The expression on the girl’s face was far too obvious. With a single glance, Ling Yanhuai could guess exactly what was going through her mind. He didn’t like smiling, but watching her darting eyes, her obvious fear, and her inability to stop staring at the glazed lantern, he suddenly found it somewhat amusing. So he smiled. The smile vanished in an instant, but he could still feel the ease that came with the slight upward curve of his lips.
“Miss Yun needn’t worry. This glazed lantern was bestowed upon me by the Empress,” Ling Yanhuai said as he stepped down from the carriage. Placing the lantern into her arms, he added, “I have little interest in such things. It would be better for you to enjoy it.”
Yun Qiya was wildly tempted, but her reason held firm. “Since it was a gift from Her Majesty, wouldn’t it be inappropriate for you to give it to someone else?”
“Don’t worry. Her Majesty won’t mind.” Ling Yanhuai still remembered how she’d angrily kicked a stone in the Imperial Garden when no one was looking. Seeing her now, holding the lantern and smiling so happily, felt much better.
“This is too valuable.” Gritting her teeth, Yun Qiya reluctantly thrust the lantern back into his hands. “I appreciate your kindness, my lord, but I cannot accept rewards without merit. You should keep it.”
She did not even know his true identity. How could she dare accept such an expensive gift? It wasn’t that she wasn’t tempted. It was that her heart couldn’t be allowed to wander recklessly. She might occasionally entertain thoughts of living off someone else’s generosity, but she had no intention of stuffing herself to death with it. No treasure in the world was more precious than her own little life!
The glazed lantern Yun Qiya returned felt icy cold in his arms. Ling Yanhuai had not expected her to refuse. He lit the candle inside the lantern.
The candlelight filtered through the glass shade, scattering across the ground like shards of broken stars.
With a slight movement of his hand holding the lantern, those fragments of light began to drift and flow, transforming into a tiny moving galaxy.
“It’s getting dark, and there’s still some distance to the Yun residence from here.” He offered the lantern to Yun Qiya once more.
“My lord.” Yun Qiya eyed the sickly-looking man suspiciously and took two steps backward. “My grandfather and eldest uncle devote themselves wholeheartedly to the court and the people. They cannot be swayed by other considerations.”
Behind them, not far away, a government anti-fraud notice was pasted on the wall. There are no free lunches from the heavens. Beware of bargains that seem too good to be true.
Creak. Creak. Some family’s poorly maintained window, battered by the cold wind, produced a harsh, grating noise.
Both Ling Yanhuai and Yun Qiya turned instinctively toward the sound. The instant they did, the large red characters on the wall crashed into their field of vision like an overwhelming tide.
Yun Qiya awkwardly turned her head back. Their eyes met. She raised her brows and looked away. She hadn’t said a single word. But somehow, her expression seemed to have said everything.
“The Lantern Festival is nearly over.” The number of pedestrians on the street had already begun to dwindle.
Ling Yanhuai continued, “I happened to be thinking of getting out of the carriage and taking a walk. Our family and the Yun family have been on good terms for over a century. I’ll escort Miss Yun home.”
Yun Qiya glanced at the vermilion-wheeled carriage behind him. Such a carriage could only be used by the highest-ranking nobility.
He was related to Princess Rongshan, and the Empress had even bestowed upon him the glazed lantern originally intended for Prince Luo. There was no way he could be a member of the Lu family. The Lu clan simply did not possess that level of influence.
“Thank you, my lord.” Yun Qiya accepted the glazed lantern, her smile instantly becoming attentive and shamelessly flattering. “This glazed lantern looks rather heavy. Allow me to carry it for you for part of the journey.”
“Many thanks, Miss Yun.”
The weight disappeared from his hands, and somehow it felt as though a burden on his heart had lightened as well.
The glazed lantern swayed gently in Yun Qiya’s grasp. Watching it, Ling Yanhuai suddenly realized just how exquisite the lantern truly was—no wonder the Kingdom of Suolan had offered it as tribute.
As they walked, passersby were drawn to the glazed lantern in Yun Qiya’s hands, stealing glances at it from time to time.
Yun Qiya held her pretty little head high, proud as a domineering white goose inspecting her entire village.
