Spring returned in the fourth month. All the blossoms had fallen and the once-riotous boughs held only a last scattering of spent petals — yet the people of the capital showed not the slightest dimming of enthusiasm for appreciating flowers, for the season of peonies had arrived.

Spring gathered a hundred flowers and filled the air with competing splendor. Only the peony was absent from it all. It waited until spring had nearly run its course before leisurely unfolding its buds. The moment it showed its face, every flower that had bloomed for the three months before it might as well never have opened.

Truly, only the peony wears the face of a kingdom — when it blooms, it moves the city entire.

Carriage and horse flowed like rivers through the capital, and at this moment, noble family and commoner were equal — all of them pressed together inside the Luoyang flower gardens, jostling to behold the king of a hundred flowers. Banquets of every kind flourished — peony parties, flower viewings, outdoor feasts — one after another without end. Inside the Duke Zhenguo’s residence, Grandmother Ming was also discussing flower-viewing.

Luoyang’s peonies bloomed every year, but this year was different. This year, the Crown Prince had been invested — and word had spread from the palace that the Empress was considering a return to the capital. For officials who had served since the Yonghui era, this was a tremendous tonic. Grandmother Ming had been in excellent spirits for several days running, and even the rheumatism that had plagued her for years had stopped aching.

At the hour of Chen, all the members of the Ming household gathered together as usual to pay their morning respects to the Old Madam. Grandmother Ming’s gaze moved slowly across the hall. The more she looked, the more satisfied she felt.

How fortunate. It was a good thing she had kept her patience in earlier years, firmly believing the Li family would one day turn the tide — which was why she had continued to hold back all this time, never arranging marriages for any of her grandchildren. Looking at it now, her foresight had been truly remarkable.

In the years when the Ming family had fallen out of favor, what quality of family could they have hoped to attract even if they had sacrificed a daughter as a stepping stone? But today was different. It was now a settled matter that the next emperor would carry the Li surname. As former officials of the previous dynasty who had upheld their loyalty to the emperor and his line through all those years, would the new emperor, once enthroned, not remember them fondly?

But the late Emperor Gaozong and Prince Zhanghuai had been gone for many years — after so long, even the warmest memory grows cold. The Ming family had little acquaintance with this current Crown Prince. Once the Crown Prince ascended the throne, there was no guarantee there would be a place for the Ming family at his side. And so, they would still need to build connections through the marriages of their children.

The third main branch of the Ming family had, as of now, three living girls and three young men. The eldest, Ming Yu, was seventeen; the youngest, Ming Shuo, was thirteen. All had entered the age for arranging marriages, and the range of ages offered an abundance of options.

Grandmother Ming’s gaze fell on Ming Huashang with growing satisfaction. The girl’s looks were exceptionally fine. Today she wore a crimson upper robe with a pale yellow long skirt, a blue cape tied over her shoulders — sitting in the sunlight, she looked like a fresh and tender crabapple blossom.

A pity about the uselessness, Grandmother Ming thought with the same regret she always felt. She had long urged the Duke Zhenguo to take a new wife, but he had never agreed. If only the first branch had one more legitimate daughter, Grandmother Ming would not be stuck propping up a hopeless case.

Grandmother Ming gathered her thoughts and said slowly: “The matter of the capital relocation — you have all heard about it, I assume?”

Everyone fell quiet and turned toward Grandmother Ming. Second Aunt Ming answered carefully: “Your daughter-in-law has heard.”

Grandmother Ming gave a mild sound of acknowledgment. “Our Ming family’s roots are in Chang’an. A return to the old capital is a good thing. A relocation of that magnitude is not something that can be arranged in a short time — but certain matters within our own family can be set in motion in advance. Zhenguo, you have been overseeing our residence in Chang’an all these years. How does the Duke’s manor stand?”

