079. It Was My Foolish Wishful Thinking
The street was bustling, and before long, a crowd had gathered to watch the two of them. Le Qianxue was fairly attractive, but Zhan Lianjing wore a bamboo hat that concealed his face, and to the onlookers, it seemed as though a delicate flower had been planted in a pile of dung.
“Hey! Isn’t this a case of a maiden being harassed?”
“Not quite, but it’s clear this young lady doesn’t care for him, and yet he insists on pestering her. Shameless, isn’t he?”
“No wonder! She’s truly a beauty, and there are plenty who long for what they can’t have.”
The townsfolk, ignorant of the truth, gossiped among themselves, and the air around Zhan Lianjing grew colder by the second.
He had always stood above others—rarely had anyone dared to defy his will. And yet, Le Qianxue had told him “no” time and again.
He seemed unafraid of humiliation and said to her quietly, “Do you truly believe I should not pursue you?”
Le Qianxue fell silent. She struggled to speak. She wanted to say “yes,” but her heart twisted painfully within her.
What was happening to her?
Seeing her hesitate, Zhan Lianjing pressed on, “So, even after I rushed to save you, you feel nothing? You won’t grant me even a single month?”
It was as though a bone had lodged in her throat; her face turned pale with distress. Clenching her fists, she closed her eyes and finally steeled herself. “Yes! I simply don’t like you! No matter your rank or how well you treat me—it changes nothing!”
Her words were as harsh and unyielding as she could make them, leaving herself no retreat.
Zhan Lianjing just looked at her quietly, his voice cool as he replied, “So it was only my own foolish hopes.”
With that, he turned and walked away.
He couldn’t help but wonder, Why must it be you, Le Qianxue? I’d rather you hadn’t been so kind to me—hadn’t made my heart stir!
He liked her so much it sometimes drove him to madness, to the point of risking exposure just to claim her, to the point of braving danger to save her. And yet, all he received in return were a few merciless words.
Perhaps love was always like this. Its cruelty wounds when one least expects.
Zhan Lianjing thought he had finally met that one person, only to realize it was fate’s cruel joke.
No—a grand jest!
He was ready to give her everything, body and soul, but she would not respond in the slightest.
Le Qianxue did not look back at him. People all around continued to point and whisper.
She stood motionless, unsure why her heart ached so terribly, why she could barely breathe—on the verge of suffocation.
She took several deep breaths before her complexion improved.
Gradually, the onlookers dispersed, seeing there was nothing left to watch.
Only one kindly aunt approached, handing her a handkerchief. “Child, don’t cry. I suppose you must care for him, yet I don’t know why you spoke so harshly… Well, sometimes, things are simply beyond our control.”
Le Qianxue shook her head numbly. How could she be crying? This was hardly reason enough for tears.
But when she touched her face, she found it wet with tears.
Le Qianxue lowered her gaze and hurriedly wiped her cheeks dry with her sleeve.
She thanked the aunt, then continued on her way.
Ahead, as expected, was a temple dedicated to matchmaking. Despite the late hour, many young women had come to pray for love.
Le Qianxue hesitated, then entered.
The temple keeper spotted her and called out, “Wait a moment, young lady.”
She paused. “What is it?”
“Have you come to seek a blessing for love?”
She hesitated again, uncertain why she’d come. Still, she replied, “I suppose so.”
“Very well, come here.” The keeper beckoned her to sit down before him.
He was an unusual figure, elderly yet childlike in manner, and before him stood several ornate lanterns fitted with gears for spinning.
Le Qianxue was intrigued. “What is this for?”
“Hehe, I’d like you to help me with a little experiment,” he grinned, childishly animated despite his sixty-some years. “Here, try spinning my lanterns.”
She frowned, but complied, finding it rather fun.
The lanterns were exquisitely crafted, unlike ordinary ones. With a gentle push, she set them all spinning, and to her surprise, they kept turning for a long time.
The temple keeper was astonished, exclaiming in surprise.
Le Qianxue asked, “How do these work? It’s peculiar.”
But the keeper only shook his head. “I don’t know, either.”
She was left speechless.
“If you don’t know, then why are you the temple keeper? And why have me spin them?”
It was baffling. Her mood darkened.
He explained, “Ah, don’t be upset, young lady. The truth is, only you could spin those lanterns.”
