On the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, all the necessary goods that would be used in the celebration of the New Year in the palace were already in place. On the thirtieth day, snow had been falling since early morning. When Wanyan Xu visited the Empress Dowager to pay his respects, the two were both in high spirits. Wanyan Xu gave a sigh and said: "The previous monarch of Qi was dissolute and tyrannical, such a great country was afflicted with all ills under his rule. Although I [1] have reduced taxes and duties to ease the suffering of the people, they still need a period of time before they can recover the quality of life that they enjoyed under the reign of his predecessor. A timely snow [2] has fallen today, if the following year brings good weather and harvests, then the people will be able to make an almost complete recovery by this time next year."
The Empress Dowager nodded her head and said: "That's just what I was about to say." She then turned her head towards Concubine Yin and the rest and said: "Later today will be the night of New Year's Eve [3]; because this is the first New Year we would be spending in this new capital, we are afraid that people will especially miss the familiar lands of Jin Liao today. Therefore my Imperial Son and I [4] decided that we might as well invite all the high officials and their kin into the palace to spend the New Year. That way the monarch and courtiers can make merry together; not only will the atmosphere be more lively but the melancholy feelings of homesickness can be avoided. All of you concubines should also make ready, you can take the opportunity to enjoy yourselves tonight." Concubine Yin and her cohorts nodded and agreed, and showered the idea with much praise.
When the courtiers arrived in the palace, everywhere they turned, their eyes were met with beauty and splendour, not to mention, there was endless amusements and entertainment for their enjoyment. However, we shall not speak more on that. Instead, we shall go back to Su Yi. Because the laundry service had rushed to finish washing all the clothes before the twenty-eighth of the twelfth lunar month, there was nothing else to be done in the laundry room. Therefore, Su Yi had been dispatched to other places to assist in other tasks for two days. Although it could be said that there were numerous staff in the palace; regrettably, before the New Year, there were many things to be done and the organisation had become chaotic. Therefore, during these two days, Su Yi was considerably more fatigued by his work than he usually was. After he had finally gotten back to his room the previous night, he had started to feel deeply uncomfortable in his gut. He felt faintly nauseous, and had no desire to eat anything at all. When hit by hunger pangs, he merely broke off bits from the wotou and grazed lightly. The medicine that that strange Prince had given to him had run out long ago; sometimes when the pains flared up, he had no alternative but to grit his teeth and endure them, even when he his forehead was covered with cold sweat.
Today, the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month, Su Yi woke up early and saw that a heavy snow was descending from the heavens, and the palace grounds seemed to have been transformed into a world composed of silver ice and white snow. This was a good omen, and everybody in the palace was happy except for Su Yi. He did not understand why, but a trace of dismay was born in his heart. He silently stared out at the picturesque scene for a while, just when he was about to get dressed and get out of bed, his gut gave a sharp twist and he was overtaken by a wave of nausea. Before he knew what happened, he had spit a large mouthful of blood onto the floor! Only then did his body feel somewhat more comfortable.
Su Yi wasn't bothered; he simply got up and found some earth [5] to cover the traces of blood. After he had gotten drenched during the rainstorm months ago, he had developed the symptom of vomiting blood a few days later and it had persisted till now. Although the Prince had warned him to pay attention to his dietary habits, someone in Su Yi's situation had little say in the food that was allocated to him. Therefore, he could only endure this hardship silently; whenever he vomited blood, all he could do was to rest for a while on the bed, and it would go away after he skipped a few meals. Fortunately, besides his spitting out a few small mouthfuls of blood occasionally, there were no further symptoms and his illness did not seem to be worsening.
But today, he suddenly felt that it was no long such a simple matter as before. Even as evening fell, his appetite had still not returned and his stomach was still roiling. The pain was becoming ever more unbearable, the nausea felt heavier and heavier, his head was spinning, his vision was getting cloudy and his body felt totally sapped of any strength. Even his footsteps were weak and laborious. He was a practitioner of martial arts and as such, he had always paid particular attention to the firmness of his step but somehow, he simply was unable to achieve that today. He looked at the blanket of timely snow that covered everything as far as his eyes could see, the whiteness was piercing to his eyes and the foreboding feeling in his heart grew even stronger rapidly.
