Blood trickled from the forehead of the man in grey robes as he sat against the wall, clutching his head. To any onlooker, this was a clear case of an arrogant dandy beating a helpless and pitiful sixty-year-old man.
The two young ladies standing before him were witnesses to this scene.
As the blood dripped from his palm onto his clothes, the grey-robed man looked up to see a somewhat familiar face. On the day the honey trap had failed, this girl had been the one accompanying Lu Mingzhu.
A girl who could play with Lu Mingzhu certainly wouldn’t be a commoner. He lowered his aged eyes, seemingly unwilling to cause trouble, and didn’t even let out a cry of pain.
Those downstairs who noticed the commotion felt a surge of pity. Several scholars sitting in the corner had already begun to stand up, intending to intervene.
“Oh, it’s you.” On the upper floor, Prince Luo leaned half his face over the railing, looking down at everyone. His eyebrows arched when his gaze landed on Yun Qiya. “This old thing is problematic. Ignore him.”
Hearing this, Yun Qiya grabbed Helu and beat a hasty retreat, stepping back two more paces. Mistress and servant alike eyed the grey-robed old man with suspicion, not daring to approach.
Amused by Yun Qiya’s reaction, Prince Luo leaned down lazily. At least she wasn’t some fool who handed out sympathy indiscriminately.
“Beating an elder and then shifting the blame? You have no sense of reason, sir!” The scholars, who had been watching the situation, could no longer endure it and rushed over. One pulled out a clean handkerchief to stop the old man’s bleeding, another covered him with a thick cloak, and a third stood in front of the old man, glaring at Prince Luo.
“None of your business,” Prince Luo said, lifting his chin arrogantly. “The Imperial Academy isn’t on holiday today, which means you aren’t students there. Since you can’t even get into the Imperial Academy, why do you have the leisure to meddle in other people’s affairs?”
The three scholars turned red with indignation at his words. Did they stay away from the Imperial Academy because they didn’t want to go?
The Imperial Academy had a fixed quota for students each year, which included not only children of the nobility and officials but also scholars sent from neighboring countries to study in Da An. Among common scholars, only those with exceptional talent could pass the entrance exams.
Seeing the three scholars clenching their fists, Yun Qiya genuinely feared they would be so provoked by Prince Luo that they would start a brawl with his attendants.
“Gentlemen, you’ve misunderstood. This old man simply fell on his own; it has nothing to do with the young master upstairs.” The grey-robed man looked at Prince Luo with a look of tolerance. His movements were refined and composed, and the blood on his face did not diminish his aura. Instead, he looked like a mysterious elder who had seen the ways of the world and held a broad-minded attitude toward all things.
The scholars felt they sensed the air of a hidden master from the old man.
Yun Qiya was very familiar with this kind of “hidden master” vibe. Years ago in Guozhou, a fraud had been caught for pretending to be an immortal to swindle the common people. She had seen him before his arrest, and his posturing was at least sixty to seventy percent similar to this old man.
“Regardless of where we study, we are all scholars who labor by the window in hopes of serving the court and the people,” the scholar standing before the old man said, taking a deep breath and suppressing his anger. “In your eyes, sir, are only the students of the Imperial Academy considered scholars, while the rest of us are like mere weeds?”
Prince Luo scoffed. He was already in a foul mood and couldn’t be bothered to argue with these people. Normally, they wouldn’t even have the right to seek an audience with him, yet here they were lecturing him.
“Who do you think you are? All of you, get the—”
“Gentlemen, please don’t think that way. Perhaps this young master only said such things because he felt you all have the distinguished bearing of those who could enter the Imperial Academy.” Seeing that Prince Luo was about to spout more arrogance, Yun Qiya hastily interrupted him.
There were so many scholars in the world; if Prince Luo’s words spread, she couldn’t imagine how big of a mess it would create. If the Emperor investigated the incident and found she was also present, would he vent his anger on her?
As an Emperor, he certainly had the power to vent his frustration on others.
