The hour of Yin (3:00 to 5:00 AM) had just begun, and the sky was still dark.

Inside Yaohui Pavilion, however, the lanterns were already ablaze. A houseful of maidservants and matrons were busy helping Ye Mian wash his face, change his robes, attach his pouches, and pack his snack boxes. The scene was bustling and vibrant.

Ye Mian himself was full of spirit. Today was his first day reporting for duty at the Hanlin Academy, and he had been so excited last night that he couldn’t sleep. He had even pestered his eldest brother at Bihua Pavilion for a heart-to-heart talk, not returning to his own courtyard until the third watch. This morning, he had miraculously woken up without being called; hearing movement in the courtyard, he had thrown aside his bed curtains and bounced out of bed, nearly scaring the night-watch maid pale—she thought she’d seen a ghost.

Once he left the estate, the carriage headed in a direction opposite to the Imperial Academy. The scenery outside the window was different from what he was used to. Ye Mian watched the streets, his heart surging. He had been a student for two lifetimes, and now, finally, he had made it—he was going to work!

Ye Mian was in high spirits, brimming with satisfaction. Little did he know that two months later, the soul-sucking nature of that “work” would leave him disheveled and hollow-eyed, wishing he could travel back to this very moment just to slap himself twice.

Who in their right mind actually likes working? What kind of glutton for punishment am I?

Because the Hanlin Academy was near the forbidden imperial precincts to facilitate royal summons, it was located just a few hundred paces outside the Xuanming Gate of the Imperial Palace.

By the time Ye Mian arrived at the main gate, the sky was just turning light. Ruan Yunsheng, familiar with the routine, took him to the Hall of Records in the second courtyard to submit his credentials and verify his identity. Ye Mian presented his selection papers from the Ministry of Rites, his ancestral lineage record, and his examination transcripts.

The ancestral record detailed the official titles held by his grandfather, father, and himself, stamped with the seals of the Ministry of Personnel and Ministry of Rites to prove the clean pedigree of a new Shujishi (Hanlin bachelor). The examination transcripts were copies of his provincial, metropolitan, and palace examination essays. The clerk carefully compared the handwriting against the archived red-ink versions to ensure the authenticity of his examination results.

After leaving the Hall of Records, Ye Mian joined all the other new Shujishi to pay respects to the instructors at the Shuchang Hall, submitted their “Student Posts,” and then went to the main hall of the Hanlin Academy to pay homage to the Chancellor.

Ye Mian performed the four-bow ceremony with utmost reverence. With this, the rites were complete. From this moment on, when people addressed him, it would be “Shujishi Ye.”

As the new Shujishi exchanged greetings, Ye Mian felt a shiver of pure ecstasy. Back at the Imperial Academy, when the masters lost their temper, they would wave their canes and shout his full name, or call him a “rascal,” “scoundrel,” or “little debtor,” terrifying him. From now on, that would never happen again!

Ye Mian felt like he was floating on air, thinking that when he returned home tonight, he would have to tell his father and brother that they weren’t allowed to discipline him whenever they pleased—it was detrimental to national prestige.

Because the Hanlin Academy placed the highest importance on ritual and protocol, the whole process lasted until noon. The Hanlin officials either went out in small groups to restaurants on the main street, ate cold cakes and snacks brought from home, or, for those with convenient households, had servants bring them food boxes.

Ye Mian took the food box handed over by a clerk and went to the Academy’s dining hall with Ruan Yunsheng.

There were many rules in the Hanlin Academy. To prevent “turbid energy” from affecting the literary atmosphere, officials were not allowed to eat in the office halls where paper and ink were kept. Therefore, a separate courtyard on the east side of the Academy was designated as the dining hall.

After the two sat down, Ruan Yunsheng asked curiously, “Why did your estate send you two food boxes?”

Before Ye Mian could answer, Ruan Yunsheng had a realization. “Did the Princess’s estate send you one, too? Is he already back? Didn’t the letter say he wouldn’t arrive in the capital until evening at the earliest?”

Ye Mian nodded. “Most likely arrived before noon.”

“He must have ridden hard these past two days,” Ruan Yunsheng teased. “Such eagerness to return home…”

Ye Mian’s skin was thick enough to repel arrows, and he brazenly replied, “If you were separated from me, you’d be thinking of me all day too.”

Ruan Yunsheng was so disgusted he nearly vomited his lunch.

Ye Mian didn’t bicker further. He stood up nimbly, picked up one of the food boxes, and headed toward the partitioned dining room reserved for the Drafting Academicians.

Ye Mian stayed in that partition for a full cup of tea’s time, and Ruan Yunsheng could occasionally hear loud laughter coming from the Academicians inside, drawing side-glances from many in the dining hall.

When Ye Mian returned, Ruan Yunsheng scoffed, “Running off to offer bribes on your first day—truly lawless!”

“What bribe?” Ye Mian retorted righteously. “I’m just sharing the sweetness.”

Inside the partition, the Chancellor stroked his beard and asked with a smile, “How do you gentlemen find the twenty-nine new Shujishi who arrived today?”

