At the crack of dawn, the Yun Family’s gatekeeper, A Shou, yawned wide as he opened the side door. Using a long bamboo pole, he took down the lantern outside and extinguished the oil lamp inside. Just as he was about to return to the manor, he saw someone wearing Academy clothes curled up outside the entrance hall, sleeping soundly. Knowing that Academy students were all important people, he didn’t dare disturb them and ran into the manor to report to Steward Qian Tong.

When Qian Tong came out to look, wasn’t this the Meng Family’s Second Young Master? Why was he sleeping here? He hurriedly woke Meng Youtong and discovered his clothes were covered in mud, he was missing a shoe, and his hair was disheveled. Thinking he’d encountered bandits, he asked, “Young Master Meng, what happened to you? Did you encounter thieves? Should this humble one report to the authorities?”

Meng Youtong stared for a long while before recognizing him. “Steward Qian, no need to report to the authorities. I just walked the night road and got like this. Get me a set of clean clothes and find me something to eat. I’ve been hungry all night.”

When Yun Ye saw Meng Youtong, he was holding a large bowl, stuffing things into his mouth. A big bowl of noodles went down his gullet with slurping sounds. Then he wiped his mouth and said boldly to Yun Ye, “Ye-zi, big brother here has nowhere to turn. I’ve come to seek your protection. For the sake of our brotherhood, please take me in.” After speaking, he even clasped his fists in salute, completely in the manner of a wandering knight.

“Which family’s daughter did you ruin? Even your father can’t protect you? Could it be a Duke’s family?”

Meng Youtong shook his head.

“Could it be some Prince’s family? Your courage is too great.”

Meng Youtong still shook his head.

“Good heavens, you didn’t rape a princess, did you?”

“What nonsense! I only think about it normally—how would I dare act? Do I not want my life?”

“Then you were raped? Too ashamed to face people?”

“You—”

Under Meng Youtong’s tearful accusation, an unreasonable, severely biased, tyrannical father who didn’t understand a youth’s heart at all appeared in Yun Ye’s mind. He also expressed his determination to make a clean break with his feudal, decayed, stagnant old family.

“Then you study hard at the Academy and finally complete your studies. Just as the court needs people, you resolutely accept the most difficult, most dangerous mission. After going through countless hardships, you finally complete the task with flying colors. During this time, you might even have some romantic encounters between a talented scholar and beautiful lady. Finally, you return to parade gloriously throughout Chang’an. Your father regrets it, beating his chest and stamping his feet. Your mother holds you, crying loudly, saying you’ve finally made something of yourself. Then you laugh three times toward the heavens, releasing all the pent-up frustration in your chest at once?”

Meng Youtong’s mouth gaped open as he asked, “How do you know my thoughts?”

Yun Ye smacked Meng Youtong on the head. “I’ll beat you to death, you disloyal, unfilial bastard! Your father risked his life fighting for military merit for the family’s future. He probably doesn’t have many patches of good skin left on his body, does he? Your elder brother has been studying in Shandong for the family—I heard he hasn’t returned to Chang’an for two years, only coming back for Qingming to worship ancestors. Only you idle about all day. Would your father feel assured entrusting the lives of the entire family to your hands? Running away from home over this trivial matter—what will your father and mother think? That my Yushan Academy only teaches heartless bastards? Was your father not good to you? If he wasn’t good to you, would you still have grown up white and plump to this day?”

Yun Ye’s torrent of words left Meng Youtong speechless. He covered his face and cried “wu wu.”

“Stop crying! Where did your earlier ambition go? Gone after being told off a few times? I was counting on you to do great things in the future.”

“But what you just said is right. My father’s body is covered in scars. My elder brother is already twenty and still hasn’t married—all to bring glory to the ancestors. Elder brother is much stronger than me. He should be the one studying. But I can’t bear to give it up, Ye-zi. I can’t bear it. I like staying at the Academy, wu wu…”

“Who said you have to leave the Academy? You think the Academy is up to your father? You think anyone who wants can attend? What do you take my Yushan Academy for?”

“You just said it should be my elder brother studying.” Meng Youtong felt somewhat wronged.

“Next year, through examinations, another batch of about fifty students will be selected, and this will happen every year. Students can only stay at the Academy for four years, then must find their own way. I think they’ll all enter official service. As if His Majesty would pass up these well-trained students.”

