[Mainland Chinese Drama 2017] Princess Agents 特工皇妃楚乔传

[dashmount20]

2 hours ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

@litia

不敢说绝对的真假，但也确实解释了好多剧里不合理的地方。比如大家关心的铃铛问题。

According to the commenter... He/she cannot say for certain if this (comment in the box) is true but it does resolve many inconsistencies (in the drama). For instance, the issue with the bells.

There should have been 5 kisses... the spa, forced kissed, Shan Shen temple, icy lake and the finale

The spa scene was no accident. When the young master fell he wondered why it was her and kissed her. They fought until they reached the bed and continued fighting. They were exhausted and Xing'er fell asleep first and then YWY fell asleep... on the same bed. The next day when they got up, she definitely applied make up and put on the hat and ate mandarins. That part is right. Apparently they fight over mandarins. She wants to eat them but he won't allow. They bicker and fight at the table. That's how WSY knew it was Xing'er.

The force kiss scene was severely trimmed. Xing'er had a monologue and couldn't respond. (I think) YWY didn't walk away from her for no reason.

In Chang'an, there was a longer conversation which the commenter forgot the thrust of but Xing'er said something along the lines that she had something she had to do which is why the young master walked away, because he respected Xing'er.

(I hope I got most of it)

What..  5 kiss? 

I want that kiss.. 

Shan shen temple kiss?  I din c this..  Did they cut it off? 

Last scene dun have cos havent reach already end.. 

They cut 2 kisses..

So angry... 

2 hours ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

They didn't forget the bells. After the swords were exchanged, Xing'er saw the bells when she got to YX's residence and put them away. On that day when she was maid for a day, while YWY was bandaging his cut hand while XE was sitting at the table, YWY was asking her if she had thrown it out, XE said that since he had already given it to her, it was hers to do with as she wished. 

3 years later, Xing'er didn't treat YWY (or the young master, as this poster likes saying) the way she did for no apparent reason. There's apparently a big piece of monologue by XE. That's when she started trusting again. It was clear that they were comrades (probably referring to YX from what comes next). When someone from the palace (does she mean YWY here) called her YX's woman, XE was really angry and said to YWY "I thought in the entire world, you're the person who understands me best. Even you don't understand me." She was angry because the young master misunderstood her so with the mention of YX, XE got angry.

Hope that helps...

The bell scene also cut? 

No wonder i din see the bell... 

[gentlelily12]

2 hours ago, fallentenshi said:

3 hours ago, icyphoenix said:

Yup I don't think so people will watch it after this kinda ending.. PA had gained so much audience while it was airing. If the ending was happy, it would have definitely surpassed more viewership.

Can anybody translate the stuff

 

Baidu post says "not sure if it is definitely true or not, but it did provide explanation on many unreasonable part of the story".

The whole story should have 5 kissing scenes: shower/bathroom, kissing, temple, icy lake, ending scene.

Then it goes on explaining the missing parts for each.

So for temple scene (2nd last or 3rd last ep), supposedly he left first then xin er chased after him said "I won't become Yan Wang's wife, not now, not in the future". Then YWY kissed her. Yue Qi arrived and interrupted them.

About the ending scene, we suppose to have these scenes.

"Xin er came into surface. He Xiao scold her saying "is this your faith?". Then she understood and became Xiou Li Wang and protecting her people. Few years later, she gave the responsibility to He Xiao because YWY told her to live for herself. So she left and started wonder around places. Then she meet YWY at the temple, ran into his arms and kissed him. The End."

 

I wonder if this is the leaked script i keep reading abt.  If this is true, the temple cut scene would have been so sweet and this ending would have given us all not a decent but complete closure.  We would be singing praises to Ciwen and the PH/team and the future DVD/etc sales would also skyrocket.

After reading this, rumour or true, i just wish they had kept all these fundamental parts that give so much more meaning to the relationship of YWY-XE and fulfilment to me and all viewers of PA.

Has it ever been in the Cdrama history to redo or re-edit and show the alternative ending as i've seen this in the Pinoy films (philipino dramas have done 2 endings before)?  I wish Ciwen and PH could take responsibility and give the fans this ending somehow....

 

[dashmount20]

54 minutes ago, cenching said:

About the bells if it's true XE kept it, why I saw it hanging on YWY's sword during slave market scene? 

Yea..  I also saw the bell on the slave market. Then the bell dissappear again after he found xe (bath scene).  Maybe xe take it again after the bath scene. 

1 hour ago, jolin_chan said:

So most probably Hunan or maybe Ciwen Media did butchering PA just like what they did to TJOF?? Are they not learning any lessons back then when fans are so upset of the butchering of TJOF? Ok TJOF has several steamy hot kisses, eventhough the time slot back then is actually good enough for them to supposedly aired that scenes, if they want to cut it, how we fans can say no, each country has their own set of what is appropriate for public viewing, but why also cut the scene that is not related to kisses. And now it also happen to PA??? 

