Black Belly Wife

Early in the morning, while Murong Yunshu was half asleep and half awake, she kept on feeling that something was looking at her. Her bed suddenly moved, and that 'something' came over towards her, as she could see a glimpse of the end ridge of a lower hem of a jacket hanging down to her pillow, and it was decorated with gold-rimmed patterns on a white background, but she couldn't lift her head to see that person's face. Something touched her hair, and a clear sigh could be heard. Murong Yunshu almost exhausted all her energy before she could open her eyelids and sat up. She looked around, only to find that there was no other people in her cell. The old and the young ones next door turned away their heads when she looked over at them.

It was probably just a dream. Murong Yunshu slumped on the straw mat, while her heart felt a bit lost.

This dream was too real. Even at this moment, she could still feel the touch at the end of her hair. Such a gentle touch…

When Murong Yunshu was in a daze, Shan Shaoyu walked into the prison cell with two other soldiers and instructed them to unlock the door.

When Murong Yunshu heard the noise, she immediately recovered from her absent-mindedness, and took a glance at the visitor. She instantly knew that it must be Lord Marquis who had summoned her to court, so she leisurely got up as she acted as if she had been ready at all times.

This stunned Shan Shaoyu who originally wanted the soldiers to drag her out. After a long while, he raised his hand and beckoned at her as he took the lead. Murong Yunshu followed behind, while the two minor soldiers followed from the rear.

After a while, Murong Yunshu noticed that she was led by Shan Shaoyu to the Lord Marquis' Residence. On the way there, she felt quite odd. She was a reactionary and she should have been interrogated in the military camp. So why was she being taken to the Lord Marquis' Residence? But now that she had arrived there, she understood everything. It was because, in the living room, a man, who was as handsome as a banished immortal[+]a wayward genius and as evil as a demon, had dressed himself in a set of white brocade robe, and he was looking at her with a smile yet not quite a smile.

With just one glance, Murong Yunshu understood that he recognised her, so she genuinely smiled, with her pink lips slightly curved, and her eyebrows looked like a hook. [+]This noob translation was translated by a noob translator きつね. Please read this chapter at xin-shou.blogspot.com.

Chu Changge stared at Murong Yunshu who came over leisurely, with the golden sunlight shone on the tips of her long and thick eyelashes, which shone brighter than any kind of gold jewelry.

Chu Changge suddenly looked at her with sparkling eyes as he praised, "No doubt, she's truly gorgeous, such national grace and divine fragrance[+]Chinese idiom : an outstanding beauty."

Murong Yunshu had never heard Chu Changge praise her appearance before, and although her current face wasn't actually hers, she couldn't avoid being a little flattered and blushed with shame. She hung her head slightly, not wanting him to see her shyness, and walked towards Marquis of Jingbian, who was sitting on the main seat. However, she knew that Chu Changge was still looking at her...and kept on looking at her...as if he couldn't see her enough......

Murong Yunshu tightened her purse up lips, while restraining the urge to look back, as she stopped in the middle of the living room, and smiled at Marquis of Jingbian as a greeting.

Marquis of Jingbian believed that he was born with a fierce look. Even his Deputy General, who had followed him from the cradle to the grave[+]Chinese idiom : brave untold dangers, couldn't look him in the eyes. But the woman who committed the heinous crime in front of him, not only looked at him calmly, but also smiled!

Weird, too weird.

Marquis of Jingbian stared at this woman, who was full of calm poise and unconstrained, from her head to her toe for a long time, when he suddenly clapped his legs and laughed. Then his laughter became more and more louder. The more he laughed, the more it sounded like his heroic spirit had clouded the sky[+]arrogant.

Chu Changge also laughed. Unlike Marquis of Jingbian's boorish laugh, his laugh was much more charming and elegant, just like a modest gentleman with a disposition as graceful as the lustre of jade.

Murong Yunshu felt odd. When did this Chu person give up evil and return to good[+]Chinese idiom : turn over a new leaf…

Suddenly she heard Marquis of Jingbian say, "Brother Chu, you can see her clearly now, is she really your unwed wife?"

Brother Chu? This Marquis of Jingbian was more than a generation higher with Chu Changge! Murong Yunshu didn't know whether to laugh or cry[+]Chinese idiom : both funny and extremely embarrassing. It seemed that he still hadn't given up evil and returned to good[+]Chinese idiom : turn over a new leaf. Otherwise, how could he be on intimate terms overnight with an old Marquis, who was as old as his father…

Chu Changge leisurely smiled as he said, "Who else in the world, other than this Chu's unwed wife, would dare to read a rebellion book,  while acting like a big thorn in Lord Marquis' territory?"

Jingbian Hou laughed heartily and said, "It makes sense! Only such a remarkable woman is worthy of a fine man like you!"

Murong Yunshu lowered her head and sighed. Demon, truly a demon. Such a pity that Marquis of Jingbian's lifetime of fame was all destroyed in the hand of that demon. [+]This noob translation was translated by a noob translator きつね. Please read this chapter at xin-shou.blogspot.com.

