Governor’s Illness

or me dodging quickly, I’d be almost discovered by him.
Say, if you hadn’t exposed that mess about Father, it would’ve been fine, so why did you bother?” Xie Jingtao bit his tongue and said, “But, before, I thought you were a sissy, and just seeing you made me want to beat you up.
I didn’t expect that you were this bold.”

Xie Jinglan still ignored him.
Xie Jingtao didn’t mind and continued, “How about this, you’ll come with me from now on.
Next time I go to Wanxiang Building, I’ll bring you along, hehe, and let you have a taste of that ecstasy.
Ah, but you’re a little too young, I don’t know if you’ll be able to taste that pleasure…”

Seeing him get more off the more he spoke, Xiahou Lian hastily stopped his topic of conversation and said, “Give me a break, our young master isn’t like you.
Memorize your memorial to the throne and talk less nonsense.”

Xie Jingtao humphed and said, “You don’t know how to appreciate kindness.” He glanced at the memorial in his hand and then looked at them, saying uncertainly, “Don’t you two carry this memorial around to memorize it? Father is going to check in two days.”

“What is it? We don’t have it,” said Xiahou Lian.

“The memorial to the throne to impeach Wei De.
Father has nothing better to do, so he wants everyone in the manor to memorize it.
Those who are literate should memorize it themselves, and those who aren’t should memorize it with the chamberlain.”

Xiahou Lian was silent.
He was afraid that the “everyone in the manor” that Xie Jingtao had said didn’t include Qiuwu Courtyard.

Xiahou Lian couldn’t understand, Xie Jinglan was so extraordinarily talented, but how come it was like Xie Bingfeng had gone blind and had to put him to the side, pretending he couldn’t see him? 

The shadow of the moon moved westward, hanging high above the tips of the willow branches.
The candles on Xie Jingtao’s side had gone out at some point, and the sounds of his snoring came from the darkness.
The night was very still, and there were bugs hiding in the grass, calling, one sound after another.
Wind started to blow outside, making the door shake.
Some of the dust on top of it floated down, like snow that didn’t melt.

Just as Xiahou Lian was feeling drowsy, the door was quietly opened, and someone hiding outside made a “psst” sound.
Xiahou Lian turned and saw Lian Xiang and Aunt Lan stick their heads in with exaggerated expressions as they gave Xiahou Lian a meaningful glance.

Xiahou Lian tapped Xie Jinglan, and the two of them cautiously went around Xie Jingtao and squatted next to the door.

Sponsored Content

Aunt Lan handed Xiahou Lian a blanket and said with a worried expression, “It’s chilly at night, so we were afraid the two of you would freeze.
Make do with this blanket for now, if you still feel cold, get closer together and try to warm each other up.”

Lian Xiang’s eyes were keen, and she saw the red marks on Xie Jinglan’s face.
She didn’t need to guess to know what had happened, and her eyes were instantly filled with tears.

“Aunt, you’re still the best,” said Xiahou Lian as he draped the blanket over Xie Jinglan’s back.

“We’ll go now, if Nursemaid Liu finds out, who knows what kind of discord she’ll sow,” said Aunt Lan.

“Wait,” Xie Jinglan grabbed the front of Aunt Lan’s robes and said, “Aunt, do you know why my father hates me and my mother?”

Aunt Lan was clearly stunned, and her eyes became panicked.
“I…” She seemed like she didn’t want to talk about this matter, and she spoke ambiguously for a while but didn’t give an explanation.

“Aunt, I want to hear the truth.”

Lian Xiang said anxiously, “Aunt, just say it.”

Aunt Lan sighed, glanced at Xie Jinglan, and said slowly, “At the time, your mother was a maid, this you know.
One day, the master got drunk and… and wanted your mother.
Originally, this wasn’t a big deal, it’s something that happens in anyone’s manor.
Contrary to what was expected, your mother had a stubborn personality and took things to heart, so she actually snuck out of the manor and reported him to the authorities.”

“And then what?” asked Xie Jinglan.

“It just so happened that the official at the time was an unreasonable and stubborn donkey.
The master pleaded in every possible way but it was no use, he charged the master with raping a servant and lowered him by three ranks.
Since then, the master hated your mother, and although your mother had you in her belly, he was indifferent toward the two of you.” Aunt Lan wiped away tears.
“Men are all like this, having a heart of stone, but it made your mother suffer and also made you suffer.”

