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


sugarplum892

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*Fanfic alert*

I didn't know when @cenching asked me to continue my previous effort if there was another PA story in me. But happily one emerged and it's been rattling around in my head ever since. I hope this will be a complement to what's already been done here.

It is in part a loose continuation of the events of "Post-Mortem" (my previous attempt) but it will have its own arc which I'm expecting to split up into 2-3 parts. This isn't the ideal place to be posting fanfics. Of course ideally we should be doing it on FF.net which has the capacity to do multi-chapter fics but we'll make do for now.

Disclaimer: I realise that I'm making up a lot of stuff about Feng Yun Ling and Luo He because we had so little information given to us but as this is a fanfic and the show wasted a lot of time on people who weren't important, I will not apologize for taking such liberties. I'm pouring on the sugar here before I turn on the angst in later chapters.

Princess Agents: In-Laws and Outlaws Part 1

 

Spoiler

 

In Laws and Outlaws: Part 1

Yuwen Zhuo did not approve.  Even if the King of Heaven himself made a personal appeal on their behalf, he would still not approve.

His entire demeanour was proof of it. The perpetual scowl that he wore was more pronounced than usual and his tone of voice was sterner than the servants had cared to remember. In the frame of mind that he was in, losing his upper body limbs would have been preferable to witnessing the complete disaster that his grandson was making of his life.

It was already poor form that his grandson had exposed himself unnecessarily in Yanbei.  Then this grandson almost lost his life because of that woman. Moreover, said grandson brought that woman… a former slave no less… back to Qing Shan Yuan to live. A slave that had to audacity to kill a member of the Yuwen clan. Although Yuwen Xi was a worthless, degenerate blackguard, he was still a member of the clan that once served the court.

If all of that weren’t problematic enough, Yue’er brought back with him an entire army of double-crossing rebels as part of the baggage that came with having her: A rag tag rebel misfits loyal to nobody but her.

Goodness only knew when they would all be brutally murdered in their beds.

But the biggest blow of all was when he brought up marriage with her. Marriage! To her of all people! What was Yue’er thinking?

Yuwen Zhuo came to the conclusion that Yue’er wasn’t thinking. In fact, he was convinced that his beloved grandson had completely lost his mind. Over a rebel slave!

What kind of madness had inflicted Yue’er?

“She saved my life, Grandfather!”

“By first putting your life in jeopardy.”

“I took a chance by going into Yanbei to rescue the children. It had nothing to do with her.”

“That may be. But you stayed on longer than you should and got caught spending time with her.”

“Grandfather, it was my choice!”

“Is it your choice too… to defy my wishes and insist on this ridiculous marriage?”

“I would rather not have to do that.” Young Master Yue said deferentially. “But if it means losing Xing’er then I would rather quit Qing Shan Yuan and take her with me to live elsewhere.”

“You would do that? To me? Because of a woman?”

“She isn’t just a woman, grandfather. She’s the woman I love.”

“Love, love, love… you young people with your talk of love! It makes you selfish and forget your responsibilities.”

“Grandfather, I am grateful for all that you’ve done for me… for raising me and entrusting me with the responsibility of this family and the Eyes of God. But Xing’er is too important to me for me to walk away from. “

“But you can walk away from me, is that it?”

“It isn’t an either-or situation. It is not impossible for all of us to live together. But I will never give her up. I lost her 4 years ago, I cannot do that again.”

“Yes, to another man.”

“That doesn’t matter now. It never mattered. She came back to me.”

Yuwen Zhuo sighed. What happened to the normally logical, circumspect young man that he raised?

“But why her? You can do better. I am sure there is a very long line of women in this country who would love to be the Young Mistress of Qing Shan Yuan.”

“Undoubtedly,” Young Master Yue acknowledged wryly, “But they won’t be Xing’er.”

“What’s so special about her?”

The grandson thought a while before giving his answer, “When she’s around I breathe and I feel alive. And because of her, I’m a better man.”

“You don’t make sense, Yue’er. You have the respect of the people, the court and armies but you tell me that a woman who will make you throw all that out of the window, makes you better man?”

“I’m sorry you don’t understand, grandfather. I was hoping that of all the people in this world, you would. “

 ________________________________________________

All things considered, Young Master Yue thought the conversation went reasonably well. At least they conversed for over 10 minutes which was more than he hoped for. Grandfather needed time to take it all in and to his mind, the old man would come around sooner rather than later. He waltzed serenely into his study where the woman at the centre of the disturbance was waiting for him, preparing his tea in the way that he liked.

“I suppose you overheard everything.” His eyes fell on the teacup that was at his usual spot.

She nodded glumly. “That certainly went well,”

“Better than I had expected actually,” Yuwen Yue said thoughtfully, calmly putting the cup to his lips.

“Better than you had expected?” She exclaimed. Her eyes were rounder than usual, “I’d hate to see what happens when you have an actual argument.”

“Oh that… that was nothing. Grandfather’s mellowing with old age. We had a bit of back and forth. He didn’t threaten to disown me, he didn’t throw you and your men out. Best of all, he didn’t actually forbid the match. All in all, a decent result.”

“He didn’t exactly agree to it either,” She noted sourly. “You’re prematurely cheerful about the whole thing.”

“I am optimistic. It’s called ‘wearing down one’s opponents through persistence’.”

“We don’t have to be married, you know. I don’t mind. I could go back to being your bedchamber maid.” She said half jokingly, half seriously.

His reply came sharply as it did quickly, “Would you be content with that? I wouldn’t be. I want you to be my woman and my wife, not a slave nor a servant. And our children must never feel like they are offcuts or an afterthought.”

On the subject of our children, Chu Qiao could feel herself blushing and her heart racing madly. That man is so presumptuous. Who said anything about having children with him?

Fortunately for him, she was too embarrassed and secretly pleased to start a protracted argument about any kind of progeny he was hoping to have with her. So she steered clear of that subject. For the moment at least.

“But I don’t want to come between you and your grandfather. I know how much he means to you and you to him.”

“I’ve done everything he’s ever wanted me to but on this matter, I will stand my ground.”

“He’s right about one thing though.”

“What’s that?”

“You could definitely do better.”

