Birthday

On the twenty-second day of the twelfth lunar month, the ground was frozen solid.

Ling Qiyan was summoned to the palace early in the morning by the Empress Dowager, who said she wanted to hold a birthday banquet for him.

As the weather grew colder, Ling Qiyan became increasingly lazy, holing up in his manor all day without going out. On the rare occasion he entered the palace, he was just as listless, clutching a hand warmer, even offering his greetings to the Empress Dowager in a perfunctory manner.

The Empress Dowager called him to her side and touched his face. "Why can't you muster any enthusiasm? Not even a smile on your birthday?"

Ling Qiyan said casually, "It's boring in the manor, and there's no one to play with me."

Even Zhang Yuan and his group had been affected by the recent rumors in the capital concerning the scions of noble families and were confined to their homes, rarely allowed out. Ling Qiyan spent his days in the manor listening to maids play music, which was truly dull.

The Empress Dowager smiled. "The Little New Year is tomorrow. Why don't you stay in the palace for a while? You can go back after the Lantern Festival. Your younger brothers and sisters are all here, there will be plenty of people to play with you."

Ling Qiyan thought, 'What's fun about playing with them?' but on the surface, he could only agree.

Seeing he was still gloomy, the Empress Dowager wanted to cheer him up. She summoned the head eunuch and ordered him to take Ling Qiyan to the storeroom. Then she patted her dear grandson's hand and reminded him, "Go pick for yourself. You can take anything you fancy."

Ling Qiyan said awkwardly, "...How could I? If others find out, they'll say Grandmother is being biased."

The Empress Dowager was unconcerned. "Who would dare? Besides, your imperial father and mother can be biased, so why can't I be biased towards you? Never mind them. Go on, take whatever you want."

Ling Qiyan finally beamed with a smile. He expressed his thanks and happily got up to follow the eunuch.

Watching Ling Qiyan's happy, departing figure, the Empress Dowager casually remarked to the headservant beside her, "In the blink of an eye, Yan'er has grown so much. I still remember what he looked like when he was first brought back, so thin and small. A pitiful child. He was clearly a noble prince, yet he was born in the wilderness and only found when he was a month old. It's a good thing he was found."

This matter was rarely mentioned in the palace anymore. Whenever the Empress Dowager occasionally recalled it, she would inevitably have to go to the Buddhist hall to pray before her heart could be at ease.

The Empress Dowager was originally the succeeding empress of the late emperor, bearing him two sons and a daughter: the current Emperor, Prince Jing, and Elder Princess Huaying. The Crown Prince at that time was the son of the late emperor's first empress who had passed away early, but unfortunately, he died young. Overcome with grief, the late emperor never appointed another Crown Prince, leading to endless overt and covert struggles among his sons for the throne.

Although the current Emperor was a legitimate son, he was ranked third, and above him was the second prince, born to a favored consort. The two of them were the most powerful contenders for the throne at the time.

Back then, the current Emperor, still a prince, was leading troops at the border when the late emperor suddenly fell gravely ill and was on his deathbed. The second prince blockaded the news, but Prince Jing and Elder Princess Huaying devised a plan to send the message out. Upon hearing the news, the Emperor immediately rushed back with Lady Shen, who was accompanying the army, heavily pregnant, and about to give birth.

Fearing he wouldn't make it in time, the Emperor left the nearly thousand soldiers escorting them midway to protect Lady Shen and proceed slowly, while he himself led a hundred personal guards and took a shortcut, riding through the night back to the capital.

When the second prince heard the Emperor was about to return, he sent the commander of the northern capital garrison, who had sided with him, with five thousand men to intercept and kill him. As it turned out, they only encountered the troops escorting Lady Shen, who were a step behind.

A thousand men against five thousand were quickly slaughtered. Lady Shen was protected by a few personal guards as she fled in a panic. Those guards were all killed while luring away the pursuers. Lady Shen, accompanied by the only clever maid left, was lucky enough to escape into the deep mountains and was saved by a hunter's family.

Unsure of the situation outside, they dared not reveal their identities, only claiming to be the wife of a wealthy household who had encountered mountain bandits. Lady Shen, suffering from extreme shock, gave birth prematurely to her eldest legitimate son in the hunter's home. After a month of fear and anxiety, on the child's one-month birthday, Prince Jing finally arrived with his men. Only then did they learn that the Emperor had already executed the second prince and his faction and successfully ascended the throne, and that Prince Jing had been searching for them everywhere under the Emperor's orders.

Later, Lady Shen and her son were brought back to the palace. Lady Shen was made the Empress. Because of the premature birth and the lack of proper postpartum care, coupled with the month of living in constant terror, Lady Shen's health was permanently damaged. The Empress Dowager took Ling Qiyan to raise, but was hated by Lady Shen for it.

In the decade that followed, even though they knew that Empress Shen was narrow-minded and intensely jealous, both the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, because of what had happened back then, felt a sense of guilt towards her and didn't really hold it against her.

