ATLAS TRANSLATES

The sound of chopsticks lingered, accompanied by a gentle melody.

“The strings of the zither ring with clear notes, a short song that cannot linger. The bright moon illuminates my bed, as the starry river flows westward in the endless night!”

Moonlight flowed, the night endless, as the zither strings sounded. Ling Yu deeply loved this poem – its flowing rhythm was uniquely beautiful, fresh and lively, bold and dynamic.

When composing the tune, she could envision the poet’s graceful contemplation and nighttime singing.

The ladies regretted not having dancers perform this poem for them, so Ling Yu simply took the initiative herself, playing the chopsticks and singing.

Jiang Wanyi was nudged by the lady behind her with an elbow. Her eyes sparkled as she sighed: “This year’s ‘Flower Goddess’… in previous years it was always Miss Chen who won. I want to know just how amazing Sister Luo is.”

Although Jiang Wanyi wasn’t present during the “Flower Goddess Selection,” she could imagine the sensation Ling Yu had caused. Some ladies sourly said Ling Yu only won because her dance was novel and caught the scholars’ fancy. But Jiang Wanyi knew that when the scholars selected the “Flower Goddess,” they wouldn’t only look at an unusual dance. The lady’s musical composition, her grasp of music, her choice of lyrics and stories… all these factors mattered.

The scholars chose the kind of graceful beauty worthy of being painted in a portrait of noble ladies, to be admired by future generations.

Now in the chamber, the chopsticks fell with clear sounds as Lady Luo’s long sleeves rose again and again, her chopsticks accurately striking the row of porcelain bowls before her. As she sang, her voice was gentle and flowing. At the same time, the melodious sound of an ocarina rose, like flowing clouds chasing the moon, lingering around the lady.

The lady lowered her head to strike the chopsticks, while the gentleman closed his eyes to play the ocarina.

The lady was lively, the gentleman elegant.

Left and right, the song, the chopsticks, and finally the ocarina joined as one, echoing through the rafters. Music best reveals when hearts are in harmony. This showed Lu Yun’s skill—truly worthy of being a contemporary scholar. Though he had never heard how Ling Yu would sing or strike the chopsticks, his ocarina joined later yet could slowly follow the rhythm and tempo.

Such a talented gentleman! A scholar’s bearing, excelling in music, chess, poetry and painting. He was “The Plum-Seeking Recluse” whom Ling Yu most admired.

Though her thoughts wandered, deep in her heart, Ling Yu had always loved someone with that proud, transcendent nature of the Plum-Seeking Recluse. And the scholar she admired happened to be Lu Yun. Ling Yu smiled, turning her face—the bright moon pearl below her ear rippled like water against her snow-white cheek. In her clear eyes was reflected the gentleman’s returning gaze.

The midnight stars hung in the sky, his eyes holding a hint of laughter.

The ladies: “Mmm…”

They were both excited by the wonderful harmony of song and music, yet disappointed by that same harmony. Some looked at Lady Luo, some gazed dreamily at Lu Yun, all with dimmed eyes. Jiang Wanyi was also in a daze, looking left and right, her heart filled with mixed feelings:

Lu Yun was indeed the acknowledged scholar of their time. Every time she came to the Lu family, Old Madam Lu would have Lu Yun teach her poetry and painting. But Lu Yun was so perfunctory.

…She didn’t even know he could play the ocarina.

The ladies had long noticed the subtle, ambiguous relationship between Lu Yun and Lady Luo. Earlier when they asked Ling Yu to invite Lu Yun, it was just to test. Now that they had their answer, the ladies were all somewhat unhappy. Only the youngest Miss Luo, Luo Yunhuan, sitting closest to her sister and future brother-in-law, drew closer and closer, her eyes growing brighter as she listened—

It sounded so wonderful!

