Every day, she would hold the hen that Ye Ling had given her when she was still in the capital. The hen was old and faded, and no longer laid eggs. Apart from eating and drinking, she would just lie in the sun and take a nap. Li Yang would hold the hen and ramble on about whether Ye Ling had forgotten about her, looking lost and dejected at the festive red decorations that adorned the courtyard and corridor.
Just when her family thought Li Yang had given up, Shu You was found unconscious in her room on the day she entered the palace. Li Yang, holding his beloved hen, knocked out his cousin and jumped onto the palace's wedding carriage.
She was both nervous and excited on the way, wondering how to start the conversation when she saw Ye Ling, what to say to reminisce about their childhood friendship, and how to tell him that she hadn't stopped thinking about him since she left without saying goodbye all those years ago. She wondered if he had really caught ninety-nine cicadas, and if he missed her as much as she missed herself.
What started as a child's longing for a playmate naturally began to sprout as Li Yang grew up. Even when she hid in the theater to listen to those erotic songs that made her blush, she was still thinking of Ye Ling.
Contrary to Li Yang's expectations, Ye Ling did not appear to see her for a full half month after she actually replaced Shu You in the palace. At first, she was still shy as a young lady, but later she couldn't help but ask the palace servants about the location of Ye Ling's palace. However, the first time she went out, she bumped into the Empress, and the second time she saw injustice and drew her sword to help a palace maid who was having a mental breakdown.
She finally saw Ye Ling, whom she hadn't seen for five years, at a banquet held a month later when the emperor celebrated the return of the western expeditionary army. She was seated in a corner, her warm and joyful eyes fixed on Ye Ling.
Ye Ling, that naughty boy, was so unruly as a child, but he's become quite mature as he's grown up. Li Yang excitedly rubbed his fingers together, both delighted by Ye Ling's transformation as the ruler of a country and saddened that he hadn't been a part of his growth.
Li Yang was naturally optimistic and was certain that Ye Ling would remember her. Therefore, his warm gaze always followed the young emperor on the throne. It was too clear and too direct, but Ye Ling just couldn't notice it. During the three-hour banquet, apart from glancing at this place at the beginning, he never lingered his gaze here for even a moment.
After leaving his seat, Li Yang lowered his head and followed the palace servants out, but not in the direction of his residence. Under the bright moon and few stars, and with the swaying shadows of the trees, Li Yang easily hid behind a large rock in the courtyard.
After waiting for a long time, she finally heard rustling sounds moving out of the hall. She heard Ye Ling's deep voice instructing the attendant beside him: "Don't follow too closely, I want to take a walk alone."
Li Yang peeked outside and saw Ye Ling's figure heading towards the bamboo forest under the cool moonlight. Without thinking much, she crouched down and carefully jogged after her. After confirming that there were no palace servants or guards around, she boldly pounced on her and hugged Ye Ling tightly.
The body beneath the dark robe suddenly stiffened, and Li Yang's long-lost panting voice rushed towards her again through these separated seasons. Time seemed to have left no mark of growth on her; she was still as willful and unrestrained as ever.
Ye Ling, I've been watching you all night, didn't you even notice? She looked up, her eyes sparkling, showing no sign of distance. Or have you forgotten me? How could you forget me?
There's probably only one girl in this world, Li Yang, who would dare to hold him so tightly and never let go!
Ye Ling was stunned for a long time before she signaled Li Yang to let go after all her emotions had calmed down: I clearly appointed your cousin, so why is it you who entered the palace? Her tone was indifferent, without a trace of surprise or joy.
Li Yang didn't let go, his eyes filled with anxiety: You...you've fallen for Shu You?
Ye Ling did not answer, but simply removed Li Yang's hands from her waist, her voice sounding tired and helpless: You shouldn't have come here.
Li Yang met his gaze quietly, panic slowly creeping over her. She didn't know what to do, and could only keep emphasizing: "I'm Li Yang! We promised to be together when we grow up! I've come to find you, Ye Ling."
Ye Ling had already turned around, grasped Li Yang's trembling fingers, and said coldly: I'll give you three days to leave the palace and go home, and bring Shu You back before anyone notices. Otherwise, I'll personally send you back.
three
The next day, a palace servant came and said that he had received a secret imperial decree to help Li Yang pack his belongings to return to Kezhou.
Li Yang, petite in stature, blocked the doorway and refused to let them in, resorting to threats and shouting, but to no avail. In the end, she was dragged into the courtyard by the imperial guards.
She sat silently on the scorching ground baked by the midday sun, tears falling but quickly wiping them away, until the disturbing chirping of cicadas from the pomegranate tree behind her startled her awake.
Li Yang paused for a moment, then jumped up, ignoring the strange looks from the palace servants beside her, and climbed the tree on her own, ordering someone to bring a large porcelain bottle. She was catching cicadas, carefully placing them one by one, large and small, into the bottle, noting the number of each one she put in. The afternoon sun was intense, and with the added mosquito bites, Li Yang's exposed arms became red and swollen, but she ignored the palace servants' attempts to stop her, continuing to catch cicadas one by one, moving on to another tree when one was full.
She counted them one by one: nineteen, twenty.
She didn't sleep that night, and the next morning, exhausted, she only drank a pot of tea before another day of hard work. A wind picked up at night, and Li Yang's mind began to wander. Her arms stretched out instinctively, and she couldn't remember how many she had caught. Clutching the porcelain bottle, she leaned against a branch, gazing at the fine stars in the sky, telling herself she would just rest for a little while.
Then, looking down, I saw the dark figure standing on the wall.
Li Yang blinked, realizing it wasn't her imagination. There really was a tall, slender figure standing there, wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat. He stood there like a statue, gazing at her, or perhaps at the bright moon?
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