Chapter 1 Paying the Debt of Love Rumor has it that the young prince refused...
On a cold winter day, the lights are dim.
The edges of the window paper were curled up, and a cold breeze seeped into the room, making the room with the brazier lit feel less stuffy.
Deng Yesi sat behind the screen, her eyes red and her face sad. She sniffed and pushed away the teacup handed to her by the maid, bit her lip and refused to speak, with her hands on her knees, clutching the hem of her aqua-green skirt.
Tonight was the day she and Jia Lang had agreed to meet, but her father...
"Come in quickly and pour tea for Lord Deng. This is your future leadership." The blurry figure behind the screen spoke, and judging by the voices, it must be my father's subordinates. "Be quick. If Lord Deng is satisfied, you might be able to marry a daughter of an official someday—and fly into the royal family."
These words again! Deng Yesi was getting increasingly furious. Ever since she came of age, her father had been wanting to select a husband for her from the imperial examination list. Now, he was brazenly choosing a husband for her at the Qujiang Banquet hosted by the Empress for the newly minted Jinshi. How absurd!
Born in an official family, she had no say in matters of marriage. Was her life really so miserable?
Deng Yesi clenched her fists, ignoring Lord Deng who was sitting outside the screen and coughing at her. She moved, but the maid beside her saw her and immediately put her hand on Deng Yesi's shoulder, not allowing her to leave.
What did her father mean by this? Was he forcing her to choose a "good man" tonight? She had already mentioned the scholar Jia Lang to her father. If he could recommend him for this year's imperial examination and help him get an official position, she could then marry him legitimately. Wouldn't that be a double blessing?
But reality didn't let her get what she wanted.
In the past, the entire imperial examination was handled by the Ministry of Personnel. As the Minister of Personnel, it was easy for my father to recommend a candidate. But this year, for some reason, the Queen temporarily appointed Prince Rong'an to be the invigilator, and no one dared to take the risk of recommending anyone.
Now that Jia Lang had failed the imperial examination, and her father was forcing her to choose a husband, could it be that a match made in heaven was being torn apart so abruptly? Beyond the screen, Lord Deng began coughing, each cough louder than the last, hinting at her choice. The Jinshi who had just poured tea stood by, shaking his hands, afraid that Lord Deng might choke on his own tea.
Deng Yesi quickly glanced at the maidservant guarding her, her mind racing. It was getting late. She and Jia Lang had originally agreed to meet at Xiangshan Temple after sunset. She had to find a way to leave!
“Cough, cough—”
Deng Yesi took a bite of the cake, then covered his mouth and coughed, pretending to be choked. The maid beside him hurriedly turned to get some tea. Seeing this, Deng Yesi sneered and suddenly stood up and ran towards another secret door in the house.
"My wife! My wife!"
Once the secret door was closed, the maid's voice was blocked out. Deng Yesi quickened his pace and his figure blended into the night.
*
The cousin appeared outside the Haitang Gate, bowing and greeting a tall, thin young man. There was a difference between men and women, so Luo Qingling stopped walking forward, half-hiding behind the bushes, and the voices of the two men reached his ears.
"I heard that His Highness has not been in the capital these days. It seems that many noble ladies at the banquet will be disappointed." The young man said with a hint of smile in his tone.
Prince Rong An won't be coming tonight? Luo Qingling's heart sank, but after a moment, he felt a little happy, and the corners of his mouth couldn't suppress a smile.
To be honest, she came to Beijing for Prince Rong An.
Last year, there was a rumor that the Queen was interested in finding a match for Prince Rong'an. Luo Qingling had never been interested in marrying into the royal family. However, her father's health had been deteriorating over the past two years. If he was not transferred back to the capital for recuperation, he might die in a foreign land. That's why she set her sights on Prince Rong'an.
After all, in this world, there is only one person who can influence the emperor's will - Prince Rong'an, also known as His Highness Qin Yanheng.
Just as she was leaving for the capital to attend the banquet and was waiting to be summoned by the Queen after putting on her makeup, she heard that the willful young prince had ignored everyone's objections and "threw" all the portraits presented to him out of the room, including Luo Qingling's.
She had spent a lot of money to find the best painter in the border area to paint the portrait. She also took out precious jewels from her own storehouse and gave them to Aye's former colleagues in Beijing, so that they could ask someone to send the portrait to the palace. Who knew that all the money would be wasted!
