You Can't Escape

His lips and tongue aching from the bite, Ling Qiyan's eyes flew open. This time, he was truly awake, and he began to struggle and resist desperately.

Pinned and unable to move by Wen Ying, he bit down hard in a fit of rage. He soon tasted blood in his mouth. Breaking free from Wen Ying's lips and tongue, he turned his head away, gasping for air. His eyes were bloodshot, and his whole body trembled with anger. "You... let... go... of... me."

Wen Ying raised a hand, the pad of his thumb wiping away the silvery thread at the corner of Ling Qiyan's lips. His gaze grew even darker as he leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Did you think you could still escape? As for our past accounts, this Prince will keep them to settle with you slowly."

As if provoked by Wen Ying's self-address, Ling Qiyan freed one hand and swung it at his face. Wen Ying forcefully caught it and pressed it above his head. The ruthlessness in Wen Ying's eyes deepened. "Think clearly about your current status. If you obey, you might suffer a little less."

"This is the Palace of Tranquil Longevity," Ling Qiyan said through gritted teeth, glaring furiously at the man pinning him down.

"So what?" Wen Ying said coldly. "You're already a dead man. There's no place for you in the Palace of Tranquil Longevity anymore. Sooner or later, you will have to leave."

Meeting his dark, indifferent eyes, Ling Qiyan's heart trembled. A sudden realization washed over him like an epiphany: this person had been pretending all along. Before, and now too. In the past, his status was low, so he desperately restrained himself, not daring to truly do anything to him. Now that he had soared to a high position, his true colors were finally showing.

His dark thoughts were probably no less than that dog Ling Qiyu's. He hated himself for never seeing through him, for having been so indulgent towards him in the past, giving him the opportunity.

A sudden chill filled Ling Qiyan's heart. He turned his face away, no longer looking at him, and secretly made a resolution. No matter what this bastard wanted to do, he had to escape. He had to escape far, far away.

Wen Ying seemed to have seen through his thoughts. He reached out, grabbed his chin, and warned in a low voice, "Don't think about such nonsense. You can't escape, and I won't let you."

Ling Qiyan remained silent, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes again.

Wen Ying frowned and snapped, "Don't cry."

"...I don't owe you anything. That dog Ling Qiyu ruined your career, and I helped you get revenge. Those people who harmed you all met bad ends," Ling Qiyan's voice was choked with sobs, as if he felt terribly wronged. "When you were in Prince Yu's Manor, I was harsh with you, I hit and scolded you, but I treated you better than anyone else. You can't bully me like this."

Wen Ying turned his face back, staring at him intently, suppressing his anger. "So I should be grateful to you? If you hadn't done all this, did you think I would let you off so easily for usurping my place for twenty years?"

Ling Qiyan was stunned, tears still hanging on his eyelashes. "...You said you held no grudge against me."

"If I considered you an enemy, you would be dead by now," Wen Ying reminded him coldly.

Ling Qiyan was instantly speechless. That was right. If Wen Ying had been more narrow-minded and insisted on his death, the Emperor would have sided with him and surely wouldn't have spared him. Even the Empress Dowager's pleas might have been useless.

At this thought, Ling Qiyan felt even more desolate. He closed his eyes, desperately swallowing back the tears that threatened to spill, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Then what do you want from me? I've already returned your identity to you. Why won't you let me go?"

He had nothing left—his identity, his status, his grandmother. He had returned everything he could. Wasn't that enough?

Wen Ying said nothing more. He stared at him for a long moment before finally letting go, getting up, and leaving.

After walking out of the hall, he heard the sound of something being smashed behind him. Wen Ying stood silently under the corridor for a moment, his face darkening, then he walked away.

The heavy snow fell all night again. The New Year festivities had arrived.

After the princes were enfeoffed, no one in the palace mentioned the name of Prince Yu, Ling Qiyan, anymore. The order of seniority among the princes remained unchanged. It was as if Ling Qiyan's existence had been completely erased.

