s heart dropped.　　

Seeing him come in, Qin Jun approached him and whispered, “Ninth Brother, Virtuous Consort Ge has passed.”　　

Sure enough, that matter had come to light!

Qin Nuo couldn’t control his wildly beating heart. What should he do? He hadn’t matched up the alibis and statements with Fan Juan yet……　　

Just as he was panicking, he heard Qin Jun sigh before continuing, “The Virtuous Consort mourned Father Emperor’s death and threw herself into the water to kill herself, burying her own body with the deceased. Such willingness to die to preserve one’s own chastity! She is a true paragon of my Da Zhou’s women.” 　　

Threw herself into the water……to kill herself? For a moment, Qin Nuo was unable to process this information.　　

How had they arrived at this conclusion? Like heck she threw herself into the water and committed suicide! Virtuous Consort Ge had such a large gash on her stomach; only a blind person would think that it had been suicide! 　　

“This……How could such a thing happen?” Qin Nuo’s eyes flashed.　　

“The Virtuous Consort was nowhere to be seen in the palace hall earlier so the Empress dispatched people to search for her. Who would have thought that we would receive such news?” Qin Jun lamented, “Ai, the Virtuous Consort has an upright and outspoken temperament; it is also reasonable for her to make this kind of decision.” 　　

Empress Huo had suppressed the news! Qin Nuo realized instantly. Why? Was it because she didn’t want any disturbances at the funeral? After all, the emperor had just died, and everyone was anxious. If the news was spread that Virtuous Consort Ge was killed without cause or reason, it would undoubtedly trigger all sorts of unnecessary thoughts and connections. As far as Empress Huo was concerned, they had already lost the opportunity to assassinate Pei Ling; at this time, the Crown Prince’s smooth ascension to the throne was more important than anything else.    　　

‘If it was Empress Huo who took care of it, then she oughtn’t have left any holes in the cover-up.’ As he thought so, Qin Nuo’s heart secretly returned to his chest. Suddenly, he felt a frigid gaze lock onto his figure. 　　

It was Qin Ze. Even without turning his head, he could imagine how piercing and unsettling that gaze was.  　　

Qin Zhe probably wouldn’t believe the lie about Virtuous Consort Ge throwing herself into the water and committing suicide so easily. How was he going to hide the truth from him?　　

Fortunately, Qin Zhe didn’t approach him and question him on the spot. After all, the act of scheming against Qin Nuo and knocking him out was not something he could speak of in public. Besides, the funeral was just about to start.　　

The respective etiquette for something as important as the emperor’s funeral was extremely complicated. Qin Nuo had already lost track of the number of times he had followed the crowd in kneeling, kowtowing, and wailing. From nightfall to daybreak, and then to nightfall once more, this procedure was repeated over and over again. The officials outside could at least have some respite and leave so they could handle public affairs. However, the imperial family wasn’t as lucky. The field in front of Qian Yuan Palace Hall was brimming with people clustered together all on their knees, from old men who were in their seventies or eighties to toddlers who were five or six years old. There were even several pregnant madams on the side of the womenfolk. At this time, they could only kneel on the cold and hard limestone floor without any complaints.       　　

As direct descendants, the princes and princesses knelt directly inside the palace hall. They didn’t need to kneel outside and endure the chilly winds. Nevertheless, there were still numerous princesses and princes with weak constitutions who collapsed on the job. 　　

On the second day, even Qin Jian who had been clenching his teeth to endure was unable to persevere, tottering weakly. However, Empress Huo didn’t command the palace attendants to take him away to rest in a timely manner as she had done for the princes and princesses before him. Instead, she turned a blind eye. 　　

Qin Jian was also a strong-willed one. After fainting for a short period of time, he gradually regained consciousness. He then promptly kneeled down on the ground once again on the ground and resumed to bawl. Within the whole palace hall, his voice was the most prominent and most mournful; it saddened those who heard it and brought tears to the eyes of those who witnessed the sight.　　

Qin Nuo kneeled behind him, enduring mournfully. In his trance-like state, he could sense a chilly gaze fall upon his figure from time to time, causing him to promptly shudder and regain his awareness. The gaze would leave, and then it was another cycle of enduring mournfully……  　　

How could anyone mourn properly with an underlying threat like this?!　　

