Yingnu

Original Title: 鹰奴
Original Link: Raws
Release Year: 2011
Chapters: 77

Synopsis:
Because of some coincidence, the leader of the imperial bodyguards who was supposed to be executed by "the death of a thousand cuts" —— the Yingnu, Xu Lingyun, became the Son of Heaven, Li Xiao's storyteller, telling him the narrative inside The Historical Records of Yu. Alongside Xu Lingyun's narratives, Emperor Chengzu, Li Qingcheng's life story gradually appeared inside Li Xiao's mind: his misfortune on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival that made him have to leave the capital, the war against Xiongnus outside the Feng Pass, how he conquered the entire Western Plains without costing him a single soldier, the imposing army loyal to the rightful monarch's decisive battle on the capital…

The written and oral history gradually come to an end, while those secrets buried inside the history reappear one after another. Xu Lingyun's unexpected real identity, Li Xiao's confusing experience, Emperor Chengzu's Yingnu, Zhang Mu and Li Xiao's hidden connection… everything is quietly unveiled!

The history and narrative intertwine. Xu Lingyun and Li Xiao pursue one another, looking for themselves. In the end, during this turbulent era, amidst the golden spears, armored horses, and numerous fire beacons, who can stay loyal to themselves? Who can stay true to the truth? Who will get to obtain the rivers and mountains? And who will get to open up a new era?


Official Artwork:
Related Works(s): Let Go of that Shou, Joyful Reunion, Shan You Mu Xi
Translator(s):
Editor(s):
Previous Member(s):

Translator's Note:
Please read before reading! There’s one thing that we need to make clear now: This novel is not for everyone

  • Historical fiction drama. There’s no such thing as ‘love solves all the problems,’ in fact, this novel gives you a ‘very real’ atmosphere, and thus, it has a lot of political background and a darker… theme overall.
  • Ending is 1v1, MC is the bottom/shou. It does have a 2nd ML, though, and MC does have sex with him.
  • The main story ends in BE, but Feitian put a direct continuation on the Author's Note that shows what happens right after it, showing a hopeful end. Extra 2 tells about what happens around 2 - 3 years in the future.
  • Basically, the real ending can be HE or BE or OE depending on how you interpret it.

It’s categorized in a more serious side, and is way darker than Dinghai Fusheng Records or Seizing Dreams or any of Feitian’s translated novels so far. Also, this novel is one of his older works, so his writings might not be as polished, and some characters may feel less fleshed out.

This novel has a lot of historical and political backgrounds; the main characters have no golden finger whatsoever, so they have to make their own efforts to get what they want… and ancient times are not exactly known for their leniency. Sacrifices have to be made,and they're bound to place duty before feelings...

The emperors are really the emperors; they are bound to be ruthless and unfeeling, else they will not be able to rule an entire country. They also have a responsibility to bear children (there’s no MPREG here) so… yeah, they do have sex with their empresses, enough to pop exactly one child. They have no other concubines, though. There’s also a detailed description of MC doing sex with the 2nd ML... as early as Chapter 2. There's another one later on.

Slowburn with a lot of pining, both by MC and ML, throughout the entire novel. Fluff time is fleeting please cherish it T___T

A mention of self-mutilation and suicide in a later chapter. MC and ML are 11 years apart.

This is NOT a casual read. Read the warnings, read the warnings, read the warnings.


Regarding pronouns, if you see us using a third-person pronoun when a character is referring to themselves in their dialogue, it is intentional. 

People in ancient times, especially those inside the palace, rarely refer to themselves using the first-person pronoun (I, me, etc), especially when talking to people with different ranks; they mostly use the third-person honorifics like "this subject," "this son," etc. The same goes for directly calling the other with a "you."

To be honest, the raws omit the pronouns most of the time, and when they do appear, it’s usually them referring to themselves using the honorifics. However, we cannot use pronouns in English without making it sound weird, so unless it’s specifically mentioned otherwise, we'll settle with third-person...

Read more about honorifics here.

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Retranslation:

Translated Chapters: (Sort)
Latest chapter update is Chapter 55 - Li Chengqing on Sep 14th, 2024.