She stole a glance at Prince Luo. Nothing good ever happened when she ran into him. Truly bad luck!
The grey-robed old man stood up and returned the cloak to the scholar, his words still defending Prince Luo.
“My words just now were no joke.” He gave Prince Luo a deep look. “You will understand soon enough.”
If his face hadn’t been covered in blood and his forehead hadn’t had a large bruise from the fall, he might have seemed more mysterious. After saying this, the grey-robed man departed, his hem fluttering as he quickly disappeared through the main entrance.
The scholars, believing they had indeed wronged Prince Luo, were still stung by his harsh words but bowed stiffly in apology before leaving the restaurant.
Seeing that the situation hadn’t escalated, Yun Qiya breathed a sigh of relief and quickly slipped away behind them. She didn’t absolutely have to try the food at this restaurant. Her priority now was to stay far away from that source of bad luck.
“She runs fast,” Prince Luo remarked, opening a window and watching Yun Qiya’s retreating figure. He tossed his horsewhip to an attendant. “Go find out which family that girl belongs to.”
***
The grey-robed old man clutched his wound and navigated several twists and turns before entering a small courtyard.
“Uncle.” A man sitting in the courtyard saw his condition and rushed over to support him. “How did you get hurt? I’ll go get some medicine.”
Once the medicine was applied, the grey-robed man faced the concerned gazes of the others. His face was livid as he gritted his teeth and hissed, “Prince Luo is a complete blockhead!”
The Emperor had only two sons. The eldest was sickly, making Prince Luo, the second son, a natural and powerful contender for the throne. Now that the Emperor intended for the eldest son to enter the court to discuss state affairs, and the people speaking up for Prince Luo were being driven out of the court, any normal person should be feeling uneasy.
At such a time, if someone offered him a plan, he should treat them as an esteemed guest, not kick them.
“Then… then what should we do now?”
“What should we do?” The grey-robed man narrowed his eyes. “I will continue to find a way to get close to Prince Luo. Regarding Lu Mingzhu, I’ve identified a key figure. If we can connect with her, getting close to Lu Mingzhu will be much easier.”
“Who?”
“The eldest granddaughter of the Marquis of Chengping’s estate, Yun Qiya.”
***
“Yaya.” The First Wife was pruning flowers in the courtyard. Seeing Yun Qiya return, she asked with a smile, “Didn’t you say you wanted to try the food at the restaurant today? Why are you back so early?”
“Eldest Aunt.” Yun Qiya trotted over to the First Wife’s side and helped her hold the cut flowers. “Something happened when I went to the restaurant.”
She chattered away, explaining the whole incident to the First Wife.
“Yaya did the right thing,” the First Wife praised her after listening. “Don’t act rashly if the facts are unclear, and don’t make a move if you don’t understand the situation.”
“Hehe.” Yun Qiya’s eyes crinkled with joy at the praise. “Eldest Aunt, the flowers you grow are so beautiful. Give me a few to take back for my vase.”
“Take them, take them.” The First Wife set down her shears and shook her head with a helpless smile. “I knew you’d eventually come for these flowers.”
It wasn’t easy to grow blooming flowers in this season, yet her little niece wandered over every day to watch them, waiting for them to open.
“Thank you, Eldest Aunt!” Yun Qiya laughed happily. “It’s not my fault; it’s because the flowers in the garden are grown too well.”
Nanny Yao, standing behind the First Wife, looked up silently. This garden was the work of her son; the young lady praising the garden was praising her son.
“Yes, yes, it’s all the fault of these flowers for enchanting our Yaya.” The First Wife handed the flowers in her hand to Yun Qiya as well. “Quickly take these wicked things that enchanted you away.”
The servants in the garden all began to laugh.
Outside the garden, the Old Marquis and the Marchioness heard the laughter and exchanged smiles.
“Yaya must be in there.”
The eldest daughter-in-law was of a steady character and managed the entire Marquis’s residence flawlessly; the servants were diligent, and no one dared to cause trouble. However, there weren’t many masters in the estate, so it was usually as quiet as a pool of stagnant water.
