Noticing someone watching her, Yun Qiya looked up and saw a familiar face. Carefully tucking her cherished rhombus-patterned hand mirror into her pouch, she greeted him with a smile. “Greetings, my lord.”
The little yellow flower swayed gently on her cloak as she moved. Though it was winter, it seemed to carry spring’s vitality.
Prince Ruining thought he ought to turn around and leave, yet he did not move. Perhaps it was because of the small flower she had suddenly plucked that made him linger for a moment. “It’s a nice flower,” he said.
“The winters in the capital are too cold. There aren’t many flowers that can bloom,” Yun Qiya replied, lowering her head to glance at the flower on her cloak. “It’s a pity this one is so small, and the petals aren’t very vibrant.”
“It’s already rare that it can bloom in winter.” Prince Ruining looked into the distance.
Today was the Empress Dowager’s birthday celebration, and the Department of Palace Affairs had moved many flowers from the heated conservatories into the imperial garden. Compared with those carefully cultivated greenhouse flowers, this little wildflower was indeed unremarkable.
“You like it?” Yun Qiya removed the flower from the jade clasp on her cloak and casually held it out to him. “Then you can have it.”
She had dressed so exquisitely today that the tiny flower on her cloak was almost impossible to notice unless one looked closely.
One little flower in exchange for a favorable impression from a distinguished noble? A bargain!
The little wildflower lay listlessly in Yun Qiya’s palm, looking even smaller and more pitiful.
Prince Ruining lowered his gaze. The hand holding the flower was beautiful, its fair skin tinged with the healthy blush of pale pink. The flower itself was far too ordinary.
“Thank you.” He reached out and plucked the flower up between his fingers. His cool fingertips brushed against her warm, soft palm.
“It’s nothing, really.” Yun Qiya asked, “Why are you here all by yourself, my lord?”
“I dislike noise.” Prince Ruining closed his hand around the tiny wildflower. “A poetry gathering is being held at Bifeng Pavilion, and Her Majesty the Empress has even sent her female officials to attend. Why aren’t you there?”
Did she not understand the deeper meaning behind the Empress arranging for her female officials to accompany the gathering?
“I’m not skilled in poetry or literature.” Yun Qiya craned her neck to glance toward the pavilion. Seeing more and more people gathering there, she quickly pulled her head back. “As long as I don’t take part, I won’t embarrass myself.”
She lifted her chin proudly. She felt only satisfaction at her wise decision to retreat in the face of difficulty, not the slightest shame about her lack of literary talent.
“Several peonies are blooming beautifully ahead. I’ll pick one for you.” Looking at her slightly raised chin, Prince Ruining suddenly felt that those peonies might suit her well.
“Wait!” Yun Qiya looked horrified and hurriedly stopped him. “My lord, this is the Imperial Garden!”
You’d dare pick flowers that the palace carefully cultivated? That takes some nerve. What, do you think you’re the Emperor’s own son?! He looked like a man of few words, but when he did speak, he said outrageous things. Just listen to that; it was alarming.
Prince Ruining withdrew the foot he had just stepped forward with. “You don’t like them?” he asked.
Yun Qiya was honestly and unashamedly timid. “The palace rules are strict. I wouldn’t dare touch the flowers here, and you’d better not touch them either.”
She was quite satisfied with her current life and had absolutely no desire to go looking for death.
“It’s windy here. Let’s go somewhere else.”
After a couple of steps, Yun Qiya looked back and saw the sickly-looking man still standing there. She had no choice but to return. “My lord, are you not coming?”
She was genuinely afraid he might go and pluck one of the palace’s carefully tended peonies. If that happened, she would likely be implicated and suffer along with him.
Prince Ruining felt that he should not follow her. But before he realized it, his legs had already carried him after her.
“I can tell from your bearing that you are no ordinary gentleman,” Yun Qiya said. Leading the sickly man through several twists and turns, she made sure they were far enough away from the peonies before finding a sheltered spot and sitting down. “May I ask which distinguished family you belong to?”
“I am a relative of Princess Rongshan.”
Aside from the imperial Ling clan, only the Lu family of the capital would dare claim kinship with Princess Rongshan.
Since his answer was deliberately vague, Yun Qiya tactfully chose not to press further. “Oh.”
If he did not wish to say more, so be it. It was not as though she was particularly curious anyway.
Silence settled around them once again.
Ling Yanhuai had long grown accustomed to such quiet. He detested all noise and commotion.