The Duke Zhenguo said: “Mother, please set your mind at ease. I kept the old servants on to look after it, and every year I sent someone specifically to manage the estate. The main buildings and courtyard walls are all in good order — nothing has been neglected. But after fifteen years with no one living there, some parts have surely grown damp and moldy. A thorough renovation will be needed before anyone can move in.”

Grandmother Ming’s expression turned wistful. “Has it already been fifteen years? When we first came to Luoyang, nothing felt right. And yet, in a blink, fifteen years have passed without a single return.”

Second Aunt and Third Aunt echoed with sighs, but the younger generation sat in silence. For the third generation of the Ming family, Luoyang was all they had ever known — they genuinely could not feel what their elders felt about Chang’an.

Grandmother Ming looked at the blank expressions on her granddaughters’ faces and felt all the more wistful: “I remember that when we followed the late Emperor Gaozong to Luoyang, Second Son and Second Young Lady had only just been born. How pitiable — the two of you were barely formed, and had already lost your mother, and then had to follow the court’s relocation to Luoyang. The two of you were always so easy as babies — both bundled in their swaddling cloths, laid side by side, not crying or fussing the whole day. But the moment you carried one of them away, the other would start to wail. The maids had no choice but to let you two squeeze onto one small cot together. Even the wet nurses had to feed one and hold the other at the same time.”

Recalling their children’s infancy, the Duke Zhenguo’s expression also turned nostalgic: “Indeed. Second Young Lady was possessive about her milk even as a baby — she nursed with tremendous ferocity, as if someone were going to snatch it from her, and even when she was hiccuping from it, she kept her fingers wrapped tight around Second Son. Second Son was very gracious about it — being robbed of his food never made him cry, having his face scratched red never made him cry, and every morning he would wake up and lie quietly looking up at the bed canopy, with the bearing of a little gentleman from the very start.”

Third Aunt had not yet entered the family at that time and laughed: “So Second Son and Second Young Lady were close from infancy — truly what one would expect from twins.”

Ming Huashang had no memory of any of this whatsoever — but having one’s elders publicly recall one’s nursing infancy in front of a full gathering was not, by any stretch of the imagination, a dignified experience.

Besides, Ming Huashang could not help feeling a private sense of injustice. Her father had given the two of them such a double standard of treatment — she clung to Ming Huazhang because she was protective of her milk, while Ming Huazhang gave way generously and that made him a little gentleman? What it clearly meant was that he simply couldn’t compete with her.

Ming Huashang maintained her smile with considerable effort. Ming Huazhang, too, was mildly embarrassed. He gave a quiet cough, drawing the attention of the Duke Zhenguo and Grandmother Ming back to him, and cut the reminiscences off before they could go further.

He had no curiosity about the nursing episode — there was no need to bring it out for discussion.

Ming Huazhang said: “Father, Grandmother — I would like to sit the civil examinations. The Duke’s residence in Chang’an also needs renovating. Why not let me go to Chang’an, handle the repairs, and find a quiet place to study at the same time?”

The moment these words were spoken, the room inside and outside fell into complete silence. Every person present was startled. Even the young maids beyond the carved partition could not help but poke their heads around to steal a glance at the scene within.

Grandmother Ming quickly asked: “Why have you suddenly thought of sitting the civil examinations? We have the family’s shadow appointment — that is enough for you to enter officialdom. Why jostle with all those penniless young men?”

The official system of the Great Tang was inherited from the preceding dynasty. Sons of high-ranking officials and households of dukes and marquesses all had shadow appointment quotas — these families’ sons could enter the court as officials without any examination and were the mainstream path into officialdom. But in recent years, commoner officials selected through the civil examinations had also been growing in number.

The preceding dynasty had established the civil examinations, but to little effect. It was the Li emperors who truly made use of the system. Emperor Taizong established the regular examinations, but they functioned mainly as a way for aristocratic sons to gild their credentials. It was only in the Empress’s reign that truly humble-born men entered officialdom through the civil examinations for the first time, pushing into an arena that the great families had monopolized for nearly a thousand years.

