After the morning court session that day, a minor clerk from the Ministry of Justice came to report that there’d been a breakthrough regarding the thief who had stolen the defense map a while back.
Hearing this, Tian Ze hurried out of the palace. He’d just reached the area outside the Six Ministries offices when someone called out behind him. “Brother Tian, wait, please wait!”
Tian Ze turned to see it was the young master of the Grand Tutor’s household, surnamed Chu, given name Tao, known for his mismatched eyes, currently serving at the Seal Casting Bureau under the Ministry of Rites.
Tian Ze cupped his hands in greeting. “What might Lord Chu wish to discuss with me?”
“‘Discuss’ is too strong a word,” Chu Tao said, gesturing for him to walk alongside as they headed toward the palace gate. “I hear the recent theft from the Ministry of War’s storeroom is being handled by you, Brother Tian, at the Ministry of Justice?”
Tian Ze said, “Not entirely. My role is limited to investigation and interrogation—the final judgment still needs to be reported to the Minister.”
“Ever since you placed second in the imperial examinations last year, I knew your future would be limitless. Sure enough, within a single year, you’ve already taken on important responsibilities,” Chu Tao said admiringly, then paused, asking tentatively, “I hear your household is quite close with the Marquis Zhongyong’s family?”
“Yes,” Tian Ze nodded. “My elder brother has served under the General of Illustrious Might for years now, so the two households have frequent dealings.”
“Ah, I see.” Chu Tao seemed to understand something, then bowed toward Tian Ze. “There’s a matter I must ask for your help with.”
Tian Ze quickly returned the bow. “Please, go ahead, Lord Chu.”
“I have a jade hairpin I’d like to give to the eldest young lady of the Marquis Zhongyong household,” Chu Tao said, pulling a slender rectangular brocade box from his sleeve. “I wonder if you might accompany me to deliver it in a moment?”
Tian Ze looked at the brocade box in Chu Tao’s hand, pausing for a moment, suddenly recalling that Tian Si had mentioned this young master from the Grand Tutor’s household had proposed marriage to the Marquis Zhongyong household not long ago, only for the match to fall through—Yun Xi had asked Fang Furan to decline it on her behalf.
He said awkwardly, “This… is ultimately Lord Chu’s own private affair, and it wouldn’t be proper for me to intervene. Perhaps Lord Chu could present it yourself?”
“That won’t do,” Chu Tao said. “You may not know this, Brother Tian, but Young Lady Yun, she…”
“Wang’an!”
Before Chu Tao could finish, he was interrupted by a man in pale blue official robes waiting at the palace gate.
This was the fifth young master of the Vice Minister of the Court of the Imperial Clan’s household, surnamed Liang, given name Zhengqing, refined in bearing, a fellow examination graduate of Tian Ze’s who now served as a compiler at the Hanlin Academy.
He seemed to have been waiting quite a while. Seeing Tian Ze, he let out a long breath. “Wang’an, there’s something I need to ask of you.”
“Go ahead, Zhengqing.”
Liang Zhengqing hesitated. This wasn’t something easily brought up in front of others, but on reflection, his intentions were upright and aboveboard, nothing shameful about them, so he said, “It’s like this—as you know, my family is currently arranging a match between me and the eldest young lady of the Marquis Zhongyong household. I… genuinely do care for her. I recently obtained a chess manual and wanted to present it to her personally. But it turns out that after she returned from Yangzhou, she went straight to Xishan Camp. I just heard she’s back today, and I’ve been waiting here at the palace gate since early morning. Would you… accompany me to present this chess manual to her?”
Tian Ze glanced at the chess manual in Liang Zhengqing’s hands—it was actually a rare, unique edition by the Hermit of Min Mountain.
Liang Zhengqing was utterly devoted to chess; his willingness to give up this manual to Yun Xi showed his sincerity toward her.
But as for whose heart truly held Yun Xi’s affections, others might not know, but Tian Ze knew perfectly well.
Just as he was about to decline, he heard the sound of hooves approaching from not far off.
Yun Xi had already spotted Tian Ze from a distance. Riding up with two personal guards, she called out, “Wang’an?”
She dismounted, handed her horse to a guard at the palace gate, and said with a smile, “What a coincidence—I was just about to come find you, and here we are.”
