Volume One - The Unfettered Journey Among Mistaken Leaves Chapter Seventy-One: Entering the Capital

Thank you, lingday, for your generous support as a helm master!

----------------------------------

Yang Ning claimed the glass horse was a family heirloom. Dou Lianzhong was skeptical, but still carefully picked it up with both hands. At first, he handled it with ceremony, but soon his expression turned dismissive. He glanced at Yang Ning and said, “Is this really the heirloom of your Jinyi Marquis family?”

“Of course,” Yang Ning replied, his face showing a hint of pride. “Dou, have you noticed anything extraordinary about it?”

“I see nothing magical about it. You must be out of your mind,” Dou Lianzhong retorted bluntly. “Aside from its passable shape, the glass is poorly fired. Earlier, I said it was worth fifty taels of silver, but I take that back—five taels wouldn’t fetch a buyer anywhere.”

Yang Ning sighed. “Five taels for such a treasure? Dou, you still think it’s just a glass horse.” He paused, then continued, “Its peculiarity is that it glows in the dead of night, its colors shifting and dazzling. According to my grandmother, the surface may seem rough, and the uninitiated might blame the firing process, but true connoisseurs can see the marvel within.”

“I said it’s nothing special, just your own madness.” Dou Lianzhong sneered. “Qining, are you making a fuss to avoid settling accounts?”

Yang Ning’s brow furrowed, and he replied curtly, “Dou Lianzhong, just because your discernment is lacking, don’t belittle my family’s heirloom. If you call it poor glass, what does that say about the late emperor?”

“The late emperor?” Dou Lianzhong was stunned. “What does this have to do with him?”

Yang Ning replied smugly, “This glass horse was bestowed by the late emperor to my grandfather. It’s of immense value and thus became our heirloom.”

“This... this was granted by the late emperor?” Dou Lianzhong was shocked, examining the glass horse again. He knew the old Jinyi Marquis had earned the emperor’s favor, was granted hereditary succession and three thousand fiefs, and had enjoyed unmatched prestige. Such a figure would not receive ordinary gifts from the emperor.

Yang Ning continued, “Do you know the saying, ‘the Southern Dipper grants life, the Northern Dipper brings death’?”

Dou Lianzhong was bewildered but feigned understanding. “Of course.”

“This glass horse bears the constellations of the six stars of the Southern Dipper and the seven lodges of the Northern Dipper,” Yang Ning said mysteriously, pointing at the horse. “It’s said that if you look closely, you can see both constellations on its body, and as the hours change, the stars shift. Someone versed in astrology can use it to divine life and death.”

Dou Lianzhong was deeply astonished, and Zhao Xin beside him appeared equally baffled.

“I stared at it for quite some time, and just glimpsed a trace of the constellation when you interrupted me,” Yang Ning lamented. “Had I known its worth, I’d have asked grandmother for it sooner to appreciate it properly. But now...” He shook his head with a bitter smile, looking resigned.

Dou Lianzhong was half convinced, thinking that if it was indeed an imperial gift, it shouldn’t be underestimated. He picked up the glass horse gingerly and examined it for a long time, but found nothing remarkable. Yang Ning, seeing his frown, remarked, “Grandmother says it emits colorful light at night. Perhaps the star patterns only appear in the dead of night. In broad daylight... who knows if anything can be seen?”

Dou Lianzhong nodded. “Perhaps sunlight will reveal something.”

The sun rose in the east. Dou Lianzhong had entered through the rear door, which was shaded and blocked the sunlight, but the front entrance of the side hall was bright.

He understood that many rare treasures appear ordinary at first glance, requiring careful appraisal to reveal their secrets; even the best appraisers can sometimes be mistaken. He liked antiques and paintings, had studied them for years, and fancied himself knowledgeable. Yang Ning did not seem to be joking, and even invoked the late emperor; he wasn’t fully convinced, but remained cautious. Glancing toward the front door, he carried the glass horse outside.

Before he reached the door, Yang Ning called out, “Be careful!”

Dou Lianzhong assumed he was merely concerned for the heirloom and ignored him, stepping across the threshold. No sooner had he taken a step than his foot slipped unexpectedly, his balance lost in an instant, and, unprepared, his expression drastically changed. With a heavy thud, he crashed to the ground. Zhao Xin, following behind, rushed forward to help, but after taking a single step, he too slipped and landed abruptly on the floor.

Yang Ning hurried over, calling, “Dou, I told you to be careful, you—!” His voice stopped abruptly, his face transformed by shock as he stared at the ground.

Dou Lianzhong, utterly perplexed by his fall and ready to vent his anger, caught sight of Yang Ning’s expression and followed his gaze. His face also changed dramatically.

