Chapter 273: Heading to Shaolin

The Empress grasped Qing's hands tightly.

Perhaps because Qing's hands were always cold due to her Demonic Arts, the Empress's body heat felt incredibly hot, almost scalding, as it transferred over.

"Seeing you like this, just as you were in your prime beauty... it truly feels like a dream. Yes, you see your mother before you. Is there nothing you wish to say?"

"Uh, well..."

Qing's eyes darted back and forth.

The Empress smiled benevolently.

"Yes. Speak freely. What is there to hesitate about between mother and daughter?"

"Then... could I put some clothes on now?"

"Tsk. What is there to be shy about in front of your mother? Yes, Sohal, it seems even after losing your memories, you are still ashamed of that body. Just as you always were..."

"Sohal... you say?"

"Yes. Sohal. It is the name you have forgotten. In characters, it is written like this. It might be the first time you've seen these characters."

The Empress traced the characters onto Qing's palm.

Qing could tell they were extremely complex with many strokes.

Sohal (소할). It meant a beautiful white snow bird carved from jade, a nightingale.

The grace of the Imperial Family begins with their names. As commoners could not dare use the same name, an Imperial Family member with a common name could unwittingly become a traitor charged with high treason in an instant.

Therefore, the Imperial Family, in consideration of the common folk, chose unique characters rarely used in everyday life to form their names.

"That aside... maybe some clothes first...?"

"Tsk, tsk. Are you truly so ashamed and embarrassed by the body your mother gave you? Truly, large breasts signify the maternity to embrace the world, and large hips are a blessing beneficial for fertility, yet why does the princess always try to hide and conceal them?"

"No, that's not it."

Qing wasn't ashamed of her body.

Occasionally glancing in a mirror, she found a fresh, thrilling beauty there that elicited admiration every time.

She could even understand that foreign god, Mr. Na, who supposedly drove his mother mad by staring only at his reflection in the stream year-round.[^(Refers to Narcissus from Greek mythology)]

So, it wasn't shame that made her want to cover up; it was simply the awkwardness and embarrassment of being stark naked in front of a stranger.

Especially when that stranger, who had suddenly appeared claiming to be her mother, was scrutinizing her thoroughly, as if engraving every fine hair into her memory with the most heart-wrenching gaze imaginable.

"Is it so awkward? Don't you feel any affection even with your mother right before you? This mother, I wonder what this blood connection truly is, for I knew something was wrong the moment that imposter claiming to be you entered the palace."

The woman brought by those cunning nuns, claiming she was her fully recovered daughter, had an identical face and body. Yet, perhaps due to some sixth sense or a transcendent ability unique to blood relatives, she felt consistently awkward and strange, never truly seeming like her daughter.

Then one day, one of the court ladies attending the princess mentioned something truly bizarre: the twin moles beneath her breast had spread and joined together.

At that moment, her mind snapped alert, and simultaneously grew distant. Ah, she realized, those wicked nuns performed some evil trickery and brought in a monster wearing my daughter's skin.

If she had only one child, she would have risked death to fight the nuns to the bitter end. But terrified that her remaining child might come to harm, she suffered inwardly. The daughter she lost weighed particularly heavy on her dreams, so she had come to offer prayers.

Feeling stifled by the lack of news, she had opened the carriage window, and the moment she saw Qing, she unknowingly opened the door and stepped out.

Simultaneously, all strength left her legs. Forgetting the dignity of the Mother of the Nation, she stumbled hastily, falling with a thud, yet felt no pain as she scrambled to follow her daughter's form.

She recognized the majestic bosom and hips her daughter had detested and tried to hide since childhood, and the exceptionally thin waistline between them that looked like it could snap. But more than anything, it was because the face, the most beautiful face before the illness, was imprinted there exactly. Even though it had become even more beautiful, the image from those days remained.

Damn it. Why am I listening to this?

The more Qing listened, the heavier her heart grew.

Unintentional body snatching—though since the owner was already dead, perhaps 'transfer of ownership' was more accurate? Or picking up something abandoned? Roughly speaking, Qing was something of a corpse thief.

