The Seventh Princess Insists on Making Me Live Off Her - Chapter 7

As a result, Changyong’s streets and alleys were suddenly filled with scholars who had traveled from other regions. When talented young men and beautiful young women gathered, colorful ribbons fluttered everywhere amid fragrant air, laughter, and cheerful voices, seemingly driving away the loneliness of winter.

Inside the Princess Consort’s Residence, Little Radish burst into Lian Liejin’s room and shouted repeatedly,

“Wake up! Why are you taking a nap? Today seems to be the Lantern Festival here, and the streets are so lively. We never celebrated any festivals on Qingyue Mountain!”

Lian Liejin had stayed up late the previous night making medicinal pills for Gao Jingxi. She forced her eyes open.

“You mountain bumpkin. What is there to see about lanterns? It is nothing more than a festival invented by merchants to trick people out of their money.”

“You say that as though you aren’t a merchant yourself.”

Little Radish desperately pulled Lian Liejin upright.

“Come on. I have never explored Changyong before.”

Left with no choice, Lian Liejin got out of bed and changed into black robes embroidered with gold thread at the cuffs. A piece of black jade hung from her waist, giving her the appearance of an elegant young gentleman.

By the time the two of them had dawdled through their preparations, the once-bright winter afternoon had already given way to the setting sun.

The streets were indeed extraordinarily lively as the lanterns were lit. The cries of vendors hawking their wares rang out without end.

Little Radish was beside herself with excitement. When she saw sugar figurines, she bought several. She purchased a bag of fried cakes and picked out a whole pile of colorful pinwheels, kites, and painted masks.

In less than half a shichen, nearly all the money they had brought was gone.

However, as night descended, the number of people on the streets increased instead of decreasing. Some places had even become unbearably crowded.

“Let’s go to Tianyuan Residence to watch the fireworks. They will begin in the time it takes one incense stick to burn.”

Little Radish weighed the remaining silver in her hand.

“We still have one tael. It is just enough to pay the entrance fee.”

Lian Liejin smiled.

“Let’s go. It is rare to see you this happy.”

Tianyuan Residence had six floors in total. The uppermost floor offered an excellent view, allowing guests to overlook the entirety of Changyong from every direction.

They had barely sat down when a waiter brought them a pot of fine wine and several dishes to accompany it.

Perhaps Lian Liejin’s appearance was too eye-catching, because several tables of young women kept stealing glances at her. Some of the bolder ones even approached directly to ask for her name.

“This is my child!”

Lian Liejin pointed at Little Radish. She had always used the girl as a shield to avoid unnecessary trouble.

After watching the disappointed young woman leave, Little Radish complained,

“You only know how to take advantage of me. This entire bowl of osmanthus snow-swallow dumplings is mine now. You are not allowed to eat any.”

After waiting for quite some time without hearing Lian Liejin respond, Little Radish swallowed the dumpling in her mouth and discovered that Lian Liejin had stood up.

She was staring blankly in one direction, her gaze utterly focused.

At that moment, multicolored fireworks suddenly blossomed across the sky.

Countless brilliant lights fell over Lian Liejin, yet somehow made her appear a little…

A little lonely.

Little Radish had never seen such an expression on Lian Liejin’s face before. Following her line of sight, she saw only the graceful back of a woman.

The woman wore a long brocade robe of dark-red feathered gauze, displaying an air of elegant nobility.

If even her back appeared so breathtakingly magnificent, who knew how devastatingly beautiful her face must be?

“Hey.”

Little Radish poked Lian Liejin.

“Do not tell me you have fallen for her. You belong to the Seventh Princess. Besides, can’t you see all those young masters and ladies surrounding her?”

Lian Liejin lowered her eyes and said in a heavy voice,

“That is the Seventh Princess.”

“Wow. The greatest beauty under heaven truly lives up to her reputation. You are unbelievably fortunate.”

“We are leaving.”

Lian Liejin grabbed Little Radish and headed straight for the stairs.

“No, wait! Hey, my kite! My sweet dumplings!”

“I will buy you more next time.”

Seeing that Little Radish was causing a commotion and fearing that Gao Jingxi might notice them, Lian Liejin used a little force to tuck Little Radish beneath one arm and hurried downstairs.

Unfortunately, Gao Jingxi seemed to sense something.

She turned around but caught only a glimpse of black robes and a cold, elegant profile as clear as ice beneath the moon.

In that instant, she rose from her seat with uncharacteristic agitation.

Within her heart, she silently murmured,

“Guan Xie…”

The handsome young men and women seated at her table hurriedly asked,

“Your Highness, is something wrong?”

Gao Jingxi shook her head and mocked herself inwardly.

How could that possibly have been Guan Xie? She did not even know what Guan Xie looked like.

“It is nothing. Let us watch the fireworks.”

Chen Yu smiled faintly.

“It is truly Chen Yu’s honor to admire the fireworks today with Eldest Sister Lian, Second Brother, and Your Highness.”