“Only me?” She regarded the lanterns, which gradually slowed to a stop.
The keeper continued, “These lanterns were a family heirloom, said to be treasures from a previous dynasty’s palace, accurate in divining fate and disaster alike. Yet none of us, nor any visitor before you, could make them move. You are the first.”
She tried again, and sure enough, it was effortless.
To convince her, the keeper pushed with all his might, but the lanterns didn’t budge. Seeing this, she believed him.
“How did you know I could spin them?”
“Hehe, it goes back to my childhood. When I was five, I fell and hit my head. Ever since, I’ve been able to see light around certain people…” He rambled on, finally getting to the point. “I saw not only light around you, but a faint golden glow. That’s how I guessed you could spin the lanterns.”
Le Qianxue found it odd, but remembered that both Lord Yuan and Yin Susu possessed skills in the five elements and divination, confirming that such things did exist in this world.
Still, she was resigned. “But nothing happened with the lanterns. How can you tell my fortune?”
The keeper only smiled and shook his head. “I don’t know how to use them either. It seems I am not the one fated, but you are. I’ll give them to you, so you can study them in time.”
Le Qianxue could only marvel at his audacity.
In the end, she carried several lanterns back with her. They were exquisite and, luckily, not too heavy, or her arms would have given out.
Yuan Tianci had waited at the inn for her for a long while. Seeing her at last, he hurried over. “Where have you been, my lady?”
Le Qianxue replied, “Why? Just out for a stroll. Has Prince Zhan returned?”
He had left earlier on his own, and Le Qianxue had worried for his safety.
She realized, to her surprise, that she was starting to care for Zhan Lianjing.
Yuan Tianci said gravely, “Just now, Prince Zhan returned, gathered his men, and left! He abandoned the two of us here! Did you quarrel? How could you be so thoughtless? Now that he’s gone, we’ll have to find our own way back to the capital.”
Le Qianxue thought it was nothing serious. Now that Zhan Lianjing was gone, she breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed her words had had their effect.
She said, “This is Night City—not far from the capital. Getting back won’t be difficult.”
With that, she entered the inn, leaving Yuan Tianci behind.
He was exasperated. Without Zhan Lianjing's patronage, they’d have to pay their own way!
He noticed the lanterns in her hands, unlike any ordinary lanterns, and was curious.
“What are those?” Yuan Tianci asked. “They look odd, not like regular lanterns.”
Le Qianxue replied, “A charlatan sold them to me.”
Indeed, after all that, the temple keeper had insisted she pay him a tael of silver, claiming he was losing out.
She hadn't intended to buy them, but found them beautiful enough to serve as ornaments.
Yuan Tianci examined them and agreed, “They’re well made.”
“We’ll look at them later. Get some rest tonight,” Le Qianxue said.
Now that things with Zhan Lianjing were settled, she no longer feared his entanglements, nor the idea of returning to the capital.
She should have felt relieved, but somehow, joy eluded her.
She drifted in and out of sleep all night, and woke the next morning feeling drained.
She had planned to arrange their journey back, but the innkeeper told her, “Before leaving, that gentleman instructed me to prepare a carriage, driver, and guards for you, miss. There’s no need for you to make arrangements.”
Le Qianxue was taken aback. She hadn’t expected that, even angry and hurt, Zhan Lianjing would still think of her.
A shadow crossed her eyes, but she only smiled. “Thank you for telling me, but I won’t use his arrangements. Here are three hundred taels—please make other plans for us.”
The innkeeper was shrewd enough not to ask questions, and took the silver to make arrangements.
After a long journey, she and Yuan Tianci finally returned to the capital. Exhausted, Le Qianxue collapsed into a chair, all composure forgotten.
“Miss, you’re finally back! But didn’t you say you’d be away for a month? It’s only been ten days,” Huatao said, pouring her tea.
Le Qianxue sipped her tea and replied quietly, “Something happened, so I came back. Has my father returned to the capital recently?”
“He has,” Huatao sighed. “A few days ago, he went to the palace. There was a minor issue at the Western Hills garrison, and His Majesty scolded him. If not for the Left Chancellor’s intervention, he would have been punished.”
Le Qianxue frowned. The emperor, it seemed, had finally made his move.