“There are indeed a few with good character; they are materials for the high court. If any of them are lucky, they will soar in the future.”

“Do we need to wait for the future to see who has the luck?” the Drafting Academician Jin Minqing teased. “Mingtan-gong, you aren’t being honest.”

The other academicians laughed. Someone spoke up for Mingtan-gong (Shen Mingtan), “Shen Mingtan is serving as their instructor for the year, naturally he shouldn’t speak recklessly.”

“You old foxes!” Jin Minqing laughed heartily. “Then let me say it. This Ye Mian—I’d heard of him long ago. Seeing him today, never mind his appearance, I actually quite like his temperament.”

Shen Mingtan hummed. “Then you haven’t heard enough! The Libationer of the Imperial Academy is my brother-in-law. Over these years, he’s been so harassed by this kid that he’s nearly bald. He even came to my house for drinks two days ago, specifically asking me to ‘discipline’ him properly to vent his frustrations!”

Jin Minqing teased, “Enough of that! Whether he asked you to discipline him or look after him, you old thing knows clearly in your heart. What, are you afraid we’ll criticize you for being unfair?”

Shen Mingtan pointed at him, laughing without a word. The others smiled knowingly. The Libationer of the Imperial Academy had countless students across the land; how could he really bear a grudge against a student? If he was willing to bring good wine to a colleague’s home and mention the boy’s name over and over, he must hold him in the highest regard.

Jin Minqing sneered inwardly. These old foxes were becoming better at acting dumb. They all knew perfectly well that a “Great Buddha” had arrived at the Hanlin Academy.

Yesterday, at the birthday banquet for the old Prince of Gongqing, they had been invited to dine. One of the main dishes was Chun (water shield) soup with sea bass—a delicacy from the south that was incredibly fresh and perishable, requiring fast horses to rush it to the capital. Every March, local officials in Jiangnan gathered it as tribute for the Emperor and the Empress Dowager; ordinary people never even got a whiff of it. The Gongqing Prince’s estate had only just been granted a share this year. To show royal favor, the old Prince had made it the main dish of the banquet.

And yet, in the food box Ye Mian delivered today, there was actually Chun greens—diced, mixed with dried silverfish, ham, and sesame oil, and placed in a small, unassuming porcelain cup at the very corner of the food box… treated like mere pickled side-dish to go with rice.

In the dining hall outside the partition, several young Hanlin officials were sitting around a table.

Li Zhangfu, a Hanlin Reviewer, said with a sneer, “This younger brother of the Minister of the Supreme Court is so good at climbing social ladders. Isn’t he afraid of ruining his brother’s reputation?”

“Hah, who would dare ruin his reputation? His own biological eldest brother is a top-tier figure before the Emperor!”

Li Zhangfu scoffed, “They’re all just a bunch of snobs! I spent time queuing to buy pastries from the Suxi House to send to the Drafting Academician, and when they saw, they all winked and made snide remarks about me only knowing how to flatter. Now, here’s this guy, swaggering into the partition with a food box on his first day, and why don’t they dare say anything?”

Wu Wenqi, a Compiler, came from a humble background. The others at the table, while from minor clans, were all wealthier than him. He also looked disgruntled. “These sons of great clans, instead of walking the path of imperial favor and hereditary protection, insist on squeezing into the imperial examinations to seek office. The Emperor opened the examinations to recruit talent from all over the country and facilitate the entry of humble scholars into office, yet they all come crowding in!”

He then asked Li Zhangfu, “Zhangfu, the current Chancellor is your half-mentor. Whether we can get promoted in these two years depends on fate, but you have to go.”

Someone echoed, “Exactly. That Ruan Yunsheng, Ye Mian, and another one called Sun Shuli—they all passed the exams consecutively, and their family backgrounds are nothing to sneeze at. Don’t be like last year, when a top-tier vacancy finally opened at the Ministry of Personnel, and just as you were half-way through the arrangements, someone intercepted it.”

Li Zhangfu’s expression was grim.

Someone else said, “I think that Sun Shuli has a cowardly temperament; he’s nothing to fear.”

Being an official was different from being a student. They had been in the Hanlin Academy for years and had seen many young people with beautiful credentials who acted timidly, blushing before they spoke, and stuttering—completely lacking in class. How could such a person gain the appreciation of their superiors? They would be forgotten by the masses within two years.

The others nodded. “I knew his character at a glance—he’ll never amount to anything. Just watch out for Ruan and Ye.”

In the afternoon, the new Shujishi were taken by the senior Hanlin officials to visit various departments and pay respects to their predecessors. Finally, they went to the Temple of the Former Sage across the street to perform the Shicai ritual and listen to the admonitions beneath the statue of the Sage.

The one delivering the lecture was an old, white-haired Hanlin official who spoke with dramatic pauses and elaborate cadences. Every time he finished a sentence, he would drag out a long, trembling note, letting his final sigh resonate through the rafters three times before letting it settle.

Ye Mian wanted to laugh but didn’t dare. Several of the younger Shujishi, standing in the back row, gradually grew bolder.

