Following his heart, Ling Yanhuai walked over to Yun Qiya.
Today, Yun Qiya was wearing a white cloak embroidered with blooming red plum blossoms. Ling Yanhuai’s gaze lingered on one of those crimson flowers.
“Lord Ling, you’re already here at the Imperial Clan Court so early?” Yun Qiya had not expected the sickly man to be so efficient.
She didn’t know where he lived and couldn’t send him a calling card, so she’d come to wait outside the Court and try her luck. Seeing him emerge from the gates, she felt immensely gratified. Anyone this prompt and effective was clearly an excellent partner on her road to revenge.
“My lord, have you eaten breakfast? Are you tired? Did the people at the Court give you any trouble?”
Yun Qiya circled Ling Yanhuai, fawning over him enthusiastically. She even offered some snacks from her own pouch.
Ling Yanhuai looked at the jerky, preserved fruits, and other treats piled into his palm. As he listened to the girl’s overly obvious attempts to ingratiate herself with him, he picked up a piece of preserved fruit and put it into his mouth. The sourness shot straight from his tongue to his brain.
So sour. His brow furrowed slightly.
“Eating dried sour apricots on an empty stomach probably isn’t very good for your digestion.” Yun Qiya looked as though she had only just remembered this. “Lord Ling, let me treat you to breakfast.”
After all, friendships had to be cultivated. If she didn’t find a way to get closer to him, how else was she supposed to learn about the Deposed Prince’s miserable condition?
The prince’s attendants, who had already been stopped from approaching by a single look from their master, nearly laughed when they heard this. Their prince disliked crowded, noisy places more than anything. How could he possibly agree to eat breakfast outside with her?
“Very well. Thank you, Miss Yun.”
The attendants from Prince Ruining’s residence turned their heads away. Hah. Men truly are fickle creatures—even princes.
The old prince hurried back toward the Imperial Clan Court as soon as he left the palace.
The Deposed Prince had committed countless evils, only by executing him before the people could public outrage truly be appeased.
According to Great An’s laws, private punishments were forbidden once a criminal entered the imperial prison. However, ever since the Deposed Prince had been imprisoned, the Empress had shown him quite a bit of “special care,” and the Emperor had conveniently pretended not to notice. Now Prince Ruining had joined in as well.
The old prince genuinely feared that the Deposed Prince would be tormented to death by this family before the day of execution ever arrived. If that happened, how was the Imperial Clan Court supposed to explain itself to the people?
“Hm?” As his carriage rushed past, the old prince lifted the curtain and stuck his head out the window, staring blankly at a pair of receding figures in the distance.
“Your Lordship.” As a patrol of the Golden Armor Guards passed by, one of them called out a reminder: “Please do not stick your head or hands out of the carriage window while the carriage is in motion.”
The old prince lowered the curtain. A deeply puzzled expression appeared on his wrinkled face. The young nobleman he had just seen walking alongside that young lady had looked remarkably like Prince Ruining.
Surely not. Prince Ruining had never liked talking. In crowded places, people could rarely even catch a glimpse of him. How could he possibly be strolling around with a young woman? It seemed that old age had finally caught up with him. His eyesight must be failing.
“I only returned to the capital recently, so I don’t really know which breakfast shops are best.” Knowing the sickly man was a member of the imperial clan and seemed unwell, Yun Qiya deliberately chose a refined, reputable eatery.
The restaurant was elegantly furnished, and the servers were neatly dressed and impeccably clean. The capital of Great An gathered delicacies from across the realm. Even breakfast alone came in countless varieties. Soon, steaming dishes arrived at the table.
Yun Qiya gestured invitingly. “Lord Ling, please.”
Ling Yanhuai tasted a bite.
“Well?” she asked.
Under the girl’s expectant gaze, he took a sip of milk to help him swallow.
“Very good.” To him, food existed merely to fill the stomach. There was no distinction between good and bad.
“The milk here is fresh and rich without any unpleasant smell, and the meat filling in the steamed cakes is tender and juicy.” Yun Qiya took a sip of milk. “Next time, we’ll come here again.”
“How about we order some more cherry yogurt?”
Without waiting for Ling Yanhuai’s response, Yun Qiya waved over a server. “Waiter, bring us a few more servings of cherry yogurt.”
He Lu and the others at the neighboring table got portions as well.
