Once the main hall had quieted down, everyone waited for Qingping Emperor to speak.
According to the rules of previous years, Qingping Emperor would always ask the prince who had won first place what reward he wanted, and praise him with a few words.
But this year was different.
The prince who had taken first place was Xue Yan.
For a moment, everyone present could not help but look toward Qingping Emperor, all waiting to see how he would react.
Yet Qingping Emperor remained silent for a long while. He sat there in a daze, staring straight at Xue Yan.
Naturally, no one dared urge him.
No one had expected him to react this way. Everyone looked at one another, none of them daring to speak.
And while everyone was watching Qingping Emperor, no one noticed that Consort Jieyu Yi, seated among the consorts, had rarely revealed an anxious expression. She clenched her palm tightly, her fingernails digging deeply into her flesh.
After a moment, Qingping Emperor finally spoke.
“Xue Yan, stay behind after the banquet,” he said.
Afterward, he said nothing more and did not bother with the bewildered expressions of the others. He merely raised a hand, signaling for the silk and bamboo music to continue and for everyone to resume the banquet.
Meanwhile, the silk handkerchief in Consort Jieyu Yi’s hand drifted silently to the floor at Qingping Emperor’s casually delivered command.
Peach Branch hurriedly stepped forward to pick it up.
Only then did she see that the exquisite embroidered handkerchief had somehow already been squeezed into a crumpled mess.
——
Only Qingping Emperor himself knew what he was thinking.
Ever since Xue Yan was born, he had never properly looked at him. Xue Yan had been sent by fast horse with the soldiers to Yan Commandery while still in swaddling clothes. When he returned to Chang’an at around fifteen, Qingping Emperor had been wary of him as the incarnation of a baleful star. Every time he saw him, he merely took a hurried glance.
He had never carefully examined Xue Yan’s appearance.
That was why today he suddenly realized just how much Xue Yan resembled Consort Rong.
Setting aside those amber-colored pupils, the corners of his brows and eyes all carried traces of Consort Rong. It was only that Xue Yan’s features were sharper, and his gaze lacked Consort Rong’s innocent air, appearing far colder and more solemn.
At this moment, Qingping Emperor sat high above him, looking down at Xue Yan.
Taking advantage of the wine, he became somewhat dazed. For a moment, it was as though he had returned more than a decade into the past. He had also been sitting in this very place back then, seeing Consort Rong for the first time as she danced for him.
This was the first time Qingping Emperor clearly realized that this was the child he and Consort Rong had shared, and that the child looked extraordinarily like Consort Rong.
Rarely did he remain lost in thought for so long, ultimately issuing this bewildering order.
Because of his unusual behavior, during the latter half of the banquet, everyone’s attention was clearly elsewhere. Once the appropriate hour arrived, they hurriedly dispersed.
Qingping Emperor was helped to the rear hall to rest. The moment he sat down, he ordered Lingfu to bring Xue Yan in.
Lingfu hesitated.
“What is it?” Qingping Emperor held his forehead and, seeing that he had not moved for a long while, asked coldly.
Lingfu bowed and stepped forward, quietly advising, “Your Majesty, why have you summoned him?”
Qingping Emperor was drunk, and his temper had consequently grown somewhat worse.
“What? Do I need to ask for your opinion before I do anything?”
Lingfu hurriedly said, “This servant wouldn’t dare! It’s only that the Grand Astrologer said that day that the baleful star has been showing unusual movement recently. This servant is merely worried about Your Majesty’s health…”
“Isn’t there no unusual movement?” Qingping Emperor suddenly interrupted him.
Lingfu immediately knelt and kowtowed, begging forgiveness.
Qingping Emperor impatiently waved his hand.
“Get out. Go bring Xue Yan here.”
Lingfu bowed and withdrew, hiding all his emotions and calculations deep within his eyes.
As expected, Consort Jieyu Yi had failed, and as a result, even the Imperial Astronomical Bureau had lost its credibility in His Majesty’s eyes.
She must make further arrangements before the year’s end and find a way to make the Imperial Astronomical Bureau’s divination come true.
Lingfu calculated silently.
Qingping Emperor sat in the chair with his head propped up. He did not have to wait long before he heard footsteps approaching from the front hall.