One of them, a lively sort whose personality meshed well with Ye Mian’s, whispered with a mischievous grin, “This Old Master Zhao Fangru is one of the great wonders of our Hanlin Academy.”

Gossip! Ye Mian’s ears perked up instantly.

“Rumor has it he wakes up at the hour of Yin every day, first performs the three-kneel-nine-kowtow ritual toward the Imperial Palace, then cleanses his hands with scented soap, copies the ‘Sacred Edicts,’ and even burns incense when he encounters the characters for ‘Heaven’ or ‘Sage’ in his official documents!”

Cheng Xing stifled a laugh and continued, “Once, when the Hanlin Academy was writing the funeral oration for the old Prince of Yishan, because the text didn’t skip strokes to avoid sacred names, he insisted everyone rewrite it from scratch. Several compilers were writing on a snowy night until the fire in the brazier went out, their hands too stiff to hold their pens. It ended up delaying the schedule, and they were soundly scolded by the Prince’s estate.”

Ye Mian clicked his tongue in wonder, “What a rigid, pedantic little old man!”

After standing under the Sage’s statue for a full hour, the old Hanlin Zhao finally finished his performance and dismissed the Shujishi, though at the last moment he pointed to several of them to follow him to the library to move books.

Ye Mian was young, so naturally, he had to take the initiative for such menial labor.

The young Shujishi followed Old Master Zhao out of the temple. Just as they turned the street corner, they saw half a royal ceremonial procession stopped not far from the palace gate.

“Quick, follow me to pay respects to the Prince!”

Before Ye Mian could react, Zhao Fangru was already hurrying toward it. He was no longer walking with the measured gait of a top scholar, and his final notes weren’t trembling anymore…

Ye Mian: “???”

Cheng Xing complained, “We’re still so far from the royal carriage; just bowing by the roadside is enough. This old man is really too fawning and obsequious.”

Sun Shuli, who stood beside them, was timid and mumbled, “It’s the ceremonial procession of Prince Rongnan; let’s go over quickly. Old Master Zhao is the most observant of etiquette.”

Cheng Xing muttered, “That’s even more unnecessary… He’s a figure everyone in the capital sucks up to. Never mind being separated by the ceremonial procession—even if you stood right in front of him, he wouldn’t ask for our names.”

Zhao Fangru was already kneeling in front of the procession, beckoning them over with a glare.

“Let’s hurry over!” Cheng Xing said helplessly.

“Go, go, be quick…”

What does this mean?? Ye Mian nearly jumped on the spot, “Do I have to go kneel to the royal carriage too?”

“Naturally. It’s your first day, don’t offend Old Master Zhao! That old man doesn’t care about feelings. If he accuses you of the crime of improper decorum, the light penalty is a fine; the heavy one is an arrest and interrogation!”

The others pulled and pushed, dragging Ye Mian over. Ye Mian pulled a sour face, kneeling unwillingly behind them.

Zhao Fangru whispered, “I will lead the ritual, you follow me and kowtow to the Prince.”

Kowtow to your grandpa! Ye Mian ground his back teeth together!

“Official Zhao Fangru pays respects to Prince Rongnan, respectfully wishing the Prince eternal peace—”

As soon as the old Master finished his lines and before his body could bow, he saw the Chief Administrator of Prince Rongnan’s estate running over in a flurry. “The Prince requests this official to come forward and speak.”

Old Master Zhao rose, terrified and awed, and hurried after the Administrator.

Ye Mian rolled his eyes toward the sky, while Cheng Xing, Sun Shuli, and the others couldn’t resist peeking out of curiosity.

Not far in front, the curtain of the Prince’s carriage had been lifted. Prince Rongnan sat solemnly inside, a figure of dragon-like grace and phoenix-like poise, exuding authority in every glance.

The group hurriedly lowered their eyes…

After Ye Mian finished moving books in the library, the Hanlin Academy had long since dismissed.

The Ye family’s carriage was waiting on Hanlin Street. The servant Feng Jin saw that Ye Mian’s face wasn’t particularly happy and asked cautiously, “Fourth Young Master, where are we going?”

“The Grand Princess’s estate!”

The carriage slowly pulled into the side lane of the Princess’s estate, and the guard deftly opened the side gate. Ye Mian walked with the wind, passing through the Lion Courtyard and the guard quarters, taking a shortcut directly into the rear hall.

The pages and maids all came forward to greet him.

“Where is he?” Ye Mian shouted as he walked.

“The Prince is bathing in the Zhuoying Pond.”

Ye Mian turned and headed straight for the Zhuoying Hall.

The bathing hall was warm and fragrant, filled with the scent of sinking incense burning in the lotus-wave censer by the pool. The wisps of light smoke intertwined with the steam rising from the surface, merging into one.

Ye Mian cast off his outer robes in a few quick motions, loosened his hair, and with a splash, jumped into the pool, swimming toward him.

Zhuang Xu sat leaning against the water, and the moment he jumped in, he opened his arms.