As he was lost in his thoughts, he suddenly heard an acerbic voice near. It said: "What? Don't tell me you also wish to celebrate the New Year today? The people in the front buildings are so busy that they are about to collapse and you are still standing here instead of going over to help?" He raised his head for a look, and found that it was the big girl from the laundry service, Ai Er. Like Su Yi, she had also been transferred to help out at the front halls because there were no more tasks to be done in the laundry room. She was feeling harried by the seemingly endless tasks when she suddenly passed this way and came upon Su Yi. When she saw Su Yi, there was no way that she would not immediately enlist his service.
Su Yi had no other choice but to endure the pain in his body and follow her to the palace halls and rooms one after another. He could see that in the large --- it could comfortably accommodate a few hundred people --- reception hall at the ground floor of the Garden of Merriment, multitudes of silhouettes were milling about and he could hear continual sounds of laughter and happy voices. Palace maids and eunuchs were going back and forth from the hall in an endless cycle, sending up platters of exquisite hors d'oeuvres and tea. At this point, Su Yi was in so much pain that the sweat was dripping off him like rain, but there was nothing he could do but force himself to endure it as he helped with the delivery of boxes and replenishing oil in the lamps. Because he deliberately performed his tasks in a dark corner, and because Wanyan Xu and the other people at the banquet had no expectations that he would be present, his presence remained unnoticed by the revellers.
With much difficulty, he managed to endure his suffering into nightfall. By then the weather had turned very warm, there was no trace of wind at all and the snow had gradually stopped falling. At this time, dinner was being served and courses of food and wine were being carried into the big hall. Su Yi saw that there was no place for him to extend a helping hand, and searched out a quiet corner. Looking around, he saw that there was nobody around in all four directions. By then, his legs refused to support him any longer. With a groan of "aii", he sank down into a squatting position. He had been busy for the whole day, and had not even had the time to take a sip of tea. At this moment, his stomach was rumbling with hunger and his pain and nausea grew steadily worse. In the end, he again spit out two large mouthfuls of blood but this time, he did not feel any relief nor was there any improvement in his condition. This situation was really vastly different from what he had experienced in the past.
Su Yi attentively gazed at the traces of blood in silence for a long while before suddenly giving a long exhale. Speaking to himself, he sighed: "Could it be that this New Year's Eve night, just when it should be time to reunite with family, will be the time that I, Su Yi, will depart from this world forever?" Upon the thought that he would never again see that handsome face that was so full of military bearing, how he would never again feel even the slightest bit of his tender love or hatred, Su Yi at once felt a pain in his heart that was akin to having it twisted around a blade. He looked towards the lovely hall. At the moment, it was brightly lit but no matter how hard Su Yi tried, he could not see the figure that he had dreamed of every day and every night.
He managed to shift forwards a few steps, thinking in his heart: if Heaven has pity on me, Su Yi, then please let me have a glance before I go. Even if I can only take one look from afar, my reluctance to leave this mortal world would also be lessened. Once he thought of what would become of Wanyan Xu and his son after Su Yi's own passing, his heart was filled to the brim with worries that he could not set aside. But there was also nothing he could do about it; he could only console himself, thinking in his heart: no matter what feelings they might have, how can any emotion withstand the erosion of time and the passing of years? Even if they experience heartache now, they would be fine after a year or so.
He did his utmost to search for that figure with his eyes but suddenly, he heard an anxious voice say: "Hey, the person over there, come over quickly and give us a hand." He turned back, to be met with the sight of four men carrying a disk that was as big as a chariot wheel. On the disk was a huge roasted sheep [6] and they were heading in the direction of the reception hall. One of the men among them was wearing an intense look of pain on his face, and rushed towards Su Yi, saying: "Quickly, come and replace me. My stomach is aching badly, I have to go and relieve myself at once." Su Yi hesitated for a moment, but in that short span of time, that man had already relinquished his post and left the large dish to the care of his three companions. Without any further explanation, he came to Su Yi and dragged him over to them before leaving hastily. Su Yi had no alternative but to endure his pain and the four of them carried the sheep in the direction of the reception hall. But he kept his head bowed, for fear of being recognised by the crowd. Waves of nausea were rising in his larynx, which he forcefully suppressed with his chi after much difficulty.
