Queen of No.11 Agent 11 Chapter 10

Chapter 10 Just Started

In December, within the boundaries of  Western Shang Shen, the citizens were still in disarray. The Chishui wind rose, the wolves of heaven were desolate and  large amounts of gold spread through the earth.

It took place on the 20th, while the unrest intensified. Tens of thousands of Shang Shen’s people got caught up in the chaos of war. Shang Shen had a particular geographical position, settled down in the Western fief of the Bathu clan and the North of the jurisdiction of King of Yan.The year those two sides were in peace, the famine reciprocally shrunk. At that time, to control  Zhen Huang Imperial Capital , the Bathu Clan and the King of Yan sent out elite troops to restrain the rebellion together, but just on paper. They were just putting on airs. Victims of the riots were not brought relief, on the contrary, the problems became more and more intense. Official Xuehua delivered urgent news to the imperial capital, to solicit an assistance. Requesting for Zhen Huang to dispatch troops in order to put down the rebellion.

On December 27, the Xing Army currently worn out. Zhao Ming returned to his native land for the purpose of living in seclusion. Qin Tiangong wished to formally declare publically: they were in too much of a rush, Chishui contained ice and the Xing Army was used up, it was very ominous.

The Seven big powerful clans debated, on the same night, that they would dispatch the Huang Tian Troops toward Shang Shen to quell the Northwest Rebellion.

Later, the order was issued to Sheng Jin Gong. The Emperor read the issue and approved it.

At once, in Zhen Huang Imperial Capital, there was a major confusion about the rising news. Every major family grew anxious, their hearts turning ink black as the night. The undercurrents of the city surged like rapids deep under the ice.

During that time, Chu Qiao was at the North Pavilion within the thick dry patches of grass, carefully searching for the Soosan snake’s hole in the winter. Hearing the sound of a deep horn, she slowly stood up straight. Her eyes slightly narrowing, looking towards the South of Huang.That place was where Sheng Jin Gong resided.

The gathering of darkness was dense so it was difficult to walk on the night road.

The next afternoon, the heavy snow was cleared. Under the glazed tile of Qingshan hall, two lovely snow dogs sat on the snow dazzling under the fair, bright morning sun. Just last night the snow accumulated more than a foot thick. The servants who cleaned around the snow dogs, preserved the correct attitude and didn’t turn their head to look at the animals, because they feared that looking at them twice would get them into trouble.

They were covered with embroidery from head to toe. Wearing sable clips, pink flowered skirt,  delicate rosy silk ribbon tied at the waist, they stood on top of the white snow looking elegant and glamorous. A little girl appeared, she attended to the 4th young master all day long. 13 years old, with a thin waist and was beautiful enough to eat. When the girl  followed the lords she was normally meek but now she was somewhat arrogant. Her tone icy, having an aversion to the flimsy clothes that clung to the children, “ Watch them closely and keep them clean. The young master said these jade dogs musted stay impeccable. So long as you understand this, you better not let an ounce of filth on them. You despicable servants today can contribute to the 4th young master, don’t be lazy. If I come back later to see a speck of dirt on the silk, you all will be thrown into the Pavilion lake to feed the crocodiles.”

The children nodded at that and shrunk away to comply. Jin Si simply sneered before turning away to walk towards the warm greenhouse.

Even when the snow was done falling, the weather continued to get colder . Even using ferrets as heaters wasn’t useful. Not to mention  the children were only wearing thin shirts while they were  out in the snow. The child’s lips were frozen black.

Chu Qiao was just coming back from the Cong Lanshan Courtyard with a plate of fresh peaches, when she saw Jin Si  rushing from the greenhous.  She greeted her, noting her ruddy complexion. She tilted her head and said, “Big sister Jin Si, what’s the matter?”

“The 4th master is taking a nap, giving the peaches to me is just fine.”

Chu Qiao nodded with a radiant smile and handed over the peaches. Jin Si sneered before turning back around to enter the greenhouse. Maybe the door wasn’t firmly secured, because suddenly you could hear the sounds of fright  coming from the residence. Jin Si, flustered, put down the peaches and ran back out. All you could see was a colorful shadow flying out of the door, with pie resting upon her face. On her ice cold visage was a creamy stench.

As she ran, Jin Si looked down and unexpectedly detected one small Sasoon Snake. Holding it’s held up hissing at random. Immediately startled, she cried out in alarm before falling promptly on the ground on her butt.

Chu Qiao went into the room, only to see Zhuge Yue frowning, wearing a light green brocade garment. Sitting on a soft cot , she saw black blood oozing down of his wrist , apparently he was bitten by a snake.

