Chapter 336 - The Lantern Festival
Chapter 336 The Lantern Festival
On the Lantern Festival, which fell on the fifteenth day of the first month of the lunar year, people would be busy making flower lanterns, solving riddles and eating sweet dumplings.
With her hands held tightly in a pair of dry, warm hands, Lin Mengya found herself following behind Long Tianyu, floating along like duckweed.
She was distracted by what Baisu had done. In fact, Baisu had a woeful tale to tell. But Lin Mengya could not retain her, for herself or Xiaoyu.
“Are you still feeling upset about Baisu?”
Long Tianyu’s deep, low voice suddenly came from above her. Lin Mengya lifted up her head and found her eyes drawn into a pair of dark eyes which was looking at her as well.
“I… You know everything? Are you going to blame me?”
Lin Mengya felt a little nervous, because Baisu had followed her into the Palace, after all. If something went wrong with the Emperor, she would be the main cause.
“From the beginning, I knew clearly who Baisu really was. I did not stop you from going into the palace with her, because I was sure that she would not do anything to father.”
Suddenly, Long Tianyu turned his head aside, his face hidden in the darkness so that Lin Mengya could not see his facial expression clearly.
But somehow, Lin Mengya felt a little angry at him.
Her face turned a little cold and when she wanted to withdraw her hands, she found that Long Tianyu was holding them very tightly. She tried to struggle but failed. Finally, she had to stop and let him hold her hands.
“Why didn’t you tell me, since you knew everything?”
Lin Mengya asked in a huff. But when she voiced it out, she felt somewhat discouraged.
Frankly, she also had found some hints about Baisu’s identity. She did not stop her because she also wanted to see how much Baisu cared about their relationship, which was like that of being sisters.
Lin Mengya, or Long Tianyu actually doubted if Baisu would betray her.
Suddenly, there was a hint of a smile on her face. To some extent, Long Tianyu and Lin Mengya were on the same wavelength.
They thought themselves to be strategists, and shamelessly used the people closest to them as chips.
“She won’t harm father, truly. “Because she knew herself that you would be involved if she did. Therefore, she would not do anything.”
After a period of thought, Long Tianyu slowly said this.
He actually did not understand the relationship between women.
But he knew clearly about one thing.
Baisu or the other three maids would sacrifice themselves for Lin Mengya.
So did Lin Kui and the other subordinates. When it came to Long Tianyu, they would put his safety as the priority.
That was why Long Tianyu did not stop Baisu from going with Lin Mengya.
But to his surprise, this was almost used by the Crown Prince as an excuse to defeat Lin Mengya.
Long Tianyu frowned slightly. Baisu’s identity was a secret. Even he did not make it known. But how could an unimportant guard of the Crown Prince, know clearly who Baisu really was.
Long Tianyu smelled a sensitive conspiracy going on here.
“It may be so. I hope Baisu can think it over and find a life of her own. After all, she can’t live for me or Xiaoyu.”
Lin Mengya figured it out as well. Baisu was not the same as the other three girls.
Her family and her martial arts skills were the deciding factors for her, that she could never be an ordinary maid.
Perhaps, Baizhi and Baishao might get married to common men in a few years. But Baisu had the best ending for herself now.
Lin Mengya raised her head and saw lots of Kongming lanterns rising up in the dark sky.
Red or yellow quadrangle paper lanterns were flying in the sky over the Capital City.
When Lin Mengya was still a little girl, mothers in the orphanage would often fly a Kongming lantern, when one of those orphans had their birthday coming.
It was said that supernatural beings in heaven would see the paper lanterns carrying the people’s good aspirations.
“Don’t worry. I’ve told Lin Kui not to make it hard for Baisu. If you want more maids, I will tell them to find a suitable maid for you.”
Lin Mengya nodded. Before anyone noticed, Long Tianyu had already started to do these thoughtful and caring tasks for her.
“I…don’t need. The more I build up the relationship with, the more painful the departure will be for me. But anyway, thank you.”
Lin Mengya turned around and a grateful smile surfaced on her face.
Long Tianyu was obsessed with it. Although he had already seen her different facial expressions, her smile was so light under the moonlight, so soft.
Her beautiful eyes were filled with sincere gratitude.
Her pink, rosy lips curled upward, and a gentle smile made her face so beautiful that the stars in the sky would lose their lights in a minute.
The people around them disappeared from their world in a minute.
In their eyes, only both of them were present, at this moment.
The next second, Long Tianyu bent his body.
Unexpectedly, his cool, soft lips touched Lin Mengya’s lips.
