“Oh, so that’s how it is! I understand now.” Yuan Jin nodded after someone had finished explaining. “So he wanted to court her favor — then why didn’t he sing?”

On the steppe, when a man wished to court a woman’s favor, he would sing a love song loudly to entice her.

Someone quickly rushed to clap a hand over his mouth. “Keep your voice down — that phrase is not something you can say carelessly in front of the Princess! Actually, it’s not something you can say in front of anyone!”

“Which phrase? ‘Sing a song’?”

“‘Court her favor’!”

“But you just said it too.”

“…!” The person was so exasperated there was nothing to be done. Fortunately they were far enough away that the Princess couldn’t hear. When they got back, they’d absolutely have to go tell Yuan Ling and have him properly teach this barbarian son-in-law of his how to speak.

Meanwhile, Xie Yuzhang had already taken the rolled paper from her attendant’s hands and opened it. It was indeed a portrait of a beauty — painted in the style of her present outing, clearly done just now.

All the people around her were rendered only in outline; only she was depicted with fine, careful detail.

Lin Fei glanced at it and said, “Passable.”

Xie Yuzhang widened her eyes. “You actually said ‘passable’?”

Lin Fei said, “You have to look at him by ordinary standards — you can’t be too harsh.”

Xie Yuzhang said, “I’m not being harsh. I’m simply comparing it to what Third Elder Brother painted back then — how old was he at the time? Sixteen or seventeen, I think — that portrait of beautiful women playing kickball.”

Lin Fei said, “Then that is being harsh.”

The words came out entirely naturally, with not a trace of pride in her manner. And yet the pride ran all the way to her very bones.

Xie Yuzhang said, “You say I’m being harsh, but the fellow considers himself quite the distinguished gentleman of refined taste.”

Lin Fei said, “Stop — don’t say any more!” She was laughing so hard she couldn’t stop.

Wanxiu was laughing too, and remarked, “What a pity our Second Elder Brother has gotten so tanned.” She was speaking of Yang Huaishen.

Xie Yuzhang said, “When Second Elder Brother comes back, we’ll lock him in a room first to let him pale back up, then parade him out for a stroll — let these types who’ve clearly just arrived in the capital for the first time and have no idea how high the sky is or how deep the earth goes take a look and see what a truly distinguished gentleman actually looks like.”

The young man who had called himself Deng Jiu was putting on airs, and his little tricks, combined with that face of his, might well have had considerable impact on naive young girls who had just begun to know their own hearts. But for women like Xie Yuzhang and Lin Fei — who had been born and raised in Yunjing, and who had struggled through the currents of fate — he simply was not enough to warrant a second look.

They only couldn’t stop laughing.

On the day of the Shangsi Festival, Li Weifeng had also gone out of the city. He had originally gone with a group of Hexi brothers to watch the young women by the water — for men and women to admire each other openly and without shame was, after all, the most irresistible part of the Shangsi Festival for everyone.

But the moment he was out of the city, his thoughts flew elsewhere. He kept glancing in a particular direction, his heart restless as though clawed at from inside. At last he swung his horse around and told his companions, “Something’s come up — you all go and enjoy yourselves.” Then he was off, leaving the group amid their laughter and cursing.

He naturally rode straight with his personal soldiers to Xie Family Village. And sure enough, Xie Baozhu was in the field, unhurriedly turning the earth with a hoe. Li Weifeng privately suspected she could till that soil for ten thousand years and still not grow a single thing.

Er’Zhu was furious. “Why are you here again?!”

Li Weifeng said, “I was just passing by.”

A barefaced lie. Xie Family Village had military checkpoints controlling who came and went — entry and exit required registration. How exactly had he passed by his way inside? Er’Zhu glared at him.

She had half a mind to scold him off, but Xie Baozhu called out, “Er’Zhu.” — and stopped her.

Xie Baozhu only glanced at Li Weifeng once, then treated him as if he were thin air.

Li Weifeng didn’t need her to acknowledge him. As long as she didn’t drive him away, that was enough. He crouched down on the ridge between the fields and watched her work the plot of earth.

