Eternal Night - Chapter 22
Around noon, he heard Li Yannian lift the sedan curtain and softly call to him, "Young Master, we've arrived."
Yongye was still asleep and didn't want to pay attention to him. She closed her eyes and continued to sleep.
Li Yannian was somewhat anxious, but he couldn't shout loudly in front of General Lin. As he lowered the sedan curtain, a surge of anger welled up inside him. He knew perfectly well that with Yongye's cultivation level, he would definitely be awake, yet he deliberately ignored him.
He felt a slight headache, but thinking about Yongye's mission, he sneered and ignored it.
Yongye closed his eyes, resting peacefully. He was currently contemplating how to present himself to Prince Duan and his consort. Should he give them a warm embrace, declaring himself a normal child again, or should he be gentle and submissive, occasionally uttering a few words to show he was willing to speak? Both choices had their advantages. The former would allow him to become the little tyrant of the capital, doing whatever he pleased. The latter would allow him to conceal his strength and use stillness to his advantage.
Before he could get a clearer picture, the sedan curtain was lifted again, and the tinkling of jade pendants, along with a faint fragrance, wafted in. Someone boarded the carriage and quickly pulled him into an extremely soft embrace.
The first night at the Prince's Mansion
Yongye was buried in this warm embrace, and she decided the future direction he had no time to choose.
Since he didn't need to choose, the woman had already picked him up and gotten off the carriage, quickly walking towards the mansion. It seemed she wanted to take him to bed.
How much does a nine-year-old child weigh? Yongye suddenly found it amusing; she carried him all the way into the mansion without even breaking a sweat. Impressive!
He greedily inhaled the sweet fragrance emanating from her, guessing from Chanel to CD, but ultimately agreeing that this pure, natural floral scent was the most comforting. She must be carrying a dried flower sachet. Women love these little trinkets. Yongye decided to make more to give as gifts in the future.
Upon entering the room, a warm feeling enveloped him, and there was no pungent orange smell like Li Yannian's; he was quite satisfied.
A slight sound came from one side of the room, then fell silent again. Yongye thought to himself, "Princes and nobles are indeed different. There are at least three people in this room, yet it remains so quiet. The rules of the Duan Prince's mansion are exceptionally strict."
The fragrance lingered in his nose, and Yongye resisted the urge to open his eyes, continuing to sleep soundly.
He was grateful to the person who had carried him down. It eased his tension at the prospect of seeing Prince Duan and his wife. Although they looked alike and his mannerisms were similar, people are driven by feelings, and parents are perhaps more perceptive. Yongye was particularly worried about problems arising from small details not recorded in the scrolls. He thought with some regret that it would be better if the purple-robed child were mute, so he wouldn't even have to fake a voice.
Thinking this, Yongye told himself, "You really are a bad person, a bad person with no compassion whatsoever." But he had to survive, and survive well. With that thought, Yongye felt relieved. He couldn't blame him for being ruthless; he should blame the person who came up with the idea!
Ever since he learned that Li Yannian was one of the stewards of the inner courtyard of the Prince Duan's mansion, Yongye understood that his fate was sealed the moment he stepped out of the small building and met Li Yannian.
Because of this face, they had been plotting this for three years. And they had been patiently waiting for him to learn the skills. As Li Yannian said, the eldest prince was fourteen years old this year, the second prince was only a few months younger than the eldest prince and was also fourteen, and the third prince was the same age as him. Their grand plan should be carried out a few years later when the princes come of age. In the next few years, perhaps he could still enjoy a more relaxed and carefree life as the crown prince.
These next few years are the time I can control. Yongye smiled slightly, then opened her eyes.
"Young Master!?" the woman in front of her called out happily. She was much taller than the person impersonating her at the mountain villa, easily 1.72 meters tall; no wonder she didn't have much trouble lifting her. Her face was familiar, and her features were quite delicate.
So she was Yi Hong! Yong Ye looked her up and down, his gaze finally settling on the small sachet at Yi Hong's waist: "Water!"
Yi Hong was startled, then her face lit up with excitement: "Yin'er, quickly go tell the Princess that the young master has spoken!"
Yongye lazily sat up, and Lancui quickly put a pillow under his arm. Lancui was more petite and delicate than Yihong, and she looked like a quick and efficient person.
Yi Hong brought over some water and complained, "Young Master, why didn't you sleep a little longer? How could you endure being tossed and turned in the carriage all night?"
