Dandere General and his Lord

44.1. Harbinger of Disaster

Concubine Xu managed to open her eyes with difficulty. She had walked back and forth through the gates of hell and risked everything in order to give birth to this baby and she had become too weak to even speak. She could only look at Cheng Qianye as she held the baby in her arms.

Although she couldn’t be regarded as experienced, after witnessing the process of labour, Cheng Qianye felt a profound realization that it wasn’t easy to be a mother.

Sitting down beside the bed, she handed the child over to Concubine Xu and said comfortingly, “It’s alright, it’s all over, it was all worth it, look see how….”

Cheng Qianye looked down at the wrinkled baby in his swaddling clothes who looked just like a monkey and felt that she really couldn’t talk about what a beautiful baby he was. With lack of a better choice, she was forced to say with some embarrassment;

“How…. plump he is, his face is so fleshy.”

Concubine Xu stretched out her icy-cold hand from beneath the bedding and her eyes were red as she tugged at Cheng Qianye and said, “From this day forth, my life belongs to you.”

The soft yellow lustre that enveloped her body now had a firm gold border surrounding it.

It turned out that such a delicate woman could also have such unwavering loyalty.

Cheng Qianye felt somewhat surprised from receiving the devotion from such a frail woman.

~

At this moment at the Yang Residence, Old Madame Yang was feeling somewhat uncertain after listening to the words of her elder brother who was in a spitting rage.

“My good sister, my nephew is still young and doesn’t realize the gravity of matters, you should try hard to persuade him. This military merit system cannot be implemented, isn’t this just freeing your slaves in vain?” Yang Su advised her earnestly and patiently. “What’s more, I heard this move of his is merely a pretense for that male pet called Mo Qiao Sheng so that he can get rid of his status as a slave.”

“I know about that one called Mo Qiao Sheng. Yu’er is truly fond of him, but….”

“Throughout the ages, calamities have befallen countless nations at the hands of evildoers. Mo Xi had a hand in the ruin of the Xia Dynasty, and the Shang Dynasty was toppled because of the evil concubine Da Ji. I believe that this Mo Qiao Sheng is a harbinger of disaster just like them. They say that my nephew used the horse left to him by the first Marquis in exchange for him and that Han Quanlin wished to trade a city in exchange for this person, but he refused him.”

“Is this true?” Old Madame Yang sat up straight, “But…. Yu’er cares a great deal about him, if I interfere at will, I’m afraid that it might harm the feelings between us mother and son.”

One of Old Madame Yang’s close female attendants rushed inside and saluted before speaking softly in her ear.

Old Madame Yang’s complexion went through a number of changes. She slapped the armrest and angrily said, “How can Yu’er do such a thing!”

“That Mo Qiao Sheng is too arrogant, he even dares to kill the Da Changqiu relying on his favour. As a person beside Yu’er, he doesn’t know how to advise Yu’er, just sowing discord and creating trouble. He doesn’t even pay attention to my people, he really is a scourge!”

After saying these words, she stood up to return to the palace.

Yang Su’s wife, Zhang shi1 stood up and stopped her.

“Sister-in-law, what are you doing, going back in such a rage?” She grabbed Old Madame Yang and pressed down on her shoulder, asking her to sit back in the chair. “Calm down first and listen to me.”

Before Old Madame Yang had gotten married, she had completely accepted this sister-in-law of hers. And now, along with the passage of years, the relationship between the two of them had become more and more intimate, so she suppressed her temper and sat back down.

“In my opinion, that Da Changqiu Mrs. Cui only has herself to blame. As My Lord has just returned, this is the time when he needs to build up his prestige. Since she couldn’t tell good from bad and defied the Lord in public, she completely deserved to die.” She served a cup of tea to Old Madame Yang and continued, “As for that Mo Qiao Sheng, he’s nothing more than a cheap slave. There’s no need for you mother and son to have a direct conflict for a plaything like him. If things become twisted and causes disharmony between mother and son, it will only provoke people’s laughter.”

“Listen to me. Once you return to the palace, you definitely cannot cause a ruckus in front of my Nephew and you should also praise him for handling the matter properly. After a few days have passed, you only need to…..” She whispered a few words in Old Madame Yang’s ears.

“It is still my sister-in-law who is thoughtful.” Old Madame Yang nodded.

Yang Su did not forget to add, “Sister, you mustn’t be softhearted. We have to deal with this Mo Qiao Sheng and then slowly persuade My Lord to abolish the new policy in order to maintain the peace and stability of the country.”