“You were looking for me, General?”
“Yes,” Yun Xi nodded. “Has Tian Si sent you any letters recently?”
The business in Yangzhou still needed wrapping up, so Tian Si, after returning to Jinling with Yun Xi, had soon gone back to Yangzhou.
“He sent one,” Tian Ze said. “My brother says his duties there are finished, and in three days he’ll set off back to the capital along with the young prince and Guard Qin. He also sent a letter to you, General—did you not receive it?”
“No, it may have gone to the Privy Council instead. I’ll check when I get back,” Yun Xi said.
With that, she made to head into the palace.
Seeing this, Chu Tao and Liang Zhengqing grew anxious and tugged at Tian Ze’s sleeve, one from each side.
Tian Ze had no choice but to call out again. “General, please wait a moment.”
He gestured to the man on his left. “This is the young master of the Grand Tutor’s household, named Chu Tao, currently serving at the Seal Casting Bureau under the Ministry of Rites.”
Yun Xi nodded. “Lord Chu.”
Tian Ze then gestured to the man on his right. “And this is the fifth young master of the Vice Minister of the Court of the Imperial Clan’s household, named Liang Zhengqing, currently serving as a compiler at the Hanlin Academy.”
Yun Xi said, “Lord Liang.”
Over these past months, Yun Xi had never much bothered to keep track of who had proposed marriage to the Marquis Zhongyong household. Hearing Tian Ze’s introductions, she assumed they’d sought her out on official business, and after the greetings, simply waited for them to state their purpose.
Liang Zhengqing stepped forward first, presenting the chess manual. “This manual came into my possession by chance, and I treasure it greatly. I wish to present it to you, my lady. I wonder if you might have leisure some day to join me for a boat ride and music by the lake, and perhaps a game of chess?”
Yun Xi blinked, glanced at the chess manual, then at Liang Zhengqing. Before she could respond, Chu Tao, unwilling to be outdone, held out a brocade box before her and opened it. “The last time the matchmaker delivered my birth chart to the marquis household, you may not have noticed and overlooked it, which is why it was sent back. I recently found a jade hairpin that I felt would suit you well, my lady. If you’re pleased with it, I’d be honored to invite you for an outing on the Qinhuai River. The Yunjin Troupe from Lin’an has recently arrived in the capital—I’d be glad to charter a pleasure boat and invite you aboard to enjoy the performance.”
Listening to both of them, Yun Xi finally understood what they were after, and declined. “There’s no need, I…”
Before she could finish, a slender, jade-like hand suddenly reached out beside her, took the chess manual from Liang Zhengqing’s grasp, flipped through it, and handed it back to him, saying flatly, “A’Ting doesn’t play chess.”
Liang Zhengqing froze, seeing that the newcomer was none other than the third young master, and bowed. “Young Master, Your Highness.”
Cheng Chang made a small sound of acknowledgment, then picked up the jade hairpin from Chu Tao’s brocade box, glanced at it, and set it back down. “This hairpin’s quality isn’t great.”
Chu Tao, not particularly good at reading a room, assumed the third young master was familiar with Yun Xi and was offering him advice by remarking on the hairpin’s “poor quality,” and quickly said, “Your Highness may not know, this hairpin was only meant as a small token—this humble official worried the young lady might refuse anything too extravagant, so I didn’t dare send something too costly. Once we’re aboard the pleasure boat another day, this humble official has something even better—”
“I’ve already given her something better,” Cheng Chang interrupted. “So you needn’t trouble yourself further.”
He continued, his tone suddenly turning cold. “Do the two of you have nothing better to do? Look at the hour—coming to the palace gate to handle personal matters?”
His words already carried a tone of reprimand. Hearing this, both Chu and Liang were startled, suddenly remembering that the third young master served at the Censorate, which oversaw court discipline, and was fully entitled to hold them accountable. They hastily apologized and took their leave.
Tian Ze, who’d originally been rushing to leave the palace on official business and had already been delayed quite a while, bowed to Cheng Chang and hurriedly took his leave as well.
By now it was nearly noon, and there weren’t many officials coming and going at the Sui Palace gate—it was quite peaceful.
Cheng Chang had clearly come from outside the palace; Sun Haiping and Zhang Dahu were waiting not far off.
