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Thread: The Deer and The Cauldron

  1. #141
    Senior Member tweety365's Avatar
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    Dang, corruption sure sounds good.

    foxs, I am assuming you are not living anywhere near a chinatown? i grew up in the 80s with a video rental store 3 blocks away

  2. #142
    Senior Member SkyWalker's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by foxs
    Tweety, you are lucky, I have never seen any adaptation of this story. I don't know where to get them.
    I think you can download most of these adaptations online. My all time favorite is the Duke of Mt Deer in 84 with Andy Lau (Kangxi) & Tony Leung (WXB). Their chemistry was amazing. As for faithfulness to the novel, I might have to watch it again after reading your complete translation.

  3. #143
    Senior Member Shi-Potian's Avatar
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    youcan watch the zjz 2009 adaption at veoh if you prefer the new over the old like i do

    http://www.veoh.com/group/royal-tramp

    first adaption i ever watched was the dicky cheung version whichbwas absolutely amazingly funny, but i don't reccomend watching it if you looking for a decently faithful adaption [ i mean come on they rolled the fake empress, and the divine draagon cult leaders wife into one character and made her his disciple instead, chen jinnan wasn't even his shifu in that version lol]
    Last edited by Shi-Potian; 09-10-10 at 09:47 AM.

  4. #144
    Senior Member foxs's Avatar
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    Tweety, in Phoenix, the closest thing to a Chinatown is the Chinese Cultural Center at the other side of the city from where I live. But I noticed they have a video store there, perhaps I can check it out. (Do you live in LA area? I notice your location is Southern California)

    Sky and Shi-Potian, thanks for your suggestion. I'll definitely keep that in mind when looking for the adaptation.

    smurf, stanman, gqonmars, glad somebody like the story.

    ----------------------------------------------
    The real reason Songgotu kept pushing this riches into his hands was actually to close his mouth, so that in front of the Emperor he did not mention the truth about the real value of Oboi's wealth. Otherwise, if he ever revealed anything in the Emperor's presence, not only he would have to spit the ill-gotten wealth he had just swallowed, he would also ruin the future prospect of his career, plus inevitably he would also be charged with committing a major crime.

    Seeing Wei Xiaobao countenance changed, Songgotu hastily said, "If Xiongdi has another thought, I will listen to your idea."

    Wei Xiaobao let out a deep breath and said, "I have said that I'll leave it to Dage to decide. It's just that five hundred thousand ... five hundred thousand taels as my share it's a bit ... a bit ... too ... too much."

    Songgotu felt a heavy burden was lifted up from his shoulder, he laughed aloud and said, "It's not too much, it's not too much, not too much at all. Let's do it this way then: we have people helping us managing this business, everybody must enjoy some profit. From your Gege's five hundred thousand taels share, I will take fifty thousand taels to be distributed among my subordinates. Xiongdi should also take fifty thousand taels and presented the money to the imperial concubines and to the eunuch managers, so that everybody can have a little benefit. This way, nobody will have any loose tongue."

    "It sounds good," Wei Xiaobao anxiously said, "But I don't know how to divide it."

    "Just leave this matter to your Gege," Songgotu said, "I guarantee I will take care of everything, we won't offend anybody. They all will say that Gui Gong-gong is young, but he really know how to reach out to his friends. Money will open doors, from now on you and I will enjoy smooth sailing; we will have other people in all places helping us along the way."

    "Yes, yes!" Wei Xiaobao said.

    Songgotu added, "About this one million taels, there won't be enough cash in Oboi's house, we must sell off his property as soon as possible, and everything must be with 'dry hand and clean foot', do not let other people have a handle on this. Xiongdi, in the Palace, you won't have any place to store all these gold yuanbao, silver yuanbao, am I correct?"

    Suddenly obtaining a four hundred and fifty thousand taels of unexpected wealth, Wei Xiaobao was momentarily dizzy and light-headed, and was at a loss of what to do, whatever Songgotu said, he could only reply, "Yes, yes!"

    Songgotu laughed and said, "In a few days, I am going to have several banks issue gold banknotes and silver banknotes, a hundred taels and fifty taels each, which Xiongdi can carry with you. Whenever you need it, you can go to the bank and exchange it to gold and silver, it's more convenient, and more reliable. Unless someone is groping your pocket, nobody knows that Xiongdi is this young, yet you are one of the rich men within our Beijing city wall. Ha ha, ha ha, ha ha!"

    Wei Xiaobao followed by several 'Ha ha!', but his heart was filled with: "I really have four hundred and fifty thousand taels? Really four hundred and fifty thousand taels?" and "I have four hundred and fifty thousand taels, how am I going to spend it? Damn it, even if I eat pig's front legs and simmer-fried whole chicken every day for the rest of my life, I won't spend the entire four hundred and fifty thousand taels. Hot piece mama, laozi will open ten brothels in Yangzhou, each one is ten times more beautiful than the Lovely Spring Courtyard."

    Ever since he was little, he had been cherishing the 'lofty aspiration' that when he grew up and flourished, he would open a brothel that was bigger and more luxurious than the Lovely Spring Courtyard, something that would raise others' eyebrows, something better than everybody else's. Whenever he had a quarrel with the proprietress of the Lovely Spring Courtyard, he would often say, "Hot piece mama, what's so great about your Lovely Spring Courtyard? In a few years laozi will flourish and will open a Lovely Summer Courtyard across the street from you, a Lovely Autumn Courtyard on your left, and a Lovely Winter Courtyard on your right; I am going to snatch the light from your business. Brothel customers will visit my three courtyards, no one won't visit yours, and you will drink the northwest wind." He wanted to open ten brothels at once, each one would be extravagant, so that nobody in Yangzhou would not see him in a new light; he could not help but was very elated.

    Naturally Songgotu was not able to guess the major undertaking Wei Xiaobao was planning in his heart, he said, "Xiongdi, His Majesty instructed us to return Suksaha's property that was confiscated by Oboi to Suksaha's heir. We'd better take sixty or seventy thousand taels and give it to Suksaha's family. This is His Majesty's benevolence, the Suksaha family will be moved to tears, how can they dare to argue that it is too little? Moreover, if we give too much to Suksaha's family, it would appear that before his death Suksaha was a corrupt official, and then his descendants' face would not be honorable, would it?"

    "Yes, yes!" Wei Xiaobao replied, while in his heart he mused, "Aren't we, the two brothers, dishonest officials? Our faces won't be necessarily disgraced, will it?"