Thank you so much @40somethingahjumma and @fallentenshi for providing us with the translations.

I think most probably the kisses is just 2, just like the one that aired, because ZLY did say in her interview that there is not much lovey dovey moment between XE and YWY, so they retake the one and only kiss scene to make it more good. It make sense though if they cut the "force kiss", the BTS showed us several angles that is not being aired, but I (again) reluctanly accept if they want to tone down the kiss, but why also cut the XE keeping the bell scene, YWY bandaging his hand and he ask XE about the bell, about her upset when someone called her YX's woman, her confession that she will not be Empress of Yan ever, and the ending that HX look for her at the icy lake and she gonna meet YWY again????? WHY?????

So glad that Ciwen's stock took a hit, they should rethink if in the future they gonna do something like this again. And I hope ZLY, LGX, SD, LJ, DL and all other casts of PA will reconsider if Ciwen ever want to cast them again on their project.

Which part is the force kiss?  Is it during the confession "i need you also"? Is that the force kiss? 

[dashmount20]

34 minutes ago, windyzz09 said:

Actually, Hunan always like that, bad edit , cut scenes. I just hope to get a chance to watch those scenes if it's true. The later part of the drama was edited very bad, poor our actors, actress. Their effortness was wasted.

Then why this series was taken by hunan? No other tv want this series? 

Then how about sheng ming lan?  Will hunan take it? 

[gentlelily12]

1 hour ago, Hapiangle said:

I dun think a director's cut DVDs will have the original footages and original ending.. if yes, that will be like another drama already... But I do hope is a yes, I dun mind buying that...

 

If they have it and you are getting it, please do share it here. 

[tashalynn]

1 minute ago, gentlelily12 said:

 

If they have it and you are getting it, please do share it here. 

Yes, plz. Are they doing the movie???

[windyzz09]

8 minutes ago, dashmount20 said:

Then why this series was taken by hunan? No other tv want this series? 

Then how about sheng ming lan?  Will hunan take it? 

Actually, Hunan is one of the biggest channel, and no one know how they got the copyright, but I thnk maybe thay have the power that other channels don't have. And it will be broadcasted only on Hunan unlike others which can be broadceasted on 2 different channels at the same time, kind of exclusive LOL. As fas as I know, Ming Lan - the next project of ZLY won't be broadcasted by Hunan because of sth related to production team, but I am not sure. Now I just really feel bad about our PA, all those evil edit. Hope to see the deleted/cut scenes are leaked soon

[gentlelily12]

8 minutes ago, tashalynn said:

Yes, plz. Are they doing the movie???

 

No news on any movie at all.  Its all our hopes and wishful thinking.

 

[dashmount20]

Is it this one regarding ywy vs xiao fan? 

 

Ywy better.... 

[jolin_chan]

2 hours ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

Who knows? Maybe he got it back later.

The editing gremlin got into the system?

If it's the case as you all are saying, political... that the backers of other actors were demanding more screen time, why couldn't they have shown more episodes? After all they were fiddling with the episode numbers for a while. Sigh... the lack of professionalism is appalling.

Remind me never to watch anything broadcast by this mob again.  Let's hope LGX and ZLY never have anything to do with them ever again.

I remember back then at TJOF's thread someone mention about this,that MC's TV station only has certain slot every year for traditional custome drama (Wuxia, Xianxia, Palace Drama) and like @cenching said Hunan already put other drama to air after PA's end. So with that much sponsor that want their artist getting more screen time, the lack back up one (in this case would be LGX who didn't have any big company behind him) will get cut, so that Hunan can still mantain their scheduling plan. Either these, or they just want to milking the success of PA into season 2. Because with the different time slot that they gave to PA's last 3 episodes, they should be able to used that time slot for additional episodes?

And I used to think back then at TJOF, that the one who make those cut and bad editing and bad CGI will be the director (sorry Ms Director Lin Yu Fen, I know I'm wrong now). But the director of TJOF next project is Love 020, TMPOB, LLiT and all 3 not have that bad cut, bad editing and bad CGI, so the culprit all along must be Ciwen Media then?

If it is, I really hope the cast of PA and other actor/actress will rethink hard if they want to sign project with Ciwen then, so that Ciwen could also learn to stop their bad business act and not make a lot of viewers feel these miserable after giving them such a high viewer rating and success.

 

@dashmount20 Yup I think the 'force kiss' is that one - the one that happen at XC's place, when XC lied to YWY that CQ already left, and then YWY found her at the courtyard and give her a long hug, and before YWY left, he gave her a kiss and his famous line : I need you too, can you feel it?

