Chapter Fifty-Two: Catastrophe Approaches

Inside Prince Xin’s residence

After dinner, Ling Zexin led Sakura to the room where she would sleep that night.

“Sister Hua, what’s the real reason you ran off on your own this time?” Ling Zexin didn’t bother to leave; instead, he poured her a cup of tea, sat down comfortably, and settled in as if ready to hear a good story.

“What business is it of yours? I’m going to sleep. Get out.” Sakura pushed him away, visibly annoyed.

“I’m just concerned about you. It hurts me when you treat me like this.” Ling Zexin pouted, looking aggrieved, yet made no move to leave.

“If you’re really concerned, take me to the palace tomorrow.”

“The palace? What for?”

“I want to see His Majesty and ask him to marry me.”

Ling Zexin nearly spat out his tea. “You want to become a royal consort?”

Tsk tsk, his imperial brother’s charms must be considerable—one beauty after another flinging themselves at his harem.

“I ran away this time, actually. I escaped,” Sakura admitted, her expression turning forlorn.

“That’s nothing new. You always run away.” Ling Zexin was unfazed, now understanding a bit of what Ying Xuanyu must go through. With a sister like this, no wonder he was constantly worried.

“My parents want to marry me off.” Sakura shot him a glare, pouting again as she sank into her own sadness.

“Oh? By the way, how old are you now?”

“Seventeen.”

“Oh, you’re already considered an old maid.” Ling Zexin nodded with mock seriousness. “At your age, if someone’s willing to marry you, you’d better hurry up, or in a few years you’ll be left on the shelf—ow!”

Before he could finish, Ling Zexin was clutching his foot, staring at Sakura’s puffed-up face, grimacing and secretly cursing her.

“That’s none of your concern!” Sakura was furious; she’d been trying to have a serious conversation, but his tone and expression made it clear he was just laughing at her.

“So, you ran away to escape an arranged marriage?” Ling Zexin analyzed the situation gravely. This wouldn’t do—if she truly was fleeing an engagement, her family would have people searching everywhere for her. He couldn’t condone such rebellion. “In that case, you’d better go back soon.”

“What?” Sakura, of course, knew her parents must be searching all over for her. She’d even disguised herself as a man to travel more easily. She’d thought, upon meeting Ling Zexin and seeing his attitude, that he would help her. Who would have thought he’d say something like that? She was so angry she wanted to hit him.

“Running away from an engagement is serious business,” Ling Zexin said, adopting a lecturing tone. After all, he was good friends with Ying Xuanyu and thus felt responsible for educating his wayward sister.

“Of course I know that. If I had any other choice, I wouldn’t have run.” Sakura grabbed Ling Zexin’s collar, glaring fiercely. “Do you know who they want me to marry?”

“Who is it?”

“Qin Han, the son of the Right Assistant Minister of Rites!” Sakura shouted, hoping Ling Zexin would finally understand why she’d gone to such lengths to escape.

“Qin Han?” The name sounded familiar to Ling Zexin. After a moment’s thought, he remembered—wasn’t Qin Han the infamous bully in the capital, who relied on his father’s position to do as he pleased? He had a terrible reputation—drinking, gambling, frequenting brothels, and even seducing his father’s concubines. What a cunning pair—sharing a concubine between father and son.

“Tsk tsk, if you marry him, your happiness would be doomed.” Ling Zexin shook his head, fully supporting Sakura’s decision. Such a beautiful woman wasted on Qin Han would be a travesty. “He haunts the brothels so often, who knows what diseases he’s picked up…”

“My parents aren’t familiar with the capital; they don’t know his reputation. They met him once and thought well of him, but I found him ugly and his lecherous gaze made my skin crawl. I asked around—he’s got a terrible character…”

“Of course. Did you think everyone is as virtuous as I am?” Ling Zexin seized the chance to praise himself.

“You’re not much better,” Sakura shot back. “You’re just as fond of pleasure, just as much a gambler and a rake—a bad man, all the same.”

“But at least I’m better-looking, and my character is far superior.” Ling Zexin’s eyes suddenly sparkled. “Sister Hua, if you had to choose between me and Qin Han, who would you pick?”