The return of the second son’s family was like bringing living water to that deep pool. The eldest daughter-in-law, in particular, seemed much more lighthearted, with a more frequent smile on her face.
The two elders didn’t enter the garden; they turned and continued their walk in another direction. It wasn’t always good for elders to meddle too much in the affairs of the younger generation.
***
That evening, Yun Boyan returned from his duties and dined with the family. Yun Zhongsheng was busy ladling soup and serving dishes for him, the two brothers as close as they had been in their youth.
The First Wife glanced at the goofy smile on her husband’s face and looked away, only to see her niece bringing her a bowl of soup.
“Eldest Aunt, this soup is delicious. Please try some.”
“Careful, don’t burn your hands.” The First Wife quickly took the soup, entirely unaware that the smile on her face was identical to Yun Boyan’s.
She lowered her head to taste the soup her niece had served. Although her brother-in-law was annoying, her niece was truly lovable. To put it another way, they were all of the Yun family’s younger generation—why hadn’t Yaya been born to her instead?
“His Majesty is dissatisfied with the method of execution for the Deposed Prince and intends to use a severe punishment on him,” Yun Boyan said, dismissing the servants before speaking. “The officials are debating the Deposed Prince’s death, but I can be certain it won’t be something as simple as hanging.”
The initial talk of hanging was merely to soothe the emotions of the royal clan. Now that more evidence of the Deposed Prince’s crimes had come to light and many commoners were filing complaints against him, the royal clan had long since abandoned him. Instead, they had gathered to revise the imperial genealogy, scrubbing all records of the Deposed Prince clean.
The Deposed Prince had tormented the royal clan for years. Yun Boyan even suspected that on the day he was demoted to a commoner, many members of the royal clan went home to drink and celebrate.
Thinking of this, he looked at his younger brother’s family with heartache. “Don’t worry. I will do my best to petition His Majesty to ensure the Deposed Prince receives a severe punishment.”
“Thank you, Big Brother. But remember to prioritize your own safety in all things,” Yun Zhongsheng said quickly. “Although I hate the Deposed Prince, you are more important.”
He was the pillar of the entire family!
Yun Boyan was deeply moved. How wonderful his brother was, always putting him first.
“Don’t worry, my actions align with His Majesty’s wishes.” He patted his brother’s arm to ease his anxiety. “Of everyone in the court, the one who hates the Deposed Prince the most is undoubtedly His Majesty.”
“The child-swapping case shocked the entire court. It’s only natural for His Majesty to hate the Deposed Prince,” the Old Marquis sighed. “No parent could accept such a thing.”
“That is why His Majesty was so enraged today and proposed that the Eldest Prince enter the court,” Yun Boyan said with a hint of regret. “It’s a pity the Eldest Prince’s health is so poor.”
Yun Qiya didn’t understand much about court affairs, so she kept her head down and ate quietly. She needed to sleep early tonight; tomorrow morning, she was going with her partner to the Zongzheng Temple to cause trouble for the Deposed Prince.
***
Just as the sky began to brighten, the gates of the Marquis of Chengping’s estate opened a crack. Yun Qiya peeked out and, sure enough, saw that familiar vermilion wheel carriage. Two lanterns hung at the front of the carriage, emitting a soft glow in the early morning.
“Young Master Ling.” Yun Qiya ran toward the carriage. Before she even reached it, the curtain, which had been still, was lifted.
The person inside was dressed in a red brocade robe with a black cloak over it, looking both grand and handsome.
“Miss Yun.” He looked up, habitually moving to the side to make plenty of room for her.
Yun Qiya didn’t stand on ceremony and nimbly climbed into the carriage. “Let’s go, let’s go, partner! We’re heading out now!”
Ling Yanshuai looked at her and smiled. “Alright, let’s go.”
In the cracks along the roadside, the grass seemed to sense the approaching spring, as tiny, pale green buds began to peek out.