IHOEAYSTTTIW Chapter 71

Chapter 71: A Little Setback, No Big Deal

Chapter 71: A Little Setback, No Big Deal

Lin Yan, having finished his business for the day, returned to the Prince’s mansion, and the first thing he did was break free from his constraints.

The formal dress for attending banquets was large, thick, heavy, and truly extravagant, but also genuinely cumbersome.

Lin Yan finally understood why the protagonists in campus dramas were always bouncy and energetic, while the protagonists in historical dramas, no matter how outgoing, were much more restrained.

Simply put, with this outfit on, even an immortal couldn’t jump.

Lin Yan asked a servant to inquire whether Yun Qi would be returning for dinner, and then he plunged into the kitchen.

As the saying goes, a gentleman keeps his distance from the kitchen. The ladies, young masters, and mistresses of these noble families never deigned to associate with pots and pans. This Consort An was quite the exception.

The steward instructed the servants to take good care of Lin Yan, providing whatever he needed and ensuring his safety, preventing him from being burned by fire, scalded by water, cut by knives, hit by pots…

Lin Yan watched as the servants washed and prepared the vegetables. Just as they were about to ask what to do next, he shooed them out.

He cooked because he enjoyed it, for no other reason. Even when a servant reported that Yun Qi wouldn’t be returning today, Lin Yan simply made two fewer dishes.

After a satisfying meal, the table was a mess of empty plates and cups.

Lin Yan burped and instructed everyone not to enter his room, then locked the door and started playing on his phone.

The phone battery died, and Lin Yan fell asleep. Yun Qi, who was supposedly very “concerned” about Lin Yan, didn’t return either.

Waking up in the middle of the night to an empty room and a phone that wouldn’t turn on no matter how hard he pressed the power button, Lin Yan uttered the same line from that public service announcement.

“Busy, everyone’s busy. It’s good to be busy.”

As dawn broke, the Prince’s mansion gradually became lively. Lin Yan was awakened by the clamorous footsteps in the courtyard.

Lin Yan rubbed his eyes and groggily asked, “What time is it?”

Qinghe, a servant assigned to attend to Lin Yan personally, heard the voice and knocked twice on the door before pushing it open. “Has Your Highness awakened? It’s just past five o’clock now. Would Your Highness like to sleep a little longer?”

Only five o’clock…

Lin Yan nodded and waved for Qinghe to leave.

Lin Yan had just lain down and was starting to feel drowsy when a servant barged in. Qinghe followed him into the room, looking frustrated at his failed attempt to stop him.

“Your Highness,” the servant said, haphazardly kowtowing, his voice flustered, “news from the Palace! The Prince has collapsed in the Palace.”

“What?” Lin Yan “sprang” from the bed, grabbed a piece of clothing, and started putting it on.

Qinghe stepped forward to help Lin Yan with his clothes, quietly trying to reassure him. “Don’t worry, Your Highness. There are so many Imperial Physicians in the Palace…”

“Stop talking nonsense.” Lin Yan brushed aside Qinghe’s hand, put on his shoes, and rushed out. “Prepare the carriage, I’m going to the Palace.”

Qinghe looked at Lin Yan’s disheveled hair and unkempt clothes and took a deep breath. He quickened his pace to catch up with Lin Yan, softly advising, “If you’re going to the Palace, Your Highness, these clothes…”

Lin Yan hastily tied up his shoulder-length hair and strode towards the courtyard. “Is this really the time to be worrying about appearances?”

The servants in the courtyard received Qinghe’s signal, and a whole group of them knelt at the entrance. Inside the room, chaos reigned as the serving maids and matrons frantically searched for clothes suitable for entering the Palace.

Seeing the pandemonium in the courtyard, Lin Yan finally relented. He waved for the maids and matrons carrying the lavish robes to follow him and headed towards the courtyard entrance. “Forget it, forget it. I’ll change in the carriage.”

The carriage swayed, and the maids were extremely careful while changing Lin Yan’s clothes and arranging his hair, but they still managed to pull out a few strands. She cautiously glanced at Lin Yan, only to find that his attention wasn’t on this at all. His expression didn’t even change much.

“There’s no one on the road, so hurry up.” Lin Yan kept urging the coachman, his fingers clutching the fabric of his clothes so tightly that his knuckles turned white. “Hurry! I’ll take responsibility if something happens.”

