Chapter 166
Cui Xie had lived in the Ming Dynasty long enough that he could tell directions even with his eyes closed. But as the horse carried him further and further along, he started to realize something was off. If they were heading to the Xie Residence, they should be going north. Why were they now headed southeast?
The horse began to slow. Cui Xie poked his head out from the folds of his cloak and saw that they had arrived at a large estate. The main gate looked slightly aged, built in the typical ruyi-shaped style, with two small stone lions squatting at the base of the pillars. There were no lanterns hanging outside, and all was silent within, as if no one lived there.
Xie Ying dismounted, took out a key, and unlocked the gate, leading him in through the front entrance.
The residence was quite spacious, with a central hall built with three bays in width and five rafters in depth, flanked by side courtyards and a garden. Xie Ying left the horse in the outer stable and led him on a stroll through the compound, lifting a lantern to illuminate fragrant golden osmanthus, rootstock osmanthus, and chrysanthemums in full bloom. He asked with a smile, “What do you think? Pleasing to the eye?”
Cui Xie smiled. “Pleasing? It is more than a sight to behold, I could move in right now. Did you buy this place as a secondary residence, or is it because, now that you’ve been promoted to Pacification Commissioner, too many people come by your home with requests and bribes, so you’ve moved here to avoid them?”
Xie Ying smiled faintly. “My cousin’s wife and nephew will be moving to the capital within the next year or two. It’s not convenient to live together as uncle and sister-in-law, so I bought a residence in advance. I may move out here in the future. The place was just cleaned up a few days ago. There’s not much to entertain guests, no servants either, so don’t hold it against me.”
Cousin’s wife?
Cui Xie suddenly recalled that Xie Ying had once said he would pass his hereditary title of Colonel, now Pacification Commissioner, position down to a nephew. Could it be this cousin’s son?
Cui Xie let out a quiet “mm,” and said, “This residence is a bit toward the south of the city. If you move here, it’ll be far from your post. Why not have the womenfolk stay here instead? My family has young ladies and teachers who could help look after them.”
Xie Ying smiled and held Cui Xie’s hand, leading him toward the main hall. “It’s close to your place. If anyone’s moving, it should be me. It’ll make it easier for our two households to stay connected. My cousin’s wife has to bring a young child all the way from Nanjing, it’s better for them to stay in the family home where they’ll feel more secure.”
Not for the two households’ convenience, but for their convenience, right?
Cui Xie looked down at their intertwined fingers and suddenly felt a secret, giddy joy, as if he were a pampered beauty being tucked away in a golden house. He gently tightened his grip and asked in a soft voice, “There’s no one else here? Where’s the opera troupe? Didn’t you say you were taking me to a show?”
Xie Ying pulled him into the main hall, lit the candles in the lanterns to fill the room with warm light, locked the door behind them, and said with a smile, “I did say I’d take you to a new play, and I meant it. But it’s not a troupe’s new performance. It’s something I put together myself. If the performance is lacking, I ask the learned juren not to laugh at me.”
This, this…Xie Ying was too good at teasing!
Cui Xie’s face instantly flushed, his bloodstream practically 90-proof alcohol at this point. His heart raced and his eyes darted nervously around the room, waiting to see Xie Ying emerge in opera robes to perform for him.
But alas, Xie Ying didn’t change his clothes. Instead, he moved a chair to face a low screen draped in white cloth atop the altar table. In front of the screen stood two candle holders, each with curved brass reflectors on the outside. The candlelight bounced off polished copper plates, casting bright illumination on the screen behind. On either side of the screen were tall candle stands that further amplified the glow, lighting the screen brilliantly.
In that glowing light, Cui Xie could clearly see a pile of paper cutouts arranged before the screen. He immediately recognized one, dressed in a fifth-rank official’s robe and a cloak, clearly meant to be Colonel Xie, flanked by several guards, and others in costumes resembling scholars, civilians, and government officials from Romance of the Three Kingdoms. There weren’t any beauties among them, so it wasn’t immediately obvious what the play would be.
The characters were all painted on paper, but the backs were reinforced with thick card and mounted with small stands so the figures could stand upright on the table.
Even after living in the Ming Dynasty for years, Cui Xie still wasn’t entirely familiar with the local entertainment scene. Drawing on his memories of watching the Chinese New Year Gala, he guessed: “Is this… shadow puppetry?”
“It’s not,” said Xie Ying, as he lowered a painted sheet of paper over the top of the screen, a backdrop of neatly drawn streets. “I couldn’t afford to commission real shadow puppets for this. Since I couldn’t have anyone act it out live, I followed your stage directions from the opera script: made a curtain, propped up a few painted figures, and now I’ll perform behind it myself.”
