“I… I’m not even sure myself…” Walking beneath the eaves of the Chancellor’s residence, snow occasionally slid down from the treetops in the courtyard. Wang Shanyue’s expression turned serious.

“Actually… during that time at Solitary Dragon Ridge, there really was some back-and-forth between us. At the time, Hu Sanniang was the only woman holding the Hu Family Manor together — Hu Cheng’s legs are ruined now, and the old patriarch’s health has also declined considerably. She’d come to me with all sorts of questions, and naturally I couldn’t very well refuse to help. Besides, we’re friends, after all, and I have connections in official circles — if I can help, of course I should. Who would have thought it would turn into this. Actually, right before I left, Sanniang came to find me and asked me… whether I’d be willing to marry her. I was truly at a loss. I understand the principle that a friend’s intended is not to be trifled with — after the battle at the Zhu Family Manor, I came to see Zhu Biao as a brother for life. If he wants to fight me over this, I have nothing to say against it. And besides…”

He pressed his lips together, his expression turning resolute. “And besides, given the state of my own family, how could I possibly consider marriage right now? You know this too, Liheng.”

Ning Yi looked at him for a long moment, then shook his head with a smile and clapped him on the shoulder. “Heh, honestly, if Zhu Biao actually cared, he wouldn’t have just given you a beating and left it at that. He told me himself before — he’s not actually interested in a girl like Sanniang.”

“But regardless, we who study the words of the sages shouldn’t be doing something like this…”

“Out of this whole group studying under Chancellor Qin, you’re the one who acts the most hot-headed, but deep down you’re actually the most upright of the lot,” Ning Yi said with a smile. “Fine, let me ask you this — could you beat Hu Sanniang in a fight?”

“Uh…”

“Speaking practically — if your martial skill matched Hu Sanniang’s, would you even need to resort to biting when you fight?” Ning Yi said earnestly. “If you really did marry Hu Sanniang, given how formidable she is, she could even teach the women of your household martial arts — you wouldn’t need to protect her at all.”

Wang Shanyue’s eyes flickered.

Ning Yi continued. “Look at it another way — we’re already doing business together with Solitary Dragon Ridge. Aside from us, there are only two other families left at Solitary Dragon Ridge. Given the current state of the Hu family, Hu Sanniang will inevitably end up running the household going forward — once Zhu Biao marries her, the two families effectively become one. But if you were the one to marry Hu Sanniang instead, most of what belongs to the Hu Family Manor would eventually be yours. They have manpower, the Wang family has a name — but let’s be honest, the Wang family right now is mostly women, and probably not even as well-off as the Hu Family Manor financially. If you could marry Hu Sanniang, it would be a perfect complementary match, all benefit and no downside. Except that she’s better-looking than you.”

He kept walking as he spoke. “Of course, you probably don’t want to hear such calculating talk. A friend’s intended isn’t to be trifled with, sure, but the real issue here is that Zhu Biao doesn’t actually like Hu Sanniang, and Hu Sanniang likes you, and you don’t exactly dislike her either. In this world, a man has plenty of choices — but if Sanniang marries Zhu Biao, that’s it for her, for the rest of her life. Do you think she’d actually be happy with that? You’re pushing away a woman’s genuine feelings just to preserve your own sense of principle… Of course, unless you actually dislike her — I suppose, come to think of it, she’s not as good-looking as you, a rough country girl, nothing like a refined scholarly household — I imagine it’d be quite hard to win over your Wang family’s approval either…”

Wang Shanyue lowered his head in thought, frowning. “Actually… it’s not like that at all, I really don’t think there’s anything rough about Miss Hu, and her martial skill… but even hearing you put it that way, I still feel something isn’t quite right…”

“Of course something’s not right.” Ning Yi pointed at him. “Zhu Biao, you know, doesn’t have a girl yet. Do you know what kind of girl Zhu Biao actually likes? Someone like the young women in your own family — well-read, sensible, not too proud, the kind who could manage a household and raise children after marriage… It might not work out, but when he comes around after the New Year, why not introduce him to someone, as his sworn brother? Whether he marries in or not is beside the point — the Zhu Family Manor has people and money, your family has a name, and whatever his rough origins, Zhu Biao’s a decent enough fellow at heart. It’s not really a matter of marrying up or down. Something worth thinking about, anyway…”

Wang Shanyue and Ning Yi had built up a fair bit of rapport by now, having been led astray by him plenty of times before. After Ning Yi finished speaking, he glanced at him a few times, trying to hide the flicker of interest on his face. The two walked through a courtyard gate, entering the back garden of the Chancellor’s residence, where a young man approached, nodded to Ning Yi, then cupped his hands. “Ah, Young Master Ning… and this young lady is?”