Old Madame Yang returned to the palace. Regarding Cheng Qianye’s execution of Mrs. Cui, although she felt discontented in her heart, she did not create an issue out of it.

And Cheng Qianye was simply too busy to care about this matter.

A few days later, they received the news that Mo Zang Peizhen had breached Nanyang city.

Li Wenguang and the defeated remnants of his troops had evacuated from Nanyang and returned to Liangzhou.

The situation suddenly became tense. The new army had only just been established and there were a plethora of issues they had yet to tackle.

Moreover, Wei Mingshan had already laid siege to Bianzhou for a long time now. If Mo Zang Peizhen and his troops moved north and joined up with Wei Mingshan and his forces, then Bianzhou would truly be stuck in a perilous situation. 

It was extremely urgent to send in the reinforcements. Helan Zhen trained the new army recruits while Zhang Fu arranged the army provisions and Cheng Qianye mediated between the major forces in the central and northern areas, every one of them so busy that their feet didn’t touch the ground.

In the afternoon.

Cheng Qianye concluded the court and turned to head towards Anyuan Palace Hall to deal with the key tasks of the military strategies. Concubine Xu hurriedly halted her in her tracks with an anxious look on her face.

“How come you’re outside? Aren’t you still in confinement?”

“Quickly, My Husband, quickly go back to the harem.” Concubine Xu spoke agitatedly, “The Old Madame…. The Old Madame has ordered Mo Qiao Sheng to commit suicide.”2

“What did you say!?” Cheng Qianye grabbed her hand. “Qiao Sheng has been in the barracks all day, how can the Old Madame execute him all of a sudden?”

“I….. I don’t know. I heard that the Old Madame caught an adulterer in Concubine Yu’s chambers and that it was Mo Qiao Sheng. Right now, he has already been captured by the imperial guards and he has been pushed before the Old Madame and he will be executed immediately.”

Concubine Xu’s face was slightly pale. She wasn’t sure whether this was the right thing to do, but she knew that Mo Qiao Sheng had a special place in Cheng Qianye’s heart so she had to inform Cheng Qianye of this matter and let her make her own decision.”

“Thank you.” Cheng Qianye squeezed Concubine Xu’s hand.

She turned back and said to her personal guard, “Call all of our men, bring your weapons and follow me to the harem.”

The so-called “our men” here referred to the personal attendants that Cheng Qianye had picked out from the soldiers who had followed her from Bianzhou.

That old elder brother of hers, Cheng Qianyu, had been a mediocre and incompetent man who hadn’t been enthroned for long, and had no control over the defense forces in the palace.

After Cheng Qianye had transmigrated, she had stayed in Bianzhou which was outside of the capital. The defense forces inside the capital had long been divided into different camps.

She was fully aware that carrying out such a change was a risky affair. Hence, despite the fact that Helan Yanzhi, who was in charge of the defense of the palace was considered to be on her side;

She had still brought back her own private soldiers from Bianzhou, selecting a group of loyal and capable soldiers to be her personal guards.

At that moment at the rear palace, Mo Qiao Sheng had been pressed down on the ground in front of Old Madame Yang by several powerful imperial guards. There was a dishevelled imperial concubine collapsed on the ground beside him, weeping and wailing that she had been wronged.

Old Madame Yang who was sitting in the main seat spoke frostily, “Now that you have been caught in bed and with stolen goods, what are you still quibbling about?”

Mo Qiao Sheng clenched his teeth. He knew that he had fallen into a trap.

Today, when he was at the barracks, an attendant from the palace had found him and told him that the Lord had an urgent matter and asked him to return to the palace earlier.

Mo Qiao Sheng did not doubt him. He had followed him back and gone to the Lord’s chambers as usual, only to find a sloppily dressed woman tumbling down from the bed in panic.

Soon after, a group of fierce guards had rushed inside and seized the two of them without even allowing an explanation before tying them up and delivering them to the Old Madame.

Mo Qiao Sheng gnashed his teeth and thought inwardly to himself, I cannot give up easily. I must hold on until Master returns.

A palace maid brought over a tray with a pot of wine and two cups resting on it.

Old Madame Yang raised her chin and said, “Send them on their way, do it neatly.”

~

1. (氏 – shì) – Used after a married woman’s maiden name.
2. Commit suicide by imperial order (so as to be spared the indignity of execution)

44.2. Harbinger of Disaster

Concubine Yu screamed in fright and rose up. Two sturdy palace maids ruthlessly pinched her mouth open and poured the poisoned wine inside.

