Chapter 26: Exceptional Beauty at a Glance*

T/N: regarding the title “一眼倾城”: literally one look collapses cities. archaic: refers to a tale where a woman in power brought the state/country to ruin. current: describes a beautiful woman or a gorgeous design. it can also refer to a whole city setting out to do sth (eg. set out to war)

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The wind interspersed with drizzle, fell on the bluestone slabs, rapidly splattering like a flower.

They only just hid beneath the eaves, when the rain fell like a torrent, pi-pi-pa-pa[1], you could not see the silhouette of a person outside 10 feet[2], a curtain of rain was drawn between the sky and the ground, the wind blew at this curtain of rain like smoke, like mist, like dust, just as if it was pushing aside a light muslin drapery.

“Such a heavy rain!” Sang Chen raised his head to look at the downpour outside, his face filled with excitement, “Suzhou rarely sees this type of refreshing rain!”

Ran Yan silently looked at the silk shoes on her feet soaked in the rain water, in her mind she randomly thought of many things, completely acting as if the person beside her was non-existent.

After the time for about 3-4 cups of tea had passed, the rain still did not show any signs of slowing down.

Rain this heavy, the eaves were only about three feet wide, it could not really block much, the region below Ran Yan’s knee was quickly soaked with rain water.

If this continues, it would be better if she directly braved the rain and walked ahead, Ran Yan tore off the black muslin sticking to her body, turned to say to Sang Chen, “Hide here, I will go and look for Wan Lu, at the same time I’ll also buy two umbrellas.”

“This kind of matter, it’s better to let me go!” Sang Chen placed the tool box near the main entrance, said in an especially firm voice, “I’ll be right back.”

After saying that, without even waiting for Ran Yan to reply, rushed into the curtain of rain quickly like he was flying.

Ran Yan swallowed the words that came to her lips, she wanted to say, she would lend him her veil to act as a bamboo hat to block the rain, seeing the silhouette disappearing into the rain in a blink of an eye, Ran Yan muttered, “As expected, he really is a rabbit.”

After a short period of time, before she shifted her gaze, a person walked towards her from the direction where Sang Chen disappeared. Ran Yan originally thought it was that rabbit, Sang Chen, had some problem again, could not help but furrow her brows. It was not till that person walked within 10 feet of her, that she realised that he was holding an umbrella, she could not see his face, but he was not Sang Chen.

Wearing a broad-sleeved large robe, with a leisurely gait, as if taking a long walk in the rain, it looked slow but quickly he was already nearing her.

Before Ran Yan could react, that person’s oil-paper umbrella had already blocked her vision, she could not stop herself from taking a small step behind, her whole back already plastered to the red-lacquered doors.

The person below the umbrella seemed not to have anticipated that someone was standing at the entrance, seeing the soaked silk shoes below the skirt, slightly raised the umbrella to look at Ran Yan.

The man was wearing a black round-necked robe[3], his ink-black hair like satin half-draped over his shoulders to spread across his back, his skin white as snow[4], the bridge of his nose above his full lips was high, long brows slanting obliquely into his temples, his facial features were ordinarily carved, only a faint blue indistinctly shone through that pair of pitch-black eyes, resembling the cold depths of a millennium-old lake, one indifferent glace from him, it was as if you fell into an ice cave.

It was just that this glance made Ran Yan stare blankly, she had met many good looking people, to her, a person’s looks, was just whether their body’s bones and flesh was regular or irregular, if their epidermis[5] grew well or not, it did not influence her much, however, the person before her, every aspect was just perfect, if he was a corpse, Ran Yan would absolutely not have the heart to put a knife to him.

Ran Yan composed herself, forcing herself to discard her thoughts about corpses.

Although at a glance, the difference between this man and normal people was just that his looks was too handsome, but Ran Yan could determine that he had foreign blood[6], otherwise he could not possibly have those type of skin and eyes.

Their gazes met for only a moment, but it felt like a long time.

The man walked under the porch and kept his umbrella, acting as if there was no one else present, he raised his hand and knocked on the door, bang-bang-bang, the pattern of sound was very regular, the heavy sound seemed to be knocking on Ran Yan’s heart, causing to jump, making her even more nervous.

With a creak, the door opened, a little manservant stuck his head out, saw that there was a person there, politely greeted, “Pharmacist Su, good day.”

“En.” The man voice was ice old, just like his eyes.

He stepped a foot into the doorway, paused briefly and retreated back, and extended the umbrella in his hand horizontally in front of Ran Yan.

