Water soaked through the upper of his shoe, and a chill gradually crept over his instep.
Ling Yanhuai stood under the eaves, the glow from the glazed lanterns casting flickering light and shadows across his shoulders.
“His Highness Prince Ruining.” Seeing Ling Yanhuai, a eunuch trotted over to him and bowed respectfully. “The Empress invites you to join her.”
The eunuch’s etiquette was perfect, beyond reproach, and even carried a hint of fearful caution. Ever since the last palace servant who had been disrespectful to the Eldest Prince was severely punished by the Emperor and Empress, no one dared to act out of turn in his presence.
The eunuch expected the Eldest Prince to refuse the Empress’s summons, but after standing there for a moment, he actually saw the Prince nod in agreement.
Before Ling Yanhuai even stepped through the door, Prince Luo’s laughter reached his ears.
“Imperial Mother, I met a particularly beautiful girl in the Imperial Garden, though she was a bit lacking in worldly knowledge.”
“You should have seen her. The way she looked at the glazed lanterns was exactly like the way Snowy stares at a meat bone. She didn’t look very bright.”
Ling Yanhuai placed his hand on the doorframe, making a slight sound.
“How can you compare a young lady to that dog of yours…” The Empress stopped mid-sentence when she noticed Ling Yanhuai standing outside.
“Huai’er.” The Empress immediately rose to greet her eldest son, then realized her reaction might be a bit much and checked herself. “Have you eaten? I had the servants brew some health-nourishing soup for you.”
The laughter and lightheartedness in the room came to an abrupt halt at his appearance. Facing the Empress’s cautious gaze, Ling Yanhuai gave a slight nod.
Seeing him nod, the Empress immediately breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly ordered the palace maids to bring the health soup.
“Greetings, Imperial Brother.” Prince Luo followed the Empress to her side, a brilliant smile on his face. “You didn’t show your face all day. I thought you wouldn’t come because you dislike crowds.”
Ling Yanhuai gave him a brief nod without speaking and stepped further into the hall.
“Why are your shoes wet?” Under the bright candlelight of the hall, the Empress immediately noticed a damp patch on her eldest son’s right shoe. As if facing a great enemy, she urgently ordered the palace maids to bring fresh shoes and socks.
The palace maids swarmed around Ling Yanhuai, acting as if a bit of water might cost him his life.
Prince Luo stood by, his gaze sweeping over the shoes and socks brought by the Empress’s personal maid. He knew the Empress had made them by hand just a few days ago.
“I am fine, Imperial Mother.”
“How can you be fine? The Imperial Physician said you must not catch a cold.” The Empress kept her eyes fixed on the water stain on his shoe until Ling Yanhuai had changed into the new footwear. Only then did her tense expression slowly relax.
She looked around, her voice sharp with fury. “Where are the palace servants who were supposed to be attending the Eldest Prince? How could they not know his shoes were wet?!”
Seeing the Empress’s wrath, the palace servants didn’t dare to breathe. Only the personal attendants of the Empress and the Second Prince were present; none of the Eldest Prince’s people were there.
“Imperial Mother, I prefer quiet and did not wish for anyone to follow me,” Ling Yanhuai said, his words breaking the stifling atmosphere in the hall. “My shoes got wet because I was too absorbed in admiring the lanterns and stepped carelessly.”
The Empress looked at him with near-delight. It had been a long time since she had heard him speak so many words at once.
“You like today’s lanterns?” She took the health soup from a palace maid and, with a joyful expression, lifted a spoonful to Ling Yanhuai’s lips. “If you like any particular lantern, just have the palace servants take it down and send it to your estate.”
The soup was a bit hot. Ling Yanhuai swallowed a spoonful and then took the spoon from the Empress’s hand. “Thank you, Imperial Mother. I will do it myself.”
The Empress’s movements paused for a split second, but her smile quickly returned. “Very well.”
The time lost between mother and son was like a hole filled with wind; no matter how much she wanted to mend it, she could not pretend it didn’t exist.
“Imperial Mother.” Prince Luo sat on the other side, his smile bold and unrestrained. “What kind of Princess Consort are you planning to choose for me? I want someone beautiful.”
“Maoqiang and Liji were the beauties of their time; at their sight, fish dove deep and birds took flight,” the Empress chided with a smile. “I simply don’t know what kind of woman could qualify as a beauty in your eyes.”