End of Chapter 70
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[1]: Wanyan Xu uses the royal "I/Me/my" throughout this chapter when he is speaking.
[2]: 瑞雪 (ruì xuě): a timely snow. There is a saying in Chinese that "瑞雪兆丰年", meaning that a timely snow promises a good harvest.
[3]: It is custom for the Chinese to have a "reunion dinner" on the night of New Year's Eve. It is called reunion dinner because everybody in the family should attend, even if they had to travel.
[4]: The Empress Dowager refers to herself as "哀家 (āi jiā)", the "I/Me/my" used only by Empress Dowagers.
[5]: The servant quarters probably had dirt floors. That was the most common flooring in that period, brick/tile were reserved for important buildings and affluent people.
[6]: I know that this should technically be called roast mutton, but the impression I get is that this is a whole animal that has been roasted but not yet carved. To call it mutton would probably bring to mind cuts of meat on a platter.
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War Prisoner Chapter 71
As it turns out, this dish of roasted sheep was the customary main dish in a Jin Liao New Year's Eve feast; it was expected to be served at such occasions to symbolize that the coming year would be happy and peaceful and that the country would prosper while the people would be at peace. Therefore in the hearts of the people of Jin Liao, it was no less important than praying for blessings or offering sacrifices to the gods and ancestors. Even people who were very impoverished and could not afford a whole sheep also felt the need to buy morsels of sheep such as mutton, mutton tripe and sheep bones in order to prepare such a dish. Those people who were carrying this important dish into the hall were perennially working in the kitchen; thus, they did not recognise Su Yi. If that were not the case, even if they were at their last gasp, they would not have dared to let him lift the dish, much less because of a simple case of diarrhoea.
At the moment, the big hall was filled with the sounds of happy conversation and laughter. The Empress Dowager, Wanyan Xu and his son were seated at one of the tables together with a few important ministers. Below the dais were more tables; a few dozen of the surrounding tables were occupied by ministers and the womenfolk of their families. Wanyan Xu's concubines were also seated at the tables occupied by the womenfolk and were engaged in merry banter with them. Although the tables were laden with dishes of food, nobody touched their chopsticks. They were all waiting for the dish of roasted sheep to be served up before they proceeded to enjoy the feast.
Wanyan Shuo was just telling the Empress Dowager of how many fireworks he intended to release after the banquet but when the Empress Dowager laughed and said he wasn't allowed to do anything of that sort, he began to act like a spoiled child trying to cajole her into letting him do as he wished by wheedling. But he heard Wanyan Xu say suddenly with good humour: "Shuo Er, stop making a fuss. The roasted sheep is about to be served, don't you just love eating dishes that are the specialities of the Great Qi [1]? Why don't you pick out a good seat and sit down?" He then turned to the ministers and said smilingly: "The Crown Prince is naughty and mischievous, we really do not know we should teach him some discipline. All of you have children in your families, how do you usually guide them?" All of the ministers echoed each other as they said: "Your Majesty must be joking with us, aren't all children just like that? Besides, the Crown Prince is clever and quick-witted. At such a young age, he already has the bearing of a sovereign, when he ascends the throne in future, he would surely be able to lead our Jin Liao country and people into continued peace and prosperity."
Wanyan Xu nodded his head and smiled, but made no reply. He glanced outside the hall, and saw that the people bringing the roasted sheep were quite close now. In a flash, he seemed to have seen Su Yi. He found it strange, thinking in his heart: how could he be here, and how would he have been given this task? When he sought to take a closer look, that person had been obscured by the sheep. He could not help but laugh bitterly at himself, thinking: my eyesight was probably blurred; because I think of him so much, I have even started to dream of him even during the waking hours.
