Yun Luoqing understood what his sister’s look meant. She wanted him to get lost immediately. He glanced at the man standing beside her: fine robes, a jade crown, deer-hide boots, and an undeniably handsome appearance. The only flaw was the sickly pallor on his face, which made him seem somewhat frail.
Sensing his gaze, the man looked back.
Those cool, clear dark eyes made Yun Luoqing withdraw his own gaze instantly and turn away without another word. This was the sort of person who looked difficult to offend. Better run.
“Lord Ling?” Yun Qiya noticed that the sickly man had picked up on her brother’s presence. “That was my elder brother.”
“Your brother is graceful and distinguished,” Ling Yanhuai replied, his gaze returning to Yun Qiya. Their features shared a faint resemblance.
Yun Qiya merely smiled without commenting. Her brother’s image in public was indeed impressive, but unfortunately she had witnessed him at his messiest and most disgusting.
“There’s a stone bridge ahead.” She pointed forward. “There seem to be lots of beautiful lanterns floating on the water. Shall we go have a look?”
Ling Yanhuai did not refuse.
From time to time, floating lanterns drifted along the river’s surface, carrying who knew how many wishes and blessings.
Standing on the bridge, Ling Yanhuai’s expression remained cool and distant.
These lanterns drifted with the current, unable to control when the river might swallow them. How could they possibly bear the weight of one desire after another? Yet he said nothing. Instead, he accompanied Yun Qiya as she walked back and forth across the bridge three or four times.
The winding river and the candlelit lanterns glowing in the darkness formed a beautiful sight in their own right.
The two walked, stopped, and wandered along the way until the gates of Marquis Chengping’s residence came into view.
“Thank you, Lord Ling, for lending me such a precious glazed palace lantern to admire.” Yun Qiya prepared to return the lantern to Ling Yanhuai. “It’s very beautiful.”
Ling Yanhuai did not insist on giving it to her again. Instead, he looked at Yun Qiya, waiting for what she would say next.
Suddenly, a tiny galaxy poured forth. Yun Qiya had lifted the lantern and aimed its light at his face. “Lord Ling, I wish you health and happiness, smooth sailing in all things, joy in every year, and that each year surpass the last.”
This was an old custom from the southern regions. During the Lantern Festival, people would cross a stone bridge, walk one hundred paces, and shine a lantern upon someone’s face, symbolizing the complete disappearance of illness and misfortune. But the custom had long since been replaced by the releasing of floating lanterns. In the capital, almost no one practiced it anymore.
Ling Yanhuai froze in surprise. Candlelight rushed into his eyes, so bright it blurred his vision. Through the hazy glow, he saw the young woman’s face, lit with a smile.
“Thank you for escorting me home, Lord Ling.” Yun Qiya placed the lantern back into his hands. “I shall take my leave.”
Holding the lantern, Ling Yanhuai closed his eyes briefly. Even with them shut, stars still seemed to flicker behind his eyelids. When he opened them again, all he saw was the young woman’s departing figure.
Lighthearted. Lively. Brimming with vitality.
The moment Yun Qiya stepped through the front gates, Yun Luoqing grabbed her by the back of her collar.
“Brother, don’t wrinkle my clothes!” Yun Qiya protested. “This outfit is made from cloud brocade!”
“Tell me honestly,” Yun Luoqing demanded, releasing her collar and guiltily smoothing the creases he had made, “who was that man you were with just now?”
Seeing no glazed palace lantern in his sister’s hands anymore, Yun Luoqing finally relaxed.
“He’s a member of the imperial clan,” Yun Qiya replied.
Still distressed about her collar, she glared at Yun Luoqing twice, then snatched his money pouch and expertly pilfered the silver inside.
“Yun Qiya, have some shame! I was already broke!” Yun Luoqing clutched his pouch mournfully. “The way you were smiling at him just now, all flattering and eager, I knew his status couldn’t be ordinary.”
Who didn’t know their own family?
“He’s able to enter the Court of the Imperial Clan’s prison, and he has a deep grudge against the Deposed Prince.” Yun Qiya paid no attention to her brother’s suffering and stuffed the silver into her own pocket. “So I gave him a few small suggestions on how to properly take care of the Deposed Prince.”
“Take care of him?” Yun Luoqing pondered. “You want to use his hands to make the Deposed Prince’s life miserable?”
The Court of the Imperial Clan oversaw matters involving the imperial family. Even their eldest uncle could not enter it freely.
