CH 51

Chapter 51: Lamp Array

Ren Yaoqi looked at Han Yunqian.

Under the reflection of the ice lamp, the calm young man’s pitch-black eyes were a bit dark and bottomless. Ren Yaoqi likes to look at people’s eyes, because a person’s eyes are not easy to disguise and can explain many things.

She was a little curious why Han Yunqian, a teenager, had the eyes of an adult. He always feels like carrying too much in silence.

Han Yunqian was also looking intensely at Ren Yaoqi.

Suddenly he opened his mouth and said: “I heard that Fifth Miss Ren is very good at chess.” That was all he said.

When Ren Yaoqi heard the words, she cast a sideways glance at Ren Yijun who was standing beside her, wondering if he had let others know that she had spoken ill of him behind his back.

However because of the matter of Ren Yaohua and the picture of Autumn Ju in her previous life, she didn’t have a good impression of Han Yunqian. Even if he knew that she spoke ill of him, she didn’t feel guilty at all.

Ren Yijun sneezed at this moment.

Ren Yaoqi frowned and said, “It’s very cold here. Third Brother, why don’t you go to the carriage?”

Ren Yijun snorted softly, turned his head away as if he didn’t hear it, and just said to himself, “Does anyone want to enter the formation or not? You are not going to beat this master!”

Ren Yaoqi knew his temper well, so she couldn’t persuade him anymore. She just turned her head and told the servant behind him to get a thicker cloak. When Ren Yijun went out, the gear on the carriage was always fully equipped.

“How is it? Can you come out within a quarter of an hour?” Ren Yijun looked at Han Yunqian, speaking provocatively.

Han Yunqian looked at the lantern array, thought for a while, and replied somewhat reservedly: “You have to walk around to find out. I heard that this year’s lantern array is a drawing made by Prince Yanbei, which is a little different from previous years.”

“Second Young Master Xiao?” Ren Yaoqi was a little surprised, she had never heard of this.

Han Yunqian nodded, and said politely: “I heard Zishu said it before, not many people outside know about it.” Zishu is Yun Wenfang’s nickname.

The second son of the Xiao family, Xiao Jingxi, has been a legendary existence. Since he entered the capital to congratulate the Empress Dowager on her birthday, his fame in the capital is greater than in Yanbei. Those who met him said he was a man of great elegance and intelligence.

Ren Yijun suddenly rubbed his chin and said to Ren Yaoqi: “Does Fifth Sister want to go and try? I would like to go in, but I promised my mother not to go into the formation when I went out. But we’re already here, it would be a shame to not go in and take a look. If you go in, you can come out and talk to me about what is inside the array.”

“What if we get in but can’t come out?” Ren Yaohua frowned and retorted.

Ren Yijun glanced at her, snickered: “Just walk back on the way you go in, there is no way people who can come in can’t come out. You can rest assured that if the Fifth Sister does not come out in half an hour, I will have someone knock the light array over. How about it?”

Speaking of which, Ren Yijun looked at Ren Yaoqi and Han Yunqian again: “How about this, you all go in once, and see who gets out of the formation in the shortest time.”

Ren Yaoqi has never liked to compete, so she would not have paid attention to Ren Yijun’s sudden and boring proposal, but her words of refusal suddenly came to her lips with a flash of inspiration.

“I originally wanted to walk in, so Third Brother’s proposal is not bad. But, if you want to compete, there must be an account for winning or losing.” Ren Yaoqi looked at Han Yunqian and smiled.

Han Yunqian couldn’t help but stare.

Ren Yijun, however, applauded: “Fifth Younger Sister’s words are right, indeed, there must be a compensation. What does Mr. Han think?”

“Third Brother! Why are you also following her nonsense!” Ren Yaohua stopped in a low voice.

Ren Yijun gave another blank stare: “I’ve always been full of nonsense! If you don’t like it, get away from me!”

“You…”

Ren Yaoqi smiled and said to Ren Yaohua, “Third Sister, it’s just for fun, don’t worry.”

Ren Yaohua wanted to get angry, but Han Yunqian, an outsider, was in front of her, so she couldn’t get angry. She could only stare back.

“What does Fifth Miss want as a prize?” Han Yunqian, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up. He did not object to Ren Yijun’s words.

Ren Yaoqi didn’t expect him to really respond. Nowadays, men and women are not equal in status, and men have always been ashamed to compete with women. They feel that winning is easy, but losing is completely embarrassing. Only people like Ren Yijun who are eccentric and uninhibited would compare her with Han Yunqian over and over again.

Ren Yaoqi said: “The winner can make a request to the loser, of course, for fear that the other party will not be able to do it, this request can be made now. What do you think, Mr. Han?”

Han Yunqian only thought for a moment before nodding his head and said, “Third Miss Ren can make the request first.”

Ren Yaoqi was not polite and said with a smile, “I remember that my father gave you a painting. If I win, how about you give me the painting?”

A hint of surprise flashed across Han Yunqian’s dark eyes, which were caught by Ren Yaoqi. Ren Yaoqi’s heart tightened, could it be that Han Yunqian already had the intention of causing trouble with that painting when he got his father’s painting? In that case, he must have refused her offer.