Ning Yi couldn’t help but laugh. “This is… Miss Wang. Surname Wang, heh heh, given name Shanyue.”

The young Qin family member, having initially assumed from Wang Shanyue’s appearance that he was addressing a woman, had asked without thinking — but upon hearing Ning Yi’s answer, he took a closer look at Wang Shanyue’s attire, and his expression grew rather complicated. Wang Shanyue lowered his head slightly, cupping his hands in a somewhat helpless greeting. Back in Shandong, killing enemies and fighting battles with ruthless efficiency, he was in truth mild-tempered by nature, and didn’t much mind when ordinary people remarked on his handsome, almost feminine looks.

By now the heavy snow had begun to ease, though the garden still lay thick with drifts. A group of children ran about within, throwing snowballs at one another in a lively scene, and occasionally the womenfolk of the Qin household could be glimpsed as well. As Ning Yi chatted with Wang Shanyue for a while, they occasionally overheard a group of children whispering nearby: “There’s a big sister over there dressed as a boy, I can tell.”

Ning Yi asked Wang Shanyue about Su Wenyu’s situation, learning that his time managing that camp had put considerable pressure on him. Fortunately, over this past month, a new group of young people bought in from various regions had been brought into the camp, allowing the former Liangshan men to teach martial arts and other skills one-on-one in a master-apprentice fashion. This method of transmission had eased the psychological strain on everyone in the camp, and Su Wenyu, in turn, had been able to breathe a sigh of relief.

After chatting through all this, Ning Yi took his leave from the Chancellor’s residence. As he was departing, Qin Shaohe brought out two hams, said to have been offered as tribute to the imperial court. As Wang Shanyue saw him out, Ning Yi turned back and said, “Think it over carefully — you and Miss Hu.”

Wang Shanyue stood on the steps, laughing. “Chasing girls isn’t exactly your strong suit either, you know.”

Ning Yi landed a punch on his shoulder, then, looking rather put out, waved and walked off.

The Chancellor’s residence stood quite close to the imperial palace, and even with these two days of heavy snowfall, household servants from every family were constantly out sweeping the streets, so the lantern-decked avenues on either side remained largely free of snow. Ning Yi walked along the main street carrying his hams, then turned onto a nearby road, his gaze lingering on the trees, courtyard walls, and passersby around him for a moment before he shook his head with a smile.

This business of chasing girls — he probably really wasn’t much good at it after all.

Arriving at the gate of a small courtyard nearby, he raised his hand and knocked. Inside, footsteps approached as if to answer the door, followed by another set of footsteps, and then a woman’s voice called out, “Who is it?”

“Community warmth delivery service.”

“Hmph.”

The woman inside gave a light snort, apparently unable to think of a comeback, and opened the courtyard gate. Standing behind it was Yuan Jin’er, dressed in a goose-yellow padded coat, pursing her lips slightly and narrowing her eyes at Ning Yi. Once he stepped inside and the servant closed the gate, she spread her arms as though about to leap at him. Ning Yi likewise spread his arms slightly, but Jin’er dodged away with a laugh, going instead to grab the hams from his hands. When Ning Yi swatted her on the backside, she jumped up, baring her teeth and claws as if to challenge him to a duel, then bounced along beside him as they went inside, pointing at a tiny snowman in the courtyard. “I made that one.”

This courtyard was elegantly appointed, with two small, beautifully decorated buildings inside, and gardens, flowers, rockeries, and trees all arranged quite handsomely. It had originally been a property of the Right Chancellor’s residence. As Ning Yi entered, some servants were tending to the grounds nearby; one of the small buildings stood close to the street, and Jin’er had presumably spotted Ning Yi approaching from up there. From upstairs came the soft, tranquil sound of a zither, which then fell silent.

Stepping through the entrance of that small building, Ning Yi removed his shoes, and as he turned around, light footsteps sounded from above. A figure in white came rushing into his arms; Ning Yi caught her, spreading his arms wide, and the figure wrapped her arms around his neck, feet lifting off the floor, simply holding onto him in silence for a moment. After a moment, Ning Yi sighed softly. “You’re starting to seem more and more like someone kept as a mistress in a separate residence…”

The figure couldn’t help but laugh softly at this.

