Thread: The Deer and The Cauldron

  1. #2501
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    thanks a lot Foxs! i love this bit

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    Quote Originally Posted by ToastedRossi View Post
    I get the feeling that Wu Zhirong and this part of the story is one of the main reasons why the Deer and the Cauldron was written in the first place. Jin Yong started this book while the Cultural Revolution was still going on, and these interpretations of literature were one of the main ways the victims of that era were persecuted. It's no accident that the first chapter/prologue started with the victims of the Literary Inquistion. And that Wu Zhirong was the one to present those accusations to the government.

    There are also two sides to this: some of the works, like the Ming History, are completely innocuous, while others really do harbor seditious language, like what Gu Yanwu wrote. This brings up one of the other main themes of the Deer and the Cauldron. Wei Xiaobao is stuck between two completely incompatible rocks: Kangxi and Tiandihui.
    Actually! It is a reflection of the Cultural Revolution, in particularly of case of 海瑞罢官. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hai_Rui...ed_from_Office)

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    Senior Member foxs's Avatar
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    Default Chapter 40 - Part 6

    Wandering, Anh, Sablemagi, you are welcome. Thanks for your support. Smurf, Crazee, just wait and see ... Chowbeng, you guys are well-informed. Anyway, short update. The end of Chapter 40, the end of Book 4. Yay!!


    “Is this letter really written by Wu Sangui for him?” Wei Xiaobao asked.

    “That dog head himself said that it absolutely true,” Ma You replied.

    “The letter is lengthy and talked about many things,” Wei Xiaobao said, “What exactly is it saying? Would two gentlemen explain it to Xiongdi?”

    Thereupon Mu Tianyan explained line by line, the classical quotations about ‘Beheading the white snake and bestow a gale’, and ‘Retrieving the shoe from underneath the bridge’, ‘Striving to get out of the trench and answer all calls from heaven’, and ‘reaching nobility in sincerity’, and so on.

    Ma You said, “Just this sentence alone, ‘Our Taizu Emperor Gao’s title Wu Guo’ is enough to have his entire family exterminated.”

    Mu Tianyan nodded; he said, “I heard that in this rebel Wu matter, it has something to do with the third Zhu crown prince’s appeal, something about restoring Ming Family.”

    While they were still talking, suddenly came the report that the Imperial Bodyguards from the Capital had arrived to announce the Imperial Edict. Wei Xiaobao and Ma You and Mu Tianyan kneeled down to receive the decree; actually, Kangxi was summoning Wei Xiaobao to hurry back to the Capital, as for the imperial order to build Martyr Shrine in Yangzhou, it was to be handed over to Jiangsu Province’s Administrative Commisioner to finish it. Wei Xiaobao was greatly delighted, he thought, “The young Emperor is fighting Wu Sangui; if he sent me to be the Grand Marshal, that would be very impressive.”

    Ma You and Mu Tianyan could hear the encouragement and exhortation tone in the Imperial Edict, they immediately congratulated him on his coming promotion. Wei Xiaobao said, “Tomorrow Xiongdi will return to the Capital. When I kowtow in front of His Majesty, I will commend on two gentlemen’s great accomplishment in your official duty. It’s just that how well two gentlemen are doing your official duty, I am ashamed to admit, but honestly Xiongdi is not too clear; I am forced to ask two gentlemen to tell me.”

    Futai and Fantai were greatly delighted, they cupped their fist to express their thanks. And thus Mu Tianyan spoke highly of the inspector-general’s political achievements. He racked his brains to recall Kangxi’s temperament, and tried his best to explain how Ma You worked diligently in the government, how he loved the people, how he promoted religion and virtue, and so on. Among these, nine out of ten were bogus. Ma You listened with smile so wide that he was unable to put his lips together. Afterwards Mu Tianyan also listed several achievements of his own; although the words were simple, all were real meritorious service.

    “I have remembered all of these,” Wei Xiaobao said, “We will also add another big contribution: Rebel Wu’s Rebellion. His Majesty abhorred this matter extremely, this Wu Zhirong wanted to be the one who respond from within, he wanted all civil and military officials of the entire province of Jiangsu to revolt together, fortunately the three of us investigated and found it out. Once this report goes up, we won’t be able to avoid titles and rewards. Tomorrow Xiongdi will leave for the Capital, two gentlemen please write a memorial to the Emperor.”

    Futai and Fantai spoke together, “This is Wei Daren’s great merit, lowly officers do not dare to claim credit due to others.”

    “No need to be polite,” Wei Xiaobao said, “Let’s just consider the three of us render the merit together.”

    Mu Tianyan added, “Zongdu [governor-general] Ma Daren has returned to Jiangning, when Imperial Envoy Minister returns to present the memorial to the Holy Sage, it would be best if you also speak a few good words on Ma Daren’s behalf.”

    “Very well,” Wei Xiaobao said, “Speaking a few good words does not need any capital.”

    Ma You and Mu Tianyan expressed their gratitude again before taking their leave. Wei Xiaobao immediately ordered Xu Tianchuan and the others to bind Wu Zhirong and stuffed his mouth with a piece of hemp cloth so that he could not talk even if he wanted to. The fear and bewilderment in Wu Zhirong’s heart was unspeakable.

    Early in the morning the next day, each and every one of civil and military officials in the city of Yangzhou had already lined up in the hall, waiting for the Imperial Envoy Minister to grant them audience. Each one had a heavy gift. Actually, being a government official in Yangzhou, they were already stationed at the world’s most plentiful place; each government official was not looking for promotion, they were only hoping that when the Imperial Envoy Minister returned to Beijing, he would say a few good words on their behalf, then they would be perfectly contented if they could occupy their current position for a few more years.

