Yun Ye left Chang’an with resolute determination. Even his family didn’t understand why the master of the house would leave Chang’an so hurriedly—outsiders were even less clear. However, the Yun family’s security level had risen by more than double.

All the household guards were replaced by workers from the wine workshop. The entire family lodged around the main hall, and the rooms of the mistress and young master were even connected through to the main hall. Old Jiang sat in a dark corner of the hall all day without leaving.

Old Grandmother and Xinyue sat on chairs in the hall drinking tea, as if waiting for something. Suddenly, a floor tile in the hall was pushed up. Old Jiang walked over and lifted the tile, and a head covered in dirt emerged from underground. Old Grandmother showed no surprise. After that mud-covered person climbed up from below ground, he simply bowed to Old Grandmother and Xinyue, then continued with his business.

In short order, the opening was cleared. Lion-headed, ring-eyed Old Zhao climbed up from the underground passage and said to Old Grandmother: “Three days. The household needs to remain vigilant for three more days. After three days, the tunnel will be complete. An elder from the Gongshu family will personally come to install mechanisms. This person, from now on, will be part of our household—the Marquis arranged this with the Gongshu family before leaving. He only knows he’s coming to design mechanisms and knows nothing about other matters. Old Madam cannot reveal the details either. We’ll arrange things properly—if we discover anything wrong with him, this old man will immediately kill him. The household must prepare proper countermeasures.”

Old Grandmother nodded, and Xinyue nodded along. Even if it meant falling out with the Gongshu family, they couldn’t reveal the tunnel matter. This had nothing to do with sentiment—the lives of the entire Yun family, old and young, depended on it. They couldn’t afford the slightest carelessness.

Old Qian sat in the courtyard playing with the family’s local dog. The head of the household guards carried a powerful crossbow while patrolling the courtyard. Today, anyone appearing in the courtyard without cause would face his attack. The entire Yun household was silent as death.

“Why did Yun Ye leave so hurriedly? What exactly happened?” Zhangsun, holding Jincheng, asked the resting Emperor softly. Yun Ye was her subordinate—she needed to know his whereabouts.

“He sensed danger, so he immediately fled three thousand li away, preparing to lure the enemy to Yuezhou for a decisive battle.”

“Does he have confidence?”

“This kind of thing can’t be discussed in terms of confidence. When I battled Wang Shichong beneath Luoyang city, and later when Dou Jiande led his troops into the fight, when I refused to retreat even one step for the great decisive battle—who dared say they had confidence? At such times, one’s life is no longer one’s own. It just depends on one’s methods.”

“In this regard alone, Yun Ye is far superior to Zhangsun Chong—more than just a little. These past days, Zhangsun Chong has hidden at home without stepping outside, while Yun Ye has been busy with academy matters. Upon discovering the crisis, his decision was to immediately lure the enemy away. Only this kind of person who values sentiment and loyalty is a subject to whom great matters can be entrusted.”

“They say ruthless people can make great decisions, but I’ve never seen a truly ruthless person. Some people’s ruthlessness is only directed at others, even their wives and children—toward themselves they’re quite sentimental.”

Zhangsun placed the sleeping Jincheng on the soft couch and straightened her lapels, saying: “Chong’er doesn’t compare to Yun Ye—I know this. But this time Chong’er also did well. Being able to use himself as bait—for a son of wealth, this already takes great courage. In the end, being able to severely wound those two eagles counts as an unexpected gain.”

“Empress, do you believe that if Yun Ye had been on that ship at the time, those two eagles would certainly have lost their lives? They might even have been captured alive. Chong’er designed the trap for the eagles because of fear. If Yun Ye had done this, it would definitely have been out of curiosity. Doing things driven by these two different mentalities naturally produces different results. Some things are innate—they can’t be learned.”

While the Emperor and Empress were conversing, a eunuch delivered a brocade box. This was a memorial from the Luoyang Governor’s Office. After Li Er glanced at it, he waved the memorial in his hand and said: “Look at this—Yun Ye has made another move. I just don’t know why he would have such a request. However, I still approved it.”

The academy had been in session for four days, and Zhang Jianzhi had spent these four days with a grateful heart. For half a year, he wouldn’t receive a single copper coin in scholarship money because he’d already drawn six months’ worth in advance. As an impoverished student, he could still borrow a small sum from the academy—one hundred copper coins, surely enough for him to repair his broken-down, wind-leaking house. The thatch on the roof had long needed replacing.

Before the rising bell rang, he hurriedly got up and went to help in the dining hall kitchen. He was a work-study student and had the right to choose where to earn his credits. The fat chef in the back kitchen smiled with his eyes nearly squeezed shut, boasting to all the cooks about his superior judgment. From then on, he developed a bad habit—he liked to watch students coming to get food when he had nothing to do, predicting their futures. This continued until he carelessly stared at Xiao Wu too long and got punched in the nose by Xiao Ya, his nose bleeding profusely. Only then did he abandon his arrogant habit.

Zhang Jianzhi never dared steal glances at Xiao Wu and Xiao Ya because they were very fierce and had many minions. As soon as Xiao Ya shouted “Xiao Jie,” immediately a tall, long-legged, extraordinarily fierce upperclassman would charge over and beat up whoever bullied them or whoever they were preparing to bully, then be taken out by the supervisor to receive punishment—all without complaint or regret.