She hurriedly ran up a few steps,  pulled Zhuge Yue’s wrist, picked up a fruit knife from the table, and started cutting his wound.

Zhuge Yue was about to get angry and wanted to speak, but he saw hat Chu Qiao only made a small cross on his wrist. She started to squeeze it a few times and put her mouth on it to suck up and spit out the blood. “Master please don’t move or the poison will spread faster. You, go fetch a doctor.”

In no time, a large number of slaves had gathered at the door. Jin Zhu, panicked and ran forward, pushing Chu Qiao out of the way. Kneeling before Zhuge Yue, he took his hand and cried, “ Master, how are you?”

“Go Away!” Zhuge Yue wrinkled his eyebrows before kicking Jin Zhu in the chest, “Bunch of useless waste!”

Jin Zhu traced his chest with his fingertips while crying out pitifully. Then she saw snakes crawling everywhere, more than 20, looking scary.

Chu Qiao quickly pulled out a candlestick and lit it on fire. Waving it at them, since they feared fire,then the snakes suddenly dispersed.

Zhuge’s doctor finally arrived and the crowd dispersed. The rest of the people in the Qingshan courtyard, gingerly knelt on trembling knees at the entrance, looking ashened.

Before long, the doctor comes out of the room, talking to one servant, “Who is the Xing girl?”

Chu Qiao stood up, she was short and her facial features were still immature, but she raised her hand, “ I am, sir.”

The doctor did not expect such a big child, and was slightly stunned. He pondered for a moment before speaking, “You, come in, okay. 4th master said that you should take some medicine and be examined with him.”

From the beginning to end, on both sides a hundred or so people were all frightened, looking up at Chu Qiao with hope. Chu Qiao looked panicked, kneeling quickly, knocking her head a few times outside the door towards the 4th master, before following the doctor inside.

The cold wind only reached the step. The Zhuge family’s people had a mind to quickly turn up the heat.

Shorty after, Chu Qiao went out  looking submissive. She didn’t have any arrogance on her face. When the doctor departed, Jin Si and Jin Zhu led several higher servants into Zhuge Yue’s room. Zhuge Yue was back in his chair with his eyes half closed, “Who served this courtyard today?”

Jin Zhu glanced a Jin Si, face ashened, before stammering “Young Master, um… yes…this slave…this slave just a moment ag…..

“Regardless,” Zhuge Yue interrupted her, “you know the rules here. I do not raise Idlers that do not work. Go down yourself and receive 30 planks, afterwards send my letter to the An Army Courtyard to get a new position.”

Tears flowed down Jin Zhu cheeks immediately, kneeling on the floor she cried loudly, “Young Master, spare this slave this time. This slave no longer dares.”

Zhuge Yue lifted his eyebrows and two burly men came up immediately, grabbed Jin Zhu and walked out.

“Who is the guard?”

Two male servants kneeled on the ground, with their whole bodies shivering. Wanting to live they kowtowed low on the ground. “Xiaode is guilty, begging Young Master let Xiaode go.”

Zhuge opened his eyes with a hint of something in them, “The two of you?”

With a little levity he said, “The two of you are always hitting others. Being the case, now go to the side of the courtyard. Each of you take a plank and mutually hit each other. When one dies, the other does not need to be subjected to a penalty.”

The room was deathly silent at that. Zhuge Yue felt a twang at his injured wrist and became upset, “Get out, looking at you makes me upset.”

The rest of the servants demanded pardon, so they all quickly drew back lest he changed his mind. At that time another small sound was heard, “Young Master, can this servant burn down the horned-shaped vines out of the several troughs outside the hall’s porch?”

“What did you say?”

The servants looked and saw a young maidservant, who just entered the Qingshan courtyard only two days ago, standing in the crowd. “Although it is winter, with the location of Qingshan courtyard next to a hot spring, the warmth attracts many  mosquitoes and moths. The vines are attracting the insects to form homes. This causes birds and rats to be attracted to eat the insects, which then attracts the bird and rat eats snakes. This is common general knowledge, the slaves should have already thought of it.”

Zhuge Yue frowned at this. Thinking about this carefully , “Who  shall be sent to burn down those vines down in the troughs?

Jin Si face blanched a that before gingerly speaking, “Young master, those potted flowers were sent yesterday by Zhu Guanjia. They are said to be a southern speciality. He said that young master might like it and made the servants place it under the room’s foundation specifically.”

“Zhu Shun?” Zhuge Yue coughed at that, narrowing his eyes. “This steward is getting more and more bold. Next time he will buy an dagger from the western region and will order you to place it on this Young Master’s bed. I think you would also comply to it.”