“We are outside the palace, so there is no need for so much ceremony. Being able to drink and converse with several future pillars of the imperial court is one of life’s greatest pleasures.”

Gao Jingxi quickly concealed every trace of emotion, as though the person who had lost her composure moments earlier had not been her.

“You must all perform well at the Poetry and Literature Gathering two days from now.”

The others hurriedly rose from their seats and bowed.

“We will certainly do our utmost and not disappoint Your Highness’s expectations.”

“Look at you. You are doing it again. There is no need to care so much about the difference in our status.”

Gao Jingxi’s perfectly measured chuckle was as intoxicating as fine wine aged for many years.

Everyone’s hearts warmed, and they nearly wished they could climb mountains of blades and descend into seas of fire for the princess immediately.

Only A-You, who stood quietly to one side, noticed that her princess was distracted.

Gao Jingxi repeatedly lifted and lowered the small silver spoon in her hand. The sweet soup in her bowl remained untouched, exactly as it had been when it was served, except that it was no longer steaming.

Meanwhile, Lian Liejin had just left Tianyuan Residence and set Little Radish down when the child immediately began making a fuss.

“I only ate one osmanthus snow-swallow dumpling! Are you trying to starve me to death?”

The fireworks in the sky grew even more dazzling.

Lian Liejin involuntarily turned back toward the sixth floor. Only after a long while did she answer perfunctorily,

“We will eat when we return. I will cook.”

“No. I want to eat outside.”

Little Radish looked suspiciously at Lian Liejin, her eyes rolling around once.

“You only saw the Seventh Princess celebrating the festival with other people, and you already cannot take it?”

Little Radish had an extremely stubborn temperament.

When she had still been an orphan, someone had falsely accused her of stealing. Even when she was nearly beaten to death, she had refused to apologize.

Lian Liejin felt the few dozen copper coins remaining on her body. Ignoring the latter half of Little Radish’s words, she walked directly toward a vegetable stall that was about to close.

“Boss, I want all the tofu, radishes, and cabbages you have left.”

After buying the vegetables and borrowing a pot, Lian Liejin pulled Little Radish toward the river and found a place sheltered from the wind.

“Go gather some straw and small branches. I will cook you a pot of Pearl, Jade, and White Jade Soup.”

“Forgive me for speaking plainly, but we have a pot and no fire.”

Leaving the radishes, cabbages, and tofu where they were, Lian Liejin looked around.

After the fireworks ended, many vendors selling lanterns suddenly appeared on the streets. There were even activities where people could win lanterns by composing poems or solving riddles.

“Wait here. I will bring back fire.”

Little Radish spat disdainfully.

“Coward who is afraid of her wife.”

She then headed toward the woods.

Returning to the main street, Lian Liejin tugged at her clothes and walked straight toward a stall where lanterns could be won by composing poetry.

The lanterns at this particular stall were exquisitely crafted and stood out among all the others.

As a result, many young women had gathered in small groups before the stall, either composing poems or accompanying their friends.

“Young masters and young ladies, this old man is untalented and possesses only the skill of making lanterns, yet I have always loved poetry and song. Whoever wishes to win this largest and finest phoenix lantern must compose the best poem.”

“Boss, composing a poem is simple. But what is the subject?”

“Use my lanterns as the subject. You have the time it takes one incense stick to burn.”

Lian Liejin took paper and a brush from the table before the stall.

Without hesitation, she directly wrote down a poem she had memorized before transmigrating:

Last year, on the Lantern Festival night,
The flower market shone as bright as day.

The moon rose above the willow branches,
And we met after dusk had fallen.

This year, on the Lantern Festival night,
The moon and lanterns remain unchanged.

Yet the one I met last year is gone,
And tears soak the sleeves of my spring robe.

Seeing that Lian Liejin had completed the poem in a single flowing motion without appearing to think, the stall owner assumed it could not be anything remarkable.

He casually accepted the paper and looked at it.

The moment he finished reading, he was stunned.

“Th-this… Did you truly write this?”

Lian Liejin was still thinking about her radishes and cabbages. She tugged lightly at her clothes.

“Didn’t you watch me write it, Boss?”

“This old man believes that the phoenix lantern rightfully belongs to you.”

The instant the stall owner finished speaking, someone in the crowd immediately protested.

“Boss, you have read only one poem and already selected the winner. How is that fair?”

The stall owner was about to recite the poem aloud when Lian Liejin gently shook her head.

“Boss, give me that rabbit lantern instead.”

“You do not want the phoenix lantern?”

The stall owner was puzzled. Did people not always desire the largest and finest prize?

“I do not need it.”

Lian Liejin accepted the rabbit lantern, thanked the stall owner, and turned away with graceful ease.

Before the stall, everyone continued struggling to compose their poems.

Another woman stepped forward.

“Boss, may I see the poem written by that young lady just now?”

“This…”

The woman directly handed him an ingot of silver.

Carrying the lantern, Lian Liejin walked slowly.

When she was still more than ten meters away from the place where she had left the cabbages and radishes, a soft, sweet female voice came from behind her.

“Please… please wait.”