[rampantwolfhound]

This story really got out of hand, but my guys wanted to talk and I had to let them have their say. This takes place not too long after the much more humorous story I posted earlier about the extra expenses/pregnancy announcement; I guess this is the world that my muse wants to inhabit at the moment, so I'll keep writing these as long as there's interest here. I flesh out some of my own version of the icy lake scene here; it completely disregards the recent information regarding some possible cut scenes and an alternate ending.

 

He Xiao looked out over the Red Hills Courtyard from his position at the top of one of its towers, still somewhat unable to believe his good fortune. Although he and his men had been just as determined as their young general to live in and protect Yanbei, the events of the icy lake had brought home to all of them that home was not found in a place or a nationality but with the people you loved. So when he had broached the topic of the future to the dozens of men who were all that remained of what had once been a force of 500, they’d all agreed that home was wherever Chu Da Ren was.

The look on Chu Da Ren’s face when he’d told her as much was something that he’d treasure for the rest of his life; there wasn’t a single man in their troop who wouldn’t lay down his life for her without hesitation, and they’d wanted to make sure that she knew it. Young Master Yue had neatly solved the problem of where they would go by offering them the use of Red Hills Courtyard since, as he’d put it, “Xing’er worked so hard to empty it for me.”

When he and his men had learned the bloody history of the place and the role that their general had played in completely eradicating the entire branch of a family, they’d eagerly claimed the place as their own via the right of conquest of their beloved general. Not that they held any illusions about the true owner of Red Hills Courtyard or that they meant any disrespect to their general’s husband; he and his men simply reveled in the thought that they were living in a place that had been emptied because Chu Da Ren had cleansed it of evil.

As if his thoughts had summoned her from the morning mist, the small, lithe form of his general hurdled almost soundlessly over the side of the wall that would be the most difficult for anyone from Green Hills to observe. He Xiao smiled as his general gripped the scabbard of Can Hong Jian in one hand while trying to smooth out her feminine robes with the other.

Not that he believed that she’d be in said clothing much longer; he knew full well that Chu Da Ren kept a couple of her old military outfits at Red Hills that were much more suitable for training than her current attire. After spending a couple of hours training with her men, he knew she’d change back into her more lady-like clothing and sneak back into Green Hills like she’d never left.

As she strolled confidently towards what was now the barracks, greetings of “Chu Da Ren!” rang out across the courtyard. She reemerged from the barracks a short time later dressed in the same dark blue robe and left shoulder guard that she’d worn the day that she’d come back to Chang’an for the Xiulis and defeated the then-owner of Red Hills Courtyard on their behalf.

A loud cheer arose from the men as they recognized the outfit, but Chu Da Ren didn’t even seem to notice the noise as she drew her sword and launched into what looked like an effortless series of complex drills. The noise level of the Courtyard dropped off almost comically as everyone—He Xiao included—got wrapped up in watching their general weave her magic with the sword that matched her husband’s.

All of a sudden, his mind was transported back to Xiuli Mountain on that fateful day when all of the tension between the competing powers of Yanbei had finally come to a head. Just like he knew that he’d never forget the sight of his general riding through the gates of Chang’an like an avenging goddess, he was certain that the image of a soaking-wet Chu Da Ren standing in front of an equally-wet, almost-dead Yuwen Yue at the edge of the icy lake with his sword in her hand and the snow swirling around her would be stamped on his mind for the rest of his life.

He and the Xiulis who had successfully fought through Cheng Yuan’s troops had broken the tree line and charged almost mindlessly towards their general, thinking only of shielding her from the barrage of arrows that was sure to come raining down from the ridge. They’d reached her just as the unmistakable form of Yan Xun had raised his hand to signal the release of the hail of arrows that would likely bring their deaths.

Chu Da Ren’s face had contorted with grief and rage and she’d...in all honesty, he still didn’t understand exactly what she’d done any more than he understood how she’d rescued Yuwen Yue and herself from the lake itself. She’d told him about the Wind and Cloud Decree and her returned memories, but he found much of it beyond him. All he knew was that she’d somehow released a great force from her body that had succeeded in knocking aside all of the arrows coming their way and sending untold thousands of frozen needles of ice and snow hurtling towards the enemy.

The cheers of the men jerked He Xiao back to the present, and he realized that Chu Da Ren had finished her sword drills. A white figured moved at the edge of his vision and he instinctively reached for his sword, only stilling his hand when he recognized the inscrutable features of his master. He gave the proper greetings, but Young Master Yue only nodded once absentmindedly, his gaze fixed firmly on his wife as she accepted the accolades of her men.