“Since she reported him, she would’ve been planning to cut ties with Xie Bingfeng.
Why did she come to the manor to be a concubine?” asked Xiahou Lian.

Aunt Lan shook her head.
“At the time, she didn’t know that she already had the young master in her belly, but when she knew, it was too late to go back.
Try asking a woman who can’t do manual labor how she can raise a child, and the young master couldn’t not have a father.
She originally refused to return to the manor, and she only returned after I earnestly persuaded her to.”

Xiahou Lian opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but when he saw Aunt Lan’s tears streaming, he couldn’t say it.

Aunt Lan said, “The master’s heart was too ruthless, she lived alone in the courtyard all day long.
No one looked after or cared for her, and she only endured it for a few years before she passed away.”

Xie Jinglan nodded and said, “I see, you two should go back soon.”

Lian Xiang was reluctant to leave.
“Young Master, take care of yourself.” As she said this, she glared at Xiahou Lian.
“Look after the young master, I’m relying on you this time.”

Xiahou Lian said gloomily, “I know.”

They closed the door tightly.
Xie Jinglan hugged his knees and sat on the ground, his eyes looking at the darkness, and Xiahou Lian didn’t know what he was thinking about.
He was very silent tonight, practically not saying anything.
At some point, the candles had already gone out, and the entire room was pitch-dark.
The darkness as heavy as iron mixed with an inexpressible sorrow and pressed down on his shoulders, making it so that he didn’t have the strength to lift his head.

If Aunt Lan hadn’t persuaded his mother, perhaps his mother wouldn’t have died of sorrow.

Sponsored Content

Perhaps, he would have been like Xiahou Lian now, a hooligan on the streets.
He would make trouble everywhere together with his playmate on the streets, and when his mother had leisure time, she would carry a bamboo pole and hit him all over the streets.
His playmate would shout, “Xie Jinglan, run! Your mother is going to catch up to you!”

His eyes were terribly sore, and a very small teardrop flowed out of his eye, quivered on his curved eyelashes, and dripped down along his cheek and into his collar.
Fortunately, the room was dark, so Xiahou Lian couldn’t see.

“Young Master.”

Xiahou Lian’s voice suddenly sounded.
Xie Jinglan was a little flustered as he buried his head into his knees, afraid that he would see the tear marks on his face.

“Actually, I lied to you before,” Xiahou Lian said softly.

“What did you lie to me about?” Xie Jinglan tried hard to make his voice seem normal, but a slight nasally sound was still revealed.
However, because his head was buried, his voice came out from his arms, and Xiahou Lian didn’t notice Xie Jinglan’s odd behavior.

“I know who my father is.”

“Is he a pale-faced scholar? Did he become an official?”

“Never mind who he is, you won’t know him anyway.” Xiahou Lian played with his fingers and said, “My mother won’t let me recognize him as my father.”

Xie Jinglan looked up and said in confusion, “Why not?”

“My mother said that I’m a man of indomitable spirit, so I can’t find someone else to be my father, I should make other people call me father, and it’s best if they call me that while kneeling.”

“…”

“Young Master, you’re more capable than me.
Not only do you want them to kneel and call you father, they also need to cry while calling you father.
Don’t bully the young and the poor.
Sooner or later, we’ll get even for today’s matter and your mother’s matter.”

Xiahou Lian spoke very certainly.
The two of them were clearly still little kids whose hair hadn’t even grown completely, yet it was as if they were sure to succeed.
Xie Jinglan looked at Xiahou Lian in the darkness in which he couldn’t see his fingers if he stretched his hand out, and he seemed to see his eyes shining with light, like stars in the night.

His eyes were very beautiful.
Xiahou Lian had said before that his eyes looked a lot like his mother’s.
Xie Jinglan recalled the demon-like woman Dai Shengyan had spoken of, as if she could sever everything using only a saber.

For no reason, he believed it just like that.
He didn’t know whether he believed in himself, or if he believed in Xiahou Lian. 

 

 

Translator Notes:

Comes from a story of a man who buried 300 taels of silver in the ground next to a sign that read “there are no three hundred taels of silver (buried) here” so that no one would steal them.
His neighbor, Wang Er, saw through the lie and dug up the money, leaving the sign “the neighbor Wang Er did not steal (the silver).” An official report to the emperor of China.
Generally careful essays in Classical Chinese, presented by government officials, and about topics ranging from personnel evaluations to weather predictions.