Jun Linghuan froze. “Huh?”
She did not know why Xue Yan had suddenly asked her this. Did she want it? She had never thought about it. She only regarded it like looking at the stars in the sky—looking at them again and again and committing them to memory, but never once thinking of plucking one down.
Then she heard Xue Yan say, “If you want it, I’ll go pluck it for you.”
It was so high up! And it was over a whole lake. How could he possibly pluck it down?
Jun Linghuan asked blankly, “How do you pluck it…?”
Xue Yan glanced at her.
Although this was Jun Huailang’s younger sister, he did not have much patience for explaining things to a child. Seeing how her eyes were filled with longing, this was simply a very easy matter. There was no need to waste words.
Xue Yan glanced over. The path leading to the lakeside was overgrown with branches, and it would be easy to prick a child if one was not careful. Besides, the lakeside was dangerous, and he would also have to keep an eye on her to prevent her from falling in.
“Wait here,” he said.
“Mm!” Jun Linghuan obediently nodded.
Seeing that there was no one around, but that the lanterns provided ample light, Xue Yan acknowledged her and turned toward the lakeside.
Just as he walked away, Second Prince Xue Yunsu happened to pass by with several chattering young noblemen on their way to admire the scenery in the Imperial Garden.
From a distance, Xue Yunsu saw Jun Linghuan standing alone by the roadside, looking toward the plum grove.
He gestured for the young noblemen around him to keep quiet.
Then they walked up in front of Jun Linghuan.
“Hey, isn’t this little Linghuan?”
Jun Enze was among them and also put on a pretentious expression as he spoke. “Where’s your brother? How could he let you stand here all alone?”
Jun Linghuan honestly replied, “Fifth Prince Brother told me to wait here for him.”
Upon hearing this, the expressions of several people changed. They exchanged glances, their expressions somewhat strange.
Xue Yunsu suddenly remembered how Jun Linghuan had even made a special trip that day to send Xue Yan a great many lychees.
“You still call him Brother?” Xue Yunsu’s teeth felt sour, and he asked with an odd smile.
“Huh?” Jun Linghuan did not understand.
Xue Yunsu continued, “Don’t you know? He’s a monster in disguise. He eats people.”
Then he squatted down and smiled rather eerily as he frightened her. “You don’t know, do you? Your brother doesn’t know either. He’s a wolf demon. He disguises himself as a human just to find an opportunity to eat all of you and increase his cultivation.”
Seeing Jun Linghuan’s hesitant and frightened expression, the few young noblemen all became interested. One of them even laughed and said, “He told you to wait here because he’s waiting for midnight. Wolf demons always eat children at midnight.”
Jun Linghuan stammered, “But… Fifth Prince Brother is a good person…”
Xue Yunsu clicked his tongue. He simply stood up, grabbed her wrist, and half-dragged, half-pulled her along.
“You don’t believe me? You can’t stay here for long. Come farther away with us, and I’ll tell you everything slowly.”
At a loss, Jun Linghuan looked up at the only person in the group she knew—Jun Enze.
This older brother lived at her house. Usually, he always greeted her with a smile and was especially kind to her.
Yet Jun Enze was smiling too.
“Come with us, Linghuan. What are you afraid of if you follow your brother? It’s better than that evil star of unknown origins.”
Jun Linghuan was half convinced and half doubtful, but her six-year-old mind could no longer process such complicated information.
——
The gate of the Cold Palace was merely ajar and had not been locked.
Strictly speaking, Noble Lady Zhang was the only person from the current dynasty who had ever entered the Cold Palace, and she had been released less than two years later.
By now, no one had lived here for more than a decade. No one repaired the place, and no one guarded it.
A squad of well-trained Imperial Guards pushed open the gate and entered the Cold Palace to search for the missing person.
The Cold Palace occupied a large area. Back when the previous dynasty’s emperor who had built these palace quarters was plagued by disorder in his harem, nearly ten consorts were already living in the Cold Palace by the time he died.
The Imperial Guards spread out throughout the Cold Palace.