Suddenly fearing that his general was about to get in trouble with her husband, He Xiao said, “She only does non-contact drills that don’t endanger herself or...the life growing inside of her.”

He Xiao feared that he had overstepped his bounds, especially since talking about pregnancy could be a touchy, taboo subject. Yuwen Yue said nothing, and He Xiao once again focused on Chu Da Ren, who was now instructing some of the men on the finer points of archery. The contentment on her face was visible even from the top of the tower.

“All her life, Xing’er has craved freedom more than anything else,” Yuwen Yue said softly, startling He Xiao. “So many of her actions have stemmed from the knowledge that she was trapped, caged, and at the mercy of others. While I know full well the havoc that her impulsiveness and self-confidence can cause, I also know that she cannot be at peace unless she has a sense of true freedom. So I turn a blind eye, let her think she’s sneaking away from the tyranny of overprotective house guards and the expectations of how the pregnant da fu ren of the house of Yuwen should behave. I let her come here to spend time with her people in safety, to stay connected to an important part of her identity, and to keep her skills sharp. If I were to try to cage her...”

Yuwen Yue suddenly lapsed into silence as if he’d never spoken, his typically tranquil features marred by obviously bad memories. He Xiao was still shocked that the master had spoken so frankly and so much about such a personal subject, so he took time to collect his wits and gather his courage before speaking.

“In all of Wei, Chu Da Ren was the first person outside of my men to treat me like a human being. She didn’t absolve me—or any of us, really—of guilt, but she didn’t condemn us, either. She told me to find a purpose, and I did—although I never could’ve imagined at that time the shape that that purpose would take. At first, we thought she just wanted to use us to help Yan Xun escape from Chang’an, but when she came back for us...After that, we realized that Chu Da Ren hadn’t returned for us because of what we could give her but simply because she saw us as hers. That meant--”

A rousing chorus of haos rang out in the courtyard as Chu Da Ren used her small crossbow to shoot six bolts quickly into the center of her target. She grinned at her men, effortlessly binding them to her as easily as she’d done that first time she’d stood up for them—for him—what seemed like a lifetime ago.

“Even when Yan Xun executed my brothers because of the lies of Cheng Yuan and his own hatred of us, the last thing they saw before they died was Chu Da Ren kneeling in the mud with them and pleading on their behalf, because they were hers.” He Xiao grated out.

He took his eyes off of his general and lifted them instead to face his master.

“At that icy lake on Xiuli Mountain, she claimed us—all of us—as hers. And once she’s claimed you as hers, only the worst sort of betrayal could change that. For the first time in her life, she’s exactly where she wants to be. We all are.”

For an instant, He Xiao saw a flash of...something appear in Yuwen Yue’s eyes. But he became distracted by the sight of Chu Da Ren saying her goodbyes and heading back to the barracks to change, and by the time he turned back around, Young Master Yue’s mask was firmly back in place.

“Thank you, He Xiao. I’d better get back to Green Hills before Xing’er does so that I’ll be right where she expects me to be when she brings me my afternoon tea and greets me with what will surely be the most innocent of smiles.”

“Young Master Yue,” He Xiao said, clasping his hands in front of himself and inclining his head.

Yuwen Yue disappeared as soundlessly as he’d arrived, missing the amusing sight of Chu Da Ren hopping the Red Hills wall at the place that would give her the best cover under the late morning sun. The clash of swords rang out in the courtyard as his men actually got back into the business of training now that their beloved general was gone.

Not that there was any urgent reason to train now, but they knew full well that life in chaotic times could change faster than the speed of an arrow and require them to put their lives on the line at a moment’s notice.

Which we would—for her. He Xiao thought, smiling into the sunlight. Because she would do no less for us.

[cenching]

@rampantwolfhound, it's so beautiful....I got lumps in my throat reading it.....

[40somethingahjumma]

1 hour ago, dashmount20 said:

Yea..  I also saw the bell on the slave market. Then the bell dissappear again after he found xe (bath scene).  Maybe xe take it again after the bath scene. 

Which part is the force kiss?  Is it during the confession "i need you also"? Is that the force kiss? 

Yes, I think that's what they're referring to. 

I want to stress to everyone that it's just a rumour that those scenes were cut. That said, it does make sense on every level. 

Awww... @rampantwolfhound That's so lovely. Me likes. I can just see CQ sneaking out for archery practice and YWY sneaking right behind her. 

[dashmount20]

16 minutes ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

Yes, I think that's what they're referring to. 

I want to stress to everyone that it's just a rumour that those scenes were cut. That said, it does make sense on every level. 

Awww... @rampantwolfhound That's so lovely. Me likes. I can just see CQ sneaking out for archery practice and YWY sneaking right behind her. 