    Songgotu said, "The Empress Dowager and His Majesty clearly instructed us to get these two sutras, this is most important, we must deliver the books right away. It won't be too late if we slowly make inventory of Oboi's property later." Wei Xiaobao nodded his approval.

    Immediately Songgotu fetched a couple of brocade satin to wrap the jade boxes. The two of them carried one box each as they returned to the Palace to see Kangxi. Seeing they managed to complete the assignment given by the Empress Dowager, Kangxi was very happy. He told Wei Xiaobao to follow him with the sutras toward the Empress Dowager's Palace. Songgotu could not enter the Palace, he took his leave to return to put Oboi's family property in order.

    Along the way Kangxi asked, "How much is Oboi's family property worth?"

    Wei Xiaobao replied, "Suo Daren's initial estimate is about one million three hundred fifty three thousand four hundred and eighteen taels." He made sure that the number came from Songgotu; in case the Emperor verify the actual facts in the future, he would have the leeway of denying and shifting the blame to others.

    In this kind of shady business of committing fraud for personal gain, imitating the dog to steal the chicken, Wei Xiaobao could be considered a rare talent. When he was five, one of the prostitutes gave him five wen to buy some peaches on the street; he swindled one wen to buy candy and used the other four to buy peaches for the prostitute. Unexpectedly the prostitute did not suspect anything; she even gave him a peach. In Wei Xiaobao's mind, when some money passed through his hands and he gained some profit, it was heaven's law and earth's principle; it's just that in case somebody inquire, he must come up with some explanation. Because of this his head had been the recipient of several explosions of anger, and his butt suffered countless forceful kicks; therefore, he gained quite a few of valuable experience.

    "Humph," Kangxi snorted, "Bastard!" he said, "He extorted that much fat and wealth of the people! More than a million three hundred thousand taels. Hey, hey, it's unbelievable."

    Wei Xiaobao smirked inwardly, "And a million more, split in halves." Walking and chatting, they reached the Empress Dowager's Compassionate and Peaceful Palace.

    The Empress Dowager was very pleased to hear that two sutras had been retrieved; she reached out to take the jade boxes from Kangxi's hands and unwrapped the brocade satin. Seeing the envelope, her smile was even wider. "Xiao Guizi," she said, "You handle this assignment very well!"

    Wei Xiaobao knelt down to pay his respect; he said, "It's all thanks to the Empress Dowager and His Majesty's great fortune."

    The Empress Dowager turned toward a little palace maid by her side and said, "Rui Chu, take Xiao Guizi to the back room, get some sweet preserved fruits and gave it to him."

    Rui Chu was a little palace maid around twelve, thirteen years of age with pretty facial features; she smiled and complied, "Yes!"

    Wei Xiaobao paid his respect again and said, "Thank you for the Empress Dowager's reward, thank you for Your Majesty's reward."

    "Xiao Guizi," Kangxi said, "Finish eating, you may return alone, I am staying here to accompany Empress Dowager to dine, you don't need to wait on me."

    Wei Xiaobao acknowledged and followed Rui Chu to the inner all, where they entered a very small side room. Rui Chu opened a screened cabinet, inside the cabinet were more than a dozen types of cakes, pastries and candies. She laughed and said, “You are called Xiao Guizi, so you’ll have to eat osmanthus[24] flavored pine-nut candy first.” As she said that, she picked small box of pine-nut candy. The aroma of pine-nut mixed with the aroma of osmanthus flower, the smell was very good.

    Wei Xiaobao laughed and said, “Jiejie[25] should also eat some.”

    Rui Chu said, “The Empress Dowager is rewarding you with something to eat, she is not rewarding me. As slaves, how can we steal food?”

    Wei Xiaobao laughed and said, “You can eat quietly, nobody will see it, why so tight?”

    Rui Chu blushed and shook her head repeatedly, she smiled and said, “I am not eating.”

    “I am eating alone, you are watching from the side, it’s just improper,” Wei Xiaobao said.

    Rui Chu smiled. “This is your good fortune,” she said, “I only serve the Empress Dowager, I don’t serve even His Majesty, but today I am serving you some delicacy.”

    Seeing her sweet and captivating smile, Wei Xiaobao also laughed and said, “I am serving His Majesty, but I also serve you delicacies, so we are even.”

    “Pfft,” Rui Chu stifled a laugh, she brought her hand up to cover her mouth, and said with a smile, “Hurry up, eat something. If Empress Dowager knew we are chatting and joking in here, she might be angry.”

    When he was still in Yangzhou, he saw beautiful women coming and going the lsc all the time; upon entering the Palace, however, this was the first time he had ever seen a young woman about his age who was keeping him company. He was very pleased, and suddenly had a bright idea. “How about this,” he said, “I will take some delicacies back with me, when you are done serving the Empress Dowager, you can come out and we can eat together.”

    Rui Chu showed a slight blush, “That won’t work,” she said, “By the time I am done serving the Empress Dowager, it will be very late at night.”

    “So what if it is very late at night?” Wei Xiaobao said, “Will you wait for me here?”

    Serving the Empress Dowager as a palace maid, Rui Chu’s colleagues were mostly women who were considerably older than she was; ordinarily, they could not talk congenially with each other. Now that Wei Xiaobao was determined to eat candy with her, she could hear the sincerity in his voice and was quite moved.

    “How about outside the flower garden?” Wei Xiaobao asked, “Midnight, third watch of the night[26], nobody will know.” Hesitantly Rui Chu nodded her head.

    Wei Xiaobao was delighted, “Good, that’s settled then,” he said, “Quickly give me some preserved fruits, a bit more of the ones you love to eat.”

    Rui Chu smiled, “I won’t eat it all by myself,” she said, “Which ones would you like?”

    Wei Xiaobao laughed, “Whatever Jiejie loves to eat, I’ll eat the same,” he replied.

    Hearing his sweet-talking, Rui Chu was very happy, immediately she chose about a dozen kinds of dried fruits, candy, cakes and pastries, and put it all in a small paper carton.

    In a low voice Wei Xiaobao said, “Tonight, third watch of the night, I will wait for you in the flower garden pavilion.”

    Rui Chu nodded, in a low voice she said, “You must be careful.”

    “And so must you,” Wei Xiaobao replied. He took the paper carton and returned to his residence, full of joy and expectations.

