It was the third month in the capital, and the first spring thunder had just rumbled.

By dawn, the gentle morning rain had ceased. Golden threads of sunlight filtered through the eaves and tiles, softly enveloping the entire imperial city in a tender spring glow.

“Quick, look! Is that the top scholar (Tanhualang) of this year?”

In the garden of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue’s mansion, several women hired to prune the branches stopped their work and huddled beneath a peach tree, whispering gossip.

“Oh my! He is so incredibly handsome…”

The woman stared, mesmerized, and added, “How come the boys in our town don’t look like that?”

“That’s a ridiculous comparison. How can you even compare them?” An older woman scolded her, then lowered her voice, acting mysterious. “My husband does woodwork at the Yongqing Marquis mansion, and he told me… the young masters of the high-ranking noble families in the capital have their rice and grain milled with jade pestles since they were little.”

“Good heavens…” The women marveled.

“What are you all doing?!”

A sharp reprimand came from behind, cutting off their chatter. A stern-faced manor housekeeper, Nanny Li, hurried over and scolded in a low voice, “Those are honored guests of the manor! How dare you point your fingers around like that! If you offend them, I’ll never hire the likes of you again!”

“We wouldn’t dare… It’s our own lack of worldly experience. Nanny Li, please don’t take it personally.” The lead woman quickly compensated with a smile, though she couldn’t help but stretch her neck to steal one last glance.

In the distance, a youth of about seventeen or eighteen, dressed in fine silks and a jade cap, walked with a clear, elegant bearing. His features were refined and dashing. Soon, only his retreating figure could be seen.

Seeing the woman unable to take her eyes off him, Nanny Li spat, “Hurry up and get back to work!”

The women scattered in a flurry. Nanny Li rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath, “A bunch of ignorant, rustic village women!”

Thinking of the gossip the women had just shared, Nanny Li couldn’t help but glance toward the western courtyard. When it came to good looks, no one could compare to that little master…

Ruan Yunsheng had come to the Vice Minister’s mansion to find Ye Mian early in the morning. He didn’t need a servant to lead him; familiar with the path, he walked through the garden and took a shortcut straight to the courtyard where Ye Mian lived.

Yaohui Pavilion was still quiet. Several young maids, dressed in new spring attire, stood decorously under the gallery. Clearly, the master of the house had yet to rise.

Ruan Yunsheng was a frequent guest, and the maids and nannies all knew him as the Fourth Young Master’s close friend from the Imperial Academy. Seeing him arrive, they merely curtsied silently without blocking his way.

Ruan Yunsheng strode into Ye Mian’s bedroom unimpeded. Raising his eyes, he saw the sleeping incense on the low table in the corner had not yet extinguished, wisps of light smoke curling up from the burner.

He shook his head, walked around the screen to the bedside, and reached out to pull back the heavy brocade bed curtains. Sure enough, Ye Mian was curled up in the bed, fast asleep. Half of his begonia-spring quilt was draped over his waist, while the other half was twisted like a dough twist in his arms, his back hunched—a total mess.

“You lazy thing! Get up!” Ruan Yunsheng scolded without ceremony. He hooked the curtains onto the small gold hooks on either side, then walked to the window and pushed it open.

The crisp morning breeze, mixed with the faint scent of peach blossoms, instantly rushed into the room. The pale golden spring sunlight spilled onto the woolen rug, warm and bright, filling the room with radiance.

Ruan Yunsheng used half a cup of overnight tea to extinguish the sleeping incense in the burner. He set the cup down and turned back to look at him, only to find the lazy glutton hadn’t moved an inch, merely pulling a corner of the quilt over his face to hide from the annoying morning sun, looking as if he intended to sleep until the end of time.

Ruan Yunsheng slapped him on the buttocks, urging, “Get up! Come with me to Bihua Pavilion.”

Ye Mian didn’t open his eyes; he just twisted his body toward the inside of the bed, clearing half the bed and the quilt for Ruan Yunsheng, mumbling incoherently and inviting him up, “Lie down for a while longer…”

“I’m not lying down,” Ruan Yunsheng adjusted the cap on his head. “I just styled my hair when I came; if I roll around here, it’ll get messed up again.”

Ye Mian ignored him.

“Mian-ge’er?”

“Hurry up and get up!”

“It’s so early in the morning…” Ye Mian groaned, rolling over with great effort. He reached out and scratched himself lazily. Beneath the hem of his shifted nightclothes, several red marks appeared on his skin, which was as white as frost.

