Un corazón puro en una vasija de jade

Capítulo 29

"Why the hell did they hand me firecrackers?!" Tianrui roared.

"Your Highness, spare me! This servant was careless." The eunuch who handed the firecracker to Tianrui knelt on the ground, kowtowing and begging for mercy.

Tianrui walked over and kicked him to the ground: "If you really hurt the Crown Prince, Prince Duan will skin you alive! Drag him away! Forty strokes of the cane! Drag him far away, don't spoil the fun!"

Several eunuchs stepped forward and dragged the man away. Tianrui turned around angrily and saw the First Prince pull Yongye up from the ground. He strode over and asked with concern, "Is Yongye alright?"

Yongye raised her head, her face pale with fright. She shook her head slightly, her voice still trembling, "No...it's nothing!"

The eldest prince narrowed his eyes slightly, a deep sense of doubt welling up in his mind.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I'm fine, I was just frightened and instinctively lay down on the ground." Yongye seemed to have just come to his senses.

The Second Prince looked at Yongye with a puzzled expression, not quite understanding why Yongye hadn't been injured by the iron pellets despite being so close to the firecrackers. He chuckled dryly, "It's good that he's alright. The firecrackers didn't scare anyone, but Yongye's reaction really frightened us."

"Yongye is timid and has frightened Your Highness. Please forgive me!" Yongye bowed respectfully. Inwardly, he sneered. The Second Prince seemed concerned for Qiangwei, yet he released her at this crucial moment. If things truly came to a head, Qiangwei would be Li Tianrui's protector. He only needed to say, "Even if I wanted to harm Yongye, I would never harm Qiangwei," to dispel any suspicion.

"Sigh, I've lost all interest." The Third Prince sighed, looking longingly at the remaining fireworks with extreme frustration.

“Yongye was terrified. These fireworks… what a pity. Rose, we can’t see them this time. How about next time?” the Second Prince asked.

Rose huddled beside the eldest prince, wanting to look but also afraid to.

"Play! Why wouldn't I dare to play?!" Yongye said defiantly, picking up a firework and lighting it. Silver rain burst forth again in the night sky, a beautiful and dazzling spectacle.

He smiled smugly at Rose: "How was it? Aren't my fireworks beautiful?"

Rose nodded, flattered, and then walked to Yongye's side, mustering her courage to say, "I want to release it too!"

"Alright, I'll teach you!" Yongye was about to teach Rose when his hand trembled. He sighed, stood up, and met Tianrui's jealous gaze.

"Your Highness, I'm holding Rose... in case... I'm afraid I might hurt her." Yongye lowered his head somewhat embarrassedly.

Rose was taken aback. Tianrui had already walked over, smiling as he took the incense from Yongye's hand: "I'll teach Rose how to light it!"

Tianrui picked up the incense stick and carefully touched the fuse to Qiangwei's hand. Qiangwei was both excited and scared. When she heard the fuse "pop" and ignite, she turned around and fell into his arms in fright.

Tianrui laughed heartily, his mood brightening once more. Could he escape the first day of the month only to fall back on the fifteenth? After the New Year's Eve, he would enter the palace to study; he had plenty of opportunities and time.

Fireworks exploded one by one in the night, bewitching like the eyes of darkness. The eternal night revealed a dazzling smile.

It was as if nothing had happened. The eldest prince breathed a sigh of relief; he had lost interest and stood aside watching.

The third prince, however, was not satisfied and clamored for the eunuchs to arrange the fireworks in the snow and light them one by one.

The Second Prince was delighted to see Yongye in such a sorry state, and pointed to the largest firework, laughing, "Rose, let's go light that one!"

That firework was as thick as a bucket; it must have been a top-quality firework. Tianrui planned to save it for last.

"Rose." Yongye called softly, and Rose immediately ran to his side with a smile. "Brother Yongye, let me carry you to watch the Second Prince set off fireworks."

"good!"

Tianrui glared at Yongye, then smiled at Qiangwei: "Watch me show you the prettiest one!" He then went to select it.

The fuse had just been lit when there was another deafening "boom." A burst of smoke and fire erupted from the ground, but it exploded before it could even reach the sky.

"Ah!" Li Tianrui was knocked over by the exploding fireworks, and flames ignited on his robe.

The eldest prince leaped over, swept his leg across the ground, scooped up the snow, and pounced on Tianrui.

This sudden turn of events left everyone in the courtyard stunned into silence.

Rose gasped as Yongye pulled her into his arms: "Don't be afraid, Yongye is here."

The second prince scrambled to his feet, his new robe torn to shreds where the sparks had landed, his jade hairpin missing, his hair disheveled, and his face smeared with dirt.

Two new outfits were ruined in one night, each more embarrassing than the last. Tianrui was in a terrible mood. He cursed, "Who sent fireworks into the palace?! Report this to the Imperial Household Department for a thorough investigation!"

The eunuch panicked and quickly agreed.

"Second brother, are you burned?" Tianyou asked worriedly.

Tianrui shoved Tianyou aside, his face dark, and stormed into the hall.

"So much trouble has arisen from setting off fireworks; the servants of Qingyuan Palace are becoming increasingly arrogant!" Tianxiang spat.

Tianyou sighed and said, "It's getting late, let's go. Oh, by the way, Yongye, I have a gift for you. Third brother, you take Qiangwei back first."

Having experienced two accidents, Rose was terrified. She glanced at Yongye with reluctance and obediently left with Tianxiang.

Yongye was in an exceptionally good mood. He couldn't help but feel smug after twice subtly tricking the Second Prince. He tried his best to control the urge to burst into laughter and quietly followed the First Prince away.

Turning the corner of the covered walkway, Tianyou stopped when he saw no one around and said calmly, "Yongye, the clothes on your back are torn."

Yongye was taken aback, then smiled: "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. My father knew that Yongye was weak and gave me this armor, otherwise I would definitely have been injured."

Tianyou glanced at him a few times before suddenly attacking, but Yongye stood there innocently, not dodging. He secretly wondered if the First Prince had discovered that he was behind it all? He made up his mind to risk injury rather than expose himself.

When Tianyou touched Yongye's body, he had no strength left. He casually flicked the snowflakes off Yongye's collar, then took off his cloak and tied it around Yongye's neck. He sighed and said, "Second brother was indeed a bit ruthless. Don't blame him. He's never let anyone touch what he likes since he was little. Rose... I'm sorry for causing you trouble."

Yongye breathed a sigh of relief; he had been overthinking things. He blinked and smiled, "How could Yongye blame the Second Prince? It was clearly those servants who were blind and mixed up the fireworks and firecrackers."

Tianyou looked at him quietly, then smiled after a moment of silence, "It's good that Yongye thinks that way. I'll take you back. To be honest, I didn't prepare a gift, but I'll definitely prepare one for you next time."

Before the two even reached Yuqing Palace, they encountered a eunuch who had come looking for them. Knowing that Prince Duan and his wife were getting impatient, Yongye quickly took his leave.

Tianyou gazed at Yongye's retreating figure, a thoughtful look in his eyes. He wasn't certain Yongye was responsible. However, the leaping plate and the fireworks exploding on the ground were so cleverly arranged that it almost seemed like an accident. If Yongye was behind it, then this reclusive prince who barely spoke was truly remarkable.