The glass horse had fallen to the ground and shattered into pieces. Glass is fragile, and as Dou Lianzhong fell, the horse struck the stone floor outside the side hall—a surface paved with bluestone slabs. The impact had broken the horse into dozens of fragments.

Dou Lianzhong’s anger evaporated, replaced by cold sweat on his back and twitching facial muscles. His voice trembled, “Young master, the floor is really slippery.” He felt the greasy ground, then sniffed his fingers, and a strange odor filled his nose. He frowned, “What is this stuff?”

Yang Ning sat on the ground in despair, muttering, “The heirloom... the heirloom...”

Dou Lianzhong’s heart sank, sensing deep trouble.

At that moment, hurried footsteps approached. Several men strode in, led by Zhao Wushang, followed by guards and servants. Zhao Wushang stepped forward, saw Dou Lianzhong seated on the floor, his expression cold. When he noticed the shattered glass horse, his face changed and he gasped, “Young master, is this the heirloom sent earlier by the Dowager Lady?”

Yang Ning stared vacantly. “My heirloom... what am I to do? It was bestowed by the late emperor, able to divine life and death—how can I explain this to grandmother?”

Dou Lianzhong and Zhao Xin exchanged glances; Zhao Xin’s face was pale. Feeling awkward, Dou Lianzhong reached out, “Help me up.”

Zhao Wushang remained cold, the others unmoving. Dou Lianzhong was irritated but helpless. Now he noticed a puddle of yellow liquid outside the front door of the side hall. He had been so eager to examine the glass horse that he hadn’t looked down, and had stepped directly onto it.

He crawled away cautiously, stood up, and found his brocade robe stained with yellow liquid. He felt disgusted, but didn’t dare voice it. He forced a laugh and said to Yang Ning, “Young master, the glass horse... really isn’t valuable, nothing extraordinary. Don’t be upset.”

Yang Ning suddenly looked up, furious, and stood, pointing at Dou Lianzhong, “Dou Lianzhong, how dare you destroy the Jinyi Marquis family’s heirloom?”

“What... what sort of heirloom is this?” Dou Lianzhong’s voice faltered, but he could only brazen it out. “Young master, if you like such antiques, I’ll select a few treasures for you and send them over.”

“Treasures?” Yang Ning retorted angrily. “There’s only one glass horse, no duplicate. It was bestowed by the late emperor, it’s priceless, and you think a few treasures will suffice?”

Dou Lianzhong coughed and protested, “You saw it yourself—I didn’t break it on purpose, it’s just that...” He frowned and pointed at the yellow liquid. “What is this stuff? Why is it here?” His eyes flickered, brows raised, and he fixed his gaze on Yang Ning, sneering, “Qining, did you set a trap for me?”

Yang Ning stepped forward, crossed the threshold with a leap, and landed in front of Dou Lianzhong, his expression icy, eyes sharp as blades. He pointed at Dou Lianzhong’s nose, “Repeat that—did you say I set a trap? Wasn’t it I who invited you to examine my heirloom? Did I ask you to take it outside? And when you went out, didn’t I warn you to be careful? Don’t say you didn’t hear me.”

He looked fierce, eyes wide as if he could devour someone. Dou Lianzhong had never seen the young heir of Jinyi Marquis so intimidating, and involuntarily took a step back, forcing a laugh, “Young master, let’s talk calmly, don’t be rash. We’re family—everything can be sorted out.”

He added, “You warned me to be careful, but I thought you meant not to damage the glass horse. I didn’t realize you meant the slippery ground. That... that was my oversight.”

“Family or not, accounts must be settled,” Yang Ning replied coldly. “Dou, you broke the glass horse with your own hands. How do you think we should resolve this?”

Dou Lianzhong thought to himself that he’d never seen this boy so sharp; it was as if Yang Ning had become a different person. The words he’d spoken earlier were now turned back on him, word for word. The Jinyi Marquis family was notorious for settling debts, and the saying proved true—retribution came swiftly.

“So, how do you propose we resolve it?” Dou Lianzhong was not wholly a useless wastrel. His father had managed the Ministry of Revenue for years; he himself had worked there, always dealing with accounts and skilled in calculation. Dou Lianzhong had learned from experience and realized that today he’d fallen into this young man’s scheme. He’d always outwitted others; never had he expected to be ensnared by the capital’s infamous simpleton heir.

But as Yang Ning said, he had voluntarily taken the glass horse outside to examine it. The trap was certainly set, but he had played along every step, falling into each pit. It was hard to argue his way out now, so he pondered anxiously how to handle this sudden disaster.