Ruan Yunsheng smiled and lay down on the bed. Supporting his head with one hand and using the other to rub Ye Mian’s lower back, he slipped his hand under the nightclothes to scratch his back, coaxing him with a laugh: “Get up first, come to Bihua Pavilion with me. Tomorrow I’ll take you to my fourth uncle’s horse farm outside the city. Last month, a battle horse retired from the Northern Frontier arrived there. Its coat and bone structure are magnificent. My fourth uncle treasures it, but I’ll ask for it so you can keep it and play with it for a few days, how about that?”

Outside the window, birds chirped. Ruan Yunsheng’s hand moved evenly over Ye Mian’s back. Ye Mian stretched comfortably, feeling the lethargy of spring even more strongly.

“Li Zhao’s boy caught wind of it the other day and pestered me for half the night at my mansion. If you don’t care for it, I’m giving it to him!”

Ye Mian’s chest rose and fell evenly; clearly, he remained unmoved.

Ruan Yunsheng’s hand stopped, and he gritted his teeth, saying, “Do you believe I’ll pour the rest of that cold tea down your neck?”

Ye Mian only responded to force, not persuasion. He opened his left eye, “Why the temper?”

Seeing Ruan Yunsheng’s displeased expression, he even reached out to stroke his chest, smoothing things over for him.

Ruan Yunsheng slapped his paw away in disgust. “What are you pawing at? You’ll wrinkle my clothes, how can I go to Bihua Pavilion like this?”

Ye Mian lay on his back and let out a huge yawn, eyeing him askance: “Isn’t it just going to Bihua Pavilion to deliver some thank-you gifts to my eldest brother? You’re this year’s Tanhualang (top scholar). Even the Emperor praised you for your calm, steady demeanor and eloquent responses in the Golden Palace. How come you’re so timid and bound up in front of my brother?”

“Stop babbling!” Ruan Yunsheng was a bit annoyed. He stood up, went to the outer room, and brought back a pile of undergarments and outer robes that the maids had steamed and scented earlier that morning, dumping them onto the bed.

With a young man from another family in the room, it was inconvenient for the maids who usually served Ye Mian to enter.

Ruan Yunsheng sat on the edge of the bed, lifted one of Ye Mian’s legs, and pulled white cotton socks onto his feet. His bamboo-like fingers leisurely tied the ribbons, saying, “My father had some rare items unearthed from outside. I picked out a few elegant and interesting ones last night, but I’m still not sure. You help me check them later so I don’t violate your brother’s taboos.”

Ye Mian sat up, lazily pulling on an inner robe, and laughed, “Is this a student giving a gift to a teacher, or a mouse offering a tribute to a cat?”

Ruan Yunsheng pursed his lips, feeling rather listless. He had finished his studies at the Imperial Academy last year and passed the autumn exams as expected, but he hadn’t been confident about the imperial exams at the start of the year. Fortunately, with Ye Mian’s help, he was able to spend the last half-year at Bihua Pavilion receiving guidance from Ye Mian’s eldest brother, Ye Jing.

And Ye Jing was indeed worthy of being called the “Duanhua Prince,” unmatched in talent in the Great Wen Dynasty. Whenever he encountered confusion in his studies, Ye Jing’s few words of enlightenment would clear his mind. Before the palace exams, he had secretly assisted him once more, which was how he finally secured the rank of Tanhualang.

However, Ye Jing never addressed him as a student. Ruan Yunsheng had tried to hint at it twice, but Ye Jing refused to pick up the thread. Ruan Yunsheng had to be tactful and stopped bringing it up, though he felt somewhat depressed and unsatisfied inside. Which student in the Great Wen Dynasty didn’t admire and yearn for the appearance and talent of the Duanhua Prince?

It was just that since the teacher-student gift couldn’t be given, the thank-you gift could not be omitted. A month after the Qionglin Banquet, when the celebrations had quieted down, his father finally chose a day that wouldn’t attract too much attention to send gifts to the Ye mansion.

Ye Mian had been silent for only a moment before his eyelids drooped again.

Ruan Yunsheng, a man usually gentle and moist as jade, had his patience worn thin. He gave him a fierce slap on the body and roared, “Hurry up! My dad is waiting in the hall in front. If we go late, see if Vice Minister Ye doesn’t hammer you!”

Ye Mian’s eyes flew open, round and wide. He sucked in a breath and asked, “How did your father, the old gentleman, come here? I didn’t hear the servants mention there was a calling card from your mansion today…”

Ye Mian lost all drowsiness. He wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve and scrambled into his clothes, listening to Ruan Yunsheng say, “Why would we need a calling card? Last night, when we were fooling around at the Yuxian Restaurant, the two old masters were having a banquet at the Lanshan Pavilion opposite! It’s a good thing they didn’t run into each other!”