Yuwen Yue knitted his eyebrows sternly and leaned over the table. Before she knew what hit her, he planted a quick kiss on her tea flavoured lips.

“After all that we’ve been through… you go and say a thing like that. Don’t you ever dare say that again! Modesty doesn’t suit you.”

 ____________________________________________________

Chu Qiao was struck by how little Qing Shan Yuan had changed. It was as if time stood still there. The world outside was on the verge of all out war and here it was… a pocket of picturesque tranquility. Everything was exactly how she remembered it down to the last branch and leaf, radiating an untouched familiarity.

Her room… that she shared with Xiao Qi and Xiao Ba… was like an old acquaintance who had not changed in appearance or character. It had its store of memories to share too. She recalled Xiao Ba observing rather astutely at the time that the young master Yue must have liked her so much to go to such lengths for her. She had been pleased and worried, unsure of how or whether she could reciprocate those feelings. There were many such memories. Memories of good and evil days as well as many hushed conversations about the residents of Qing Shan Yuan.

Surprisingly she found a certain comfort in that. Though this was at a time, a place of oppression, slavery and hardship, it was also, on hindsight, a refuge. More importantly it was the place where she developed feelings for the young master of the mansion. At the time when every single day was a battle to survive, to be free, she didn’t always know or understand her feelings for Yuwen Yue but when she believed he had betrayed her, it crushed her heart. That spoke volumes about how deeply their lives had become entwined with one another.

Here she bickered with her most bitter rival among the maids, trained day and night to be a spy and spent hours training with the Young Master Yue. It seemed as if she’d come full circle… back to the place where it all started for her and back in the arms of the man who had loved her most.

So much misunderstanding, so much heartache. It was all so regrettable.

Chu Qiao didn’t wholly regret the journey with all its missteps and detours because from all those experiences she was finally able to face her own heart honestly and come to him with sincerity. The pain she caused him, however, was the most regrettable part in the whole business.

Sitting by the pool and watching the drop of the waterfall no longer as a slave but a free woman, it occurred to her perhaps for the first time that Qing Shan Yuan was the product of Yuwen Yue’s personality. It’s maintenance and pristine beauty was the end result of his meticulous attention to detail. The harmony and balance of every feature in the back courtyard from the cobblestones to the marble furnishings came from his brilliant mind and his loving heart.

“Are you glad to be back here, Xing’er?” A voice in the background interrupted her reverie.

It was Yue Qi who had almost completely recovered from his injuries sustained while fighting the Yanbei troops at the icy lake.

“Surprisingly, I am. Especially coming from all the troubles that we’ve seen lately. It’s very peaceful here. Much more than when I left it. I had some good memories here.”

“Like when the young master made you balance on one foot for hours?”

“He was teaching me.”

“Like when he turned you blind?”

“He was training me.”

“I’m glad… you understood his intentions… I was never sure if you did.” Yue Qi paused and pondered carefully before boldly continuing with his line of thought. Thoughts he’d kept to himself all these years… thoughts that he was only too willing to reveal.

“When the young master thought you had died, he would sit here for hours drinking by himself. Even though he wasn’t supposed to be drinking.”

“Was he very upset?” It was a rhetorical question of course. They both knew the answer to that. But it gave Yue Qi the opportunity to bring up some home truths. Chu Qiao too had the morbid curiosity of a lover.

“What do you think?” The almost bitter reply was followed by a rare emotional outburst. “I had never seen him so devastated in the years I’ve been with him. Denied the chance to save you, shook him and changed him. Because of that, he is afraid… no… terrified… that he would miss the opportunity of saving you again. Young Master doesn’t say much but he loves you very much.”

“I know, Yue Qi.”

“I… I just thought you should know this because Young Master will never tell you this himself.”

“Thank you… for taking care of him all this while.”

“Young Master saved my life… taught me everything I know. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for him.”

 Yuwen Yue seems to have that effect on people.  Chu Qiao mused. It’s funny… I spent the last few years wanting to protect and save lives but he’s been doing this most of his life quietly and behind the scenes. It seems like I have so much to learn still… from him.

It wasn’t just her or Yue Qi. There were all his people… the Yue Guards… those from the Afterlife Camp whom he saved like Meng Feng. Prince Yu – Yuan Song. Then there were the undercover agents that made up the Eyes of God as well as the ordinary men and women who bore the brunt of bad decisions made by their rulers. Then of course he convinced his grandfather to set the household slaves free. Those who had remained did so willingly.

As she reflected over such matters, the man himself came sauntering into the scene and remarked, “What nonsense has Yue Qi been feeding you now?”

“Nothing much,” she said nonchalantly, “We’ve been talking about the past.”

Young Master Yue eyed his devoted lackey with some measure of suspicion. “Really?”

He had an inkling that they were talking about more than just the past.

Yue Qi quickly determined that it was time to make his exit. No one could escape the young master’s probing eye for long. Besides, he was certain that the young master would rather he wasn’t around at this moment as he undoubtedly had things to say to Xing’er that were for her ears only.

He bowed respectfully and asked to be excused. A smile spread over his face as he turned away. To see the young master happy did his heart good. He had waited such a long time to have Xing’er back in Qing Shan Yuan safe and sound.

The young master turned to his unofficial fiancée and made her the object of intense scrutiny.

“Honestly, we were just talking about the past.” She protested.

“Why do I think you’re both keeping some kind of secret from me?”

“No secrets. Just some desultory chatter about the past.” She grinned cheerfully. “I was just reminiscing about my old training regime.”

“I imagine you don’t miss that,” he remarked wryly. “You must have hated me for it.”

“Initially perhaps but when I realized what you were trying to do…”

“And what was I trying to do?” He quizzed.

“You wanted me to be safe. To get stronger and better so that I could protect myself and my sisters.”

“That was part of it… an important part of it.”

“You wanted to groom me so I could be sent on suicide missions.” She teased.

He shook his head. “In a way but no.”

“That’s what you told your grandfather.”

“It was,” He hesitated, “But it wasn’t my true intent.”

"You lied to your grandfather?!” She pretended to be horrified but her mood changed when he maintained a serious mien. “What was your true intent then?”

“I… I wanted… you to be someone that would be with me always.”