Consequently, he called Zi Nong over and instructed her: "Later, when you notice that people are not paying attention to you, take the opportunity to deliver some specialities of Great Qi and hot food to Su Su's room. On this New Year's Eve night, he must be feeling very sad in his heart. Besides this reminder of the destruction of his country, he is also spending it all alone; I [2] cannot imagine how difficult he must find his circumstances now. You should accompany him and talk for a while, perhaps you can ease his sorrow. This is the most important day of the year, no matter what, do not let him be focused only on thinking about unlucky things."
Zi Nong agreed. Turning away, she was met with the sight of Zi Yan staring at her. There was a complicated look in Zi Yan's eyes, which startled Zi Nong, and she couldn't help saying in surprise: "What are you doing? Are you trying to scare people to death?"
Zi Yan furrowed her brows and frowned. Sighing, she said: "His Majesty is still thinking of that person?" Zi Nong gave a "humph" and said: "Didn't you already hear everything? Why bother to ask me? You are the one who detest Young Master the most, so why be concerned about him now?"
Zi Yan made no reply, abruptly she turned away. As she was walking away, she murmured to herself: "He can't forget, he still can't forget. Even on a day like this, Master is still saddened, he is still thinking of him, his heart still misses him. Don't tell me... Don't tell me that I really have to repudiate my original intention? How could that be, how could that possibly be..." As she was muttering to herself, suddenly, her ears were met with the sound of silence. The hall had quietened down all of a sudden. Turning her head for a look, she saw that the roast sheep had already been carried into the hall. Everybody's eyes were fixed on this auspicious dish, and enjoying the delicious aroma that wafted off of it; naturally they were too absorbed to speak.
Zi Nong and the other attendants were all smiling, and hurried over to the back of Wanyan Xu and the Empress Dowager, ready to serve them the dish. The countless pairs of eyes of the ministers were also fixed upon this huge sheep that was about to be carried to the table of the Emperor and Empress Dowager.
Suddenly they all saw that the dish had started to slant, the south corner had begun drooping down. The other three people hurriedly tried to rebalance their load, but because the combined weight of the sheep and dish was really too heavy, they had no hope of recovering in such a short time. Everybody in the crowd could only look on helplessly as the huge platter, as well as the sheep that was on top of it, came crashing to the ground. Needless to say, the plate was smashed into pieces but that was immaterial. The most important thing was that the sheep had also become contaminated with dust, which was totally unacceptable.
At this moment, everybody's face had turned pale, the Empress Dowager, Wanyan Xu and the rest of the important people had stood up. The three bearers had long ago fallen to their knees and started to kowtow, knocking their heads against the ground like they were merely heads of garlic, utterly terrified they said: "Your slave deserves death, your slave deserves death." Only the person who had been lifting up the south end of the lamb dish did not kneel and beg forgiveness, instead he could only squat down and clutch at his mouth and stomach with each of his hands. Upon a careful look, that person was none other than Su Yi.
Upon the realisation, the expressions of everybody changed and Yu Cang suddenly stood up. He said in a loud voice: "Who was the person who let this slave carry the sheep? How could anybody not know that he harbours evil intentions in his heart? His actions today are clearly intended to curse our Jin Liao Empire, so that our fortunes will begin to decline." So saying, he turned to Wanyan Xu and said: "Your Majesty, the crime he has committed is great, and his evil intentions are extreme. Your Majesty cannot be excessively lenient towards him anymore." When these words left his lips, the other officials also began to echo his sentiments.
Suddenly the crisp and clear tones of a child's voice said: "Shut your mouth, my Imperial Father has not spoken yet, it is hardly your turn to be making irresponsible remarks." It was none other than the little Crown Prince Wanyan Shuo. With urgent steps, he descended from the high platform, heading straight towards Su Yi's side.
At this moment, Su Yi's head was spinning, his vision had become blurred and cold sweat was dripping off his forehead. When he heard Wanyan Shuo's footsteps approaching, he reluctantly forced himself to get up, and made to leave the hall. Concubine Yin had just loudly exclaimed: "Audacious slave, quickly tidy up..." But that's all she dared to say, after being treated to a fierce glare by Wanyan Shuo, she did not make another sound.