He raised his eyes and saw Xue Yan silently following behind Lingfu, walking up to him and bowing.
“Rise,” Qingping Emperor said, raising a hand and pointing to the seat below him, indicating that he should sit there.
Xue Yan took his seat.
A palace maid came forward and poured some sobering tea. Qingping Emperor took a sip and waited for Xue Yan to speak first.
But Xue Yan simply sat there without saying a word for a long time, like a piece of wood.
Under normal circumstances, Qingping Emperor would certainly have felt that he was being slighted and would have thrown at least a small temper.
But today he was drunk, and memories of Consort Rong had been stirred up. Facing Xue Yan, the son born of Consort Rong, he unexpectedly found himself possessing an unusual amount of patience for the first time.
“Your archery is very good,” Qingping Emperor began first. “The King of Yan taught you well.”
Xue Yan said, “Father Emperor praises me too highly.”
He sat there coldly, watching Qingping Emperor’s drunken state.
Qingping Emperor had drunk too much wine at this point. He was completely off guard and made no attempt to conceal anything, displaying his truest thoughts openly on his face.
Xue Yan especially looked down upon this manner of his. No matter how sincerely Qingping Emperor expressed his emotions, Xue Yan merely watched coldly from the sidelines, as though he were watching a performance.
In his eyes, this rare display of emotion from Qingping Emperor was cheap to the point of being laughable.
It was only because he was the Emperor that it still had some value.
Wasn’t the eunuch beside him, who thought he had concealed himself so well, still sweating nervously from his forehead?
Xue Yan quietly lifted the corners of his lips.
A few days ago, the assassins had returned with information saying that the medicine had been obtained by the Xu family. It had been brought into the palace by a servant of the Xu family, taking advantage of the master’s visits to the palace to see Consort Jieyu Yi.
Because they had traced it back to the Xu family, they had also uncovered a rather interesting piece of secret intelligence and sent it to Xue Yan along with the rest.
The Lingta Lang of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau had once had some connection with Consort Jieyu Yi. When Consort Jieyu Yi entered the palace, he had chased her carriage all the way to the palace gates.
Not long afterward, this man entered the imperial court as an official and joined the Imperial Astronomical Bureau.
Now it seemed that it was not only the Imperial Astronomical Bureau—even the chief eunuch at the Emperor’s side was also someone connected to Consort Jieyu Yi.
Xue Yan gave Lingfu a faint glance before withdrawing his gaze. In his heart, he had already followed the trail and pieced together most of the relationships between them.
Meanwhile, Qingping Emperor on the throne continued reminiscing on his own.
“The King of Yan was once My Second Brother,” he said slowly, slouching in his chair. One hand rested on the armrest, his fingers tapping against it intermittently. “When he was young, he was already highly skilled in martial arts, and he was also proficient in literature. Imperial Father favored him the most. It is just a pity that Heaven envies those of outstanding talent…”
At this point, Qingping Emperor paused and swallowed the rest of his words.
Xue Yan saw a hint of sharpness flash through his hazy, drunken eyes.
But it vanished in an instant. He stopped speaking, and that brief trace of sharpness disappeared as well.
“Then there is your mother,” Qingping Emperor said, turning his gaze back toward Xue Yan. “You have been back in the palace for some time now, and you often go to her palace to pay respects to her memorial tablet.”
Xue Yan said, “This son obeys the imperial decree.”
Qingping Emperor looked at him.
After a moment, he rarely let out a sigh.
It was all fate, too.
Having drunk too much, he inevitably became sentimental. Leaning against the chair, he thought that if this child’s fate had not been like this, how could father and son have become estranged?
Now that the child showed not the slightest closeness toward him, he was rather pitiful.
His appearance put Lingfu beside him on high alert.
Xue Yan, however, merely sneered inwardly.
People who had drunk too much were the easiest to manipulate through emotion. All their usual calculations would be numbed by intoxication.
His current appearance of deep sincerity was nothing more than using drunkenness to move himself.
Once he sobered up tomorrow, none of it would count.
Anyone who truly believed this appearance of his was the one who was actually sick.