Chu Changge seemed to have read Murong Yunshu's expression and looked at her with a smile, then he turned towards Marquis of Jingbian and said, "It's a pity that my humble wife was born deaf and mute, otherwise you would find that she is much more curious than you think."

Upon hearing that Murong Yunshu was born deaf and mute, Marquis of Jingbian's face immediately showed sympathy, as he sighed while muttering, 'What a pity'.

At this time, Shan Shaoyu, who had been standing by the Marquis' side, suddenly realised what had happened. No wonder she had been so quiet from the moment she entered the cell till she left the cell. It turned out, she was actually unable to talk. He just wondered, how could someone sit so calmly inside the prison. There was just another thing that he found quite odd. According to the head of the prison's report, she was having a pretty good time in the prison! When the head of the prison sent her food, she would say ‘thank you’ with her lips. What a really strange person.

But if anyone asked him to compare her to any strangeness, she still wouldn't be ranked first. The one in the men's prison, who kept on talking about turning himself into a woman, that was much more strange...and of course, the one in front of him, who sent eight large boxes of silver at the crack of dawn, while saying something like 'for the rise and fall of the country, every common man had his obligation[+]Chinese idioms : Everyone bears responsibility for the prosperity of society., and he heard that the Lord Marquis' had run out of funds and provisions for the troop as the Imperial Court refused to allocate silver on the ground that there was no war, hence he sold all his family properties in his possessions, and come over to send charcoal in snowy weather[+]Chinese idiom : to provide help in sb's hour of need', which was the strangest of them all.

 *

Once they were out of the Marquis' residence, Chu Changge unlocked Murong Yunshu's mute acupuncture point and smiled, "It must have been too much trouble for Madam."

Murong Yunshu also said with a smile, "Leader also has lost his fortune."

"Money is only our worldly possessions. A mere few boxes of silver of mine is nothing much." Chu Changge was making light of the matter, as if the clouds were pale and a light breeze was blowing[+]Chinese idiom : nothing does matter to him.

Imagine four birds like this flew over each of the Four Great Guardians' heads. ? Image Credit | 小阳光阳阳 at 699pic

Four crows flew on top of East, South, West and North's heads. Those were other people's money, of course it would be only worldly possessions for the Leader…

Chu Changge added, "The most important thing is that I've saved Madam from extreme misery."

His words were uttered in an indifferent and light tone, but they still managed to move Murong Yunshu's heart. For no other reason that he had come a long way just to save her. Although he didn't recognise her at first glance, and although the way he did the rescue struck her as odd, but, none of that mattered. The most important thing was that he did come after all.

After being moved deeply, Murong Yunshu's heart couldn't help but feel a bit of bitterness again, which was very, very faint, but it made her afraid to look at Chu Changge again, as if by looking at him more, this bitterness would deepen and penetrate through her bone marrow.

Just when Murong Yunshu's heart was full of emotions, the loud call from Shan Shaoyu suddenly could be heard coming from behind her, "Childe Chu, hold on."

When everyone looked back, they saw Shan Shaoyu walking over with the disguised Wang Chao and Chang Yu.

"The servants of your house, I've sent them to you." Shan Shaoyu pushed Wang Chao and Zhang Yu towards Chu Changge, while smiling and teasing, "Since Childe Chu has sold his entire fortune, he must no longer need these two servants, so why not donate them to the Marquis as well."

Chu Changge was thinking of how to deal with these two guys who didn't know whether to live or die[+]Chinese idiom : do sth. regardless of danger. Once he heard that someone was willing to do the work for him, he was naturally glad to see it happened. So he smiled amiably and said to Wang Chao and Zhang Yu, "It's rare that General Shan has thought highly of you two, so why don't you two give your thanks to him?!"

When Wang Chao and Chang Yu heard this, their expressions changed drastically, that they didn't know what to do. As the two bowled over, Shan Shaoyu was also astounded. He was simply jesting, nothing more, but he didn't expect that Chu Changge would take it seriously and readily agreed to it.

"Why are you still not giving your thanks?" Chu Changge still beaming from ear to ear, but it was full of threats in the eyes of Wang Chao and Chang Yu.

Even ten years was not too long for a gentleman to exact his revenge[+]Chinese well-known phrase : revenge is a dish best served cold. Wang Chao clenched his teeth, then squeezed out a smile, as he said, "Thank you, General." Zhang Yu, on the other hand, remained silent, which was his way of showing his tacit acknowledgement.

It was only then that Shan Shaoyu realised that the wood had already been made into a boat[+]Chinese idiom : what is done cannot be undone. Whether he wished to take these two in or not, he still had to provide them with shelter. He gave a very unfriendly glance at Wang Chao and 'graciously' said in a very reluctant tone, "This General is thinking of training a suicide squad, so I'll include you two in the group."

When Wang Chao heard the words 'suicide squad', his face no longer looked flattering.

Wang Chao looked bitterly at Murong Yunshu and others, only to find that they had already gone far away, but it could be seen from their staggering back that they were doubled up with laughter...