“Sleep for a bit, then immediately get lost and go home. Tell your father you whored around all night or gambled all night—just don’t say you came back to the Academy. Don’t break his heart. As for you coming tomorrow, the teachers will deal with your father—no need for you to be conflicted. What an idiot, making such a simple matter so bloody and heart-wrenching.”

Just after shooing Meng Youtong off to sleep, trouble erupted in the back courtyard.

Little Auntie sat on the ground crying her heart out, and very loudly at that, causing the whole family to run over to look.

The veins on Yun Ye’s forehead throbbed. He’d just dealt with one—how did another pop up? Would he ever get any rest?

Holding Auntie to comfort her, he said, “Who bullied you? Tell your nephew, and I’ll skin them alive.”

Auntie cried breathlessly, pointing at the room. Yun Ye kicked the door open with one foot. Somewhat strangely, there was no one in the room. This was Little Auntie’s special silkworm-raising room. The entire room only had the rustling sound of spring silkworms chewing mulberry leaves. Never mind people—there weren’t even ghosts.

Looking at Auntie uncomprehendingly, Grandmother entered the room, took one look, then swung her palm and struck Auntie. “It’s just a few baskets of silkworms. What’s the big deal if they’re ruined? It’s not like before when we depended on silkworms for our lives. Why are you wailing in the courtyard?”

“The silkworms are chewing mulberry leaves just fine—how are they ruined?” Yun Ye was somewhat puzzled and stopped Grandmother from continuing to beat Auntie. Northerners had never seen silkworms before.

“Ye’er, you don’t understand women’s matters. Sometimes these silkworms, as you raise them, turn into green silkworms. Some turn into red silkworms. Grandmother heard some even turn yellow. The silk they spin becomes green, red, or yellow. The colors aren’t right, the silk is useless, and no one will buy it. If a farming family encounters this, it’s a great disaster. Your auntie hasn’t turned the corner yet—our family long ago stopped depending on a few baskets of silkworms to make a living. Move aside, let Grandmother beat her.”

Yun Ye suddenly smiled. The several elders in the family were all people who couldn’t stay idle. Even though they were wealthy and noble now, they couldn’t escape their humble origins. Little Auntie was just like this. Seeing her silkworms turn into waste, her habitual sorrow welled up from the heart, thinking the family would go hungry. Of course she cried earth-shatteringly. For a small household, this naturally wouldn’t be strange, but having such a thing happen in a marquis’s manor was truly both laughable and lamentable.

Auntie hid behind Yun Ye without showing her head and stopped crying. Presumably she’d now realized that her monthly allowance was worth dozens of baskets of silkworms—there really was no need to be sad over those waste silkworms.

“Actually, this is a wonderful thing. Heaven is letting the Yun Family get rich. Not wanting this treasure delivered to our doorstep—even Heaven would look askance.” Yun Ye’s heart stirred as he spoke.

Hearing her grandson say this, Grandmother didn’t care about beating Auntie anymore. She hurriedly chased away the surrounding maids and servants, pulled Yun Ye into the room, and also shouted at Auntie to come in too.

“Ye’er, what do you mean by this? You’re clever with a sharp mind. Explain it properly to your worthless auntie so she won’t embarrass the family again.” After speaking, taking advantage of Yun Ye’s inattention, she pinched Auntie. Yun Ye couldn’t control family matters—he could only watch helplessly as domestic violence ran rampant under his nose.

“These silkworms turning green means the silkworms themselves have undergone a change. The silk they spin is green, proving these green silkworms haven’t lost their nature of spinning silk. If the silk color isn’t right, it means the silkworms haven’t completely changed. Auntie, continue raising these silkworms until they’re grown. Let them spin silk and form cocoons. Find the silkworms with the most correct color and let them lay eggs. In autumn, raise them again and select again. Keep selecting generation after generation—you’ll eventually get pure green. I don’t believe such silk won’t sell for a good price.”

Auntie’s eyes turned into the shape of copper coins. Grandmother was so happy her mouth wouldn’t close. She never doubted her grandson’s abilities—if he said it would work, it would definitely succeed.

“Auntie, you can buy other families’ waste silkworms everywhere—like red ones, yellow ones, and any other colors too. It’s best to get all seven colors complete. In the future, maybe weaving satin and brocade won’t need dyeing. If this isn’t a great treasure, what is?”

Grandmother excitedly kissed Yun Ye on the cheek. Auntie was so excited she jumped up and down on the ground.

“My grandson is the Yun Family’s greatest treasure!”