Zi Nong and the rest had also bounded down towards Su Yi. Su Yi's body was felt as weak as putty, his vision was cloudy and he knew that he could not possibly make it out of the hall in his condition. He could only use up all the inner strength left to him to force the mouthful of blood back down into his throat and barely managed to choke these words out: "I... I will go and find something... here... to tidy up..." So saying, he made to go.
His stomach was in such churning pain that it felt like there seas and rivers were being overturned inside and there were innumerable things that were being tossed around. Su Yi knew full well that if he didn't actively resist for even a split second, a great quantity of blood will gush forth from his mouth. With Wanyan Xu, Wanyan Shuo, Zi Nong and the rest still so profoundly attached emotionally to him, how could he let himself die right in front of them just like that. He could not let such a tragic and cruel scene be their last memory of him, lest it cast a shadow over the rest of their lives. In addition, this was the night of the New Year's Eve, for him to die at a feast was also an ill omen. Therefore he clenched his teeth, locking his jaw tightly he took a few steps forward, wishing that he could fly out the hall at this moment. He would do anything just to get through this moment.
Suddenly he heard a low and steady voice ring out, saying: "Stop right there." All at once, everybody stopped speaking and looked at Wanyan Xu, stunned. Wanyan Shuo and the rest also halted their steps as they looked at him, only to see that he was coming down the dais, step by deliberate step. He looked at Su Yi with luminous eyes and saw that Su Yi was still trying to leave the hall but finally, his weakened legs could support him no longer and he sank to his knees in front of a pillar. He rushed forward to support Su Yi with steps so swift that he appeared to be flying, and saw that his beloved's face was as white as paper and beads of sweat as large as soybeans were rolling down his face. That pair of eyes had already lost their lustre, and when they gazed at Wanyan Xu, he couldn't tell if the expression in them was of love, of pain, of sadness. One of his hands was hanging limply by his side, while the other was still tightly clamped over his nose and mouth. Wanyan Xu was greatly startled by this sight, and a chill shook his body as a portentous feeling of impending doom began to rise up from the bottom of his heart.
"Su Su..."He could only say these words; he found that he could not bear to continue. Wanyan Xu sluggishly raised his hand, forcing himself to keep his mind calm and not to look into Su Yi's pleading eyes, he grasped Su Yi's sleeve firmly. Whether it was that he had lost control over his trembling fingers and they refused to do as he wished, or whether he did not dare to tug that sleeve down for fear of what may happen, he couldn't say. He only knew that his own teeth had begun chattering. However, under the present circumstances, he really did not have the luxury of hesitating any further. He could only harden his heart, and abruptly pulled down Su Yi's weak arm that could put up no resistance. In an instant, a sheet of brilliant but menacing red flashed past his eyes. Su Yi could hold it in no longer, and big mouthfuls of blood gushed out one after another, all of them staining Wanyan Xu's dragon robes.
End of Chapter 71
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[1]: The mutton dish is supposed to be the speciality of Jin Liao, not Great Qi, but I suppose the author might have meant that after the lamb was served, they could start their meal and Wanyan Shuo could sample other dishes that are the specialities of Great Qi.
[2]: Wanyan Xu uses the royal "I/Me/my" throughout this chapter when he is speaking.
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War Prisoner Chapter 72
"Su... Su Su..." Wanyan Xu was so horror-struck by this situation that had arisen so abruptly that he had almost lost his wits. He persisted in this state until Su Yi, who had finally used up the last of his strength and could no longer hold himself up, toppled softly into his arms. Only then did he seem to awake from his trance and at long last, his mind came to process all that had transpired. All of a sudden, he gave a forceful roar that tore at one's heart and cracked one's lungs: "Su Su..." And then he tightly hugged Su Yi's broken and limp body, in panic he wildly cried out: "Somebody come... Zi Liu... Zi Liu... Su Su, what happened to you? What is happening to you?"