“His Majesty doesn’t have many children, but the Ling clan has plenty of descendants.” Yun Luoqing led his sister toward the inner courtyard. “Even if he’s a member of the imperial family, that doesn’t mean he can help us get revenge on the Deposed Prince.”
“Try first, talk later. Otherwise we might miss the opportunity.” Yun Qiya stopped walking. “He could fish in the lotus pond at Grand Princess Rongshan’s estate, and the Empress even gave him the glazed lantern that had originally been intended for Prince Luo. That means his standing within the imperial family isn’t low.”
She paused and looked up at her brother. “What if it works?”
Trying cost nothing, after all. Back then, she and her brother had accidentally discovered the Deposed Prince torturing and murdering people, even drinking the blood of young children. While escaping, they inadvertently let one of the Deposed Prince’s attendants see their faces.
At the time, the Deposed Prince enjoyed the late Emperor’s utmost favor and stood at the height of his power. To keep them alive, their father and mother lived in constant fear. They worried that the Deposed Prince might discover them, yet could not bear the thought of making them hide inside the marquis’s residence for the rest of their lives. In the end, they could only leave the capital under assumed identities and flee from disaster.
“The Deposed Prince was tyrannical and lawless, slaughtering loyal and innocent people at will, yet the late Emperor allowed him to run wild.” Yun Luoqing let out a mocking laugh. “The only reason he dared do those things and treat human lives like those of pigs and dogs was because the late Emperor indulged him.”
Fortunately, the late Emperor had died suddenly, without leaving behind an imperial edict. That was the only reason the current Emperor had been able to ascend the throne.
The late Emperor and the Deposed Prince had left the government in shambles. The current Emperor had to patch up all the holes they left behind, contend with court officials each harboring their own agendas, and suppress the Deposed Prince’s remaining forces on top of that. The past few years could not have been easy for him.
“You need to be more careful in what you do,” Yun Luoqing warned. “In case remnants of the Deposed Prince’s faction are still out there, it could be dangerous for you.”
“I know, I know.” Yun Qiya nodded.
After all, back then, both the Deposed Prince’s people and everyone else believed that their father had merely offended one of the prince’s retainers while drunk. Fearing punishment from the Deposed Prince, he had shamefully fled the capital with his wife and children. As far as anyone knew, it had nothing to do with the two siblings. It was all because of that beast in human form, the Deposed Prince.
Because of him, their family of four had endured years of hardship, exposed to the elements and constantly on the move, changing homes seven or eight times over ten years!
“Your Majesty…”
“Your Majesty.”
The Emperor had only just finished court when the Minister of the Court of the Imperial Clan came to see him.
The minister’s hair had already turned gray with age. In terms of seniority, even the Emperor had to address him as Great-Uncle.
The Emperor was rather surprised to find the old prince seeking him out on his own initiative.
The old prince had always kept a low profile. Any member of the imperial clan who had survived under the late Emperor’s rule for so many years possessed a certain resilience. Or, as people put it, a tough fate and a broad mind. Those without either had long since died at the hands of the late Emperor and the Deposed Prince.
“Great-Uncle, there’s no need for such formalities.” The Emperor personally helped the old prince to his feet, and the latter repeatedly expressed his gratitude in alarm.
His timidity was understandable. The imperial family had accumulated far too many incidents and shocking precedents over the years. As a result, even this seemingly normal Emperor still left him feeling apprehensive.
The late Emperor had appeared perfectly normal in his early years as well. Then, somehow, after becoming Emperor, he began descending into madness.
The old prince was genuinely terrified that such madness might be hereditary. “Your Majesty.” He trembled as he cupped his hands in salute. “This old servant has a matter to report.”
“Please, Great-Uncle, speak freely.” The Emperor’s expression remained gentle.
“Early this morning, Prince Ruining visited the Court of the Imperial Clan prison and requested an audience with the Deposed Prince.”
Thinking of everything Prince Ruining had done there, the old prince had neither dared stop him nor conceal the matter. In the end, he could only come directly to the Emperor.
“You said who?” The Emperor thought he must have misheard.
“P-Prince Ruining, Your Majesty.” Seeing the Emperor’s expression change, the old prince became even more nervous.
“My son is in frail health. How could he go to a place like that?” The Emperor immediately grew anxious. “Did the Deposed Prince show any disrespect toward my son?”
The old prince: “…”
Wasn’t the real issue that Prince Ruining had privately visited a major criminal without an imperial decree?
