The Noble Woman’s Guide On How to Tease One’s Husband

The Noble Woman’s Guide On How to Tease One’s Husband – Chapter 95

Translated by: Oinkoink

Chapter 95 – Fall off a Cliff

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With the sun scorching directly overhead and the heat waves sweeping across the land, even the Imperial Study hidden under the dense leafy shades could hardly fend off the attack of heat. With a little eunuch kept fanning in front of the imperial table and the flow of breeze from the ice block, not mentioning how cooling and comfortable it was yet Chu Sanghuai threw a writing brush out of the blue that the ‘pa’ sound left the table full of red spots where the largest splotch bled like ghastly blood onto the memorial which he had just reviewed.

The little eunuch dared not speak as he bent down tremblingly to pick the writing brush up. Just at this moment, Zhang Yin, the imperial guards’ commander was here to see him. The little eunuch breathed a sigh of relief and silently stepped aside to give way when someone soon pushed the door in.

“This humble subordinate bows to Your Majesty.”

“Rise.” Feeling vexed, Chu Sanghuai’s tone was rather impatience, “You better have something important to report.”

Being with Chu Sanghuai for such a long time, Zhang Yin naturally understood his moody temperament and was not afraid of him. He bowed slightly and replied steadily, “Your Majesty, Ye Huaixin went to Liuguang Palace last night.”

A single stone triggered a thousand ripples that Chu Sanghuai immediately restrained his expression as he sat upright and asked, “What had you gathered?”

“Reporting to Your Majesty. As per Ye Huaixin, he wanted to rescue Wangfei Lan. Wangfei Lan refused, lest she would cause fatal disasters to the Ye family after she left. They then quarreled and the argument seemed quite intense but Wangfei Lan ultimately compromised and they arranged to escape from the Imperial Palace on the day you go worshipping the Heavens.”

Narrowing his eyes at once, Chu Sanghuai’s heart was bursting with bloodthirsty murderous intent.

Ye Huaiyang, you were indeed playing tricks with Us[1]. It was all falsehood about wanting to be the Empress and trampling the Wang family’s head. You absolutely had no intention of handing over the testamentary edict and We were actually fooled by you!

In a split second, there was another clanging and banging where the enamel writing-brush washer and the inlaid precious clay inkstone were all swept and smashed to pieces on the ground. Zhang Yin seemed already used to such scenes. With his head hung and standing calmly, he waited for Chu Sanghuai to speak.

“Did they find out you were eavesdropping?”

Zhang Yin shook his head, “No, they both are not skilled in martial arts and totally unaware that this humble subordinate was outside.”

Hearing this, Chu Sanghuai’s anger was slightly suppressed yet ominous light flickered in those menacingly ruthless eyes as if something was brewing when moment later loud sinister laughter was heard.

“The more she wishes to escape, the more We want to hamper her and see where she can go.”

Hearing this, Zhang Yin knew Chu Sanghuai was going to personally play this cat and mouse game whilst there was nothing more for him to do, so he bowed and excused himself.

Soon the day to worship the Heavens came three days later. Qu Fang got up early in the morning with the appearance of following the orders to serve Ye Huaiyang but she had secretly begun making preparations and was merely waiting for Chu Sanghuai to leave the palace before she hands Ye Huaiyang over to the people who are coming for the rescue. Everything will be alright as long as she can get out of the palace without a hitch. Ye Huaixin has gotten everything ready and will certainly be able to take her out of Wangdu.

Yet an imperial decree appointing Wangfei Lan to follow the imperial entourage to pray for the common people of Shuzhong and King Lan unexpectedly came while she was in the midst of preparation. Seemingly struck by thunder from the clear sky, Qu Fang almost lost her composure on the spot.

How could this happen?

Before she had yet to recover from the shock and despair, Ye Huaiyang had already accepted the imperial decree calmly and went back to the room to change her clothes. Although she was expressionless, the strong suppression of her innermost fluctuations could be discerned. Regaining her senses, Qu Fang followed and knelt heavily on the ground once the door was closed.

“Wangfei, you put on my human.skin.mask and quickly leave through the window!”

Ye Huaiyang leaned over to help her up. Her delicate face seemed covered with a thin layer of ice. Though the cold tide of fury was surging madly, she still appeared incomparably calm. Qu Fang’s heart sank seeing her like this and as expected she heard her say, “No need, Gugu[2]. There is still a chance later. I will just go with him today.”

“Wangfei, opportunity comes only once ah!”

Qu Fang had the intention to persuade her adamantly but Ye Huaiyang turned around decisively and stretched her arms to shoulder’s level then spoke with her chin slightly raised and eyes closed, “Gugu, help me change my clothes.”

There’s no more persuasion.

With trembling hands, Qu Fang picked the dark brown palace costume that was embroidered with extremely dazzling golden threads. She stared at it in a daze when a gleam of light flashed through her mind suddenly — this matter happened too unexpectedly, there was something fishy about it. Chu Sanghuai perhaps had already found out that Ye Huaiyang was going to escape and deliberately did this!