It was also for this reason that the Empress Dowager doted on Ling Qiyan, her eldest grandson, even more. Ling Qiyan was unaware of these matters, and as time had passed, there was even less need to tell him.

Seeing the Empress Dowager reminiscing again, the headservant comforted her, "In any case, His Highness was brought back safely back then. His Highness is doing quite well now. After he gets married next year, you might have great-grandchildren to hold very soon."

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager's face lit up with joy again. "That's right. All I hope for now is for Yan'er to get married quickly, have a caring wife, and then a few children. Nothing would be better."

Ling Qiyan followed the head eunuch of the Palace of Tranquil Longevity to the storeroom. The eunuch held a list, smilingly reading out each item to Ling Qiyan one by one, then had people present them for him to see.

The Emperor was filial; he never forgot to send a portion of any good things he received to the Palace of Tranquil Longevity. And as long as Ling Qiyan fancied something, the Empress Dowager would seldom be stingy.

Ling Qiyan held a fine white pearl, as large as a marble, in his hand, examining it against the sunlight and clucking his tongue in appreciation.

He was a worldly person, and since childhood, he had loved these glittering, eye-catching treasures of gold and jade. In Prince Yu's Manor, even the commode was inlaid with gold. The Emperor consequently found him overly extravagant and looked down on him for it. Ling Qiyan paid it no mind at all. Born into the imperial family, if he didn't live this life extravagantly, wouldn't it be a wasted life?

The head eunuch then had someone present a fine white mutton-fat jade thumb ring, on which was carved a lifelike and very handsome qilin. Ling Qiyan took it, put it on his hand to examine it closely, and was suddenly reminded of the time Wen Ying had asked him for a thumb ring.

That poor scholar... no, he wasn't even a scholar now. He had disappeared without a trace, and it was unknown if he had returned to his hometown.

He had so many skills. Even if he didn't study or become an official, he would surely be able to live well, right?

Today seemed to be that kid's birthday as well...

As he absently thought about these things, Ling Qiyan suddenly felt a wave of listlessness. Even the precious treasures no longer seemed appealing. He casually picked two items and returned to the main hall.

At noon, the birthday banquet began in the Palace of Tranquil Longevity. The Empress Dowager had only invited her grandchildren and no one else.

Aside from the numerous princes and princesses, there were also the children of Prince Jing who remained in the capital, and the children from the Elder Princess's manor.

Even so, it was a large crowd. The Emperor alone had eleven sons and eight daughters; his procreative ability was truly admirable.

Ling Qiyan was the eldest among them, and all his younger brothers and sisters had prepared birthday gifts for him. Although most were not valuable, Ling Qiyan had to reluctantly accept them, enduring the incessant clamor in his ears while maintaining a smile, playing the part of a gentle and amiable elder brother in front of these little brats.

Ling Qining leaned over and asked him in a low voice, "Big Brother, is that Big Brother Wen really not at your manor anymore? I still wanted him to teach me how to play polo."

Ling Qiyan shot him a sideways glance and said expressionlessly, "He's long gone."

"...Oh."

Beside them, Princess Xihua scoffed and said irritably, "And isn't it all your fault? A perfectly good top scholar, and because of you, he even lost his academic honors. He would never do something as petty as stealing. It must have been those people who were jealous of him who framed him. It's all because of you. I told you before, you might as well have given him to me. I definitely wouldn't have treated him like this."

Ling Qiyan's face darkened, and he ignored her.

Before the banquet began, Ling Qiyu arrived late. After entering, he first apologized to the Empress Dowager, explaining that he was delayed by accompanying their imperial father in an audience with officials. Since this was official business, the Empress Dowager naturally wouldn't reprimand him.

Ling Qiyu smilingly presented his birthday gift: a canary in a cage.

"A gift for my elder brother, please accept it."

Ling Qiyu's fake smile made Ling Qiyan very uncomfortable. He had no idea what was meant by gifting him a canary.

Ling Qiyan was displeased.

Seeing that Ling Qiyan had no intention of refusing, Jiang Lin helped take the item. Ling Qiyan, his eyes filled with indifference, raised his hand and casually flicked open the cage door. The bird flapped its wings, flew out, circled the hall amidst the children's laughter, and flew out of the palace.

Ling Qiyu's face instantly darkened. "What is the meaning of this, Elder Brother?"

"Such a beautiful bird is better off set free."

Ling Qiyu said coldly, "This bird is delicate. Without protection, it probably won't survive more than a few days outside."

Ling Qiyan couldn't be bothered with him anymore.

Fearing another conflict between them, the Empress Dowager quickly ordered the banquet to begin and seated them apart.

No further incidents occurred after that. The birthday banquet lasted for over an hour before finally concluding. In the afternoon, the Empress Dowager kept only Ling Qiyan and Xihua to accompany her, and the children all dispersed.

As he was leaving, Ling Qiyu shot Ling Qiyan a sinister glare, which no one noticed.

The main hall finally quieted down, and the three of them—grandmother and grandchildren—could finally have a proper conversation.

