The old man had a very enjoyable time at the academy, even having Yun Ye push him into a classroom where he personally taught the students a lesson on the Analects. After everyone bowed their hands in thanks, he departed with great satisfaction. As for how Master Yushan would explain why his teaching was different, that wasn’t within his scope of consideration.

The academy’s main gate was forever a must-visit destination for everyone who came to the academy. Those meritorious nobles from Chang’an city had already made the gate into a place of entertainment. When friends from other regions came to visit, going to the gate to tease them was an extremely interesting matter. Young ladies of great families didn’t receive outside guests, but being accompanied by fathers or brothers to play at the academy was not within the prohibitions—you just had to wear men’s clothing. This provision was something Yun Ye had strived hard to obtain. Otherwise, a school full of nothing but men would warp the fragile hearts of the students.

Li Gang didn’t know what he was talking about, but seeing his resolute attitude, he reluctantly agreed. However, the academy’s students had acquired a bad habit—upon seeing classmates with handsome appearances and slender bodies, they would stroke their chins and look them up and down. Some who were especially fond of fantasy had already concocted a romance between themselves and a beautiful female classmate disguised as a man that couldn’t be shared with outsiders.

Seeing two classmates enter through the gate wearing flowing green robes, their bearing heroic and full of themselves, Yun Ye wanted to push Yan Zhitui and run early. Big sister, if you’re going to dress as a man, at least find a cloth strip to bind your towering chest! Those students’ drool was about to flow down. Even the nearly hundred-year-old man perked up, opening his mouth to stare at the beauties.

Waving folding fans in their hands—these were new novelties that had only appeared in recent years. Everyone at the academy had one. Some show-offs would take them out and wave them even in winter, otherwise it wasn’t sufficient to display their elegance.

“Ah, Brother Yun, seeing the bright sunlight today, I was moved by thoughts of spring outings. Without realizing it, I arrived at the academy. Please, Brother Yun, lead the way and take me and Brother Li to tour around—how about it?”

“No can do. I need to accompany the elderly gentleman and explain academy matters to him. If you two want to play around, please feel free.”

“You dare! My Imperial Father said that if you dare slight us, he won’t be polite with you.” The slightly smaller Brother Li beside them was already pointing at Yun Ye and shouting in a shrill voice.

“Don’t shout. Shout again and I’ll immediately put you into the academy to study. Take your sister-in-law to find Hou Jie. If you disturb the elderly gentleman, even your Imperial Father can’t save you. Why come to the academy for no good reason?”

Only now did the two discover the old man sitting in the chair. They hastily performed proper courtesy—wearing men’s clothing while performing women’s curtsy squats looked as strange as could be.

“Brother Yun, don’t blame us. My Imperial Father commanded this prince to bring my younger sister to tour the academy. Sister-in-law just happened to want to come to the academy to see Hou Jie, so we all came together.”

“Cut the nonsense. First pay respects to Old Master Yan, then your whole family can go to the academy to find Li An and Li You, and have them take you around.” Li Shimin’s seventh son, Li Yun, was timid and afraid of trouble, only liked to enjoy himself. He himself had said he only wanted to live happily his whole life—this was clearly something only a clever person could say.

Yan Zhitui liked children very much. Especially after Lanling gave the old man a piece of the Yun family’s secret lollipop, she squeezed onto the cart and constantly relied on the old man’s influence to boss Yun Ye around. The old man didn’t stop her either, chatting and laughing merrily with the little girl who had her hair in two small buns.

Returning from touring the main gate, they saw Hou Lian’er with reddened eyes dragging the dejected Hou Jie out from the classroom. Many heads were sticking out from the windows, preparing to watch the spectacle.

“Yun Ye! Well then! In Luoyang you promised my father you’d take good care of my younger brother. Look at this—is this the result of your care?” As she spoke, she pulled Hou Jie’s rough hands from behind him for Yun Ye to see.

“Very good. These are the hands of a real man. What’s wrong with them? Hou Jie relied on his own strength to pile up that artificial mountain. Why don’t you comment on that artificial mountain’s magnificence and peculiarity, but instead take issue with his hands? Only women care about whether hands have become rough. In the future, Hou Jie will rely on these hands to fight for his own future. Soft and tender skin won’t do.”

One sentence made Hou Jie very proud. Hou Lian’er raised her head and glared resentfully at Yun Ye, saying, “Even if what you say makes sense, you punished him by making him pile up an artificial mountain—wasn’t that punishment too severe? He just glanced at someone else’s exam paper.”

What Hou Jie feared most was someone mentioning this matter. Whoever mentioned it, he’d get angry with them. Hearing his sister’s words, his face flushed bright red with embarrassment. He flung off his sister’s hand and ran off on his own. Hou Lian’er was still loudly calling “Xiao Guai” from behind—this was Hou Jie’s infant name. Now Hou Jie had thoughts of suicide. With a burst of speed, he completely left his sister behind. Those students who had stuck their heads out immediately burst into laughter. Hou Jie’s reputation was finished.

The old man finally felt fatigued. Lanling was also chased away by Yun Ye. As he pushed the old man back to Yun Ye’s room to rest, the old man suddenly opened his eyes and said to Yun Ye, “Don’t make mistakes. Stand straight and walk properly. My road has been walked to completion—now it’s up to you all how to continue walking.” After speaking, he closed his eyes again.