Qin Yanheng pays compensation!
It was also heard that after Qin Yanheng left a sentence "Don't think that I don't know what you are thinking", he locked the door with a cold face, locked out the ministers who came to deliver the portrait, and closed the door to visitors for more than half a month.
It was not until the eve of the banquet that the Queen personally brought people over and discovered that the little prince had long disappeared. Only a half-open stained glass window and a line of elegant words were left in the study.
"Tell my mother that I do not wish to travel with anyone else in this life."
It's really arrogant!
Besides, she didn't want to marry a man she had never met, but it was just for her father... Even so, Qin Yanheng's words were simply a slap in her face. Fortunately, he did not attend the banquet tonight, otherwise, who knows how the young prince would make fun of her in his heart.
Could it be that in this world, apart from Qin Yanheng, no one else could transfer Father Ye back to the capital? She didn't believe that marriage was the only way!
Luo Qingling was furious and wanted to turn around and leave the banquet immediately, but the only exit was the Begonia Gate in front of him, where his cousin was talking to a young man.
The cousin tried to move several times, but was stopped by the young man. Finally, the cousin couldn't bear it anymore and pointed in the direction of Luo Qingling.
The young man followed his gaze and, behind the trees, a young woman in a pastel-colored gauze dress appeared, her beaded curtains draped over the fence. Though he couldn't clearly see her face, he could already tell she was extraordinary. Just from a distance, she was a striking beauty.
"Cousin Luo, is my mother with you?" Her cousin walked towards her hurriedly and spoke in an urgent tone.
"Aunt?" Luo Qingling shook his head. "I arrived in Beijing at noon and rushed to attend the banquet. I haven't seen Aunt. Didn't my cousin come with Aunt?"
"That's strange... My mother went to Xiangshan Temple to worship Buddha early this morning. Now it's past dusk, but she hasn't returned home yet. I wonder if she was delayed on the way."
The cousin became more and more anxious. He rubbed his hands and looked up at the sky from time to time, his eyes full of worry. However, he didn't know how to ask for help from his cousin whom he hadn't seen for a long time, so he could only stand there.
Luo Qingling naturally understood. It was already night, and there was still no sign of his aunt. Not to mention that Xiangshan Temple was located in the mountains outside Beijing, even if she had been in the city for such a long time and had not returned home, it was indeed worrying.
"Don't worry, cousin. I'll find a carriage and go with you to Xiangshan Temple to look for him!"
Luo Qingling had come to the capital several times when she was young, and she always stayed at her aunt's house. Her aunt had always treated her as her own daughter. Now that her aunt had something to do, how could she not be anxious?
In the carriage, the cousin's hand holding the teacup was trembling slightly. He put down the teacup with a wry smile and clenched his hands tightly together, fearing that his cousin would see his inner panic. He raised his head slightly and glanced at Luo Qingling.
"Cousin," Luo Qingling smiled soothingly, coaxing this clingy brother like she did when they were little, "Don't worry, your cousin is here. It's probably just getting dark, so your aunt will walk slower. Don't be afraid. Come, have some cakes."
The carriage shook and tea splashed out of the cup.
"Madam Luo, it's raining. This mountain road is not easy to walk on—" The driver's voice came through the curtain, mixed with the sound of rain, and it was not very clear. "Madam, my dear, the rain is really too heavy!"
Luo Qingling lifted the curtain and looked outside. The night was hazy with rain, and the mountains were dark. There was only a light not far ahead. It would be unsafe to walk on the mountain road in the rain.
Just as the three of them were worrying about this, an inn appeared before them. It was the place where they had just seen the lights.
The coachman hurriedly parked the carriage. The waiter at the post station saw him from afar and walked towards him quickly with an umbrella. The bluestone road under his feet was a bit slippery, so the waiter whispered to everyone to be careful.
The inn was sparsely populated, with only a few guests sitting at tables enjoying drinks. A waiter held an umbrella under the eaves outside the inn door, bowed, and raised his hand to signal Luo Qingling and the others to enter. Tonight, Luo Qingling and his cousin were both dressed in finery for the banquet, making them particularly eye-catching in this cramped inn.
When you go out, you should not show off your wealth too much, so the two of them certainly cannot do so.
