Xia Niangniang - Chapter 1

Chapter 1.

The end of spring and beginning of summer is a time loved by many. The sun is not scorching yet warm, the tree leaves suffused with a tender green. In this kind of good weather, even the cat will sprawl lazily, softly mewing, tuck in its paws, and doze away in slumber, becoming a snow white mound. At least, the cat of the blind concubine's is like this.

The blind concubine hears the small sound of cat paws treading the ground, the tiny meowing sound of the cat's cries, hears the rustle of the breeze across its fur, and he can not help but smile.

He makes his way down the stairs, one small step after another small step to the middle of the courtyard. He carefully sits down in his rattan chair to enjoy this serene afternoon. The whole time he is smiling.

No one knows when the blind concubine entered the palace, nor does anyone know for what reason he is confined within the cold palace. No one even knows the cause of his blindness.

In the palace some will say that the blind concubine had a high fever as an infant to which he nearly lost his life. Afterwards, despite overcoming the sickness, his eyes could not see again. Other people will say that when the concubine first entered the palace, his eyes were beautiful and full of life but who knows what happened afterwards for his eyes to end up like this.

In the palace, servants and palace maids alike will bicker about the blind concubine's eyes but not one person can persuade the other. As time passes, not many people remember the blind concubine's name, because he is blind so they call him the blind concubine. Now, even the imperial wives call him thus and not one person can remember his name.

But all the people in the palace know that in the cold palace, there lives a blind concubine who has a snowy white cat. That cat is called Yu Li and Yu Li is the blind concubine's dearest treasure.

Yu Li's entire body is snowy white, not a single colored hair. Upon touch, it is the softest, most satiny thing to feel, even better than touching the most expensive silk cloth. Let's not mention its round penetrating cat eyes, almost as if they could suck in the very souls of people.

The blind concubine treats this cat as his most beloved to the extent of tucking into sleep with his cat in his arms. But Yu Li is a very mischievous cat, often escaping out of the cold palace. Once it decides to go, neither hide nor hair will be seen of it.

If Yu Li does not return by nightfall, the blind concubine will begin to fret, worriedly sending Xiao Bao out into the night to search for it.

However, the palace is big. Trying to find a person in the palace is already a very difficult task, let alone trying to find a cat. Xiao Bao will often leave with a frown on his face and return with the same expression.

"Master, we are barely able to feed ourselves yet you still have the patience to care for a cat."

At this time, the blind concubine will always close his eyes and beam, saying: "Yu Li is nice to have around. How cold and cheerless a place this cold palace is? With it as a companion, I am not as lonely."

As for food, the blind concubine, unable to bring himself to eat it, will save the best for Yu Li, much preferring that he himself starve.

Not many people in the palace have seen the blind concubine but the same cannot be said of Xiao Bao. Let us not underestimate him because of his small stature, but he is indeed a clever child. He will think of many ways to bring food back to the cold palace. When the weather turns cold, he will kneel outside of the house of the old administrator of palace interior(2) begging for the addition of a warm stove for the blind concubine, no matter if it is a used one nobody else wants.

Only thanks to Xiao Bao's warm stove were they able to endure the coldest days of the winter season.

The blind concubine fears the cold weather. Yu Li is fears it even more. One person and one cat will curl together, shivering in cold.

How can Xiao Bao not feel tenderness for these two? How can Xiao Bao not try his best, even when his own hands freeze from the cold and form blisters, when his blisters tear open and blood drips down his fingertips into the snow.

The other imperial concubines who like Yu Li want to raise it as their own so they prepare warm beds and dried fish sticks. Yu Li do not even bat them an eye and ignore the fish sticks, willing to live in the blind concubine's cold palace even in the coldest, harshest of winters faithfully by the blind concubine's side.

The palace people are astonished by this, saying that Yu Li isn't just an ordinary cat.

Xiao Bao thinks that the blind concubine does not cherish Yu Li in vain.

The blind concubine himself however knows nothing of all that goes around him. He cannot see and walking is difficult for him so he rarely goes outside. Xiao Bao tells him all that happens in the palace.

Whatever Xiao Bao talks, he listens. Everyday from morning to dark, he smiles.

Xiao Bao likes it like this.

When the blind concubine is happy, he is happy. He has neither family nor acquaintance so he can only care for the blind concubine.

The blind concubine likes Yu Li so he cannot help but dote on the cat as well. When Yu Li disappears, Xiao Bao runs the risk of being scolded and punished to go searching for it outside the cold palace, in the imperial gardens, in the imperial kitchen.

If he does not go, the blind concubine will stagger outside himself to look. He would much rather be the one to endure punishment than the blind concubine.

Winter is a faraway notion now that spring has ended and summer has come and how happy the blind concubine is.

In this kind of good weather, this sort of afternoon, the warm breeze coaxes people to sleep. The blind concubine lounges on the rattan chair, Yu Li content by his feet. No other afternoon can compare to this one. It is as if all the wonderful things have melted into this warm sunlight that pours down onto this tiny patch of earth.