This was a plain oilpaper umbrella, it did not have any patterns decorating it, it looked very inauspicious, but dark purple umbrella handle was suffused with a faint glow, lending some measure of grandeur to the plain coloured umbrella.

“Many thanks.” Ran Yan did not reject, and reached out to take it.

The man who had been addressed as Pharmacist Su did not reply, turned and entered the doorway.

That little manservant looked at Pharmacist Su’s back, briefly muttered to himself, kindly rushed to Ran Yan and said, “This little Miss, do you want to come in to take shelter from the rain?”

“No need, many thanks for your kindness.” Ran Yan said.

Even though she adjusted her tone to her warmest, but when others heard it, it still seemed cold.

The little manservant in response did not ask further, retreated into the courtyard and closed the door.

Ran Yan bowed her head to look at the oilpaper umbrella in her hand, the umbrella handle seemed like it was black bamboo, and it seemed like it was not ordinary black bamboo, purple shone through the black colour, making her think of those pair of eyes.

Ran Yan had never held any other umbrellas in the Tang Dynasty, but she could be sure that not every umbrella was this heavy.

Ran Yan grabbed the sturdy handle. It felt cold, soft and sleek, as if giving testament to its precious value. Ran Yan held the umbrella in one hand, the other hand was just about to pick up her toolbox, suddenly she realised that she did not know the other person’s identity, when the time came whom should she return the umbrella to?

Thinking of this, she raised her hand and knocked a few times on the door.

After a moment, the little manservant opened the door again, seeing that it was still Ran Yan, he held on to his patience and asked, “What matter does Miss still have?”

“May I ask if I want to find Pharmacist Su later, where should I go?” Ran Yan said.

That little manservant furrowed his brows, assessed Ran Yan’s attire up and down, seeing that she was just wearing ordinary cotton clothing, thought that if Ran Yan was not attracted to Pharmacist Su’s out of the ordinary appearance, she was trying to climb the social ladder, his voice couldn’t help turning cold, and said quite rudely, “It’s just an umbrella, Pharmacist Su is the fiancé of our family’s Oldest Miss, my family’s Miss can afford to buy any number of umbrellas!”

Saying that, he swung the door shut with a peng.

The Miss buying Pharmacist Su umbrellas? Why, he must be a son-in-law living with his wife’s parents[7]… She did not know why, but Ran Yan’s heart had some regret and disappointment, a man with such an icy cold gaze, no matter how she looked at it he did not seem like he would be willing to become a live-in son-in-law.

Ran Yan knew that the little manservant misunderstood, thus did not seek further trouble, held up her umbrella and carried the toolbox and submerged into the rain.

The heavy rain fell onto the umbrella surface, pi-pi-pa-pa, it’s force was not small, making the originally heavy umbrella even harder to hold, in the past when Ran Yan had to dissect a corpses brain, it was not a problem for her to hold an electric saw single-handedly for half an hour, but her current body was of a noble daughter, compared to before it was weaker by a lot, therefore this journey was extremely strenuous for her.

Ran Yan gritted her teeth and persevered walking for a while, walking out of the alleyway, she abruptly came to a wide open space, not far off it was the East City’s main entrance. In the distance, she could see Wan Lu in a ginger-yellow ruqun with obscure flower patterns, standing under the eaves of the hospital.

“Miss?” Even though Ran Yan was still wearing her veil, Wan Lu could still recognise her with a single look, rushing into the rain to take Ran Yan’s umbrella and toolbox, she could not help exclaiming in surprise, “Where did Miss find this umbrella, it’s so heavy!”

“A kind person lent it to me.” Ran Yan walked under the eaves, reached out to wring her soaked skirt dry.

Wan Lu kept the umbrella, suddenly thought of something, said with soaring anger, “Did Mr Sang go back already? How can he abandon Miss alone!”

Ran Yan startled a little, “He did not come here?”

The East City’s main entrance lay just ahead when you exited from the alley, moreover Wan Lu waited below the eaves of the hospital that was very the near the entrance, there were very little pedestrians on the road, from afar Ran Yan could see her already, there was no reason that Sang Chen could not see her?

Wan Lu said with certainty, “I stood here over two hours, my eyes are almost worn out[8], if Mr Sang came here, it is impossible that I did not see him!”

Sang Chen was thin and tall, his looks outstanding, even if he walked in a crowd he would still be eye-catching, if Wan Lu did not see him, she was afraid that he really did not come here.

