✦ Chapter 35 – Xiang Yu (6) ✦
「Translator – Creator」
𒋝𒋝𒋝𒋝𒋝
[What, what did you say? The Hegemon-King massacred all 200,000 prisoners?!]
The elves of the world were aghast at Xiang Yu’s atrocity.
The Massacre of Xin’an, where Qin soldiers were killed, was bad enough.
However, this act of slaughtering the assembled soldiers from the six states was far more heinous.
And to make matters worse, he committed an even greater sacrilege.
[A red flower, symbolizing King Liu Bang, has bloomed on a branch of the World Tree?]
[ I-It’s true! Rumors are spreading throughout the land! The World Tree has chosen King Liu Bang, not the Hegemon-King, as the rightful ruler!]
The World Tree… a sacred tree that elves had revered and nurtured since ancient times.
Interpreting the omens by observing the blooming flowers on its branches was a centuries-old tradition.
And now, the news that a red flower, symbolizing Liu Bang, had bloomed on its branch spread…
[World Tree! It was I, , the Hegemon-King, who saved the world from the tyranny of Qin and restored order! How could you forget my benevolence and bloom a flower for that thankless, treacherous Liu Bang?!]
Enraged, he committed an unforgivable betrayal, unimaginable by elf standards.
[King Qing! Cut down that accursed branch immediately and set the World Tree ablaze! I, Xiang Yu, will not tolerate anyone who defies me!]
“What?! He’s burning the World Tree?!”
“I-Is that even allowed? Isn’t it a sacred tree to elves?”
“Uh, don’t ask me! I don’t know!”
The audience was in an uproar, their voices raised in confusion.
This command was another adapted result of Xiang Yu’s atrocities, which had been briefly omitted in the first part.
It was a metaphorical representation of him losing both legitimacy and popular support after killing his lord, King Huai of Chu, and beheading King Ziyue of Qin.
And as the situation escalated, the majority of the powers, excluding Chu, began to turn against Xiang Yu.
[Hegemon-King, you’re despicable! You never recognized my achievements in Pengcheng, and now you expect me to be loyal to you?]
[What? You’re the one who ordered the burning of the World Tree, and now you’re trying to shift all the blame onto King Qing? I’d rather join forces with King Liu Bang! ]
[Aaargh, Xiang Yu! You dared to kill my mother! Wang Ling will never forgive you as long as I live!]
The discontented Peng Yue, dissatisfied with his rewards, severed the rear supply lines of Chu.
King Qing, fearing reprisals after his falling out with Xiang Yu, betrayed him and joined Liu Bang.
And Wang Ling, a filial son who’d lost his aging mother due to Xiang Yu’s actions, vowed revenge, risking his life to fight.
As if things couldn’t get any worse, Liu Bang’s subordinate, the unmatched strategist Han Xin, started pacifying one region after another in Hebei, tightening the noose around Xiang Yu.
[Hahaha, Xiang Yu! While King Han may fall short in many ways, how can you ever hope to defeat him when you neither value wise generals nor recognize their achievements! Truly, yours is the bravery of a mere warrior and the benevolence of a woman!]
“No, this can’t be! Uncle Fan Zeng was right all along!”
“To think that Han Xin, who once crawled under others’ cuffs, turned out to be such a genius!”
“To have ignored Fan Zeng’s wise counsel and be driven to such a dire state…!”
The audience sighed as they watched Xiang Yu’s increasingly isolated predicament; they, who had exalted the Hegemon-King and dismissed Fan Zeng, now realized the accuracy of his foresight.
“No, there’s still time! He can just start listening to Uncle Fan Zeng’s advice now, right?”
“O-Of course! It’s not too late! Everything he’s done so far was because of the Heart Demon and Slaughter Calamity, wasn’t it?”
“Xiang Yu is still an invincible swordsman! If Fan Zeng guides him in the right direction, he can overcome his corruption and win again!”
Despite his self-inflicted corruption, Xiang Yu was still the hero everyone admired and rooted for from the first part.
Perhaps it was due to the inherent tendency of cultural consumers to be exceedingly forgiving of the misdeeds of characters they’ve grown attached to…
The audience, unwilling to abandon Xiang Yu, clung to a glimmer of hope. They believed the Hegemon-King of Western Chu could regain his senses, conquer his Heart Demon, and reclaim his former glory.
But even this hope was in vain.
Consumed by the Slaughter Calamity, Xiang Yu continued to disregard Fan Zeng’s advice, seeking to solve everything with violence, fear, and massacre.
[Kill anyone who collaborated with King Liu Bang, leave no one alive! Destroy their castles and burn their cities to set an example!]
“Aaargh, Xiang Yu! No! Don’t do this!”
“Listen to Fan Zeng, please! We were wrong!”
“Mindless slaughter isn’t the answer! With things this messed up, stop being so stubborn, you blockhead!”
The audience cried out in anguish.
The arrogance that had seemed admirable in the first part had finally become his undoing.
His habit of resolving everything with violence, combined with the Heart Demon, had blinded and deafened him.