    The previous day the governor-general had also obtained the news, and had travelled overnight to Yangzhou. Naturally the gift he and the inspector-general brought was more serious. Yangzhou prefecture received three years of land tax exemption, there would be considerable amount of commission all-around. Although Wei Xiaobao did not have time to personally manage it, the Fantai had already presented the commission due him. The military leaders and personal attendants who came with Wei Xiaobao also received ample gifts and gold.

    Ma You already prepared a memorial to the throne, which he asked Wei Xiaobao to personally present it to the Emperor. In the memorial it was detailed how Wei Xiaobao opened inquiries and secret investigation, how he personally enter dangerous zone before he could uncover Wu Sangui and Wu Zhirong conspiracy, et cetera; naturally it was greatly exaggerated, even the governor-general, the inspector-general, and the administrative commissioner, three people, who were rendering their assistance on the side, were not without merit.

    Mu Tianyan said, “His Majesty is deploying the troops against Wu Sangui, it’s a pity that lowly officer is a civil officer, I do not have the skill to go into battle and kill the traitor. Lowly officer has received order from Zongdu Daren and Futai Daren that within ten days we are going to send a batch of army provisions to Hunan, to be used by His Majesty.”

    Wei Xiaobao happily said, “The main force has not been deployed, the army provisions are already in place. Three gentlemen are very thoughtful, His Majesty will definitely be very happy.”

    After all the government officials were dismissed, Wei Xiaobao sent his personal guard to Lovely Spring Courtyard to pick his mother. He changed into civilian clothes and met his mother. Wei Chunfang did not know that her son was a high-ranking official, she thought he cheated in gambling, and had won a large sum of money. When she heard that he wanted to take her to Beijing to have a happy and prosperous life there, she shook her head at once and said, “Money from gambling, today the left hand wins it, tomorrow the right hand loses it. By the time I get to Beijing, you will have lost everything; perhaps you will sell Laoniang [your old mother] to the joy house. If Laoniang wants to do business, staying in Yangzhou is better. In Beijing, that bent-tongue language of the bureaucrat, Laoniang cannot speak.”

    Wei Xiaobao laughed and said, “Ma, please set your hundred and twenty hearts at ease. When we get to Beijing, you will have servant girls and older female servants, you won’t need to do anything. The money that I have, we won’t be able to spend it forever.”

    Wei Chunfang did not stop shaking her head, “If I don’t have anything to do, I will be suffocated to death of boredom. Servant girls and older female servants, Laoniang has never had the good fortune to enjoy it, in less than three days I would have cut my braids.”

    Wei Xiaobao knew his mother’s temperament; he thought that if she had to sit all day long in a big courtyard without doing anything, she would not have the least bit of interest. Thereupon he took out a stack of banknotes, altogether there were fifty thousand taels, and said, “Ma, I am giving you this money. Go and buy the Lovely Spring Courtyard, you can be the proprietress. I’ll say you can also buy three more courtyards; we can open Lovely Spring Courtyard, Lovely Summer Courtyard, Lovely Autumn Courtyard and Lovely Winter Courtyard, the four seasons. We can make money all year long.”

    But in her bosom Wei Chunfang did not have high aims; she laughed and said, “I will go have someone look at these banknotes, whether they are genuine or fake. If they indeed can be cashed, Laoniang will be very happy to manage a small courtyard. If you want to open big courtyard, we’ll wait until you grow up, and then you can be the boss.” Lowering her voice, she asked, “Xiaobao, your large sum of money, you did not get it from stealing or robbing, did you?”

    From his pouch Wei Xiaobao took four dice and called out, “House full of red!” [See also note 21, Chapter 34] while throwing the dice onto the table. Sure enough, all four dice showed four dots on the top face.

    Wei Chunfang was greatly delighted and felt relieved instantly. She laughed and said, “Little b@stard has mastered this trick, even if you lose, you won’t be poor.”

    (Book note: In the original block printed edition of Gu Yanwu’s poem, there were a lot of codeword, rhyming characters to substitute the intended words, such as ‘yu’ [expect/anticipate] for ‘hu’ [non-Han people, barbarian], ‘zhi’ [support/sustain] for ‘yi’ [barbarian], and so on, to avoid violating the taboo, making it hard for the later generations to decipher. Mr. Pan Zhonggui wrote ‘Examination on Ting Lin Poems’ [lit. pavilion forest, was Gu Yanwu’s alias]; he added comprehensive explanation to make the poems clear. Our book uses Mr. Pan’s work as reference.)

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    The last part is sweet, Wei Chun Fa has the same temperament as her son and will get restless with nothing to do. I am happy she gets to have a nice retirement.

    Looks like WXB gets another promotion - he sure would be incredible mergers and acquisitions consultant if he existed in modern times.

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    This part where WXB picks up his mother is indeed very good. Many adaptions just ignored it and some even don't show his mom anymore...
    Proud to be part of http://www.asianfanatics.net/

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    Oh this is so great thanks for the update Foxs! It was very sweet and I can't wait to see what the next chapter holds. The alliance is broken so its Wu Sangui alone? still a formidable foe. Wonder how the princess Jianning will play out because of her hubby.

    Offtopic: just saw this ad for what i think is a game - Jiu Yin Zhen Jing. and the poster was Jet Li! (which caught my eye). but it seems to be all in mandarin which will make it very very slow to dabble in i think.
    http://9y.woniu.com/promotion/a1

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    Thanks foxs

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    Thanks foxs for the translation. Poor Wu Zhirong has been all of a sudden condemned to death via Xiaobao's machinations, and he doesn't even know what he did wrong! I find Xiaobao's usage of his ignorance of scholarly matters to be a piece of masterful writing. It's hard to think of another author capable of pulling this kind of sequence off successfully.