The Empress Dowager was still closer to Ling Qiyan and Xihua, the two children she had raised herself. Xihua was to be married after the new year, and the dowry the old lady was adding had long been prepared. After a few words, she brought up the matter to tease her.

Xihua blushed. She was not as resistant to marrying the Duke Jing's eldest grandson as before. She even mentioned that she had been spending a lot of time with her future sister-in-law and cousin-in-law and was getting along very well.

"Yulan really likes Big Cousin and often asks me about his preferences. Hearing that Big Cousin likes to listen to music, she practices hard at home every day. She actually plays very well already. She used to be a quiet person, but knowing Big Cousin loves to play, she is also learning polo and pot-throwing."

The Empress Dowager was overjoyed to hear this. "Is this young lady of the Lin Family really like that? That's wonderful, wonderful. Yan'er, you heard her. You must treat her well in the future."

Ling Qiyan just said, "Oh," and casually agreed.

Half an hour later, a eunuch suddenly rushed into the hall to report that something had happened at Duke Jing's Manor. The prospective Princess Yu-to-be was gone.

Ling Qiyan froze.

The Empress Dowager and Xihua were even more stunned. The Empress Dowager was the first to recover, asking sharply, "What happened?!"

The eunuch quickly explained the matter. Today, the legitimate daughter of Marquis Xian'an had invited the young ladies of various manors to play at Marquis Xian'an's Manor's hot spring villa. While the young lady of the Lin family was on a swing, the rope had come loose, but no one noticed. When the young lady swung to a high point, she accidentally fell off, hit her head on the ground, and passed out on the spot. Not long after being carried back to Duke Jing's Manor, she was already gone.

"Marquis Xian'an has already personally gone to Duke Jing's Manor to offer his apologies and has handed over all the servants from the hot spring villa for Duke Jing's Manor to deal with as they please. The Madam, moreover, has taken her daughter to a temple, saying she will stay there for a year to chant scriptures and pray for the young lady of the Lin family."

Princess Xihua's eyes turned red. The Empress Dowager looked sorrowful and couldn't speak for a long time. Ling Qiyan was at a loss for what to say.

...How could something like this happen again?

Songlu Pass.

This was the closest pass to Mobei. The imperial court's armies, when marching to Mobei, mostly passed through here.

A few months ago, the Cilie Tribe of Mobei colluded with the Balindun people and rebelled. The Heir of Duke Jing, General Lin Su, led an expedition under imperial orders but failed to crush the rebel army in one blow. The military situation reached a stalemate. Now that the weather had turned cold, the court's main army had retreated to Songlu Pass and could only wait for spring next year, when the weather warmed, to march out again.

Wen Ying had been here for over half a month, resting in Songlu Town at the foot of the pass.

He had not returned to his hometown. When he passed by Guang County on his way here, he did not even go back for a look.

Recruitment notices were posted everywhere in Songlu Town. Wen Ying did not rush to enlist. He spent some time inquiring about the past merits, family backgrounds, and temperaments of all the generals in the army. The day before the Little New Year, he finally went to the recruitment office to sign up.

The young soldier in charge of registration saw his refined, scholarly appearance and his fair, clean-cut looks, and asked doubtfully, "Are you sure you want to sign up? How much weight can you lift?"

Wen Ying, his expression unchanging, single-handedly lifted a giant stone beside him that weighed at least a hundred catties. The young soldier's eyes went wide. He then handed him a long spear. "Ever played with this? Give it a try."

Wen Ying took it and, with a practiced posture, casually brandished it a few times. Though it was just an ordinary wooden spear, in his hands, it moved with the grace of flowing clouds and flowing water, exuding a sharp, imposing aura.

This time, it wasn't just the young soldier; even the people queuing behind him to enlist started to cheer.

The sound carried to the barracks in the back, and a burly captain with a full beard came out, frowning and asking what had happened. The young soldier pointed at Wen Ying and reported the matter to him.

The captain's interest was piqued. He had someone bring an iron spear, then lifted his chin, signaling for Wen Ying to brandish it again for him to see.

Wen Ying calmly took up the iron spear.

After he performed a complete spear routine, the captain clapped his hands three times, extremely pleased. "Excellent!"

Then he introduced himself, "My surname is Zheng."

To be so polite to a commoner who had not yet enlisted showed how highly this man thought of Wen Ying's future. His judgment had always been sharp; this young man was not just for show. The very air about him dictated that he would not be one to remain in the pond in the future.

Wen Ying said, neither arrogant nor humble, "Captain Zheng, a pleasure to meet you. I am Wen Ying, from Guang County, Jizhou."

Wen Ying presented his household registration document. Captain Zheng casually flipped through it and found that he was indeed young, and today was even his birthday. He then slapped him hard on the shoulder. "A formidable youth. Stick with me from now on, I guarantee you'll have wine and meat to eat!"

The author has something to say:

After explaining the necessary things, there will be a time skip soon, and then hehe