The morning running laps were painful for the female academy students. Shishi wore athletic clothing and ran at the back. The tall and imposing Hypatia ran at the front with her enormous chest, frequently causing the male academy students to run in the wrong direction or fall into chaos.

Xiao Wu and Xiao Ya had long been trained into little colts. The academy’s activity level meant nothing to them—they could even drag along girls they were close with. Gao Yang gritted her teeth and endured. Each time she finished running laps, she looked half-dead.

Shir had now confirmed that the academy was a place specifically designed to torment her. After just one day of running, four or five shiny blisters had formed on the soles of her feet. When Hypatia helped lance the blisters, she nearly died of pain. She was a person with a very sensitive body. Hypatia grabbed her feet and kneaded and squeezed them—it took half an hour just to lance two blisters.

Running slowly wasn’t allowed—Shishi would grab you and make you continue running. Even if you had to crawl, you had to crawl to the destination. Most annoying was that upon arrival, you still had to endure Xiao Wu and Xiao Ya’s merciless mockery: “It’s not even two li—when I led pigs with my brother, we ran faster than you.” This was Xiao Ya’s catchphrase.

Since entering the academy, Di Renjie also felt he’d arrived in heaven, especially after discovering that whenever Xiao Ya or Xiao Wu shouted “Xiao Jie,” there was always a scapegoat who ran out. He was infinitely grateful to his parents for the name they’d given him. Now, finally no one robbed him anymore, finally no one called for him even just to throw away a fruit pit, finally he didn’t have to deliver umbrellas in heavy rain only to run back holding a lotus leaf himself. Hiding alone in the library brewing a pot of tea, slowly whiling away all his leisure time—to him, this was incomparable happiness.

That huge eagle claw was now his most prized possession. During rest days when he returned to the Yun residence, he always took it out from the chest and carefully wiped it. The claw had been carefully dried by him, dehydrated, then coated with a layer of shiny tung oil. With its steel-like bones, it looked beautiful no matter how you viewed it.

His teacher had promised that if there was an opportunity, he’d get him another claw to make a pair—that would certainly make an excellent decorative piece. For this claw, he’d endured savage beatings from Xiao Wu and Xiao Ya without letting go. A treasure—it absolutely must be hidden well.

The seemingly peaceful and prosperous Chang’an of Great Tang always had many destinations in spring. The apricot blossoms on the plain below had already finished blooming, with fuzzy green little fruits already appearing, while the apricot blossoms on Leyou Plateau had just begun to open. It was too cold there—even bees were unwilling to come. Those petals could only drift alone in the wind.

The young gentleman in spring robes didn’t appear. The beautifully dressed young lady, tears glistening in her eyes, waited from when the flowers opened until they fell. That young gentleman never came again.

Chang’an women were formidable, especially daughters of the Dugu family—they were no ordinary breed. When the flowers fell and the person still couldn’t be found, she could only report this matter to her mother. Their most beloved child had been humiliated—how could this stand? Yun Wu? Folding fan? Green robes? Handsome? This kind of demon—aside from the Yun family, no other family with the Yun surname produced them. So the mother, donning helmet and armor, attacked the Yun household on a bright sunny day. How could such a scoundrel be let off cheaply?

“A young master of the Yun family humiliated someone’s young lady?” Xinyue sprayed out a mouthful of tea. She looked at her chubby son lying on the table showing his gapped teeth while grinning at her, then at Li Rong sitting at the desk writing characters with Li Anlan. The ones who humiliated someone’s young lady were these two fellows?

The Madam of the Dugu family was also her close friend. Since she’d come calling, naturally she must be welcomed inside for a visit. After hearing the young lady’s tearful complaint, Xinyue was completely confused. At thirteen or fourteen years of age, this couldn’t possibly be her husband. Di Renjie had a round face, not a slender oval face. Yun Da and Yun Er had just taken off their split-crotch pants, Yun San was still nursing—where did Yun Wu come from?

After hearing Xinyue’s explanation, Madam Dugu was also confused. To begin with, there weren’t many Yun family households near Chang’an. Besides Xinyue’s family, whose family could have such an outstanding young master?

Fortunately, the Dugu family’s young lady had learned excellent painting. The elegant young gentleman amid the sea of apricot blossoms was depicted with penetrating detail. With one glance, Xinyue burst out laughing. Aside from that cunning girl Xiao Wu, who else could it be?

Understanding the full story, Madam Dugu also laughed heartily. However, the young lady cried even louder. Despair was more heartbreaking than disappointment. The pride of a Chang’an woman supported her as she demanded her mother send her into the academy no matter what, to personally settle accounts with Xiao Wu.

Yun Ye knew nothing of these tender thoughts among the young people, nor did he have time to manage them. Even if he knew, he would just laugh it off. Right now, he was being robbed. Locust-swarm quantities of small boats emerged from the river channels, densely covering the waterways. Yun Ye’s eyes sparkled with delight at the sight. Who said Yuezhou had no people? Weren’t these all people? The official account books indeed had few people recorded, but these fugitive refugees had been living on this great lake for decades—some had even lived on the great lake for several hundred years through multiple generations.