“Isn’t this just animation…” — wasn’t this just like the paper-cut animation he’d watched as a kid?
Cui Xie blurted out the word “animation” without thinking. Xie Ying didn’t find anything odd about it; he pondered for a moment, thought the name sounded rather fitting, and accepted it with a smile: “Moving pictures, aren’t they? Animation–it’s a good name. Pity my figures are too crudely made to actually move. A fine name wasted.”
As he arranged the little painted figures in front of the screen, there was even a small bamboo horse-drawn cart among them, he spoke, “Most of these figures are cut out from 《The Story of Wang Yao and the Pipa》, but the play I’m performing for you isn’t that one. It’s a new production…”
He looked up and gave Cui Xie a smile: “How about 《The Tale of Young Master Cui’s Rise to Top Scholar》?”
This play told the story of a young nobleman from the capital who encountered a certain Colonel Xie of the Jinyiwei while traveling outside the city. After helping the Colonel capture the criminal Xu Zushi, he was honored by the Emperor. He later studied in the countryside and eventually passed the civil service exam to become the top-ranked scholar, the zhuangyuan.
Most of the character cutouts were from the 《The Story of the Pipa》, and since that script didn’t have a Scholar Cui, Xie Ying used a scholar figure from an older book, 《The Fragrant Diaries》, and copied Cui Xie’s features onto it based on his self-portrait. It didn’t really look like him, but because Xie Ying had drawn it himself, Cui Xie thought it looked absolutely perfect, so familiar, so endearing. He gently traced the ink lines Xie Ying had drawn and didn’t even know how to express his fondness.
A hint of pride appeared on Xie Ying’s face as he pulled Cui Xie to sit beside him at the table. He carefully positioned the little paper figures, setting them into place before singing a few lines, then moved them around, changed the backdrop, and sang again.
Most of the lyrics were borrowed directly from the 《The Story of the Pipa》. He trimmed out the couple and the black-robed thief, rewrote a few lines for Feng Yun, and turned the rest into a full opera. The lyrics were outdated, the blocking crude, and the paper dolls couldn’t fight or turn like puppets in a proper show. Honestly, even a roadside puppet troupe would’ve done it better.
But Cui Xie watched with rapt attention. Whenever two characters were meant to interact, he grabbed one of the figures and bumped them together like a child playing with dolls. He didn’t find it silly, on the contrary, he played along with enthusiasm.
Xie Ying had originally thought the whole thing was silly too, which was why he’d brought him to this empty house with no servants. But seeing how engrossed Cui Xie was, he forgot his self-consciousness and performed the entire little play in earnest.
The ending had Young Master Cui passing the palace exam to become zhuangyuan, with Colonel Xie coming to congratulate him. Together, they gave thanks for the Emperor’s favor.
After the final line, Xie Ying stood up, took a sip of cooled tea, and smiled: “It wasn’t a great production, but I gave it my best. I wanted to wish you an early congratulations on becoming zhuangyuan next year.”
But no, that wasn’t the true ending of the play.
Cui Xie shook his head. “I don’t have the natural talent. Passing the provincial exam this time was already thanks to good teachers and some personal diligence. I don’t think I’ll reach zhuangyuan. The ending of your play isn’t quite right, I think it needs a little revision.”
Xie Ying smiled. “Revise it? Doesn’t every scholar’s story end with becoming zhuangyuan? It’s fiction, after all. You write it to suit the audience. If he ends up with a low rank, even the performer feels it’s a letdown.”
Cui Xie nodded. “Xie-xiong is right. Plays ought to satisfy the audience. And since we’re at it, shouldn’t we also add the part I’d really love to see?”
He set down the paper figure in his hand, sat up straighter, and looked at Xie Ying with a steady gaze: “I want to hear the story where, after topping the exams, Young Master Cui marries Colonel Xie.”
The teacup in Xie Ying’s hand trembled slightly, water swishing inside, the sound audible. He slowly set it down, walked over under Cui Xie’s burning gaze and touched the corner of Cui Xie’s eye with a sigh: “But I didn’t prepare any paper dolls of Scholar Cui and Colonel Xie in wedding robes. How are we supposed to perform that part?”
Cui Xie closed his eyes with a faint smile: “Then why not make it Commissioner Xie and Cui juren instead? I even remember a line that would fit, should I sing it for you?”