    Quote Originally Posted by smurf120 View Post
    The last part is sweet, Wei Chun Fa has the same temperament as her son and will get restless with nothing to do. I am happy she gets to have a nice retirement.
    If by retirement, you mean she's going to buy a brothel, that'd be right! I just wish that this part was longer, but I can see why it's not.

    Quote Originally Posted by smurf120 View Post
    Looks like WXB gets another promotion - he sure would be incredible mergers and acquisitions consultant if he existed in modern times.
    Is there any murder involved? If there isn't, it'd be a waste of his skills.

    Quote Originally Posted by sablemagi View Post
    Oh this is so great thanks for the update Foxs! It was very sweet and I can't wait to see what the next chapter holds. The alliance is broken so its Wu Sangui alone? still a formidable foe. Wonder how the princess Jianning will play out because of her hubby.
    None of Wu Sangui's allies had all that much power - one of their main goals was to gather more influence in their homelands to begin with. Wu Sangui is still in a great position especially if he could rein in the anti-Qing sentiment in China. (Un)Fortunately, they hate him more than they hate Kangxi.

    As for Wu Yingxiong, there are really only two options: to let him live on as a hostage, or to execute him. One of these two makes a lot more sense than the other.

    Quote Originally Posted by sablemagi View Post
    Offtopic: just saw this ad for what i think is a game - Jiu Yin Zhen Jing. and the poster was Jet Li! (which caught my eye). but it seems to be all in mandarin which will make it very very slow to dabble in i think.
    http://9y.woniu.com/promotion/a1
    There are lots of games based on Jin Yong novels. There's even one based on the Deer and the Cauldron with a 10 minute trailer and everything. I'd post a link to it, but it's still a bit spoilerish.

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    Senior Member foxs's Avatar
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    Default Chapter 41 - Part 1

    Smurf, Athlon, Sablemagi, I agree, it was a tender scene. Anh, you are welcome. Toasted, nice analysis. I wouldn't know anything about games since I don't play anything.

    New chapter. How come I am the only one who is excited that this is the last book?



    Chapter 41 – Yuyang instigation sends drunkenness toward the heavens, excessive supervision with poor planning will bring regret too late.
    (Translated by Foxs)

    The next day Wei Xiaobao led his companions, the troops and horses, with Wu Zhirong and Mao Dongzhu in custody, leaving Yangzhou heading for the Capital. Kangxi’s imperial edict to summon him back was very urgent, the party did not dare to tarry too long when they lodged for the night, inevitably they had to skip quite a bit of opportunity to invite wealth by accepting bribes along the way. The news on the street was that after Wu Sangui started deploying his troops, Yunnan’s Tidu [local commander] Zhang Guogui, Guizhou’s Xunfu [inspector-general] Cao Shenji and Tidu Li Benshen had surrendered, while Yunnan’s Xunfu Zhu Guozhi was killed, and Yunnan and Guizhou Zongdu [governor general] Gan Wenkun committed suicide.

    One day they arrived in Shandong. The local official grabbed the imperial bulletin and presented it to the Imperial Envoy Minister. It was an edict in which Kangxi denounced Wu Sangui. Wei Xiaobao summoned the secretary to read it for him. The secretary held the imperial edict with both hands and read aloud, “Rebel thief Wu Sangui desperately trying to gain authority. Remembering his surrender, my ancestors Emperor Zhang awarded him the troops and conferred the nobility title ‘Wang’ [king], as he bound himself to our mountains and rivers. With his pledge of allegiance he earned the cap (of officialdom), the esteemed hereditary office, with favor bestowed to him on top of everything: wide open space of Yunnan and the south, and whole-hearted responsibility to rely on. By Zhen’s [I, the Emperor refers to himself] time, distinguished and grand favors have been repeatedly granted, his rise through nobility has brought him the title Qinwang [prince], the country has heavily relied on him to manage the cities, indeed he was the backbone of the country. Special favor superior gift, resonating throughout the world with no precedence since the ancient times.”

    Listening to the secretary’s reading, Wei Xiaobao nodded his head continuously; he said, “Indeed His Majesty treated this rebel thief very well, it was not an exaggeration at all. Take me, Wei Xiaobao, for example, I am completely loyal and devoted to the Emperor, yet I am given no more than the title Bojue [earl]. If I want to reach Qinwang, the road I have to take is still missing a large chunk.”

    The secretary continued reading, “How it surprised me that Wu Sangui’s nature is poor and odd, in his bosom there is spying and cheating heart, he is pampering pride and scheming to go against the law. Just in the seventh month of this year, he himself was asking to be removed from his post. Depending on Wu Sangui’s sincerity, and remembering the years his strength is waning, and that master and disciples have been in garrison for a long time, Zhen has granted his request and ordered him to rest. Therefore, the placement minister was assigned to prepare a place for him, and special minister was dispatched to announce the content of Zhen’s heart. It could be said that Zhen had profound sentiment toward Wu Sangui, no more, no less. Reviewing Chuan Hu[1] Zongdu Cai Yurong and the others’ memorial: Wu Sangui is on his path to rebel; after the kindness of the imperial court to bear the burden of looking after his needs, he is showing off his power, sowing violence and rebellion, blotting out and burning the living beings, reasons and laws cannot contain, hated by both man and god.”

    For each sentence that he heard, Wei Xiaobao uttered a sentence of praise, “His Majesty is magnanimous; he did not curse Wu Sangui’s granny, it can be considered very polite.”