“Neither,” she replied crisply.

“I have an idea that might help you.”

“What idea?” Now it was Sakura’s turn to look intrigued.

“There’s no way you’ll get to meet my imperial brother, and even if you did, he wouldn’t marry you. So,” Ling Zexin grinned slyly, “why don’t I propose to your parents and marry you myself?”

“What?” Sakura cried out, horrified at the prospect of marrying Ling Zexin. She’d rather die!

“Look at it this way—my residence doesn’t even have a concubine. Your parents would surely agree, and I’m a prince, much better than the son of some assistant minister.”

“But I don’t want to marry you.”

“I never said I’d force you. We can go see your parents, force Qin Han to withdraw from the engagement, and after a few months, I’ll find an excuse to break off our engagement as well. Problem solved.”

“Well…” Sakura hesitated. She was still a young girl, inexperienced and unsure how to proceed.

Ling Zexin saw her wavering and pressed his advantage. “Don’t worry, this plan is foolproof.” Of course, everyone knew that having an engagement broken off was damaging to a woman’s reputation, and being jilted twice would make it nearly impossible for Sakura to marry again—gossip would hound her forever.

But while Ling Zexin spoke of breaking off the engagement, he had no intention of doing so. Once the betrothal gifts were sent and an auspicious date chosen, he planned to marry Sakura outright, regardless of her wishes. In his mind, women like Sakura needed discipline—if he could train her well, she would eventually become gentle and obedient, the perfect wife. How he arrived at such a conclusion remains a mystery, but that’s what he believed.

“In that case… all right.” Sakura, after thinking it over, found the plan flawless; she saw not a single loophole and even planned to thank Ling Zexin afterward.

Unbeknownst to Ling Zexin, as he and Sakura schemed together, a commotion began at the dog hole in his back courtyard.

A small figure, moving furtively to avoid the servants, slipped into the secluded backyard.

Arnold, having gathered a few valuables from home and even stolen some banknotes from his room, was now ready to put his plan to run away into action.

After some investigation, he finally found a dog hole in the back courtyard. Looking around to make sure the coast was clear, he parted the grass covering the entrance, squeezed his head through, followed by his body, then his legs, and finally pulled his small bundle through. Thus, the first stage of his escape plan was completed—it was almost too easy for a clever child like him. Dusting himself off, young Ling Shunuo embarked on his first runaway adventure.

At that moment, Ling Zexin was still basking in the joy of his impending marriage, completely unaware that trouble was about to descend upon him.

Gazing at the dazzling city lights of the capital, Ling Shunuo took a deep breath—the air was thick with the scent of freedom, and it felt wonderful. Straightening his back, he shouldered his little bundle and strode forward.

He had originally intended to spend the night at Prince Xin’s residence, but worried that if he lingered, Ling Zexin might send him back to the palace at dawn, making escape all the more difficult. After careful thought, he decided to slip away while Ling Zexin was distracted by Sakura. He knew this would cause trouble for Ling Zexin—once his sixth uncle realized he was missing and reported to the emperor, the latter was sure to give his uncle a severe scolding. But that was just what Ling Shunuo wanted—after all, his uncle had never treated him well.

Now that he was out, his only plan was to find an inn for the night and set out early in the morning. As for his destination, Arnold wasn’t so sure; he wanted to search for Feng Qiuji, but had no idea where to begin. Frustrated, he decided to wander, asking for news of her as he went.

Whether he could actually find any clues was another matter. If his father the emperor learned he’d run away, undoubtedly a search party would be sent out, so he wasn’t concerned about not being able to return. What he really wanted was to bring Feng Qiuji back with him.

Ah, what a night of commotion! Everyone had their own paths to follow, their own affairs to attend to; no one knew what the future held. As for young Ling Shunuo, he had no idea what awaited him—perhaps a sound punishment from his father if caught—but none of that mattered to him now.

—A word aside—

Dear children, never run away from home. It’s a frightening thing. Once, Remnant Sun ran away for half a day, but by noon had no choice but to obediently return home.