Jin si in surprise kissed the ground and kowtowed hurriedly, “This servant does not dare!!!”

Zhuge Yue glanced on in indifferent silence, starting to get up to leave before suddenly saying, “You, serve me later.”

The surround people gawked, no one knew who he was talking to. Zhuge Yue became impatient, knitting his brows pointing at Chu Qiao, “You.”

Everyone’s eyes immediately rested upon her while she respectfully replied “This servant obeys.”

Outside of the Pavilion, where the servants and slave were recently gathered, a blood-covered Jin Zhu thrown in a cart. After being beaten 30 times she was sent to the An Army Courtyard. Only fate knows when she will return.

Jin si’s cold back, hands, and feet were almost trembling. At that moment a sweet voice suddenly sounded behind her. She turned to see Chu Qiao smiling at her, “Jin Si Sister, in the future we will work together. Since I am too young to understand things, you have to take care of me!”

She didn’t know why but Jin Si suddenly felt a shiver down her spine. She looked at Chu Qiao, calmly saying, “We are all servants. We should take care of each other, that is how it should be.”

“Really?’ Chu Qiao smiled at that, “So, over there, the several children watching the jade in the snow, Big Sister Jin SI, do you give others a way out?”

Jin Si heart seeth with a little anger, but she nodded anyway, “Their time is almost up, they should disperse.”

“I’ll thank you for them in advance.” Chu Qiao happily walked towards where the children were, cold and blue in the face, before she remembered something and turned back, “If Jin Zhu and Jin Si could have been this kind on that day, Young Master would not have beaten Lin Xi to death. Therefore, one must cultivate good behaviour and a charitable disposition. Jin Zhu followed Lin Xi for three days before he died. Thinking of it, it was really cold back then.”

Jin si became startled at this, taking one step back before turning around to leave. Chu Qiao saw this, and quickly held her by the shoulders. Jin Si in great surprised yelled “What do you want!?”

Chu Qiao turned serious, her face didn’t have a trace of that smile that was previously on it, “Why are you so anxious? I want to return the plate of peaches to you.”

“Peach?”

“Now that you and me are no longer of different status, and I worked so hard to get these peaches, don’t you feel that I should personally go up to secure more?”

Jin Si was speechless.

Chu Qiao walked towards the greenhouse, then lightly said “ The mountain can not hide, the river flows east. People with hope who aspire. Some words can only be said once, some warnings can only be done once. Later, how to act, how to serve people……it will be your own decision.”

That winter afternoon, with the sunlight underfoot, the bright light punctured one’s eyes making the head hurt.

On that day, it was not an ordinary tranquil day. It was the 1st and the palace issued an order to exterminate all the rebels in Shang Shen. The Huang Tian Troops were leaving soon. The several powerful families were all vying for the position of Commander at this location. Fu Patriarch Zhuge, and various members of the Zhuge Residence, all of their big or medium were not handed over to the Xia Dynasty. They continued to manage them as well as their people for combat and schooling.

Also on this day, Zhuge Fushang 4th son Zhuge Yue was bitten by a poisonous snake. Although he was treated promptly, he still needed time to recuperate. Zhuge wasn’t old, but he was already a General in the Huang Tian Army. With his family background, he was able to control many officers, and assign them task.  He once led troops Northwest to Sharman to put down a rebellion. Whi his excellent skills in wushu, the people of Zhuge truly cherished him. He was an outstanding person. Other powerful families were quickly informed and news spread quickly. Zhuge Huai had to request a combat assignment for his younger brother. Many oppositions followed that proposition in Sheng Jin Gong. So that afternoon, when the physician from the palace arrive,  and the encroachment of the Zhuge Family on the Ministry in Huang Tian had quietly dispelled.

Such drastic changes were made. The branch families of the clan all came to visit. The Zhuge Residence was full of disturbance.

The same day of Zhuge Yue’s injury, the Zhuge Residence was full of drama. The maidservant that always served 4th master, Jin Zhu was a horizontal corpse, Two of the male servants mutually beat each other. One died  from his wounds, while the other became severely injured and died the next morning. Zhuge House’s housekeeper  due to a few pots caused the scorching of all the  potted plants. They were unwittingly hit  20 times with a board, still in the room, they sighed quietly with the support.

The mountain next to the hot spring, the Pavilion Lake with crocodiles, was once again greeted with three corpses that sank to the bottom. Letting the fish eat, but no one cared.

The dark rich, starry night was without light. Chu Qiao took Xiao Ba’s hand, burning the last little bit of paper money into the fire, “Take care, okay?”

Chapter end