The attendants from Prince Ruining’s residence lowered their heads in silence. They had served at His Highness’s side for years, yet had never seen him behave as conspicuously as he was tonight. They were finding it somewhat difficult to adjust.
“Lord Ling.” Yun Qiya handed her own lantern to the sickly-looking man. “This lantern is light and easy to carry. I’ll give it to you.”
The handle still retained a trace of warmth. Holding the lantern, Ling Yanhuai felt his palm grow hot.
“Thank you.” He did not correct her for calling him “Lord Ling.”
It seemed he really was related to the imperial family.
The Ling and Yun families had shared close ties for over a hundred years, dating back to the generation when her ancestors helped the founding emperor conquer the realm. The only difference was that the Ling family were rulers, while the Yun family were subjects.
“Whose residence is this?” As they passed a manor, Yun Qiya noticed piles of miscellaneous rubbish outside the gates. Even offerings of spirit money lay among the debris. Official seals had been pasted across the gates. The writing remained crisp and clear, indicating the estate hadn’t been confiscated long ago.
An attendant answered quietly, “Miss, this used to be Prince Rong’s residence.”
“Prince Rong?” Yun Qiya instantly remembered who had once lived there. The smile vanished from her face, replaced by utterly undisguised disgust. “So this was the residence of that deposed prince, that utterly heartless, wicked, shameless, despicable beast who’s worse than an animal!”
Suddenly, she wanted to throw things again.
He Lu somehow produced two stones from who-knew-where and handed them over. “Miss, here you go.”
Who said her young mistress lacked literary talent? Just look at that short string of insults. How many colorful expressions and elegant turns of phrase had she packed into it? As expected of her young mistress. Even her scolding sounded pleasant.
Yun Qiya stuffed the glazed lantern into the sickly man’s arms, grabbed a stone, and hurled it. Bang!
The stone struck the steps of Prince Rong’s former residence with a loud crack.
“Miss.” A man dressed in coarse cloth approached, dragging a bamboo basket behind him. “Would you like more stones? I have plenty here. Three copper coins for ten.”
Afraid she might not buy any, he quickly added: “The children from the orphanage gathered these stones. Any money spent on them will be used for the children’s expenses.”
Then he glanced around and lowered his voice. “Usually soldiers are guarding this place. Tonight there are so many people on the streets that the guards have all been reassigned to patrol duty. Once tonight is over, you won’t get another chance to throw stones here.”
“Sold!” Yun Qiya immediately pulled out ten copper coins and handed them over.
“Give me ten coins’ worth.”
One stone.
Two stones.
Three…
Soon, the steps outside Prince Rong’s former residence echoed with a constant clatter of impacts. Seeing the fun, passersby joined in, and before long a crowd had gathered at the gate.
Ling Yanhuai and his attendants stood among the angry crowd, looking completely out of place.
“You want to throw some too?” After hurling more than a dozen stones, Yun Qiya finally vented part of her anger. Noticing the sickly man staring at the pile in her hands, she selected the two smallest stones and generously shared them with him.
“Here.”
“The Deposed Prince and his family have already been imprisoned in the Court of the Imperial Clan. Throwing stones here won’t affect him in the slightest.”
“I know it won’t affect him.” Yun Qiya hurled another stone at the steps.
Bang.
“But it affects me.”
Another stone flew.
“At least it makes me feel better.”
Ling Yanhuai pondered for a moment. “Miss Yun makes a very good point.”
Clang! To the horror of his attendants, he hurled a stone directly at the residence’s front gate. Your Highness! Has the torment of illness finally driven you mad?
“Hey!” Yun Qiya quickly grabbed his sleeve. “Throw them at the steps, not the gate!”
“Why?”
“The Deposed Prince’s property has already been confiscated. Everything here now belongs to the government.” Yun Qiya picked out another small stone and handed it to him. “The steps won’t break. If you damage the gate, you’ll have to pay for it.”
Venting anger was acceptable. Damaging money was not.
“You hate the Deposed Prince that much?” Ling Yanhuai looked at the countless angry faces in the crowd.
“Of course.” Yun Qiya shot the question right back at him. “What about you?”
“I’m the same.” Ling Yanhuai stared at the stone in his hand, then threw it. His eyes were as dark as ink. “I hate him to the marrow of my bones.”