Xue Yan sat there bored, simply waiting for Qingping Emperor to finish his useless emotional reflections and send him back.
After a long while, Qingping Emperor finally grew tired. He raised a hand, and Lingfu immediately understood. He hurried forward and helped him to his feet.
“I have yet to ask you. You won first place today. What reward do you want?” Qingping Emperor asked.
Xue Yan raised his eyes toward him.
He thought that having spent so much time here today, it had at least been somewhat worthwhile.
Qingping Emperor continued on his own.
“What does your palace lack? Or if you want some favor from Me, you may boldly say so. I rarely examine you like this. No matter how precious the object, you deserve it.”
These words had most likely been stirred up by his longing for Consort Rong, and inevitably contained some exaggeration.
Yet when he looked at Xue Yan, there was a rare trace of sincerity in his eyes.
This child was pitiful. It was only right for him to bestow some imperial grace and give him some rewards.
Surely the child would understand his difficulties and would certainly be grateful.
Xue Yan gave him a proper bow.
Without even thinking about it, he calmly said,
“This son has nothing he wants. I only wish to ask Father Emperor for a lantern.”
He had no interest whatsoever in Qingping Emperor’s charity, nor did he care to ask him for anything.
What he wanted, he would take himself.
He did not need anyone to give it to him, and no one could stop him.
What he wanted was nothing more than an ordinary, unremarkable lantern that one particular person especially liked.
——
Jun Huailang returned to Mingluan Palace early that night.
Thinking about how Qingping Emperor had deliberately kept Xue Yan behind, he could not help feeling somewhat uneasy.
Judging from Qingping Emperor’s expression, it did not look as though he had been angry. Instead, he had seemed unusually amiable, so presumably there was no serious matter.
But Jun Huailang was more worried about Xue Yan.
Xue Yan was different from other people. He was taciturn and knew nothing of worldly smoothness or tact. On top of that, he carried a frightening fate.
Qingping Emperor had already been wary of him as a baleful star. Even if he had been somewhat amiable today, there was no guarantee that Xue Yan would not anger him again and bring trouble upon himself.
After Jun Huailang returned to the Eastern Side Hall, he had originally intended to wait for Xue Yan to return and ask what had happened.
But Xue Yan did not return for a long time.
Jun Huailang had also drunk some wine that day. Gradually, the effects of the alcohol rose, and he fell asleep.
When he opened his eyes again, it was already early the next morning.
He sat up and saw that everything around him was peaceful and quiet. Sunlight shone brightly outside the window, and he could even hear the painted-brow bird calling beneath the corridor.
“When did Fifth Highness return last night?” he asked while Fuyi helped him wash his face.
Fuyi replied, “This servant doesn’t know either. I imagine Fifth Highness returned rather late.”
Jun Huailang frowned.
After washing his face, he stood up and had Fuyi help him put on his robes. He intended to make a trip to the Western Side Hall first.
“Master, why don’t you have breakfast before going?” Fuyi advised as he helped him dress. “Although Fifth Highness returned rather late, there wasn’t any commotion last night. Presumably, nothing serious happened.”
But Jun Huailang shook his head.
“I’d better take a look.”
He knew Xue Yan.
If it were someone else, there truly would be no need to worry.
But if it were Xue Yan, it was different.
No matter what happened to him, when had he ever spoken about it?
Even if Qingping Emperor had beaten him with a paddle last night, when he returned in the middle of the night, he would still say nothing.
Thinking this, Jun Huailang felt increasingly uncertain.
He hurriedly finished changing his clothes, wrapped himself in a cloak, and pushed open the door.
Outside, the sunlight was brilliant.
The snow of winter was white and crystalline, reflecting the winter sunlight and setting off the red walls and green-tiled roofs with extraordinary brightness.
And beneath his corridor hung a translucent, crystalline pale green object.
The moment Jun Huailang raised his head, his gaze fell upon it.
It was translucent and crystalline, sparkling brilliantly beneath the sunlight.
The delicate threads of green were clear and vivid. Under the sunlight, they seemed almost alive, and from a distance, the shadows of bamboo swayed gently.
It was the glazed palace lantern he had caught a fleeting glimpse of at the entrance of Changchun Tower the night before.