Sitting in the office, he couldn’t figure out what the old man’s words meant no matter how he thought about it. Just as he’d quieted down, a group of imperial princesses, large and small, surrounded him. Glancing at the proud and arrogant Gao Yang, looking at the clever and mischievous Lanling, then surveying the several princesses of various sizes—could it be that the mistake the old man referred to was them?

Good heavens, I’m too busy avoiding them—how would I have the mind to provoke them? Is there even one good one among them? Old man, you’re overthinking things.

Li Er wasn’t letting him have half a moment of leisure. Throwing a bunch of princesses over to pester Yun Ye, not letting him have spare time to do anything else. Yun Ye, who hadn’t slept all night, now had his mouth open like a hippopotamus, yet still had to tell a group of little lolis stories about the sea, constantly explaining the difference between goldfish and whales. He wasn’t knocked unconscious by a one-inch-long little fish, but rather was pressed underneath by a whale as big as a house. If they didn’t believe it, they could go to the building below to look at the fish bones—those were the bones left over after he’d eaten the fish meat.

Having finally driven away those annoying little girls, Yun Ye dove headfirst into Master Yushan’s room, planning to sleep until tomorrow. He wouldn’t open the door no matter who called.

When he woke up, the sky was already pitch black. Sleeping with the door closed in the muggy weather, unknowingly he’d worked up a full body of sweat. However, the feeling of drowsiness had disappeared without a trace. The academy’s meal time had already passed, so he could only make do at Huang Shu’s little shop.

If the Huang Shu he’d first met could be called a mouse, now he’d transformed into a weasel. His cheeks had gained some flesh, his body had fattened up a size. If his footsteps weren’t still light and nimble, Yun Ye would have suspected this fellow’s grave-robbing skills had all been completely rusted away by the good life.

He ordered Huang Shu to make him a large bowl of saozi noodles—plenty of chili, plenty of vinegar, plus two cloves of garlic. He himself would take the wooden basin to the Dongyang River for a bath. In the height of summer, there was nothing more comfortable than this.

Very unlucky—the sky was overcast. The moon and stars were all blocked behind the clouds. By the riverside, you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. Huang Shu, carrying a lantern, said worriedly, “My lord, why don’t you just wash in the large vat at the shop? I’ll haul water for you. It’s too dark outside—it wouldn’t be good if you bumped or tripped.”

“Get lost. The water vat at your shop holds drinking water. You wouldn’t have been washing in the water vat, would you? If so, that would be truly wicked. Would your shop’s food still be edible?”

Huang Shu cried out his injustice, swearing by his ancestors eighteen generations back that there was absolutely no such thing. If he wanted to bathe, he’d do it in the river. He absolutely wouldn’t wash in the water vat. To prove he hadn’t washed in it, he stripped completely naked and went into the river.

Lying on the sandy beach, letting the cool river water glide over his body, by the light of the lantern he even discovered two crabs, only as big as copper coins. He caught them in his hand, constantly turning them over to keep them from escaping.

“Does my lord have some happy occasion?” Huang Shu squatted in the water with only his head exposed, asking Yun Ye.

“You noticed. Indeed, I’ve laid down a great matter weighing on my mind. This afternoon I had a beautiful sleep and just woke up. Having missed mealtime, I could only come to your place to mooch a bowl of saozi noodles to eat.”

“I dare not guess at my lord’s thoughts, but as long as you’re happy, I’m happy too. It means the academy will certainly be even more prosperous. I rely on the academy to make my living. I only want to pass this livelihood down generation after generation, so that Xiao Shu never has to drill into tombs like me. If there’s any karmic retribution, let it all be punished on me alone. Even if Heaven strikes me with lightning, I’ll accept it. Good days—once you’ve grasped them, you can’t let go.”

“I’ll give you a tip—this year the academy is going to build more buildings again. Next year there will be many more students.”

“That’s wonderful! My little shop should also expand bigger. Please take the trouble to give it a new name. You’re a man of great learning, my lord. The name I came up with really can’t be brought out—people laughed at it for quite a while. No sooner had I hung up the sign than I hurriedly took it down again.” Huang Shu rubbed his hands together, entreating Yun Ye.

“What name did you come up with yourself? Tell me and let me hear it. Under normal circumstances, names you come up with yourself are the best. Quite a few businesses passed down generation after generation have names that don’t sound good, yet when called out they’re catchy, simple to remember, and spread quickly.”

“I figured since I’m called Huang Shu, I wanted to call my business the same thing, just like Granny Cao’s Meat Pies, Blind Wang’s Cold Noodles, Liu Hun’s Fermented Milk, Zhang One-Load’s Tea Soup at the West Market. This year I’m planning to build a building, so I gave it the name Huang Shu Lou. I’ve asked people—there’s a building called Yellow Crane Tower. My business being called Huang Shu Lou isn’t excessive, is it?”

What could be done? Yellow cranes and yellow mice were equivalent in this fellow’s mind. It seemed that asking him to come up with a new name was just being polite. But that was fine too—this was his business. He could call it whatever he wanted. However, the name Huang Shu wasn’t good. Better to call it Shu Lou—if you mispronounced it slightly, it would become Shu Lou (Book Tower). Not bad at all.

He explained his meaning to Huang Shu. Delighted, Huang Shu scratched his ears and cheeks, beside himself with joy. He’d always believed his business should follow his own name.

Standing up stark naked, he raised both hands to the sky and shouted loudly, “Heaven above, my business has a name!” Perhaps his unseemly thing below had blasphemed Heaven—a thunderclap exploded right above the two men’s heads.