This knowledge made her feel even more desperate that her hands shook severely. She could barely slip the sleeves in that Ye Huaiyang had to do it herself before turning around to smile faintly at her and said, “Don’t be afraid, Gugu.”

How can she not be afraid? And Ye Huaiyang is still comforting her now!

Qu Fang almost shed tears but before she could speak, the eunuch’s urging voice imparted from outside, “Wangfei, please hurry up. It will be bad if the auspicious time to worship Heaven is missed.”

“Does this Wangfei need your reminder? Why are you still not retreating yet!”

Ye Huaiyang turned her head and sternly scolded at the door. The hunched black shadow immediately moved away from the window screen with a faint shrill humph that made others felt irritably uncomfortable. Qu Fang was both angry and resentful but she could do nothing with him. Her overwhelming heart was in chaos. Ye Huaiyang said nothing more seeing that and gathered her clothes.

After half a burning joss stick time[3], Ye Huaiyang boarded the carriage to Zhuolutai[4] under the watchful eyes of everyone.

Zhuolatai was located on a mountain ten miles outside the city of Wangdu which was specifically built a century ago to worship Heavens. From a distance, it looks like a huge plank of white jade between the mountains with a myriad of stars surrounding the moon and misty clouds. Accompanying by indistinct Buddhist chants, all sufferings seemingly vanquish here.

Chu Sanghuai and the Empress took the lead to set foot up the long stairs, followed by the royal family members as well as the civil and military officials. It was very strange for Ye Huaiyang to stand alone amongst them and in addition to the recent rumors in the royal court, she attracted a lot of uncanny gazes which she treated as invisible and climbed up silently.

Her back was oozing fine sweat after ascending Zhuolutai with great difficulty. Her physical strength was not as good as before due to pregnancy. While she was secretly regulating her breathing, she felt a sudden chill on top of her head and raised her eyes to look. Chu Sanghuai was looking condescendingly at her with dark cold eyes, as if she was not a living person but a prey waiting to be killed.

Chu Sanghuai retracted his gaze. Raising the incenses, he knelt in front of the memorial tablet when his deep clear voice transmitted to everyone’s ears, “Heaven’s forefather here, calamity has befallen Shuzhong while the city and wilderness withered and the common people perished, We are hardly free from worries day and night. The personnel has nevertheless been exhausted yet the disastrous situation has yet to improve. Hence, We came with the specific purpose to request the blessings of gods and the Great Chu’s ancestors, hoping Shuzhong is able to get through this calamity safely and abundant prosperity for generations to come.”

After he said that, the civil and military officials immediately lay prostrate on the ground to sing the praises and paid their homage to Heavens.

Ye Huaiyang raised her head from the crowd and caught sight of the Empress in the front looking over here all of a sudden with a peculiar smile like sneering or mocking at the corner of her lips yet more of pitying the weakling kind. Great alarm instantly rose within Ye Huaiyang’s heart.

Something is not right!

She immediately shifted her gaze to sweep around, only to find the unexpected amid these — the ritual incenses and candles were piled up like a mountain on the sacrificial altar but what happened to the sacrificial offerings?

An extremely terrifying thought popped out but before she could dwell on it, two soldiers had already walked over and took her arms and Chu Sanghuai was then heard speaking slowly, “Invite Wangfei Lan to the sacrificial altar.”

Ye Huaiyang understood instantly that he was going to sacrifice her as the offering!

All the officials below felt somewhat apprehensive. Offering a living person as sacrificial to Heavens was something that only existed in ancient mythology. It is harshly horrifying now. Yue Ting, who was in the front row, spoke out without the slightest hesitation, “There has never been such a precedent in our dynasty. Please think thrice, Your Majesty!”

The officials from the poor family faction at the back were greatly shocked and even angry because of this while those prominent families, who were on friendly terms with the Ye family began to plead for Ye Huaiyang too. Their voices repeated persistently but Chu Sanghuai seemed to have long expected this situation to happen and completely paid them no heed. Hence, the soldiers exerted more force to drag Ye Huaiyang to the sacrificial altar.

“Let go of me! I’ll go by myself!”

Flipping her sleeves abruptly, Ye Huaiyang was haughty without any anger. The soldiers were startled by her imposing aura that they released their grips unconsciously. She raised her head slightly where her line of sight met Chu Sanghuai’s in midair without revealing the least bit of fear; proudful and magnificent like a phoenix descending from Heaven making others dared not treat her contemptuously.

“Chu Sanghuai, you are pushing people too far.”

Saying that, Ye Huaiyang swiftly drew a dagger out and placed it on the Empress’ neck. Chu Sanghuai’s expression changed instantly while the imperial guards immediately surrounded her. Merely a few swishings sound when all the swords worn at the waists unsheathed and pointed directly at Ye Huaiyang’s glabella. The Empress shrieked in shock the next moment when a streak of blood-stain appeared on her neck that the imperial guards dared not approach any closer seeing such a situation.