Bold as ever, Cui Xie launched into the tune, entirely off-key but utterly fearless:
“You love me for my talent, I love you for your gallant heart…
Our youthful hearts aligned, forever never to part.”
Xie Ying sat quietly on the armrest, enduring the absurd tone, listening as he sang it again and again, off-key every time. Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. He pulled Cui Xie into his lap and kissed him deeply.
Forever never to part.
How could he not want such an ending?
How could he not want to fulfill his own still-young heart, to be with Cui Xie until old age?
He repeated that joyful chorus softly, again and again, nibbling at Cui Xie’s ear: “Next time, I’ll make two paper dolls in wedding robes and add that final scene.”
Cui Xie, flushed and breathless from the kiss, feeling as if he would breathe out sparks from the tension, murmured hoarsely, “Don’t bother with the dolls next time, just make two real robes, and sing it to me directly.”
If Cui Xie really did manage to become the zhuangyuan, he’d come dressed in full red robes to marry Xie Ying himself; and if he didn’t… well, then he’d wear whatever wedding robes the Xie family prepared.
Xie Ying’s breath caught. After a long pause, he answered softly, “All right.”
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It was just about the time it would take to watch a short play when Xie Ying brought Cui Xie back to the Cui Residence.
The next day, one of them had to sit in court to handle official business, and the other had to attend the Luming Banquet1, so they couldn’t stay up too late. Once they got home, they hurried off to bed. But though he was lying down, Cui Xie’s mind had been completely stirred up by the play. Even with all the alcohol still in his system, he remained in that strange state of drowsy excitement, tired but unable to sleep.
It wasn’t until near dawn that he finally dozed off for a short while, only to be jolted awake by a sudden thought flashing through his mind.
Animation!
Xie Ying had already made a cutout animation for him–how could he, a modern man, not produce a real hand-drawn cartoon for Xie Ying to see?
The Qing dynasty had slideshow picture boxes; you didn’t need electricity to watch moving pictures! And now he had pencils too, so drawing was easier than ever. If he could sketch a simple series of comic panels, wind them around a scroll like film, then have someone grind a piece of glass or crystal into a convex lens…
When he passed the jinshi exam, he’d make the device and perform a proper moving picture show of 《The Tale of Scholar Cui’s Wedding》–no, 《The Tale of Scholar Cui Marries His Beloved》for Xie Ying. Wouldn’t that be perfect?
Even if he couldn’t make it move, he could still draw it as a flipbook-style comic. And when the time came, they could make costumes matching the illustrations and dress up to reenact the scenes, cosplay would work just fine too!
Cui Xie was so excited he couldn’t stay in bed. He jumped up and grabbed paper and pencil to sketch out a rough draft. He didn’t know how long he’d been drawing when the sky started to lighten, and Cui Qi arrived with Little Songyan to knock on his door, reminding him to get dressed for the Luming Banquet.
Cui Qi, seeing the blush on his cheeks and the table full of sketches, praised him before even looking closely at the contents: “Young Master is so diligent! Up so early preparing? At today’s Luming Banquet, your poetry will surely outshine all others and win great honor for Academician Li!”
Oh no! The thank-you poem!
Cui Xie immediately tossed down his pencil, hastily gathered up his drafts, and turned slightly pale beneath his flushed face. He closed his eyes to summon up Li Dongyang’s old manuscripts from memory. He really couldn’t squeeze anything out on his own now. He had to look through his teacher’s past compositions as quickly as possible and hope he could borrow and adapt one!
Footnotes:
- Luming Banquet: was a grand celebratory banquet held in ancient China for scholars who passed the provincial-level imperial examination (known as the xiāngshì). It originated in the Tang dynasty, became widespread during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and lasted for over a thousand years. ↩︎
TN: Hi everyone!! I hope you guys had a great week ❤ I love these two and they are so sweet, I think the gestures they do for each other are so tender and thoughtful~
Announcement: We have set up a kofi and patreon account! If you would like to support us or get early access to advance chapters for Blood-Sucking Empress OR TMD OR my new novel, those options are available for you (in support us page)! I have just added a patreon tier for Transmigrating to the Ming Dynasty’s Imperial Examinations in which patreons can have access to a google document with ALL of my advanced translated chapters for the novel. Since I am a grad student, there should usually be at least 10 advance chapters in the document at a time, but depending on my schedules, there may be fewer or more. I’m currently extremely busy, but I have translated out some new chapters for you all! But, I will still post each week with the same schedule. Thanks!
Twin Dragons Translations 
Thank You for the new chapter（*’∀’人）♥
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