When the song ended, Lu Yun lowered the ocarina from his lips as Jiang Wanyi walked over. The lady’s cheeks were flushed as she shyly looked at him with the adoring gaze Lu Yun knew so well. Just as Jiang Wanyi was about to praise Third Brother Lu’s skill, Lu Yun stood up. Still as noble and aloof as snow on a mountain peak, Third Brother Lu showed no extra warmth to the ladies even at home. Before Jiang Wanyi could speak, Lu Yun said coolly: “I leave tomorrow, and who knows when we’ll meet again. Let me offer cousin a cup of wine.”

With a glance from him, the quick-witted Ling Yu had already brought the wine.

Jiang Wanyi: “…”

She dazedly accepted a cup of wine from her Third Cousin, her cheeks burning red after drinking it. She sat down feeling dizzy, forgetting what she had wanted to say to Lu Yun. She only gazed at Third Cousin with sparkling, adoring eyes… as he went to toast the other ladies.

The young ladies of the family were overwhelmed with joy: In their lifetime, they actually got to drink wine offered by Third Cousin! Third Cousin never used to play with them, never paid them any attention.

Then the ladies grew sad: It must be because Lu Yun was leaving tomorrow.

Ling Yu’s eyes widened as she watched Lu Yun’s expressionless face as he took his wine cup from the leftmost side of the chamber, toasting all around the semicircle. When Lu Yun came before her, she stood up holding her wine cup. Lu Yun gave her an ambiguous smile and glanced at her. Ling Yu’s hand holding the wine trembled slightly as Lu Yun deliberately passed her by, continuing to toast the other ladies.

Ling Yu: “…”

The ladies nearby showed mocking looks in their eyes, then pretended to console her: “Third Cousin must have forgotten, don’t worry.”

Ling Yu sat down dejectedly: The show must go on completely. Since she had told the young ladies that she wasn’t close to Lu Yun, the petty Lu Yun was showing her what “not close” really meant.

Making things difficult for her on purpose!

Though Ling Yu kept complaining about Lu Yun in her heart, when Lu Yun came around toasting for the second time, she suddenly froze—This wasn’t Lu Yun being angry with her at all, he was trying to drink all the young ladies under the table.

There were too many ladies, all crowded into Ling Yu’s chamber with no intention of leaving anytime soon. Lu Yun didn’t want to talk much with his cousins, fearing that giving them any hope would make it harder to shake them off. While playing the ocarina, he had already thought of using drinking to substitute for conversation. Third Brother Lu’s scalp went numb for a moment—to drink down a group of ladies, how much wine would that take? He had no experience with this before.

Ling Yu dumbfoundedly became an observer, watching in shock as Lu Yun drank down one lady after another. Her little sister watching nearby was equally shocked, worriedly asking her sister: “Third Cousin… isn’t he leaving tomorrow? Will he be alright drinking so much?”

Ling Yu was very uncertain, nervously saying: “…He should be fine?”

She had never seen Lu Yun drunk before; Lu Yun never allowed himself to reach such a state. Thinking it over, Ling Yu still instructed her sister to get up and go outside to call the maids for sobering soup.

Among contemporary scholars, Lu Yun was probably the first to communicate with ladies through drinking. The gentleman offering and toasting wine remained as handsome and noble as ever, his movements and expressions refined and elegant. Due to the drinking, his jade-white complexion had turned slightly red, his eyes washed bright, growing increasingly brilliant, black and captivating. His eyes sparkled, and in the flow of his expression, that proud yet alluring quality made the ladies’ hearts flutter.

Just like a displaying peacock, spreading its tail feathers, impossible to look away from.

So the ladies continued to be entranced by his looks, giggling as Third Cousin Lu plied them with wine: Third Cousin was just too handsome. How could anyone look better the more they drank?

…

An hour later, the ladies who had been sitting in the chamber went down one by one, tumbling drunk, not knowing what time it was. When the last lady mumbled “I can’t… I can’t anymore” and fell, Lu Yun laughed heartily, threw away his wine cup, and staggered back two steps.

