Chapter 546: A Fleeting Illusion, All for Naught
Chapter 546: Chapter 546: A Fleeting Illusion, All for Naught
Ye Shangyi was the first to react, her voice tinged with disappointment. "Someone else won the Lamp King. What a pity. I was hoping to give it a try later."
Shen Ningning tilted her head. "Why the sudden interest in the Lamp King? Were you planning to win it for my third brother?"
"Of course not," Ye Shangyi said, shaking her head. "The Lamp King from the Matchmaker Temple is said to work wonders for blessing a relationship. Didn’t you know?"
Shen Ningning admitted she truly didn’t.
She had never paid much attention to such matters before.
As Ye Shangyi spoke, her eyes sparkled.
"You have no idea how rare the Lamp King is. No one has managed to win it for over a decade because the conditions are so demanding."
"Not only do you have to write a superior couplet within the time limit, but you also have to defeat all the scholarly challengers and remain in the top spot on stage until an entire stick of incense has burned down."
"The last person to win the Lamp King was the late Emperor’s daughter, Princess Mengyang. She has since followed her husband to live in his fief, and their loving and harmonious marriage is still a celebrated tale in the Capital City."
"They say that after Princess Mengyang won the Lamp King, she dreamed that the Matchmaker himself tied her red string of fate. The man at the other end was her current husband, the Prince Consort! Isn’t that incredible?"
Shen Ningning was fascinated. She cupped her cheeks in her hands, her thick lashes fluttering twice.
"So the Lamp King really is that special?"
"Of course! The Lamp King symbolizes destined lovers finding each other and broken relationships being mended. It carries all sorts of wonderful meanings. I wanted it because of that scoundrel, Wu Ke. I hope I never run into such an unreliable man again!"
Hearing this, Shen Ningning felt even more disappointed for Ye Shangyi’s sake.
’If only we’d known, we should have gone to compete for the Lamp King!’
’Shen Ningning was confident in her own scholarship, and besides, she had brought her third brother, Xu Jingxi, with her today.’
’Back then, out of thousands of scholars, she and her brother had placed first and second.’
’If they put in a little effort, the Lamp King shouldn’t have been a problem, right?’
’But it was too late to say anything now.’
Shen Ningning could only console Ye Shangyi. "Why don’t you go draw a fortune stick? Perhaps the verse will be good. That could also be considered guidance from the Matchmaker, couldn’t it?"
Ye Shangyi shook her head. "Let’s not. I’m worried I’ll draw a bad one and burst into tears."
While the two were talking, Lu Shaoyuan and Qi Xiuwei returned.
Each held a fortune stick, and coincidentally, both wore puzzled expressions.
Shen Ningning and Ye Shangyi hurried over to them.
"Did you draw a good fortune? Let me see."
Shen Ningning looked at Qi Xiuwei’s first.
It read: "Cherish this love and ask the heavens why; let not your lute play a song of goodbye."
She scratched her cheek. "What does that mean?"
Qi Xiuwei replied, "I just asked the old Taoist who interprets the fortunes. He said... I should cherish the connection I have before me, or else it will belong to another."
Shen Ningning instinctively looked up at Pei Yin, who was standing nearby.
His expression was perfectly composed, as if he had no idea the fortune was about him.
Shen Ningning cleared her throat and changed the subject. "Lu Shaoyuan, let me see yours."
Lu Shaoyuan handed it over. "I can’t make heads or tails of this one, and what that old priest said was all vague! It can’t be accurate."
Shen Ningning took it and saw that it was the worst possible kind of fortune.
[A beauty of Jade appears in the glass; A fine match it seems, but alas. ’Tis but a flower reflected, a moon on the lake; Turn away, and find it all a mistake.]
Lu Shaoyuan crossed his arms, his brows, dark as raven feathers, furrowing in displeasure.
"That old priest said what looks like a good match for me is actually meant for someone else, and warned me that fighting for it would leave me with nothing in the end. Utter nonsense."
Shen Ningning smiled and handed the slip back. "It’s just a fortune. They say if you think it’s wrong, you can just toss it into that brazier to burn. Then it won’t count."
Lu Shaoyuan nodded. "You’re right. I’m going to burn it."
He strode over to the brazier in front of the temple hall. He returned a moment later, and the group boarded a boat to return to the other shore.
