Being forthright by nature, her only desire was to put a swift and resolute end to this complex problem…
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Ch. 14.2
Chengzhou was receiving abundant rainfall this year. There had been several rainstorms in the fifth month and in the sixth lunar month even the Cheng River had swelled. The waters were a murky pea-green with turbulent currents and whirling eddies and its tumultuous waves, like innumerable stampeding wild horses, seemed to be on the verge of bursting through the riverbanks and dykes into the city of Chengzhou beyond.
There had been another torrential downpour in the morning. Hé/həʳ/ Xu’an held an umbrella as he picked his way along an embankment, the muddy water splattering his trouser legs. From a distance through the misty rain he saw more than ten big umbrellas clustered in a group; the people holding the umbrellas were pointing and looking down the embankment. Gladdened, he began hurrying over and arrived a little out of breath¹, saying, ‘Sixth Marshal!’
¹ 喘吁吁 chuǎnxūxū. If you’re not reading this chapter at hiding in plain sight, it has been stolen and reproduced by novelscraping sites.
Although there were umbrellas being held up all around him, Murong Feng’s sleeves were still wet because of the driving rain. He displayed no reaction upon seeing Hé/həʳ/ Xu’an but merely asked, ‘Well?’
Seeing that besides his close aides, some officials from the bureau which oversaw the river dyke and water supply were also present, Hé/həʳ/ Xu’an could not reveal much and only settled for saying vaguely, ‘The other party has agreed but on condition… I’ll report the details to you once we get back, Sixth Marshal.’
Murong Feng’s eyebrows lifted a fraction before he turned aside to gaze down at the seething, churning river. The Cheng River flowed out of Chengzhou, passing through Jiangzhou, Mingzhou and several other provinces before flowing into the Yong River. To the north of the Yong River lay what were commonly called the Sixteen Northern Provinces. Presently, nine of those provinces were under his control with the remaining seven being controlled by the Ying Army, while south of the Yong River lay expanses of rich and fertile plains. The rain was coming down in sheets now and the mists rising off the river made it impossible to see even the riverbank opposite. He summoned one of the officials over and told him, ‘The water levels are dangerously high now. I only have this to say: your fate depends on this dyke — if anything happens to it, you’re also doomed.’
That man, being a civil official, was so intimidated that he could only stutter ‘understood’ repeatedly. Murong Feng took no further notice of him and merely ordered, ‘Head back.’
Ever since the water levels had started rising, Murong Feng had been going to the river embankment daily to personally observe the situation. Upon returning to the Provincial Governor’s residence, he went to change out of his wet clothes. Hé/həʳ/ Xu’an was waiting in a reception room when he spotted Shen Jiaping walking along the corridor. They were used to being informal with each other and as he had been away on official business for more than a month, they had not had a chance to catch up yet. He thus clapped the latter on the shoulder, remarking, ‘Hey, Lǎo Shen, why are you looking so tense? You look positively miserable.’
Shen Jiaping pursed his lips and jerked his chin in the direction of the floor upstairs. Being quick-witted, Hé/həʳ/ Xu’an understood him immediately and commented, ‘No wonder I thought Sixth Marshal was a little moody earlier. He didn’t say a single word to me when we were in the car. What’s the matter with that person?’
Shen Jiaping heaved a sigh and replied, ‘You were away for more than a month on official business so it’s not surprising that you don’t know. Come to think of it, it is rather odd. They were getting along swimmingly at first, but then they had a tiff one day. Sixth Marshal has since stopped going to see her and she’s also moved into the guest room. Since then they’ve been scrupulously polite to each other when they meet and Old Master Yin doesn’t allow them to interact for long either. Now it looks as though Miss Yin’s wound has almost fully healed so Old Master Yin booked tickets a few days ago. They’re going back to Qianping by train this afternoon.’
Hé/həʳ/ Xu’an considered this for a few moments before asking, ‘And Sixth Marshal means to let it happen?’
Shen Jiaping hesitated before answering, ‘I suppose so, considering that he’s letting them leave.’ Right at this moment, an aide walked out of the main house and issued instructions for the car to be readied, saying, ‘Sixth Marshal wants to send Miss Yin to the train station.’