Volume 1: Escape At Night
Chapter 1 - Yunshu SwordSep 10th, 2020
Chapter 2 - Wuming SabreSep 10th, 2020
Chapter 3 - Brass FishSep 17th, 2020
Chapter 4 - Shadow Puppet PlaySep 24th, 2020
Chapter 5 - Butterfly ScarOct 2nd, 2020
Chapter 6 - The Historical Records of YuOct 10th, 2020
Chapter 7 - Embroidered Red BallOct 16th, 2020
Chapter 8 - Hejian CityOct 24th, 2020
Chapter 9 - Great Traces in the SnowOct 30th, 2020
Chapter 10.1 - Frozen Red Damask RibbonNov 6th, 2020
Chapter 10.2 - Frozen Red Damask RibbonNov 12th, 2020
Chapter 11 - Wild Cursive CalligraphyNov 19th, 2020
Chapter 12 - Arctic GyrNov 26th, 2020
Chapter 13 - Black Plum SeedDec 3rd, 2020
Chapter 14 - Poyue BowDec 11th, 2020
Chapter 15 - Cotton RosemallowDec 18th, 2020
Chapter 16 - Eagle-Calling WhistleDec 25th, 2020
Chapter 17 - Autumn HuntJan 1st, 2021
Chapter 18 - Xiongnu KingJan 8th, 2021
Chapter 19 - Fanhai HalberdJan 15th, 2021
Chapter 20.1 - White Huang JadeJan 22nd, 2021
Chapter 20.2 - White Huang JadeJan 28th, 2021
Volume 2: Interrupted Dream
Chapter 21 - Bamboo Chopstick TubeFeb 6th, 2021
Chapter 22 - Plum-Shattering FistFeb 21st, 2021
Chapter 23 - Golden Throwing FeathersFeb 28th, 2021
Chapter 24 - Colored Glaze JarMar 8th, 2021
Chapter 25 - Palace CornerMar 19th, 2021
Chapter 26 - Finger WhistleMar 26th, 2021
Chapter 27 - Falcon-Tempering StandApr 3rd, 2021
Chapter 28 - Hall of Brimming SpringApr 9th, 2021
Chapter 29 - Wine of YearningApr 18th, 2021
Chapter 30 - Ballad of the Western PlainsMay 1st, 2021
Chapter 31 - Pure Silver TokenMay 8th, 2021
Chapter 32 - Arresting LetterMay 21st, 2021
Chapter 33 - Lantern Festival FeastJun 15th, 2021
Chapter 34 - Tianzi BellJun 25th, 2021
Chapter 35 - Emperor’s RageJul 9th, 2021
Chapter 36 - Pleasant Night CreamJul 26th, 2021
Chapter 37 - Qinwang’s EdictAug 22nd, 2021
Chapter 38 - Matters of the PastSep 7th, 2021
Chapter 39 - Mt. Mei RoadSep 20th, 2021
Chapter 40 - Life-Ending CliffOct 4th, 2021
Volume 3: End of Banquet
Chapter 41 - Song of the Han RiverOct 31st, 2021
Chapter 42 - Black Armor LegionNov 15th, 2021
Chapter 43 - Liaoyuan HuoDec 5th, 2021
Chapter 44 - Fengyang ValleyDec 27th, 2021
Chapter 45 - Yulin ArmyJan 13th, 2022
Chapter 46 - Yingchao RidgeJan 31st, 2022
Chapter 47 - Beheading OrderFeb 14th, 2022
Chapter 48 - Yellow Brocade SealMar 2nd, 2022
Chapter 49 - Time of PartingSep 16th, 2022
Chapter 50 - Jiang CityOct 22nd, 2022
Chapter 51 - The Wolf TamerNov 25th, 2022
Chapter 52 - Heartbreak WineDec 31st, 2022
Chapter 53 - Life-stealing MissiveAug 7th, 2023
Chapter 54 - Sun-seeking ArrowDec 4th, 2023
Chapter 55 - Li ChengqingSep 14th, 2024