"I want two upper rooms." Luo Qingling held up two fingers to the waiter, his expression unquestionable. Then he turned to his cousin and said, "It's raining heavily now, and the mountain road is difficult to walk on. Let's rest here first and continue our journey when the rain subsides."
The cousin nodded and left it entirely to Luo Qingling.
The waiter glanced at the two of them for a moment before saying, "My dear ladies, there are only two upper rooms in this inn. Not long ago, a distinguished guest requested the left wing. Madam, please take a look..."
Only the right wing was left. Luo Qingling hesitated, but the rain was unlikely to stop anytime soon, and if the two of them waited in the hall, they would attract too much attention.
"Cousin, why don't you go to the right wing and rest for a while? I can sit in the living room." My cousin is so restless right now that he probably won't be able to sleep well even if he gets a wing. It's better to let Luo Qingling have a good rest.
Luo Qingling didn't want to be too polite with her cousin. She smiled at him and walked up to the right wing. The post station was small, but the stairs were very long. Luo Qingling paused at the corner and turned to look in the direction of the left wing.
The light was bright and the woman's figure was graceful, but the shadow of her abdomen was missing.
Can the shadow...disappear?
Perhaps due to the heavy rain, the lights in the left wing flickered, a flash of white light across the horizon, then fell into darkness again in the blink of an eye. Luo Qingling felt inexplicably anxious and stopped walking up the stairs.
The rain would not stop for a while, and it was a cold winter night. Her aunt was still missing, so it was not a good idea for her and her cousin to stay in the post station. It would be better for them to borrow a sturdy carriage from the store and continue on their journey.
Thinking of this, Luo Qingling quickened his pace downstairs. There were bursts of thunder in his ears, which sounded a bit creepy for some reason.
Not far away, her cousin stood under the eaves, looking at her silently. The light flickered on his face, making his expression seem even calmer. Perhaps because the light in the post station was dim, Luo Qingling could not see the expression on his face.
It’s raining so hard, why is my cousin still standing under the eaves and not coming in?
The embroidered shoes stepped down the last step, and suddenly there was a roar of thunder, and a man appeared at the gate accompanied by lightning.
She quickened her pace to reach her cousin, but the man who suddenly appeared at the door also stepped into the hall and passed by Luo Qingling.
The man was very tall, and Luo Qingling couldn't help but look up at him. She saw a dark red circle on his neck, which looked like a scar. When she wanted to see clearly, the man had already walked upstairs, leaving behind his back full of the smell of powder.
How could a man smell so strongly of powder?
Luo Qingling couldn't help but look back at the man. The man was standing in front of the door of the left wing. After a while, the wooden door of the wing opened and the woman poked her head out. After seeing the man's face clearly, she threw herself on him in surprise.
It’s...it’s the daughter of the Minister of Personnel, Lord Deng—Deng Yesi!
Recalling the beautiful figure she had seen on the stairs, Luo Qingling immediately looked towards Deng Yesi's abdomen, where a dark aura was now swirling. A chill ran up from her feet, and Luo Qingling felt a chill in her heart. She turned her gaze sharply, wanting to see the man more clearly...
The rain poured down like a torrential downpour, and in the blink of an eye, lightning flashed by. The inn was instantly plunged into darkness, and someone in the hall cried out in surprise. Before the waiter could relight the candle, the extinguished candlelight came back to life, just as before.
On the second floor, in the left wing, the two people who had been standing at the door were nowhere to be seen. Luo Qingling seemed to sense something and hurriedly turned around and went upstairs to look for Deng Yesi.
"Where are you going, my lady—"
It was the waiter's voice behind her. Luo Qingling had no time to pay attention to it. She hurried upstairs and wanted to enter the left wing to check. Unexpectedly, the wooden door was locked. She was about to break in when she heard the waiter speaking loudly in the lobby.
"The left wing is unoccupied. Who are you looking for, madam?"
"Yes, cousin, there is no one in the left wing." Under the eaves, my cousin echoed.
Upon hearing this, Luo Qingling stopped and froze in place, his whole body seemed to be buried in fear, and his heart was beating like a war drum.
The waiter had just said that Deng Yesi had taken the left wing room before them, so why did the waiter say that there was no one in the left wing room after Deng Yesi suddenly disappeared at the door? Her cousin who came with her also said the same thing?
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