Just watching her like this, he found that even his breathing felt easier. The restlessness that usually pressed down in his chest, occasionally surfacing no matter how hard he tried to push it down, was gone.

But how long can human nature remain satisfied with what is right before one’s eyes? After watching for a quarter of an hour, he grew greedy — he still wanted to hear her speak.

Li Weifeng cast about for a topic. “Ah, that… a few days ago, the Noble Consort and your younger sister…”

He hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to bring this up at all, when he noticed that Xie Baozhu’s hoe had stilled just slightly. Li Weifeng then steeled his resolve — afraid of what? It was just a bit of gossip about the Emperor. “The Noble Consort wants her to enter the palace.”

Xie Baozhu stopped her hoe and looked at him, said “Oh,” then went back to turning the earth.

Li Weifeng said, “Don’t you want to ask me how it turned out?”

Xie Baozhu said, “Yongning refused.”

Li Weifeng said, “Hmm? Yongning told you about it?”

“No,” Xie Baozhu said. “If she had agreed, you would have come and told me directly: your younger cousin is entering the palace.”

He supposed that was true.

Li Weifeng added, “She really knows how to handle things. She brokered an arrangement for the Hexi Commandery Princess to attend classes at the Mao clan’s private academy, and the Noble Consort has taken a particular liking to her because of it.”

As he spoke, he kept his eyes on Xie Baozhu’s hoe. Sure enough, her movements had slowed noticeably compared to just before.

She was listening.

Li Weifeng said, “I was originally thinking that my coming here often might not look good for your reputation — you haven’t married yet, after all. But your father told me he never had any plans to marry you off. If that’s the case, then there’s actually nothing wrong with me coming by to talk with you, is there? Look at you, staying here in Xie Family Village — you know nothing of what goes on. How about this: whenever I happen to pass by in the future, I’ll come and tell you about what’s happening in the city. What do you say?”

Li Weifeng sounded casual and offhand, yet inside, his heart was pounding.

The hoe slowed, and stopped. Xie Baozhu narrowed her eyes and studied him for a moment.

Li Weifeng said, “I truly won’t do anything else. I’ll just talk with you.”

Xie Baozhu pushed the hoe into the soil. “All right.”

After the Shangsi Festival passed, Xie Yuzhang entered the palace. This time, she went directly to Zichen Hall.

Li Gu was rather surprised to see her, and asked in a low voice, “Has something happened?”

Xie Yuzhang had been on the verge of curtseying, but hearing this, she was momentarily at a loss for words. “Does Your Majesty only expect good things to happen to Yongning, never good things from her?”

Li Gu took in her smooth, radiant face — full of vitality and spirit, shining like a lotus blossom emerging from clear water. She decidedly did not look like someone who had come to him in a crisis, and he relaxed, asking, “Why have you come to the palace today?”

Xie Yuzhang smiled. “Yongning has come to collect a reward from His Majesty.”

Li Gu raised an eyebrow.

He was habitually expressionless, and this sort of expression was rare for him. Xie Yuzhang found it unexpectedly charming. She said, “Our new dynasty has only just been established, and there are still men of talent hidden away among the people. Your servant has uncovered a reclusive talent from among the common folk for His Majesty — His Majesty ought to reward me.”

Li Gu laughed and said, “Tell me first, and I’ll see what manner of talent this is.”

Xie Yuzhang then told him about the Chéngjǐng Academy of the former dynasty: “…It was built on Mount Panyun outside the city, with a heritage of three hundred years. Because its students ran to the palace gates to protest, Huang Yungong’s soldiers burned it to the ground, and the students all perished at the palace gates — a tragedy. Master Mo was the head of the academy at the time. I had always assumed he had passed away, but it turns out he had been quietly teaching in the lanes and alleyways of the city all along. Men of such stature, however, all tend to have a stubborn streak — if they feel you are not the worthy ruler in their heart, they would sooner spend one generation, two generations teaching in obscurity than come out to serve an emperor. In the past, even my father had to climb the mountain in person to visit him. Such is the temperament of truly great men.”

