Chapter 759 – Forced Difficulty
In the Night Mansion of Luo Capital.
Lolan Hill sat by the side, at this moment washing her fingers clean. Though she did not turn around, she knew that the wine cup floating behind her was coming.
Should she make something up or simply give up? The young lady pondered slightly.
Actually, she did not care much about such trivial matters, but since she had come here representing the Xiangyu Sect, she should consider the reputation of her sect.
Looking up to gaze at the blooming and gradually changing parrythorn flowers, Lolan Hill recalled verses from her past era and after some contemplation, picked up a pen and began to write.
The handwriting was clear and elegant, yet open and grand.
“Morning light as cool as water, flowers bloom with faint color.
Bending down to ponder deeply, raising my head to see the dim face.
In former years, two were free of suspicion, now both bear grudges.
Who remembers the youth’s appearance, the lotus has already changed thrice.”
If we speak of ornate language, this poem certainly cannot compare to that of Lord Linghu. But if we talk about touching the heart, this poem made many people sigh with emotion.
After today’s flower viewing banquet, many guests roughly understood the situation through the chatter, feeling sorry for the once friendly families that have now turned against each other. This poem also captured the vicissitudes of life, the bittersweet changes.
“Beautiful poem.”
“Though somewhat melancholic, it still conveys genuine feelings, making one remember.”
Many visitors were moved by this short poem, feeling deeply, and the atmosphere of the venue became slightly livelier.
Seeing everyone immersed in the poetic imagery, Lord Linghu’s expression darkened. He was already annoyed by this unknown young lady’s interference halfway through, and now she was using this matter to speak out.
“Miss Lolan’s poem is excellent, but it goes against the joyous intent of the flower viewing banquet. On such a festive occasion, why not say something joyful?”
He sighed and shook his head, drinking the wine in his cup, then slowly stood up.
“After serving as the Prince of Jiaonan, I am Linghu. I do not know which branch Miss Lolan comes from; I have never seen her before.” This statement sparked quiet murmurs among the crowd.
Linghu worked in the Imperial Bloodline Bureau, responsible for the placement, ennoblement, and rewards of royal descendants. And since this Miss Lolan bears the surname Lolan, she should be one of the royal branches. Yet, Linghu claimed he had never seen her before.
There was a problem here.
Either Linghu, despite his position, had forgotten, or Miss Lolan was pretending to be a royal descendant. If it was the latter, the consequences would be serious.
Even without hearing the whispers of others, Lolan Hill could guess what they were suspecting and thinking.
The young lady gently raised her hand, stopping Yu Di’s actions, then also stood up.
“As a child, I grew up alone in the West. A few years ago, I came to the Dynasty, and I do not know which branch I belong to.”
Although the upper echelons of the Dynasty had given her the identity of a princess, being treated as a granddaughter felt unnatural.
Lolan Hill was not particularly concerned about such titles anymore. She had not objected when she received the letter because it bore the seal of the Red Phoenix. She had quite a good impression of the Five Phoenixes, so she agreed. However, forcing her to lie about being someone’s descendant was quite difficult.
Originally, Linghu was somewhat worried whether he had misjudged her. After all, her aura was indeed remarkable. But hearing her answer now, a faint sneer appeared on his lips.
“So Miss Lolan is from the Western regions, no wonder you don’t know the etiquette of the Eastern Dynasty.” He waved his fan and walked step by step to the lotus tree.
“Our founding emperor received the mandate of heaven, unifying the land. Later, he pitied the perilous lands and enfeoffed bloodline descendants to the frontier regions to expand territory, branching out. My ancestors were enfeoffed as the Prince of Jiaonan due to this merit.”
“All royal branches are similar, their surnames divided into several lines. Ling, Heng, Xiao, and Lolan—these four surnames trace back to the founding emperor of our Dynasty.”
“To prevent anyone from pretending to be of noble birth, the Imperial Bloodline Bureau was established to manage and record the descendants of each lineage.”
He admired the blooming parrythorn flowers turning pinkish, then shook his fan and put it away, turning back to look at the black-haired girl.
“Therefore, Miss, if you are not a descendant of the Dynasty’s lineage, it would be better not to bear the surname Lolan.”
“But what if I don’t want to change my name?” Lolan Hill looked at the increasingly cold-faced gentleman.
“Then Miss will have to accompany me to the public office of the Imperial Bloodline Bureau. There, colleagues will naturally verify your identity and resolve any misunderstandings.” Although his words remained polite, the chill was palpable to anyone who wasn’t foolish.
“Ling brother, you are being too serious. I’m sure you have good intentions in suggesting this,” Ye Zhen, seeing the situation turn sour, had no choice but to step in to mediate.