    When he first jostled with the Emperor, who feigned to be Xiao Xuanzi, he was very excited, but when the secret was exposed, he could not play with him anymore. These past few days in the Palace, everybody seemed to fawn on him. Although he was pleased, he did not have the excitement of enjoying himself. This time he was having a rendezvous with a little palace maid in the middle of the night, there was three-part danger in the fun; he thought it was most exciting. After all, he was still very young; although as a child he grew up in a brothel, on the matter between men and women, he only saw a lot, but did not have any personal understanding.

    ----------------------------------------------
    [24] ‘Gui’ of Xiao Guizi means cassia/laurel, but ‘gui hua’ means osmanthus flower.

    [25] Older sister.

    [26] Between 11pm – 1 am.

    ----------------------------------------------

    Dear readers, I have a rather disappointing news: HuntingX was going to help me, and he was supposed to work on Chapter 6 while I take a short break and working on Chapter 7. However, due to work commitment and other things, he dropped out.

    So far, I managed to keep regular updates. To be honest with you, I was rather straining myself, thinking that HuntingX would give me a break soon. Well, it ain't gonna happen. I will try my best to keep the momentum going, but I don't want to be burned out. This is a marathon, not a short distance race. So ... please do not throw rotten eggs at me when you see the future updates are a bit shorter than usual.
    Last edited by foxs; 09-22-10 at 10:24 PM.

  5. #145
    Senior Member tweety365's Avatar
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    Foxs, I’ve long since relocated. Currently, I’m 40 minutes from LA, in Huntington Beach area. Still close enough to get access to everything . But like a majority of other people, my video/dvd rental days are practically over. There are so many options via the Internet to watch any series out there.

    Unfortunately, finding Chinese to English translations is so very difficult. Hence, I am deeply grateful for your generous contribution, whether big or small. No rush to finish this marathon.
    Last edited by tweety365; 09-11-10 at 07:57 PM.

  6. #146
    Senior Member SkyWalker's Avatar
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    Thanks for the update foxs and don't feel pressure to post regular updates. We're just happy you're working on this so take your time.

  7. #147
    Senior Member foxs's Avatar
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    Default Chapter 6 - Part 1

    Tweety, for me, Huntington Beach is still in LA area.

    Sky, I know you guys will understand, but I still want to give you a heads up.

    Had some extra time during the weekend, here is the first part of Chapter 6. Enjoy.

    ---------------------------------------------------
    Chapter 6 – Understanding the idea of compassion and talent today, one will know when to plant the trees.
    (Translated by Foxs)

    Hai Laogong asked what had happened that day, Wei Xiaobao told him how he went to Oboi's home to search the house and confiscate his possessions. However, he did not mention anything about how he embezzled some treasure, gold and silver, dagger, et cetera. He concluded his narrative by saying, "The Empress Dowager sent me to Oboi's home to get hold of two copies of the 'Forty-two-chapter Sutra' ..."

    Hai Laogong suddenly sprang up and asked, "Oboi has two copies of 'Forty-two-chapter Sutra'?"

    "That's right," Wei Xiaobao replied, "It was the Empress Dowager and His Majesty who sent me to fetch the books; otherwise I would have fetched it for you, other people do not need to know."

    Hai Laogong's countenance darkened. "Humph," he grunted, and then coldly said, "So it fell into the Empress Dowager's hands. Very good, very good!"

    A moment later the kitchen delivered their dinner. Hai Laogong only ate half of a small bowl and then he stopped eating altogether, he rolled his eyes until only the white part was visible, looked up to the ceiling and was lost in thought.

    After dinner, Wei Xiaobao was thinking of a short nap before leaving on the third hour to see that little palace maid to chat and have fun. Seeing Hai Laogong was sitting unmoving while staring blankly into the space, he went to bed, fully clothed, and fell asleep.

    After sleeping fitfully for a while, he quietly got up and tucked the small box containing the cake and pastry into his pocket. Afraid to wake Hai Laogong up, step by step he quietly tiptoed out. He reached the door, quietly opened the latch, and quietly pushed one door leaf; suddenly he heard Hai Laogong ask, "Xiao Guizi, where are you going?"

    Wei Xiaobao was startled. "I ... I want to pee," he said.

    "Why don't you pee in your room?" Hai Laogong asked.

    "I couldn't sleep," Wei Xiaobao replied, "I want to take a walk in the garden." Afraid Hai Laogong might stop him, without saying anything he stepped out. But his left foot had just moved one step when he felt the collar behind his neck tightened as he was grabbed by Hai Laogong and lifted up.

    "Ah!" Wei Xiaobao screamed, then he had a thought, "Bad, bad, the old turtle knew I was going to see that little palace maid and stop me from going." Before he finished his thought, Hai Laogong had already thrown him onto the bed.

    "Gong-gong," Wei Xiaobao said with a laugh, "Are you testing my martial art? You haven't taught me anything these past several days. What do you call that grab?"

    "Humph," Hai Laogong said, "It is called 'Catching a Bie [freshwater soft-shelled turtle] in the Jar', it's very easy. A bie is an armored fish, so I can catch you, a little armored fish."

    "Old armored fish caught little armored fish!" Wei Xiaobao said in his heart, but of course he did not dare to say it out loud. He rolled his eyes, trying to find a way to escape.

    Hai Laogong sat on the side of the bed and gently said, "You are bold yet cautious, smart and witty; although you are unwilling to steadfastly train martial art, yet if I polish and refine you well, you may be considered as a good material. It's too bad, really too bad."

    "Gong-gong, why is it too bad?" Wei Xiaobao asked.

    Hai Laogong did not answer, he only heaved a sigh. After half a day, he said, "Your Beijing accent is not bad, you learned well. If several months ago you were able to speak like this, without any Yangzhou accent at all, it would not be easy to detect."

    Wei Xiaobao was really shocked. In a split second all the hair in his body stood up; he was unable to stop his body from trembling, and his teeth from chattering lightly. With a forced laugh he said, "Gong-gong, tonight you ... you speak really ... hee hee ... really strange."

    Hai Laogong heaved a sigh again and asked, "Child, how old are you this year?"

    Hearing his gentle tone, Wei Xiaobao's fright and panic somewhat diminished; he said, "I ... I am thirteen, I think."

    "Thirteen is thirteen, fourteen is fourteen," Hai Laogong said, "Why is it 'thirteen, I think'?"

    Wei Xiaobao said, "My mother did not remember it too clearly, of course I won't have any way of knowing." It was a true statement, his mother was actually muddle-headed, she could not ascertain Wei Xiaobao's real age.