And finally, Xiang Yu crossed the point of no return.
Deceived by Liu Bang’s counterintelligence strategy, he began to suspect Fan Zeng of colluding with King Liu Bang, treating him with disrespect.
…And watching his pupil, blinded by his own stubbornness and foolishness, blatantly blame his mentor for the consequences…
[The fate of the world is already decided. This useless old man wishes to return to a simple life as a commoner.]
Overwhelmed by humiliation and disillusionment, Fan Zeng resigned from his position as chief counselor and chose to retire to his hometown.
“Oh no! Xiang Yu, you fool!”
“What are you doing, Xiang Yu?! That’s just Han’s trickery! Even a child wouldn’t fall for it!”
“Apologize right now! Are you going to let Fan Zeng go like that? He’s your mentor!”
But Xiang Yu, who had seized the world with his youthful vigor, refused to swallow his pride. In the end, Fan Zeng, Xiang Yu’s strategist and mentor, died of illness on his way home.
In the original historical account, Fan Zeng died with regret, lamenting the futility of his efforts.
However, Phantom’s <Farewell My Concubine> presented a stark contrast.
To emphasize the irony of Xiang Yu’s narrative, he’d deliberately reversed the direction.
[O’ Heaven, please forgive the Hegemon-King’s sins.]
Sensing his approaching death, Fan Zeng composed himself and performed a final ritual.
With a pious attitude, he prayed for his disciple’s well-being and fortune to the very end.
[To fail to guide a youth to the righteous path is the fault of the elder.]
[The path of Chu’s ruin is all due to my failure to teach the Hegemon-King properly.]
[If there must be punishment, let it fall upon me alone. Do not blame the Hegemon-King who merely had the misfortune of having a poor teacher.]
“Oh, Uncle Fan Zeng…!”
“H-He’s worried about his disciple’s safety until the very end…!”
The audience wept, moved, as they watched Fan Zeng’s serene final moments.
Even the students who had once mocked him as a senile, outdated fool now sobbed into their handkerchiefs.
[Oh, how foolish I’ve been! Fan Zeng! Uncle Fan Zeng-!!]
And for a moment, even Xiang Yu, consumed by the Heart Demon, briefly regained his senses and showed remorse.
[I was wrong! It was my fault, my fault as your unworthy disciple! Please open your eyes! Uncle! Unnncle—!!]
“Waaah, Xiang Yu, you idiot! Why didn’t you do that sooner?!”
“See? What’s the point of regretting it now?!”
Scorn was heaped upon Xiang Yu as he wept before Fan Zeng’s coffin.
Thus, having lost his only strategist, the Chu army was driven further into a corner.
The Chu army lost battle after battle when the Hegemon-King was not present, and even when Xiang Yu won, the overall tide of war turned against him.
Slowly but surely, Xiang Yu’s forces disintegrated, and people began leaving him one after another.
But there was one woman who never abandoned him, no matter the circumstances.
Consort Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu’s beloved.
[Dawn, don’t come~ Let the foolish lovers overcome this calamity, Let the crimson sun not dare to separate them, Night, don’t leave~♫]
Beside Xiang Yu, Consort Yu played the pipa, singing “Don’t Let Dawn Come”, the theme song from the 1987 film A Chinese Ghost Story.
The audience was entranced by Rosalyn’s emotive voice, everyone straining to catch every note.
“Wow… she’s a really good singer.”
“Who is she? She’s so beautiful. Like an angel descended from heaven.”
“Man, I’m jealous of Xiang Yu. I wish I had a delicate, beautiful girlfriend like that instead of my tomboy.”
“Heehee, saying that with your girlfriend right next to you is basically asking to be murdered, isn’t it?”
“Ack! J-Just kidding! It was a joke, Julian! Stop pinching me!”
Rosalyn’s inherent pure beauty, her exquisite makeup, the acting and singing prowess she honed over days of practice, and her delicate dance moves performed stunningly.
Amidst blossoming flowers and silken drapes, the lovers held hands tightly, harmoniously blending song and prose as they confessed their love for each other.
[With my beloved husband, I raise my cup. Shall we drink and let our hearts guide us through the night?]
[I have sworn to spend my life with you; the red string of fate that binds us will never break.]
Their relationship, portrayed through beautiful and sophisticated staging, seemed like a match made in heaven.
But even this love, which seemed unbreakable in the face of adversity, was approaching its tragic fate.
Toot, toot~♪
Ting! Ding ding~♫
[Ah, that melody !]
[The song of our homeland! The song of Chu!]
[Sob, Mother! I miss Mother back home…!]
The Hegemon-King’s army, completely surrounded at Gaixia, faced the legendary “Chu song from all sides ”.