“Maybe he returned back first?” Wan Lu guessed.

Sang Chen said that he would buy two umbrellas while he looked for Wan Lu, even though he was terrified during the crucial moment, but Ran Yan felt that it was not to the extent that he would be so unreliable.

“Let’s wait first. I asked you to look for a place that can make needles, is there any progress?” Ran Yan said.

Wan Lu squatted down to help her wring her clothes out, said while wringing, “Originally I felt that the thing Miss wants is very strange, and thought that it would be difficult to find, who knew that when I asked at the jewellery store, it was something common. The shopkeeper said, some families when marrying their daughters off, their family financial situation is just ordinary, but wanting to put up a front, they would look for jewellery stores to hollow out gold threads and silver threads, the things made from them not only look good, but it also saves material.”

“How long does it take to make a single thread?” Ran Yan secretly said in her heart, you really could not underestimate the intelligence and craftsmanship of people from ancient times, many fine craftworks, in the modern era, she was afraid that no one could replicate it.

Wan Lu straightened up, gleefully dug out an embroidered case from her bosom, and handed it over to Ran Yan, “The shopkeeper originally said that he needed two to three days, but I said that I was a maidservant from the Ran family, adding to that my persuasive skills[9], the shopkeeper personally hammered out three for me.”

Ran Yan opened up the embroidered case, indeed on the red brocade inside there lay three silver-while small needles! Their size and ship, aside from the needle heads being slightly thicker than those in modern times, the rest were unexpectedly not too different from Ran Yan’s request!

“I followed your instructions, told the shopkeeper to make it stronger and harder, the shopkeeper melted some iron in it. Miss, have a look to see if it is suitable to use?” Wan Lu asked.

Ran Yan pinched up a needle, tested it, and said with satisfaction, “It’s suitable, not only it’s hardness, but its size and shape are all good.”

Ran Yan closed the case with its cover and handed it over to Wan Lu, ordering her to keep it safe.

One major problem resolved, Ran Yan’s mood became a lot better, even the annoyance Sang Chen caused her today, along with his current disappearance, was not important anymore.

Ran Yan was just about to discuss the matter of looking for Sang Chen with Wan Lu, when suddenly the streets rang out with the sound of hoof beats.

The horse carriage rumbled past in front of Ran Yan at a gallop, splashing Ran Yan and Wan Lu with water. Wan Lu saw that Ran Yan’s dress that was just wrung dry was wet again, at that moment her temper flared up, rushed towards that horse carriage and scolded shouting out, “Whose carriage is this! Splashing someone with water and leaving! Giving free reign to your horses when driving in the city is punishable with a beating, is there still the law in your eyes[10]!”

Wan Lu’s voice was extremely penetrating, the horse carriage really stopped, and turned around to drive back.

Ran Yan sighed in her heart, but hoped that the owner of the carriage was someone reasonable, if it was someone unreasonable, she was afraid that it would be difficult for today’s matter to be a success!

“Seventeenth Miss!” The horse carriage stopped, an outstandingly handsome face stuck out from the carriage window, separated by a rain curtain, looked happily at Ran Yan.

T/N: A person whose beauty affects even our coldly logical Ran Yan! Could he possibily be.. the male lead?! Haha I have no idea either.. we’ll just have to wait and see! >.<
Thank you so much to everyone who commented, it was lovely to see so many people enjoying this along with me. 🙂

[1] onomatopoeia for cracking, slapping, clapping, and clattering sounds. In this case it indicates the sound of the rain falling hard on the ground.

[2] 一丈: one zhang = 10 Chinese feet (3.3m)

[3] 圆领袍服: see picture

[4]肤白如脂: skin as white as fat. but that sounds weird, so I changed it to snow.

[5] 表皮: epidermis (upper layer of skin)

[6] 胡人: Hu people – refers to ethnic groups in the north and west of China in ancient times (Mongols/Tartars). Also used to refer to foreigners / barbarians

[7] 赘婿: A man who marries into his wife’s family, taking her surname, and their children would take their mother’s surname as well.
[8] 望穿秋水 (wangchuan qiushui): wangchuan means look through, and qiushui means autumn water (metaphor for a girl’s beautiful eyes). I’m just guessing that it means that Wan Lu looked till her eyes are worn out here.

[9] 水磨工夫: meticulous, time consuming effort (I translated it to persuasive skills just because it sounded better to me)

[10]眼里还有没有王法: she’s asking if the person obeys the law or not