    Hai Laogong nodded and coughed several times before saying, "During martial art training several years ago, I accidentally suffer a fire deviation, and thus triggered up this coughing illness. The longer I cough, the worse it is, so for the last few years I know I won't get better."

    Wei Xiaobao said, "I ... think recently ... recently your cough is getting better."

    Hai Laogong shook his head, "What do you mean better?" he said, "Not better at all. My chest hurts very bad, how would you know that?"

    "How do you feel now?" Wei Xiaobao asked, "Do you want me to get the medicine for you to take?"

    Hai Laogong sighed, "My eyes can no longer see," he said, "Medicine cannot be taken randomly."

    Wei Xiaobao did not dare to breathe loudly; he was wondering the real reason behind those words.

    Hai Laogong continued, "Your luck is very good, you managed to curry the Emperor's favor, actually, you might achieve great things. Your body has not been cleansed, but it's not a big deal, I can purify you myself. It's just that, ay ..., it's too late, too late."

    Wei Xiaobao did not understand the meaning of 'purification', he only felt that somehow the way Hai Laogong speaking tonight was very strange. He said in a gentle voice, "Gong-gong, it's late, you should sleep."

    "Sleep? Sleep!" Hai Laogong said, "Ay, after I wake up from sleep, then what? Sleep in the morning, sleep at night, I want to sleep without waking forever. Child, an eternal sleep, no need to wake up, no pain in the pit of your stomach, no bad cough, won't that be extraordinarily beautiful?" Wei Xiaobao was so frightened that he did not dare to make any noise.

    "Child," Hai Laogong continued, "Who else is there in your home?"

    It was such a boring, ordinary question, but Wei Xiaobao had such a hard time to answer it. He did not know who else were in the dead Xiao Guizi's home; if he gave a random answer, he would most likely give himself away, but he could not not answering it. He was hoping that Hai Laogong did not know the situation in Xiao Guizi's home, and thus the reason he asked. Thereupon he said, "There is only my Laoniang[1] at home; as for the rest of my family, over these last few years, ay, I don’t want to talk about it.” He spoke in such a way that he mentioned the top part, but did not continue to the bottom. Supposing Xiao Guizi still had a father, older brother, older sister or younger brother, there was no harm in him using ‘I don’t want to talk about it’ as an excuse.

    Hai Laogong said, “Only your Laoniang. In your Fujian dialect, is that how you call your mother?”

    Wei Xiaobao was again very shocked. “What Fujian dialect?” he mused, “Could it be that Xiao Guizi is from Fujian? He said earlier that I have Yangzhou accent, perhaps … perhaps … the fact that his eyes were blinded by me, he still does not know?” In a flash, innumerable thoughts flitted through his mind; he said vaguely, “This … this … why did you ask?”

    Hai Laogong sighed and said, “You are still young, yet so bad. Hey, in the end, do you look like your father, or like your mother?”

    Wei Xiaobao giggled and said, “I don’t look like anybody. Good, I am not very good, bad, I can’t be considered outstandingly bad.”

    Hai Laogong coughed several times before saying, “I was already a grown-up when I was purified and became a eunuch …”

    Wei Xiaobao groaned inwardly, “Turns out to become a eunuch one must be purified; that is cutting off your peeing thing. He knew I haven’t been purified, if he purifies me, that will be sending the dragon nicely to the east …”

    He heard Hai Laogong continued, “Actually, I had a son, what a pity he died when he was eight. If he were alive today, my grandson would be about your age. That man surnamed Mao, Mao Shiba, is not your father, is he?”

    With a trembling voice Wei Xiaobao said, “No … he is not! Hot piece mama, of … of course he is not.” In his fright, he blurted out Yangzhou slang.

    Hai Laogong said, “I don’t think he is. If you were my son, and I lost you trapped in the imperial palace, even if there were great dangers, I would still try to help you out.”

    Wei Xiaobao forced a laugh and said, “Too bad I don’t have a father as good as you.”

    Hai Laogong said, “I taught you two sets of martial art, the first one was the 'big grappling technique', the second one was the 'Great Compassion Great Sorrow Thousand-Leaf Hand'. I have not learned both sets of technique entirely, naturally you haven’t mastered the sets, perhaps you only learned a tenth, half a tenth. Hey hey, hey hey.”

    “That’s right,” Wei Xiaobao said, “You, Senior, better teach me so that I may master these two sets or technique entirely. You have this kind of number one under the heavens martial art, if you have someone to pass your skill on, he may make you famous, it’s the sensible thing to do.”

    Hai Laogong shook his head. “These words ‘number one under the heavens’, how do I dare to accept? I don’t know how many people have superior martial art skill in the world. These two sets of martial art skill, even in my entire life I won’t have enough time to learn it entirely.” He paused for a moment, then said, “Take a breath, put your hand on the left side of your lower abdomen, about three cun away from your belly button, and press hard, how do you feel?”

    Wei Xiaobao put his hand according to his instruction and pressed hard. Instantly a pain penetrated his heart and liver; “Ah!” he could not help but scream. In a flash his brow was beaded with sweat and he could not stop panting. For nearly more than half a month he had occasionally felt a dull ache on the left side of his lower abdomen, but he always thought it was because he ate something bad, moreover, the pain only appeared momentarily and immediately subsided, thus he had never given it any further thought. Who could have imagined that with a hard press like that the pain could be this severe?

    With a gloomy voice Hai Laogong said, “Isn’t it amusing?”

    Wei Xiaobao cursed fiercely in his belly, “Dead old turtle, stinky old turtle!” But what he said was, “Just a little pain, what’s so amusing about it?”

    Hai Laogong said, “Every morning when you go gambling and training martial art with His Majesty, the food is always delivered before you come back. I thought that the soup is not tasty enough, so every day I took a bottle of medicine from the medicine chest and added a little bit of stuff into your soup. Only a little tiny bit; if I added too much, the toxicity would be too heavy, it would not be appropriate for your body. You are a very careful person, but I have never taken the soup, don’t you have the least bit of suspicion?”

    Wei Xiaobao was absolutely terrified, he said, “I … I thought you didn’t like the soup. You … you said that when you drink the soup, you … you … will cou … cough …”

    “Actually, I really like to drink soup,” Hai Laogong said, “But if the soup is poisoned, although the dose is very light, and you take it daily, over a long period of time, it will be a little bit dangerous, won’t it?”