Ling Yu had already gotten up to fetch sobering soup at the door. After instructing the maids to drag away her little sister who kept looking back, with the chamber reeking of wine, Ling Yu had never seen such a terrible gentleman—knowing the ladies liked him, not giving them any chance to speak, drinking all the young ladies under the table.

But at the same time, Ling Yu’s tail wagged happily, feeling somewhat elated: Such a terrible gentleman had said he had her in his heart. She must be amazing.

Ling Yu and the maids helped up the miserably drunk young ladies one by one, having people send them back. Coming and going, receiving and sending people off, the maids who had come with the young ladies were shocked, not expecting their ladies to get so drunk just from attending a banquet. Ling Yu gently instructed them to take good care of their mistresses, sending down bowl after bowl of prepared sobering soup. The maids gave her grateful looks: Lady Luo was truly kind.

After all this busy work, when all the young ladies had been sent away, another hour had passed.

The maid Lingyu wiped the sweat from her lady’s brow in the courtyard, encouraging her: “Only Lu Yun is left, then everyone will be settled.”

Ling Yu waved her hand: “Lu Yun will be the hardest to deal with, I’ll handle it. You all go to sleep first.”

After fixing her appearance outside the chamber, encouraged by the maids’ gazes, Ling Yu took a deep breath and carried a bowl of sobering soup as she pushed open the door. She closed the door, blocking the prying eyes of the maids outside. Ling Yu took another breath, adjusted her mood, then turned back to face the gentleman behind her, putting on an angry act to settle scores with the drunk: “Lu Yun you troublemaker, causing problems for me again…”

She had to act like she was at a disadvantage.

She suddenly froze, because the situation before her eyes was different from what she had imagined. Earlier when she and the maids were helping the young ladies out, Lu Yun had been leaning against the wall rubbing his forehead, seemingly suffering from a drinking headache.

Afterwards, Ling Yu stood in the courtyard, playing the role of the delicate and pitiful young lady, sending the ladies away one by one.

In Ling Yu’s imagination, when she returned, she would see Lu Yun in the state of a drunkard.

He must be very annoying, a stinking man reeking of alcohol.

But what she saw was not like that.

The window had been pushed open, dispersing the thick, strong smell of wine in the chamber. Third Brother Lu sat on the windowsill, one leg bent on the sill, hand resting on his knee. He did seem somewhat unwell, eyes closed, head leaning against the window frame, face turned toward the outside. In the courtyard’s midsummer night, the clever young lady Ling Yu had planted many flowers.

When the window opened, fresh air flew toward Lu Yun, and those snow-white petals blown from the trees also rustled down, flying toward him.

Wind, dew, and moonlight, countless snow-like petals flowing in the moonlight. In the short time Lu Yun had been sleeping by the window, many flowers had already fallen around him and on his shoulders.

Fine snow drifting down from the moonlight… that youth sleeping in the moonlight and flower fragrance, buried by wind and moon.

“Crash.”

The sobering soup she was holding fell to the ground, the clear sound of breaking porcelain making Ling Yu blush as she crouched down to pick up the pieces. Her cheeks were burning hot, feeling utterly embarrassed.

It was just a man… her eyes fluttered upward as she secretly looked, seeing the gentleman by the window startled awake by the sound of her breaking bowl, turning his face to look at her.

He tilted his head resting on his hand, taking a while to recognize her before curling his lips in a smile, his eyes full of flirtatious charm.

Lu Yun lazily reached out: “Come here.”

Ling Yu assessed the situation: “You’re drunk, right? Let me get you another bowl of soup.”

Lu Yun chuckled: “Come here, look at the ‘colored clouds chasing the moon’. The clouds in the sky are moving so fast, it’s beautiful.”

Lu Yun’s logic was clear and his speech coherent, really not seeming drunk at all. Moreover, his mysterious talk of “colored clouds chasing the moon” made Ling Yu unable to resist her curiosity. The lady abandoned the bowl with soup spilled all over the ground, her waist swaying gracefully as she slowly walked over, leaning forward to look out the window: “What ‘colored clouds chasing the moon’… ah!”

