Once, I Was a Legend | Chapter 32 | The Meaning of Eight Treasures | Novela.app

When they arrived at the palace gates, Eunuch Babao was there to receive them, just as he had been the last time. Because of the Grand Princess’s passing late last year, the New Year’s banquet had been canceled, and all celebrations were kept simple. Today was the Lantern Festival, yet the palace had suddenly sent word for Ye Zhao to enter. The message Wei Feng delivered was: *It’s a holiday; come to the palace for a casual meal.* It sounded confusing enough when he heard it, but now that he was actually there, Ye Zhao felt even more bewildered—and a little bit panicked. Inside the side hall, the braziers were burning bright and warm. A round table stood in the center, laden with a spread of food and wine that looked, smelled, and tasted exquisite. The air was thick with the savory aroma of the feast. However, the focus wasn't the food, but the people seated around the table. There was the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince, both of whom Ye Zhao recognized. The Fourth Prince sat between Emperor Wei and the Crown Prince. Below the Crown Prince sat two other young men, who were presumably the Second and Third Princes. Pei Shian and Wei Xiyang were also present. There were seven people in total—no, eight, including Ye Zhao. "You've arrived? Come, sit," Emperor Wei said with a warm smile, beckoning Ye Zhao over the moment he entered. However, seeing that the only remaining seat was right next to the Emperor, Ye Zhao felt his face stiffen; he could barely force a smile. As Ye Zhao prepared to perform his formal salutations, the Emperor waved them off. "Today is a family dinner. There is no need for such stiff formalities." *Heh... heh...* *If it’s a family dinner, why am I here?* Ye Zhao gave a strained, insincere smile and walked over, resigned to his fate. The moment he sat down, the gazes of everyone else at the table fixed on him. The youngest, the Fourth Prince, looked at him with a mix of resentment and scrutiny that was almost overflowing. Ye Zhao thought: *I know I’m an eyesore! I don’t want to be stuck here either!* "Every New Year’s Eve, His Majesty eschews grand celebrations and spends it like this. You needn't be nervous," Pei Shian, who was sitting to Ye Zhao's left, said comfortingly. Ye Zhao managed a weak smile and whispered back, "I'm not nervous." In his heart, however, he was thinking: *You lot are as close as kin, you're used to this. What does it mean for an outsider like me to be shoved into the middle of it?* Pei Shian’s words reached the Emperor, who sat nearby. He nodded in agreement. "Indeed, the Duke of Anguo is right. Since I was a child, I have spent this festival with the two of them. Now, my four children have joined us." He sighed. "Time flies. So many years have passed, and now you are sitting here as well." *Huh?* Ye Zhao didn't quite understand the implication behind the Emperor's words. He only felt that the look the Emperor gave him was filled with a complex emotion—something like nostalgia, mixed with a hint of... fatherly affection? While Ye Zhao was shivering at his own mental conjectures, the Emperor began introducing his children. The older princes greeted Ye Zhao with outward friendliness. When it came to the youngest, the Fourth Prince, the boy simply turned his round little face away. "Hmph!" Finding himself unwelcome, Ye Zhao rubbed his nose awkwardly, deciding not to lower himself to a child's level. The Emperor smoothed things over with a few words, and the atmosphere relaxed again. He truly took the concept of a "family dinner" to heart; there were no strict rules about silence during the meal. From time to time, he would place food in Ye Zhao's bowl, showing all sorts of concern and chatting about anything and everything under the sun. Feeling the murderous glare coming from the child on the other side of the table, a drop of cold sweat slowly rolled down Ye Zhao’s forehead. "Uncle Emperor, I’ve really had enough..." Ye Zhao said, struggling to decline the Emperor’s well-intentioned attempt to stuff more food into his bowl. Halfway through the meal, his form of address for the Emperor had already undergone a staged upgrade—from "Your Majesty" to "Uncle Emperor." Ye Zhao felt truly overwhelmed by such favor. "Oh..." Emperor Wei nodded, acknowledging the refusal. Then he asked, "I saw you eating with such gusto last time. Why are you eating so little today?" *There was a last time?!* Seeing the shock and rising fury on the young prince's face opposite him, Ye Zhao felt a lump in his throat. *What is with this expression? You look like your dad just got caught cheating on you!* After his mind wandered briefly, Ye Zhao replied, "I had just finished eating at home when Commander Wei came to fetch me." "Ah, so that's it," Emperor Wei said, understanding the situation and no longer pressing him. Ye Zhao finally breathed a sigh of relief. That had just been an excuse. A moment later, he happened to turn his head and saw Eunuch Babao making a gesture to him from the doorway. "?" Ye Zhao tilted his head in confusion, then found an excuse to step out. "Eunuch Babao?" Ye Zhao called out tentatively as he reached the side hall's exterior. In the next instant, Eunuch Babao opened a ceramic jar he was cradling. A fragrance immediately rushed into Ye Zhao’s nose. His eyes lit up. "Eh! Isn't this the porridge I had last time?" "Shh," Babao signaled for him to lower his voice. "I just made this in the imperial kitchen. Since Young Master Ye likes it, I brought some for you." "Thank you, Eunuch Babao!" Ye Zhao was instantly delighted, his face breaking into a grin as if he had received a precious treasure. He spoke in a low, conspiratorial whisper that was somewhat amusing. Looking at the youth before him, Eunuch Babao couldn't help but be reminded of someone in his memories. That person had also loved the porridge he cooked. "Eunuch Babao, did you say you made this porridge yourself?" Under