    Zhang Yong, Zhao Liangdong, Wang Jinbao, Sun Sike, as well as Li Lishi and the others were listening on the side. They all thought, “The imperial edict only says that the Emperor’s treatment to him cannot be better, while reprimanding Wu Sangui for forgetting favor and violate justice; it did not mention even half a sentence of Manchu-Han relation, as well as how he murdered Ming Dynasty’s royal family, it’s extremely brilliant, so that the world only feel that Wu Sangui’s rebellion is something that he should not have done.”

    The secretary continued reading, “The imperial edict urges and instructs local official and the people not to associate with the rebels. If by mistake they already join the thieves, as long as the conviction to turn back is sincere, they will not have to be investigated, their relatives who live in the provinces where the local officials live will not be charged with guilt by association, they will not be doubted. The edict also states: ‘Whoever is able to capture Wu Sangui and present him to the army will be granted his nobility title promptly; whoever is able to capture or put the rebel leaders under his command to death, as well as take back the troops, horses, and the cities, will enjoy preferential treatment upon evaluation of his merit. Zhen will not go back on my word.’”

    Hearing the secretary read, ‘His Majesty promises that whoever is able to capture Wu Sangui and present him to the army, His Majesty will make him Ping Xi Qinwang’, Wei Xiaobao could not help to have an itch in his heart that was difficult to scratch. He turned his head around to Li Lishi and the others and said, “Let’s go catch Wu Sangui, then we can be Ping Xi Qinwang; it will be very interesting.” Everybody voiced their agreement.

    Zhang Yong and the other military generals thought, “Wu Sangui’s troops numerous, his generals many; catching him is easier said than done.”

    Li Lishi and the others thought, “We want to kill Wu Sangui because he overthrew Han people’s rivers and mountains, do you think that we want to strive for the sake of Tatar Emperor? But if Wei Xiangzhu can be Ping Xi Qinwang and lead troops in Yunnan, he can rise in rebellion again; it won’t be too bad.”

    Finished listening to the imperial edict, Wei Xiaobao ordered immediate departure, he wanted to reach Beijing as soon as possible, he wanted to be sent to the battlefield, so that he would be the first to capture Wu Sangui and snatch the nobility title Ping Xi Qinwang.

    One day they arrived at Xianghe [county, Langfang, Hebei], which was not far from the Capital. Wei Xiaobao commanded Zhang Yong, leading a large number of troops, to wait here and closely guard offender to the throne Mao Dongzhu, while he and Shuang’er and Tian Di Hui warriors, with Wu Zhirong in custody, turned southwest toward the big house of the Zhuang Family. He wanted to personally deliver Wu Zhirong to the Third Mistress to repay her generous gift of Shuang’er, such a good servant girl.

    By that evening they arrived at a small town about twenty li away from the Zhuang Family’s big house. The party stopped at a restaurant to eat dinner. All of them have changed into civilian clothes. They sealed Wu Zhirong’s mute acupoint, as well as several acupoints on his body, but did not bind him to avoid drawing other people’s attention. They all sat around two wooden tables. Nobody wanted to sit at the same table with Wu Zhirong. Shuang’er was afraid that he might run away, she was the only one who was willing to sit at his table, to keep a close watch on him.

    The food was delivered. Everybody was eating when a dozen or so soldiers entered the inn, led by a Shoubei [captain]. Outside the inn, the horses were neighing continuously, two ordinary soldiers fetched water and fed the horses. A Bazong [squad leader] shouted loudly, ordering the innkeeper to quickly kill the chicken and prepare a meal, saying that they were in urgent official business and wanted to reach the Capital as soon as possible to report. The innkeeper said ‘yes, yes’ repeatedly, while urging the waiters to wait upon the guanlaoye [master government official]. He personally wiped the captain’s table and chair.

    The soldiers had just sat down, from the mouth of the town came the sound of cartwheel and hoof beats. The carriage and horses stopped in front of the inn, several people entered the restaurant. At the front were two big muscular men; the third was a middle-age man with the appearance of a tuberculosis ghost, short and thin, his cheeks were deep and hollow, his cheekbones high, his complexion wax-yellow, without any trace of even half a part of blood, there was a faint darkness surrounding his appearance, every few steps he coughed a bit.

    Behind him were an old man and old woman walking side by side, they both appeared to be over eighty years old. The old man was also short and thin, but he looked spirited and full of life, his white beard floated in front of his chest, his face was ruddy. The old woman was slightly taller than the old man, her waist and back was straight, her eyes were bright and full of expression. At the rear were two twenty-something women.

    Looking at the way these seven people dressed, the sick looking man’s clothes was luxurious, he appeared to be a landlord from a very wealthy family. The two men and two women were menservants and maidservants. The old man and old woman dressed in dark green robes, the material was very coarse, but very clean. It was unclear what their status was.

    The old woman said, “Zhang Ma [nurse Zhang], get a bowl of hot water, help Shaoye [young master] taking his medication.”

    One of the maidservants complied; she took out a china bowl from her basket, lifted up the copper kettle in the inn, and poured the hot water into the china bowl. She shook the bowl several times before throwing the water away, and then she poured half a bowl of hot water, and set it down in front of the sickly man.

    The old women took out a porcelain bottle from her bosom, pulled the cork out, and tipped out a red pill, which she brought to the sickly man’s mouth. The sickly man opened his mouth and held the pill on his tongue. Picking up the water bowl he drank it to swallow the pill. After taking the pill, the sickly man panted endlessly, while also coughing nonstop.

    The old man and the old woman fixed their gaze at the sickly man, their expression showed concern, but they also looked worried. After seeing his breathing slowing down and his coughing stopped they heaved a deep sigh. The sickly man frowned and said, “Dad, Ma, why are you always worried about me? I won’t die.”

    “Humph,” the old man snorted, and turned his head away. The old woman laughed and said, “What are you talking about, dead or alive? My child will live to be a hundred years old.”