“Yuwen Yue…” Chu Qiao could feel the emotions well up inside her instantly.

“I… My mother… I didn’t want the woman I was with to end up like her, helpless and unprotected.”

She noted his cheeks muscles tighten momentarily and his eyes went suspiciously red.

“I knew the day you stood outside my gate begging me to let you compete that you were the one for me. But I had to be sure… I needed to be sure.

“Your need to survive was so strong that you were able to endure all the rigours of your training. I… should have told you…  I was going to tell you when the time was right… I wanted to tell you that day at the tower pavilion. But you were so angry and hurt... you lashed out… I regretted every day afterwards that I didn’t tell you sooner.”

I was angry but I should have trusted you more.

“Because of what I do, who I am… I knew that the woman… my woman had to be a survivor. To be able to protect herself and our children. It was selfish of me, I know but I couldn’t put my family through what my father did. To marry into the Yuwen clan is on some level a suicide mission.”

There’s that thing about children again. Yuwen Yue, as usual you think far ahead of everyone else.

“When I saw you again after thinking you were dead… I thought maybe I could win you back. But you couldn’t look me in the eyes and I thought you hated me.”

“I thought I did too but I didn’t.”

“I know. I was sure of it that day when you came to get your freedom certificate. You made a show of wanting to kill me but when I knew you couldn’t, I felt hope as I never did before. But I was too proud to beg and I let you walk out of here.”

“You don’t have to tell me all this. It’s all in the past now. There’s enough blame to go around between the two of us for our mistakes.”

“I’m glad that you’re here now but pride aside, I wanted you to choose to come back to this place with your own two feet.”

Chu Qiao wrapped her arms around him to reassure and comfort him of her present choices. She had never heard him say this much before. Despite what she said earlier, she rejoiced that he was opening up to her so honestly and intimately. They lingered in that closeness, contemplating many things. He reveled in it, thankful that they had finally come to this place of understanding.

Suddenly recalling something, he cleared his throat in what appeared to be embarrassment. He reached into his sleeve and pulled out an ornate, lacquered box.

“I have something for you. Open it.” He handed it to her.

“A present?”

“You may consider it an engagement present.” He said, almost shyly.

“I don’t need…”

“Just take it. Open it up and put it on.” He barked and slapped the receptacle on the palm of her hand.

She opened the box in anticipation and gushed gleefully on seeing what it was. “It’s that snake ring… my ring!”

He cleared his throat again, looking quite uneasy, “I er… found it at the cremation site 4 years ago and had it buried in your grave. Some of my people took it out the other day. I’ve had it cleaned and I've been meaning to give it to you.”

“This is perfect.” She slipped it onto her first finger and held it up to the sunlight enjoying its gleam. “I have missed it.”

She fell back into his embrace with joy, “Thank you so much. This gift I will treasure in memory of the conversation we just had.”

Yuwen Yue gave one of his rare smiles and wrapped her in the crook of his arm.

I could definitely get accustomed to this.

 ________________________________________________

Yuwen Zhuo was adamant on maintaining the disapproving grandfather posture. But he was less inclined to disapprove on receiving Yue Qi’s report.

“So we’re certain she’s Luo He’s daughter?” He was tapping his fingers on the arm of the wheelchair.

“Yes, Master.”

“Does he know? Yue’er, I mean.”

“He hasn’t said as much but I am sure he must. She saved him after all and witnessed her transformation.”

“Can she be trusted? That’s the question. I don’t want a repeat of history.”

“Permission to speak freely sir.”

“Go ahead.”

“I think we can trust her to act in the interest of Young Master Yue. She jumped into the water, saved his life and broke Yan Xun’s ambush. If she didn’t care about Young Master, she wouldn’t have done any of that.”

“That’s true.”

“And more importantly, she loves the Young Master.”

Love… that word again…

Yue Qi saw the old man wince and changed tact quickly. “Pragmatically speaking, it is to our benefit to have the successor of Feng Yun Ling as a member of Qing Shan Yuan. If she marries him, it means the Yuwen clan will have access not only to one of the most formidable forms of martial arts but immense authority in jianghu.”

“Hmmm… That’s a point.” The old man stroked his beard pensively. “Alright then, good job on your report. Go back to what you were doing.”

When Yue Qi left happy to have done his bit, the elder Yuwen had much to think about.

My grandson and Luo He’s daughter… Oh, the ironies of fate. The world is indeed a very small place.

The old man chuckled to himself.

 

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4 hours ago, zhoulina0529 said:

News on Weibo:

They will shoot PA2 in December, ZLY & LGX will stay, hope it's true. 

 

OMO! Keep us updated if it's going to be ZLY & LGX. Just hearing the news that they will be shooting part 2, I am super happy. 

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3 hours ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

*Fanfic alert*

I didn't know when @cenching asked me to continue my previous effort if there was another PA story in me. But happily one emerged and it's been rattling around in my head ever since. I hope this will be a complement to what's already been done here.

It is in part a loose continuation of the events of "Post-Mortem" (my previous attempt) but it will have its own arc which I'm expecting to split up into 2-3 parts. This isn't the ideal place to be posting fanfics. Of course ideally we should be doing it on FF.net which has the capacity to do multi-chapter fics but we'll make do for now.

Disclaimer: I realise that I'm making up a lot of stuff about Feng Yun Ling and Luo He because we had so little information given to us but as this is a fanfic and the show wasted a lot of time on people who weren't important, I will not apologize for taking such liberties. I'm pouring on the sugar here before I turn on the angst in later chapters.

Princess Agents: In-Laws and Outlaws Part 1

 

  Hide contents

 

In Laws and Outlaws: Part 1

Yuwen Zhuo did not approve.  Even if the King of Heaven himself made a personal appeal on their behalf, he would still not approve.

His entire demeanour was proof of it. The perpetual scowl that he wore was more pronounced than usual and his tone of voice was sterner than the servants had cared to remember. In the frame of mind that he was in, losing his upper body limbs would have been preferable to witnessing the complete disaster that his grandson was making of his life.

