Chapter 6

Chapter 6 As I head back to my chambers, I remind myself that it won't be long before Long Feng realizes how stupid he really is. All the wheels are in motion. Now we just have to put together the final pieces of my plan. Even though I was nervous, I was not about to show it in front of the group of Dai Li agents I had gathered. Everything hinges on the performance I am about to give. I need their trust, but if I can't have that, I need to inspire fear. I have found that fear is a stronger motivator than trust, especially among those, like the Dai Li, who are used to operating along the shadowy edges of the rules. "The Earth King and the Council of Generals do not trust the Dai Li," I said firmly. "They imprisoned your leader, Long Feng. Next they will eliminate you. We must seize power at once. Our coup must be swift and decisive. The king and his generals must be taken out simultaneously. Then the military will fall under our control." I have captured their attention. Now this is it, the moment in which I establish control. I really have to sell this. "Long Feng has placed you in MY command

当我回到自己的房间时，我提醒自己，过不了多久，龙峰就会意识到自己有多蠢。 所有的轮子都在转动。 现在我们只需要把我计划的最后部分拼凑起来。 尽管我很紧张，但我不打算在我召集的一群戴笠特工面前表现出来。 一切都取决于我要做的表演。 我需要他们的信任，但如果得不到信任，我就得激起他们的恐惧。 我发现恐惧是比信任更强大的动力，尤其是对戴笠这样习惯于在规则的阴影边缘操作的人来说。 “土强王和将军会议不信任戴笠。”我坚定地说。 “他们囚禁了你们的首领龙峰。 接下来他们会消灭你。 我们必须立即夺取政权。 我们的政变必须迅速而果断。 必须同时除掉国王和他的将军们。 这样军队就会在我们的控制之下。” 我已经引起了他们的注意。 现在就是我建立控制的时刻。 我真的得把这个卖了。 “长风把你交给了我

while we overthrow the government. For some of you, it might be difficult and strange to ally yourself with a Fire Nation princess. But you must banish that prejudice from your heart." I believe that if I make an example of one agent, the others will follow. Yes, this one looks suitably nervous. I'll stare at him directly in the eyes as I deliver the final piece. "If I sense any disloyalty, any hesitation, any weakness at all… I will snuff it out!" The agent bowed to me, refusing to stand back up until I had spoken. It couldn't have been more perfect. They are all now my servants. "That is all," I said dismissively. The Dai Li hurried from the room, leaving only Ty Lee and Mai at my side. "Nice speech, Azula!" Ty Lee said. "Pretty and poetic, but also scary, in a good way." Precisely my intention. "I thought it went well," I replied. "But there are still a few loose ends—the Avatar, and my brother and uncle." I sent a message to Iroh's tea shop—making it look as if the note had come from the Earth King— requesting that he and Zuko come to the palace as guests of the king, to personally serve him tea. There was no way Iroh could resist such an offer.

当我们推翻政府的时候。 对你们中的一些人来说，与烈火国公主结盟可能会很困难，也很奇怪。 但你必须从心中消除这种偏见。” 我相信如果我让一个特工以儆效尤，其他人也会效仿。 是的，这个看起来很紧张。 在我交出最后一稿的时候，我会直视他的眼睛。 “如果我察觉到任何不忠、任何犹豫、任何软弱……我就把它掐死！”代理人向我鞠躬，拒绝站起来，直到我说话。 再完美不过了。 他们现在都是我的仆人。 “就这些，”我轻蔑地说。 戴笠匆匆离开了房间，只留下泰利和麦在我身边。 “说得好，阿祖拉！”泰·李说。 “美丽而富有诗意，但也很可怕，以一种好的方式。” 这正是我的意图。“我觉得很顺利，”我回答。 “但还是有几个未解决的问题——阿凡达，还有我哥哥和叔叔。” 我给艾洛的茶馆传了个信——让它看起来像是土强王写的——请他和祖寇作为土强王的客人来到宫殿，亲自为他斟茶。 艾洛不可能拒绝这样的提议。

The next day, I watched from the shadows as Iroh and Zuko set up tea in the palace tea room. I marveled at how soft and so pitifully domesticated they had both become. The once great general, who was called the Dragon of the West, and the Fire Lord's firstborn, preparing tea like servants. If my father could see his son… Well, no matter. Soon they will be back in the Fire Nation, or else they will be destroyed. At a signal from me, the Dai Li agents entered the room. "Something's not right," Zuko said, noticing their presence. Smart boy. Something is most definitely not right… for you! "It's teatime!" I announced as I stepped out of the shadows. "Azula!" Zuko cried. I could see the fear in his eyes. Still, he put on a brave face, stepping toward me as if he was ready to fight. A Dai Li agent quickly stepped into Zuko's path. The loyalty of the Dai Li is without question. They are willing to lay down their lives to protect me. Excellent. This unwavering allegiance will be necessary in order to complete my ascent to the

