Chapter 15: Lotus Lantern Festival
Proofread by Yin Jing
"What else can I do for you, Your Highness?"
Liang He frowns, turns around and orders, "Also, find out the identity of the young man beside Yan Ling."
Nan Yan doesn't deliberately hide the fact that he knows martial arts. Yan Ling and Liyi can find it after a little observation. Let alone Liang He who can do excellent martial arts.
After everyone retreated, Liang He half leans on the chair and holds his forehead with a hand. Suddenly, he finds that he cannot figure out what Yan Ling is thinking about.
Liang He is very sure of his feelings. From the beginning, he knows that Yan Ling is special for him. However, he is just interested in Yan Ling before she could detect his feeling for her.
Later, Yan Ling seems to be the same, but Liang He realizes clearly that something is different.
Liang He thinks that Yan Ling understands his feelings for her all of a sudden. If it has to name a specific time, it's probably after the Banquet in the Royal Palace.
The almost imperceptible changes of Yan Ling make her more attractive. For Liang He, it's a fatal poison which attracts him all the time.
However, he also clearly perceives that Yan Ling's feelings for him seem to be very complicated all the time. After the incident in the Apricot Garden, Yan Ling has been trying to avoid him.
Liang He wants to find out the reasons at first. But he doesn't continue after his invitations are refused several times. It's not that he wants to give up, but that he feels Yan Ling seems to have some worries in her heart.
As the saying goes, it is better for the doer to undo what he has done. And of course people need to seek their salve where they get their sore. If he pushes too hard, there won't be any good results. It's better to give Yan Ling some time to think about it.
Today, Yan Ling in a man's suit, who fights with Liang Yi, seems incredibly attractive to Liang He. Liang He clearly feels that Yan Ling is not so repulsive to him, but she still hesitates.
In fact, what Liang He said today is clear enough. However, he forgets that a reserved girl always hesitates in such things as that. Since he doesn't express his love directly and clearly, how could Yan Ling speak it out loud?
"This is the invitation card of His Royal Highness, My Lady. He invites you to the Lotus Lantern Festival." Liyi looks at Yan Ling with a smile.
Yan Ling tries to be calm, but her ears quietly turn red. Receiving the red invitation card, Yan Ling suddenly falls into a slight trance.
This Lotus Lantern Festival is just a folk activity, which is not a formal occasion naturally. Liang He has always sent someone to express his intention to invite her before. Why he sends such a formal invitation today?
Yan Ling looks at the invitation again and again, but cannot find any clues. She knows she cannot figure out the reason, so she gives up thinking about it.
The Lantern Festival is officially opened at night, so Liang He also invites her to go out at night. Yan Ling thinks it over and decides to go out in men's clothes just like a few days ago.
No one can say anything if she comes home late because it's the invitation of the Crown Prince. However, Yan Ling is clear that people will gossip her behind her back, although they look respectful on the surface.
Anyhow, Yan Ling is an unmarried girl. It's not suitable for her to be out with a man in the evening. What's more, it will be more convenient to wear men's clothes if she wants to play outside to her heart's consent.
When it is getting dark, Yan Ling and Liyi sneak out from the back door. Just after she has a sigh of relief, Ling suddenly hits into a person's arms directly.
"Ah!" Liyi shouts in a low voice and Yan Ling is also in a panic.
It will be really troublesome if someone caught her and Liyi in this way.
Even if they are not recognized, they will be regarded as criminals for their sneaking out of the back door of the Prime Minister's House. If they expose their real identity to get rid of this trouble, which, on the other hand, is a damage to their reputation and the Prime Minister's as well.
The rumor will go like this: the oldest daughter of the prime minister sneaks out of the House disguised as a man at night, which may be exaggerated as something terrible by those evil-minded guys.
"What's the matter? Are you ok?" Liang He asks strangely when he sees that Yan Ling has not moved since she hit into his arms.
Hearing the familiar voice, Yan Ling suddenly breathes a sigh of relief. And then she pushes Liang He away for embarrassment, and hurriedly backs two steps.
Yan Ling was in Liang He's arms when she was in a panic. Now when she looks up and sees Liang He is smiling like a spring breeze, she suddenly feels embarrassed and her ears turn red quietly.
"Why are you here, Your Highness?" Yan Ling tries to change the topic to disguise her embarrassment.
"I was going to pick you up, but when I arrived at the Prime Minister's House, I found that there was no stirring." Liang He says with a smile.
"You didn't refuse me, but there was no sign of your coming. So I think that you must have planned to sneak out like last time." What Liang He says is exactly what Ling thought.
"Then I guess you won't go through the front door, so I came to the back door to pick you up." Liang He says this very naturally, as if he didn't notice anything wrong.
On the other hand, Yan Ling feels even more embarrassed and wishes that she could hide into the ground. It's not a glorious thing to sneak out in disguise as a man and gets caught, especially when the one who catches her behaves so naturally and calmly.
"Excuse me for doing that, Your Highness." Yan Ling coughs a little awkwardly, and she keeps her head down and dare not look at Liang He directly.
When they arrive at the destination, Yan Ling is shocked to realize that the city is more boisterous on the officially opening day.
The streets are full of people, the shops are bright with lights, and the lake is also bright. The lotus lanterns floating on the lake water flicker with the waves of the lake .
Yan Ling seldom sees such a scene. Although she has seen the royal Fireworks Show, she thinks the lantern show makes her feel more lively and comfortable. What's more, things that you can do on your own always add a bit of different pleasure to your feeling.
Liang He, Yan Ling and Liyi, each carrying a unique lotus lantern, put them into the water in person.
Watching the lotus lanterns float away, Yan Ling suddenly feels it very interesting. However, at this time, she finds that the two people around her stare straight at her.
"What's the matter?" Yan Ling asks strangely. Being stared at like this, she feels a little creepy.
"Nothing." Looking at Yan Ling's strange appearance, Liang He suddenly feels funny and shakes his head gently.
Yan Ling feels even stranger but feels awkward to ask him again. So she turns around and looks at Liyi standing on the other side.
Liyi says helplessly, "Do you know what this lotus lamp is for, master?"
"What is it for? Isn't it for watching?" Yan Ling asks strangely.
Looking at Yan Ling's appearance, Liang He takes on a bigger smile on his face, but Liyi looks at Yan Ling in a way as if she were incorrigible.