It was already poor form that his grandson had exposed himself unnecessarily in Yanbei.  Then this grandson almost lost his life because of that woman. Moreover, said grandson brought that woman… a former slave no less… back to Qing Shan Yuan to live. A slave that had to audacity to kill a member of the Yuwen clan. Although Yuwen Xi was a worthless, degenerate blackguard, he was still a member of the clan that once served the court.

If all of that weren’t problematic enough, Yue’er brought back with him an entire army of double-crossing rebels as part of the baggage that came with having her: A rag tag rebel misfits loyal to nobody but her.

Goodness only knew when they would all be brutally murdered in their beds.

But the biggest blow of all was when he brought up marriage with her. Marriage! To her of all people! What was Yue’er thinking?

Yuwen Zhuo came to the conclusion that Yue’er wasn’t thinking. In fact, he was convinced that his beloved grandson had completely lost his mind. Over a rebel slave!

What kind of madness had inflicted Yue’er?

“She saved my life, Grandfather!”

“By first putting your life in jeopardy.”

“I took a chance by going into Yanbei to rescue the children. It had nothing to do with her.”

“That may be. But you stayed on longer than you should and got caught spending time with her.”

“Grandfather, it was my choice!”

“Is it your choice too… to defy my wishes and insist on this ridiculous marriage?”

“I would rather not have to do that.” Young Master Yue said deferentially. “But if it means losing Xing’er then I would rather quit Qing Shan Yuan and take her with me to live elsewhere.”

“You would do that? To me? Because of a woman?”

“She isn’t just a woman, grandfather. She’s the woman I love.”

“Love, love, love… you young people with your talk of love! It makes you selfish and forget your responsibilities.”

“Grandfather, I am grateful for all that you’ve done for me… for raising me and entrusting me with the responsibility of this family and the Eyes of God. But Xing’er is too important to me for me to walk away from. “

“But you can walk away from me, is that it?”

“It isn’t an either-or situation. It is not impossible for all of us to live together. But I will never give her up. I lost her 4 years ago, I cannot do that again.”

“Yes, to another man.”

“That doesn’t matter now. It never mattered. She came back to me.”

Yuwen Zhuo sighed. What happened to the normally logical, circumspect young man that he raised?

“But why her? You can do better. I am sure there is a very long line of women in this country who would love to be the Young Mistress of Qing Shan Yuan.”

“Undoubtedly,” Young Master Yue acknowledged wryly, “But they won’t be Xing’er.”

“What’s so special about her?”

The grandson thought a while before giving his answer, “When she’s around I breathe and I feel alive. And because of her, I’m a better man.”

“You don’t make sense, Yue’er. You have the respect of the people, the court and armies but you tell me that a woman who will make you throw all that out of the window, makes you better man?”

“I’m sorry you don’t understand, grandfather. I was hoping that of all the people in this world, you would. “

 ________________________________________________

All things considered, Young Master Yue thought the conversation went reasonably well. At least they conversed for over 10 minutes which was more than he hoped for. Grandfather needed time to take it all in and to his mind, the old man would come around sooner rather than later. He waltzed serenely into his study where the woman at the centre of the disturbance was waiting for him, preparing his tea in the way that he liked.

“I suppose you overheard everything.” His eyes fell on the teacup that was at his usual spot.

She nodded glumly. “That certainly went well,”

“Better than I had expected actually,” Yuwen Yue said thoughtfully, calmly putting the cup to his lips.

“Better than you had expected?” She exclaimed. Her eyes were rounder than usual, “I’d hate to see what happens when you have an actual argument.”

“Oh that… that was nothing. Grandfather’s mellowing with old age. We had a bit of back and forth. He didn’t threaten to disown me, he didn’t throw you and your men out. Best of all, he didn’t actually forbid the match. All in all, a decent result.”

“He didn’t exactly agree to it either,” She noted sourly. “You’re prematurely cheerful about the whole thing.”

“I am optimistic. It’s called ‘wearing down one’s opponents through persistence’.”

“We don’t have to be married, you know. I don’t mind. I could go back to being your bedchamber maid.” She said half jokingly, half seriously.

His reply came sharply as it did quickly, “Would you be content with that? I wouldn’t be. I want you to be my woman and my wife, not a slave nor a servant. And our children must never feel like they are offcuts or an afterthought.”

On the subject of our children, Chu Qiao could feel herself blushing and her heart racing madly. That man is so presumptuous. Who said anything about having children with him?

Fortunately for him, she was too embarrassed and secretly pleased to start a protracted argument about any kind of progeny he was hoping to have with her. So she steered clear of that subject. For the moment at least.

“But I don’t want to come between you and your grandfather. I know how much he means to you and you to him.”

“I’ve done everything he’s ever wanted me to but on this matter, I will stand my ground.”

“He’s right about one thing though.”

“What’s that?”

“You could definitely do better.”

Yuwen Yue knitted his eyebrows sternly and leaned over the table. Before she knew what hit her, he planted a quick kiss on her tea flavoured lips.

“After all that we’ve been through… you go and say a thing like that. Don’t you ever dare say that again! Modesty doesn’t suit you.”

 ____________________________________________________

Chu Qiao was struck by how little Qing Shan Yuan had changed. It was as if time stood still there. The world outside was on the verge of all out war and here it was… a pocket of picturesque tranquility. Everything was exactly how she remembered it down to the last branch and leaf, radiating an untouched familiarity.

Her room… that she shared with Xiao Qi and Xiao Ba… was like an old acquaintance who had not changed in appearance or character. It had its store of memories to share too. She recalled Xiao Ba observing rather astutely at the time that the young master Yue must have liked her so much to go to such lengths for her. She had been pleased and worried, unsure of how or whether she could reciprocate those feelings. There were many such memories. Memories of good and evil days as well as many hushed conversations about the residents of Qing Shan Yuan.

Surprisingly she found a certain comfort in that. Though this was at a time, a place of oppression, slavery and hardship, it was also, on hindsight, a refuge. More importantly it was the place where she developed feelings for the young master of the mansion. At the time when every single day was a battle to survive, to be free, she didn’t always know or understand her feelings for Yuwen Yue but when she believed he had betrayed her, it crushed her heart. That spoke volumes about how deeply their lives had become entwined with one another.

