Title: Silent Lover
Author: Qiang Tang
Translated by Condz
Edited by Nata
“It turns out you’re hiding here, you made me search all over~”
Hong Lian came by Shaohua Pavilion multiple times without seeing Shen Yu, and thought that he and Song Qing were avoiding him. Later, he asked around using his connections, and learned that Shen Yu had moved into the woodshed.
When she heard about this, the Princess Consort jumped off of her couch in delight. After being warned by Emperor Ye, she spent some time inside Liqing Pavilion keeping to herself, scared that Zhenbei Wang would really divorce her. However, being holed up for so long inevitably built up her anger. Hearing the news about Shen Yu, she laughed out loud while pulling on her new mink gloves and headed over to visit.
“Hahaha! I wondered how long the Lord would favor you. It looks like you’re no better than those lowly maids from before. Concubine Yin, ah, Concubine Yin. I told you not to be too full of yourself. Look at you now, you got what you deserved!”
The Princess Consort circled the woodshed. This shabby place had been organized quite cleanly, all the junk having been arranged neatly together. In the corner of the window sat a woven mat bed built out of wood. It was simple yet clean.
Shen Yu acted as if he hadn’t heard the Princess Consort’s words, minding his own business and stacking some newly chopped firewood in a corner of the shed. When it was almost stacked to the ceiling and Shen Yu couldn’t reach the top anymore, he fetched a ladder and finished the task with some effort.
His taciturn manner riled up the Princess Consort’s anger. She aimed a strong kick towards the ladder; instead of knocking the ladder over, she kicked her own foot instead.
“Hiss—”
The Princess Consort howled in pain, “You wench, you still dare to put on airs with me even without the Lord’s favor?”
In her fury, the Princess Consort grabbed a nearby washing paddle and raised it to strike, but then thought of Emperor Ye’s words. No one knew Zhenbei Wang’s true intentions and whether or not he had really abandoned Shen Yu. She couldn’t keep doing these things which could backfire on her.
“A servant is a servant. Heh, look at how this place suits you! Shen Yu, in the end, I’m the one who won.” The Princess Consort had a sinister smile on her face. “Do you know how all of the Lord’s previous playthings died after they lost favor?”
Shen Yu used to believe the rumors that they died on Zhenbei Wang’s bed. Now, he had a better idea.
“Actually, one hung herself in this woodshed.” The Princess Consort pointed to a spot above the ladder. “Oh, it was that exact spot. I think she was a singer born with a good voice. She badmouthed me in front of the Lord with her glib words. When she hung herself, her eyeballs almost popped out of her head and her tongue was hanging loose. I ordered for her tongue to be cut out – let’s see how she’ll complain to the King of Hell now!”
“Hahaha, but don’t worry, I won’t kill you like that. You’re the one I hate the most! If you died that easily then I’d be letting you off lightly. Our debts can be settled slowly. So you like doing the servants’ work? Shao Yao, bring all of Liqing Pavilion’s dirty laundry here. Also, forbid the kitchens from preparing his meals, he has to follow the rules of a slave and eat leftovers!”
After strutting around, the Princess Consort didn’t want to stay in the woodshed any longer and left with her nose up in the air in disgust.
As for Hong Lian, he had leaned against the door and watched the drama unfold with a smile.
“Why aren’t you leaving with your master?” Song Qing asked with a sideways glance.
“She’s not my master, more like an employer.”
Song Qing said coldly, “Birds of a feather flock together. You told the Princess Consort to come here, right?”
Hong Lian laughed and said, “Yes, so what? The Princess Consort and I are made of the same stuff then. Only Master Song and little Yu’er are perfect and pristine. I’m impressed though – I heard Concubine Yin and Emperor Ye spent a night together? Compared to someone who slept with the Emperor, I am truly inferior-”
“You clearly know that’s a lie made up by the Princess Consort! If you don’t watch your mouth your tongue will be cut out in Hell!” Song Qing was so angered by Hong Lian that he couldn’t even curse at him properly.
“Bwahahaha!”
Hong Lian laughed loudly, “I’m the keeper of Qinghuai Manor, I was already headed to Hell anyway. Master Song, on the other hand, maybe you were fine with little Yu’er being fucked by the Lord. But after he was bedded by the Emperor as well, did you get frustrated and upset? If I were you, I would have already made a move. Forget being a gentleman, were you trying to impress him with your sincerity? Maybe your little Yu’er likes them rough, and not a stick-in-the-mud like you.”
Song Qing flushed with anger: “Shameless! Get lost!”
“I don’t want to.” Hong Lian sat down on the cot. “I like seeing people work, so I’m sticking around here~ Young Master Shen Yu, take a good look. It’s always the serious looking men who are plotting something. You have to watch out for Master Song!”
Shen Yu tilted his head and gave him a glance, his mind only focused on his work at hand.
