Today was a major market day, and the place was alive with noise and bustle.

Hua Bolin walked on the outer side of His Majesty, holding Xiaohan’s hand, shielding him as best he could from the surging, shoulder-to-shoulder crowds. At the same time, he noted the prices of everything the vendors were selling, managing three things at once in his mind. Unlike His Majesty, who sat high in the halls of court, Bolin had been in the habit — even back in Qingzhou — of visiting the market whenever he had a free moment. He might not claim a thorough understanding of prices, but he knew enough to recognize how great the disparity was between the two places.

Life in the capital was not easy, and food was among the many things that were not easy. Common goods in the capital sold at double or even triple the price of those in Qingzhou. This spoke to how enormous the expenses of living in the capital were — to the point that many officials of modest means had lived in their posts for several years and still needed to rent their homes, unable to even stabilize their own lives. How could one demand integrity from such people?

His elder sister had once cautioned him privately that some things, even when seen clearly, were not yet the time to speak of — and that even when the time to speak did come, the method had to be right. In official life, no matter how great one’s ambitions, one had to learn to protect oneself first. Without the ability to protect oneself, what ambitions could there be to speak of?

He understood this — and he also understood the Emperor’s present nature: young and spirited, looking down on all below from a great height. And so he said nothing. Because they were all still too weak.

He breathed out a long, slow breath, ran through the prices once more in his mind to be sure he had them fixed there, and let his gaze travel over the surroundings. Suddenly, his eyes stilled and locked onto one particular stall without moving — and as it happened, His Majesty noticed it at exactly the same moment.

“Now this is interesting. Bolin — wouldn’t you say so?”

Hua Bolin also thought it was… interesting.

A young woman dressed in men’s clothing was selling fruit preserves — the very sort his elder sister had devised. Was that not interesting indeed?

His elder sister had thought ahead long ago and given them a lesson on how to tell men and women apart, ensuring they would not stumble on this account.

What foresight that had been. Hua Bolin thought this to himself while aloud he agreed: “I didn’t expect to actually encounter someone like this.”

“The Grand Preceptor has always prepared for rain before it falls. When has she ever misjudged?”

Hua Bolin laughed. “Indeed. At the time, I thought it rather unnecessary — clearly my elder sister had far more foresight than I did.”

“Of course — otherwise why would she be the Grand Preceptor and you merely a study companion?”

“…” Hua Bolin pressed a hand to his chest, bowed his head, and looked down at Zeng Han. “Xiaohan, give me a little rub — it hurts a bit.”

“Ha ha ha ha.” The Emperor laughed openly and without restraint, thumped Bolin once on the shoulder, and walked in that direction.

Compared to the surrounding stalls, this one was noticeably quiet. Even the few who did come by only looked without buying. Fruit preserves had by now made quite a name for themselves in the capital — as well-known for their delicious sweetness as for their price, which placed them firmly outside the spending range of ordinary people. Since almost everyone at this market was from the common populace, looking without buying was entirely to be expected.

Behind the stall stood two “young lads” with small, round faces, fine features, and an appearance suggesting they were not very old at all — their expressions plainly showing anxiety. So when they saw a small group of people approach whose dress and bearing were clearly unlike those of the average passerby, their eyes lit up. The older-looking of the two pushed the other aside and stepped forward to greet them, a little nervously. “Are you perhaps looking to buy some preserves to take home?”

The Emperor and Hua Bolin recognized it almost instantly: this one was the mistress; she had more courage than her maidservant. Coming out to conduct business had undoubtedly been her idea — a servant would never dare to suggest such a thing.

Seeing that the group remained silent, the girl — still unaware that she had already been seen through — added: “These preserves were only made last month — quite fresh. Please, feel free to sample them.”

She gave a look, and the maid beside her, though clearly nervous, moved with practiced efficiency: she took a few small pieces from one of the jars, arranged them on a small plate, and held it out to the group with a toothpick placed neatly alongside.

The Emperor smiled faintly. She knew to cut pieces in advance and keep them ready, she had the discernment to read her customers, and she did not offer samples to just anyone. There was a certain cleverness there.