 

Thanks 40somethingahjumma for pointing it at. 

Then..  Which ep that cq is sneaking out for archery practice?  I want to rewatch..

[tintin92]

WOW! so many cut scenes! Are they gonna release it or keep us in the dark as usual?

they least they can do is to release the cuts and we will get a glimpse of the real ending!!

 

[hanalove9]

54 minutes ago, rampantwolfhound said:

This story really got out of hand, but my guys wanted to talk and I had to let them have their say. This takes place not too long after the much more humorous story I posted earlier about the extra expenses/pregnancy announcement; I guess this is the world that my muse wants to inhabit at the moment, so I'll keep writing these as long as there's interest here. I flesh out some of my own version of the icy lake scene here; it completely disregards the recent information regarding some possible cut scenes and an alternate ending.

 

He Xiao looked out over the Red Hills Courtyard from his position at the top of one of its towers, still somewhat unable to believe his good fortune. Although he and his men had been just as determined as their young general to live in and protect Yanbei, the events of the icy lake had brought home to all of them that home was not found in a place or a nationality but with the people you loved. So when he had broached the topic of the future to the dozens of men who were all that remained of what had once been a force of 500, they’d all agreed that home was wherever Chu Da Ren was.

The look on Chu Da Ren’s face when he’d told her as much was something that he’d treasure for the rest of his life; there wasn’t a single man in their troop who wouldn’t lay down his life for her without hesitation, and they’d wanted to make sure that she knew it. Young Master Yue had neatly solved the problem of where they would go by offering them the use of Red Hills Courtyard since, as he’d put it, “Xing’er worked so hard to empty it for me.”

When he and his men had learned the bloody history of the place and the role that their general had played in completely eradicating the entire branch of a family, they’d eagerly claimed the place as their own via the right of conquest of their beloved general. Not that they held any illusions about the true owner of Red Hills Courtyard or that they meant any disrespect to their general’s husband; he and his men simply reveled in the thought that they were living in a place that had been emptied because Chu Da Ren had cleansed it of evil.

As if his thoughts had summoned her from the morning mist, the small, lithe form of his general hurdled almost soundlessly over the side of the wall that would be the most difficult for anyone from Green Hills to observe. He Xiao smiled as his general gripped the scabbard of Can Hong Jian in one hand while trying to smooth out her feminine robes with the other.

Not that he believed that she’d be in said clothing much longer; he knew full well that Chu Da Ren kept a couple of her old military outfits at Red Hills that were much more suitable for training than her current attire. After spending a couple of hours training with her men, he knew she’d change back into her more lady-like clothing and sneak back into Green Hills like she’d never left.

As she strolled confidently towards what was now the barracks, greetings of “Chu Da Ren!” rang out across the courtyard. She reemerged from the barracks a short time later dressed in the same dark blue robe and left shoulder guard that she’d worn the day that she’d come back to Chang’an for the Xiulis and defeated the then-owner of Red Hills Courtyard on their behalf.

A loud cheer arose from the men as they recognized the outfit, but Chu Da Ren didn’t even seem to notice the noise as she drew her sword and launched into what looked like an effortless series of complex drills. The noise level of the Courtyard dropped off almost comically as everyone—He Xiao included—got wrapped up in watching their general weave her magic with the sword that matched her husband’s.

All of a sudden, his mind was transported back to Xiuli Mountain on that fateful day when all of the tension between the competing powers of Yanbei had finally come to a head. Just like he knew that he’d never forget the sight of his general riding through the gates of Chang’an like an avenging goddess, he was certain that the image of a soaking-wet Chu Da Ren standing in front of an equally-wet, almost-dead Yuwen Yue at the edge of the icy lake with his sword in her hand and the snow swirling around her would be stamped on his mind for the rest of his life.

He and the Xiulis who had successfully fought through Cheng Yuan’s troops had broken the tree line and charged almost mindlessly towards their general, thinking only of shielding her from the barrage of arrows that was sure to come raining down from the ridge. They’d reached her just as the unmistakable form of Yan Xun had raised his hand to signal the release of the hail of arrows that would likely bring their deaths.

Chu Da Ren’s face had contorted with grief and rage and she’d...in all honesty, he still didn’t understand exactly what she’d done any more than he understood how she’d rescued Yuwen Yue and herself from the lake itself. She’d told him about the Wind and Cloud Decree and her returned memories, but he found much of it beyond him. All he knew was that she’d somehow released a great force from her body that had succeeded in knocking aside all of the arrows coming their way and sending untold thousands of frozen needles of ice and snow hurtling towards the enemy.