Starting from the Little New Year on the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, there were various sacrificial rites and celebratory activities for the New Year every day. The Emperor always brought his newly acknowledged eldest imperial son with him. Wen Ying frequently appeared in public. By now, all the princes, nobles, officials, and high-ranking families in the entire Shangjing City knew of this new prince, a man of extraordinary talent and excellence, who was deeply favored by His Majesty.

At the same time, some rumors had inadvertently begun to spread through the capital.

It was said that the Emperor's newly acknowledged Prince Liu had been switched at birth. So, when he returned, Prince Yu died a sudden death. Prince Yu's fate was actually Prince Liu's fate. Therefore, the one who had caused the deaths of three fiancées wasn't the former Prince Yu, but the current Prince Liu. He was the one with the wife-jinxing fate!

By the time the matter reached the Emperor's ears, it was already common knowledge. The Emperor was furious and sent people to investigate the source of these rumors, but they couldn't find anything. Now, even a three-year-old child on the street knew that he, the Emperor, had raised someone else's son for twenty years for nothing, and that his own biological son was the one who jinxed his wives.

The Emperor was incredibly angry, but Prince Yu was already "dead," so he had no one to vent his anger on. In the end, he could only haul Ling Qiyu over and give him a fierce scolding.

Ling Qiyu's face was grim as he argued through clenched teeth, "Your son doesn't know. This matter has nothing to do with me. I have been grounded by Father Emperor during this time. Even occasions where I, the Crown Prince, should have appeared, were attended by Eldest Brother in my stead. How could I have the ability to go out and spread rumors about Eldest Brother?"

The Emperor grew even more furious upon hearing this. "If not you, then who could it be?! Your eldest brother just showed his face in public a few more times, and it made you this jealous?! How did I give birth to a thing like you?! Narrow-minded and treacherously cunning! Aren't you just afraid your eldest brother threatens your position as Crown Prince, so you deliberately use such insidious methods to ruin his reputation!"

"I didn't do it, so I didn't do it!"

Ling Qiyu was extremely indignant. After saying this with a cold, hard expression, he stopped arguing and let the Emperor scold him. His lowered eyes were filled with venomous, bone-deep hatred.

The Crown Prince's confinement in the Eastern Palace was extended. The Emperor felt guilty towards Wen Ying and summoned him again, saying he wanted to arrange a marriage for him as soon as possible to suppress the ugly rumors outside.

Wen Ying, however, didn't seem to care. With a calm expression, he said, "Father Emperor need not worry too much. My marriage is not urgent for now. It's better to discuss it after this storm has passed."

The Emperor frowned at his words. "You are no longer young, how can it not be urgent? Among the sons of noble families in the capital, I'm afraid you won't find another who isn't married at your age. Besides, you are my son. Your younger brothers have all married long ago, yet you remain alone."

Wen Ying calmly asked back, "Which family's daughter does Father Emperor have in mind? If the family you choose is unwilling, I'm afraid it will cause resentment."

The Emperor was at a loss for words for a moment. Never mind those people outside, even he himself couldn't guarantee that Wen Ying wouldn't jinx his wife. The stories circulating outside were indeed unsettling. He could issue an imperial edict to force the marriage, but he was afraid it would turn a joyous occasion into a funeral. For a moment, he hesitated.

Never mind, it's better to wait until this period passes. If it really doesn't work out, he wouldn't choose a daughter-in-law from the capital. He could still find a good one from the prestigious families in the provinces.

"I will think about it again. You have been wronged."

Wen Ying lowered his eyes. "Thank you, Father Emperor."

Palace of Tranquil Longevity.

Ling Qiyan was leaning against the side of the pavilion, listlessly tossing fish food into the pond.

As he casually lifted his eyes, he saw Wen Ying approaching from under the long corridor. He turned his back, not wanting to deal with him.

Thinking back on what happened that day, Ling Qiyan still felt ashamed. He had actually cried in front of that bastard again. How outrageous!