“The Deposed Prince remains incorrigible. During his imprisonment in the Court of the Imperial Clan’s prison, he has frequently voiced complaints.” The old prince did not dare mention that the very first thing the Deposed Prince had said upon seeing Prince Ruining was, “You short-lived little wretch.”
Everyone knew that the Emperor was normally quite reasonable. The only exception was when his eldest son was involved.
“Outrageous! A criminal of such heinous guilt dares show disrespect to my son?” The Emperor was furious. “Attend me! Convey my verbal decree: the Deposed Prince remains unrepentant. He is to receive fifty strokes of the cane!”
Reputation? Virtue? Neither was as satisfying as beating him up.
“Your Majesty…” The old prince closed his eyes, not wanting to witness the Emperor’s irrationality. “The First Prince already said that the Deposed Prince’s lack of remorse showed that the punishment had not been severe enough, so he ordered forty strokes administered to him this morning.”
Another fifty strokes and the Deposed Prince could be reunited with the late Emperor today.
“However,” the old prince continued, “His Highness also said that even if the Deposed Prince were to die, he should die before the eyes of the people, so that the world’s grievances may be appeased. Therefore, His Highness ordered wine to be used to cleanse the Deposed Prince’s wounds, lest they become infected and swollen.”
“A sinner whose crimes are beyond recording, yet my son was still willing to use wine to treat his injuries.” The Emperor’s anger instantly disappeared. “My son is truly kindhearted.”
The Emperor grew increasingly pleased. “Despite his frail health, he is willing to help me interrogate the Deposed Prince and share my burdens. This greatly comforts my heart.”
The old prince’s aged face froze in shock. Your Majesty, have you ever heard the pig-slaughtering screams the Deposed Prince let out when wine was poured onto those wounds?
The Emperor did not care in the slightest. Instead, he summoned a eunuch and ordered rewards sent to Prince Ruining.
“His Highness the First Prince’s filial devotion is truly commendable.”
In the end, the old prince surrendered.
Each member of the imperial family had their own particular madness. As long as they weren’t committing atrocities like the late Emperor and the Deposed Prince, the old prince could accept it. After all, he had personally witnessed what the late Emperor and the Deposed Prince had been like. His tolerance was as vast as the sea.
Once the old prince had left, the Emperor didn’t even bother reviewing memorials anymore. He strode straight toward the Empress’s palace.
Huai’er had finally stopped silently hiding away in forgotten corners. He had actually taken the initiative to seek revenge on the Deposed Prince. This was wonderful news!
The Deposed Prince had once possessed a handsome face. But that had been in the past. Now he lay sprawled on the filthy ground, looking even more miserable than the beggars he had always despised.
As he watched the Deposed Prince writhing and wailing in pain, Ling Yanhuai seemed to see his younger self. Beaten. Beaten so badly he hid beneath a bed like a dog. Dragged back out. Then beaten again.
“My father and mother will come for me.” He remembered his mother’s warm hands. She and his father would each hold one of his hands, lift him between them, and swing him back and forth in the air.
“This idiot is dreaming again. Your parents abandoned you. That’s why that drunkard Zeng Gou’er picked you up and brought you home.”
The mocking voice echoed from a distant memory. “Idiot, did that drunken madman beat you again?!”
“Your parents definitely don’t want you anymore. You’re dirty and smelly. Who would want you?”
“That’s right. Nobody wants you.”
“The Deposed Prince’s injuries are severe. He should not be given too much food.” Ling Yanhuai’s tone was calm, his eyes as still and fathomless as a deep pool without the slightest ripple.
He instructed the officials of the Court of the Imperial Clan: “From now on, he is to receive only one meal a day. Nothing extra is to be provided. If anyone objects, tell them to come speak with me.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” The officials glanced at the Deposed Prince’s miserable condition and did not dare say another word.
Ling Yanhuai walked out through the gates of the Imperial Clan Court. The streets were crowded with passersby, yet he felt separated from the world by an invisible wall.
No joy.
No anger.
No sorrow.
No happiness.
“Lord Ling!” A head suddenly popped out from behind the stone lion beside the gate.
The owner of that head darted her eyes left and right suspiciously, looking exactly like someone about to do something mischievous. The moment she spotted Ling Yanhuai, she lowered her voice and beckoned with a small, urgent wave. “Quick, come over here.”
Looking at that round, fluffy little head, Ling Yanhuai suddenly smiled.