El cuento de la princesa Song en Heian-kyo

Capítulo 2

A violent cough jolted me awake. I thought it was just a few light coughs, but it got progressively worse. It was almost constant coughing, making my face flushed red. My mother, initially thinking it was just a cold, didn't pay much attention and casually brewed me some medicine. But in the following days, the coughing not only increased in frequency but also became accompanied by streaks of blood. Terrified, my mother rushed me to the imperial physician.

Imperial Physician Wang was the best doctor in Gengyue, but even he shook his head and said, "Madam, I'm sorry, the young master has a congenital tuberculosis, which is absolutely beyond my ability to cure. You should prepare for his funeral!" Upon hearing the last sentence, the infatuated woman was enraged. What funeral? She punched the old imperial physician out of the Prime Minister's residence.

The infatuated woman and the fox-like grandmother started posting notices throughout the city, offering a thousand taels of gold and ten thousand acres of land to anyone who could cure me. Don't think that being a prime minister makes you rich; all this money comes from the Yu family's wealth. The Yu family are merchants by nature; if we relied on my old man's money, we would have starved long ago.

But one doctor after another came, and one by one, the infatuated mother chased them away, because their answer was always, "Prepare for the funeral." Looking at my increasingly gaunt face, the infatuated mother burst into tears. Later I learned that the infatuated mother rarely cried; her strong character meant that even when my parents died, she hadn't shed a single tear. But she cried for me for an entire day, holding me tightly and muttering something. Meanwhile, Grandma Fox knelt in the Buddhist hall, praying. The entire Prime Minister's mansion was shrouded in gloom.

No one expected that this prodigy would fall so quickly; it was a tragedy that the heavens were jealous of his talent.

Dad also started to become sullen.

Until one day, I was still miserably being held in my mother's arms, coughing incessantly and struggling to breathe. But then I smelled a faint scent of alcohol, and my breathing gradually became easier. I vaguely saw a disheveled figure fall to the ground, stumbling into the Prime Minister's residence, carrying our family's announcement in his hand.

My mother looked at the disheveled old man with a strange expression. He had a full beard, wore coarse linen clothes, and had gray hair. But his wise eyes gave me a slight chill. My infatuated mother was about to ask a question when the old man snatched me away, smiling broadly. "A genius! Truly a genius, with exceptional senses and an overwhelming aura, but alas..." The old man started to become strange. My mother's temper flared up, and she snapped, "You damned beggar, give me back my daughter...son!" This old woman always seemed to say the wrong thing.

"Hehehe, I think this baby is quite cute, so I'll give it to you." The old man happily hugged me. Meanwhile, the infatuated woman opposite was furious, her face flushed red. She launched a vicious attack, a left hook and a right kick. The old man, unperturbed, held me, dodging left and right with ease. My infatuated mother, on the other hand, was panting heavily, collapsing to the ground and wailing, "You old bastard…waaaah!" She blew her nose with each word, her speech broken and incoherent, crying more than a baby. Finally, unable to bear her cacophony any longer, I roared, "Shut up!" Sure enough, the infatuated mother slammed on the brakes, and her crying stopped abruptly. The old man looked at me with obvious admiration.

After crying, she patted her bottom, stood up, and pouted, saying, "Who are you?" Her words were mumbled, and the old man looked at the infatuated woman with suspicion. I helplessly became their translator: "She's saying, 'Who are you?'" The infatuated woman nodded vigorously.

This "good person" is so narcissistic, actually calling himself a good person.

"The clay sculpture is a seductive siren, pulling at my baby." The old man continued looking at me: "She said you're a good person, so why did you still grab my baby?" My mother is such an idiot.

"Madam, you misunderstand. I wanted to save your son." He emphasized the word "son" and gave me a strange look.

"Can you really cure my baby?" "You don't need to look at me, I'll translate it for you directly."

"Of course, is there anything I, the Eccentric Hero of Tianchi, cannot do?" the old man said proudly.

"What kind of person is Tian Shi Guai Ya?" "What kind of person is Tianchi Guai Xia?" I'm just translating literally, why are you glaring at me? The old man's face darkened.

"Hmph, you don't know because you're ignorant. Women really are all talk and no action," the old man defended his reputation.

"What are you doing, you idiot!" the old woman retorted angrily. "You think I'm a pushover just because I'm not angry?!"

In the midst of our back-and-forth banter, my translation machine was nearly crashing. Finally, I roared, "Speak normally!" The infatuated woman seemed to know I was angry and immediately said, "Old man, give me back my child!" The old man was somewhat stunned; he couldn't quite accept her suddenly speaking normally.

Just as tensions were about to rise, a voice called out, "Master."

It sounded like my father's voice. Sure enough, my father, dressed in flowing white robes, smiled naturally and bowed politely to the old man. The old man immediately beamed, glancing at my father before looking at my infatuated mother. He smiled contentedly and said to my father, "Haha, Qingqian has married a good wife!" He was definitely being sarcastic. Even my infatuated mother could hear the sarcasm in his words.

My father seemed to have noticed something too, and could only smile apologetically, saying, "My wife has been rude. Please forgive her, Master." My mother also humbly lowered her head. It's clear that my infatuated mother absolutely obeys my father on important matters.

"Fine, I'll let it go for the sake of this little kid." You don't need to be so kind, especially for my sake.