Wen Ying walked into the pavilion, picked up the fish food beside Ling Qiyan, and silently tossed it into the pond. Ling Qiyan stood up to leave, but he had just taken a step when Wen Ying grabbed him with one hand and pushed him back down to sit in front of him.

Ling Qiyan's expression turned cold. He looked up impatiently. "What are you doing?"

"Feeding the fish."

Wen Ying threw out these words with a blank expression, focusing only on tossing the fish food in his hand into the water, ignoring him.

Ling Qiyan tried to leave again, but as soon as he stood up, Wen Ying pushed him down with one hand. Wen Ying was strong; one hand was enough to keep him from moving.

This feeling of being restrained made Ling Qiyan extremely displeased. Uncontrollable anger surged up, and his face grew colder. He squeezed the words through his teeth, "What on earth do you want?"

Wen Ying's expression was indifferent. Without looking at him, he fed the fish quietly for a while before saying softly, "Prince Yu's temper truly hasn't changed in three years."

Heh.

Ling Qiyan suppressed his anger again and again. After boiling and churning, it gradually subsided. Gazing at Wen Ying's calm and stern face, his thoughts suddenly stirred, and he asked hesitantly, "That day... why did you kiss me?"

Wen Ying's gaze slowly turned to him, but he didn't speak.

After a moment of silent staring, Ling Qiyan scoffed, "Did you actually take a fancy to me?"

The color of Wen Ying's eyes darkened.

Ling Qiyan: "..."

It's actually true?

This guy couldn't have had designs on him back when he was still a poor scholar, right? That would be quite bold.

Although he had indeed been taken advantage of by this person quite a few times...

Ling Qiyan's thoughts grew wilder. In recent years, he had occasionally used certain stimulating objects to pleasure himself, but it was all rather boring. It had been a long time since he'd tasted true pleasure. In fact, he had regretted sending this person away countless times. After all, compared to those inanimate objects, although Wen Ying, a living person, was equally unromantic, he was at least somewhat useful.

But now, the person was right in front of him, yet their statuses had been reversed.

This Wen Ying before him made him instinctively feel danger. This scoundrel clearly intended to humiliate him. He didn't dare provoke him again, and under no circumstances could he be reduced to being someone's catamite. He only wanted to find an opportunity to get as far away from this person as possible.

Fortunately, the Empress Dowager had said that once the second month began, she would send people to escort him to Jiangnan.

Ling Qiyan felt uneasy. He lowered his head and said sullenly, "What do you see in me? I'm just a little good-looking, I don't know anything else. Now that you're a prince, what kind of beauty can't you have? Why do you keep bothering me?"

"...You're just angry that I took your identity before, and you want to use this method to get revenge and humiliate me."

"Can't you just do a good deed and let me go? I'll get lost in the future and never be an eyesore to you again. How can you be so petty?"

After saying this last sentence, he sensed the other's tall figure looming over him. Ling Qiyan subconsciously tried to pull back, but there was nowhere to go. In an instant, Wen Ying closed in, pressing him against the railing behind him.

Wen Ying stared at him silently, one hand brushing against his cheek, stroking it slowly. Complex emotions were hidden deep in his eyes, making it impossible to guess his thoughts.

Ling Qiyan felt extremely uncomfortable and turned his face away.

Wen Ying leaned closer and kissed his earlobe. Ling Qiyan's eyes widened slightly as he looked at him.

Wen Ying still had that same cold, expressionless face. He whispered slowly in his ear, "Did Prince Yu not understand what I said that day? You can't escape, and I won't let you."

Ling Qiyan was stunned. His expression changed abruptly, and he shoved the person in front of him away fiercely.

Wen Ying straightened up, not moving an inch. His gaze towards him grew deeper.

Ling Qiyan sneered, "The Empress Dowager is personally sending people to escort me to Jiangnan. Can you stop her?"

Wen Ying didn't reply, but his eyes seemed to say that he was determined to have his way.