“Should we go look over there too?”
The moment he entered, Xue Yunhuan shuddered from the cold wind blowing straight toward him. The Cold Palace was shaded from the sun, and there were no heated underground channels. Weeds grew wildly throughout the courtyard, and not even the accumulated snow had been cleared.
Jun Huailang, however, lowered his head and began searching the ground.
Very few people came here, so there should not normally be any footprints on the ground.
Although the snow had already melted and refrozen and was now extremely hard, if someone had come through here, they would inevitably have left behind some traces.
Jun Xiaowu saw what he was doing and immediately understood what he intended to find.
This squad of guards had no leader. They had come and immediately followed orders to search, but searching like this without a clue would waste a great deal of time.
He took a lantern and carefully illuminated the ground.
Jun Xiaowu had spent two years at Yumen Pass in the northwest. He was much more skilled at this sort of thing than Jun Huailang, who had grown up in the capital.
In no time, he found a patch of concealed footprints and immediately pointed them out to Jun Huailang.
“Brother, look here!”
Jun Huailang looked over but could not make them out clearly.
Jun Xiaowu explained, “They’re fresh footprints. They’re heading toward the corner tower on the northeast side.”
Jun Huailang hurriedly followed the direction he pointed and walked toward the corner tower.
When Xue Yunhuan saw the direction they were heading, he muttered, “No way…”
He had grown up deep within the palace and knew the palace’s secrets better than anyone.
He had heard that during the previous dynasty, a palace consort had been unable to endure the desolation of the Cold Palace and had hanged herself from the northeast corner tower.
Afterward, palace attendants had merely gone there in haste to collect the body. Even the white silk was still hanging there and had never been removed.
The three of them hurried to the corner tower.
The tower had stood for many years, and a layer of dust had settled over the doors.
But when the lantern shone upon them, they saw that the dust on the door clearly bore handprints.
Jun Huailang hurriedly pushed open the door and stepped inside.
“Linghuan?” he called loudly.
He called upward several times in succession.
Then he heard a rustling sound, like the noises made by a kitten.
Jun Huailang froze, then hurriedly led the other two up the narrow, cramped, dark, and damp staircase.
After climbing two levels, they finally heard faint whimpering coming from the top floor.
It was Jun Linghuan.
Jun Huailang’s heart clenched.
He took three steps in two and quickly reached the top floor of the corner tower.
Beneath a damaged window, moonlight spilled down in a patch of brightness.
Jun Linghuan was covered in dust, curled up beneath that patch of light, crying with little broken sobs.
Jun Huailang hurried forward two steps and scooped her into his arms.
“Hu’er? It’s all right now. Brother is here.”
The moment he held her, he felt the chill in her body.
She must have been freezing here for a long time. Her hands and cheeks were red.
Only after seeing him did Jun Linghuan finally come back to herself. She buried her face in his chest and finally dared to cry aloud.
But she still could not speak. She only sobbed, her crying making Jun Huailang’s heart tremble.
At the same time, the nerve at Jun Huailang’s forehead throbbed, and a strange pain spread through his head.
He could only stroke Jun Linghuan’s back again and again, softly comforting her.
“All right. It’s okay now.”
Behind him, Jun Xiaowu stepped forward, immediately removed his heavy cloak, and wrapped the little girl in Jun Huailang’s arms tightly.
“Let’s go back first, Brother,” he said. “It’s too cold here.”
Then Jun Xiaowu took the little girl wrapped in his cloak from Jun Huailang’s arms and comforted him.
“It’s all right now, Brother. I’m strong. I’ll carry Linghuan.”
Jun Huailang remained crouching where he was, looking up at his younger sister in Jun Xiaowu’s arms.
His gaze was somewhat unfocused.
The agonizing pain in his head came in waves, each stronger than the last, making his vision swim and leaving him temporarily unable to think clearly.
It was as though something that had been rooted deep inside his mind was struggling to break through the earth.
Beside him, Xue Yunhuan noticed something was wrong. Assuming that Jun Huailang was simply too distressed, he hurried forward and helped him up.