When Shen Jiaping heard this, he hastened off to arrange for a garrison escort. In a short while, Murong Feng came down in civilian clothes and upon seeing him, said, ‘Xu’an, we’ll talk about it when I get back.’ Hé/həʳ/ Xu’an returned an affirmative answer and saw some of the attendants from the main house carrying some suitcases and boxes that they went to place in the car first while Murong Feng stood in the hall with his hands clasped behind him, gazing abstractedly out the door at the downpour.
Although Jingwan had already resolved to do so, she still felt a little strange when the moment came for her to leave. Ever since that day, she had been avoiding being alone in Murong Feng’s company. He had also not pressed her but merely gazed at her with a disappointed expression every time they met which caused her to feel a kind of confusion. Being forthright by nature, her only desire was to put a swift and resolute end to this complex problem² so once she was almost fully recovered, she decided to leave for Qianping immediately with her father.
² 快刀斬亂麻 Translation belongs to theresanother(DOT)wordpress(DOT)com.
The rain was still torrential and the chauffeur had to slow down while driving. Puddles had pooled in the streets so as the car was driven along, it sent water spraying everywhere like a ship ploughing through waves. The deluge was so heavy that neither a single rickshaw nor pedestrians could be seen on the streets. Out of respect, Murong Feng had invited Yin Chufan to sit in the back with Jingwan while he himself took the opposite seat. The car interior was not that big and he happened to be sitting opposite Jingwan which unsettled her so much that she turned her face away to look out the window. The streets went by in a flash, just like the time she had spent in Chengzhou, leaving only a jumble of grey shadows, blurred and indistinct.
When they got to the train station, Shen Jiaping had already arranged for sentries to guard the entire platform while Murong Feng personally saw them to their compartment. Two special compartments had been booked for them. Jingwan, afraid that he would say something to her, went into her father’s compartment and sat down there instead of going to her own compartment. Shen Jiaping brought in some fruits and snacks, saying, ‘Sixth Marshal ordered that these be prepared for your journey.’
Yin Chufan demurred repeatedly, ‘You do us too much of an honour.’
Murong Feng said, ‘Why stand on so much ceremony, Sir? If there’s a chance next time, I hope you’ll come to Chengzhou again and allow me to play host, however inadequately.’
While they were exchanging pleasantries, Jingwan sat on the sofa, gazing out the window at the platform that was bristling with sentries. Although the rain was pouring down³ and they were soaked through, they remained motionless. Such a neat military appearance really commanded respect. Murong Chen had always maintained strict discipline over his troops and Murong Feng had continued this tradition which was why the Cheng Army had a prestigious reputation.
³ 傾盆大雨 qīngpén-dàyǔ. Please consider reading from hiding in plain sight rather than from novelscraping sites.
Recalling his words ‘I want to lay this world at your feet’, she felt a sort of unaccountable pain flit across her heart. His towering ambitions — she knew that he would definitely realise them one day, but who knew what kind of world it would be were they to meet again next time? Perhaps after ten or twenty years, she would still only be gazing up at him from the sidelines.
Finally, it was almost time for the train to depart. Murong Feng glanced at her, his eyes seemed to have much to say but in the end he only sighed lightly, said goodbye and went down the train. She could see from the carriage window that he was standing on the platform and Shen Jiaping was holding an umbrella over him. Behind him were the sentries. The heavy rain resembled thousands of ropes lashing the ground. The train swayed for a while and then began to move forward slowly. Murong Feng stood where he was without moving an inch. Shen Jiaping said something into his ear, but he did not appear to hear anything and just kept looking up at her. Jingwan, who had wanted to move away from the compartment window initially, seemed to have lost all strength for some reason and remained immobile. She could not even bring herself to look away. Beyond the rain-streaked glass, his face could not be made out and she sat there blindly, not knowing what she was thinking. A warm hand pressed against her shoulder and she turned her head.
Yin Chufan said lovingly, ‘Child.’
The train was starting to pick up speed and she turned her face round again. His figure was already receding into the distance, faster and faster, farther and farther away until he and the sentries blurred into one dark mass. In a short while, the train turned a corner and even the platform was lost to sight. There remained nothing but the ocean of rain.
(Approx. 1609 words)
12’s notes:
Edited after post was published.
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