Song Qing clenched his fists and took a deep breath.
“You don’t need to try and drive a wedge between us. My actions have been proper, I’m not afraid of your accusations.”
“I have to keep an eye out for the Lord so that his employee isn’t off having any illicit relations with his plaything in this little woodshed.” Hong Lian crossed his legs.
“Unreasonable!”
Song Qing finally understood that he shouldn’t have paid any attention to this kind of person. The more you argued with him, the more zealous he became.
Following the Princess Consort’s orders, Shao Yao arrived with two burly old women and threw a pile of crude clothing at Shen Yu’s feet. Shen Yu started working without question.
“Stop washing that! Don’t you know that they’re giving you a hard time on purpose?”
Of course he knew. Previously in the magistrate’s house, the other servants always left work for Mother to finish, and Mother always did it all with her head down. This was a servant’s nature.
Shen Yu was happy to do it. Otherwise, he would feel too indebted to Zhenbei Wang’s previous favor. The more he worked, the more he could make up for it.
“I’ll help you!” Song Qing sat down as well. He couldn’t get past Shen Yu’s stubbornness, but he also couldn’t bear to see him treat himself this way.
“Aiyah, your lover can’t bear it any longer~” Hong Lian lounged on the straw mat. He pulled a handful of sunflower seeds out of nowhere. After cracking them open, he spat the shells out on the ground.
Only when it was late in the evening did Shen Yu finally finish hanging the last of Liqing Pavilion’s laundry out to dry on the bamboo poles.
Song Qing noticed that his arms were trembling involuntarily with overexertion. As he applied medicine, he saw that the injuries on Shen Yu’s fingers were swollen with inflammation. The inside of the cuts were turned outwards, making a ghastly sight.
“Huh? You’re done?” Hong Lian woke from a nap just in time to see Song Qing holding Shen Yu’s hands as he applied the medicine, blowing on them gently to alleviate the pain.
“Ah, it’s so late now and I haven’t washed up yet. Yu’er, since you like working so much, can you fetch some hot water for me? I want to soak my feet, this day has been tiring.”
Song Qing glared at Hong Lian. Shen Yu had gotten up before he even finished talking. Song Qing knew that his pleading was no use anymore. “What exactly do you want?” Song Qing asked through clenched teeth.
“Huh? Obviously I want to take advantage of him.” Hong Lian answered through narrowed eyes. “Unless Master Song wants to be my client for a night?”
Title: Silent Lover
Author: Qiang Tang
Translated by Condz
Edited by Nata
“It turns out you’re hiding here, you made me search all over~”
Hong Lian came by Shaohua Pavilion multiple times without seeing Shen Yu, and thought that he and Song Qing were avoiding him. Later, he asked around using his connections, and learned that Shen Yu had moved into the woodshed.
When she heard about this, the Princess Consort jumped off of her couch in delight. After being warned by Emperor Ye, she spent some time inside Liqing Pavilion keeping to herself, scared that Zhenbei Wang would really divorce her. However, being holed up for so long inevitably built up her anger. Hearing the news about Shen Yu, she laughed out loud while pulling on her new mink gloves and headed over to visit.
“Hahaha! I wondered how long the Lord would favor you. It looks like you’re no better than those lowly maids from before. Concubine Yin, ah, Concubine Yin. I told you not to be too full of yourself. Look at you now, you got what you deserved!”
The Princess Consort circled the woodshed. This shabby place had been organized quite cleanly, all the junk having been arranged neatly together. In the corner of the window sat a woven mat bed built out of wood. It was simple yet clean.
Shen Yu acted as if he hadn’t heard the Princess Consort’s words, minding his own business and stacking some newly chopped firewood in a corner of the shed. When it was almost stacked to the ceiling and Shen Yu couldn’t reach the top anymore, he fetched a ladder and finished the task with some effort.
His taciturn manner riled up the Princess Consort’s anger. She aimed a strong kick towards the ladder; instead of knocking the ladder over, she kicked her own foot instead.
“Hiss—”
The Princess Consort howled in pain, “You wench, you still dare to put on airs with me even without the Lord’s favor?”
In her fury, the Princess Consort grabbed a nearby washing paddle and raised it to strike, but then thought of Emperor Ye’s words. No one knew Zhenbei Wang’s true intentions and whether or not he had really abandoned Shen Yu. She couldn’t keep doing these things which could backfire on her.
“A servant is a servant. Heh, look at how this place suits you! Shen Yu, in the end, I’m the one who won.” The Princess Consort had a sinister smile on her face. “Do you know how all of the Lord’s previous playthings died after they lost favor?”
Shen Yu used to believe the rumors that they died on Zhenbei Wang’s bed. Now, he had a better idea.