Lin Mengya opened her eyes wide and watched his face getting closer. She seemed to be stunned, and her small mouth opened slightly. His familiar, overwhelming breath was making her dizzy.
Lin Mengya had never experienced such a gentle, cherished kiss before. Her eyes started to wander in a second. Then, she grasped Long Tianyu’s cuffs like a drowning woman.
Long Tianyu looked down at the pink face. The expected struggle did not happen. Instead, the pair of eyes with the curved eyelashes quivered and closed in the next second.
Lin Mengya seemed to give her permission, as well as encouragement. Unexpected soft feelings poured into Long Tianyu’s heart suddenly. He could not help lengthening his kiss.
His grey robe blocked their eyes.
The atmosphere was getting warmer. His coolness turned into heat in a few minutes.
Lin Mengya, who was inexperienced in this, felt very dizzy. Then, her pliant body fell into Long Tianyu’s arms.
“God! How could we in public… Ooo…”
Lin Mengya, who was always a good talker, was uttering cries, with her hands covering her face. Looking at her, Long Tianyu’s lifetime indifferent face finally burst into laughter.
He held Lin Mengya, who resolutely refused to loosen her hands, in his arms.
His smile was getting wider. “It’s no wonder that father often told me to get a wife as early as possible.”
It proved that the Heavens treated him kindly and generously. Lin Mengya, in his arms, was gradually going into and occupying every corner of his heart, unknowingly.
“It’s alright. No one can see us.”
His low voice was mixed with a little flirtatious tone, maybe because its master was in a good mood.
Lin Mengya was shamed into anger. She clenched her fists and violently pounded on his chest.
But what she heard was a louder laugh.
Lin Mengya held her flaming face between her palms. Although she had traveled from the modern world to this ancient world, she still felt embarrassed at this display of undisguised passion.
“Alright, let’s go and appreciate the flower-shaped lanterns. I remember that you held a flower lantern gathering in Liuxin Courtyard, right? Let’s have a look and see the difference between yours and the folk lantern show.”
Long Tianyu rarely suggested anything in such a low, gentle voice, but he was in an exceptionally good mood today.
Lin Mengya nodded slightly because she found it hard to refuse him. But her face which was still as red as a tomato, was looking downward.
In fact, Lin Mengya had always been aware about the prosperity in the Capital City.
When she was still a child, she and Baizhi would climb the ladder in the backyard and look out at the outside world, every year.
She could go out as much as she wanted to now, but the enchantment from that time had disappeared.
Flower lanterns varied greatly, from the simplest red lanterns, to the delicate animal or flower lanterns. Lin Mengya followed Long Tianyu about lovingly, which was rare.
“Which one do you like? I can buy it for you.”
Long Tianyu tried to express what he was thinking of, unskillfully. Even he himself did not expect that he would try so carefully to please someone.
“I… It’s good enough to just look. They’re all beautiful. I like them all.”
“Buy me a flower lantern? Only children will have that kind of wish.”
Lin Mengya smiled at him, but her eyes stopped on a butterfly lantern for a few seconds.
The butterfly lantern was very delicate. Even in the modern world, Lin Mengya had rarely seen such a lovely flower lantern.
It lasted for just seconds. But Long Tianyu was quick to notice that it had caught her eye.
“Wait here. I’ll be back soon.”
After letting Lin Mengya wait in a safe corner, Long Tianyu disappeared into the crowd immediately, and went to chase after the lantern vendor.
Looking at his back, Lin Mengya tried to stop him, but she was deprived of the chance from the beginning.
It was uncommon that Prince Yu would act so impulsively. Today, it was worth the ticket for the lantern show.
“Don’t move, Princess Yu.”
Before she was aware of it, Lin Mengya suddenly found a sharp knife prodding her waist.
Her body stiffened, as a low warning came into her ears.
Lin Mengya berated herself silently for three seconds. She thought of herself quite like Conan, otherwise, she would not always encounter such incidents.
“Who are you? What do you want?”
Behind her was the quiet, dark street.
The one behind her was holding her, and moving until the end of the street.
In the dim moonlight, Lin Mengya only saw the outline of a face hidden by a black cloak.
This person did not want her to recognize who she was; thus, she lowered her voice deliberately. But Lin Mengya was sure that the mysterious one in black, was a woman.
“Your life, of course, Princess Yu. I know there are lots of guards protecting you, nearby. But, today, you will not survive!”
Her voice sounded a little shrill, not due to fright, but —excitement!
The woman swung the shining knife and it seemed that at the next second, the knife would slice into Lin Mengya’s body.