If it were a few years ago when the Ye family was powerful, it wouldn’t have been Linghu, a royal collateral branch, who could freely speak out at the banquet, even if he had the title of a prince, he would have to show respect to the Ye family.
Alas, all is gone now.
Ye Zhen sighed inwardly. Among the younger generation of the Ye family, few had shown promise. Now, he was barely managing to hold things together.
“You jest, Sir Ye Zhen. I am merely doing my duty and speaking the truth,” Ling Hu shook his head, clearly unwilling to give face to the Ye family.
Seeing this, Ye Zhen’s expression turned somewhat grim. At first, he could still attribute Yue Guan and Liu Manzhi’s affair to coincidence, given their past grievances. But now, with Ling Hu openly causing trouble, was he really determined to ruin the flower banquet and humiliate the Ye family?
Feeling displeased, Ye Zhen took a moment to regain his composure. He surveyed the guests in the courtyard, looking at the faces that ranged from familiar to distant. Then, he winked at a charming young girl with a crescent makeup. The girl, who had been whispering to her companion, couldn’t help but cover her mouth and smile when she saw Ye Zhen signaling her.
“This fool must have lost control over Cousin Ling Hu.”
“You sit here first, I need to take care of something.” The girl whispered to her friend and then stood up, adjusting her dress as she walked towards the peony tree.
“What happened, Cousin Ling Hu?” The girl greeted him in a playful tone.
Seeing the granddaughter of Prince Caisu (a son of the late emperor) and the county lady, Heng Liuyue, Ling Hu’s tone softened.
“Nothing much. Didn’t you just sit over there? Why did you come over so quickly?” He suspected someone had sent her.
“I thought you found something interesting under the tree since you’ve been there for a while.” The girl didn’t mention Lolan’s incident.
“This tree is indeed beautiful. Perhaps I can find some rare flowers for you later?”
“Really? Thank you, Cousin Ling Hu!” Heng Liuyue said happily.
“Yes.”
Ling Hu, with County Lady Liuyue’s presence, momentarily lost his earlier assertiveness. He summoned a familiar royal girl to accompany her, then walked towards Lolan Hill’s table with Ye Zhen.
The scene inside the hall returned to its previous liveliness, with people drinking and chatting, no longer focusing on the two. It wasn’t that they weren’t interested, but after living in Luo Capital for a long time, they knew how to read the atmosphere and expressions.
“Greetings, Miss Lolan.” Ye Zhen slightly bowed and clapped his hands, signaling the servants to bring two sets of low tables and mats, sitting opposite Lolan Hill and Half Su Yin (suyin).
Lolan Hill returned the courtesy and carefully examined Ye Zhen’s face, trying to find traces of Ye Ling.
“Did something fall on my face, Miss Lolan, that makes you so surprised?” Ye Zhen tried to lighten the mood.
“No, I once met a girl named Ye Ling in the Western Continent, who seemed to be from your family,” Lolan Hill replied with a slight shake of her head.
“Huh, I wonder what Miss Lolan did in the Western Continent to meet a Ye family lady.”
“Actually, I studied at Emanas,” Lolan Hill described her life in the Western academy.
“Emanas Academy?” Ling Hu sized up the girl.
“I heard that Emanas is on par with the Jixia Academy. Is it possible that Miss Lolan, at only the fifth rank, failed to graduate due to some mishap?”
“You!” The purple-clothed youth beside him couldn’t bear it anymore, placing his hand on the sword hilt.
Lolan Hill raised her hand again, calming and stopping the true disciple of Zhaoye Palace.
“I encountered some unexpected events and only resumed cultivation recently.”
Ling Hu snorted coldly, expressing disbelief, then poured himself another drink.
“So Miss Lolan is a friend of Ye Ling?”
Ye Zhen looked at the black-haired girl with some surprise and suddenly remembered an old incident.
That year, it was also around the Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival, and his little sister ran excitedly into his study.
“Third Brother, is Third Brother in?”
“Yes, Xiao Ling, what brings you here?” He opened the door, seeing his adorable sister with twin braids swaying in the air.
“There’s something I need to ask you.”
“Go ahead,” he said curiously.
“There will be delicious and beautiful goldfish cakes sold during the Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival, right?”
“Yes, do you want to eat them?”
“Mm-hm, I want to eat them, but I also want to take some for my friends at school,” Ye Ling said with wide eyes.
“Then we need to prepare special boxes, or they’ll spoil by the time they reach the Western Continent,” Ye Zhen added helpfully.
“Can you help me with the boxes too?” Ye Ling nodded.
“You always ask me for everything. Aren’t you going to enjoy the Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival yourself?” Ye Zhen looked at his small, cute sister. This little one usually loved playing around.