Ye Mian stopped dawdling. He didn’t even dare eat breakfast, hastily stuffing two leftover snacks from the night before into his mouth. Choking, he stretched his neck, chewing and swallowing as he rushed with Ruan Yunsheng to the main hall in the front courtyard.

“Is this Mian-ge’er?”

Censor Ruan, who was sipping tea in the upper seat, saw Ye Mian and laughed heartily while stroking his beard, praising him to Vice Minister Ye, “Seeing the young lad of your esteemed house, I finally understand what it means to be ‘elegant as jade, beautiful beyond description!’ My own dog of a son is often praised for his good looks, but now, standing next to your fourth son, he’s like a piece of gravel next to a pearl.”

Vice Minister Ye waved his hands repeatedly, looking ashamed, “How can my good-for-nothing compare to the new Tanhualang, Yunsheng? Your Excellency’s praises shame me!”

Censor Ruan shook his head, “Vice Minister Ye need not be humble. Although the Fourth Young Master did not place in the top three, he still achieved the rank of tong jinshi (equivalent to a doctorate), no worse than Yunsheng.”

“This tong jinshi, who only found his name at the very end of the list, it’s really not worth mentioning…”

The two old fathers exchanged humble compliments, while Ye Mian and Ruan Yunsheng could only hang their heads and listen to the training, standing together in the hall.

Censor Ruan called Ye Mian to his side, his tone revealing a hint of affection. The last time he saw Ye Mian was many years ago, when the boy was famous for causing trouble at the Imperial Academy. He had originally disliked his son Yunsheng associating too closely with him, but having spoken twice and seen his son turn a deaf ear, he had let it be.

Later, Censor Ruan had been falsely implicated in a miscarriage of justice, demoted from a second-rank Censor-in-Chief to a fourth-rank Investigating Censor. He had spent his days investigating officials and had offended countless people; consequently, Yunsheng had been bullied and humiliated by others at the Imperial Academy.

At that time, the entire Ruan family was busy planning and scheming outside. Only later did they learn that during those days, it was this Ye Mian who had protected Yunsheng, escorting him to and from school every single day without fail, and fighting that group of hoodlums at the school. He had been punished and beaten by the Imperial Academy many times, yet he never retreated, scaring those petty villains into submission.

Although the children were not very old at the time and their actions were seen by their elders mostly as mischief, it still moved Censor Ruan.

The officialdom of the Great Wen Dynasty looked peaceful on the surface, but in reality, it was full of factions and hidden dangers. When things were good, everyone was naturally praised; but once a single step was taken in the wrong direction, one fell into the mud. Only friends who had grown up together would offer help without thought of private gain.

This friendship forged in youth was extremely precious—worth more than a thousand pieces of gold!

Ye Mian and Ruan Yunsheng stood in the front hall for a while before they were dismissed to Bihua Pavilion to see Ye Jing. However, Ye Jing, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, was extremely busy with official business, and he didn’t even have time to rest on his day off. He only let them drink half a sip of tea.

Before their throats were even moistened, the Duanhua Prince waved his big sleeves and chased them both out together.

The two of them were chased out of Bihua Pavilion, looking like ash-covered dogs. Ruan Yunsheng sheepishly rubbed his nose, while Ye Mian was so angry that he stood akimbo, jumping and cursing at the gates of Bihua Pavilion.

He had said the wrong thing inside; his brother thought he was unreliable and gave him a kick. Ye Mian’s hip was still numb on one side.

Ruan Yunsheng had to support him as he limped out of the mansion. Fortunately, Ye Mian had a broad mind and didn’t hold grudges. His anger dissipated quickly. Rubbing his butt with one hand and hooking his arm around Ruan Yunsheng with the other, they headed toward the mansion gate.

“Let’s go find Li Zhao and those other scoundrels!”

Today was the last day of the palace examination for the military exams. Li Zhao was taking the test, and they had to go over to take a look to be at ease.

When they arrived at the Huawu Gate, it was already bustling with crowds of examinees, carriages, and horses, and curious commoners.

“Brother Zhao and the others are over there!”

Ye Mian nimbly jumped off the carriage, smiling and pointing for Ruan Yunsheng to see.

“Where? Where?” Ruan Yunsheng stretched his neck and looked over.

On the south side of the Huawu Gate stood a hundred-year-old willow tree by the palace wall. The red wall reflected the emerald branches, and the willow threads danced like mist in the wind, a scene of spring beauty from afar.

Under the dappled tree shadows, three brocade-clad youths in their teens were squatting at the foot of the wall, looking sloppy and impatient.