Concubine Yu covered her throat as she choked and spat out white foam, rolling and beating against the ground until she gradually curled up and ceased moving.

Two imperial guards held up Mo Qiao Sheng who did not show any resistance. Just as they were about to force him to drink the alcohol, Mo Qiao Sheng abruptly twisted his wrists and escaped from their grip.

He stretched out his long legs and kicked one man before taking advantage of everyone’s surprise to stand up and run away from the palace hall.

“Rebel, rebel.” Old Madame Yang was furious as she slapped the table and said, “Go bring him back quickly. I’ll see how far he can run.”

In the courtyard outside the palace hall, several armed palace guards swarmed towards him. Mo Qiao Sheng who was unarmed assumed a defensive posture and, just like a trapped beast, he burst out with the most powerful force in his life.

More than ten armed soldiers jointly attacked him, yet they were unable to gain an advantage over him even for a moment.

Old Madame Yang pointed her finger to the courtyard and turned to Lu Ao, the chief of the guards, and said, “These are the soldiers you trained? So many people can’t even take down an unarmed slave? What’s the use in keeping you?”

The muscles in Lu Ao’s face twitched and his eyes shone with a cruel glint. He turned his wrist and personally strode outside of the palace hall to join the fray.

In the midst of the chaotic fight, Mo Qiao Sheng felt a vicious strike land against his jianjing1 pressure point.

Half of his body went numb, causing him to stagger. He knew that the situation was far from good. This move had been done by an expert, his technique of recognizing and attacking the pressure point had been both accurate and ruthless.

Nonetheless, his current circumstances did not allow him to ponder over this as several weapons sliced through the wind and rushed towards him. His body went soft and was finally unable to support him as he slumped down onto the ground.

Mo Qiao Sheng managed to dodge them with some difficulty, only for another vicious strike to land against his shen que2 acupoint.

He was escorted back to the palace hall by several armed soldiers who pressed him down in front of Old Madame Yang.

Old Madame Yang pointed at Mo Qiao Sheng who was on the ground and cursed furiously, “A lowly thing like you who does not know the immensity of heaven and earth,3 I ought to have killed such a troublesome bastard like you a long time ago.”

An attendant stepped forward and lifted up Mo Qiao Sheng’s face to give him the poisoned wine. Mo Qiao Sheng clenched his teeth and resisted to the last breath.

There was a sudden cacophony of noises.

The palace hall’s entrance was opened wide and a group of armed guards swarmed inside. Every one of these men had come back from the battlefield and they had seen blood with the crossing of real swords and spears.4 With their bodies enveloped in a murderous aura, they glared at the people inside as they lined up against them.

Cheng Qianye strode inside with her hands clasped behind her back and quietly gazed at the situation inside the room for a long time.

She spoke softly, “Mother, what are you doing?”

Her voice was not loud, but everyone inside the palace hall felt their scalps tingle.

In an instant, there was a commotion with people kneeling on the ground.

Old Madame Yang stood up. Confronted with Cheng Qianye’s emotionless gaze, she felt a groundless fear crawling up her spine.

What am I afraid of? He’s my own son, no, my own daughter. How can she do something to me?

Old Madame Yang comforted herself.

She recalled that when her daughter had been young, she had secretly raised a stray dog she had found from somewhere, and afraid of being found out, she had concealed it very carefully.

But what matter could escape her eyes inside the palace? That dog had been too ugly and tarnished her dignity as a princess. Hence, regardless of how her daughter had cried and pleaded with her, she had still mercilessly ordered the servants to deal with that dog.

Hadn’t her daughter only cried and made noise for a short while before easily being coaxed back by herself?

It would be the same this time. Her daughter was still her daughter, nothing was going to happen.

Old Madame Yang calmed down and said, “My Child, this man and Concubine Yu…..”

“Mother. Dismiss the servants first.” Cheng Qianye interrupted her.

Without waiting for Old Madame Yang to respond, she waved her sleeve and shouted, “Get out!”

The palace maids inside the hall bowed their heads and withdrew quickly.

The armoured soldiers brought over by Cheng Qianye were the last to leave, closing the doors behind them and guarding the entrance from the outside.

Inside the palace hall, only Old Madame Yang, Cheng Qianye and the immobile Mo Qiao Sheng who was lying on the ground were left inside.

“My Child, listen to what your Mother is telling you.” Old Madame Yang began to explain long-windedly.

Cheng Qianye watched her mouth opening and closing as she planned out what her next step should be.