”
“Because I sometimes oversleep, and this isn’t a school where Lolan Sister can hold me while I sleep.”
“Look at you, you’re just lazy,” Ye Zhen sighed, then affectionately ruffled Night Ling’s hair.
“Don’t touch my head, I’ll stop growing!” Night Ling puffed up her cheeks and took a few steps back.
“Alright, alright, how much do you want?”
“That would be quite a lot, hehe.”
—
Time passed leisurely, and only then did Ye Zhen realize that he hadn’t visited that little one in a long time.
“I did indeed hear from my younger sister about Miss Lolan. At first, I thought it was just a coincidence, but I didn’t expect Miss Lolan to really have the surname Lolan.”
In truth, it was indeed just a coincidence. The young lady muttered to herself.
Seeing the two of them chatting more and more joyfully, ignoring her, Ling Hu felt a surge of anger again.
“In the Western Lands, it might be fine, but if this young lady wants to continue staying in the East, she should change her surname.”
“This young man, Ling Hu, don’t you think you’re being too excessive?” Yu Mi finally retorted.
“Hmph, judging by your attire, you must be from the Zhaoye Palace. Even a sinner dares to bark here,” Ling Hu glanced at her with disdain.
Seeing the two on the verge of conflict, the situation turning sour, Lolan Hill shook her head and looked straight at this member of the royal collateral line.
“What will Mr. Ling Hu do to stop?”
“That naturally means this young lady must accompany me to the Zongxue Department to verify your identity.”
Hearing this again, the young lady couldn’t help but frown. Verify? How exactly? Draw blood or search her body? Go to their territory and let them humiliate her? She rarely got angry, but this was her first encounter with such a spoiled and unreasonable person. It seemed to him that everything had to follow his wishes, with him at the center.
“If that’s the case, I can only decline.”
Lolan Hill’s face turned slightly cold.
“That’s not up to you.” Ling Hu sneered and then clapped his hands. A few acquaintances slowly walked over, and among them were two sixth-rank experts.
Autumn Official’s subordinates, Xun You Fang, Executor Shi Lei Yin, War Sequence 6·Leizhan Execution Sword.
White Toad Gate, Chief Disciple Li Hui Ping, Demon Sequence 6·Bailan Poison Toad.
Adding Ling Hu himself, Dragon Sequence 5·Yinhu Green Dragon, they surrounded Lolan Hill.
Seeing Ye Zhen wanting to speak up, Ling Hu spoke first.
“I advise you, Mr. Ye Zhen, not to get involved. Think more about the current state of the Ye family. Don’t think you can still shield criminals as before.” He vaguely threatened, blocking Ye Zhen’s words.
Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, the guests gradually quieted down. But these weren’t ordinary commoners; they naturally had confidence that they wouldn’t be affected, so they stood by and watched the show with peace of mind.
Although the Scorching Sun Xiangyu Sect was well-known, this Miss Lolan wasn’t heard of by many. Even some of those who were close friends now hesitated, fearing they might mistakenly support the wrong side. However, they weren’t completely idle. A few disciples from other sects started to go to Nandou Academy, informing the other Xiangyu Sect disciples and asking for information, expecting a response soon.
Inside, seeing the situation couldn’t be resolved amicably, people around gradually dispersed.
“Since Yue Guan and Liu Manzhi sparred this morning, why don’t we have three matches this time? If Miss wins twice, I’ll pretend I never saw you come to the banquet and let you leave.”
“What if I lose?”
The young lady looked at Ling Hu with interest and asked. At this moment, she no longer felt angry, but rather, like watching a clown.
“Then Miss will surrender and come with me to the Zongxue Department prison.”
“Then what good will I get out of it? This is too unreasonable.”
The young lady shook her head.
“But I don’t need any material things. All I ask is that after you lose, you apologize to me, the Ye Mansion, and the guests present today. Then I can let it go.”
“That witch, still so stubborn.”
Looking at this black-haired girl with only fifth-rank strength, Ling Hu mocked inwardly but agreed casually.
“Yes, as long as you win, I will naturally agree to your terms.” But that was impossible. Thinking of the extraordinary items he carried with him, a cold smile appeared on his lips.
“I’m not a witch. You will regret saying that later.” The young lady shook her head, and her hair swayed behind her. Her tranquil and beautiful face made the spectators’ hearts flutter.
Perhaps Young Master Ling Hu was right. She was indeed a witch who enchanted the world, with her pure yet bewitching aura blending together in a strange way, attracting people.
—
These two chapters took some time to write. Indeed, writing such scenes is troublesome.
There will be additional chapters added today, and there will be more to come. Please look forward to it.
(End of Chapter)