Hearing those words, Yun Qiya suddenly found the sickly man much more pleasing to the eye.
The two had just finished throwing the last of their stones when someone behind them shouted, “The Jinwu Guards are here!”
The crowd instantly scattered. The man selling stones slung his basket onto his back and ran faster than anyone.
“We should go too!” Yun Qiya grabbed the completely unresponsive Ling Yanhuai and plunged into the crowd, jogging toward Marquis Chengping’s residence.
Ling Yanhuai glanced back.
Stones, mud, and rubbish still littered the entrance to Prince Rong’s former residence. The patrolling Jinwu Guards merely stood where they were. They didn’t chase the fleeing citizens, and no one kept throwing things in front of them. It was as if nothing had happened at all.
“If only it had been the Deposed Prince I was throwing stones at.” Yun Qiya wiped her hands clean with a handkerchief and reclaimed the beautiful glazed lantern. “Unfortunately, he’s locked up in the Court of the Imperial Clan’s prison. I don’t even know what he looks like.”
If it weren’t for him, her father and mother wouldn’t have spent so many years living in fear and anxiety.
“If you had the chance to take revenge, what would you do to him?” A little color had returned to Ling Yanhuai’s pale face. It was hard to say whether it came from running alongside Yun Qiya or from throwing stones.
“I’d find ways to torment him every single day until the day he died, making him regret ever offending me.”
“He has already been imprisoned. If you continued seeking revenge, wouldn’t people say you’re vindictive?”
“Who are these ‘people’?” Yun Qiya shot back. “I don’t know what they’d say, but I do know that getting revenge would make me feel better.” She tilted her head toward the sickly man. “What kind of grudge do you have against the Deposed Prince?”
Ling Yanhuai’s tone was indifferent. “A hatred as deep as the sea.”
Yun Qiya’s eyes lit up. An idea had just occurred to her. “You’re a member of the imperial clan. You can enter the Court of the Imperial Clan’s prison.”
The Court of the Imperial Clan handled cases involving royal relatives. She couldn’t get in, but Lord Ling certainly could!
Seeing the sparkle in Miss Yun’s eyes, the attendants from Prince Ruining’s residence suddenly developed a very bad feeling.
“You hate him that much,” Yun Qiya said eagerly, “so have you ever considered adding a tiny little something extra to his food?”
“Then find some cute little mice to keep him company. Put ice blocks on his prison bed to help cool him down. While he’s sleeping, kindly remind him to mind his sleeping posture. Eating less is good for one’s health, so two meals every three days should be enough. Too much sleep hinders clear thinking, so one hour every two days will do.”
Yun Qiya rattled off a long list of tormenting methods that would make a person miserable without actually killing them.
“Best of all, you could beg His Majesty for a special favor and have him sentenced to death.”
“The Deposed Prince has committed countless crimes. If he isn’t executed, the people’s anger cannot be appeased.” Ling Yanhuai’s eyelids twitched slightly. “His Majesty has already decided to issue an edict in one month, sentencing him to death by hanging.”
“One month from now…” Yun Qiya gazed at the sickly man with burning intensity. “Lord Ling, your time to properly take care of the Deposed Prince is running out.”
Go. Hurry up and make his life miserable. Teach him a lesson. Make him cry until tears and snot run down his face while he crawls on the ground begging for mercy.
Her expression was far too easy to read.
Ling Yanhuai avoided her gaze. “Mm.”
“Lord Ling, throwing stones must have tired you out.”
Enthusiastically, Yun Qiya untied the pouch at her waist and offered it to him. “Here, have some candy!”
Now that he hated the Deposed Prince just as much as she did, she absolutely had to share her sweets with him.
“Yaya?” Emerging from the Imperial Academy, Yun Luoqing had nearly reached home when he spotted his younger sister smiling ingratiatingly at a man. What shocked him even more was the priceless glazed palace lantern in her hands, one look enough to tell it was an item reserved exclusively for the imperial family.
Little sister! Back then, we agreed we’d live off others’ generosity, not earn ourselves a trip to the execution grounds! Where in the world did you get an imperial-use treasure?
Yun Qiya shot him a look that clearly said: Scram already. Don’t get in the way of me recruiting a good helper for revenge and grievance-settling!