Her eyes curved with a smile. “I heard that His Majesty intends to reestablish the Academy of Scholarly Refinement, and His Majesty’s reign values both the sword and the brush — the two ought to flourish together. I thought this was precisely the right moment to speak of it to His Majesty, so here I am.”

And yet she would not claim all the credit for herself, and added, “Lin Family’s Third Elder Brother was once his student, and it was he who found Master Mo here in Yunjing. But Third Elder Brother feared his own station was too low, and that if he brought it to Your Majesty, Your Majesty might not give it weight, which could do a disservice to such a great man. I learned of it, and so shamelessly came to tell Your Majesty myself. Your Majesty might as well ask the Chancellor and the Academicians about it — they will tell you the measure of Master Mo’s standing.”

Li Weifeng was Seventh Elder Brother, and Lin Zi was Third Elder Brother.

Li Gu could see it plainly: Xie Yuzhang had no one to depend on, and being as sharp and resourceful as she was, she would naturally reach out and make use of every bit of power and influence she could grasp.

Yet he had already made it quite clear to her that she could depend on him…

In the end, there was simply too much distance between the two of them — too many things standing in the way.

Xie Yuzhang had finished her business and was about to take her leave when Li Gu said, “Yongning, there is no need to take what the Noble Consort said to heart.”

Xie Yuzhang paused, then smiled. “The Noble Consort Highness had a misunderstanding, but I have already explained things clearly to her.”

Li Gu thought of the way Xie Yuzhang had left Li Zhenzhen thoroughly bewildered, and couldn’t help but let out a quiet laugh. Then he added, “Eldest Sister has always cared and fussed over us like this, especially for me and Seventh Brother — it’s a habit of hers.”

But Xie Yuzhang looked at him and said, “His Majesty really ought to smile more. It’s far too intimidating to be stone-faced all the time — and you look so much better when you smile.”

Li Gu stiffened, drawing his expression back into place. “What use is it for a man to look good or not?”

Xie Yuzhang burst out laughing, quickly covering her mouth with her fist. “That’s not right at all. Whether man or woman, a person who is well-favored in appearance always brings a sense of pleasure to those who look at them. Yesterday at the Shangsi Festival, we were at Qujiang — there were so many beautiful young women and handsome young men. Just looking at them made it feel as though the weather itself had grown finer.”

Seeing Li Gu had drawn his composed expression firmly back into place, Xie Yuzhang quickly said, “Look at me, running my mouth about all sorts of useless things. I came today only to speak to His Majesty about Chéngjǐng Academy. That is done now — Your Majesty, Yongning takes her leave.”

But Li Gu called after her again. “Yuzhang.”

Xie Yuzhang looked at him.

“Yongning.” Li Gu said, “If anything arises outside the palace, go to Seventh Brother. Mantou will do as well — they know what to do.”

Xie Yuzhang thought: here we are back on this again.

She said, “Your Majesty, please don’t worry. I am doing very well right now. But should anything arise, I will charge straight into the palace to find His Majesty first.”

Li Gu’s expression did not change. “That is acceptable.”

Xie Yuzhang smiled, curtseyed, and retreated.

Li Gu watched her figure disappear, then gazed at the spring light filtering through the paper window pane. He found, indeed, that even the weather seemed to have grown somewhat finer.

The Emperor smiled in the spring light.

“Go,” he said. “Summon Mao Kun to see me.”

The Hall of Assembled Worthies oversaw the collation and preservation of the classical texts. Whenever books and documents were lost or men of talent remained obscure, it acted on imperial command to seek them out.

The Emperor paused, then added, “And Lin Zi as well.”

The Central Secretariat’s offices were nearby. By the time Mao Kun, the Associate Scholar of the Hall of Assembled Worthies, arrived, the Central Secretariat Drafter Lin Zi had already been in Zichen Hall speaking with the Emperor for some time.

“My teacher has a strong temper, and I am low in standing — I did not dare presume to report this on my own,” said Drafter Lin. “So I mentioned it to my younger sister, who passed it on to Princess Yongning, and the Princess came directly to speak with His Majesty.”