“Actually, one hung herself in this woodshed.” The Princess Consort pointed to a spot above the ladder. “Oh, it was that exact spot. I think she was a singer born with a good voice. She badmouthed me in front of the Lord with her glib words. When she hung herself, her eyeballs almost popped out of her head and her tongue was hanging loose. I ordered for her tongue to be cut out – let’s see how she’ll complain to the King of Hell now!”
“Hahaha, but don’t worry, I won’t kill you like that. You’re the one I hate the most! If you died that easily then I’d be letting you off lightly. Our debts can be settled slowly. So you like doing the servants’ work? Shao Yao, bring all of Liqing Pavilion’s dirty laundry here. Also, forbid the kitchens from preparing his meals, he has to follow the rules of a slave and eat leftovers!”
After strutting around, the Princess Consort didn’t want to stay in the woodshed any longer and left with her nose up in the air in disgust.
As for Hong Lian, he had leaned against the door and watched the drama unfold with a smile.
“Why aren’t you leaving with your master?” Song Qing asked with a sideways glance.
“She’s not my master, more like an employer.”
Song Qing said coldly, “Birds of a feather flock together. You told the Princess Consort to come here, right?”
Hong Lian laughed and said, “Yes, so what? The Princess Consort and I are made of the same stuff then. Only Master Song and little Yu’er are perfect and pristine. I’m impressed though – I heard Concubine Yin and Emperor Ye spent a night together? Compared to someone who slept with the Emperor, I am truly inferior-”
“You clearly know that’s a lie made up by the Princess Consort! If you don’t watch your mouth your tongue will be cut out in Hell!” Song Qing was so angered by Hong Lian that he couldn’t even curse at him properly.
“Bwahahaha!”
Hong Lian laughed loudly, “I’m the keeper of Qinghuai Manor, I was already headed to Hell anyway. Master Song, on the other hand, maybe you were fine with little Yu’er being fucked by the Lord. But after he was bedded by the Emperor as well, did you get frustrated and upset? If I were you, I would have already made a move. Forget being a gentleman, were you trying to impress him with your sincerity? Maybe your little Yu’er likes them rough, and not a stick-in-the-mud like you.”
Song Qing flushed with anger: “Shameless! Get lost!”
“I don’t want to.” Hong Lian sat down on the cot. “I like seeing people work, so I’m sticking around here~ Young Master Shen Yu, take a good look. It’s always the serious looking men who are plotting something. You have to watch out for Master Song!”
Shen Yu tilted his head and gave him a glance, his mind only focused on his work at hand.
Song Qing clenched his fists and took a deep breath.
“You don’t need to try and drive a wedge between us. My actions have been proper, I’m not afraid of your accusations.”
“I have to keep an eye out for the Lord so that his employee isn’t off having any illicit relations with his plaything in this little woodshed.” Hong Lian crossed his legs.
“Unreasonable!”
Song Qing finally understood that he shouldn’t have paid any attention to this kind of person. The more you argued with him, the more zealous he became.
Following the Princess Consort’s orders, Shao Yao arrived with two burly old women and threw a pile of crude clothing at Shen Yu’s feet. Shen Yu started working without question.
“Stop washing that! Don’t you know that they’re giving you a hard time on purpose?”
Of course he knew. Previously in the magistrate’s house, the other servants always left work for Mother to finish, and Mother always did it all with her head down. This was a servant’s nature.
Shen Yu was happy to do it. Otherwise, he would feel too indebted to Zhenbei Wang’s previous favor. The more he worked, the more he could make up for it.
“I’ll help you!” Song Qing sat down as well. He couldn’t get past Shen Yu’s stubbornness, but he also couldn’t bear to see him treat himself this way.
“Aiyah, your lover can’t bear it any longer~” Hong Lian lounged on the straw mat. He pulled a handful of sunflower seeds out of nowhere. After cracking them open, he spat the shells out on the ground.
Only when it was late in the evening did Shen Yu finally finish hanging the last of Liqing Pavilion’s laundry out to dry on the bamboo poles.
Song Qing noticed that his arms were trembling involuntarily with overexertion. As he applied medicine, he saw that the injuries on Shen Yu’s fingers were swollen with inflammation. The inside of the cuts were turned outwards, making a ghastly sight.
“Huh? You’re done?” Hong Lian woke from a nap just in time to see Song Qing holding Shen Yu’s hands as he applied the medicine, blowing on them gently to alleviate the pain.
“Ah, it’s so late now and I haven’t washed up yet. Yu’er, since you like working so much, can you fetch some hot water for me? I want to soak my feet, this day has been tiring.”
Song Qing glared at Hong Lian. Shen Yu had gotten up before he even finished talking. Song Qing knew that his pleading was no use anymore. “What exactly do you want?” Song Qing asked through clenched teeth.
“Huh? Obviously I want to take advantage of him.” Hong Lian answered through narrowed eyes. “Unless Master Song wants to be my client for a night?”