Here she bickered with her most bitter rival among the maids, trained day and night to be a spy and spent hours training with the Young Master Yue. It seemed as if she’d come full circle… back to the place where it all started for her and back in the arms of the man who had loved her most.

So much misunderstanding, so much heartache. It was all so regrettable.

Chu Qiao didn’t wholly regret the journey with all its missteps and detours because from all those experiences she was finally able to face her own heart honestly and come to him with sincerity. The pain she caused him, however, was the most regrettable part in the whole business.

Sitting by the pool and watching the drop of the waterfall no longer as a slave but a free woman, it occurred to her perhaps for the first time that Qing Shan Yuan was the product of Yuwen Yue’s personality. It’s maintenance and pristine beauty was the end result of his meticulous attention to detail. The harmony and balance of every feature in the back courtyard from the cobblestones to the marble furnishings came from his brilliant mind and his loving heart.

“Are you glad to be back here, Xing’er?” A voice in the background interrupted her reverie.

It was Yue Qi who had almost completely recovered from his injuries sustained while fighting the Yanbei troops at the icy lake.

“Surprisingly, I am. Especially coming from all the troubles that we’ve seen lately. It’s very peaceful here. Much more than when I left it. I had some good memories here.”

“Like when the young master made you balance on one foot for hours?”

“He was teaching me.”

“Like when he turned you blind?”

“He was training me.”

“I’m glad… you understood his intentions… I was never sure if you did.” Yue Qi paused and pondered carefully before boldly continuing with his line of thought. Thoughts he’d kept to himself all these years… thoughts that he was only too willing to reveal.

“When the young master thought you had died, he would sit here for hours drinking by himself. Even though he wasn’t supposed to be drinking.”

“Was he very upset?” It was a rhetorical question of course. They both knew the answer to that. But it gave Yue Qi the opportunity to bring up some home truths. Chu Qiao too had the morbid curiosity of a lover.

“What do you think?” The almost bitter reply was followed by a rare emotional outburst. “I had never seen him so devastated in the years I’ve been with him. Denied the chance to save you, shook him and changed him. Because of that, he is afraid… no… terrified… that he would miss the opportunity of saving you again. Young Master doesn’t say much but he loves you very much.”

“I know, Yue Qi.”

“I… I just thought you should know this because Young Master will never tell you this himself.”

“Thank you… for taking care of him all this while.”

“Young Master saved my life… taught me everything I know. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for him.”

 Yuwen Yue seems to have that effect on people.  Chu Qiao mused. It’s funny… I spent the last few years wanting to protect and save lives but he’s been doing this most of his life quietly and behind the scenes. It seems like I have so much to learn still… from him.

It wasn’t just her or Yue Qi. There were all his people… the Yue Guards… those from the Afterlife Camp whom he saved like Meng Feng. Prince Yu – Yuan Song. Then there were the undercover agents that made up the Eyes of God as well as the ordinary men and women who bore the brunt of bad decisions made by their rulers. Then of course he convinced his grandfather to set the household slaves free. Those who had remained did so willingly.

As she reflected over such matters, the man himself came sauntering into the scene and remarked, “What nonsense has Yue Qi been feeding you now?”

“Nothing much,” she said nonchalantly, “We’ve been talking about the past.”

Young Master Yue eyed his devoted lackey with some measure of suspicion. “Really?”

He had an inkling that they were talking about more than just the past.

Yue Qi quickly determined that it was time to make his exit. No one could escape the young master’s probing eye for long. Besides, he was certain that the young master would rather he wasn’t around at this moment as he undoubtedly had things to say to Xing’er that were for her ears only.

He bowed respectfully and asked to be excused. A smile spread over his face as he turned away. To see the young master happy did his heart good. He had waited such a long time to have Xing’er back in Qing Shan Yuan safe and sound.

The young master turned to his unofficial fiancée and made her the object of intense scrutiny.

“Honestly, we were just talking about the past.” She protested.

“Why do I think you’re both keeping some kind of secret from me?”

“No secrets. Just some desultory chatter about the past.” She grinned cheerfully. “I was just reminiscing about my old training regime.”

“I imagine you don’t miss that,” he remarked wryly. “You must have hated me for it.”

“Initially perhaps but when I realized what you were trying to do…”

“And what was I trying to do?” He quizzed.

“You wanted me to be safe. To get stronger and better so that I could protect myself and my sisters.”

“That was part of it… an important part of it.”

“You wanted to groom me so I could be sent on suicide missions.” She teased.

He shook his head. “In a way but no.”

“That’s what you told your grandfather.”

“It was,” He hesitated, “But it wasn’t my true intent.”

"You lied to your grandfather?!” She pretended to be horrified but her mood changed when he maintained a serious mien. “What was your true intent then?”

“I… I wanted… you to be someone that would be with me always.”

“Yuwen Yue…” Chu Qiao could feel the emotions well up inside her instantly.

“I… My mother… I didn’t want the woman I was with to end up like her, helpless and unprotected.”

She noted his cheeks muscles tighten momentarily and his eyes went suspiciously red.

“I knew the day you stood outside my gate begging me to let you compete that you were the one for me. But I had to be sure… I needed to be sure.

“Your need to survive was so strong that you were able to endure all the rigours of your training. I… should have told you…  I was going to tell you when the time was right… I wanted to tell you that day at the tower pavilion. But you were so angry and hurt... you lashed out… I regretted every day afterwards that I didn’t tell you sooner.”

I was angry but I should have trusted you more.

“Because of what I do, who I am… I knew that the woman… my woman had to be a survivor. To be able to protect herself and our children. It was selfish of me, I know but I couldn’t put my family through what my father did. To marry into the Yuwen clan is on some level a suicide mission.”

There’s that thing about children again. Yuwen Yue, as usual you think far ahead of everyone else.

“When I saw you again after thinking you were dead… I thought maybe I could win you back. But you couldn’t look me in the eyes and I thought you hated me.”

“I thought I did too but I didn’t.”

“I know. I was sure of it that day when you came to get your freedom certificate. You made a show of wanting to kill me but when I knew you couldn’t, I felt hope as I never did before. But I was too proud to beg and I let you walk out of here.”

“You don’t have to tell me all this. It’s all in the past now. There’s enough blame to go around between the two of us for our mistakes.”