Before they even reached the bank, Shen Ningning spotted someone standing on the shore, holding the enormous Seven Treasure Lantern.
"Huh? That person looks like my third brother!" Shen Ningning exclaimed in surprise.
Lu Shaoyuan stooped and went to the bow of the boat, peering for a moment. "It doesn’t just look like him, that *is* your third brother. He’s the one who won the Lamp King?"
As the boat docked, Shen Ningning hurried over. She saw Meng Wanning standing next to Xu Jingxi, praising the beauty of the Lamp King.
Ye Shangyi’s boat arrived right behind them.
Catching sight of Ye Shangyi out of the corner of her eye, Meng Wanning began to praise Xu Jingxi in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Third Young Master Xie is so brilliant! I was right there with him, and I saw so many scholars come up to challenge him, but Third Young Master Xie bested them all. When it comes to literary talent, I believe Third Young Master Xie is truly unmatched in the entire Capital City."
Shen Ningning was thrilled. "Third Brother, you’re incredible!"
Xu Jingxi’s smile was warm and gentle as he looked at his sister.
"It was nothing. There weren’t many competitors. If you had entered, Little Sis, I’m afraid I would have lost."
Ye Shangyi had already heard Meng Wanning’s words, and a feeling of unease settled in her heart.
’So when Xu Jingxi went back, he really was going to find Meng Wanning. They even went to the competition pavilion together to win the Lamp King.’
Seeing Xu Jingxi’s gaze shift to Ye Shangyi, Meng Wanning immediately turned to Shen Ningning. "Princess, the Third Young Master won this especially for you. I’m truly envious. If only my own brother were so talented."
Shen Ningning blinked her long lashes. "Third Brother, this isn’t for me, is it?"
Xu Jingxi pressed his lips together. "This one... I’ll win next year’s for you. This time, it’s for Ye Shangyi."
With that, he extended the lantern toward the astonished Ye Shangyi.
The smile on Meng Wanning’s face froze.
Lu Shaoyuan and Qi Xiuwei laughed. "So it really was for her?"
Ye Shangyi’s cheeks were burning, and she stammered, "Y-You... why would you give it to me?"
Xu Jingxi’s handsome, jade-like features were placid, holding a barely perceptible warmth.
"On the boat just now, I heard the boatman say the Lamp King carries a wonderful meaning. After what you just went through with Wu Ke, I thought this lantern could help dispel the misfortune."
Ye Shangyi’s heart stirred. She slowly reached out and took hold of the lantern’s handle.
In that instant, someone in the Matchmaker Temple set off fireworks. As they burst open with a brilliant flash, they seemed to illuminate only Xu Jingxi and Ye Shangyi.
Shen Ningning clapped from the side, her laughter ringing out. "Changyi, see how good my third brother is to you? Our family is short one sister-in-law. Why don’t you come and be my third sister-in-law!"
She was teasing, but she was also trying to play matchmaker for Xu Jingxi and Ye Shangyi.
Ye Shangyi’s cheeks turned as red as boiled cherries. For once, the usually bold and carefree girl stomped her foot in a flustered protest. "Ningning!"
Xu Jingxi smiled faintly. "Little Sis, you shouldn’t make such jokes."
Meng Wanning bit her lip. Glancing at them, she could barely conceal the displeasure in her eyes.
Not wanting to stay, she gave a slight curtsy. "The hour is growing late, so I shall take my leave. Princess, Commandery Princess, Wanning bids you farewell."
Shen Ningning caught this out of the corner of her eye and shot a meaningful look at Ye Shangyi.
’Now she can rest easy. Xu Jingxi obviously isn’t interested in Meng Wanning!’
The group, in high spirits, went off together to look at more of the festival lanterns.
「Meanwhile.」
In contrast to the lively streets, the palace was already shrouded in the silence of the night.
Having just left the Imperial Study Room, Mo Lingwei made his way under the stars to the Emperor’s bedchambers to watch him drink his medicinal tonic.
Commander Lu stood to one side. The Emperor seemed not to notice as Mo Lingwei entered, but he suddenly asked, "Your younger brother is celebrating the Matchmaker Festival with Ningning tonight, isn’t he?"
Mo Lingwei stopped in his tracks at the doorway.