The cruel and stupid old lady of over fifty years of age who was before her at this moment was the mother of this body.

With her foundation so unstable and the implementation of the new policy being at such a critical stage, she really did not wish to have a falling out with this woman and have people label her as being unfilial.

I’ll try and see whether I really can’t change the ideas in the bottom of her heart. If I can’t, even if I wind up being charged with a heinous crime, I cannot let her retain her life today so that I can avoid walking around with a demon behind my back every day.

She lifted her robes and knelt down beside Mo Qiao Sheng.

“Mother.” Cheng Qianye raised her head, revealing a delicate expression. “As a matter of fact, I have become really tired these days. Living is very tiring and pretending is very tiring.”

Cheng Qianye spoke as she carefully observed the state of Old Madame Yang’s emotional colours.

“Mother, you have no idea. At the beginning, those people next to me either looked down on me or conspired to murder me, none of them had good intentions.”

“Some men spoke maliciously behind my back while others tried to harm me with poisoned wine. I’ve been so afraid all day and night that I’ve been too scared to fall asleep.”

When it came to such a stubborn and irritable middle-aged woman, it would be difficult to reach the desired effect if you confronted her.

Sometimes, it was easier to achieve your purpose by using weakness and moving their emotions.

Cheng Qianye had originally just wanted to put on a play, but after she started talking, she thought back to those hard times from when she had first passed through to this world which affected her mood as well as she squeezed a couple of tears out of her eyes, appearing quite pitiful.

“It is just this slave, I genuinely like him and my thoughts are filled with joy when I think of him whenever I suppress the pain. With him by my side, I can relax a little and not be so tense all the time.”

Cheng Qianye quietly raised her head and watched as Old Madame’s emotional lustre which had originally been coloured with resentment rapidly changed to a tint symbolizing pity and sorrow.

Therefore, she persisted in her efforts and shed tears relentlessly.

Picking up the cup of poisoned wine on the table, she said, “If Mother really cannot allow him to remain, then…. then my life doesn’t matter either. If I drink this cup of wine with him, then I won’t need to spend the remainder of my life thinking about those troublesome matters either.”

A body suddenly slammed into her and knocked out the cup of wine from her hand.

Mo Qiao Sheng had knocked down the cup of wine from her hand and tumbled down to the ground with her.

He looked at her with an unwavering gaze, his eyes intermingled with a complex mix of emotions as he slowly shook his head.

“No. You can’t. You mustn’t!”

At this moment, the brilliant sapphire blue was like the ocean in the midst of a tempest, rolling with intense waves.

A rich cherry pink mingled with the blue, surging back and forth.

Oh no, I forgot about him and went too far. Cheng Qianye was momentarily stunned. Does this count as a direct confession?

The wine cup which fell to the ground rolled over and stopped at Old Madame Yang’s feet.

Old Madame Yang appeared as if she’d been scalded by something and hopped in fright.

She reacted immediately, picking up the cup and looking around in a fluster before throwing it into the innermost corner beneath the chair.

“My Child, My Child.” Old Madame Yang threw herself to the ground and embraced Cheng Qianye. “How can you pierce your Mother’s heart like this? You are the only child I have left, you must live for your Mother.”

“My Child is unhappy at heart, how can Mother be unaware?” She caressed Cheng Qianye’s head as her tears fell like rain. “You can’t do something so stupid. Since you like this slave, then he can stay. Mother won’t make things difficult for him anymore.”

“Mother, Bianzhou is the first city I captured and the place where my foundation lies.” Cheng Qianye decided to strike while the iron was hot. “If I can’t hold on to Bianzhou this time, I’m afraid I’ll be too ashamed to face all those ministers and even my prestige will drop drastically.”

“This….” Old Madame Yang stared blankly. She didn’t know why Cheng Qianye had suddenly switched the topic to talk about the new policy.

Cheng Qianye lifted up her head from Old Madame Yang’s bosom and looked at her seriously, “Mother, if Bianzhou is lost, we will almost have no direct troops. Without an army, what ability will I have to say anything in front of all these ministers from powerful families?”

“Mother, you need to understand that if we want to hold on to Bianzhou, we have no choice but to implement the new policy.”

“Now the arrow has already been nocked in the bowstring, if we do not carry out the new policy and fail to defend Bianzhou, then we will truly become the puppets of these nobles from the aristocratic families and have no place to stand.”

“My Child speaks rationally.”

“Mother, you must support me and support my new policy.”

