He hadn't slept all night. After returning to bathe, he had sat under the lamp until dawn, and then came here to plead for Ling Qiyan's forgiveness.

Seeing him, Jiang Lin felt his teeth ache and his flesh hurt, and he cursed this boy ten thousand times in his heart.

After another ten minutes, the room gradually quieted down, and there were no more sounds. Jiang Lin hesitantly got up, hesitating to enter. Suddenly, Ling Qiyan flung the door open and walked out with a cold face.

He was only wearing an inner robe, his hair still loose. Faint red marks were visible on his neck. It was a scene that would normally be quite suggestive, but because the anger on his face was too obvious, everyone except Wen Ying kept their heads bowed, prostrated on the ground, not even daring to breathe too loudly.

Seeing Wen Ying kneeling on the ground, Ling Qiyan strode forward and kicked him in the chest.

Unfortunately, he was delicate and weak, and had been thoroughly tormented last night. The slight movement pulled at the painful area. This kick didn't have much force behind it, and instead caused him to stagger and nearly fall.

Ling Qiyan's eyes were red with anger. He glared fiercely at Wen Ying, then slapped him across the face, squeezing out a single word through his teeth: "Scram."

Wen Ying didn't move. He took the blow, and a bright red handprint immediately appeared on one side of his cheek.

He remained kneeling upright, meeting Ling Qiyan's furious gaze.

Ling Qiyan clenched his fists, his teeth clenched. "You still dare to appear before this prince? Do you truly think this prince won't kill you?"

"Kill me or cut me up, this student accepts it," Wen Ying said in a hoarse voice. "However Your Highness wishes to punish me, this student would never dare to complain."

Ling Qiyan sneered, "Good, very good. What is this? Righteous and unafraid of death? Do you think this prince is too easygoing, which made you bold enough to dare treat this prince like this?"

"This student wouldn't dare."

"You wouldn't dare! What is there that you wouldn't dare to do?!" Ling Qiyan was furious.

Wen Ying didn't reply, his back ramrod straight, his expression calm, in a posture of letting Ling Qiyan deal with him as he pleased.

Seeing this, Ling Qiyan felt another surge of anger and qi rush to his head. "Do you really think this prince wouldn't dare to do what others dare to do? You haven't forgotten how that classmate of yours died, have you?"

Wen Ying's gaze dimmed. "Your Highness won't. Your Highness is not that kind of person. You are just angry with this student. You won't do something you disdain just because of this, which would spoil your own character."

"Don't act as if you understand this prince!"

Ling Qiyan was about to explode with anger. Kicking this bastard in front of him to death wouldn't even appease his hatred, yet this person's eyes showed not a hint of remorse or fear. Why! Why!!

Wen Ying raised his eyes, looking calmly at Ling Qiyan. "Your Highness, what must this student do for you to stop being angry?"

"You still want this prince to stop being angry!" Ling Qiyan kicked him again. "This prince can't stop being angry! This prince will never swallow this insult!"

"...Your Highness, calm your anger. Don't harm your health."

"This prince will kill you! This prince will definitely kill you!!"

"Your-Your Highness, if you don't change and go to the palace, you'll be late," Jiang Lin spoke up at the right time, risking his life to interject and remind Ling Qiyan.

He wasn't trying to help Wen Ying, but it was rare for Ling Qiyan to be this angry. If this stalemate continued, he was afraid all of them would suffer. Right now, Ling Qiyan hadn't thought of it, but in a little while when he did, none of the servants who had attended him last night would be able to escape.

Not to mention, today was the grand occasion of His Majesty's longevity, which could not be delayed.

Only then did Ling Qiyan feel the cold. Dressed in only a thin gauze robe, he shivered in the autumn wind, his face pale, but his eyes were extremely red, as if he had been wronged and bullied harshly. His beautiful, flamboyant peach blossom eyes seemed about to well up with tears.

Seeing Ling Qiyan standing there, glaring at Wen Ying without moving, Jiang Lin gave a look. A quick-witted young eunuch got up, went into the room to get a cloak, and put it on Ling Qiyan.

As his body warmed up a bit, Ling Qiyan's rationality, which was almost burned out by anger, returned slightly. He closed his eyes, forcing himself to suppress his rage and hatred. He stopped paying attention to Wen Ying kneeling on the ground and turned to go back into the room.