Hearing the old man mention me, my father sighed inwardly and immediately knelt down, pleading, "Master, please save my son!" My father, the Prime Minister, knelt. My mother also immediately knelt down, tears streaming down her face. I thought he disliked me, but I never expected him to kneel for me. My vision blurred with tears. Now I realized that my father, the Prime Minister, didn't look any better than my mother. His beard was very long, and his eye bags were so dark he looked like a panda. Such a spirited Prime Minister. Now he had become so dejected.

"Please rise quickly, my disciple. I will heal this child even without you saying so." The old man seemed to sense his father's dejected state and spoke very solemnly.

"Really?" the Prime Minister asked with a hint of doubt. It wasn't that he didn't trust his master, but rather that he truly cherished this child, even though she had stolen his wife's love and his mother's affection.

The old man was getting impatient. He was, after all, the renowned "Eccentric Swordsman of Tianchi," famous throughout the land. Not to mention martial arts, his medical skills were second to none. It was one thing for that infatuated woman not to believe him, but even his own personally trained disciple didn't trust him. What a failure as a person.

"Don't you still trust your master?" The tone of the question had become somewhat distant, which startled Yu Qingqian. She quickly tried to make amends, saying, "No, no." Yu Qingqian knew that her master was good in every way, except that he was petty. If she offended him, she was sure she would be bedridden.

"That's good, then I'll be going." The old man said, trying to leap away, but the infatuated woman grabbed his clothes, pleading pitifully, "Child."

"Master, didn't you say you were going to save my son? Why..." Yu Qingqian didn't understand what her master wanted to do either.

"Hmph, of course I will save him, but I must return to Tianchi to save him. I will release him in 13 years," the old man said slowly.

"What, 13 years?" The infatuated girl jumped up when she heard that she wouldn't see me for 13 years, snatched me away, and refused to let go no matter what.

"Rongrong, how dare you! Give the child back to your master!" Su Rongrong feigned grievance, handing me over, then taking me back. This went on several times until I was almost fed up. Finally, the old man snatched me away. My mother, the lovesick girl, started wailing again, this time even making the birds in the trees faint. Now I finally understand the story of Meng Jiangnu crying down the Great Wall. My mother could rival her.

"Apprentice, your wife's voice is quite loud," the old man said, covering his own ears as he spoke to his father.

"Ah, Master, what are you saying?" The old man's ears were much better than the old man's. This was the first time he had ever seen Su Rongrong cry. It broke his heart.

Grandma Fox heard a loud noise in the front yard and came out with her prayer beads. She saw her daughter-in-law sitting on the ground, crying uncontrollably, with her son beside her, and next to that, the person she hated most in her life. Su Rongrong, seeing her mother-in-law, started mumbling again, "Pu Pu, ta yao ba bao bao dai zou, wu wu." Her infatuated mother was at it again. Grandma Fox looked at her mother with confusion, then at her son.

"She's talking about her mother-in-law; she's going to take the baby away." Everyone suddenly realized, but the old man seemed to have seen something he shouldn't have. He lunged forward, trying to roll away, but all I heard was my father say, "Yu Zhou, the Zhou of Zhou and Ye." Then my mother's crying grew even louder. Finally, we heard Grandma Fox's cursing, like some heartless man. Later, I learned that the old man and my grandmother had a past relationship, but unfortunately, they were destined to be apart.

But I'm not going to be kidnapped like this! Yu Zhou, my name is really resounding, like a rainbow day and night.

Yu Qingqian was much happier at the Prime Minister's residence. He was now surrounded by women on either side of him. His foxy grandmother was wiping away tears with her sleeve on his right, muttering curses under her breath. Meanwhile, his infatuated mother hid in Yu Qingqian's arms, crying incessantly, looking incredibly adorable. He had finally gotten rid of his rival, and he was overjoyed inside, but he had to pretend to be heartbroken. It was truly stifling.

For the next 13 years, he could live a carefree and upright life. Thinking back to those few days when Su Rongrong kicked him out, a wave of sorrow washed over him. Now, he could say goodbye to that wretched study. He fell asleep holding his beloved wife. The thought filled him with joy.

The old man, carrying me, a little baby, traveled for three days straight, finally arriving at Heavenly Lake. A misty haze hung in the air, amidst towering mountains and strangely shaped rocks, pine trees reaching for the clouds, some still adorned with icicles. Crystal-clear streams babbled, peach blossoms scattered across the ground, and white clouds tinged with a captivating peach hue, creating a serene and tranquil atmosphere. Good heavens, the seasons in this valley are so strange; it's supposed to be covered in snow, yet there are still peach blossoms.

The old man smiled and said, "Zhou'er, do you find it strange?" Zhou'er, I don't think we're that close.

To find out the answer, I could only nod helplessly.

"Call me master, and I'll tell you." This old man was pushing his luck, wanting me to call him master. No way, he tricked me and now he wants me to call him master.

"Hey, you little brat, why are you so clueless? There are plenty of people who want to call me master, but you don't appreciate it at all." The old man started shouting.

Hmph, I'll continue ignoring him. Who told him to be so arrogant? I didn't ask him to take me on as his apprentice.

[Childhood Memories: Fun at Tianchi Lake 1]

"Hey, you little brat, why are you so clueless? There are plenty of people who want to call me master, but you don't appreciate it at all." The old man started shouting.

Hmph, I'll continue ignoring him. Who told him to be so arrogant? I didn't ask him to take me on as his apprentice.

"Grandpa, who is this little child?" A little girl in a pink dress looked at the old man with a puzzled expression on her chubby face. The little boy who followed behind her was cold and indifferent, his eyes filled with grief and indignation that eroded his heart like a torrent—an unspeakable hatred that had seeped into his very bones. My body trembled slightly.