“All right!” Old Madame Yang got up and said, “Tomorrow, I’ll go see your Uncle and explain these things to him clearly. I’ll make sure to let our Yang family stand behind My Child.”

~

Cheng Qianye pulled Mo Qiao Sheng along as they walked back to her chambers.

Mo Qiao Sheng had difficulty moving and paused after each step, walking very slowly.

“Are you wounded? Is it serious? Should I summon the imperial physician to take a look at you?” Cheng Qianye looked back at him and inquired.

Mo Qiao Sheng stretched out his hand to support himself against the wall for a while. “It’s nothing serious. Just now, when I broke free, there was an expert at recognizing pressure points among the soldiers and he struck my jianjing point several times. It’s caused my limbs to become numb and inconvenient to move for a while. I’ll be as good as new after a short period of time, there is no need for Master to worry about me.”

“Then let’s sit down for a moment.” Cheng Qianye pulled him over to sit on the balustrade of the winding corridor.

“Where does it hurt? I’ll rub it for you.” She took Mo Qiao Sheng’s arm and started to knead it gently.

“Does it feel better?”

Mo Qiao Sheng looked at her in a daze.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Cheng Qianye poked his forehead and said with a smile, “I received a big fright today. Fortunately, nothing happened to you.”

In her vision, a ring of cherry pink began to emerge from the splendid blue that surrounded Mo Qiao Sheng’s body, gradually becoming brighter. Just like the peach blossoms blooming outstandingly against the winds in spring, it was clear and beautiful against the blue lustre, no longer indistinct as before.

Mo Qiao Sheng turned his face to the side and raised his hands to cover his eyes. Transparent drops of water seeped out through the seams of his fingers and flowed down.

Cheng Qianye foolishly stood in front of him, staring blankly as he silently revealed his feelings. And these tears he was shedding was because he had come to realize what was in the depths of his heart.

She suddenly stretched out her hand and pulled away the hands covering his eyes.

Pinching his chin, she forced him to turn his head to face her.

Mo Qiao Sheng closed his eyes. His nose was red and his eyelashes quivered as glistening teardrops escaped from the corner of his eyes.

Cheng Qianye stared fixedly at his head which was trembling gently. Suddenly, she did not wish to endure any longer. She raised his chin and bowed her head, kissing his tense, thin lips.

Something soft and moist suddenly touched Mo Qiao Sheng’s lips.

His mind seemed to explode and the whole world suddenly went blank.

He couldn’t think about anything and he couldn’t move.

Yet that person refused to let him go. A sweet, slippery tongue swam past his lips and charged into his domain.

Mo Qiao Sheng’s whole body shuddered as he allowed that person to turn over his world and stir up his soul.

He completely lost himself in the wake of that person’s wanton plunder. He could only fall into that joyful abyss, closely following the rise and fall of those lips entangled with his.

“Oh my.” A woman’s soft exclamation interrupted them.

Cheng Qianye gasped slightly and stopped the kiss that had lasted for an unknown amount of time.

She showed an annoyed expression and turned back to look at that woman who didn’t have eyes.

“I didn’t do it intentionally, you go on, go on.” Yao Tianxiang covered her eyes with one hand and spoke insincerely.

Cheng Qianye had no choice but to release Mo Qiao Sheng as she spoke unhappily, “What’s wrong? Speak quickly!”

“I really have no choice but to interrupt you.” Yao Tianxiang became serious.

“Zhang Fu has been looking for you everywhere. Bianzhou is in a state of emergency. Mo Zang Peizhen and his army have already arrived at Bianzhou.”

~

Cheng Qianye and the others left the winding corridor. Two palace maids who had been sweeping the courtyard flashed up at the end of the corridor.

“Did…. Did you see that?”

“I saw, I saw.” The other person nodded desperately. “Leaning on the wall, he couldn’t firmly walk down the road, but My Lord refused to let him go and bullied him until he cried.”

“Truly pitiful.”

“Right, it’s too pitiful.”

~

1. Jian Jing is in the muscles of your shoulder, about halfway between your neck and where your arms begin. This point has been used in successful acupuncture studies of headache and muscle tensionTrusted Source. Jian Jing may also successfully treat the pain of a sore or stiff neck. Source: healthline
2. Acupuncture point in the center of the navel.
3. (不知天高地厚 – bù zhī tiān gāo dì hòu) – Idiom; having an exaggerated opinion of one’s own abilities.
4. (真刀真枪 – zhēn dāo zhēn qiāng) – Idiom; as in, seen the real thing.