I was just about to fall asleep. Yongye took a sip of water and felt much better. He shook his head and said, "There are too many people in the room. I can't sleep."
Yi Hong was shocked: "Young Master used to be most afraid of sleeping alone. Although he didn't say it, he wouldn't let me and Lan Lu leave at night."
"I always sleep alone on the mountain, and I've gotten used to the quiet after a while," Yongye explained. He was annoyed; it would be so comfortable if he could hold one in each arm and sleep on a bed, but it wasn't convenient. With the two of them around, he couldn't do anything.
As they were talking, a very gentle voice came from the doorway, as if sighing: "It really can talk now."
The maids in the room all bowed and greeted her: "Your Highness!"
Yongye leaned against the bed, his mouth slightly open, drool escaping from the corner of his lips. He stared, mesmerized. No wonder Prince Duan had softened from steel to gentleness; for a man to marry such a beauty was equivalent to the glory of achieving great deeds! Look, my wife is like this! What about your wife? Yongye completely understood Prince Duan. He couldn't help but touch his own face.
Princess Duan looked very similar to the one depicted in the palace's instruction manual, but a painting can never compare to the real person. Her features were extremely delicate; Yongye resembled her, or more accurately, the crown prince resembled her.
She stood at the doorway, gazing at Yongye from afar, her eyes filled with a mixture of pity, contradiction, and unspeakable pain.
Yongye suddenly felt a chill; she had killed her beloved son!
He lowered his head, feeling somewhat guilty. He had killed her son and then impersonated him. Yongye suddenly felt a pang of pity, only hoping she wouldn't realize he was an imposter; otherwise, she would be heartbroken. He didn't know why, after just one glance from afar, he had softened towards Princess Duan.
"Take good care of him. The young master has traveled a long way and needs to rest for a few more days." After saying these words, Princess Duan turned and left.
Yongye rubbed his eyes and was absolutely certain he hadn't seen wrong. The beautiful princess he was about to throw himself into her arms had actually left!
It's not surprising that people would lean on red flowers and green grass; it seems quite normal.
Yongye felt that Youligu was being extremely negligent. Was this the behavior of a mother who loved her son? It was outrageous! With his face, he couldn't even attract the princess to come to his bedside and hug him? He twitched his lips, feeling a sense of abandonment.
As if knowing what was on his mind, Yihong quickly came over and took his hand, saying, "The Princess Dowager loves the young master very much; that's just her nature..."
Yongye angrily pulled his hand away, rolled over into the bed, and said, "You all get out, I'm going to sleep for a while."
Yi Hong sighed softly and left.
The room fell completely silent. Yongye then turned over and pondered carefully. Could this be how the purple-robed child developed autism? If the Princess was like this, the Prince must be even more so. He wasn't close enough to the child, which was why he felt distressed and refused to speak. Li Yannian had been in the Prince's residence for many years, and he could even make Yihong and Lancui look familiar to him in disguise. Why didn't he mention that the Prince and Princess weren't close to the Heir Apparent?
The fact that Prince Duan was willing to send troops to bring him back shows that he values him highly. However, judging from the tone of the Princess Consort upon his return, it seemed that she wanted him to live alone in Wanyu Courtyard, and she didn't mention seeing his father at all.
There were too many things he couldn't understand. These were things that Youli Valley hadn't told him, which made Yongye very unsure of what to do next. He thought it was fine, he'd just stay alone for now, and he wouldn't be afraid of giving himself away.
Thinking of this, he got out of bed, then was startled again. The flower on the sole of his foot had been blooming for so long he'd almost forgotten about it. Luckily it was winter, and he hadn't taken off his cloth socks. This made Yongye decide to become even more aloof and have fewer women serve him.
In the middle of the bedroom stood a sofa, and outside it was a daybed, where Yihong or Lancui would sleep with him at night. This needs to be removed; it's too inconvenient for anyone to sleep next to him at night.
Stepping out of the bedroom, he found himself in a large garden. His study was in the east wing, while the west wing was adorned with red flowers and greenery. A thick layer of snow covered the courtyard, and an old, gnarled plum tree in the corner was in full bloom. Yongye felt a pang of longing for his beautiful master.
"Young Master, why did you come out when it's cold outside?" Yi Hong and Lan Cui were cooking with Yin'er, planning to make some of Yong Ye's favorite dishes to cheer him up.
The setting sun bathed the courtyard in a glorious glow. Yongye smiled and said, "Give me a clean water jug."
His smile stunned Yihong and Lancui for a long time before they rushed into the kitchen to look for him.