“At the very least, she shouldn’t be inferior to the beauty I saw under the walkway.” Prince Luo tugged at the Empress’s sleeve playfully. “Imperial Mother, just grant me this and help me find a beautiful one.”
The Empress raised her hand, and a female official presented several small portraits. “These young ladies, whether in terms of status, character, or talent, are all suitable to be your Princess Consort.”
Prince Luo flipped through them casually. The girl who had been coveting the glazed lanterns was not among them. He put the portraits down and complained, “These paintings all show two eyes and one mouth. I can’t tell who is beautiful and who is ugly.”
“If there were one with three eyes and two mouths, you wouldn’t be happy either,” the Empress replied, half-joking and half-serious. “Besides, you’ve met these ladies before. Every one of them is a top-tier young lady, more than a match for you.”
Prince Luo continued to banter while tugging at the Empress’s sleeve, refusing to say which one he wanted as his Princess Consort. The room was filled with his chatter.
After finishing the bowl of health soup, Ling Yanhuai set the bowl down. His gaze drifted to the lanterns hanging outside the hall. They swayed in the dark night wind, bright and beautiful.
***
As the palace banquet ended, Yun Qiya, having admired all the lanterns in the palace to her heart’s content, followed her grandmother and Eldest Aunt out of the palace.
The Marquis’s carriage was not allowed inside the palace gates. Yun Qiya supported the Old Madam as they walked outside the Fu Xian Gate, where she found Helu waiting for her with two servants.
“Grandmother?” Yun Qiya was puzzled. “Why is Helu here?”
“Today is the Lantern Festival.” The Old Madam’s eyes were full of affection for her granddaughter. “You left the capital with your parents when you were seven. It’s rare to encounter such a lively day; go and have some fun in the city. There’s no rush to return to the manor.”
She handed Yun Qiya two banknotes. “Have a good time.”
“Thank you, Grandmother! You are the best grandmother in all of Da An.” Yun Qiya hugged the Old Madam, gave her a loud peck on the cheek, and then skipped toward Helu with the banknotes tucked away.
“Oh, my.” The Old Madam touched the spot where Yun Qiya had kissed her, her face beaming. “That temperament of hers must take after her father—completely unconventional.”
Madam Yun laughed along. “Mother, Yaya has a simple and pure heart. She only did that because she feels close to you and loves you.” Her brother-in-law was indeed unconventional, but what did that have to do with Yaya?
“Miss, the Lantern Festival in the capital is so lively.” Helu held a rabbit lantern Yun Qiya had bought for her in one hand, while using her other arm to shield Yun Qiya so she wouldn’t be jostled by the crowd.
“Helu, you look like a little duck right now.” Yun Qiya pulled down Helu’s outstretched arm. “It’s tiring to keep your arm up like that. Come on, I’ll take you to get something delicious.”
Amidst the bustling streets, a handsome young man arrived on a white horse. He rode through the brilliant lights, looking down on everyone in the street.
“You!” He steered his horse toward Yun Qiya and looked down at her from the saddle. “This Prince has encountered you again. With so many people on the street, what’s the point of squeezing through the crowd here? Surely the lanterns in the palace aren’t inferior to these folk trinkets?”
In his eyes, common folk trinkets weren’t even worth a glance.
“Your Highness Prince Luo.” Yun Qiya stepped back a few paces to put some distance between herself and the horse. “The palace lanterns are divinely wrought, while the folk lanterns are full of whimsical charm. This subject likes them both.”
“Tsk.” Prince Luo gave a light laugh and leaned down slightly from his high vantage point. “I forgot to ask you earlier—which family do you belong to?”
“Your Highness,” Prince Luo’s attendant whispered a reminder. “The Eldest Prince’s carriage is coming this way.”
Prince Luo slowly sat upright. As the carriage drew nearer, the smile on his face gradually vanished.
Only when the carriage was right in front of him did Prince Luo dismount to let it pass.
Yun Qiya had a deep impression of this beautiful carriage and couldn’t help but glance at the jade bells and gemstones decorating it.
*So beautiful, so magnificent.*
“Your Highness Prince Luo.” A guard flanking the carriage approached Prince Luo and cupped his hands in greeting. “His Highness says that there are many pedestrians on the street today; it is inappropriate for you to gallop through the crowd.”