“It’s a pity that there is no such phrase ‘submit to captivity with folded arms’ in my dictionary. Why don’t you have a taste of being coerced too?”

Ye Huaiyang smiled gently; calm and collected like no ordinary people as if she was used to such a scene. Chu Sanghuai looked even more unsightly in response to this situation. As the Empress was in her hands, he could only gnash his teeth and said, “Let the Empress go and We will leave you an intact corpse.”

“What qualifies someone who killed their own father and usurped the throne like you to dispose of me?”

As soon as these words came out, the expressions of the people present changed while Chu Sanghuai was even more shockingly furious. The combusting flames in his eyes could almost engulf Ye Huaiyang yet she just curled up her lips and continued to narrate the truth at the top of her voice.

“Six years ago you poisoned the late Emperor and forced Imperial Consort Chen to death, then sent assassins all the way to chase Wangye who was hastening home for the funeral. This resulted in him being seriously injured and had to live desolately in Northern Land. When he then witnessed the arising of people’s destitution from forced labor in various regions, he decided to return to the royal court and wanted to strive for the people’s welfare. Unexpectedly, you keep pushing step by step by first letting the Bai family’s assassins attack us then sending him to dangerous places to have him killed by borrowed swords and now you even wanted to offer me as the sacrificial offering. May I boldly ask what actually have both us husband and wife did wrong that you want to kill us so cruelly?”

The wordings of this citation were resounding and eloquently rousing that many ministers were lost in shock.

Although there were such rumors outside, it was another sentiment coming out from Wangfei Lan. Moreover, the Emperor had imprisoned her in the palace recently and wanted to burn her alive now which was a complete lack of reason for all of this. Perhaps what she said was true as one doesn’t need to restrain oneself anymore when one is about to die.

Chu Sanghuai’s face was already grim to the extreme while his whole body emanating the gloomy coldness and compelling murderous intent.

Playact, this had all been playacting since the beginning. She had eluded the true purpose of Chu Jinglan returning to the royal court and set him up partially. She even assumed and acted this inconsolable weeping beauty appearance on purpose, all for the ministers here to see and still paving a way for Chu Jinglan even at death’s door!

Very good.

The ominous glint in Chu Sanghuai’s eyes surged suddenly when he turned to look at Zhang Yin who understood and led the people forward where the glinted long sword thrusted straight for Ye Huaiyang’s chest. Reacting very quickly, she abruptly pulled the Empress to block her front when just a gasp was heard while large splatters of blood burst forth and the Empress’ ghastly distorted face reflected on the shiny sword blade. The Empress looked sluggishly at her own chest then looked up at Chu Sanghuai with wide protruding eyes seemingly in disbelief.

He actually disregarded her safety completely ….

In the next second, she fell to the ground with a thud. The blood seeping out of her clothes trickled all the way down the long white stone steps and zigzagged to every corner like the fan-shaped waterfalls. Screams then suddenly resounded from the crowd.

Chu Sanghuai was thoroughly out of control. Without even looking at the Empress’ dead body, he roared frantically, “Kill her for Us!”

The imperial guards rushed forward and thrusted the swords violently towards the person in the front. As if there was wind under her foot, Ye Huaiyang retreated several steps only to see the silvery glint swept past and snipped off a few strands of her black hair which dropped into the white valley in a blink of an eye.

The steep cliff is just behind with no route of retreat.

At this moment, Chu Sanghuai instead looked ruthlessly pleased and wanted to see which way this little rabbit that could only bite would choose to die. So he stepped forward to face Ye Huaiyang and spoke with a cynical smile, “Do you want Us to slash your flesh piece by piece or to fall and splatters your brain beyond recognition?”

Standing alone in the wind, Ye Huaiyang’s clothes were fluttering like the unblemished blossoming cloud.

“It’s death anyway, why do you care how I die? You only need to bear in mind that my husband and eldest brother will join forces one day to avenge me, together with the late Emperor and Imperial Consort Chen as a debt of blood must be repaid in blood!”

Her voice was so clear and high-pitched that the people below could hear it clearly. Chu Sanghuai was even more furious by this and actually pulled out the sword of the guard beside him to strike at her. But she fell backwards lightly and dropped rapidly like a snapped-off kite towards the ravine. Rushing forward, Chu Sanghuai grabbed nothing. While amidst the clouds and mist, only that cold and determined smile imprinted deeply in his eyes.

[1] 朕 (Zhèn) – We, used by an Emperor in proclamations instead of I

[2] 姑姑 (Gūgū) – the elderly unmarried maid in the palace / paternal aunt

[3] 半炷香 (Bàn zhù xiāng) – a joss stick burning time is approximately 30 mins.

[4] 台 (Tái) – deck, platform

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