“I’m glad that you’re here now but pride aside, I wanted you to choose to come back to this place with your own two feet.”

Chu Qiao wrapped her arms around him to reassure and comfort him of her present choices. She had never heard him say this much before. Despite what she said earlier, she rejoiced that he was opening up to her so honestly and intimately. They lingered in that closeness, contemplating many things. He reveled in it, thankful that they had finally come to this place of understanding.

Suddenly recalling something, he cleared his throat in what appeared to be embarrassment. He reached into his sleeve and pulled out an ornate, lacquered box.

“I have something for you. Open it.” He handed it to her.

“A present?”

“You may consider it an engagement present.” He said, almost shyly.

“I don’t need…”

“Just take it. Open it up and put it on.” He barked and slapped the receptacle on the palm of her hand.

She opened the box in anticipation and gushed gleefully on seeing what it was. “It’s that snake ring… my ring!”

He cleared his throat again, looking quite uneasy, “I er… found it at the cremation site 4 years ago and had it buried in your grave. Some of my people took it out the other day. I’ve had it cleaned and I've been meaning to give it to you.”

“This is perfect.” She slipped it onto her first finger and held it up to the sunlight enjoying its gleam. “I have missed it.”

She fell back into his embrace with joy, “Thank you so much. This gift I will treasure in memory of the conversation we just had.”

Yuwen Yue gave one of his rare smiles and wrapped her in the crook of his arm.

I could definitely get accustomed to this.

 ________________________________________________

Yuwen Zhuo was adamant on maintaining the disapproving grandfather posture. But he was less inclined to disapprove on receiving Yue Qi’s report.

“So we’re certain she’s Luo He’s daughter?” He was tapping his fingers on the arm of the wheelchair.

“Yes, Master.”

“Does he know? Yue’er, I mean.”

“He hasn’t said as much but I am sure he must. She saved him after all and witnessed her transformation.”

“Can she be trusted? That’s the question. I don’t want a repeat of history.”

“Permission to speak freely sir.”

“Go ahead.”

“I think we can trust her to act in the interest of Young Master Yue. She jumped into the water, saved his life and broke Yan Xun’s ambush. If she didn’t care about Young Master, she wouldn’t have done any of that.”

“That’s true.”

“And more importantly, she loves the Young Master.”

Love… that word again…

Yue Qi saw the old man wince and changed tact quickly. “Pragmatically speaking, it is to our benefit to have the successor of Feng Yun Ling as a member of Qing Shan Yuan. If she marries him, it means the Yuwen clan will have access not only to one of the most formidable forms of martial arts but immense authority in jianghu.”

“Hmmm… That’s a point.” The old man stroked his beard pensively. “Alright then, good job on your report. Go back to what you were doing.”

When Yue Qi left happy to have done his bit, the elder Yuwen had much to think about.

My grandson and Luo He’s daughter… Oh, the ironies of fate. The world is indeed a very small place.

The old man chuckled to himself.

 

Every fanfic that involves YWZ should begin with "YWZ did not approve." Because he's never going to approve. Of anything. Especially if it involves Xing'er. I found myself wanting to be that irritatingly unhelpful person who actually makes YWZ realize that the situation is even worse than he's thinking. "Actually, grandpa, she killed not just one but three members of the Yuwen clan. And her Xiulis are more like triple- or even quadruple-crossers. If you think YWY's acting crazy now, just wait until he actually marries Xing'er." What else? Oh, yeah. Yue Qi is my baby and he's alive and nobody will ever convince me differently. I loved YWY's focus on children and XE's half-embarrassed/half-pleased response. I've also made up a ton of stuff about Feng Yun Ling and will continue to do so without apology.

As for posting fic elsewhere, AO3 already has a PA category set up. True, it only has a short slash fic written in Chinese, but at least the category's up and running. I'm not a member there yet, but I'll probably post all of my stuff there once I am. As for ff.net, they have yet to add PA as a category, so I've emailed support and asked them to do so. As far as I understand, they only make categories that multiple people are interested in, so if some of you would like to follow the steps outlined here like I did, then that might be helpful. Eyes of God/XingYue support group, do your thing. If anyone had told me a month ago that I'd be doing this, I would've told them that they were crazy. But here we are.

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8 hours ago, RealityDream said:

I re-called in the Novel, there was a section where after the first son was born, he has a big mother complex. He would sleep in between YWY and XE until he's 3. Afterwards, YWY couldn't take it so he would make a deal with his son that he would have 5 days and YWY have 5 days, but then YWY doesn't keep his words so the son have to fight for it. Maybe, you can develop a story about this? It wasn't elaborated in the novel. I would love to read more about this part, though I like anything you write. :D

I might write this into a story one day, but given how resourceful and creative both YWY and XE can be, I'm sure that they can...improvise in terms of location. (Bonus points if they manage to traumatize grandpa.)

 

Today's story starts the beginning of the end of the pregnancy arc. I'm not sure how long this will take, but I want to bring in some more characters and make this a fitting end to what I think of as "Season 1". Don't worry; my ending won't be XE opening her eyes in the middle of labor:wink:. So today we've caught up with Du Ping'an and spent some more time with He Xiao. I love He Xiao. Yuwen Yue's perspective is probably my favorite to write (shocking, I know), and his love for XE is so rich and complex. But He Xiao? His love for Chu Da Ren is so simple and pure. He's loyal to her simply because she's loyal to him and considers him hers, because she raised him up when she could've cast him down. That's it. And I love him for it.

 

Du Ping’an pretended to work hard at his task, unable to avoid feeling the same levels of anxiety and anticipation as the men around him were radiating. For the past several days, there had been a distinct edginess that had wired everyone in the Red Hills Courtyard and had caused almost everyone to be extra-vigilant of any activity at the front entrance. He almost felt like he was back at Hong Chuan on the eve of battle, except that this energy was more positive and hopeful.

As the birth of Chu Da Ren’s firstborn loomed nearer, incidents of Xiulis and servants alike suddenly finding work to do near the gate skyrocketed. Ping’an himself was busily “trimming” shrubberies that were already immaculate since numerous men before him had been pruning them with excessive care for the last several days. When word finally came that Chu Da Ren’s labor had begun, nobody wanted to miss out on the news.