    Wei Xiaobao angrily said, “Absolutely, absolutely! Gong-gong, you are really formidable.”

    Hai Laogong sighed. “That’s not necessarily true,” he said, “Actually, I wanted you to take the poison for three more months before I’d let you out of the Palace, so that you will feel the stomach pain gradually worsen. At first you will feel about an hour of pain every day, and the pain won’t be so severe. Later, the pain will be more and more severe, the duration will also be longer and longer. Roughly in about a year, you will feel great pain all day long; a pain so terrible that you will want to dash your own head against the wall, a pain so severe that you will want to bite your own hands, your own legs, piece by piece.” Speaking to this point, he sighed before continuing, “It’s a pity than my body is deteriorating fast, I am afraid I cannot wait much longer. The poison in your body, nobody else has the antidote, I am the only one who has it. Little baby, who sent you? Who has thought about this plan to blind me? If you answer me truthfully, I’ll give you the antidote right away.”

    ---------------------------------------------------
    [1] Old mother, old lady.
    Last edited by foxs; 09-23-10 at 10:49 PM.

  8. #148
    Senior Member SkyWalker's Avatar
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    Thanks foxs.

    Looks like HGG only treated WXB badly because he thought WXB was a spy! If only he knew the truth, then maybe his relationship with WXB will be better.

  9. #149
    Senior Member gqonmars2's Avatar
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    Thanks foxs for your continuing hard work. I am sure I can speak for everyone by saying that we all appreciated it very much.

    I wish I know how to read chinese and help out, but I don't. So, thank you for doing all the hard work for people like me.
    "Every man dies, but not every man really lives." -BH

  10. #150
    Senior Member tweety365's Avatar
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    So gong gong knew from the very beginning that WXB poisoned him. The man is really scary and formidable. I still think that gong gong cares for WXB. If only the situation was different. Tsk tsk

    Thanks for this update, foxs!

  11. #151
    Senior Member foxs's Avatar
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    Default Chapter 6 - Part 2

    Sky, Gqonmars & Tweety, you are very welcome. Thanks for keeping me company.

    --------------------------------
    Wei Xiaobao might be young, but he knew that even if he mentioned the name of the person who sent him, in no way Hai Laogong would spare his life; much less there was indeed nobody sending him; thereupon he said, “Of course somebody has sent me, but I am afraid as soon as I say it, you would jump in fright. Turns out you knew it early on that I am not Xiao Guizi, and have thought this method to torture me. Ha ha, ha ha! You are the one who has fallen into my trick! Ha ha, ha ha!” While laughing heartily, his body made a random movement; bending his right leg, his right hand grabbed the hilt of the dagger. Very slowly he pulled the dagger from its scabbard, without making any noise at all. Even if there were some noise, he was confident his laughter would cover it.

    “What trick of yours did I fall into?” Hai Laogong asked.

    Wei Xiaobao was talking nonsense; he only wanted to distract him. So he simply continued talking nonsense, “From the first day I have already tasted the poison in the soup. I discussed it over with Xiao Xuanzi, and he said that you are poisoning me …”

    Hai Laogong was startled, “His Majesty knew about it?” he asked.

    “How could he not know?” Wei Xiaobao replied, “It’s just that at the time I did not know he was the Emperor. Xiao Xuanzi told me not to make a word or movement, just to be careful, so when I took the soup, I only put it in my mouth and spit it out again to the bowl; you could not see anyway.” While speaking, he raised the dagger half a cun by half a cun up, with the tip of the dagger aimed at the pit of Hai Laogong’s stomach. He thought that if he failed to kill him in one stab, even if the dagger stabbed Hai Laogong, with just a palm strike Wei Xiaobao’s own life would be gone.

    Hai Laogong was half believing half doubting; with a cold laugh he said, “If you did not drink the soup, how come with one press on your left abdomen, the pain was unbearable?”

    Wei Xiaobao sighed and said, “I supposed even though I spat the soup out, I did not rinse my mouth afterwards, the poison is still going down my stomach.” While saying that, the dagger was moved several cun closer.

    “That’s very good, then,” he heard Hai Laogong said, “In any case, the poison cannot be neutralized. Your poisoning is somewhat lighter, it will flare-up somewhat slower, your suffering can only be worse.”

    Wei Xiaobao laughed aloud; in the midst of the long laughter, he brought his entire strength into his right arm as he lunge the dagger violently toward the pit of Hai Laogong’s stomach. He had already planned that as soon as the dagger hit, he would promptly roll toward the corner of the bed, and then from the corner of the bed he would scuttle out.

    Hai Laogong felt a burst of cold air hitting his face; he was slightly surprised, but knew that the opponent had already made a move. He did not have time to think the nature of the attacl; his left hand swept forward to block the incoming blade, his right palm struck out, ‘Bang!’ it hit Wei Xiaobao, sending him flying out, crashing through the window frame, and falling straight onto the flower garden outside the window. Right away he felt severe pain on his left hand; four of his fingers were severed by the dagger.

    If not for Wei Xiaobao’s dagger emitted a strong cold air, while he did not have the slightest sign of the incoming attack beforehand, by this time the pit of his stomach would have been stabbed. However, if the dagger was an ordinary one, with the discrepancy between the two persons’ strength being too far, even if the dagger stabbed his chest, it would only be a superficial injury. His internal strength was everywhere; his palm was like iron, as it struck a saber or sword, or shook a flying dagger, he could not possibly injure his own palm. But in all honesty this dagger was simply too sharp. Hai Laogong’s painstaking dozen of year’s cultivation of internal strength unexpectedly could not shake this incoming dagger away, instead, it cut off his four fingers noiselessly. However, his right palm hit Wei Xiaobao squarely on the pit of his stomach; this palm strike was able to break an upright stone tablet and could split a rock, it was not a small matter at all. He guessed that Wei Xiaobao’s internal organs were completely smashed and that he had already died before even flying outside the window.

    Hai Laogong laughed coldly and muttered to himself, “He died too easily, this little demon had it too lightly.” After calming himself down, he took out some metal cut medicine from his medicine chest and applied it to his wound. Tearing off the bed sheet, he wrapped his left palm, while muttering, “What kind of weapon did that little demon use? How come it’s this fierce?” Suppressing the severe pain in his hand, he leaped out the window and groped the place where Wei Xiaobao was supposed to fall; he wanted to find the blade that he had never even heard about, the sharp blade that he had never seen before. To his surprise, however, after groping about for a long time, he did not find anything.