When he finally returned from Qian Yuan Palace Hall and entered his own room, Qin Nuo collapsed onto the bed like a dead dog. This whole ordeal was really just too exhausting. These traditional customs in Ancient China were really not something that humans should go through. Fortunately, he had always had a sturdy body. On top of that, his martial arteries and veins had been unsealed.　　

Come to think of it, with everything that had been going on these past couple of days, he hadn’t had the chance to ponder over this matter. He clambered up from the bed and went to the study room.　　

As a prince, he had his own complimentary study room. However, compared to the other princes, Qin Nuo’s study room was much cleaner. Not only was the design simple, the amount of books was also lacking. It was evident that it was used extremely infrequently. This also largely decreased Qin Nuo’s workload.　　

The ten or so books on the bottom shelf were all books that Qin Nuo had told Li Wan to gather for him so that he could understand this era. He had long flipped through those. Qin Nuo’s gaze swept across those books, and then fell upon the stored books that had originally been there. He took one out and examined it closely.　　

Indeed, Qin Nuo was looking for the legendary secret manual of martial arts.　　

It was truly so bizarre that the original Qin Nuo had actually practiced martial arts. In this half-year, he had gained an understanding of the original Qin Nuo’s life trajectory3. Da Zhou was quite concerned with the education of its princes. 　　

Excluding breaks such as holidays, a prince started his education when he was five years old. In the morning, he would study literature; in the afternoon, he would practice military combat4.　　

As a stupid, unambitious prince, there was no doubt that Qin Nuo had a light class schedule. His literature classes were merely for show. It didn’t even matter if he didn’t attend them; the royal tutors wouldn’t check his homework at all. He was also the sole prince in the classroom who didn’t have a study companion5. It was unknown if it had been the doing of Virtuous Consort Ge, or if the Imperial Household Department had truly forgotten about it completely.  　　

In the afternoon, they had military education. There was more freedom in this. Some princes chose to practice archery and horse-riding, while some liked to practice Kung Fu. Princes like Qin Jian who were interested in military arts could also choose classes in this field of study.　

Qin Nuo was one of the princes who practiced combat6. For this reason, Qin Zhe had often called him a barbarian7. However, after the current Qin Nuo transmigrated over, he had been severely ill. Thus, it had been a long time since he had attended afternoon classes. This was the case up until last month where he had partaken in the classes a couple of times. 　　

Based on the few times had attended those afternoon classes, Qin Nuo could discern that the two imperial guards instructing him on Kung Fu were purely doing the bare minimum for their assigned duties. Although they appeared to be deferential, all that they taught him were just movements that were child’s play.  　　

Hence, Qin Nuo had grown bored after attending a few classes. He wasn’t that interested in this in the first place. Yet he would have never thought that he would discover that this body had martial arts skills after experiencing the danger of a regime change. Perhaps not even the imperial guards who taught him Kung Fu had noticed.　　

Hence, Qin Nuo suspected that the original owner had practiced martial arts by himself.　　

After a thorough search, he found that the several tens of books were all etiquette classics. They were simply there for decoration. If he had to say what was something that stood out from the masses……Qin Nuo pulled out one of the books.　　

He flipped through it for a while before his eyes lit up. The beginning and end were all normal Buddhist texts. Only the characters in the middle were different; they were dense with diagrams of the human body that seemed to be pictures of the body’s meridians interpolated within the text. 

It really was a secret manual of martial arts!　　

As expected, treasure map items like secret manuals are all hidden in Buddhist texts. 《The Deer and the Cauldron》8really did not lie to me! Qin Nuo sincerely wanted to look up at the sky and give three hearty laughs! 　　

He closed the book. Looking down at the taboo name 《Putuo Midu Sutra》9, Qin Nuo reckoned that he should find some more books to compare with this one and confirm if this was the correct one.　　

Just as he was about to hold the secret manual up to get a closer look, he heard a sudden knock from the other side of the door. 　　

“Your Highness, are you asleep yet?” It was Li Wan’s voice. He knew that he (QN) was exhausted. If it wasn’t anything important, he wouldn’t disturb him.　　

Qin Nuo closed the book and crammed it back onto the bookshelf. He returned to his bed and took a seat before calling out, “Come in.”　　