The much-reviled cruel officials were largely selected through the civil examinations. But old-guard nobility like Grandmother Ming still looked down on examination-ranked officials and considered them a lot of country bumpkins and peasants.

A pack of people fighting like starving wolves over a handful of positions was simply beneath the dignity of someone of their standing. Their family had the privilege passed down by their ancestors — why lower themselves to sit the civil examinations?

Ming Huazhang did not argue with Grandmother Ming over the merits of the civil examinations. He said: “If one has true talent and real learning, what is there to fear in competing on the same field? If I cannot even surpass men who had no family library to read from and no elders to guide them, then I don’t deserve the official post regardless. Besides — the family has only two shadow appointment quotas. They should be saved for Third Younger Brother and Fourth Younger Brother. I want to enter officialdom through my own ability.”

The moment this was said, Second Aunt sat up with a spark of sharp attention. Their branch was a collateral line — every time there was anything of value, the first branch and the third branch picked before it was ever their turn. With three young men in the family and only two quotas, whenever a choice had to be made, it was always her son who got cut.

If Ming Huazhang sat the civil examinations, however, the calculation changed entirely. He made it sound gracious — but with thousands of examination candidates coming to the capital every year and only twenty to ten positions filled at most, this was a genuinely brutal competition. If Ming Huazhang had to compete against so many others, he would likely need three to five years at the very least to succeed.

Those years would be their second branch’s opportunity. Her third son was fifteen this year — nearly old enough to enter officialdom. Without Ming Huazhang standing in front blocking everything, the Ming family’s resources in the court would naturally be directed to her son.

Second Aunt’s eye turned over this quickly, and her attitude toward Ming Huazhang immediately warmed with enthusiasm: “Second Son is truly a talented young man with soaring ambitions! Some families have fallen into such sorry states themselves, and yet they still laugh at our Ming family for lacking culture — but if Second Son passes the civil examinations, rides on horseback through the avenues in triumph, and has his name inscribed on the Wild Goose Pagoda, I would like to see what those people have left to say!”

Ming Huaiyuǎn frowned. “Perfectly good shadow appointments not taken, going to sit the civil examinations — isn’t that too much hardship?”

Second Aunt quietly jabbed her husband in the side, glared at him, and said with a gritted smile: “What do you take Second Son for — your own disappointing son? Second Son is accomplished in both civil and martial arts. Sitting the advanced scholar examination will be nothing for him. Besides, Second Son is still young. There is no harm in trying. Once he passes, it would be a triumph of the highest order — and would benefit Second Son greatly in arranging a marriage.”

Ming Yu also understood well enough what was to the second branch’s advantage. Ming Huazhang was her cousin — if he passed, she gained face; if he failed, her own brother benefited. She immediately echoed Second Aunt’s enthusiasm and gave her strong support for Ming Huazhang to go sit the civil examinations and prove himself.

This matter had nothing to do with the third branch’s interests. Third Aunt sat fanning herself without a care, watching the second branch put on their performance.

At Ming Huashang’s visits to the Yanshou Hall for morning greetings, she was usually the one responsible for listening. But today she could not hold back and said: “Grandmother, Father — it is rare for Second Elder Brother to want to do something. Why not let him try?”

The Duke Zhenguo was permissive with Ming Huazhang and had always let him do as he liked. But this matter concerned Ming Huazhang’s future, and taking such a risk with something this important gave even the Duke Zhenguo pause: “Is this not too much of a gamble?”

Ming Huashang didn’t see it that way at all. “I trust Second Elder Brother. As long as he sets his mind to it, he will do it.”

Many in the room looked over at her. Even in Ming Huazhang’s eyes there was a flicker of surprise. The Duke Zhenguo laughed: “You don’t even read. How would you know?”

Ming Huashang flared with indignation. “I may be good-for-nothing and ignorant, but I know my Second Elder Brother. I just know he can do it!”

The Duke Zhenguo burst into laughter, clearly not taking Ming Huashang’s words seriously. But Grandmother Ming took notice — not because of Ming Huashang, but because of Second Aunt.