    Before he was blinded, he was very familiar with the garden outside his window; where the flowers were, where the rocks were, everything was etched in his heart. Obviously he heard Wei Xiaobao had fallen next to the cluster of Chinese peony; there was the possibility that the treasured blade was shaken out of his hand and flew far away, but his body could not possibly disappear, could it?

    When Wei Xiaobao was hit by the palm, his breathing was blocked instantly, there was an acute pain in the pit of his stomach, and he felt as if the hundreds of bones on his four limbs were disintegrated to a cun-size pieces. He was thrown onto the ground and nearly passed out. He knew he was at the verge of death; since he was unable to kill Hai Laogong with a single stab, the old turtle would definitely come out to pursue and attack; therefore, with the remaining strength in his body he crawled up. But after taking only two steps, his feet gave up; he slipped and fell again, and rolled down from a sloped ground all the way to the bottom.

    If Hai Laogong did not have his fingers cut, the noise of Wei Xiaobao rolling down the slope would naturally not escape his ears; however, he was severely wounded, he was distraught with anxiety, in addition, even in his dream he would not think that after being hit by his palm, this little demon would not die. Although he did hear some noise, he did not give it further thought as the cause of the noise.

    The sloped ground was quite long, Wei Xiaobao rolled for more than ten zhang before stopping. He struggled hard to stand up and slowly walked away; the muscle and bones in his entire body were unbearably painful, luckily the dagger was still tightly grasped in his hand. He rejoiced inwardly, “The old turtle hit me and sent me out the window just now, unexpectedly I did not stab myself with the dagger, I was extremely lucky.” Inserting the dagger into his boot, he thought, “My masquerade has been unmasked, the old turtle already know I am a fake goods, I cannot live in the Palace anymore. Too bad the four hundred fifty thousand tael of money has turned into an empty joy. His granny, where has there ever been one man who has this kind of stroke of luck? An ill-gotten gain worth four hundred fifty thousand taels. In other word, laozi has gained a four hundred fifty thousand tael wealth, but laozi is too extravagant, in just one night I spent it all until nothing’s left. Don’t you think it’s so awesome?” Bragging in his heart, he could not help but feeling very proud of himself.

    He also thought, “That little palace maid is still waiting for me; in any event, I cannot leave the Palace on the third watch in the middle of the night, I might as well go and see her. Aiyo …” He put his hand into his pocket to feel the small carton box, and found that the box had been squeezed flat; he thought, “I’ll still show it to her, so she won’t be too anxious waiting for me. I’ll tell her I fell down and squeeze the preserved fruits and candy mushy, turning it into a pile of cow dung. But this pile of cow dung is sweet and fragrant, and taste outstandingly good. Ha ha, hot piece mama, have you even eaten cow dung so sweet and fragrant? Laozi has.”

    The more he thought, the more he felt amused; he sped up his steps toward the Empress Dowager’s Palace of Compassion and Peace. But as he walked faster for only several steps, there was an acute pain on the pit of his stomach, forcing him to slow down. Arriving at the Palace of Compassion and Peace, he saw the palace gate was closed. “It’s bad,” he thought, “I did not think this gate would be closed; how am I going to get in?”

    While he was wondering what to do, suddenly the palace gate was pushed open noiselessly, followed by a little palace maid’s head appeared. Under the moonlight he was able to see clearly that it was indeed Rui Chu. He saw she smile and beckon to him. Wei Xiaobao was delighted; he slipped in quietly.

    Rui Chu closed the gate and then in a low voice whispered in his ear, “I was afraid you are not coming; I have been waiting here for a long time.”

    “I am late,” Wei Xiaobao said in a low voice, “On my way here I stumbled upon a stinky and hard-to-deal-with old turtle; I tripped and fell down.”

    “Is there any sea turtle in the garden?” Rui Chu said, “I have never seen one. You … are your hurt from the fall?”

    In his determination to come here, Wei Xiaobao was able to endure the pain, but as soon as Rui Chu asked, he felt in his entire body there was not a place where it did not hurt; he could not help but groaning. Rui Chu pulled his hand and asked in low voice, "Which part hurts?"

    Wei Xiaobao was just about to reply when suddenly he saw a shadow flitted across on the ground; when he raised his head, he saw an enormous eagle flying over the wall and gently landed on the ground. He was really shocked and nearly let out a shout. Under the moonlight he saw the giant eagle stood up like a human. Turned out it was not a giant eagle at all, but a human. This person had a slim built with a hunched back; who else but Hai Laogong himself?

    Originally, Rui Chu was facing Wei Xiaobao, so she did not see Hai Laogong had come, but seeing Wei Xiaobao turn his head and stare with terror-stricken expression on his face, she also turned her head around. Wei Xiaobao reached out with his left hand to cover her mouth and pressed rather hard to prevent her from making the least bit of noise. His right hand shook anxiously, signaling her not to make any noise. Rui Chu nodded. Wei Xiaobao slowly took his hand off her mouth while his gaze was fixed on Hai Laogong.

    He saw Hai Laogong was standing perfectly still, as if he was listening attentively to the sound of movement around him. It was a moment later that he finally walked forward slowly. Seeing Hai Laogong did not walk toward them, Wei Xiaobao let out a breath quietly. "The old turtle is really formidable," he said in his heart, "Although he is blind, unexpectedly he is able to pursue me to this place." He also thought, "As long as this little palace maid and I do not make any sound, the old turtle cannot possibly find me."

    Hai Laogong had walked several steps forward, but suddenly he jumped up and landed in front of Wei Xiaobao. Reaching out with his left hand, he grabbed Rui Chu's neck. "Ah!" Rui Chu cried, but her throat was quickly pinched that the cry was muffled.

  12. #152
    Senior Member smurf120's Avatar
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    Even at 13, WXB has such indominable spirit:

    "His granny, where has there ever been one man who has this kind of stroke of luck? An ill-gotten gain worth four hundred fifty thousand taels. In other word, laozi has gained a four hundred fifty thousand tael wealth, but laozi is too extravagant, in just one night I spent it all until nothing’s left. Don’t you think it’s so awesome?” Bragging in his heart, he could not help but feeling very proud of himself."

    This is much more violent with the fingers getting cut off than I remembered!

    Great update Foxs!

  13. #153
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    Yeah, I don't remember the adaptation showing gong gong's fingers being cut off.
    Poor Rui Chu, only 2 scenes and she's already dead.