the eaves, Eunuch Babao, dressed in his dark formal head eunuch's robes, sat side-by-side with Ye Zhao. Though it wasn't as warm outside as it was within the hall, Ye Zhao felt infinitely more at ease. He felt that all the lavish dishes he had just eaten weren't nearly as delicious as this simple bowl of porridge. Sitting on the spread-out felt rug, Eunuch Babao replied leisurely, "Indeed." "Then what kind of porridge is this? Does it have a name?" Ye Zhao asked. A smile crinkled the eyes on Babao’s round, pale face. "Why don't you guess, Young Master Ye?" Ye Zhao looked at the ingredients in the bowl again. "Eight Treasures Porridge?" He had suspected it was Eight Treasures Porridge based on the ingredients before, but the taste was different from what he had eaten in the past, which was why he asked. The expression on Eunuch Babao’s face froze. He maintained his smile, but a flicker of earnestness rose in his eyes. "Why do you call it Eight Treasures Porridge?" he asked. Ye Zhao thought for a moment and replied, "Because this porridge is made by simmering eight different ingredients." Then, feeling playful, he teased, "Besides, shouldn't porridge cooked by Eunuch Babao (Eight Treasures) be called Eight Treasures Porridge?" He was quite amused by his own joke. A smile slowly spread across Babao’s face as well, though it was tinged with nostalgia and a touch of melancholy. Speaking of which, Ye Zhao suddenly had a thought. "By the way, why are you called Eunuch Babao?" As Ye Zhao tasted the porridge, Babao replied slowly, "It was a name given to me by a certain person." Ye Zhao guessed immediately. "Tianshu?" "You must use a respectful title," Babao reminded him with a helpless look. Fine, he just hadn't been paying attention and forgot. Ye Zhao gave a charming smile and changed the subject to hide his guilt. "He didn't give you the name Babao just because you're good at making Eight Treasures Porridge, did he?" That would be far too casual... Babao considered it for a moment and answered, "Yes and no. That was part of the reason." *Uh... so that really was part of it?* Ye Zhao almost couldn't hold back a laugh. But thinking about it more seriously, he stopped laughing and began to ponder in earnest. After a few seconds, he suddenly murmured, "Sharp eyes and keen ears, a sweet tongue and ruthless hands, fast feet and a loyal heart—that makes six treasures. If the porridge is the seventh, then the final treasure is...?" As a head eunuch who had served before the Emperor for so long, these qualities were indispensable principles of conduct. Ye Zhao gazed into the distance of the palace as he continued to think, unaware that Eunuch Babao had gone completely rigid beside him. Babao's eyes widened in a flash of shock and disbelief. His heart pounded rapidly. An unknown hope rose within Babao as he waited for Ye Zhao’s answer. "Ah! I bet the final treasure is Eunuch Babao himself!" Ye Zhao turned back with a look of pleasant surprise, only to see Babao staring at him blankly, motionless. Then, a single tear suddenly fell from the eunuch's eye. Ye Zhao was stunned, then panicked. He flailed his hands in distress. "You... what's wrong?" Seeing the confusion and helplessness on Ye Zhao’s face, Babao snapped back to his senses and wiped his eyes. "It’s... it’s nothing." Ye Zhao didn't understand and was quite dazed, but seeing that Babao had regained his composure, he didn't bring it up again, lest he touch upon a painful memory. Meanwhile, since Ye Zhao had left and not returned, the four princes in the side hall were chatting idly around the fire. Emperor Wei and the two dukes were in the inner chamber playing Go and talking. Playing Go was supposed to be a game for two, but Wei Xiyang had forced it into a three-person affair. "Wrong, wrong! You idiot! How could you play there?" This was Wei Xiyang, watching Pei Shian make a move. *Who exactly is the idiot here?* Pei Shian kept his temper and said patiently, "A true gentleman does not speak while watching a game." Wei Xiyang looked at him strangely and said righteously, "I'm not a gentleman!" *True, you aren't a gentleman; you're a brute!* Pei Shian no longer wanted to speak. Anyone who had been "guided" numerous times by someone who thought they were peerlessly clever—when the person in question was actually completely clueless—would be left speechless with frustration. "Pfft, hahaha..." Emperor Wei laughed unreservedly. He tried his best to hold it in, but the mirth on his face was impossible to hide. He suggested, "Duke of Zhenguo, why don't you play a round with me?" "No, no, no, this old official won't play. Go takes too much time; I can't sit still for that long," Wei Xiyang hurried to decline. Pei Shian turned to look at him. "I saw you having a grand time teaching me just now. Since I'm an 'idiot' and don't know how to play, why don't you take over?" In all the world, Wei Xiyang was likely the only one who dared to call Pei Shian an idiot. Choked by his own words, Wei Xiyang’s arrogance faltered. His commanding voice dropped instantly. "Ahem, you do it..." How could he possibly know how to play Go? Old General Wei was a martial official—a fierce, fiery, and short-tempered one at that. He had probably never touched a game piece in his life; he was just bored and shouting random directions. *** | Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 元宵节 | Lantern Festival | The 15th day of the first lunar month. | | 皇帝伯伯 | Emperor Uncle | An intimate term of address for the Emperor. | | 观棋不语真君子 | A true gentleman does not speak while watching a game | A common Chinese proverb regarding Go/chess etiquette. | | 莽夫 | Brute / Boor | A reckless or unrefined man, often used for martial types. | | 眼尖耳利 | Sharp eyes and keen ears | One of the "treasures" Ye Zhao attributes to Babao. | | 嘴甜手狠 | Sweet tongue and ruthless hands | One of the "treasures" Ye Zhao attributes to Babao. | | 脚快心忠 | Fast feet and a loyal heart | One of the "treasures" Ye Zhao attributes to Babao. |