Indeed — Second Son was still young. There was no harm in trying. Great families of the aristocracy looked down on officials who had passed the civil examinations on one hand, while on the other they were wildly admiring of talented scholars. Given Ming Huazhang’s appearance and character, many noble families already wanted to contract a betrothal with him. If he added the distinction of passing the advanced scholar examination, the pool of prospective matches would rise even higher — even marrying a princess would not be out of reach.

Grandmother Ming was very pleased and said: “Ambition in a young person is a good thing, and of course we elders should support it. But with renovations being done, people will be coming and going constantly, and it might well disrupt your studies. You would do better to find a quiet place here at home and read in peace.”

“There is no need.” Ming Huazhang said, “These years, thanks to Father’s wholehearted teaching, I have grown up. It is time I contributed something to the family. Since the Empress intends to relocate the capital, the first examination will certainly be held in Chang’an. We will all have to make the move eventually — why not take advantage of the fact that there are fewer people now and set out early?”

The Duke Zhenguo was surprised: “How do you know? The spring examinations are at least a year away. Why the urgency?”

Ming Huazhang hesitated. He had met the Empress and knew she intended to convene an impromptu special examination in the ninth month — but the news had not yet been made public. He could not tell the Duke Zhenguo the truth, and so said: “I thought it better to be prepared in advance. Starting early is never wrong.”

“Second Son has a thoughtful heart — let him go.” Grandmother Ming brought the matter to a close. “I had been thinking that with the young ladies about to go out to be married, we should take this year to let your brothers and sisters spend more time together. But a young man’s future prospects come first. You are the eldest brother of the family — when you succeed, the younger sisters will all have a better standing in their husbands’ households. Second Son’s wife, Third Son’s wife — in these days the capital is full of social engagements. Take the young ladies to more gatherings. Third Daughter is not urgent for now, but First Daughter and Second Daughter’s marriages should be arranged and settled this year.”

Grandmother Ming’s words fell like a thunderclap. Ming Yu lowered her head with a trace of shyness; Ming Shuo looked utterly indifferent, but her expression was one of general agreement.

Young women grow up, and naturally it comes time for them to marry.

Ming Huashang’s expression could not be called good. Before she had worked out how to politely decline, Ming Huazhang spoke: “Grandmother, this is actually the second matter I wished to raise with you.”

“There is no urgency to discuss Second Young Lady’s marriage.”

The room went completely quiet. Even Ming Huashang looked up with wide, startled eyes. Second Aunt smiled and said: “Second Son, I know you dote on your little sister — but young women are meant to marry. Second Young Lady is sixteen already. If she doesn’t arrange a betrothal now, she will be too old to be married later.”

“If she cannot be married, I will keep her.” Ming Huazhang’s tone was mild, but carried an inexplicable note of resolution. “In fact — my real intention this time is to take her with me to Chang’an.”

Grandmother Ming set her face sternly: “Second Son, what nonsense are you talking? You are a young man — there is no rush for you to start a family. But Second Young Lady is a girl. If she reaches seventeen without a betrothal, that will bring the matchmakers to the door, and whatever family she is given to then will be entirely out of our control.”

The Duke Zhenguo had always indulged his children and did not take Ming Huazhang’s side this time either: “That is right. Second Son, it would not be suitable for Second Young Lady to go to Chang’an.”

Ming Huashang clutched her sleeve tight, looking anxiously at Ming Huazhang. Ming Huazhang sat straight and composed: “The rule that girls must be married by seventeen was only a temporary measure passed in the early Wude era to restore the population after years of war. How can the lifelong fate of one’s own daughters be decided in haste over one such dead regulation? I have heard that the Reverend Abbess Qingmiao of the Deyue Monastery on the Zhongnan Mountain is seeking a woman acolyte to serve the Way. I believe Second Young Lady would be a perfect fit. The Deyue Monastery does not require breaking one’s ties to the secular world. Once Second Young Lady finds a man she likes, she can return to ordinary life and marry with no obstacle.”