    Wei Xiaobao mused, “Even if this fellow took the Jade Emperor’s miracle pill, he won’t last a few days. Turns out this old man and the old woman are his parents. This tuberculosis ghost is spoiled by his parents since he was little, his dad and mom only looked at him a bit more, his temper flared.”

    The old woman said, “Zhang Ma, Sun Ma, go warm Shaoye’s ginseng soup, and then cook the meal.” The two maidservants complied. Each woman carried a basket as they walked toward the rear of the inn.

    The captain inquired about the way to Beijing from the innkeeper. The innkeeper said, “Gentlemen may continue your journey twenty, thirty more li today, and stop-by for the night in the small town ahead. Tomorrow you may leave early in the morning, you should reach the Capital by the afternoon.”

    “We have to continue over night,” the captain said, “No time to stay in any inn. Innkeeper, within a year from today, I guarantee your business will flourish. You’d better prepare some good food, good wine, so that when the moment comes you won’t be caught in confusion.”

    The innkeeper laughed and said, “Laoye [old master] said it well. Small inns’ business is always ordinary. Business like today seldom comes by, usually only a few days in a month; it is because Laoye and other guests are showing consideration, how can I expect to have a lot of guests honoring us with your presence every day?”

    The captain laughed and said, “Innkeeper, let me tell you something: Wu Sangui is rebelling, right now he has reached Hunan. We are hastening to the Capital to deliver military document. Once the big battle breaks out, at least it will take three to five years to defeat him. The troops who send reports of military intelligence every day will pass this place, hereafter you will gain wealth.”

    The innkeeper repeatedly expressed his thanks, but in his heart he was grumbling incessantly, “Soldiers like you, what good business is there to make? You’ll eat and drink as much as you like, if you are generous at most you’ll give tips of a few qian. After ferociously beat and curse people, you’ll pat your buttocks and leave. Forget three to five years, in just half a year or a year, I will have to hang myself.”

    Hearing that Wu Sangui had reached Hunan, Wei Xiaobao, Li Lishi and the others were shocked. “That servant moves very fast,” they thought.

    In a low voice Qian Laoben said, “I ask?” Wei Xiaobao nodded. Qian Laoben walked over to the Captain and with a face full of smile he cupped his fist and said, “Just now I heard Jiangjun [General] Daren said that Wu Sangui has attacked Hunan. Xiaoren’s wife and children are actually in Changsha [prefecture, capital of Hunan]; I am very concerned. I wonder how is the situation over there? Is Changsha still safe?”

    Being called a ‘general’, the captain was delighted; he said, “Whether Changsha is safe or not, I do not know. Wu Sangui dispatched his subordinate great general Ma Bao from Guizhou attacked Hunan; Yuanzhou has fallen, Zongbing Cui Shilu was taken prisoner. Wu Sangui’s subordinates Zhang Guozhu, Gong Yinglin, and Xia Guoxiang separately attacked to the east. Another great general Wang Bingfan went out to attack Sichuan; I heard his troops are very powerful. People of Sichuan and Hunan region are fleeing.”

    Qian Laoben showed great concern on his face, “This … this is far from good,” he said, “But the Great Qing’s troops are very formidable, Wu Sangui won’t necessarily win, will he?”

    The captain replied, “At first, everybody said so; but after Yuanzhou fell, we knew Wu Sangui’s troops and horses are not easy to resist. Ay, the situation is very difficult to say.”

    Qian Laoben cupped his fist and returned to his seat. Some Tian Di Hui warriors thought, “We must not let this big traitor Wu Sangui becomes the Emperor.” Some other thought, “It would be best to let Wu Sangui attacked Beijing, let him fight with Manchurian Qing Tatars until both sides suffer.”

    The soldiers ate and drank in a hurry. The captain stood up and said, “Innkeeper, I deliver to you good news, you should just invite us as your guests.”

    The innkeeper bowed and said with a forced laugh, “Yes, yes. I should, I should. Gentlemen, Daren, please take care.”

    The captain laughed and said, “Slow down? Then we should sit down and eat again.” With an awkward expression, the innkeeper could only force a smile. [Translator’s note: in Chinese, ‘man zou’ (lit. walk slowly) could also mean ‘take care’ or ‘wait a minute’.]

    The captain walked toward the door. When he was passing the old man, the old woman, and the sickly man’s table, suddenly the sickly man reached out and grabbed his chest. “You are going to Beijing to deliver what document?” he asked, “Take it out, let me look.”

    [1] Chuan is abbreviation for Sichuan province. I am not sure about the ‘Hu’ (lake), since Hunan/Hubei are not adjacent to Sichuan.
    Last edited by foxs; 08-16-12 at 08:54 PM.

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    Thanks foxs I would get more excited that this is the last book if you will tell us that you are going to translate something else afterward.

  11. #2511
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    Quote Originally Posted by foxs View Post
    Smurf, Athlon, Sablemagi, I agree, it was a tender scene. Anh, you are welcome. Toasted, nice analysis. I wouldn't know anything about games since I don't play anything.

    New chapter. How come I am the only one who is excited that this is the last book?



    Thanks Foxs..... wanted to put in some thots but was busy the last few days..... every time I try to do it...the phone rings and meetings and problems....sigh, that's life. Gotta earn a living.

    I am excited with every update....It always the highlight to my boring day.
    Now that it's the last chapter....I feel a bit of disappointment........my doses are going to be cut off and I worried about the withdrawal syndrome......sigh.....double sigh....

    Is our hero going to war....really ??? I suppose he'll most probably camp as far away from action as possible with double or triple protection.....heh heh heh
    cheerio..

