War Prisoner

Chapter 14

Wanyan Xu was infuriated; although he knew that Su Yi was lying, he had no means of proving it. Even more unfortunate was the feeling of having been cast from the clouds into a dark bottomless pit, never in his life had he ever tasted such bitter frustration. Grabbing a fistful of Su Yi's long hair, with malicious intent he said: "Is that so? Never mind, even the unfamiliar will become natural with practice; I [1] shall give you further instruction." With no further explanation, he again shoved his thing into Su Yi's mouth. Using one hand to clamp down on Su Yi's jaw, he relentlessly directed his shaft to charge violently around Su Yi's soft oral cavity.

Su Yi was not about to be outdone. Although in a disadvantaged position, he desperately searched for an opportunity to employ his teeth as weapons, trying to make contact with the thing that seemed so hard but was actually so vulnerable. Wanyan Xu's rage had not yet abated, with one hand he exerted all his strength into restraining Su Yi, with the other he kept rubbing and kneading Su Yi's chest roughly. Under his abuse, the two vermilion buds were swollen and throbbing with pain, but this did not soothe his anger. The wounds that had previously accumulated on Su Yi's body were reopened during the struggle, a few drops of blood dripped down onto the wet rim of the pool. He did not seem aware of his injuries, instead intensifying his efforts to resist Wanyan Xu.

What a trick of fate! Who would have thought that two people born to be adversaries could turn even the game of love and sensuality into a battlefield, resulting in a confused muddle? Regretfully, no matter how tough and resolute Su Yi may be, he was destined to be the one defeated. As Wanyan Xu's mood got increasingly more elated, Su Yi felt a gush of hot liquid squirt inside his mouth, before he even realized what had happened, Wanyan Xu made him turn his face up by tightly gripping his neck, forcing him to fully swallow all the *** [2].

After Su Yi realized the origin of this liquid, he immediately bolted to the edge of the pool and began to vomit, what little bile he had in his stomach was emptied out as well. Wanyan Xu looked on coldly as Su Yi's body, riddled with scars, was wracked with shudders and convulsions. An indescribable feeling of ease and contentment filled his heart. Gripping Su Yi's body, he laughingly said: "Since you find it dirty, I'll be generous to the end, you can have another wash." Giving Su Yi a mighty pull, the two of them tumbled together into the pool.

Su Yi's body was already frail from the weeks of maltreatment, and he had engaged Wanyan Su in a ferocious struggle for ages, in addition, the momentum of his fall into the water was fast. A sheet of black descended before his eyes, once again he collapsed in a faint. Wanyan Xu carried his body to the edge of the pool and propped him up. Using warm water from the pool, he delicately rinsed the wounds that had split open and were bleeding while also seizing an opportunity to take advantage of Su Yi. After toying with Su Yi for less than an hour he felt totally relaxed and delighted. Climbing up, he grabbed a bath towel and rubbed their bodies dry. Half-supporting and half-carrying Su Yi, he strode into his royal bedchamber, making no effort to hide their arrival together.

The three attendants, Zi Nong, Zi Liu and Zi Nan were in the middle of preparing the bed for their master's use, changing the bedding and lowering the curtains. The sight of the duo approaching caused them to stare so hard that their eyeballs nearly popped out of sockets. Zi Nong swallowed a few times, gathering her courage before audaciously asking: "my King, is General Su still alive?" Even before the sound of Zi Nong's voice had faded, Zi Liu hurried to interject: "your Majesty, please don't be angry. Zi Nong meant to ask if we should sent for guards to take him back to the jail for convicts condemned to death. The inner court [3] is a restricted place after all. Not only is he a foreign male, but he is also a prisoner of war, it is not appropriate for him to be here..." She could not continue with the rest of her speech, Wanyan Xu was glowering at them ferociously, as if he wished to devour them alive for their insolence. After a lengthy spell had passed, Wanyan Xu gave a chilly snort and said: "There is no need for you to be concerned with my affairs. He'll stay here tonight, It is indeed opportune that you are changing the bedding, fetch an additional set, make sure that it's made of thick warm material. As for dinner, I will not be going to the halls to dine with the Imperial Concubines [4]. Have it served here, and make sure to prepare more nourishing dishes. Humph... trying to die from weakness... I won't allow it!"

Although these words were uttered between gritted teeth, the clever Zi Liu could detect a thread of warm tenderness in the undertones. However it was too indistinct, whatever underlying feelings Wanyan Xu might have were merely in infancy. Looking at Wanyan Xu gaze intently upon the unconscious Su Yi as if he was peering at the first blades of spring grass showing through a blanket of snow, Zi Liu couldn't help but heave a deep sigh, a dark thought surfacing in her heart: "If his Majesty has truly developed feelings for this captured general, for the both of them, this could bring both good fortune or disaster."