At first, Grandmother Ming refused to listen to a word Ming Huazhang said. In her view, a woman was born to marry and bear children; a good marriage was the whole achievement of a woman’s life. As for those who were unwilling to marry — it was simply the excuse of women who could not find husbands.

But when Ming Huazhang mentioned the Deyue Monastery, Grandmother Ming hesitated.

Third Aunt, being of a younger generation, might not know the significance of the Deyue Monastery’s name — but Grandmother Ming had lived through the rise and fall of the Yonghui era, and she understood its weight very well.

The Empress doted deeply on Princess Taiping. In truth, in her early years she had also had a daughter — who had sadly passed away not long after birth. Stricken with grief, the Empress had posthumously conferred the title of Princess Anding upon this daughter, with the posthumous name of Si — Remembrance.

For the princesses of the Li family, becoming a Taoist priestess was by no means unusual; it hardly interfered with their pleasures. The Empress had also built a Taoist monastery for her eldest daughter, Princess Anding Si — and that was precisely the Deyue Monastery.

Because the monastery was established to serve an unmarried princess, there were no male Taoist priests — only female acolytes. As for the head abbess, the Reverend Abbess Qingmiao — she came from an old aristocratic family, with deep learning and refined talent. But her marriage had been ruinous. She had married three times, and each husband had died. Her successive in-laws gradually spread the word that she was cursed with bad fortune for husbands, and so she had simply bound up her hair, taken the Taoist vows, and become the Reverend Abbess Qingmiao. The Empress greatly admired her talent and appointed her to the Deyue Monastery, where she recited texts and discussed philosophy for the Empress’s eldest daughter each day, in consolation of the princess’s spirit in heaven.

The Deyue Monastery was not open to the public. Although it had no incense offerings, no one dared look down upon it. Grandmother Ming’s thoughts began to stir. The Empress’s protectiveness of those she favored was known throughout the land. If a girl could enter the Deyue Monastery to take the vows, that meant she had served the late Princess Anding Si.

Grandmother Ming looked at Ming Huashang again. Ming Huashang had no talent and no virtue — aside from her looks and the auspicious distinction of being a twin, there was genuinely nothing about her to put forward.

But the Deyue Monastery was staffed entirely by women — there was no concern for propriety or reputation. The Reverend Abbess Qingmiao was universally recognized as a reclusive woman of great learning; coming out of the Deyue Monastery, Ming Huashang would have a name as a cultured young woman. Serving a princess would earn her a reputation for virtue and allow her to bask in the imperial family’s reflected glory.

From every angle, it truly was a place where Ming Huashang could build her credentials.

At the present juncture, growing too close to either the Li family or the Wu family carried the risk of being swept up in the political winds. Approaching through Princess Anding Si offered a position of both advance and retreat. After Ming Huashang came out of the Deyue Monastery, with a little strategic promotion of her auspicious twin-birth reputation, what would stop her name from spreading across the capital?

Perhaps — she might even be able to leverage this into entry into the social circles of princesses and royal consorts.

Grandmother Ming could sense the benefits. So could the others. Ming Yu had no interest in becoming a Taoist priestess. But Ming Shuo could not sit still.

She quietly tugged at Third Aunt’s sleeve. Third Aunt smiled and said: “Second Son is truly resourceful — he even has connections to the Deyue Monastery. Second Young Lady is sixteen this year — a young woman’s flowering years are short. Asking her to spend her best years on a mountain seems too great a pity. Perhaps Third Young Lady should go instead. She is thirteen this year — she can spend a few years in the monastery in service, and when she comes out later it will not interfere with her marriage arrangements at all.”

Second Aunt’s expression turned disdainful: “Third Sister-in-law, a monastery is not like home. The food is spare, there is no freedom, and one cannot even see one’s own parents. How can you bear to send your daughter to suffer like that?”