第二天，我从阴影中看到爱洛和祖子在皇宫茶室里摆好茶点。 我惊奇地发现，他们俩都变得那么温柔，那么可怜兮兮地驯服了。 曾经伟大的将军，被称为西方之龙，火王的长子，像仆人一样准备茶。 如果我父亲能看到他的儿子，没关系。 他们很快就会回到烈火国，否则就会被消灭。 在我的信号下，戴笠特工们进入了房间。 “有点不对劲，”祖科注意到他们的存在后说。 聪明的男孩。有些事情对你来说绝对是不对的！“这是喝茶时间!”我从阴影中走出来，宣布道。 “Azula !”Zuko哭了。我能看出他眼中的恐惧。 尽管如此，他还是装出一副勇敢的样子，向我走来，好像他已经准备好要打架似的。 戴笠的一名特工迅速拦住了祖寇。 戴笠的忠诚是毋庸置疑的。 他们愿意牺牲自己的生命来保护我。 太好了。这种毫不动摇的忠诚对于完成我的晋升是必要的

throne. Iroh calmly sipped his tea. He is better at not showing panic than Zu-zu. "Did I ever tell you how I got the nickname Dragon of the West?" he asked. I don't know which is worse: fighting Iroh, or being bored to death by one of his hopelessly longwinded stories. "I'm not interested in a lengthy anecdote, Uncle," I said impatiently. "It's more of a demonstration, really," Iroh insisted. Then he suddenly Firebended a blazing burst of flame from his mouth. The Dai Li scattered in all directions, and Iroh and Zuko ran from the tea room. The Dai Li and I chased them down the hall—and into a hallway that was a dead end. They were trapped! But then Iroh did something that surprised me: He used a lightning attack to blast a hole in the wall and jumped several stories down to the ground. "Come on, Zuko," he called from below. "No," Zuko said firmly. "I'm tired of running. It's time I faced Azula." "You're so dramatic, Brother," I said. "Are you challenging me?" Zuko glowered. "Yes, I challenge you."

王位。艾洛平静地喝着茶。 他比祖祖更善于不表现出恐慌。 “我有没有告诉过你，我是怎么得到‘西方之龙’这个绰号的？”他问道。 我不知道哪个更糟糕：是和艾洛战斗，还是被他那毫无希望的长篇大论烦死。 “叔叔，我对冗长的轶事不感兴趣，”我不耐烦地说。 “这更像是一种示范，真的，”艾洛坚持说。 然后他突然用御火术从嘴里喷出一股炽热的火焰。 戴笠四散，爱洛和祖子从茶室里跑了出来。 戴笠和我在走廊里追着他们，一直追到一条死胡同。 他们被困住了！但后来艾洛做了一件让我吃惊的事：他用闪电在墙上炸了一个洞，然后从几层楼高的地方跳了下来。 “来吧，祖寇。”他从下面喊道。 “不，”祖科坚定地说。“我厌倦了跑步。 我该面对阿祖拉了。”“你太戏剧化了，兄弟，”我说。 “你在挑战我吗？”Zuko继续。 “是的，我向你挑战。”

"No thanks," I replied, just as Zuko unleashed a powerful Firebending attack that was easily blocked by the Dai Li agents. They Earthbended a huge wall of rock to deflect the flames. Then the agents swarmed on Zuko, quickly subduing him. Seeing this made me realize that as much as I enjoy a good fight, I could get used to having a squadron of agents handling my enemies for me every now and then! The rest of my plan was quickly set in motion. With Katara and Zuko locked away in an underground prison chamber, I set the Dai Li to the task of arresting and imprisoning all the generals on the Council of Generals. At long last, I will soon sit upon the throne of the Earth Kingdom. We returned to the king's throne room, and this time he was there. Mai and Ty Lee took up their bodyguard positions on either side of the throne, and I once again lingered in the shadows. A short while later, the other two members of the Avatar's party—the tall warrior boy and the Earthbending girl—rushed into the throne room. As the two approached the king, Ty Lee and Mai attacked. The Earthbender managed to put Mai on

“不用了，谢谢。”我回答道，就在这时，祖寇发动了一次强大的御火术攻击，被戴笠的特工们轻易地挡住了。 他们用土弯了一堵巨大的岩石墙来转移火焰。 然后特工们涌向祖科，迅速制服了他。 看到这些让我意识到，尽管我很享受一场精彩的战斗，但我可以习惯让一队特工时不时地帮我对付敌人！我计划的其余部分很快就启动了。 卡塔拉和祖寇被关进了地下监狱，我让戴笠负责逮捕和监禁将军委员会的所有将军。 终于，我即将登上土强国的宝座。 我们回到国王的正殿，这次他也在那里。 麦和泰·李分别在王座两侧担任保镖，我又一次徘徊在阴影中。 过了一会儿，神通的另外两名成员——高个子战士男孩和御土术女孩——冲进了正殿。 当他们走近国王时，泰·李和麦发起了攻击。 御土师成功地让麦穿上了衣服