Blood was still spilling out in large spurts from Su Yi's mouth, with movements that were clumsy from being flustered, Wanyan Xu hurriedly covered his mouth. Tears of fright were slipping down his face and he implored Su Yi with a choked voice: "Su Su... Su Su... don't throw up anymore, I beg you not to throw up anymore..." Wanyan Shuo, Zi Nong and the rest, who had been standing to the side had also rushed to crowd around Su Yi. Suddenly, they heard a genteel voice say loudly: "Everybody, give way. Your Majesty please remove your hand, let Young Master get rid of all the residual blood in his body." As it turned out, the voice belonged to none other than Zi Liu. She had gone to the back room to fetch a cloak for Wanyan Xu when she suddenly heard his voice coming from the hall in front. His tone of his voice had changed drastically and he was calling for her. When she came back to the hall, with a single look, she roughly understood what had happened. Now, she quickly stepped forward and saw that Su Yi's chest, as well as Wanyan Xu's robes, was sodden with fresh blood. At the sight, Zi Liu could not stop her own face from turning pale; lifting Su Yi's wrist, she took his pulse [1] for a little while before slowly getting back onto her feet, while hanging her head.
Just from her actions, Wanyan Xu and Zi Nong, etcetera could clearly understand how the situation stood. Wanyan Xu embraced Su Yi even more tightly. He suddenly tugged at the front of Zi Liu's jacket and looked at her with crazed eyes as he loudly hissed between his teeth: "No... Su Su's only vomiting blood, Zi Liu, I [2] order you to save his life... I know you will be able to save his life... Zi Liu..."
Suddenly he heard a small, reedy voice coming from below, saying: "Wanyan [3], don't be like this..." He quickly looked down at Su Yi, only to see that a melancholic smile had taken up residence at the corners of Su Yi's blood-stained lips. Laboriously, Su Yi raised a hand and wiped away the tears that had covered Wanyan Xu's face before saying tenderly: "Everyone has to die at some point, don't be sad, or else... or else when I go... I will not be at peace." Su Yi took a glance around the whole room and saw Wanyan Shuo. The boy had been scared silly and at this time, he could only weep. Quickly, Su Yi grabbed his hand and said: "Child, don't cry. You should... you should forget all about me quickly... I... in this life, I am already deeply in the debt of you and your father... if... if you still shed tears over me... it is not worth it... moreover... moreover it is not... something that a monarch should do..."
At this point, he had to stop and gasp a few times for air, suddenly a fresh burst of fishy sweetness rose in his throat and again, he spit out another large mouthful of blood. At the moment, in his heart, he had ten-thousand words that he wished to say, but he was unable to speak even one word and could only try to convey them with his eyes by looking at Wanyan Xu over and over again. The look in his eyes was one of manifold reluctance to part, but also said that he was helpless to prevent it.
Zi Liu's heart was greatly pained; this disease that caused the afflicted to vomit blood in such quantity was invariably a death sentence, but when she saw the look in Su Yi's eyes, a feeling of adamantine resolution unexpectedly took hold in her heart and she was determined to pit all the healing skills she had learned in her lifetime against the disease in a bid to save his life. Therefore, she quickly said: "Your Majesty, since Young Master is not vomiting blood for now, quickly carry him to the bed on the second floor. It is important that he can lie down horizontally now. Your servant... your servant... will do her utmost to try to save his life."
Wanyan Xu hurriedly picked up Su Yi and made to carry him to the second storey, but suddenly, he saw that all the ministers were standing in front of him. In unison, they said: "Your Majesty, Su Yi is guilty of a heinous crime. By right, he should have been put to death but because of Your Majesty's magnanimity, he was spared the death penalty. Now that he is beset with serious illness, it must be Heaven's will. We beseech Your Majesty to do what is best for our state and our lands [4]." The meaning behind their words was crystal clear --- it didn't matter if Su Yi died because he was merely a criminal that should have died long ago.