The last “ah” was drawn out, because as soon as she came close and looked up at the sky, Lu Yun’s gaze was level, staring at her chest. As she leaned forward to look out the window, those increasingly full jade peaks trembled as if about to overflow like hills melting into water… Lu Yun expressionlessly reached out his hand and touched them.

Ling Yu’s legs went weak and she nearly fell sitting down. Fortunately there was a window frame, and Lu Yun kindly steadied her, letting her sit on the windowsill opposite him. The gentleman’s long arm pulled her over, pressing his forehead against hers as he laughed softly: “What are you ‘ah-ing’ about?”

Ling Yu’s nose and mouth were filled with his breath, waves of wine fragrance, but not rank or foul. One of his arms wrapped around her waist while his other hand remained on her chest, which she angrily pulled away.

Ling Yu mumbled “There are no colored clouds chasing the moon, you tricked me,” and Lu Yun said carelessly: “If I didn’t say that, how would you come over?”

Ling Yu’s beautiful eyes flashed: “Why did you need me to come over? You could have come over here.”

Lu Yun: “Too lazy to stand up.”

Ling Yu: “…”

He seemed a bit strange… the lady asked quietly: “Are you drunk or not drunk? Do you remember what you have to do tomorrow?”

Lu Yun seemed somewhat slow, lowering his eyes to stare intently at a certain spot. His gaze was already off, before he slowly raised his eyes: “Sitting in my arms, thinking about tomorrow, seems I can’t let you focus.”

Ling Yu’s face turned red: “…”

Confirmed, he was truly drunk! Though he was usually unrestrained, he wouldn’t say such things right from the start…

Not bothering to waste words with a drunk, Ling Yu was thinking how to pull him away when his lips came over and kissed hers.

With their foreheads already pressed together, the kiss was especially convenient. His cool nose bridge brushed against her, incredibly smooth, making Ling Yu let out a “mmph” as his hand kneaded her lower back, making her body move beyond her control.

The kiss was dense and intoxicating.

A moment later, Ling Yu was suffocated by him, pounding his shoulder and whimpering. Lu Yun finally pressed against her lips, his moist lips opening and closing as he murmured: “So fragrant…”

Ling Yu: “You rascal… ah!”

She cried out again because his hand had returned to her chest. But he only lingered there while his lips only touched her lips.

Lu Yun smiled: “Ah ah ah, what’s there to ‘ah’ about? One cry after another, already moaning so soon?”

Lu Yun’s voice was muffled as he gazed at her teasingly: “But brother likes hearing you cry out, be louder.”

Ling Yu’s cheeks were crimson, her whole body softening like spring water. Sometimes because of his hand igniting fires on her body, sometimes because of his uninhibited language. She finally understood – when Third Brother Lu let loose, the dirty talk was endless.

His peach blossom eyes teasing her again and again, his eyes full of passion, hooking her in as he kept kissing and sucking, endless entanglement.

…The usual Lu Yun was already quite frivolous, but compared to him drunk, the usual Lu Yun was practically a saint!

Ling Yu buried her face in his sweaty neck, trembling like falling flower petals.

Neck against neck, rubbing and bumping, lightly kindling fires. The lady’s neck arched high back like a swan’s neck.

Her waist was held even tighter, as if he wanted to pull her into his body. Her hands also trembled as they caressed his clothes, fingers tracing the patterns on his clothes, hooking over the ornate belt at his waist, her body burning hot, cheeks aflame. Not knowing what she wanted, only desperately craving him like finding sweet dew in a desert.

Both their clothes remained proper and intact.

Lu Yun’s eyes grew brighter with fire, only kissing her with dense, overwhelming kisses.

Ling Yu shyly turned her face away: “Brother Xuechen, don’t… don’t do this…”

In her heart, she thought, it would be fine to give herself to him.

In fact, premarital relations between men and women were common in this era, with few questioning intimacy before marriage.