  12. #2512
    Senior Member smurf120's Avatar
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    Not sure how WXB will help in the war with WSG??

  13. #2513
    Member chowbeng's Avatar
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    I just started to catch up on this. My memory of the ending part is very fuzzy so quite excited to know the last bit is coming up!

    I am in awed of your dedication to translate the whole book, it sure takes hell a lot of time and effort, not to mention staying power!

  14. #2514
    Senior Member foxs's Avatar
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    Default Chapter 41 - Part 2

    Anh, aren't you tired of my translation? I am tired of mine ... too Chinese-y, or should I say 'too Chenglish-y'? Crazee, you are under no obligation to put anything. Smurf, last time he went to war, he stayed at the command tent and got captured lured by Fang Yi. Chowbeng, you have no idea how many times I wanted to quit.


    The captain’s body was thick and solid, but grabbed by this sickly man, he immediately buckled, his body shortened by one section. “Damn it,” he angrily shouted, “What are you doing?” He struggled hard until his face was bulging red, but was unable to move a single step.

    ‘Rip!’ the sickly man’s right hand tore the front piece of the captain’s clothes by his chest and took out a large envelope. The sickly man pushed lightly with his left hand, the captain was thrown out, and crashed onto two tables, turning everything upside down. ‘Bing, bing, bang, bang!’ bowls and plates fell to the floor and broke into pieces.

    The rest of the troops shouted, “Rebellion, rebellion!” One after another they pulled their spears and sabers and pounced on the sickly man. The sickly man’s two menservants raised their fists and legs, punching and kicking, throwing down the soldiers. In an instant the soldiers were sprawled over the inn’s floor.

    The sickly man tore the envelope open, removed the document and read it. The captain was scared out of his wits; in trembling voice he shouted, “That is a memorial to the Emperor; you … you dare to tear up the document, this … this … isn’t this rebellion?”

    The sickly man read the document and said, “Hunan Xunfu is asking Tatar Emperor to send reinforcement to fight Ping Xi Wang. Humph, even if he sent a million troops, they will still … (cough, cough) … they will still be wiped out by Ping Xi Wang clean.” While speaking, he crumpled the document in his hand, pressed it into the hollow of his palm, and by the time he finished speaking, he spread out his palm and waved it in the air, countless pieces of paper fluttered like butterflies flying in the wind, scattered in all directions.

    Seeing this kind of internal energy, the Tian Di Hui warriors’ countenance changed; they all thought, “From the tone of his voice, he seems to be Wu Sangui’s subordinate.”

    The captain struggled to crawl up. Pulling the saber hanging on his waist he said, “You destroyed the document, Laozi cannot live anyway, I will fight you to the death!” Raising his saber he leaped forward and hacked it down with all his might to the top of the sickly man’s head. The sickly man stayed sitting, he merely raised his left hand and pushed slightly on the captain’s lower abdomen, as if he did not want him to cause trouble. Suddenly the captain’s arm that was holding the saber slowly drooped down, his body slowly slumped down until he sat on the floor. He opened his mouth wide to gasp for breath, but found out that he could not breathe.

    Some of the overthrown soldiers crawled up, but they all stood far away. They shouted curses, but were powerless to anything. Nobody dared to step forward to help their superior.

    Holding a bowl of hot soup with both hands, a maid carefully set it down in front of the sickly man; she said, “Shaoye, please take the ginseng soup.”

    The old man and the old woman acted as if they were completely oblivious of the commotion happening around them; they did not pay the slightest bit of attention, their gaze was fixed on their son’s expression.

    Xu Tianchuan said in a low voice, “These people are quite demonic, let us leave.” Gao Yanchao paid for the food and drink, and then they all quietly walked out the door. They saw the old woman held the ginseng bowl; she gently blew the steam and brought the bowl to the sickly man’s mouth to feed him the soup.

    It was not until Wei Xiaobao and the others reached the outskirt of the small town did they break into discussion as the affiliation of the sickly man. Xu Tianchuan said, “That man ripped the officer’s clothes, his strength is that formidable, it’s really … really rare.”

    Priest Xuanzhen said, “He only pushed the officer’s lower abdomen lightly, it appeared very sloppy and ordinary, but to evade or block that move is really not easy. Feng Xiongdi, what do you think?”

    Feng Jizhong said, “Should not go near him three chi [foot].”

    The warriors thought about it, and agreed that it made sense; it doesn’t matter if they wanted to dodge or to block, they could only do it if they were tree feet away from him, if they were too close, they would not be able to evade or to block. Xu Tianchuan suddenly said, “If I grabbed his wrist …” but before finishing it, he shook his head, knowing that the opponent’s internal energy was too strong; even if he managed to grab his wrist, as soon as the man flipped his palm and twisted, it would be highly likely that his finger bones, his wrist bones, would all be broken.

    Everybody understood that the sickly man was on Wu Sangui’s side, but after seeing him violently injured people, nobody dared to make a move to stop him. Although the people he injured were Tatar military officers, in the end, it was not their habit as chivalrous heroes not to do anything. In their hearts they were quite ashamed, inevitably their mood was dampened; after talking for a while, no one was interested to discuss it any longer.

    After traveling for several li, suddenly they heard hoof beats from behind, two riders galloped fast. The road they were traveling on was a small path leading to the Zhuang Family’s big house, it was not wide enough for two riders to ride side by side. The warriors were not in a good mood, although they heard the urgency of the hoof beats, other than Feng Jizhong and Shuang’er who reined their horses and stepped toward the side of the path, nobody else was willing to give way.

    In a flash the two riders had reached their backs. The warriors turned their heads together, and saw that the two riders were unexpectedly the menservants of the sickly man. One of the menservants called out, “Our family’s Shaoye is asking gentlemen to wait a moment, he has something to ask gentlemen.”