Guessing he wasn’t fond of conversation, Yun Qiya lowered her head and idly played with the jade pendant at her waist. Several sparrows hopped onto a distant treetop, chirping noisily as they pecked at shriveled persimmons that no one had bothered to pick.
The Empress had arranged for all the young ladies to spend time in the Imperial Garden. Returning now to look for her grandmother and eldest aunt would probably not be appropriate. The persimmons hanging from the treetop were coated with a layer of white frost. They looked as though they might be very sweet. She wondered which young lady the Empress would choose as a daughter-in-law after this birthday celebration.
The palace held so many beautiful things. Unfortunately, she could not use any of them. To do so would be overstepping one’s station.
“I know you’re the granddaughter of Marquis Chengping.”
The remark pulled Yun Qiya back from her wandering thoughts. She had not expected him to start a conversation on his own. “You are correct, my lord.”
Her face was half-hidden beneath the fluffy rabbit fur trim of her cloak. Delicate and lively, she resembled a tender bamboo shoot just poking through the snow. She carried the very essence of vibrant life.
“My lord, look behind you.” Leaning to one side, Yun Qiya pointed toward a corner of the wall.
Between the stones at the base of the wall, a cluster of untidy weeds was crowded together. They bent whichever way the wind blew, and among them bloomed several little yellow flowers at their peak.
Pluck. Pluck.
Yun Qiya pulled every flower, tied them together by the stems, and handed the bunch to the sickly-looking man.
“A flower should come in a bunch. That way it feels more lively and festive.”
Several flowers clustered together were indeed far more brilliant than a single lonely stem.
“Thank you.”
Yun Qiya clapped her hands. “My lord, please make yourself comfortable. I’ll take my leave first.”
Having picked some wildflowers, he ought to stop eyeing the Imperial Garden’s flowers. She didn’t know whether the Empress had other arrangements planned, so it was safest to stay near Bifeng Pavilion.
After taking a couple of steps, she turned back and reminded him once more: “Remember, whatever you do, don’t touch the flowers in the Imperial Garden.”
And if he insisted on touching them, he had better not mention that he knew her.
Inside Hongde Hall, the Empress was chatting with the noblewomen. Though she never said it outright, her words repeatedly hinted at her intention to select a consort for Prince Luo.
“Your Majesty.” A female official stepped to the Empress’s side and spoke softly.
“The First Prince only paused briefly at a distance in the Imperial Garden and did not approach Bifeng Pavilion.”
The smile on the Empress’s face faded. Weariness filled her phoenix eyes as she gazed absentmindedly toward the hall’s entrance. Her hatred for the Deposed Prince grew even stronger.
“It’s all right. It is good enough that he was willing to come out for a walk.” The Empress composed herself. “It is windy today. Have the imperial physicians take His Highness’s pulse.”
As long as there was even the slightest hope, she would never give up on her child, even if her opponents were illness and death themselves.
By the time Yun Qiya returned, poetry compositions had already begun in the Bifeng Pavilion.
Several young ladies whose families were on good terms with the Yun family noticed her and immediately gathered around her, chatting and laughing in hushed voices. Evidently, they had no intention of participating in the poetry contest themselves.
“Where did you go just now? We were about to come looking for you.”
“I’m not good at poetry,” Yun Qiya said without trying to hide it. “So I went off to the side for a while.”
She glanced at the young women bent over their desks composing poems. Some seemed elegantly refined, others almost ethereal. They were all a pleasure to look at.
“Stop staring.” The speaker was Miss Sun, the eldest daughter of a nephew from Yun Qiya’s grandmother’s maiden family. She lightly tapped Yun Qiya on the forehead and teased, “I’m afraid if you keep looking at them, they’ll realize there’s barely a drop of ink in that head of yours.”
“Elder Sister Sun is so talented. Why don’t you give it a try?” Yun Qiya laughed, covering her forehead as she reached out to hold the finger Miss Sun had used to tap her. “Your hands are so delicate, Sister. Don’t hurt them on my forehead.”
“What a smooth talker you are.” Miss Sun pinched Yun Qiya’s soft, tender cheek and drew her aside to speak quietly. “Her Majesty intends to choose a princess consort for Prince Luo. I’ve been engaged for over a year already. Why would I join in this excitement?”
No wonder so many had participated in the earlier flying-verse game. Now that it was time to compose original poetry, most of them had become spectators instead.