Mao Kun thought to himself: And once again, something has to do with that princess?

As he walked in, both the Emperor and the Drafter turned to look at him.

Both were young, and close in age. The Emperor was darker in complexion, his brow exuding pure martial vigor. The Drafter’s skin was fair, his looks beautiful as a branch of jade blossoms.

Mao Kun inwardly admired them both — truly distinguished individuals, each of the first order.

After Mao Kun had paid his respects, Li Gu said, “Tell me about the Chéngjǐng Academy of the former dynasty.”

At those words, tears fell immediately from Mao Kun’s eyes. “Chéngjǐng Academy is gone. Three hundred years of heritage — Huang Yungong burned it to the ground with one fire.” All those texts and libraries, all gone with it. His heart ached so sharply he could barely breathe.

Li Gu was decidedly not comfortable with these civil officials who could weep at a moment’s notice. He had heard that Xie Yuzhang’s own father had been the same — capable of shedding tears right there in the Hanyuan Hall in full court. He had no idea what sort of disposition that was.

Lin Zi said gently, “Master Mao, the Head of the Academy is still alive.”

Mao Kun looked up, eyes suddenly wide. “Master Mo?”

Lin Zi said, “The very one.”

Mao Kun’s shock turned to joy in an instant. “Where is he?”

Lin Zi said, “The Head of the Academy originally took refuge elsewhere as well, but returned to Yunjing last year and has been residing in Pingkang Ward.”

Mao Kun’s tears fell again. “How could Master Mo be living in such a place?”

Pingkang Ward was most famous for its Three Lanes — the gathering place of Yunjing’s celebrated courtesans, wandering swordsmen, and vagabond adventurers.

Lin Zi said, “It matters not — the Master is content in poverty and at peace in simplicity. His Majesty has summoned Master Mao here to seek counsel on rebuilding Chéngjǐng Academy. The only question is whether the Master would be willing to come out of seclusion.”

Mao Kun wiped away his tears and bowed deeply. “Your Majesty, there is a man of virtue hidden away in the wilds — Your Majesty ought to seek him out with all due respect and reverence.”

At the Shangsi Festival, Xie Yuzhang had received a portrait of a beauty. The young man had not yet been ground down by the world and thought himself a distinguished gentleman of refined taste, his head full of the toxic notion that if I so much as make a move, beautiful women will fall at my feet.

Xie Yuzhang had done nothing more than laugh it off.

Yet what Xie Yuzhang had not expected was that this sort of unwanted admirer would not be just the one.

She now took Jia You out to the streets every other day, to let her experience the living world. But it turned out she had been noticed. A group of young men who fancied themselves dashing and handsome were putting on their peacock displays right in front of her.

Within a few days, Deng Jiu alone had “coincidentally” run into her twice.

Xie Yuzhang’s way was never to make trouble for others unless others made trouble for her first. Though she found these young men rather tiresome, she knew they were nothing more than oblivious young pups raised in wealth and privilege, the sort who thought themselves great figures — entirely typical.

But whether civil or martial, Xie Yuzhang had always dealt with truly first-rate individuals. She could not possibly regard these young men who had no idea of the breadth of the sky and the depth of the earth as worthy of her notice.

Lin Fei came to visit her and revealed the truth: “Ninth and Tenth told me — Deng Jiu and that pack of wastrels have made a wager about you.”

She also said, “Do you know who Deng Jiu actually is?”

Xie Yuzhang gave a cold smile. “Who else could he be but Consort Deng’s younger brother?”

She had known exactly who he was the moment he introduced himself at the Shangsi Festival.

Learning of the wager, Xie Yuzhang’s fury rose from her heart.

In her previous life, she had returned to the capital in wretched circumstances with no one to rely upon, and it was only natural that she was looked down upon and subjected to disrespectful thoughts. But in this life, everything she had received had been earned through exhausting ingenuity and putting herself in harm’s way.

If she were to allow this pack of young pups to bully her, then Li Gu’s deliberate gift of the princess title would truly have been wasted.