    Gong gong is really ruthless

  14. #154
    Senior Member Ace High's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tweety365 View Post
    Yeah, I don't remember the adaptation showing gong gong's fingers being cut off.
    Poor Rui Chu, only 2 scenes and she's already dead.

    Gong gong is really ruthless
    she isn't dead, just got silenced...

  15. #155
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ace High View Post
    she isn't dead, just got silenced...
    really?
    foxs, you shouldn't stop at such a cliffhanger. made me assume he killed her.

  16. #156
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    Quote Originally Posted by tweety365 View Post
    really?
    foxs, you shouldn't stop at such a cliffhanger. made me assume he killed her.
    foxs sure know how to keep us waiting for more, don't you agree?

  17. #157
    Senior Member SkyWalker's Avatar
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    Thanks foxs.

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    Default :D

    Quote Originally Posted by tweety365 View Post
    really?
    foxs, you shouldn't stop at such a cliffhanger. made me assume he killed her.

    His Granny.... :P

    cool i can swear like this and the forum wont catch me out.

    from now on im going to start using old turtal and other such swears.
    Ali Derhamy

  19. #159
    Senior Member foxs's Avatar
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    Default Chapter 6 - Part 3

    Smurf and Sky, thanks. Tweety and Ace, I am sorry ... I promise I will do it again. . Ace, since there are some of us who have never read this story in any language, may I ask that next time you'd use 'spoiler' tag? Ali, his granny ... (what would a New Zealander say?)

    -----------------------------------
    Something flashed in Wei Xiaobao's mind, "The old turtle is looking for me, he is not looking for this little palace maid, he could not possibly kill her." This moment he was only two chi away from Hai Laogong; he was so scared that he almost pee in his pants, but he did not move at all, because he knew that as soon as he move just one finger, Hai Laogong would hear him.

    In a low voice Hai Laogong said, "Don't make noise! You don't obey, I'll kill you. Answer my question softly. Who are you?"

    "I ... I ..." Rui Chu said in low voice.

    Hai Laogong stretched out his right hand and ran it over the top of her head, and ran it across her face. "You are a little palace maid, aren't you?" he asked.

    "Yes, yes!" Rui Chu replied.

    "It's the third watch in the middle of the night," Hai Laogong said, "What are you doing here?"

    Rui Chu said, "I ... I am here to have fun."

    Hai Laogong's face revealed a faint smile; under the dim moonlight, he looked even more gloomy and grim. "Who else is here with you?" he asked, while leaning his head slightly to listen attentively.

    Just now Rui Chu did not hold her breath nor did she know how to concentrate her breathing; in panic, she breathed loudly and thus Hai Laogong knew where she was standing. Although Wei Xiaobao was also standing close-by, he was breathing very lightly, so that for now his presence was not detected.

    Wei Xiaobao wanted to signal her not to say anything, but he did not dare to move his arm. Luckily Rui Chu was perceptive, realizing he was blind, she said, "No ... nobody."

    "Where does the Empress Dowager live?" Hai Laogong said, "Take me to see her."

    Rui Chu was frightened. "Gong-gong, please ... please don't tell Empress Dowager," she pleaded, "Next time ... next time I will not dare anymore." She only knew that this eunuch was arresting her to be reported to the Empress Dowager.

    "It's useless for you to plead with me," Hai Laogong said, "If you don't take me, I'll crush your neck immediately." His hand squeezed lightly, Rui Chu's breathing was immediately stopped, her small face bulged very red.

    Wei Xiaobao was so frightened that finally he peed in his pants, the urine was dripping from his crotch. Luckily Hai Laogong did not pay any attention; even if he heard it, he would think that it was Rui Chu who peed from the fright.

    Hai Laogong loosened his left hand slowly and said in a low voice, "Quickly take me there."

    Rui Chu did not have any choice but to say, "Alright!" She cast a glance toward Wei Xiaobao, signaling him with her eyes to quickly run away, telling him that she would not give him away. "The Empress Dowager's personal palace is on that side!" she said in a low voice, while slowly moving forward. With his hand still holding her throat, Hai Laogong walked beside her.

    Wei Xiaobao thought it over, "The old turtle must be going to the Empress Dowager to tell her that I am a fake little eunuch, that Xiao Guizi was murdered by me, that his eyes were blinded by me; he wants the Empress Dowager to issue an order to have me arrested immediately. Why didn't he report me to His Majesty? Ah right, he knew His majesty is good to me, most likely his complain will not be considered. Then ... then what should I do? I must escape from the Palace immediately. Aiyo, not good! By this time the Palace gate has been shut for a long time, how can I get out? Very soon the Empress Dowager will give her order, and then I won't be able to escape even if I grew wings."

    While he was still at a loss, he heard a woman's voice coming from the room ahead suddenly asked, "Who's that outside?" This gloomy and eerie voice, Wei Xiaobao recognized as the Empress Dowager's voice. He was frightened and wanted to lift his heels and run away, but he heard Hai Laogong say, "Your servant Hai Tianfu is paying his respect to you, Senior." This voice was also gloomy and eerie, without any sign of respect at all.

    Wei Xiaobao felt very strange, "Who does the old turtle think he is? He has the audacity to be this rude to the Empress Dowager." He had another thought, "The way the old turtle speak is so unpleasant, most likely the Empress Dowager has always loathed him, why don't I seize this opportunity to argue with him? I am not able to escape anyway." He knew it was risky, but he recalled that he had recently rendered a great merit, the Emperor and Empress Dowager were very happy, killing one or two Xiao Guizi and blinding the eyes of old turtle Hai certainly could not be considered a great crime. If he was in a serious trouble, he could still ask his sworn brother Songgotu to intercede for him. If he lifted his leg and left, the old turtle could say anything he liked, since Wei Xiaobao had already escaped, naturally he was having a guilty conscience; and thus from being innocent Wei Xiaobao had turned into the guilty party.

    He thought further, "If the Empress Dowager ask why did I kill Xiao Guizi? I'll say ... I'll say, um, I'll say I heard Xiao Guizi and the old turtle Hai saying malicious remarks against the Emperor and Empress Dowager, I'll say that they have many, many opinions, which are very unpleasant to hear; I was really angry and was at the end of my patience, hence I picked up a knife and killed Xiao Guizi. I also seized the chance to blind the old turtle's eyes. As for the malicious words, I can always make it up later. Competing with hands and feet, I cannot prevail against the old turtle. Competing in telling lies and bragging, how can the old turtle be laozi's match?" Thinking about it, he was very proud of himself, immediately his courage grew and he did not wish to escape anymore. What he was most afraid of was that if Hai Laogong could not win the argument, he would leap and strike him dead with a palm, and then Wei Xiaobao would die an unjust death. Consequently, when he plead innocence in front of the Empress Dowager, he must stand on a safe place, somewhere the old turtle was not able to reach, someplace he could not strike.