Faced with such a heart-wrenching, blood-boiling story, she couldn't help but feel increasingly uncomfortable.

Qing tried to change the subject.

"Uh, by the way, am I really of coming of age? I wasn't sure of my exact age, so I just insisted."

"Of course. You grew so remarkably fast from a young age, weren't you already taller than your mother by ten? I thought you were rushing to grow, trying to show me your mature form before leaving me so quickly. That's why, when you were ill, didn't I lament, saying if you wanted to be the most filial daughter in the world, you should live long, how could you try to leave before your mother?"

As the topic naturally circled back, Qing swallowed an uncomfortable groan, hmm, and let her thoughts drift elsewhere.

What, so, when I first came here... it's been five years now, so I was sixteen?

That was sixteen... hmm. No wonder my chest seemed bigger, it was prime growing age.

"Yes, how did you live out in the world? Clearly, what those wicked nuns said... yes, those devils didn't lie about everything. They said that once the grand ritual was complete, not only would you have a long life free of illness, but your martial talent would awaken, and if you learned martial arts, you would become the greatest martial artist under heaven. Your achievements have reached a level that even impresses the eunuchs, so wasn't it truly fortunate that you could protect yourself out there?"

"Um. I just... lived well, mostly."

"Tsk. Can't you tell your mother everything?"

Even so, she couldn't exactly say that getting beaten up by beggars was a daily occurrence, that she scavenged through food waste, and when that failed, ate any bugs, poisonous mushrooms, or leaves she could find in the mountains, and if even that wasn't enough, filled her stomach with water while living the life of a top-tier beggar.

"Uh, I struggled a bit at first, but I adapted quickly. Then my Master... ah, do you know Venerable Master Ximen Surin of the Divine Maiden Sect? She's the zenith among women. My Master took me in, and after that, I ate well and lived very well."

"So not only did the Buddha protect you, but the immortals helped as well. Truly, something to be thankful for. I shouldn't just offer Buddhist prayers, I must hold ancestral rites, yes, ancestral rites."

"Uh, you don't have to go that far..."

"No. They returned my dead child to me, what is there a mother wouldn't do? Yes, and what else? What else happened?"

"Uh, I made many friends, and traveled to many places. Ah, have you heard of Mount Hua? Actually, that Mount Hua wasn't that Mount Hua..."

Qing suitably played along, recounting the famous sights she had seen and heard about in the Central Plains.

She omitted all the hardships, hoping the Empress would hear it as if she had traveled the world in great comfort.

Of course, as if that would work.

It was obvious what kind of suffering a lady among ladies, completely ignorant of the world, must have endured. The effort to hide it was simply commendable.

"Yes. You said you know how to play the flute? Won't you play a tune for this mother?"

"Ah. Yes."

Qing grasped her Bokshinjeok and pondered for a moment.

She still hadn't been allowed to dress, and the extreme embarrassment she felt had somehow subsided a little now that she held the Bokshinjeok.

But why won't she let me put on clothes?

Is there some weird Central Plains custom about getting emotional while looking at your child's naked body? Some custom only the Imperial Family practices?

Of course, that wasn't it.

It was just that the Empress's mind was filled only with the memory of her daughter's body rotting away from a grotesque disease, and it was a mother's heart wanting to check if even a single scar remained anywhere.

Qing briefly considered what to play. Perhaps 'Parental Love'? Hmm, was that the title? Come to think of it, she didn't think she'd bothered to remember the title.[^The lyrics Qing recalls come from "어머님 은혜" (Eomeonim Eunhye — Mother's Grace), a beloved Korean song traditionally sung on Parents' Day. It expresses deep gratitude for a mother's sacrifices during childbirth and child-rearing. Qing incorrectly refers to it as "Parental Love" (어버이 사랑) and seems to blur it with "스승의 은혜" (Teacher’s Grace), a similar gratitude-themed song sung on Teacher's Day]

Thus, Qing inwardly recited the lyrics and brought forth the beautiful tone of the Bokshinjeok, a melody that listeners would call heavenly.

Forgetting all the pain of childbirth,
The heart that toiled day and night to raise me,
Teaching me to be true and righteous,
The wet and dry spots belong to my parents.
Ahhh, thank you for the gra...ce of my... Master?