Ning Yi carried her upstairs. “Your health still isn’t fully recovered, you shouldn’t be running around like this.” Jin’er took the hams from him. “Sister’s doing much better today.”

Entering the second-floor room, a warm atmosphere enveloped them. The room wasn’t large, but with plenty of glazed panes used throughout, it stayed quite bright during the day without feeling stuffy, clearly ventilated regularly. The room contained many of the usual trappings of a young woman’s chamber, along with various musical instruments, numerous books, and a thick, plush carpet spread across the floor. Ning Yi set Yun Zhu, dressed in white, down on the bed at one side of the room. She started to get up to brew tea, but Ning Yi waved for her to stop.

“Wait, wait, wait.” Ning Yi took hold of her wrist, pressing his fingers against it and listening for a moment with a frown, then looked at Yun Zhu. “Would this count as… a strong, vigorous pulse, good health overall?”

Yun Zhu also pressed her own hand against her wrist for a moment, blinking. “I think so, yes.”

Ning Yi pursed his lips.

Jin’er, having set down the hams, came up and stood by the doorway, watching as Yun Zhu got out of bed to brew a pot of tea at the small table beside it, then returned to sit under the covers on the bed. Ning Yi sat on the edge of the bed, picking up a book and beginning to read aloud to her, their hands clasped together. Before long, Jin’er pursed her lips too and climbed into bed, lying beside her sister for a while, tossing and turning restlessly, before eventually getting up to fetch an illustrated storybook, sitting on the plush carpet beside Ning Yi and leaning against his leg to read on her own. But Ning Yi’s reading aloud kept distracting her, and she’d occasionally set down her picture book to look up at him.

Over the years, he wasn’t the most handsome man she’d ever seen, but lately, she thought, she’d grown accustomed to him, and had come to feel he was the best and most impressive man there was — though at times, she had indeed glimpsed his more vulnerable side…

Yun Zhu’s health troubles had first shown signs of trouble during the period when Ning Yi had been away from Bianliang, and after his return, they had suddenly flared up, at one point leaving her unable to eat, plagued by vomiting, weakness, and even fainting spells. The Chancellor’s residence had arranged for imperial physicians to examine her, but the conclusion reached was that the root cause was primarily emotional — a sickness of the heart. Neither Ning Yi nor Jin’er could figure out where her inner turmoil stemmed from, and even Yun Zhu herself couldn’t put it into words — especially given that this had happened after she and Ning Yi had settled into a relationship together. But before long, Ning Yi gradually began to see where the problem lay.

Back when Yun Zhu had first set up her small stall, it had been purely out of necessity, to make a living; when she’d opened the Bamboo Records shop, it had been to help him. But after the events at Liangshan, once they’d followed him to the capital, Yun Zhu found herself struggling — partly from simply not adjusting well to the new environment, and partly because she could no longer keep pace with the expansion plans Ning Yi had laid out for the Bamboo Records business. She was clever and perceptive at heart; internally, she genuinely could no longer manage the shop’s affairs, and externally, the familiar surroundings and familiar people she’d known were all now far away — even though she hadn’t had much of a social circle back in Jiangning either, that place had, after all, been her home for so many years.

Once all the practical problems had been resolved, the real trouble turned out to lie in the very perfection of their relationship. Yun Zhu herself hadn’t understood at first why she’d fallen ill, but feeling that everything was already perfect and yet she was still burdening Ning Yi, that very feeling had, if anything, worsened her condition. Jin’er, too, had been baffled at the time — until one night, sitting by the bedside in this very room, she’d seen Ning Yi holding Yun Zhu’s hand and saying, “I suppose I’ve gone and raised you like a caged bird after all…” Only then had she gradually come to understand.

Much like Wang Shanyue facing his own matters of the heart, since returning to Bianliang, the greatest trouble to actually confront Ning Yi had likewise turned out to be a matter of the heart — something no one could have anticipated.

In his previous life, he had never gained much in matters of love. In this life, though, he found himself treasuring human feeling all the more. He was, by nature, a man of considerable ability, and when it came to things that brought him genuine happiness, he was unwilling to simply let them go, always believing that a way forward would present itself when the moment came. He had once mentioned this kind of trouble to Kang Xian, and had spoken boldly at the time, saying that he had no intention of letting go regardless. But now, at this point, everything that had been quietly accumulating had, at last, begun to press in on him from every side…