In fact, Ping’an figured that he’d never seen the Courtyard this neat and tidy. Not that the Xiulis didn’t proudly take care of their home, but anticipation of fresh news on Chu Da Ren’s well-being was high. So the hedges were perfectly shaped, the pathways were spotless, and even the buildings themselves were immaculate.

Ping’an made one last cut with his shears and then gave up on his pretense, knowing that it was almost time for him to do his favorite task that he was fortunate enough to be able to do several times a day. Given his age and his relationship with Chu Da Ren, he served as an informal liaison between Red Hills and Green Hills. All of the Yue guards knew him and were glad to give him whatever new information there was about Chu Da Ren’s health and well-being.

He received more greetings than normal as he headed through the entrance of Red Hills and set off on the relatively short trip to Green Hills. Ping’an knew that someone would soon take up his post at the hedge that he’d just vacated in order to anxiously await his return. While there was always the chance that someone would come to Red Hills with news of their beloved general, he secretly hoped that he would be the one who would be able to bring word of Chu Da Ren’s labor back to the Xiulis.

Whistling cheerfully, he reflected on his good fortune as he briskly walked along the pathway. His mother had, ironically enough, survived the battle of Hong Chuan only to succumb to her illness a few weeks later. Ping’an had been left with nowhere to go and had realized that he’d felt a kinship with the loyal fighting force that had as one declared their home to be wherever Chu Da Ren was. He’d begged to come with them; they’d agreed; and he’d never looked back.

Many of the Xiulis seemed to view him as a little brother and had done their best to take care of him over the past couple of years. In return, he worked hard at whatever task needed doing and never for a moment forgot that he easily could’ve been one of the many war orphans of Yanbei had Chu Da Ren not stopped her carriage that time to raise him up just because she could.

Some of the Xiulis had even begun to train Ping’an in combat in their free time, laughing and saying that every man should know how to defend himself in a fight. While he knew he’d probably never be a soldier, he still felt reasonably confident that he could hold his own if he ever got into trouble. Whatever he ended up doing when he reached manhood, he knew that he would be serving Chu Da Ren in some capacity.

The gates of Green Hills came into view, and Du Ping’an could tell that there seemed to be more activity than usual. He walked quickly up to the gates and was greeted with a smile by the Yue guards stationed there. Before he could even exchange any pleasantries, one of the guards decided to put him out of his misery.

“Yue Qi says that Xing’er has entered the early stages of labor and that she should give birth sometime late this evening or during the night.”

Thanking the guard, Ping’an spun around and took off for Red Hills at a sprint. He had his orders from He Xiao, after all, and he didn’t want to waste a single moment.

 

 

While He Xiao would’ve otherwise been tempted to tease his men about the way that they were all milling around in the courtyard instead of being useful, the commander of the Xiulis was forced to admit that he was just as guilty. True, he’d claimed that he was inspecting the work that everyone else was doing, but that was just a pretense for doing what everyone else was doing: anxiously waiting for fresh news about Chu Da Ren.

Having grown up in a city surrounded by many people, He Xiao knew about the harsh realities of childbirth and the dangers that it could bring. While he had the utmost faith that his beloved general would be able to win this battle just as she had all the rest, he still couldn’t help but worry about all that could go wrong during the process.

A small smile shaped his lips as he remembered a conversation that he’d had with Young Master Yue only a few days ago. To his immense surprise and delight, Yuwen Yue had gone out of his way to give He Xiao updates about Chu Da Ren’s pregnancy. He felt that the young master might be coming to consider him a friend—or at least a kindred spirit in regards to the importance of Chu Da Ren’s protection.

Young Master Yue had matter-of-factly stated that he was going to be there for Chu Da Ren when she gave birth, and He Xiao had goggled at him with what he was sure had not been his best “Commander of the Xiuli Troop” expression. He’d never heard of a husband being present for the birth of his child, but once he’d gotten over the shock, he’d felt a sense of rightness settle over him.

“I’m glad,” was all he’d said before inclining his head at Young Master Yue in understanding.

Over the past nine months, he’s trained her for war, He Xiao thought, nodding to himself in approval. It’s only logical that he would want to be there for her when the battle commences. He always has...

This was a sentiment he not only shared but was prepared to act on once he got word that Chu Da Ren was in labor. He knew that his plan was somewhat risky, but he figured that he and his men could do what they needed to do and get back into Red Hills before the wrong people found out.

As if He Xiao had summoned him by the power of his thoughts, the unmistakable figure of Du Ping’an came barreling up to the entrance of Red Hills Courtyard. The grin on his face was evident even from this far away.

“It’s begun!” the boy shouted. “Chu Da Ren is in labor and is expected to give birth sometime this evening or tonight!”

He Xiao figured that the last time he’d seen his men move that fast had been when they were rushing to Chu Da Ren’s aid at the icy lake. Those who had been “working” outside rushed up all at once, and those who hadn’t been able to come up with an excuse to be outdoors poured out of the buildings of Red Hills like they were on fire. He waited for all of his troops to gather before putting his plan into action.

“Xiuli troops!” He Xiao said loudly to the men gathered around him.

They yelled back.

“Today, our general is going into one of the most ancient battles in all the world: that to bring forth a new life. Chu Da Ren is strong, proud, and unafraid, and I have no doubt that she’ll be able to win this battle just like she’s won all the rest. Surely she will emerge from this trial victorious!”

Another yell rang out from the troops.

“In all the times that she’s led us into battle, she’s never lost. In all of the times that we’ve been able to fight at her side, we’ve done so with all of our hearts. We’ve never willingly stood by and let her go into battle without us, and we’re not going to start now!”

A louder yell filled the entire courtyard.

He Xiao walked over to a small table on which he’d set a small incense stand and produced a stick of incense.

“That’s why I’m giving you all a single stick of incense time to put on all of your armor and to gather back in the courtyard. Chu Da Ren promised us that she would bring us home, and she did. We told her then that we were coming back with her—and we always will. There won’t be room for all of us inside of Green Hills, but we can all still stand outside and support Chu Da Ren in this battle the only way that we can. So, Xiulis, put on all of your battle gear, rejoin all of your brothers, and then--”

He Xiao placed the incense in the holder and lit it.