    Although it was not rude, the feeling of condescending could not be clearer. When the warriors heard it, they were all indignant. Priest Xuanzhen shouted, “We are busy, no time to wait. We are strangers, what do you want to ask?”

    The servant replied, “It’s our family’s Shaoye’s order, it would be better if gentlemen wait, so that everybody won’t be inconvenienced.” This time the threat was obvious.

    Qian Laoben said, “Is your master Wu Sangui’s subordinate?”

    “Pei!” the servant spat, “What do you think my master’s status is? How can he be Ping Xi Wang’s subordinate?”

    The warriors thought, “He did not say ‘Wu Sangui’, but addressed him as ‘Ping Xi Wang’; they must have some relation with that traitor Wu.”

    Right this moment, they heard the sound of carriage wheels, a large carriage quickly caught up with them. The servant said, “Our master has arrived.” Turning his horse around, he rode back to welcome the carriage.

    If this moment the warriors dismounted their horses and walked over, it would appear that they were afraid of the sickly man; thereupon they stayed on horseback, waiting.

    The carriage approached fast, one of the maidservants drove the carriage, the other maid raised the carriage curtain, and they saw the sickly man was sitting right in the middle, his father and mother sat in front and behind him. The sickly man stared at the warriors and asked, “Why did you seal this man’s acupoint?” While saying that he pointed to Wu Zhirong, and then he asked again, “Who are you? Where are you going?” His voice sharp, his tone very arrogant.

    Priest Xuanzhen said, “And what is Sire’s honored surname and great name? We are total strangers, river water does not interfere with well water, why are you meddling in other people’s business?”

    “Humph,” the sickly man snorted, “You are not fit to ask my name and surname. Just now I asked you two questions, didn’t you hear? Why you did not answer?”

    Priest Xuanzhen angrily said, “I am not fit to ask your name and surname, you are not fit to ask our business either. Wu Sangui started a rebellion, he is a great traitor, you kept calling him Ping Xi Wang, you must be of the same group as this traitor. I can see that Sire’s disease has already attack your vital organs, you had better go home as soon as possible so that you can die in your own bed; otherwise you’ll catch cold and cough, and will breathe your last.”

    Amid the Tian Di Hui warriors’ hearty laughter, suddenly a shadow flashed, ‘Slap!’ Priest Xuanzhen’s left cheek was heavily hit by a palm, followed by another palm strike on the left side of his torso that he was thrown down from his horse. These two palm strikes were fast and nimble beyond belief; it was not until he fell to the ground did the warriors see clearly that the one making the move was the old woman. After knocking down Priest Xuanzhen with two palm strikes, she kicked the ground with both feet, and flew back into the carriage.

    The warriors broke into a clamor and pounced toward the large carriage. The sickly man grabbed the maid’s, who was driving the carriage, back, lightly lifted her up, and swiftly swapped places with her; he tossed the maid into the carriage and took her seat as the carriage driver. Right this moment Qian Laoben happened to leap with both palms striking down. The sickly man sent out a left punch to meet his palms, surprisingly it was totally silent. Qian Laoben only felt a gust of powerful force rushing toward him, throwing him somersaulting backward twice in the air. As he landed on the ground, he tried to steady his legs, but suddenly felt his knees were without strength and felt that he was about to kneel down. In his shock he hastily struggled to throw himself backward so that he fell face up, hence he avoid being disgraced by kneeling in front of the enemy.

    Qian Laoben had just fallen down, Feng Jizhong pounced; the sickly man sent out another punch. Feng Jizhong did not dare to meet the punch head-on, his right palm changed direction midway, suddenly it chopped down on the sickly man’s neck. “Ah!” the man exclaimed, as if he was surprised by the opponent’s superb martial art. His thumb hooked on his middle finger, and he flicked at the hollow of Feng Jizhong’s palm. Feng Jizhong quickly pulled back his palm, his right foot stepped on the mule’s back.

    Gao Yanchao and Fan Gang separately attacked the two menservants. The two menservants leaped away from the horseback, “Let Shaoye deal with you,” they called out.

    Gao and Fan, two people were actually thinking that by fighting the opponent’s menservants they were having an unfair advantage; seeing the two menservants withdrew, which was in agreement with their original thought anyway, they turned around at once and leaped together to attack the sickly man’s left flank.

    Suddenly the mule let out a long neigh and limply dropped down to the ground, pulling the large carriage along that it leaned to one side. Turned out when Feng Jizhong stepped on the mule’s back, he secretly exerted his internal energy to his sole that as soon as he kicked, the mule’s backbone broke.

    The sickly man’s feet did not seem to leap, his body did not seem to move, but amid his coughing sound he was already standing on the ground. The old man and the old woman in the carriage, each carrying a maid, also leaped out of the carriage. These three people’s movement did not seem too fast, yet they were out of the carriage before the large carriage began to topple.

    Qian Laoben and Xu Tianchuan attacked the old man and the old woman. The old woman shook her left hand, while with her right hand she pointed toward the sickly man. “Go over there,” she said with a laugh, “Accompany my child playing.” Her meaning was clear; she wanted these two men to suffer her son’s punches to make him happy.

    Xu Tianchuan’s right fist shot down on the top of the old man’s head; it’s just that because he saw the old man was really old, although he knew the old man’s martial art skill was not weak, Xu Tianchuan was afraid he might kill him with one punch, thereupon he shouted, “Watch the fist!” He only used 30% of his strength in this punch. Ever since he accidentally killed Bai Hansong and thus created quite a few of trouble with the Mu Palace, he had been very cautious.