The coachman raised his whip and lashed it hard against the horse’s back. The carriage sped along the street, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Lin Yan lowered the curtain and had just taken a breath when the carriage suddenly slowed down and stopped.

Before he could ask what was happening, a shout came from outside: “Who’s in the carriage?”

“My master is Consort An.”

Lin Yan lifted the curtain, and the guard asking the questions quickly saluted. “Greetings, Your Highness Consort An.”

Lin Yan raised his hand, telling him to dispense with the formalities, trying his best to act like a proper consort. “Xiao Qi… The Prince isn’t feeling well. I must ask you to allow us to pass.”

The guard looked at the An Prince’s carriage, hesitating.

“This servant was late in greeting you, please forgive me, Your Highness Consort.”

A shrill voice came from inside the Palace gates. Lin Yan followed the sound and saw a eunuch-like figure hurrying over, bowing deeply to him.

Qinghe whispered, “That’s Eunuch Tingchao, from His Majesty’s side.”

Lin Yan nodded and got out of the carriage to help him up. “Eunuch Tingchao, please rise. The Prince’s health is paramount. Let’s go in quickly.”

Tingchao responded with an affirmative and led Lin Yan towards the Palace.

Qinghe was stopped after following them through two gates. There were many rules in the Palace. Lin Yan didn’t dwell on it and simply continued to follow Tingchao.

Tingchao led Lin Yan around in circles, heading towards increasingly opulent areas. Even though Lin Yan was anxious, he had calmed down by now.

He pretended to be physically weak and slowed down, quietly observing the plants and trees around him.

Lin Yan had never been to the Imperial Palace, but he had visited the Forbidden City and watched TV dramas.

Whether receiving foreign dignitaries or accommodating a Prince, most of those events occurred at the Huìtóng Inn, or, since the Great Zhou was fictional and didn’t have a Huìtóng Inn, some other palace. There was no reason to stay in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Lin Yan walked slower and slower. Tingchao stopped and, under Lin Yan’s scrutinizing gaze, calmly explained, “His Majesty and An Prince have a deep brotherly affection. When the Prince suddenly collapsed, His Majesty was worried and arranged for Your Highness to stay in the side hall of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.”

Lin Yan nodded and continued to follow the man, all sorts of chaotic thoughts coming to mind.

Lin Chong barging into the White Tiger Hall, Song Jiang accidentally entering Qingfeng Village…

Tingchao stopped at the entrance to a magnificent courtyard, bowing respectfully. “Your Highness, this is the Hall of Mental Cultivation.”

Lin Yan looked up at the glittering plaque and shuddered. He casually asked, “Isn’t trespassing in the Hall of Mental Cultivation punishable by death?”

Tingchao took out a hairpin from his sleeve and handed it to Lin Yan. “His Majesty was thoughtful and knew Your Highness would ask this question, so he specially asked this servant to fetch the An Prince’s hairpin.”

“A hairpin…” Lin Yan took the hairpin, examining it in the light.

The jade was very distinctive, with black and white interwoven. Lin Yan recognized it at a glance; it was the piece of jade that Yun Qi had shown off to him a few days ago.

Lin Yan clenched and unclenched the jade hairpin, then resolutely stepped into the side hall.

There was no one in the outer room of the side hall, but there was a rustling sound behind the screen.

“Xiao Qi?” Lin Yan called out tentatively, his pace quickening involuntarily.

The person behind the screen, who was toying with antiques, turned around. Lin Yan abruptly stopped and knelt to perform a greeting. “Greetings, Emperor. May you be blessed with boundless fortune.”

“Imperial Brother’s Wife, you may dispense with the formalities and rise.” Yun Song placed the bottle back on the shelf, casually pulled out a chair next to him and sat down, then gestured for Lin Yan to sit in the chair opposite him.

Lin Yan looked behind Yun Song, seeing that there was no one there, and asked urgently, “Your Majesty, where is Xiao Qi?”

Yun Song picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and said calmly, “The Imperial Brother and Imperial Brother’s Wife are truly in love. However, the Imperial Brother is not in this Imperial Palace. I’m afraid the Imperial Brother’s Wife has made a wasted trip.”