Yun Xi asked, “I recall the third young master’s been on leave these past few days. Did His Majesty summon you here today?”
“Me?” Cheng Chang leaned casually against the palace wall, saying idly, “I’m just like those two—I knew you were coming back from Xishan Camp today, and came here to wait for you.”
He wore a robe the color of clouds that day, a moon-white sash with a ring pendant tied at his waist. Standing there alone, he looked like a figure painted in jade, elegant yet clearly carrying a hint of amusement in his eyes—striking to the point of distraction.
“I hear that during the year I was away, quite a few people came calling to propose marriage to you?”
Yun Xi hesitated for a moment, then said, “Yes.”
“But I haven’t agreed to a single one, and I’ve had Sister-in-law decline them all on my behalf.”
“How did you decline them?”
Yun Xi thought it over. “I said I had no intention of marrying, and made up some excuse to put them off.”
“With that approach, how many more can you fend off?” Cheng Chang said. “You should think of a permanent solution.”
“A permanent solution?”
Cheng Chang made a faint sound of acknowledgment. “Give me your hand.”
Yun Xi held out her hand.
Her hand was clearly that of someone trained in martial arts, with thick calluses on her fingertips and the base of her thumb, but it was still lovely, with slender fingers, and the skin on the back of her hand as pale as that on her neck.
Cheng Chang took a ring out of his sleeve pocket, held her hand, and gently slipped it onto her finger.
“Where I’m from, there’s a custom—when you get engaged, or married, you give a ring. It roughly means: one lifetime, one person, only.”
The ring was quite beautiful.
Yet it was unlike any style Yun Xi had ever seen.
The band was cast in silver, with a delicately crafted setting holding a semi-transparent stone that gave off a cool, moon-white glow.
“Is this… moonstone?” Yun Xi asked.
Cheng Chang made a small sound of acknowledgment, saying with a smile, “I originally wanted to have someone make you a diamond ring, but diamonds are far too rare in your world—there were only two in the mansion’s storeroom, and neither was very good, so they got cut and ruined trying to work with them. I’ve already had people out searching for a good one; once they find it, I’ll give it to you.”
Yun Xi asked, “What’s a diamond?”
“In your world, they’re probably called jindanshi—some people also call them night-glowing pearls.”
“Oh, I know what that is,” Yun Xi said. “The third young master needn’t trouble himself searching. If this is the custom of your homeland, one from the mansion’s storeroom would do just fine.”
“No,” Cheng Chang said. “This is the first time I’ve given a diamond ring to a girl—it has to be at least ten carats to be presentable.”
He then asked her, “Are you free today?”
Yun Xi said, “I need to go to the Ministry of War, and then report back to His Majesty afterward—I probably won’t be free until after the hour of shen.”
Just as she said this, the chief-of-staff eunuch Wu Mao was already approaching with a young eunuch in tow, likely dispatched at Emperor Zhaoyuan’s behest to summon her.
Cheng Chang clearly noticed, but paid it no mind at all. He pulled Yun Xi’s hand, drawing her close before him, and leaned down to lightly kiss her forehead.
Seeing this, Wu Mao managed to keep his composure, but the young eunuch beside him was so startled he stumbled, nearly falling over.
How could these attending eunuchs, always close by the emperor’s side, not know exactly how Emperor Zhaoyuan felt about the third young master’s marriage prospects?
And now, with the third young master doing this so openly, he was plainly making his own position clear for Emperor Zhaoyuan to see.
After a long moment, the young eunuch managed to steady himself, hunching over as he followed behind Wu Mao, pretending to be deaf and blind to what he’d just witnessed. He bowed alongside his master. “Young Master, General of Illustrious Might.” Then, to Yun Xi, “General of Illustrious Might, His Majesty has learned you’ve returned from Xishan Camp today and summons you to Wende Hall for a discussion of state affairs.”
Yun Xi, still not quite recovered from the sudden kiss, replied, “Thank you, Eunuch Wu. I’ll come with you right away.”
Only then did she notice her hand was still held in Cheng Chang’s grip, the moonstone glinting coolly between her fingers, and the tips of her ears gradually flushed red.
Cheng Chang released her hand, saying with a smile, “Go on. I happen to need to stop by the Imperial City Guard as well—if I finish in time, I’ll come find you afterward.”