    The old man stretched out his hand to catch Xu Tianchuan’s fist. This old man was thin and short, unexpectedly his palm was unusually big; as he squeezed Xu Tianchuan’s fist, he said, “Go over there to play!” Although Xu Tianchuan was considerably younger than the old man, he was, after all, a white-haired old man; yet the way the old man talked to him was like he was addressing an urchin.

    Xu Tianchuan exerted his strength to pull his right hand back, while with his left fist he sent out another punch. It was the move ‘Azure Dragon White Tiger’, a complementary style, in which the left punch was not really intended to strike the opponent, it was only to force the opponent to relinquish his grip; however, if the opponent did not want to let go, this punch would strike the bridge of his nose.

    The old man spread his arms while letting go of his grip. Xu Tianchuan only felt a blast of muddy, thick and extremely strong force pushing him away; coupled with his own strength, his left fist punching forward and his right hand pulling back, his body whirled around like a spinning top, straight toward the sickly man.

    The sickly man was fighting Feng Jizhong, Gao Yanchao, Fan Gang and Li Lishi; seeing the incoming Xu Tianchuan, he clapped his hands and said with a laugh, “It’s fun, it’s fun!” The four men’s punches and kicks rained down on him like storm, unexpectedly he still had time to clap and cheer; followed by reaching out to push. Xu Tianchuan changed direction; at first he was turning right, but now he was turning left, spinning at great speed toward the old man.

    “Dad,” the sickly man said with a laugh, “It’s very fun, send this spinning top back to me!”

    Xuanzhen did everything he can to attack. The sickly man casually push and pull, push and pull, unexpectedly he also turned Xuanzhen, Gao Yanchao, Fan Gang, and Li Lishi, four men into spinning tops. Only Feng Jizhong was not spinning, but he felt the chi and blood in the pit of his stomach were bubbling up in his chest; hastily he leaped three steps back with his palms as a shield in front of his body.

    Five Tian Di Hui warriors were spinning incessantly; they wanted to exert their strength to stop spinning, but no matter what they do, they were unable to stop. When one of them was slowing down, the sickly man would leap and push and pull, immediately he would spin faster again. It was like a child playing with copper coins on the table; he spun five coins like tops, whichever was slowing down and was about to fall, the child would use his fingers to flick it that the coin would continue spinning.

    Watching all this, Wei Xiaobao was stunned; he was completely horrified. Shuang’er stood in front of him, trying to protect him while she herself was very scared and on edge. Wei Xiaobao said in a low voice, “We must execute the thirty-sixth stance.” [i.e. run away]

  15. #2515
    Senior Member crazee's Avatar
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    Anh, aren't you tired of my translation? I am tired of mine ... too Chinese-y, or should I say 'too Chenglish-y'? Crazee, you are under no obligation to put anything. Smurf, last time he went to war, he stayed at the command tent and got captured lured by Fang Yi. Chowbeng, you have no idea how many times I wanted to quit. [/QUOTE]

    No Foxs....It's not an obligation that I feel but a feeling of participation. I like the participation and being a part in it.
    Thanks for all the goodies...and I empathise with you. It's difficult to read let alone translate.

    Of course the selfish reason is to motivate you....sort of like being on the side cheering you on....Jia You, Jia You...
    ( add oil, add oil )....our way of cheering on in chinese.
    Quote Originally Posted by foxs;
    Wei Xiaobao said in a low voice, “We must execute the thirty-sixth stance.” [i.e. run away]
    Now, That's the smartest idea.....

    BTW it's Aidilfitri here.....or the end of fasting for the muslims....a public holiday, in Malaysia from 2 days to 1 week while in Singapore....1 day affair....
    Last edited by crazee; 08-19-12 at 09:35 AM.
    cheerio..

  16. #2516
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    Thank you for the great work Foxs, as always!! Please don't quit man... we all need you... we all need this very badly now. Your work is soooo good it's like a drug. We all need our fix!

    I mean... hey, is there a way for you to publish this and earn some money for it? Like as an e-book on iTunes store or something?
    Last edited by muliono; 08-19-12 at 02:20 PM.

  17. #2517
    Member Drak17's Avatar
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    Hello foxs! Don't worry, I'm still here to support you :]. I lurk around this forum 2-3 times a day, but I don't post as much. Just letting you know there's still people enjoying your work . Your thread is always at the top of this section, so I know you put a lot of efforts to translate for us ^^.

    We are not tired of your translation, on the other hand, we're afraid that you're tired of translating for us. Just go with your paste, we read this for free; we can wait.

    Time to catch up!

  18. #2518
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    Thanks Foxs
    I will never get tired of your translations. In my world a little too Chinese or Vietnamese or Spanish is normal. It makes life more interesting. Please translate something else when you are done with this.

  19. #2519
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    Thanks foxs for your translation!

    I'm excited that this is the last volume, but that's because I like the parts coming up! As I've noted before, a more literal translation works a lot better for this book than one that flows more naturally. There's just so much material that doesn't translate naturally and would feel more awkward than what you're doing.

    These new characters are a frustrating challenge (both for Xiaobao and for the reader) because they're ridiculously overpowered and unreasonable. Running away is a darned good idea - if you can get away.

    Anyone who has read/watched Sword Stained with Royal Blood should be able to recognize the sickly man and the two old people. Wu Sangui raised his rebellion in 1673, and SSWRB ended in 1644, so there are 29 years in between.

    So far, the Deer and the Cauldron characters of note that were in SSWRB are:

    Wu Sangui (off screen, but his role was very important)
    Jiu Nan
    Li Zicheng
    Chen Yuanyuan

  20. #2520
    Senior Member smurf120's Avatar
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    Foxs - love your translations! Your effort is much appreciated and I quite enjoy the Chinese-ness of the story!

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