    He heard the Empress Dowager said, "If you want to pay your respect, why didn't you do it during day time? You came here in the middle of the night, what kind of propriety is that?"

    "Your servant has a secret important matter to report to the Empress Dowager," Hai Laogong said, "During the day time, there will be too many ears. If someone hears about it, it will be greatly inconvenient."

    "Hear, hear! The old turtle is about to lodge a complaint," Wei Xiaobao mused, "I'll listen to what he has to say first. When he has said most of it, it won't be too late for me to butt in. But where should I hide?" Looking at the surrounding terrain, he chose a good spot. Step by step he crept to the back of rock garden by the goldfish pond. He thought, "If the old turtle pounce on me, 'Splash!' he would've fallen into the goldfish pond first, then I would dash into the Empress Dowager's room. Even if the old turtle has an enormous guts, he wouldn't dare to barge into the Empress Dowager's room to beat people."

    He heard the Empress Dowager snorted and said, "What kind of secret important matter? You may say it right away."

    "Does the Empress Dowager have anybody else by her side?" Hai Laogong asked, "What the old servant is about to say is a top secret."

    "How about you come in here and do the search?" the Empress Dowager said, "Your martial art skill is superb; don't tell me that you cannot hear whether I have someone else by my side."

    "Your servant does not dare to enter the Empress Dowager's room," Hai Laogong said, "May I inconvenience the Empress Dowager's holy self to step out of the room? Your servant has something to report."

    "Humph," the Empress Dowager said, "You are getting more and more audacious. Whose authority do you rely on that you dare to be this unbridled?"

    Listening to this, Wei Xiaobao was greatly delighted, he cursed silently, "Old turtle, you are more and more brazen, now whose authority will you rely on? You really dare to be this unbridled!"

    "Your servant does not dare!" Hai Laogong said.

    The Empress Dowager snorted again and said, "You ... you already do not have any regards of me, tonight you suddenly appear here, what kind of trick are you playing?"

    Wei Xiaobao was even happier, he struggled hard to keep himself from shouting several curses to help the Empress Dowager scolding Hai Laogong. He said in his heart, "Old turtle, oh old turtle, you have not lodged any complaint, you have already bumped into a big nail, you are attracting trouble for yourself. Apparently laozi does not need to personally go into action, just the Empress Dowager alone is enough to lash her tongue on you and drive you away."

    He heard Hai Laogong said, "It's all right if the Empress Dowager does not wish to know any news about that person, your servant is leaving!"

    Wei Xiaobao was delighted, he said in his heart, "Go well, go delightfully, go with the blowing wind[2]. Quickly roll away, you, mother of a bastard! Why would the Empress Dowager wants to know any news about me?"

    But he heard the Empress Dowager said, "What news do you have for me?"

    "The news from Mount Wutai[3]!" Hai Laogong said.

    "Mount Wutai? You ... what are you talking about?" the Empress Dowager said. Her voice trembled slightly.

    Under the moonlight Wei Xiaobao saw Hai Laogong stretch out a hand and poke, Rui Chu collapsed immediately. He was startled and was grieved in his heart; he thought, "The old turtle has killed this little miss. When I tell her later, the Empress Dowager will be angrier. It will be extremely difficult for the old turtle to bring up a charge against me."

    He heard the Empress Dowager asked, "You ... whom did you harm?"

    "It's a little palace maid serving the Empress Dowager," Hai Laogong replied, "Your servant does not dare to harm her, I only sealed her acupoint so that she won't hear our conversation."

    Wei Xiaobao was relieved, "Turns out the old turtle did not kill her!" Yet in the deepest part of his heart there was a faint feeling of disappointment; Hai Laogong did not kill the little palace maid, his own plight could not be considered favorable.

    "Mount Wutai?" the Empress Dowager asked again, "Why did you mention Mount Wutai?"

    Hai Laogong said, "If Empress Dowager wants to know the details, I will have no choice but to ask your holy self to come out. It's the middle of the night, your servant cannot enter the Empress Dowager room; if I speak loudly here, this secret matter will be heard by the palace maids and the court eunuchs, then it won't be fun." The Empress Dowager hesitated for a moment and then said, "Fine!" The sound of door opening was heard, with a graceful steps she walked out of the room.

    Wei Xiaobao pulled back behind the rockery, he mused, "Old turtle Hai cannot see me, but the Empress Dowager is not blind." He did not dare to stick out his neck and look around. When the Empress Dowager came out, he caught of a glimpse of her and noticed that she was not tall and somewhat short and stout. He had seen the Empress Dowager twice, but both times she was sitting down.

    He heard the Empress Dowager said, "You said a moment ago that he went to Mount Wutai, is that ... is that true?"

    Hai Laogong said, "Your servant did not say anything about anybody going to Mount Wutai. Your servant only said 'Mount Wutai'. Perhaps there is someone whom the Empress Dowager cares very much?"

    The Empress Dowager paused for a moment and then said, "Very well, let's just say that you did say that way. He ... he ... that person ... what is he doing on Mount Wutai? Is he in the temple?" Originally, her voice was very calm, but since Hai Laogong mentioned someone on Mount Wutai, she became flustered and exasperated, as if her mind was very troubled.

    Hai Laogong said, "That person is indeed in the Qing Liang[4] Temple on Mount Wutai."

    The Empress Dowager let out a deep breath and said, "Thank Heaven and thank the Earth, finally I ... I know his ... his whereabouts. He ... he ... he ..." She said the word 'he' three times, and could not continue, because her voice was trembling violently.

    -----------------------------------
    [2] It's hard to capture the nuances of this: 去得好,去得妙,去得刮刮叫 'qu de hao, qu de miao, qu de gua gua jiao'.

    [3] Lit. 'five platforms', in Shanxi province, one of Buddhists' Four Sacred Mountains.

    [4] Lit. 'cool/refreshing'.

  20. #160
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    Default he he he... this update is interestingly slow compared to the previous.

    In new Zealand we call Australians convicts and they call us sheep shagers
    Ali Derhamy

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