The cheers of the men jerked He Xiao back to the present, and he realized that Chu Da Ren had finished her sword drills. A white figured moved at the edge of his vision and he instinctively reached for his sword, only stilling his hand when he recognized the inscrutable features of his master. He gave the proper greetings, but Young Master Yue only nodded once absentmindedly, his gaze fixed firmly on his wife as she accepted the accolades of her men.

Suddenly fearing that his general was about to get in trouble with her husband, He Xiao said, “She only does non-contact drills that don’t endanger herself or...the life growing inside of her.”

He Xiao feared that he had overstepped his bounds, especially since talking about pregnancy could be a touchy, taboo subject. Yuwen Yue said nothing, and He Xiao once again focused on Chu Da Ren, who was now instructing some of the men on the finer points of archery. The contentment on her face was visible even from the top of the tower.

“All her life, Xing’er has craved freedom more than anything else,” Yuwen Yue said softly, startling He Xiao. “So many of her actions have stemmed from the knowledge that she was trapped, caged, and at the mercy of others. While I know full well the havoc that her impulsiveness and self-confidence can cause, I also know that she cannot be at peace unless she has a sense of true freedom. So I turn a blind eye, let her think she’s sneaking away from the tyranny of overprotective house guards and the expectations of how the pregnant da fu ren of the house of Yuwen should behave. I let her come here to spend time with her people in safety, to stay connected to an important part of her identity, and to keep her skills sharp. If I were to try to cage her...”

Yuwen Yue suddenly lapsed into silence as if he’d never spoken, his typically tranquil features marred by obviously bad memories. He Xiao was still shocked that the master had spoken so frankly and so much about such a personal subject, so he took time to collect his wits and gather his courage before speaking.

“In all of Wei, Chu Da Ren was the first person outside of my men to treat me like a human being. She didn’t absolve me—or any of us, really—of guilt, but she didn’t condemn us, either. She told me to find a purpose, and I did—although I never could’ve imagined at that time the shape that that purpose would take. At first, we thought she just wanted to use us to help Yan Xun escape from Chang’an, but when she came back for us...After that, we realized that Chu Da Ren hadn’t returned for us because of what we could give her but simply because she saw us as hers. That meant--”

A rousing chorus of haos rang out in the courtyard as Chu Da Ren used her small crossbow to shoot six bolts quickly into the center of her target. She grinned at her men, effortlessly binding them to her as easily as she’d done that first time she’d stood up for them—for him—what seemed like a lifetime ago.

“Even when Yan Xun executed my brothers because of the lies of Cheng Yuan and his own hatred of us, the last thing they saw before they died was Chu Da Ren kneeling in the mud with them and pleading on their behalf, because they were hers.” He Xiao grated out.

He took his eyes off of his general and lifted them instead to face his master.

“At that icy lake on Xiuli Mountain, she claimed us—all of us—as hers. And once she’s claimed you as hers, only the worst sort of betrayal could change that. For the first time in her life, she’s exactly where she wants to be. We all are.”

For an instant, He Xiao saw a flash of...something appear in Yuwen Yue’s eyes. But he became distracted by the sight of Chu Da Ren saying her goodbyes and heading back to the barracks to change, and by the time he turned back around, Young Master Yue’s mask was firmly back in place.

“Thank you, He Xiao. I’d better get back to Green Hills before Xing’er does so that I’ll be right where she expects me to be when she brings me my afternoon tea and greets me with what will surely be the most innocent of smiles.”

“Young Master Yue,” He Xiao said, clasping his hands in front of himself and inclining his head.

Yuwen Yue disappeared as soundlessly as he’d arrived, missing the amusing sight of Chu Da Ren hopping the Red Hills wall at the place that would give her the best cover under the late morning sun. The clash of swords rang out in the courtyard as his men actually got back into the business of training now that their beloved general was gone.

Not that there was any urgent reason to train now, but they knew full well that life in chaotic times could change faster than the speed of an arrow and require them to put their lives on the line at a moment’s notice.

Which we would—for her. He Xiao thought, smiling into the sunlight. Because she would do no less for us.

It's really beautiful @rampantwolfhound... I cried reading it.... Thank you...

[Bella-Chimura]

57 minutes ago, rampantwolfhound said:

This story really got out of hand, but my guys wanted to talk and I had to let them have their say. This takes place not too long after the much more humorous story I posted earlier about the extra expenses/pregnancy announcement; I guess this is the world that my muse wants to inhabit at the moment, so I'll keep writing these as long as there's interest here. I flesh out some of my own version of the icy lake scene here; it completely disregards the recent information regarding some possible cut scenes and an alternate ending.