Third Aunt was of course not without concern — but thinking of the two years of hardship ending in a prestigious marriage, she steeled herself: “To serve a princess is her great fortune.”

“How truly admirable, Third Sister-in-law,” Second Aunt said pointedly. “Unlike me — a vulgar woman who cannot bear to see her daughter suffer the privations of the hills and wilds.”

Third Aunt was about to lash back at Second Aunt for sour grapes, when the Duke Zhenguo cut them both off with a cold expression: “Enough.”

The Duke Zhenguo looked at Ming Huazhang, wavered a moment, and said: “Second Son, I can understand your good intentions toward Huashang — but Taoist training on the Zhongnan Mountain is genuinely hard. She has always been pampered and led an easy life. I never expected great things from her to begin with — if she can find a steady, honest man and live a peaceful life, that is enough. The matter of the Deyue Monastery…”

“Father.” Ming Huashang cut off the Duke Zhenguo’s words and looked at him steadily. “I think Second Elder Brother is right. I will follow my elder brother.”

She had no illusions that a routine Taoist monastery would be a comfortable life — but a princess’s monastery was another matter entirely. Besides, Ming Huashang didn’t believe for a moment that Ming Huazhang would actually exile her to a remote mountain. This was almost certainly an excuse he had concocted to spare her from having to marry.

Going to serve the spirit of a princess who had already passed away — how long she stayed, what she did, was entirely up to Ming Huashang — and she would no longer be subject to the family’s arrangements. After another year, when the true daughter returned to claim her place, she could also use this as a natural pretext for leaving the Ming family.

Such a good arrangement — how could Ming Huashang possibly pass it up.

The Duke Zhenguo truly had not expected Ming Huashang to be willing, and looked at his daughter in astonishment. “Huashang, think it over again — this is no joke.”

“I have thought it through.” Ming Huashang sighed inwardly. She had been about to tell the truth, but since nobody was going to believe her, she had no choice but to resort to moral leverage.

Ming Huashang composed her expression: “Father — your daughter has been idle and useless, kept by the family in clothing and food without being able to give anything back, and is always making trouble for you and Elder Brother. I also want to do something for the household. Father, please let me go.”

Ming Huazhang watched coolly as Ming Huashang spoke with deep, heartfelt sincerity — when others offered logic, she spoke of dedication; when they brought up dedication, she spoke of gratitude; and when she finally had no other recourse, she produced the twin trump cards of loyalty and filial piety, leaving everyone in the room without a word of objection.

Even Ming Huazhang almost believed her.

Ming Huashang said, with glistening eyes, that she wished to fulfill her duty of filial piety toward her late mother, Wang Yulan. What could the Duke Zhenguo possibly say to that? He could only heave a long sigh and say: “Since you are determined, then go and explore the wider world. If you cannot bear the life on the mountain, write home, and I will bring you back even if it means offending the Empress.”

Ming Huashang’s resolve wavered for one brief instant. The Duke Zhenguo said it with such helpless resignation — every bit of his deep, fond love for his daughter apparent in his words. Was this man truly not her father?

She could not imagine that this middle-aged man, one year from now, would coldly send her away, having someone escort her back to the Su family.

Ming Huazhang had also endured enough of the performance and said: “Father, rest assured. I pledge on my own reputation — as long as Second Young Lady wishes to leave, I will return her home safely and in perfect condition.”

“Then it is settled.” Grandmother Ming delivered the final word. “In a moment, Second Son should select a few capable stewards to travel to Chang’an with you. Leave all the trivial matters to them — you just focus on your studies. Second Young Lady should also pack her things and travel with your elder brother. At least you will look after each other on the road.”

Ming Huashang felt joy blooming in her heart, while putting on an expression of reluctant acceptance: “Thank you, Grandmother.”

This morning’s greeting session ended with the first branch wearing long faces, the second branch barely concealing their delight, and the third branch stretching their expressions even longer. The three members of the first branch walked out together, and once they reached a place where no one could hear them, the Duke Zhenguo’s expression grew grave: “Second Son, Second Young Lady — what exactly are the two of you up to?”

