Chapter 7. Is this the rhythm of time travel?
In late winter and early spring, the sky in Fengcheng was still very cold. The snow from the previous night had accumulated over three feet, a thick layer that had not yet melted halfway.
The Mirror Lake in the Joyless Palace was not spared either. The water surface had a thin layer of ice, accentuated by the dim evening glow, making it even more silent. Occasionally, one or two old ducks would skim across the lake, emitting lonely and hoarse cries.
“Quack, quack…”
On such a cold day, everyone kept their doors and windows tightly closed, huddled around charcoal fires for warmth. Even the usually bustling marketplace was desolate, while inside the palace, although there were guards patrolling back and forth, it was much quieter than usual, not to mention this secluded corner of the flower garden.
In the distance, a chubby figure, walking briskly, looked like it could easily roll around in the snow with just a slight misstep, quite comical.
A maidservant dressed in green reminded the young girl sitting in the pavilion with a disdainful expression.
“Princess, ‘His Highness the Crown Prince’ is here.”
The girl, wearing a pink dress and a white mink shoulder cape, raised her eyebrows slowly upon hearing the words. She casually glanced in the direction of the approaching person and lightly tugged at the dark blue robe that was draped over her, holding a small stove in her delicate hands. A hint of disdainful smile curled at the corner of her mouth.
The person walking towards her in a swaying manner was none other than the infamous wastrel Crown Prince of the Yelang Dynasty, Huangfu Chang’an.
The Prince, who resembled a round ball, was wrapped in a thick padded coat, and on top of that, he wore a bright yellow fur robe, looking like a bouncing pomelo. Perhaps because he had walked a long way, his wobbly steps seemed somewhat laborious and unstable, as if he could fall into the nearby lake at any moment.
Having walked all the way from the palace, and due to his fast pace, Huangfu Chang’an was panting heavily and couldn’t help but stop to rest for a while.
Looking up towards the nearby pavilion, he saw two graceful figures smiling at him, their beautiful faces not concealing the mockery in their eyes. It pierced Huangfu Chang’an’s heart, causing him a pang of pain, and he unconsciously quickened his steps to approach them.
“You finally arrived,” the girl sitting in the pavilion raised her eyebrows and smiled lightly, her radiance captivating. “I was almost falling asleep waiting for you.”
“I…” Huangfu Chang’an raised his hand to push back his fur hat, his chubby cheeks red from the cold, and his forehead hair disheveled, giving him a rather disheveled appearance. Because he had rushed all the way, he didn’t even have a chance to catch his breath properly, and as soon as he uttered a word, he couldn’t continue.
But the graceful girl didn’t give him another chance to explain. She suppressed her smile and composed herself, looking at him with disdain.
“Speak up, why did the Crown Prince specially send someone to invite me?” she asked in a cold tone.
If it weren’t for her father’s specific instructions, she wouldn’t have bothered to deal with this repulsive Crown Prince. Just looking at him made her feel like her eyes were contaminated, and hearing him speak made her nauseous.
Huangfu Chang’an had just caught his breath when he became anxious again upon hearing her words.
“You… you can’t marry the eldest prince!” he blurted out.
The girl’s eyebrows, shaped like willow leaves, arched suddenly, and she gave a cold smile. “Why not?”
“Because…” Huangfu Chang’an tightly bit his lip, wanting to say it but not daring to.
“Heh,” the girl suddenly laughed, stood up and placed the stove on the table. She elegantly walked towards Huangfu Chang’an, squinting her eyes and sneering softly, “Because you love your eldest brother prince?”
Although it was a question, it was stated as a fact.
Caught off guard by her insight, Huangfu Chang’an’s heart trembled, and he raised his head to deny it firmly, “I don’t!”
“You didn’t? Ha, do you think everyone is blind? Who doesn’t know that you’re a homosexual? Who doesn’t know that you’re constantly seeking out young boys who resemble the Crown Prince? Who doesn’t know that you’ve snuck into the Crown Prince’s chambers several times to watch him bathe? Who doesn’t know…” As she watched the other person’s face turn pale, the girl laughed even more freely. “How could there be someone as foolish as you in this world, being laughed at by everyone and yet completely oblivious to it! Based on who you are, do you even deserve to love the Eldest Prince? You only tarnish his reputation and defile his name!”