A inexplicable panic gripped Ling Qiyan's heart, but he maintained a brave front, saying with contempt, "I thought you were an upright gentleman, but it turns out you're the same type of trash as that dog Ling Qiyu. You and he are truly worthy of being real brothers—just as filthy and disgusting!"

Wen Ying's expression didn't change in the slightest despite being insulted. He reached out again and tucked a strand of hair, which had been messed up by the wind, behind his ear, as if he weren't the one being called "filthy and disgusting."

The more he acted like this, the more resentful Ling Qiyan became. It was as if he could never get the upper hand with Wen Ying. It had always been like this. Back then, this boy was clearly just a poor scholar, yet he dared to push his luck. Now, it was even worse. No matter what he said, he would be the one who ended up angry.

After a few turns of thought, Ling Qiyan suddenly asked again, "I heard the Emperor wants to choose a consort for you?"

Wen Ying's fingers, which were by his temple, paused slightly. He said indifferently, "Mm."

Ling Qiyan eyed him. "Those rumors outside about you jinxing wives... don't tell me you spread them yourself?"

Wen Ying calmly withdrew his hand.

Ling Qiyan clicked his tongue. "It's actually true? Are you insane? Why would you make up such rumors to ruin your own reputation?"

Wen Ying looked at him coldly.

Ling Qiyan's eyes showed hesitation. "...You can't get hard for those girls either?"

Wen Ying turned his eyes away, his face expressionless.

Seeing that familiar coffin-like face, Ling Qiyan assumed he had guessed correctly and couldn't help but feel a sense of schadenfreude. "Why be so honest? The Emperor wants to compensate you and will surely choose a wife with an excellent family background for you. Since you want to fight for that position, wouldn't it be good to have the support of your wife's family? Just marry her first. It's not like she would dare go around gossiping about your... hidden ailments, would she?"

"Why should I marry?" Wen Ying said, suppressing his displeasure.

"Why not?" Ling Qiyan looked bewildered. "You're so capable and good-looking. Who knows how many daughters of noble families are lining up to marry you. But you, you go and have people smear your own name. Is there something wrong with your head?"

"Do you think I'm such a great catch? Do you really think those high-ranking noble families are willing to marry their daughters to me?"

Ling Qiyan was about to say more, but when he looked up and met the sudden anger in Wen Ying's eyes, he fell silent.

That was also true. It was precisely because Wen Ying was too capable that people didn't dare get too close to him. Even if he was greatly favored by the Emperor, the Emperor had not mentioned deposing the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince's position was still secure. This talented eldest imperial son, skilled in both literary and martial arts, would only seem conspicuous. Regardless of whether Wen Ying truly had ambitions, once the Crown Prince ascended the throne, he would most likely not have a good end.

Those high-ranking families were all shrewd. How could they be willing to get involved in such matters? They were already wealthy enough and didn't need to gamble on this for greater power and prestige. Naturally, it was best to stay neutral and not be forced to take sides.

Wen Ying's actions were not without their benefits. At the very least, the Emperor would certainly not suspect that he himself had spread such rumors to ruin his own reputation. He would surely blame Ling Qiyu for it. Even without evidence, resentment would surely fester in his heart.

Thinking of this, Ling Qiyan, who had failed to see the joke he was hoping for, felt bored. "If you don't want to marry, then don't. What has it got to do with me?"

Wen Ying's voice became even more indifferent. "Since it has nothing to do with you, then don't ask."

Ling Qiyan snapped, "Fine, I won't ask!"

Marry or don't, just stop having designs on me!

Not wanting to waste any more words here, Ling Qiyan stood up, flicked his sleeves, and left.

Wen Ying didn't stop him this time, silently watching his back as he walked away.

The eunuch beside him bowed his head low, instinctively sensing the palpable chill emanating from this Prince Liu. He trembled, not daring to breathe too loudly.

Wen Ying stood rooted to the spot, unmoving for a long time, a gloomy chill gradually sinking into the depths of his eyes.