 

He Xiao looked out over the Red Hills Courtyard from his position at the top of one of its towers, still somewhat unable to believe his good fortune. Although he and his men had been just as determined as their young general to live in and protect Yanbei, the events of the icy lake had brought home to all of them that home was not found in a place or a nationality but with the people you loved. So when he had broached the topic of the future to the dozens of men who were all that remained of what had once been a force of 500, they’d all agreed that home was wherever Chu Da Ren was.

The look on Chu Da Ren’s face when he’d told her as much was something that he’d treasure for the rest of his life; there wasn’t a single man in their troop who wouldn’t lay down his life for her without hesitation, and they’d wanted to make sure that she knew it. Young Master Yue had neatly solved the problem of where they would go by offering them the use of Red Hills Courtyard since, as he’d put it, “Xing’er worked so hard to empty it for me.”

When he and his men had learned the bloody history of the place and the role that their general had played in completely eradicating the entire branch of a family, they’d eagerly claimed the place as their own via the right of conquest of their beloved general. Not that they held any illusions about the true owner of Red Hills Courtyard or that they meant any disrespect to their general’s husband; he and his men simply reveled in the thought that they were living in a place that had been emptied because Chu Da Ren had cleansed it of evil.

As if his thoughts had summoned her from the morning mist, the small, lithe form of his general hurdled almost soundlessly over the side of the wall that would be the most difficult for anyone from Green Hills to observe. He Xiao smiled as his general gripped the scabbard of Can Hong Jian in one hand while trying to smooth out her feminine robes with the other.

Not that he believed that she’d be in said clothing much longer; he knew full well that Chu Da Ren kept a couple of her old military outfits at Red Hills that were much more suitable for training than her current attire. After spending a couple of hours training with her men, he knew she’d change back into her more lady-like clothing and sneak back into Green Hills like she’d never left.

As she strolled confidently towards what was now the barracks, greetings of “Chu Da Ren!” rang out across the courtyard. She reemerged from the barracks a short time later dressed in the same dark blue robe and left shoulder guard that she’d worn the day that she’d come back to Chang’an for the Xiulis and defeated the then-owner of Red Hills Courtyard on their behalf.

A loud cheer arose from the men as they recognized the outfit, but Chu Da Ren didn’t even seem to notice the noise as she drew her sword and launched into what looked like an effortless series of complex drills. The noise level of the Courtyard dropped off almost comically as everyone—He Xiao included—got wrapped up in watching their general weave her magic with the sword that matched her husband’s.

All of a sudden, his mind was transported back to Xiuli Mountain on that fateful day when all of the tension between the competing powers of Yanbei had finally come to a head. Just like he knew that he’d never forget the sight of his general riding through the gates of Chang’an like an avenging goddess, he was certain that the image of a soaking-wet Chu Da Ren standing in front of an equally-wet, almost-dead Yuwen Yue at the edge of the icy lake with his sword in her hand and the snow swirling around her would be stamped on his mind for the rest of his life.

He and the Xiulis who had successfully fought through Cheng Yuan’s troops had broken the tree line and charged almost mindlessly towards their general, thinking only of shielding her from the barrage of arrows that was sure to come raining down from the ridge. They’d reached her just as the unmistakable form of Yan Xun had raised his hand to signal the release of the hail of arrows that would likely bring their deaths.

Chu Da Ren’s face had contorted with grief and rage and she’d...in all honesty, he still didn’t understand exactly what she’d done any more than he understood how she’d rescued Yuwen Yue and herself from the lake itself. She’d told him about the Wind and Cloud Decree and her returned memories, but he found much of it beyond him. All he knew was that she’d somehow released a great force from her body that had succeeded in knocking aside all of the arrows coming their way and sending untold thousands of frozen needles of ice and snow hurtling towards the enemy.

The cheers of the men jerked He Xiao back to the present, and he realized that Chu Da Ren had finished her sword drills. A white figured moved at the edge of his vision and he instinctively reached for his sword, only stilling his hand when he recognized the inscrutable features of his master. He gave the proper greetings, but Young Master Yue only nodded once absentmindedly, his gaze fixed firmly on his wife as she accepted the accolades of her men.

Suddenly fearing that his general was about to get in trouble with her husband, He Xiao said, “She only does non-contact drills that don’t endanger herself or...the life growing inside of her.”

He Xiao feared that he had overstepped his bounds, especially since talking about pregnancy could be a touchy, taboo subject. Yuwen Yue said nothing, and He Xiao once again focused on Chu Da Ren, who was now instructing some of the men on the finer points of archery. The contentment on her face was visible even from the top of the tower.

