Jun Yelan collapsed onto the ground, his gaze falling upon Lan Yan's sleeping face. He was so close to her, just a slight movement away from touching her lips.
A flutter in his heart, he tried to shift sideways, only to discover his legs wouldn't move.
In that instant, all his desires vanished. He gave a self-mocking smile, thinking that if he couldn't even pull the blanket over her, what else could he do?
If he could stand, he would have been hanging the lanterns today, and Lan Yan wouldn't have fallen.
He had become too greedy lately, forgetting that he was a cripple. He let out a soft chuckle, a tear tracing its way down his cheek.
Looking at Lan Yan, so close yet feeling so distant, he struggled to get up and crawl towards the bed.
Just then, hands reached out from behind him and embraced his waist. Startled, he turned his head to see Lan Yan, her eyes still closed, letting out a sigh of relief.
He didn't want Lan Yan to see him in such a pathetic state.
Lan Yan, groggy and half-asleep, felt as though she was hugging a large stuffed toy. She held it tighter, pressing the toy to her chest.
Jun Yelan found himself held by Lan Yan. He remained still, doing nothing, just staring at her. His own tragic life should not have harmed such a wonderful person.
His eyes dimmed slightly as an idea formed in his mind.
Lan Yan fell back into a deep sleep.
The next morning, she awoke to find herself holding Jun Yelan, and was greatly startled. "What have I done!"
Jun Yelan also opened his eyes and remained silent. He reached for the wheelchair beside the bed, intending to sit in it.
Seeing this, Lan Yan offered her assistance.
A sharp pain pierced Jun Yelan's heart, and he pulled away. "I can manage myself." He slowly settled into the wheelchair, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.
Lan Yan watched him from the side, feeling that Jun Yelan was somehow different today. She asked, "Did I do anything strange last night?" She genuinely couldn't recall what had happened.
"No," Jun Yelan avoided Lan Yan's gaze and moved towards the desk. "I have something to attend to today, you don't need to worry about me."
Lan Yan's sense of unease grew. Seeing Jun Yelan's serious expression, she left. She sat in the courtyard and spoke to the system, "System, did you notice anything?"
The system had indeed observed what happened last night but could not tell Lan Yan. "Host, I am merely a system and do not possess such capabilities. You may observe more closely; perhaps you will find out."
"Is that so!" Lan Yan murmured, "He was fine last night, even wanted to kiss me. Could it be that because he didn't get to kiss me, he's unhappy today?"
System: "...That doesn't seem likely."
Lan Yan nodded, thinking Jun Yelan wasn't the type to act this way. "Something must have happened to him. Since he's unwilling to say, I'll just wait."
While waiting, and out of boredom, she brought out all the account books and began calculating with an abacus.
Jun Yelan remained in the study, took out a blank piece of Xuan paper, picked up his brush, and then put it down. He looked at his legs, then picked up the brush again and wrote the character "和" (he, peace/harmony).
However, as he attempted the second character, his hand trembled, and ink dripped onto the paper, spreading out.
He crumpled the Xuan paper into a ball and tossed it aside, his gaze returning to the blank sheet before him.
This time, he hesitated for a long while before putting brush to paper, his thoughts drifting to the door outside.
Lan Yan was calculating accounts when Xia Lian arrived with a post. "If it's from my sister, you don't need to send them anymore."
"My Princess, this is an invitation from the County Princess, inviting you to a banquet tomorrow," Xia Lian handed over the post and added, "My Princess, the reputation of the Prince's residence is not very good outside. You could interact with these people to improve the state of the residence."
She elaborated, "The County Princess is a spirited person, but not inherently bad." The County Princess had visited the Prince a few times before, but the Prince had refused her each time.
Lan Yan pondered, "Now that there are no internal problems in the Prince's residence, the external situation is very dangerous." The Great Prince was eyeing them covetously; it was only a matter of time before he made a move. She couldn't just wait to be attacked. If something happened to Jun Yelan, everything would be lost.
"Alright, I will attend tomorrow. Prepare a gift for me."
Xia Lian was pleased to see the Princess had made up her mind. "Your servant will prepare it immediately."
"Wait a moment." Lan Yan thought of Xia Lian, who had grown up in the Prince's residence, and asked, "I have something to ask you. The Prince seems a bit unusual today. But I can't think of a reason."
Xia Lian saw this and said, "My Princess, the Prince is a proud man. Ten years ago, after he returned from the palace, he stopped crying or laughing, and didn't seem to care about anything anymore."
"Your servant often saw him lying alone on the bed, lost in thought. But ever since you, My Princess, arrived, the Prince has changed a lot; he smiles, goes out, and does things."
"My Princess, your servant believes you are very important to the Prince. Sometimes, precisely because someone is important, they overthink things. By the way, Granny Qin also knows a lot about the Prince; My Princess can ask her."
Lan Yan nodded. "Alright, have her come." A dull ache bloomed in her heart. This should have been the most vibrant and lively age, yet he could only lie in bed, his days wasted.
If she were Jun Yelan, she would have probably collapsed. She looked towards the room, truly wanting Jun Yelan to be well. However, she needed to find the cause of his current distress first.
Granny Qin, having been reprimanded by Lan Yan, was exceptionally obedient to her commands. She approached Lan Yan and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, My Princess."
Lan Yan nodded with satisfaction. "You have been in the residence for so many years; you must know a little about the Prince. Tell me about it."
"This..." Granny Qin hesitated, but seeing Lan Yan's expression, she said, "This old servant originally served Noble Consort Shu. After the Noble Consort passed away, this old servant came to the Prince's residence to take care of the Prince."
"The former Prince enjoyed horse riding and hunting; he couldn't stay still for a day. However, ever since that great fire, the Prince became a different person. Even this old servant sometimes dared not approach him."
"He is actually someone with deep inner pain. This old servant has been hoping that you, My Princess, could heal his pain. If the Prince suddenly becomes cold towards you, it might not be that he doesn't care, but rather that he cares too much."
After speaking, she took her leave.
Lan Yan watched Granny Qin's retreating figure, puzzled. "This Granny Qin sounds like she cares about the Prince, so why was she so hostile towards him before? No, she was only harsh to the original host."
She suddenly discovered a secret. Granny Qin being able to provide her with a list of spies couldn't have been done overnight, unless she had been doing it for a long time. Granny Qin's words about the Prince were likely to gain the trust of those people.
She understood now.
She walked directly into the room and saw Jun Yelan still sitting at the desk. Smiling, she asked, "Your Highness, what are you doing?" She walked over and saw a blank piece of paper on the table, which seemed to have been there for a long time.
Jun Yelan still did not look at Lan Yan and said coldly, "Nothing."
"Alright, then I'll draw something." Lan Yan picked up the brush. Seeing Jun Yelan deliberately avoiding her gaze, she couldn't help but smile. "Your Highness, some things are hard to say, but we can write or draw them."
Understanding Jun Yelan's reservations, she drew a picture of them spending a warm moment together. She did not finish the drawing and handed the brush to Jun Yelan.
Jun Yelan's pupils contracted slightly upon seeing the drawing. He stared at the brush, his mind filled with a thousand thoughts.