Cherry yogurt was one of the restaurant’s pricier specialties, so the server moved with exceptional efficiency and brought it out quickly.
Squinting contentedly, Yun Qiya took a bite. “Perfect balance of sweet and tart. Delicious.”
Ling Yanhuai scooped up a spoonful and tasted it. The rich fragrance of milk enveloped the cherries’ natural sweetness. For some reason, he seemed able to taste the deliciousness she had been praising.
“Lord Ling.” Once she was about half full, Yun Qiya finally began asking the questions she really wanted answered.
“Did your visit to the Court go smoothly?”
First eat. Then ask questions. She was, after all, a woman of principle.
“Very smoothly.” Ling Yanhuai set down his chopsticks. An attendant presented him with a handkerchief, and he wiped the corner of his mouth.
“The Deposed Prince’s crimes are numerous. He is being held alone in a dark cell.” He knew exactly what Yun Qiya wanted to hear and had no intention of hiding it from her. “When I saw him, his old injuries had not yet healed.”
The Deposed Prince had already been imprisoned for more than two months. As for where those old injuries had come from, there was no need to investigate too closely.
“However, I’m afraid your kind suggestion of placing ice blocks on his bed to cool him down cannot be carried out.”
“You don’t have any ice at home?” Yun Qiya generously offered, “It’s fine. My family has ice stored away. I’ll send some over later.”
After all, it was winter. Ice was hardly in short supply.
“The cell where the Deposed Prince is held doesn’t have a bed,” Ling Yanhuai explained.
“The Deposed Prince is a major criminal. His cell floor is made of cold iron, and the walls are forged from refined steel. In winter…” He paused slightly. “…it is refreshingly cool.”
The cold iron was bitterly freezing in winter, its chill seeping straight into the bones of anyone who touched it.
“Ohhh.” Yun Qiya immediately understood. “His Majesty is a man of feeling too.”
She had known it. There was no way the Emperor and Empress did not hate the Deposed Prince.
Back when the Empress was still a prince’s consort, a fire suddenly broke out in the eldest prince’s quarters as she gave birth in the royal residence. When the flames were extinguished, only the wet nurse and the eldest prince’s three-year-old body remained.
The tragedy had nearly cost the Empress both her life and that of her unborn child.
Everyone believed the eldest prince was dead until two years after the Emperor’s accession, when someone discovered that the supposedly dead wet nurse had somehow “returned from the grave.” Following the trail led them to the eldest prince, who had been tortured beyond recognition. From the age of three to thirteen. A full ten years.
“We all thought the eldest prince suffered that disaster because relatives of a corrupt official executed by His Majesty back when he was still a prince sought revenge.” Yun Qiya sighed and shook her head. “Who would have thought that last year’s investigation would reveal the Deposed Prince’s involvement as well?”
The Deposed Prince truly had done every evil imaginable. In her opinion, the Emperor should have sentenced him to death by a thousand cuts.
“You think he’s pitiful too?”
“Who?” Yun Qiya was biting into a cherry and preparing to spit out the pit when the question caught her off guard. She looked up at the sickly man, confused.
“Prince Ruining.”
Tiny droplets of condensation had formed on the delicate porcelain bowl holding the cherry yogurt.
“Maybe?” Yun Qiya was not particularly sentimental. She generally did not concern herself much with people she had never met. However, since Lord Ling was himself a member of the imperial clan, she chose her words more tactfully. Too many people had been ruined by the Deposed Prince.
“But I think Prince Ruining must be a very resilient person.” Yun Qiya lowered her voice. “I’m only telling you this, so don’t go repeating it to anyone else.”
Sharing a harmless “secret” was an excellent way to build rapport. She still needed his help in getting revenge on the Deposed Prince, after all. Strengthening their friendship was important.
The girl tilted her head forward slightly, as if she were about to confide in him sincerely.
Ling Yanhuai unconsciously leaned forward as well.
“I don’t know Prince Ruining personally. Maybe he’s pitiful, but I think he’s remarkable.”
“Remarkable?” Ling Yanhuai’s voice was slightly hoarse.
“Mhm!” Yun Qiya nodded vigorously, bringing her head even closer to his.
They were discussing the Emperor’s beloved son, after all. It wouldn’t do to conspire loudly.