“That painting was given to Yunqian by Third Uncle Ren, and Yunqian cherishes it very much,” Han Yunqian said deliberately, “If I were to give you the words again, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be very respectful to Third Uncle Ren.”

Ren Yaoqi sniffed and sighed, “I originally asked my father to paint this painting and give it to me as a birthday gift. I’ve never been to the capital city, so I’d like to know what the Annual Jú Flower Festival is like. I didn’t want my father to give the painting to you. I…when I asked my father for it afterward, he was also very embarrassed. He only said that the painting has been given to you. If we are asking for the painting again it is not appropriate, you may not agree.” The company also looked up at Han Yunqian, with a hint of reluctance.

Han Yunqian couldn’t help feeling a little headache, a gentleman doesn’t take what others like. Ren Yaoqi has already made her words so clear, if he refuses again, it will be out of style after all. Moreover, what people said was to ask him to ask for it after losing the competition, not to force him to go back.

So, Han Yunqian could only say: “If you win, I’ll ask Third Uncle Ren what he thinks about it. If he doesn’t mind, I’ll give you the painting. Otherwise, you can make any other request.”

Even though he said that, it was just to make Ren Yaoqi look good. Han Yunqian didn’t think he would lose to Ren Yaoqi.

Ren Yaoqi smiled: “Then it’s settled! What do you want if Mr. Han wins?”

Han Yunqian shook his head and said, “No need.”

Ren Yaoqi smiled and said, “How can this be done? Since it’s a competition, it’s better to be fair!”

Han Yunqian thought for a while: “I heard that Fifth Miss is very good at chess. If Yunqian wins, I would like to ask Fifth Miss to give face and play against Yunqian once.”

This surprised Ren Yaoqi a bit. After the first comparison, do you want to compare it the second time? How amazing is her chess skill being taught by Ren Yijun? Ren Yaoqi glared at Ren Yijun who was watching.

Ren Yijun blinked and turned to look at the lamp.

Ren Yaoqi could only nod: “Okay. Young Master Han please first!”

Ren Yijun slowly and methodically fished out a gold pocket watch from his sleeve and raised it toward the two: “It just so happens that I brought this with me, so I’ll record the time for you both.”

Han Yunqian nodded.

In order to be fair, Ren Yijun showed the pocket watch to Han Yunqian and looked at the time.

He also asked Han Yunqian’s attendants to stand with him and free the way out for Han Yunqian.

Han Yunqian walked into the light array calmly and leisurely.

Only then did Ren Yijun turn his head to Ren Yaoqi and said, “Fifth Sister, how sure are you for that win?”

Ren Yaoqi honestly shook her head: “I won’t know until I come out.”

Several people waited outside for a quarter of an hour, and Han Yunqian really lived up to expectations and came out from another entrance.

Looking at Han Yunqian who had already walked in front of him, and then looked down at his pocket watch, Ren Yijun couldn’t help but worried and said to Ren Yaoqi,  “it’s two times a quarter.”

Han Yunqian nodded towards them and hesitated for a moment before saying to Ren Yaoqi, “Second Prince Xiao’s formation is really a bit different from the usual lamp formations. Because it is cast in ice, it is a bit cold inside. Fifth Miss should not go in.”

Ren Yaoqi shook her head and said seriously, “It is not a gentleman’s word without faith, although I am not a gentleman I do not want to break faith with others.” Saying that, Ren Yaoqi ordered Xiang Qin and a maid behind Ren Yaohua to go in with her. She was a woman and could not leave without anyone by her side, so bringing someone in was not a violation.

“Fifth Miss, the view is nice, but it’s really cold.” Xiang Qin shivered as soon as she entered.

Ren Yaoqi stopped not far from the entrance and surveyed a few forks in the road, smiling on one side, “There are ice walls all around, how can it not be cold? It’s okay, we’ll be able to get out soon.”

Saying that, Ren Yaoqi lifted her head and walked towards the road branch she had chosen.

Xiang Qin hurriedly followed: “Fifth Miss, can we really win against that Young Master Han? Didn’t Third Young Master say he was very powerful?”

Ren Yaoqi nodded and did not speak as she was quickly calculating the formation points in her mind.

Xiao Jingxi’s formation technique is really exquisite, he must be a master of geomancy. It’s just that this kind of lantern array is put out for the enjoyment of the people, so it’s not so difficult that no one can walk. It’s just that if ordinary people don’t know the tricks, it will take more time.

Ren Yaoqi has learned a lot from Teacher Pei, including the hardest nine palace formation and even arithmetic. Although she can’t be regarded as proficient, she is familiar with this kind of formation.

To be fair, Han Yunqian walked out in half an hour, which is already very good.

Ren Yaoqi calculated the positions calmly, and kept walking. When she finally saw the exit, she couldn’t help but smile.

“We’re out.”

Question for readers: Is it more understandable to translate the honarary names to English (like lao taitai to Old Madam or guniang to Young Miss) or should I keep it in Chinese?