However, Ling Yu discovered that Lu Yun seemed to care a great deal. Despite how much he teased her, he never took that final step.

Ling Yu suspected he was still hesitating, still uncertain whether to marry her. It was precisely this thinking… that made Ling Yu feel giving herself to him would be a good thing.

Then he wouldn’t need to test and struggle anymore, he would marry her.

The gentleman’s gaze was like fire as he looked at her, the desire in his eyes so obvious it made Ling Yu slightly rigid. His eyes were dark, like wolf light, different from usual, making one afraid. Ling Yu bit her lip, whimpering softly. Watching him seduce her with his gaze, looking at her inch by inch of skin. His eyes full of passion, Ling Yu’s mind went blank, feeling as if he was kissing her entire body with his eyes.

Looking and looking… but taking no action.

Ling Yu’s cheeks flew with rosy clouds as she lay on his shoulder sobbing: “Brother Xuechen… sob sob…”

The fire in Lu Yun’s eyes grew even stronger.

He couldn’t resist her seduction, lowering his face to kiss her brows and eyes to quench his thirst. The lady’s fingers tangled in his hair, sometimes light, sometimes heavy, like her fluctuating waves of passion. Blooming like a rose, her hairpin fell loose, black hair cascading down, her face extremely beautiful. She cried and sobbed, repeating over and over in melancholy: “No, no… no more…”

Lu Yun kissed her, and after kissing for a while, he curved his eyes and smiled against her lips: “Sister Ling Yu, you really are interesting.”

Ling Yu gazed at him with moist, passionate eyes.

Lu Yun smiled ambiguously: “What have I done to you, for you to cry like this? I haven’t even undone your sash… I’ve only kissed you, yet you cry as if I’ve done something to you… Sister Ling Yu, you’re acting so much today, when I really touch you, will you need to lie in bed for three days and nights to recover?”

Ling Yu: “…”

She was utterly embarrassed, then greatly annoyed.

…The usual Lu Yun was very annoying! Why was he still this annoying when drunk!

No, he was even more annoying!

…

Before flowers and under moonlight, the feelings between man and woman flowed.

He wouldn’t undress her, didn’t plan to sleep with her, yet complained her reactions were too intense? She had read those books found by the maids, that’s how other ladies cried out! This was called encouragement, didn’t he understand! Yet he scorned it!

This fool in a well looking at the sky, he really didn’t know how good she was to him!

…

Ling Yu pushed away this man with no sense of romance, her phoenix eyes rolling upward, giving him a little white-eye roll as she turned to leave.

Lu Yun pressed against her from behind, hugging her waist and laughing: “Why are you angry again… what for, always getting angry with me?”

Ling Yu snorted, not planning to say more. After all, he was just a drunk, words would be wasted. Her determination to leave was very firm, but Lu Yun was after all a man, embracing her from behind so she couldn’t break free.

Working up a sweat, working up anger burning higher and higher, working up Ling Yu about to explode… suddenly she heard his soft voice buried in her shoulder: “Sister Ling Yu, when I return from the north, shall we marry?”

Ling Yu: “…!”

She instantly forgot this person was drunk, instantly forgot she had just been thinking to ignore him. She immediately twisted around, her whole body pulled to his chest.

She widened her eyes, trembling: “What did you say?! Don’t you not want to marry?”

Lu Yun was slow to react for a moment, then sighed: “…I don’t want to. But Sister Ling Yu is different.”

He lowered his head against her face: “I have only one requirement.”

Ling Yu: “…This actually has requirements?!”

Lu Yun: “You promised me.”

Ling Yu: “When did I… oh, you mean that.” She remembered when she was selected as Jianye’s Flower Goddess and sought Lu Yun’s backdoor help, the three requirements Lu Yun had made.

Now, Lu Yun slowly repeated to her: “First, dance for me; second, kiss me; third…”

Ling Yu stared at him steadily.

Looking at him with her reflection in his eyes: “Third, don’t marry another man.”