The room was a complete mess. Ling Qiyan had smashed almost everything he could. Jiang Lin directed the servants to quickly tidy up and serve Ling Qiyan in changing his clothes, washing up, and arranging his hair.

Several maids carefully pulled off the messy bedding, somewhat at a loss.

They had served Ling Qiyan for a long time, but this was the first time they had encountered such a situation.

Their Prince Yu seemed dissolute, but was in fact a complete virgin. There were so many beautiful maids and pretty servant girls in the manor, all of whom wanted to climb into His Highness's bed. He seemed affectionate to everyone, and when he was happy, touching a hand or kissing a cheek was no big deal. He was also very generous with rewards, making all of them secretly fall for him. But despite their vying, His Highness had never truly touched any of them. But now, His Highness himself had been touched by a poor scholar he had taken into his manor...

If this got out, who would believe it? Who would dare to believe it?

Although, in terms of beauty, all of them put together probably couldn't compare to a fraction of His Highness.

Ling Qiyan's face was dark as he remained silent, exuding a cold aura. All the servants consciously moved lightly, not daring to make a sound, for fear of being singled out by him to vent his anger.

Half an hour later, Ling Qiyan, who had changed into the formal attire of a prince and was fully dressed, walked out the door. Wen Ying was still kneeling in the same spot. Ling Qiyan didn't spare him another glance and left directly.

Riding in the carriage to the palace, Ling Qiyan leaned against the soft cushion behind him, his back against the carriage wall. He felt as if his whole body had been run over by a wheel; everywhere hurt. The thought of who was responsible for this made him wish he could immediately turn the carriage around and go back to the manor to hang the man up and whip him severely.

No, a whipping wouldn't be enough to quell the hatred in his heart.

Thinking again that he, a dignified prince, the Emperor's eldest legitimate son, had suffered such humiliation, Ling Qiyan's eyes reddened with anger again. In his heart, he cursed Wen Ying's ancestors for eighteen generations.

It wasn't until the carriage stopped at the palace gate and someone outside softly reminded him that they had arrived that Ling Qiyan managed to compose himself, push open the door, and be helped out of the carriage.

At the second quarter of the Chen hour, the bells and drums of the Hall of Great Clarity sounded. The Emperor ascended the throne to receive birthday greetings and worship from all the princes, dukes, nobles, court officials, and foreign envoys.

The imperial princes led the way, presenting their birthday gifts in turn.

When the Crown Prince Ling Qiyu presented the "Painting of a Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains," it truly made the Emperor greatly pleased. He said "good" three times in a row and immediately ordered someone to have it mounted, saying he wanted to hang it in the Imperial Study.

The Crown Prince's favor with the Emperor was secure, which was a great thing. Ling Qiyu was in high spirits, his face wreathed in smiles, as if he could already see himself, years later, sitting on that throne, receiving the three kneelings and nine kowtows from the crowd. Everything he wanted would eventually be his.

Ling Qiyan stood one step behind Ling Qiyu, his mind elsewhere. He didn't hear a single word of what the Crown Prince said or how the Emperor praised him. When it was his turn, the Third Prince behind him had to give him a quiet reminder before he came to his senses, stepped out of the line, and presented his birthday gift.

He walked slowly. Since entering the palace in the morning, he had been kneeling and standing. His body, which had been tormented for most of the night, felt increasingly uncomfortable. The hidden area ached with every step. Ling Qiyan gritted his teeth in hatred but could only endure it.

The Emperor was initially a little displeased to see his absent-minded state, but his face broke into a smile again when he saw clearly what he had brought.

Grains of rice, each carved with a longevity character, were sprinkled with gold dust and arranged on a jade plate to form a large, golden longevity character. The Emperor held a magnifying glass and examined it closely for a while. The seemingly unremarkable object actually had a unique feature: each grain of gilded rice was carved with a longevity character in a different script, clearly visible under the magnifying glass. It was extremely delicate, showing the carver's dedication.

Ling Qiyan said, without his face reddening or his heart racing, "This is the Hundred Longevity Characters Picture that this son spent several months personally carving and creating. I wish Father Emperor a long life, health, and eternal happiness. May the Great Cheng Dynasty enjoy peace and prosperity, and the seas be calm and the rivers clear."