In this hopeless situation, Xiang Yu and Consort Yu sang together:
[My strength plucked up the hills ~♫]
[My might shadowed the world ~♫]
[But the times were against me ~♫]
[And Wu zhui runs no more ~♫]
[When Wu zhui runs no more ~♫]
[What then can I do? ~♫]
[Ah, Yu, my Yu ~♫]
[What will your fate be? ~♫]
[Han has taken all under heaven~ ♪]
[The only sound is the song of Chu~ ♫]
[The King’s spirit is broken~♩]
[What use is there for this lowly consort to live~♬]
{T/N- Wū zhuī is the name of Xiang Yu’s warhorse Zhui and Yu refers to Consort Yu}
Following the original tale, Yu Ji’s fate would have been to take her own life with a sword here.
But considering the sensibilities of the Heavenly Church, which sees suicide as a sin, Phantom altered the narrative slightly.
Slash!
[Yu Ji? What are you doing?!]
[I love you. I love you, my Hegemon-King.]
Yu Ji drew a small blade and cut her palm, letting blood flow.
In the context of the play, Yu Ji was a priestess who once worshipped the deities of a secluded shrine.
She had originally intended to live a life cut off from the mundane world, researching mystical arts. But she gave up all of that single-mindedly to be with Xiang Yu.
[Farewell, my Hegemon-King. Please, never forget.]
She murmured, chanting a spell she’d learned as a shamaness, her eyes filled with tears, a sad smile gracing her lips.
[That you were never alone. That there was always someone who truly cared for you.]
Whoosh—!!
A red glow that had been slowly emanating from Xiang Yu suddenly enveloped Yu Ji.
And in the next instant, she collapsed in his arms, taking her last breath.
The dark mana of the Heart Demon, which had been clouding Xiang Yu’s judgment…
Consort Yu had absorbed it all with her shamanic powers, sacrificing her own life to save her beloved’s soul.
[Ah, Yu Ji. My dear Yu Ji… I’m sorry. And I love you…]
“No!”
“Not Consort Yu, too! First Uncle Fan Zeng, and now Consort Yu! Sob, sob!”
Xiang Yu, overwhelmed with grief, pretended to kiss Consort Yu’s lifeless body.
The tragic kiss scene, obscured by his sleeve, caused another wave of tears to flood the already emotional audience.
…Perhaps that was why the people in the audience didn’t notice…
[Mmmph? Mmm, mmmph?!]
Consort Yu, who was supposed to have died saving the Hegemon-King…
Her shoulders twitched, and muffled moans escaped her lips, a look of confusion on her face.
✧❅✦❅✧
The 30-minute intermission arrived, following Consort Yu’s death.
The audience, blindsided by the unexpectedly sorrowful turn of events, couldn’t shake off the shock.
“Waaah! Xiang Yu, you stupid idiot!”
“Why did you stubbornly ignore Fan Zeng’s advice ?! If you hadn’t, Consort Yu wouldn’t have died!”
“Sob, sob! Mommy! Grandpa Fan Zeng and Sister Consort Yu are dead!”
Though many aspects didn’t always align perfectly, Fan Zeng’s loyal mentorship had been an established part of the story.
Consort Yu, who appeared for the first time in the second part, had shared a sweet romance with the Hegemon-King throughout the performance.
Who could’ve predicted that both would die due to Xiang Yu’s mistakes, a man who had seemed invincible ?
…However, not everyone was simply wallowing in sorrow.
“Sob, sob! Hey, you know what the most frustrating thing is?”
An academy girl, sniffing and weeping, spoke to her friend.
Blowing her nose, she said in a somewhat angry voice,
“It’s so, so sad and heart-wrenching… and that makes it even more enjoyable!”
“M-Me too! I’m angry, I want to cry, it’s so frustrating… but that just makes me want to see more!”
“Agh, it’s exasperating! Why does the anger make my heart race at the same time?!”
In fact, these feelings were not exclusive to just those two. Most of the audience shared a similar sentiment.
Despite the frustrating progression, often likened to choking on a sweet potato,
…the narrative was so well-crafted that it inadvertently awakened an appreciation for the capsicum-like allure of misfortune.
The bitter regret of the wrongdoer was both pitiful and satisfying.
…and the contrived bleakness offered a melancholic yet oddly gratifying masochistic pleasure.
“Grr, I can’t stand it! I want to see Xiang Yu kneel and beg Fan Zeng’s feet for forgiveness!”
“Yeah! And then Fan Zeng would just ignore him, pretending he doesn’t exist! And then, when his anger subsides, he’d slowly forgive…!”
“Why forgive him? It would be more satisfying if he never forgave him! Xiang Yu would beat his chest in regret as Fan Zeng turns his back and leaves! Khehehe!”
“Teacher and pupil is a good dynamic, but wouldn’t it be more fun to apply this to a romance like Xiang Yu and Consort Yu’s? Imagine how satisfying it would be to see cheaters and betrayers get dumped and regret their actions, bawling their eyes out.”
“Oh! That’s a good idea! I bet you could whip up an entire novel just from that concept!”
Although far from what Phantom intended, those who watched <Farewell My Concubine> that day inadvertently discovered a new genre.
…One that tasted like the fiery burn of buldak bokkeum myeon—tragedy and regret mixed.
— End of Chapter —
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