The blind concubine does not know this but at this time, standing in the courtyard entrance, is a man watching him. That person's expression is very concentrated like he has been enraptured by someone, someone's sleeping contented face. And he involuntarily smiles, becoming a part of the warmth given from the sunlight.

The blind concubine also does not know that the person wears a robe of bright yellow. An exquisite pendant hangs from his waist, his face an appearance of calm. Behind him stands a long train of deferential and bowing servants and palace maids.

The blind concubine cannot see so how is he to know?

Xiao Bao on the other hand has seen and in an instant has fallen to kneel prostrate on the ground.

A wave of the man's hand stops him in midmotion.

Xiao Bao holds his breath in fear, secretly peering at the blind concubine as if this way he would sense the presence of the stranger.

The blind concubine lies suspended between sleep and wakefulness, basking under the sun.

Xiao Bao feels like crying. No one ever steps into the cold palace. Why, on today of all days, does someone come, someone like him?

Why does he come here? This is the cold palace.

How long has he been here? Why does he not speak? Why is he watching the blind concubine?

Xiao Bao has nearly fallen to hysterics.

The blind concubine, however, remains unconscious, unfeeling, a sweet, slightly lost expression on his face. Yu Li can feel the unusual shift in the atmosphere and opens its eyes.

Its clear penetrating eyes sweeps about the courtyard. It meows, arches its back, nimbly leaps past the crowd of people and is gone in a blink of an eye. Hearing Yu Li, the blind concubine begins to stir awake dazedly and rubs his eyes. Subconsciously, he claps his hands, crying "Yu Li." No response.

How can that be? Yu Li was there just earlier.

"Yu Li," he cries again, louder this time.

Like before, he receives no response.

He can sense that Yu Li is no longer there.

Why did Yu Li suddenly run off? The blind concubine cannot help but feel a tendril of worry.

He cannot sit still any longer. He cautiously stands up from the rattan chair and begins to grope about the courtyard, softly crying "Yu Li, Yu Li…"

As if this would call his precious Yu Li back to his side.

Xiao Bao kneels off to the side, seeing his master fumble steadily in the direction of the yellow robed man. However he can only watch in silent trepidation.

Please let nothing happen to him, Xiao Bao prays. That is not someone who can be offended lightly.

If by any chance, master displeases him, even if Xiao Bao kneels until both legs break off, he cannot save him.

The blind concubine can think of nothing else but his cat, oblivious to all else around him. His steps quicken, stumbling forward. The flagstones of the cold palace are paved unevenly and the blind concubine cannot see. His toe catches in a crack in the rocks and he is suddenly falling headfirst towards the hard, unyielding ground.

Xiao Bao cries out in fear. The yellow robed man takes a large stride forward, sleeves fluttering. The surrounding servants haven't even had time to make sense of what happened and the blind concubine is lying securely in his embrace.

The blind concubine's heart flutters like a bird, and he has broken out a thin film of sweat. How careless of him to nearly have fallen flat on his face! It's a good thing Xiao Bao caught him in time.

He leans against that broad chest. The ankle he twisted in his fall throbs painfully. It takes a while for him to come back to his senses. Something's not right.

This is not Xiao Bao.

Xiao Bao is small and thin and is not even as tall as himself.

Then who is this person?

Heedless of the pain in his foot, the blind concubine hurriedly pushes himself away from the other man's arms, "So-sorry.."

"No worries, just be more careful next time." The man's voice is soft, carrying no trace of anger.

The blind concubine relaxes.

"Who are you?"

"Me?" The voice pauses, as if thinking how to respond in a better way, "I am a bodyguard in the imperial palace."

"A bodyguard," the blind concubine nods, "Then how come you have come here?"

The voice pauses again, "I was sent somewhere on a mission but lost my way coming back."

"Oh, I see." The blind concubine nods again.

The man asks: "Does your foot still hurt?"

"A bit…"

"Let me take a look."

"Alright…"

This is the first meeting between the blind concubine and that man.

Afterwards, a very long time afterwards, when the blind concubine reminisces upon these memories, he will ask: "Why did you lie to me and say you were a guard?"

The man teasingly says: "Because you looked easy to trick."

The blind concubine will say indignantly: "I do not!"

The man raises his eyebrows in disbelief, opens his mouth, thinks for a moment, but then swallows the words that he was originally saying, "Oh alright, I concede."

Like their first meeting, the man's soft gaze concentrates on his lover. Never has it wavered in the slightest despite the endless passing of time. Regardless, regardless of the fact that he knows the blind concubine will never be able to see it.

cold palace- called the "leng gong" in Chinese which translates literally into "cold palace." This is a place where concubines or wives who have fallen out of the emperor's favor or have committed some transgression are sent to live out the rest of their lives in isolation.

administrator of palace interior- This is my own translation, or what I think the English equivalent would be, of the title in Chinese. It is the eunuch in charge of handling all the interior affairs inside the imperial palace(forbidden kingdom) as the name suggests.