Zi Nong had no such misgivings; beaming, she left to carry out Wanyan Xu's instructions. Wanyan Xu called Zi Liu over, bidding her to treat Su Yi's wounds. Only then did Zi Liu dare to ask, albeit with hesitation: "Master, will General Su be subjected to more harsh punishment in order to force his surrender?"

Wanyan Xu chuckled and said: "torture is ineffective against him; I have found a better method of tormenting him. From now on, there is no need to bring him back to the prison."

Zi Nan approached and said: "Master, a while ago, Lady Yin was crying piteously in the palace, it seems like the young Crown Prince has been up to some mischief. Her Ladyship said that she begs your Majesty's forgiveness for failing to take care of the Crown Prince and has to request that His Royal Highness's care be given to another imperial concubine."

Nodding, Wanyan Xu replied: "I understand. The Crown Princess [5] died young, I have been occupied with matters of state and neglected to guide Shuo Er [6] well causing him to develop a cold and callous personality. He's already so crafty and cunning at such a young age, how could Lady Yin control him? Send for him tonight, he will dine with me."

Zi Nan would sorely like to say that the Crown Prince was devious because he was always glued to Wanyan Xu, and had picked up that trait from his sire. But of course, Zi Nan would never dare to articulate such a thought. She [7] knew that the little Crown Prince Wanyan Shuo loved to spend time with his father; perhaps the royal palace would know peace only when he was with Wanyan Xu. After Zi Nan left to intruct the palace attendants to summon the Crown Prince, Wanyan Xu asked Zi Liu: "Were any battlefield reports received from Yu Cang? The king of Qi is fatuous, and none of the ministers that serve him is a talented field commander. Just relying on the Yangtze River to provide a natural defensive barrier is an exercise in futility. With Yu Cang's ability, he should be able to prevail without expending too much effort."

Zi Liu's entire face brightened, and in a joyful tone said: "Master's deductions are indeed correct. General Yu Cang sent messengers to say that they have reached Jiangnan. Some time has passed since he ordered those messengers to depart, so those cowardly commanders should have capitulated by now. Master once said that to conquer Zhongyuan [8] is your life-long ambition. It's only a matter of time before the Qi King and his court surrender and are executed. Master's great ambition will soon be realised." Her voice had barely faded before she head a moan emanate from above her head. Su Yi had awoken without anybody noticing, now, he propped himself up on one arm, twisting his body to the side, he made a "waa" sound, and promptly spit a mouthful of fresh blood onto the floor.

End of Chapter 14


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[1]: Wanyan Xu uses the royal "I" throughout this chapter

[2]: *** is the author/publisher's censorship, not mine.

[3]: Sometimes translated as harem but it was not just a place that housed the king's women and children. Chinese palace complexes were usually divided into courts, which were used for different purposes. The Forbidden City is considered to consist of two courts, while the Daming Palace had three. The Inner Court housed the living quarters of the emperor/king and his family but could also include some important government offices as well as gardens and banquet halls.

[4]: Here, Imperial Concubine does not simply mean a concubine that belongs to the king. It is a title. The women in the harem were ranked, and their rank determined what chores they would have to do (if any), their living quarters, the type of clothes they could wear, and even the types and quantity of food they were allocated. Different dynasties had different names for the various tiers of consorts, but generally Imperial Concubine was one of the highest tiers.

[5]: Wanyan Xu is referring to the mother of the current Crown Prince, his late principal wife. Presumably, she died before he ascended the throne, which is why her title is still Crown Princess instead of Queen.

[6]: The boy's name is Shuo. "Er" is tacked on to the back of a name to indicate affection and an intimate relationship. It is usually only used when the person in question is younger.

[7]: The author used the word 他 instead of 她 here, which would indicate that Zi Nan is a male. This is certainly possible, he could be a eunuch. However, there has not been any indication of this before (at least, not that I've noticed), and when the attendants were referred to as a group, the feminine term was used. So, I'm inclined to treat this as a typo for now.

[8]: Zhongyuan: the central plains of China, historically regarded as the heart of Chinese civilization. This is significant to Wanyan Xu because he would not have regarded himself as Chinese. At that time, being Chinese meant being of the Han Chinese ethnic group. Wanyan Xu is most likely a Jurchen (ancestors of the Manchus) while Su Yi is most likely Han Chinese. Their culture is distinctly different; as different as Chinese and Japanese culture today, for example. Wanyan Xu basically wants to conquer the heartlands of an opposing culture.