Before leaving, he could not help looking nervously toward the beam overhead.
He had not expected to actually see a rotten, broken white silk hanging there, filthy and frayed.
Xue Yunhuan shuddered in fright.
Jun Xiaowu walked ahead, while the other two followed him out of the damp, freezing corner tower.
The eldest daughter of the Jun family had finally been found.
The Imperial Guards in the Cold Palace hurriedly conveyed the news to the Emperor. The frantic commotion in the imperial harem finally settled down as well.
Next came the time to demand an explanation.
The three of them brought Jun Linghuan back to Yongle Hall under the escort of a group of Imperial Guards.
Losing someone in the palace was truly an embarrassing matter, so the Emperor had Lingfu spread the news that Jun Linghuan had been found among the ministers, allowing them to continue their banquet in peace.
Then he summoned the group of them to the rear hall.
The Emperor and a number of consorts were seated in the rear hall, along with the Duke of Yongning and his wife, the Shen couple, who were anxiously waiting nearby.
Xue Yan knelt alone beneath the steps.
Not a single person spoke.
Upon seeing that Jun Linghuan had been found, the Duke of Yongning and his wife both breathed a sigh of relief.
But when they saw Jun Linghuan curled up and trembling, Madam Shen immediately burst into tears.
The Empress ordered the attendants beside her, “Quickly summon the imperial physician. The Cold Palace is so frigid. Make sure the child doesn’t become ill from the cold.”
The Emperor looked toward Jun Huailang and the others.
“Have you found out what happened? How did such a young child end up going to the Cold Palace alone?”
Jun Xiaowu glanced at Jun Huailang.
He saw that Jun Huailang’s face was pale, his brows tightly furrowed, and that he still looked as though he had not come back to his senses.
He hurriedly answered for him.
“Reporting to Your Majesty, we have yet to ascertain the reason.”
The Qingping Emperor frowned and looked toward Jun Linghuan.
“Linghuan?”
He was thinking about how to question her gently when Jun Linghuan, hearing him call her name, raised her head with a sob.
Then she suddenly saw Xue Yan kneeling three steps away.
Jun Linghuan’s pupils contracted sharply.
Her entire body shuddered. She did not even dare make another sobbing sound, only staring at him in terror.
At once, everyone in the rear hall changed expressions.
“Xue Yan, was it you?” The Qingping Emperor slammed his hand against the armrest and shouted angrily.
The pain at Jun Huailang’s temple was already throbbing violently. With the Qingping Emperor’s rebuke, the pain immediately intensified.
He wanted to raise his hand to comfort Jun Linghuan, but his trembling hand could not rise.
On the other side, Xue Yunhuan and Jun Xiaowu both revealed furious expressions as they looked toward Xue Yan.
Xue Yan, however, remained kneeling where he was, his eyes lowered and his face expressionless, without offering a single explanation.
The Qingping Emperor was so furious that even his back trembled.
This rebellious son!
Ever since he was born, he had been a harbinger of death, bringing him nothing but endless trouble for more than a decade.
And now, he had even developed such a vicious disposition and detestable personality.
He was simply a disgrace to him.
“Guards, drag Xue Yan away! Give him thirty strokes of the cane and lock him in the Buddhist Hall to reflect upon his actions. Don’t let me see him again!”
Imperial Guards immediately stepped forward to carry out his order.
Xue Yan still said nothing.
But as he rose, he looked at Jun Huailang once.
Amid the dizziness and pain, Jun Huailang raised his eyes.
He met a pair of amber eyes.
Deep, bottomless amber.
In an instant, the unbearable pain in Jun Huailang’s mind vanished completely, replaced by a clarity he had never experienced before.
A long stretch of strange yet familiar memories flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern, entering his consciousness without the slightest sense of incongruity.
He finally remembered the contents of all the nightmares that had tormented him these days, with absolute clarity.
Every night, they had repeated themselves.
And he also finally discovered where the boundless coldness and loneliness in those nightmares had come from.