“All her life, Xing’er has craved freedom more than anything else,” Yuwen Yue said softly, startling He Xiao. “So many of her actions have stemmed from the knowledge that she was trapped, caged, and at the mercy of others. While I know full well the havoc that her impulsiveness and self-confidence can cause, I also know that she cannot be at peace unless she has a sense of true freedom. So I turn a blind eye, let her think she’s sneaking away from the tyranny of overprotective house guards and the expectations of how the pregnant da fu ren of the house of Yuwen should behave. I let her come here to spend time with her people in safety, to stay connected to an important part of her identity, and to keep her skills sharp. If I were to try to cage her...”

Yuwen Yue suddenly lapsed into silence as if he’d never spoken, his typically tranquil features marred by obviously bad memories. He Xiao was still shocked that the master had spoken so frankly and so much about such a personal subject, so he took time to collect his wits and gather his courage before speaking.

“In all of Wei, Chu Da Ren was the first person outside of my men to treat me like a human being. She didn’t absolve me—or any of us, really—of guilt, but she didn’t condemn us, either. She told me to find a purpose, and I did—although I never could’ve imagined at that time the shape that that purpose would take. At first, we thought she just wanted to use us to help Yan Xun escape from Chang’an, but when she came back for us...After that, we realized that Chu Da Ren hadn’t returned for us because of what we could give her but simply because she saw us as hers. That meant--”

A rousing chorus of haos rang out in the courtyard as Chu Da Ren used her small crossbow to shoot six bolts quickly into the center of her target. She grinned at her men, effortlessly binding them to her as easily as she’d done that first time she’d stood up for them—for him—what seemed like a lifetime ago.

“Even when Yan Xun executed my brothers because of the lies of Cheng Yuan and his own hatred of us, the last thing they saw before they died was Chu Da Ren kneeling in the mud with them and pleading on their behalf, because they were hers.” He Xiao grated out.

He took his eyes off of his general and lifted them instead to face his master.

“At that icy lake on Xiuli Mountain, she claimed us—all of us—as hers. And once she’s claimed you as hers, only the worst sort of betrayal could change that. For the first time in her life, she’s exactly where she wants to be. We all are.”

For an instant, He Xiao saw a flash of...something appear in Yuwen Yue’s eyes. But he became distracted by the sight of Chu Da Ren saying her goodbyes and heading back to the barracks to change, and by the time he turned back around, Young Master Yue’s mask was firmly back in place.

“Thank you, He Xiao. I’d better get back to Green Hills before Xing’er does so that I’ll be right where she expects me to be when she brings me my afternoon tea and greets me with what will surely be the most innocent of smiles.”

“Young Master Yue,” He Xiao said, clasping his hands in front of himself and inclining his head.

Yuwen Yue disappeared as soundlessly as he’d arrived, missing the amusing sight of Chu Da Ren hopping the Red Hills wall at the place that would give her the best cover under the late morning sun. The clash of swords rang out in the courtyard as his men actually got back into the business of training now that their beloved general was gone.

Not that there was any urgent reason to train now, but they knew full well that life in chaotic times could change faster than the speed of an arrow and require them to put their lives on the line at a moment’s notice.

Which we would—for her. He Xiao thought, smiling into the sunlight. Because she would do no less for us.

 

It's so great!!! Love your writing. Hope you can write more fanfic after this. I''ll be your fan

[RealityDream]

8 minutes ago, dashmount20 said:

 

Thanks 40somethingahjumma for pointing it at. 

Then..  Which ep that cq is sneaking out for archery practice?  I want to rewatch..

 

There isn't any. @40somethingahjumma was referring to the scene that @rampantwolfhound wrote above, after YWY and XE got together and when XE was pregnant. It was well written! I love it! I wish those rumors scene were true! In the novel, at the bathroom scene, YWY was upset that XE stole the jade from him. In the drama, they replace the jade for the bells. All along, I thought XE was upset and treated YWY that way 3 years later was because of what crippled grandfather said. I didn't think it was because YWY said she's YX's woman that made her upset. Very interesting! 

[dashmount20]

Just now, RealityDream said:

 

There isn't any. @40somethingahjumma was referring to the scene that @rampantwolfhound wrote above, after YWY and XE got together and when XE was pregnant. It was well written! I love it! I wish those rumors scene were true! In the novel, at the bathroom scene, YWY was upset that XE stole the jade from him. In the drama, they replace the jade for the bells. All along, I thought XE was upset and treated YWY that way 3 years later was because of what crippled grandfather said. I didn't think it was because YWY said she's YX's woman that made her upset. Very interesting! 

 

oooo i thought i miss the scene... hahahahaha

thanks...

[RealityDream]

3 hours ago, NightlunA said:

Can someone pin/re-post the link where someone translated some parts of the novel? I heard from my friend that someone posted the translation of YWY and CQ's first night????!!! 

 

@NightlunAI put all the novel translation we have in this thread in a spoiler post on Thread Pg 451. It's really long. You'll enjoy it for awhile