Ling Yu gazed back at him.

He firmly defended this requirement, patiently waiting for her. Like this, Ling Yu doubted again whether he was drunk. But Lu Yun gave her such good conditions… as long as she agreed, he would marry her. And she secretly loved him in her heart, such requirements caused her no loss at all.

Ling Yu smiled charmingly.

She looked up, smiling: “I agree.”

…

She agreed that while he was away, she wouldn’t seek other marriages, she agreed she would wait for his return.

Even if he was drunk now, her agreement, he might not remember when sober.

…

Lu Yun smiled, holding her hand and kissing it: “Then let’s go see the ‘colored clouds chasing the moon’.”

Ling Yu coquettishly glared at him: “Didn’t you say you were tricking me? Now there are some? You’re not honest, never speaking truth.”

Lu Yun chuckled: “The same goes for both of us.”

…

Lu Yun stood with his Luo sister by the window, watching the quickly flowing clouds in the sky, seeing those clouds surrounding the moon as the moonlight grew dimmer.

Under the same sky, Lu Xian was writing furiously in his third brother’s chamber. While his third brother was intimately entangled with his beauty, exchanging tenderness, Second Brother Lu was miserably writing his long instructions into a letter, hoping Lu Yun would understand the dangers of this northern journey.

Tired from writing, Lu Xian fell asleep on the desk.

While sleeping, he had a very short dream.

The dream was of a night like this, but instead of Lu Yun drunkenly holding onto Ling Yu, it was after Lu Yun had seen group after group of well-wishers, when Cousin Luo came late. Their expressions, Lu Yun making Ling Yu swear not to marry another man.

Seeing this scene in the dream, Second Brother Lu couldn’t help but smile.

He turned over and fell down.

Because of turning over in reality, the dream scene paused and changed. Again that snow, that endless fog. But this time it wasn’t Cousin Luo crying out searching but finding no one. Rather it was earlier, when Third Brother Lu was dying, leaning against a mountain rock, head lowered.

In the dream, Second Brother Lu heard his third brother’s murmur: “If you forgot me… it would be good if you married someone else… I shouldn’t have required that of you back then…”

Lu Xian’s face turned ashen.

He only saw his third brother’s life slowly draining away in the wind and snow. He rushed over wanting to save his third brother, but he was only a passerby in the dream. He never knew what Lu Yun was thinking before his death.

…

The next day, troops left Jianye for the border. However, the military advisor accompanying the army was a half-drunk. This drunk left everyone speechless. Yet the drunk’s thoughts were clear and his speech logical, just that… his words and actions were quite unrestrained, completely different from the usual Third Brother Lu.

There were still many people sending Lu Yun off at the dock.

Ling Yu hid behind Zhou Yanling disguised as Young Master Zhou, her face red as she almost didn’t dare look at Lu Yun.

But Prince Chen was grabbed by Lu Yun’s left hand with instructions: “I leave my Sister Ling Yu in your care. You know what care means, right? Not telling you to marry her.”

Liu Chu’s face darkened: “…”

Second Brother Lu was grabbed by Lu Yun’s right hand: “You must take care of her too…”

Lu Xian’s face paled: “Third Brother, you should go quickly… the general is about to get angry…”

Finally sending Lu Yun off, due to his drunkenness, the parting became much less sad. Prince Chen Liu Chu stood with everyone on the shore, watching the boat sail into the distance, as the certain someone who had been talking endless nonsense on his shoulder finally left. Prince Chen sighed in relief, casually looking back at those behind him, about to speak to Ling Yu. Though knowing Third Brother Lu was leaving the next day, she still got him drunk.

Lady Luo was so clever – as soon as Prince Chen looked over, she lowered her head crying softly. Young Master Zhou patted her shoulder, gently comforting her while disapprovingly saying to Prince Chen: “Sister is already so upset, yet you still want to scold her!”

Liu Chu stiffened: …What had he said?! He had just seen the affection between man and woman, such harmony!