“He was only three years old when he was taken out of the prince’s residence.” Yun Qiya held up three fingers. “He was beaten every day and never had enough to eat, yet he still managed to grow up. That’s already incredibly impressive. Prince Ruining is practically the king of children. Any other child his age should have called him big brother out of respect.”
When she herself had left the capital at six or seven years old, she still had her parents and elder brother with her, and even then she sometimes complained of hardship and exhaustion. Not to mention a child who had been abused every single day. If this were a storybook, a character like that would definitely go on to accomplish great things.
Noticing that the sickly man was staring at her without speaking, and that his expression looked a little strange, Yun Qiya frowned. “Why aren’t you saying anything? Don’t tell me you and Prince Ruining don’t get along?”
If they didn’t get along, she was prepared to take back everything she had just said. After all, the sickly man was the one who could help her get revenge.
“No.” Ling Yanhuai slowly sat back upright, avoiding her gaze. He lowered his eyes to the fine porcelain bowl on the table. Condensation droplets on its surface merged and slid downward in a single trail, like a tear.
“My relationship with him…” he paused. “…is fairly good.”
“That’s good, then.” Yun Qiya relaxed at once. Her partner’s feelings were important. Then she immediately returned to the matter she truly cared about. “So, what can you do at the Imperial Clan Court right now?”
Business came first. “I have some connections with the Minister of the Imperial Clan Court.” Ling Yanhuai satisfied the young woman’s burning curiosity. “The Deposed Prince still hasn’t confessed all of his crimes, so I had him beaten with several dozen strokes. I also treated his wounds with wine.”
He hated the smell of alcohol. Yet after seeing the Deposed Prince writhing and screaming in agony, he discovered that even the most unpleasant things became much less objectionable when applied to the right target.
“Lord Ling, you are a righteous hero who eliminates evil on behalf of the people!” Yun Qiya excitedly raised a thumbs-up. “Your merits are perfect and complete!”
Pouring alcohol over wounds. Anyone who tried it would hurt like a dog.
Throughout Great An, who knew how many people wished they could slice the Deposed Prince into a thousand pieces? Lord Ling was justice incarnate!
“Lord Ling, are you going back to the Court tomorrow?” Yun Qiya blinked her large eyes and continued showering him with praise.
Champion of the people. Knightly and righteous. Upright and incorruptible. She exhausted every positive term she had ever learned.
Ling Yanhuai smiled. “Yes.”
Over the following days, the Imperial Clan Court gained two regular visitors. At dawn every morning, Prince Ruining would arrive punctually in an unremarkable carriage. Without waiting to be received by anyone, he would head directly for the dark cell where the Deposed Prince was imprisoned and begin a series of “friendly exchanges” between uncle and nephew.
At first, the Deposed Prince still cursed him. Later, the Deposed Prince learned to keep his mouth shut.
Still later, the Deposed Prince began begging for mercy. However, Prince Ruining was a man of unwavering resolve. No matter what the Deposed Prince said, it never affected his tireless campaign of “care and concern.”
“It’s raining.”
Standing by the window and watching the fine drizzle outside, the Emperor remarked, “Has the number of times physicians are summoned to Huai’er’s residence decreased lately?”
The Empress’s face lit up with delight. “They have indeed. Several fewer times than usual.”
“I want Huai’er to enter court service.” The Emperor’s expression gradually became firm. “Perhaps… if he has something to occupy himself with, he’ll slowly get better.”
As long as there remained even the slightest hope, he refused to give up.
When Ling Yanhuai stepped out of the Imperial Clan Court, he saw Yun Qiya waiting once again. Holding a flower-patterned oil-paper umbrella, she stood out vividly amid the misty rain.
“Lord Ling.” She tilted her head. “Come on, let’s go have breakfast.”
After half a month of spending time together, they had already become excellent companions. He contributed the labor of tormenting the Deposed Prince. She covered the cost of meals—a fair and harmonious partnership.
This was also the third time the old prince had witnessed Prince Ruining walking around with a young lady. From initial suspicion and shock to his current calm acceptance, the old prince had adapted remarkably quickly.
The old prince could hardly help it.
The elders of the imperial clan had seen too much in their lifetimes. Their ability to accept the strange and shocking was extraordinarily strong.
Then a sentence carried over on the wind from Prince Ruining: “Would you like to visit the Deposed Prince in prison?”
The old prince took a deep breath. It’s fine. It’s fine. I can accept this. I can definitely accept this.