"All of you... give way, I demand of you..." Wanyan Xu looked at these important ministers viciously, the look in his eyes was akin to a wild wolf mother whose cubs were being threatened with death. His Su Su, his pitiful Su Su, he was the one who had caused Su Su's doom and these people had been his accomplices. Why bring up the country and the land, why bring up guilty of a heinous crime. His Su Su's time on earth was already running out, why did these people still refuse to let him off, why did they still refuse to let Wanyan Xu off? He saw that the ministers were still bowing with their hands cupped in a gesture of obeisance, but they made no move to get out of his way.
Fury and panic finally overtook his heart and he yelled: "All of you... will you only be satisfied when he breathes his last in front of your eyes? Just how far do you intend to push me? Get lost, I want all of you to get lost. At the most I won't be the Emperor anymore, I don't want the throne anymore, alright?" He looked at Su Yi, who had fallen into an unconscious state in his embrace and felt that his own liver and guts were being cut into pieces, such was his pain. He pressed his face against that icy-cold cheek, with tears pouring down his face like rain, he said: "Su Su, I won't be the Emperor anymore, I will go with you. We'll look for a place that is just like the Garden of the Peaches of Immortality [5] and we'll live there, just the two of us. We will no longer be burdened with responsibility towards the country and people, we will no longer be constrained by the etiquette required of us by ministers, we... just the two of us..."
The gathered ministers looked at each other, but none of them were willing to step aside. Yu Cang and Concubine Yin looked upon this scene and their hearts were secretly rejoicing. Suddenly they saw that Zi Yan had stepped forward, after looking around at all the ministers she said in a solemn voice: "Honourable sirs, please leave. The most important thing now is to save a life. Shortly, when the dust has settled, His Majesty will naturally give an account of this matter to all of you." When the crowd heard her words, they did not find them remarkable, except for Yu Cang, who got a shock. He stared at her closely, but Zi Yan did not give him even a single glance.
"I'll say it one more time; all of you get out of my way, or else don't blame me for being merciless." Wanyan Xu raised his head once again and the tone of his words harboured a sinister coldness that had not been present before. He didn't care anymore, what of courtiers, what of criminals; they could all go to hell for all he cared. He only wanted his Su Su, as long as he could once again have his Su Su standing in front of him with a gentle smile, he would do anything. If anyone dared to hinder him, he would kill that person.
"Withdraw, all of you. Or are you trying to force an abdication? As Zi Yan has said, you will have an explanation in the days to come. At the moment, the Emperor is indisposed from heartache, and he is not in the right frame of mind. There is no need for you to press him so insistently. I [6] will have all of you withdraw now. Or do you mean to say that just because the Emperor wishes to save someone, you all feel that it is necessary to stage a rebellion?" At this critical juncture, the Empress Dowager finally stepped up. After the ministers exchanged a few more glances with each other, they finally hastily withdrew and said as one: "Your subject would never dare."
End of Chapter 72
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[1]: 把脉 (bǎ mài): taking the pulse. It's a technique that is still used in Traditional Chinese Medicine today that goes beyond simply checking for a beat. Various characteristics of the pulse are used by TCM practitioners to diagnose specific ailments. The characteristics of a pulse in TCM doctrine are: depth, frequency, shape, width, strength, length and rhythm.
[2]: Wanyan Xu uses the royal "I/Me/my" throughout this chapter when he is speaking.
[3]: Su Yi suddenly begins calling Wanyan Xu by his surname only. I'm not quite sure why, since it's not considered a particularly affectionate way to address someone. It could actually be considered rude in some situations actually. Maybe because Wanyan Xu has been calling Su Yi by his surname x2 as a pet name?
[4]: The ministers brought up the land specifically because it was believed that natural disasters were Heaven's way of communicating displeasure with the Son of Heaven. For example, droughts were taken to be a sign that criminal cases were being misjudged.
[5]: 世外桃源 (shì wài táo yuán): the Garden of the Peaches of Immortality. This is a place that features in many Chinese myths. It's supposed to be like a utopia. The fruit of the peach trees in that garden was supposed to confer immortality on people who ate them, much like Idun's apples in Norse myth.
[6]: The Empress Dowager refers to herself as "哀家 (āi jiā)", the "I/Me/my" used only by Empress Dowagers.