“WE MARCH!”

The roar of the Xiulis shook the earth and caused a fierce grin to form on He Xiao’s face as he set off for his quarters to don his full set of armor. One way or another, he knew that this was going to be a day and night to remember.

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14 hours ago, RealityDream said:

 

After she gave birth to the second child, YWY approached her and said she'll have to make it up to him (he's referring to the 6-9 months he endured his lust) and something about maybe he should take on a concubine. XE responded "You dare?" Then, YWY responded "Then, you'll have to be troubled" and carried her to bed. LOL. Its interesting to see this side of YWY after marriage. It's like all he does with XE is take her to bed. I don't think they have birth control back then because if they did, she wouldn't continuously be pregnant one after another. If the story were to continue, they probably would have more than 3 kids. 

It's always been odd to me that there families in historical dramas are much more a reflection of modern sensibilities rather than ancient ones. Three is rather too few I would think, in a reasonably wealthy family with healthy views of conjugal relations. :wink: Although women have always had abortifacients available to them in some form (some potentially life-threatening), I would have thought that the default position would be to demonstrate fecundity as a badge of honour especially when a woman's ability to reproduce was her biggest asset. Time travelling CQ would be a more modern creature of course and have quite different ideas regarding family planning.

But it's odd that the average family in ancient Chinese dramas have only 1-2 kids in most cases which can't have been right. If one considers that a good marriage would have had procreative potential for at least 25-30 years while factoring common causes of death, the average family should have had at least 6-10 children surviving past adolescence. Of course there's nothing to say that the propagandists for the One Child policy haven't pushed their social engineering agenda in these dramas.

With regards to YWY's bedroom appetites, I imagine that would be the novel's way of highlighting and maintaining the fantasy of his innate virtues of lifelong devotion and fidelity in every respect to his chosen spouse. :D "She was loved in every way, and enjoyed lifelong love", I think would be the message being conveyed. Even after two children, he never lost interest in her. :tongue: A pragmatic ancient China kind of happily-ever-after for the modern sensibility.

5 hours ago, rampantwolfhound said:

Every fanfic that involves YWZ should begin with "YWZ did not approve." Because he's never going to approve. Of anything. Especially if it involves Xing'er. I found myself wanting to be that irritatingly unhelpful person who actually makes YWZ realize that the situation is even worse than he's thinking. "Actually, grandpa, she killed not just one but three members of the Yuwen clan. And her Xiulis are more like triple- or even quadruple-crossers. If you think YWY's acting crazy now, just wait until he actually marries Xing'er." What else? Oh, yeah. Yue Qi is my baby and he's alive and nobody will ever convince me differently. I loved YWY's focus on children and XE's half-embarrassed/half-pleased response. I've also made up a ton of stuff about Feng Yun Ling and will continue to do so without apology.

As for posting fic elsewhere, AO3 already has a PA category set up. True, it only has a short slash fic written in Chinese, but at least the category's up and running. I'm not a member there yet, but I'll probably post all of my stuff there once I am. As for ff.net, they have yet to add PA as a category, so I've emailed support and asked them to do so. As far as I understand, they only make categories that multiple people are interested in, so if some of you would like to follow the steps outlined here like I did, then that might be helpful. Eyes of God/XingYue support group, do your thing. If anyone had told me a month ago that I'd be doing this, I would've told them that they were crazy. But here we are.

Luckily I haven't said what I was going to do with YWZ yet. Heh. Well, I'll keep my cards close to my chest. I'm not terribly mathematical so that's why YWZ falls short in that department.

Of course Yue Qi's alive. Does anyone think differently? All he did is blackout momentarily. I'm sure the Xiuli boys got him out.

I too have contacted FF.net. I'd rather post there because I'm just too lazy to maintain multiple memberships in different sites. Since I've been posting there since 2005, it's just easier for me to keep going back there. There's always my LiveJournal of course. But also not ideal.

Well, I'm supposed to be working on my own writing project. Definitely had no plans to be writing fanfiction but I figured this should be good practice for when I actually get started with my own stuff. :D 

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AB's studio denied that she will have any involvement with PA 2. This makes a 100% confirmed that AB wont be in PA2. 

12 hours ago, zhoulina0529 said:

News on Weibo:

They will shoot PA2 in December, ZLY & LGX will stay, hope it's true. 

 

I doubt this since ZLY is filming until March. That being said the studios have not denied anything so far, which means they could be negotiating. I think the key is how much money they offer them to come back. 

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3 hours ago, mrsyooknit said:

AB's studio denied that she will have any involvement with PA 2. This makes a 100% confirmed that AB wont be in PA2. 

 

I doubt this since ZLY is filming until March. That being said the studios have not denied anything so far, which means they could be negotiating. I think the key is how much money they offer them to come back. 

 

Very true, $$ is definitely on the table. ZLY and LGX should negotiate the script as well before they start. It's gotten so quiet on both sides so this is suspicious. All these rumors have to have some base to it since it's coming out left and right. 

A sense of completing this work, I wonder if this is how LGX and ZLY feels since even now they keep getting attached to PA2. Well...time will tell, good or bad...

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13 hours ago, mrsyooknit said:

AB's studio denied that she will have any involvement with PA 2. This makes a 100% confirmed that AB wont be in PA2. 

 

I doubt this since ZLY is filming until March. That being said the studios have not denied anything so far, which means they could be negotiating. I think the key is how much money they offer them to come back. 

 

I read a post on avoyagevirtual regarding the period drama ZLY is filming. It says the production team is expecting to start working in September and hopefully ZLY will finish filming by then? I do know filming begins in August. Since its a non-kungfu drama, does that mean it only takes a month for her to film? 

If that's the case, what is she occupied with until March 2018? 

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Thank god that AngelaBaby will not join PA2 it would have made a mess, I truly believe ZLY has a tight schedule with filming "Our glamorous time " with Jin Han the one that played Zhao Xifeng role in PA and after she has to film "The concubine daughter Minglan" with Feng Shaofeng.

Anyway i just hope i see my sweet couple ZLY &LGX soon in PA 2:heart::tongue:

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