Qing continued playing anyway.

The performance must go on.

Ahhh, I will repay, the grace of my Master.

After that, she was completely lost.

What? Where did I get lost in this labyrinth?

Why did the refrain become 'Master'? I don't think it went like that.

And 'thank you'? Or was it 'I miss you'? Ah, dammit. Whatever. There was no way to check.

Though no one in this world would understand anyway, the embarrassed Qing immediately transitioned to the next piece.

She played Carousel by Mr. Jo[^The "Carousel" by "Mr. Jo from a foreign country" likely refers to "Merry-Go-Round of Life" by Joe Hisaishi from Howl’s Moving Castle. The wistful melody and "Mr. Jo" (조씨) fit perfectly as a nostalgic memory from Qing’s original world.] from the foreign country—no, the Mr. Jo who would be born in a foreign country in the future—and then strung together a few famous songs from her vaguely remembered homeland.

"My goodness, when did you grow up so much? Of course, your body grew up long ago, but..."

The Empress started weeping profusely again.

Damn it. Making my heart weaken.

Still, what couldn't be done, couldn't be done.

Qing steeled her wavering heart.

If it were a complete stranger, someone entirely unrelated, she might have played along, pretending to be the daughter even if it was a lie.

Just look at her own senile Gramps, for example.

But she couldn't do that to the Empress, not while wearing the skin left behind by her dead daughter. At least, she shouldn't.

Yet her heart kept wavering.

Isn't this the same as with Gramps?

But does a corpse thief have the right?

In the end, unable to be cruel, she just played along, and time slipped away meaninglessly.

What saved Qing was Qing herself.

More accurately, it was her empty stomach, which roared with a fierce growl, furiously protesting that it was past dinnertime and hadn't been fed.

Grrrrrowl!!! (Feed me!!!)

"Oh dear, my daughter, you're hungry. For a mother to not even know her own daughter is starving. Oh dear."

And then the tears flowed again.

"No, it's okay. It always sounds really loud, but I'm just a little peckish. Really."

"No, that's not it. To be reunited like this by heaven's blessing, yet unable to even share a quiet meal with my daughter... I'm just lamenting my own situation."

"Uh, couldn't we perhaps dine together?"

The Empress, tears streaming, managed a smile.

"No. The affairs of the Imperial Palace are no small matter. Just holding onto you for this long draws attention. This mother lost track of time and acted foolishly. I wish I could say I recognized you because I am your mother, but that's not the case. If someone else were to recognize you, misfortune might befall you again, so we must part here."

"Ah. Yes..."

Am I free now?

"Yes. My daughter. Don't worry, just live well. See only good things, wear only good things, eat only good things, and wait in the most peaceful way possible. This mother will reclaim everything that should have originally been yours."

As she spoke, the Empress's eyes held a look so utterly vicious, she seemed like a peerless devil woman.

Startled, Qing hurriedly tried to stop her.

"No, you don't have to do that. I've already decided to live as Ximen Qing, a disciple of the Divine Maiden Sect-"

"That cannot be. To be born with the blood of the Son of Heaven is the Mandate of Heaven itself; if our daughter tries to avoid it, it becomes a great sin instead. How could this mother watch such a thing happen?"

"No, really, it's fine. I'm living extremely well right now. So please don't worry about it-"

"My daughter. Let me hold you before we part. Let me hold you."

It's no use. She's not listening at all.

I really hope she doesn't do anything foolish.

But along with the sense that no words would reach her, Qing had a premonition that this would stir up trouble in the not-too-distant future.

Even so, well. Ah, screw it. I don't know.

Qing gave up trying to persuade her and obediently burrowed into the embrace.

<Your support helps at Celestial Pavilion>

(T/N) : Not to toot my own horn (I totally am), but this translation flows better than Qing jumping from Mother’s Grace to Merry-Go-Round of Life. No MTL here 😌👌

Qing says it’s her fifth year and she was sixteen when she arrived, making her 21. But earlier chapters suggest she’s only in her fourth year. This might be a timeline slip by the author.

Also I have no idea if its the same princess from Chapter 132.