Li Wan pushed the door open and entered the room, his complexion somewhat pale. The news that he brought surprised Qin Nuo further.　　

“Your Majesty, the Imperial Household Department has just sent news. Lu He has been found dead in Xi Yue Lake.” 

Qin Nuo’s expression changed, “How did that happen?”　　

“This…Eunuch Chen who brought the news said that judging by the corpse, she might have lost her footing and fell in when she was playing by the water this morning. He asked if our palace hall had any special instructions. If not, she will be handled according to palace rules and sent off to be cremated.” 　　

Lost her footing and fell in? The slippery areas by Xi Yue Lake were all barred off with railings. How could it be so easy to lose one’s footing? Unless she threw herself into the water to commit suicide? But that didn’t really make sense. If Lu He was embarrassed because she had been pushed by him into the water earlier and she was unable to take the ridicule and gossiping around her, then she would have thrown herself into the water some days ago. Right now, the emperor had just passed, and it was hectic in the palace. Who would still remember that relatively trivial matter of hers? 　　

Qin Nuo’s face was grim. Li Wan snuck a peek at him, not daring to speak further.　　

After a brief moment of silence, Qin Nuo raised his hand and said, “Handle her according to the palace rules. Go withdraw twenty silver taels10 from the silver cupboard. Tell the Imperial Household Department to make the coffin a bit more presentable and let Dong Bo make an inventory of Lu He’s clothes and jewelry to be buried with her.”  　　

Dong Bo was the senior female attendant by Qin Nuo’s side. She was the one who oversaw the various duties around him that needed to be attended to.　　

Li Wan opened and closed his mouth, yet he did not utter the words that were at the tip of his tongue. Instead, he simply sighed, “Your Highness is magnanimous. This servant will go right now to relay your orders.” 　　

Qin Nuo was well aware that these twenty silvers as well as Lu He’s clothes and head ornament might not even land on her person. Anyhow, it was a show of his sincerity. Was it hypocritical of him to do so? He had no way of confirming how Lu He had died, but it ought to be connected to him. 　　

Had Virtuous Consort Ge’s matter really ended this simply?　　

A layer of dark clouds formed over his heart.

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Footnotes

Uh, so it says “几位公主还有直接哭晕过去的，只得由宫女扶了下去“. I omitted the “down” part since they’re not on a platform or anything. I think they were taken away from the room?哑炮 – in this context, “unexploded cannon/firecracker”. Basically Qin Nuo grumbled that things were anticlimactic. A British idiom I found that is similar is “damp squib”. The word actually means “small explosive device”, which would be disappointing if it was damp.Qin Nuo knew the kind of life that the original Qin Nuo had lived.The original said “练武”, which could be translated as either “military” or “martial arts”. However, I think that this is talking about “military” in the sense of teaching the princes how to fight. It’s not necessarily martial arts.Princes usually have children from other influential families (aristocratic families)—usually those who are related to them or from subordinate families of their maternal families—who will study with them. This allows for the princes to cultivate their relationships with their future retainers and study with peers. Here’s a Baidu link if you want to check it out for yourself. “秦诺就是学习拳脚功夫的一员”. I’m not sure if “拳脚功夫” means that he practiced Chinese boxing and Kung Fu, or if he simply learned how to fight. “武蛮子”. Qin Zhe is basically calling him a “muscle-head”, saying that he is “all brawn and no brains”.Also known as The Duke of Mount Deer, The Deer and the Cauldron (《鹿鼎记》) is a historical novel by Jin Yong (Louis Cha). You can read more about it on the Wikipedia page.   《普陀弥渡经》. I couldn’t find out if it was real or not, but I found some possible references while I was searching. Putuo (普陀) could be referring to the mountain Mt. Putuo, one of the four sacred mountains in Chinese Buddhism. Midu (弥渡) is a county in China. ”一两银子” = one silver tael and “二十两银子” = twenty silver taels. “两” = tael (in this case) and “银子” = silver. One silver tael weighs about 50g; it’s a former Chinese monetary unit based on the value of a tael of standard silver. I tried to search around for how much a silver tael was worth today, and I found this estimation for mid- to late Qing dynasty from this site. According to the site, one or two taels of silver would be about RMB 150 to 220 today. I’m not sure how accurate it is, but we’re going to go with it.