“You wretch! Shut up!”
Being insulted like this, even the most cowardly person couldn’t help but be consumed by anger. Huangfu Chang’an, infuriated and humiliated, raised his hand to slap her face.
“Smack!”
The crisp sound of a slap startled a nearby white egret.
Huangfu Chang’an held his burning cheek, incredulously staring at the girl in front of him. “How dare you! You lowly woman, you actually dare to strike the Crown Prince?!”
Shangguan Jingyang waved her hand dismissively, looking at him with disgust and contempt, coldly snorting.
“The Crown Prince? Do you even deserve it? Take a good look at yourself in the mirror, your inhuman, ghostly appearance. Just pick any random person on the street, they would look more like a Crown Prince than you!”
As she spoke, Shangguan Jingyang approached step by step, her gaze piercing through Huangfu Chang’an’s face like knives. A sinister expression gradually appeared on her beautiful face.
“You’ve stolen the Eldest Prince’s position as the heir. So what if I hit you? I still want to…”
Huangfu Chang’an was frightened by her terrifying gaze, unable to help but take two steps back. “What… What are you planning to do?! This is the palace… If you dare to cause trouble here, I’ll…”
Shangguan Jingyang couldn’t be bothered with his words. She grabbed his chest and forcefully pushed him into the nearby icy lake.
“You fool, go die!”
“Ah!”
Huangfu Chang’an screamed, unable to call for help in time, and with a “thud,” he fell into the water, creating a large splash of broken ice on the surface.
The cold water stimulated Huangfu Chang’an, causing him to tremble uncontrollably. Fortunately, because he was wearing multiple layers of clothing, he wasn’t completely soaked, and his plump body floated up to the surface.
Huangfu Chang’an couldn’t swim, terrified and panicking as he struggled in the water.
“Help! Someone, save me! Quick, someone… save… me!”
Shangguan Jingyang stood by the lake, coldly watching and smiling, feeling an inexplicable satisfaction at seeing that disgusting guy thrashing around in the water.
This idiot, just to meet her and say those useless words, actually agreed to dismiss all the palace maids and guards from the Imperial Garden. This is such a rare opportunity, and of course she won’t let it go. As long as he dies, the position of the Crown Prince will undoubtedly belong to the First Prince, who is the true ruler of the Yelang Dynasty!
“Don’t bother shouting, ‘Your Highness the Crown Prince.’ Didn’t you forget? Early in the morning, you dismissed all the palace maids, so even if you scream your lungs out, no one will hear you. Just… go meet the King of Hell!”
The maidservant beside her gloated, taking advantage of her mistress’s indulgence, quickly walked forward and kicked a certain round object that was struggling to swim to the shore.
The lake water was icy cold, and Huangfu Chang’an gradually lost his strength. He couldn’t shout, but he still stubbornly swam towards the edge of the lake, grabbing onto anything he could in an attempt to pull himself out of the water.
“Yan’er,” Shangguan Jingyang lifted her eyebrows lightly and glanced at a wooden stick used to support a tree trunk nearby, hinting at her, “Use that.”
“Yes!”
The maidservant nodded and ran over to pull out the wooden stick. She returned to the edge of the lake and pressed one end of the stick onto the head that was bobbing up and down on the lake’s surface. With a strong push, Huangfu Chang’an was instantly pushed out several feet, no longer able to grab onto anything for support.
Not long after, the figure in the lake gradually became still and slowly sank.
Only then did Shangguan Jingyang curl her lips into a faint smile and glanced at the maidservant.
Yan’er immediately inserted the wooden stick back into its original position and hurriedly ran out, shouting as she ran, “Something’s wrong! Something’s wrong! Quick, someone come! The Crown Prince is drowning! The Crown Prince is drowning!”
Watching the ice-covered lake gradually return to its calm slumber, Shangguan Jingyang smiled cunningly, her eyes revealing a cold frost.
“…The future emperor can only be my gege, the First Prince, and the future empress can only be me, Shangguan Jingyang!”
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