"Good!"

The Emperor was very happy. He had originally thought that this boy Ling Qiyan would again just casually present something to fob him off, having no expectations for this eldest legitimate son at all. He had never imagined that he would be so thoughtful this time. This rice carving was such delicate work, it must have taken a lot of effort. And the meaning was also good. It wasn't just the hundred longevity characters; as an emperor, there was none who did not hope for a peaceful and prosperous reign with bountiful harvests. Rice, this seemingly most ordinary thing, was also the best thing.

Thus, in his happiness, the Emperor, for the first time in front of all the court officials, praised Ling Qiyan.

Ling Qiyan felt a little more at ease in his heart. This hurdle was finally passed, and his Father Emperor had even praised him for a change. For this, he had Wen Ying to thank...

Thinking this, the anger from the morning seemed to have subsided a little. At least for now, Ling Qiyan was no longer thinking that he had to make that poor scholar pay with his life.

Ling Qiyu glanced at him sideways, his gaze slightly deep, looking thoughtful.

Afterward, the nobles, officials, and foreign envoys all presented their gifts. At noon, everyone moved to the Hall for Gathering Heroes for the birthday banquet.

At the banquet, there were songs, dances, and music, and the wine flowed freely.

Ling Qiyan's seat was next to Ling Qiyu. He didn't want to talk to the Crown Prince, but Ling Qiyu took the initiative to approach him and speak, "First Brother, that rice carving is truly novel. How did you come up with the idea? It was very thoughtful."

"It can't compare to you, who managed to find a reclusive great scholar from Jiangnan to paint the 'Painting of a Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains' for Father Emperor. You were even more thoughtful."

Ling Qiyan casually spoke some insincere pleasantries, poured a mouthful of wine into his mouth, and didn't look at Ling Qiyu, only smiling as he watched the performances in the hall.

Ling Qiyu wanted to say more, but seeing that Ling Qiyan had no intention of talking to him, he tightened his grip on his wine cup slightly and said no more.

The dancers danced gracefully to the music. These dancers all belonged to the Ministry of Rites' Music Academy, and the court entertainment dances they performed were always the same few, rarely with any new variations. Even so, Ling Qiyan watched with great interest.

Later, when the various vassal state missions took turns presenting their dances, the atmosphere in the hall became even more lively. Having grown accustomed to the conventional court entertainment dances, not only the princes and court officials, but even the Emperor himself, were more interested in these entertaining dances presented by the foreign states, each with its own exotic flavor.

The elephant dance from a small southwestern country was scheduled near the beginning. As soon as the herd of elephants, carrying more than a dozen peerlessly beautiful women, appeared on stage, there were gasps of admiration throughout the hall. One by one, the officials craned their necks, eagerly looking outside.

Accompanied by the intense sound of drums and music, the beauties on the elephants' backs danced with their most seductive postures, strangely blending with the raw power of the elephants in a stunning and unparalleled display.

In the latter half, the beauties descended from the elephants' backs and danced into the hall. Their sleeves fluttered and their colorful robes flew, like a dozen delicate flower buds blooming to their utmost splendor in the golden hall, their vibrant colors and fragrance intoxicating.

The lead dancer was even more devastatingly beautiful. A blooming haitang was tucked askew in her dark hair. Her smile was charming, her eyes beautiful. As her gaze swept around, she revealed an unparalleled seductiveness.

Ling Qiyan slowly poured more wine into his mouth, then looked up at the Emperor on the throne. He saw his Father Emperor holding his wine cup but not moving for a long time, staring blankly at that one person, as if entranced.

Ling Qiyan curled his lips into a smile and continued to pour himself wine.

Back at the manor, Wen Ying was still kneeling on the ground. Ling Qiyan had long since left, but he had not gotten up.

Jiang Lin did not go to the palace with them. He would occasionally come over to glance at Wen Ying from a distance, feeling both admiration and resentment for this poor scholar.

His Highness was beautiful, and perhaps someone dared to have ideas about him, but this boy was the first to actually dare to touch His Highness, and probably the only one. And he was just a powerless, poor scholar.

How dare he?