He picked up a piece on the toothpick and placed it in his mouth. The flavor was no different from what he ate in the palace — the source appeared to be genuine. He had been overthinking it, he supposed, half-expecting someone to be interfering in the Grand Preceptor’s business.

He set down the toothpick. And under the two girls’ wide, dumbfounded stares, the Emperor turned and walked away. Hua Bolin swallowed a laugh, took Xiaohan by the hand, and hurried to follow — pretending not to see the two girls whose faces had gone red with indignation.

“Have someone look into which family they belong to.” The Emperor gave a cold smile. “If you want to learn from the Grand Preceptor, you had best first see whether you have what it takes.”

Hua Bolin was momentarily taken aback. He could not help glancing back at the two — seeing that they were still looking this way, he pulled his gaze back and gave a quiet laugh. “If my elder sister knew of this, she would be very pleased.”

The Emperor looked at him.

“Grandfather once asked my elder sister whether she was willing to pursue a path in the officialdom. My elder sister refused — without a moment’s hesitation.” Hua Bolin held his ground without flinching, his smile unchanged. “I once asked her why. For a woman, the road is difficult, and even the women of our own family all hoped she could walk further. With her going ahead, such talk as ‘women are incapable’ would have to be kept more in check. But my elder sister said there was no one to come after her — that she alone had limited power.”

The Emperor could not help but look toward the two young women who had bowed their heads together and were speaking in low voices. Hua Bolin also glanced over. “My elder sister said that all she wished was that her existence might make women a little stronger — to keep them from affirming their own uselessness even before others said so. That would be her own small measure of merit. Knowing my elder sister’s nature — if she knew someone wished to follow the path she had walked, I cannot imagine how glad she would be.”

The restlessness in the Emperor’s heart slowly receded.

Hua Bolin gently drew Xiaohan a little closer and continued: “My elder sister also said she hopes the women we bring home in the future will be women of courage and discernment — women with something to say — rather than meek and submissive women who simply obey. She said she hopes we marry not merely someone who holds the title of wife, but someone we can entrust our backs to, someone who can be a true support to one another.”

“Difficult.” The Emperor walked on. The belief among noble families — that a woman’s birth family was her true backing, and that having that backing was what allowed her to stand firm in her husband’s household — was deeply rooted and not easily moved. And so to marry a woman who existed only for him… he had never thought of it. He had never dared to think of it.

Hua Bolin, knowing when to stop, let the subject drop and began asking about the prices at the neighboring stalls.

Having met the Grand Preceptor’s test, eaten a meal of outstanding vegetarian dishes, and offered a stick of incense at the main hall, the Emperor could linger no longer and reluctantly returned to the palace. Bolin stayed behind and told his elder sister everything that had happened at the market that day.

Hua Zhi furrowed her brows. “In your observation — has His Majesty made peace with it?”

“He should have. Afterward, when the information was presented to him, he set it aside without even looking closely — there was no sign he intended to deal with it.”

“Do you know which family that girl belongs to?”

“The Bai Family.” Hua Bolin could not suppress a smile. It truly seemed as though every random person had some connection to his elder sister.

Hua Zhi was also a little surprised. “Bai Mingxia — Uncle Bai’s family?”

“Yes — his eldest daughter. She is ten years old.”

Hua Zhi had not expected it, though it made sense enough when she thought about it — Uncle Bai was indeed two years older than Fourth Uncle, and had married early, so having a ten-year-old eldest daughter was entirely plausible.

Her thoughts turned over a few times. Hua Zhi affirmed Bolin’s conduct that day. “I must not become someone who cannot be mentioned or touched. Going forward, you need to pay closer attention in this regard — some things are better dealt with when they first show signs of becoming a problem.”

“Yes, Elder Sister.” Hua Bolin put in a playful word on the Emperor’s behalf. “He just holds you in too high regard.”

“I know, and I keep it all in mind — but propriety must be maintained in the open. He is the Emperor. Too light or too heavy, and both become disasters.”

“Yes. I will be careful to watch for it.”