An hour later, palace attendants invited everyone to the opera pavilion to watch a performance.
The opera was lively and festive. An actor dressed as a little monkey appeared carrying a longevity peach and offered birthday blessings to the Empress.
Yun Qiya received a longevity peach as well. It was made of steamed dough and looked exquisitely crafted, though it tasted rather ordinary.
Aside from the lively celebratory performance, the other operas were merely decent. Their plots were more refined and elegant than those performed outside the palace, but lacked the excitement and entertainment found beyond the palace walls.
The Emperor came and sat with the Empress for a while before leaving. Before he departed, he specifically instructed Prince Luo to keep the Empress company.
The undercurrents and power struggles among the nobles had nothing to do with Yun Qiya. She sat peeling a honey mandarin from the table, waiting for nightfall so she could fully enjoy the palace lantern displays.
Night finally fell as Yun Qiya had been waiting for it to. She tilted her head back and stared at the fireworks blooming across the sky, unable to look away.
The Imperial Garden was hung with all kinds of lanterns. The most spectacular of all was the revolving box-lantern performance. The workmanship was both exquisite and ingenious. The craftsmen who made them must have cared very deeply about the well-being of themselves and their nine generations of relatives.
The darkness and lantern light magnified people’s true natures. The Imperial Garden at night was even livelier than it had been during the day.
When the performance ended, Yun Qiya was swept up in the crowd and couldn’t spot Miss Sun and the others. She wandered around for a while. Before she could find Miss Sun, a glazed glass lantern caught her attention.
The lantern was crystal-clear and dazzlingly beautiful. Yun Qiya stood beneath it and gazed up. Such a beautiful lantern. But it did not belong to her. What a pity.
“This glazed lantern was a tribute gift from the Kingdom of Suolan.” Prince Luo approached, hands clasped behind his back. “The Kingdom of Suolan presented a total of three. One hangs here, one is in Mother’s palace, and the last one…” He raised an eyebrow and gave a smile with unclear meaning.
“The last one is at Prince Ruining’s residence.”
“Your servant pays her respects to Prince Luo.” Yun Qiya curtsied.
“No need for formalities.” Prince Luo studied her. “I just mentioned the matter of the glazed lanterns. What are your thoughts?”
“The Kingdom of Suolan may be a bit stingy,” Yun Qiya replied. “Otherwise, why would they send so few to our Great An?”
What was she supposed to think? It was not as if any of the lanterns would be given to her. And as for the private affairs between royal brothers, they had even less to do with her.
Prince Luo choked on his response. “What do you know? Natural colored glass like this is exceedingly rare. To polish it into a lantern requires an immense amount of labor. After today, this lantern will be delivered into my possession.”
“I see. Thank you, Your Highness, for enlightening me.” Yun Qiya kept smiling.
“A thing like this, which is only given to me after it has already been displayed for everyone to admire…” The corners of Prince Luo’s mouth lifted, but his eyes held little amusement. “It is nothing special.”
Yun Qiya lowered her head and tugged at the edge of her cloak.
Nothing special… Nothing special…
“Your Highness is of such exalted status and possesses countless treasures. How could a mere glass lantern possibly catch your noble eye?”
“Your Highness, Her Majesty the Empress requests your presence at the Guanyue Pavilion.” A eunuch hurried over.
Prince Luo tilted his chin slightly. “I shall go at once.”
“We respectfully bid farewell to Prince Luo.”
Prince Luo looked over the young woman as she curtsied. “A pretty face, but unfortunately rather shallow and inexperienced.” Leaving those words behind, he strode away.
“Hmph!”
Once no one else was around, Yun Qiya furtively looked in every direction. After making sure nobody was approaching, she kicked a stone by the roadside with all her might. The stone flew into a nearby pond with a splash. She turned back to look at the glass lantern hanging high above.
She hated people who were rude and loved showing off!
From the shadows, Ling Yanhuai lowered his gaze to the water splashed across his shoes, then looked toward the young woman who seemed to harbor a bit of a grievance.
Forget it. It was only a trivial matter—no need to argue with her over it.
After kicking the stone, Yun Qiya’s good mood returned by more than half. Spotting Miss Sun at the far end of the path, she lifted her skirts and trotted over. “Elder Sister Sun!”
Although Prince Luo was a little annoying, the lanterns were beautiful, and the clothes and jewelry had all been to her liking. All in all, it had still been a happy day. Hehe.