Ming Huashang instinctively felt a pang of guilt, assuming the Duke Zhenguo had seen through the fact that she had secretly joined the Xuan Xiaowei. Fortunately, Ming Huazhang remained completely composed and said without flinching: “Second Young Lady does not wish to arrange a marriage. Using the pretext of Taoist cultivation is a way to buy a few years — once she has found someone she likes herself, she can leave the monastic life and that will be that.”

Ming Huashang’s expression grew deeply awkward. Something as private as a girl’s innermost feelings — how could he just announce it to others like that? The Duke Zhenguo stared at his daughter in surprise: “Huashang, is that true?”

Ming Huashang threw all caution to the wind and nodded: “It is true. Even if I manage to talk Grandmother out of it, next year the matchmakers will still come to the door. No matter how many times I say it, someone will always tell me that everything will be fine once I’m married. I would rather become a female Taoist — I am done listening to those people’s nonsense.”

The Duke Zhenguo’s eyebrows furrowed deeply: “This is absurd. How can you become a Taoist priestess simply because you don’t want to arrange a marriage? Of all the couples in the world, how many married because they liked each other to begin with?”

“I am!” Ming Huashang said stubbornly. “In any case — I will not marry someone I don’t like. Either let me run away from the marriage or let me go to the Deyue Monastery. You decide.”

The Duke Zhenguo was genuinely furious, but looking at his youngest daughter — whom he had doted on and indulged from infancy — he could not bring himself to scold her. Ming Huazhang said: “Father, do not worry. The Deyue Monastery has already been prepared. She will not be made to suffer. Whenever she changes her mind, she can come back at once.”

The Duke Zhenguo was at his wit’s end. He looked at his unreasonably willful daughter, shaking his head with deep sorrow: “Look at yourself and look at your elder brother. If you could have half of Second Son’s good sense — even for one day — I could go happily to my death.”

“Then please wait for quite a while,” Ming Huashang said darkly. “A dutiful daughter as I am — I could never be unfilial. I will make sure you live a very long life.”

The Duke Zhenguo was driven off by Ming Huashang. Once he had gone, Ming Huashang immediately sidled up fawningly to Ming Huazhang and asked: “Second Elder Brother, why did you tell them you were sending me to the Deyue Monastery? You don’t actually mean to send me up to the Zhongnan Mountain, do you?”

Ming Huazhang gave her a cool, sidelong glance and said: “I do.”

Ming Huashang drew a sharp breath. Ming Huazhang continued: “Your physical condition is too poor and your reactions too slow. In that state, going out on missions will only drag everyone down. So I specifically petitioned to have you sent to the Xuan Xiaowei’s secret station on the Zhongnan Mountain for thorough training.”

Ming Huashang’s face went completely blank. Ming Huazhang’s clear, cool eyes swept past her, and he said with an unhurried calm: “I assumed you would resist — I hadn’t expected your resolve to be quite so unyielding. You left yourself absolutely no room to back out.”

Ming Huashang’s feelings were extraordinarily complicated. Why did she have the feeling that Ming Huazhang had done this deliberately?

He had deliberately used this to get back at her.

Ming Huashang refused to think such things of the most upright and principled elder brother in her heart. She took a deep breath and reasoned her way to a positive interpretation: on the bright side, at least it meant she had already been evaluated at Earth Rank.

She wondered how Jiang Ling and Ren Yao were doing. Surely Ming Huazhang wouldn’t actually give only one person a passing mark?

Ming Huashang cautiously asked: “Is it only me going?”

“Yes.” Ming Huazhang crushed her hope without the slightest hesitation. “Given that you are my little sister, I will train you personally. If you let word slip about this and tell others, then I can only recuse myself to avoid any appearance of favoritism, and have someone else take over your training.”

Ming Huashang wilted completely. “I understand,” she said, without an ounce of energy.