“My thanks to Imperial Brother for the reminder.” Prince Luo glanced at the carriage, whose curtains hadn’t even been lifted, and tossed his horsewhip to his attendant. “Imperial Brother loves the common people, and so do I. Tonight, I shall walk back.”
He turned and left, leaving his white steed behind.
There was no movement from inside the carriage, but a guard from Prince Ruining’s Estate moved forward and took the reins of Prince Luo’s white horse.
Prince Luo’s attendant was bewildered and hurried to catch up.
The guard said, “Our Prince said that a horse is pitiful without its master. We of Prince Ruining’s Estate are willing to take it in.”
Prince Luo’s attendant: “…”
There wasn’t a single sound from the carriage—when exactly did your Prince open his mouth? The attendant was full of doubt, but he didn’t dare say a word. He could only watch helplessly as the people from Prince Ruining’s Estate took away the property of Prince Luo’s Estate.
Having watched the entire spectacle, Yun Qiya lowered her head and stifled a laugh. Prince Ruining had made the annoying Prince Luo lose face. Prince Ruining was good.
Prince Ruining also had a beautiful, grand carriage. Prince Ruining was even better.
“Miss, the lanterns are novel and strange on this Lantern Festival; I wish you a pleasant evening of play.” The guard gave Yun Qiya a polite bow and led the horse back to the side of the carriage.
Yun Qiya nodded with a beaming smile. The people around Prince Ruining were polite and respectful to her. Prince Ruining was better and better.
That made three points in his favor.
Once Prince Ruining’s carriage had departed, Yun Qiya pulled Helu into the crowd. “Helu, follow me!” The two maidservants, their hands full of items, followed with smiles.
“Yun Qiya!” Lu Mingzhu, leaning over the railing of a building upstairs, waved at her. “Come up here, quickly!”
“Sister Mingzhu?” Yun Qiya hadn’t expected to see Lu Mingzhu here. She went upstairs and sat beside her. “There was a banquet in the palace today. Why didn’t you go?”
Lu Mingzhu pushed a cup of tea toward her. “Do you really not know? I haven’t attended palace banquets for years.”
“Why?” Yun Qiya suddenly remembered that Lu Mingzhu hadn’t attended the banquet at Princess Rongshan’s villa a few days ago either; they had met in the garden instead.
Lu Mingzhu gave a short laugh. “It’s nothing. Just that a high master read my fate and said it wasn’t very good. Until I turn twenty, I cannot attend banquets or hold a high position.”
A few years ago, her grandfather and grandmother had wanted her mother to request the title of County Princess for her. Just as the idea was raised, her father fell gravely ill and passed away.
From then on, the Lu clan had intentionally or unintentionally kept their distance from her, and the noble ladies of the capital rarely associated with her.
She glanced at Yun Qiya. Likely only this clueless girl who had just returned to the capital would dare to be so close to her, knowing nothing of the situation.
“You are the Princess’s daughter and the Emperor’s own niece. How could your fate be bad?” Yun Qiya shook her head with certainty as she held her teacup. “That ‘high master’ must definitely be a fraud.”
“Haven’t you heard people say that I cursed my father to death?” Lu Mingzhu looked both amused and sad, her tone full of melancholy.
“Sister Mingzhu, forgive me for saying something a bit disrespectful.” Yun Qiya poked the back of Lu Mingzhu’s hand. “You are closest in blood to Princess Rongshan. I have observed the Princess’s face; she has the aspect of great fortune and longevity.”
“Do you actually know physiognomy?” The melancholy that had risen in Lu Mingzhu’s heart was chased away by Yun Qiya’s nonsense. She stared at Yun Qiya, seeing not a trace of fear or avoidance on the girl’s face.
“I know a little bit.” Yun Qiya tilted her head up proudly. “During the two years I lived in Guozhou, I lived very close to the God of Wealth Temple. There was a fortune teller granny there, and I spent a lot of time with her. She said I was very talented.”
“How about I read your fortune for you?” Yun Qiya asked enthusiastically.
Helu opened her mouth to speak but hesitated. *Miss, that was only because you are beautiful. As long as you were there, the granny’s business was exceptionally good. That’s why she tricked you with such words.*
However, seeing her mistress’s confidence, Helu silently lowered her head and kept her mouth shut.
In any case, whenever her mistress read someone’s fortune, she only said pleasant things. Even if she was wrong, there was no need to worry about anyone resenting her.