The History master sat in silence for a long while before finally telling Ji Linxi to return to the classroom.

Ji Linxi walked back at an unhurried pace. As he entered, he sensed hostile glares directed at him. He brushed off his robe with a dismissive flick, while maintaining an expression of someone shivering in the cold, and settled back into his seat by the window.

The ancients said: to attack a man, one must first attack his heart; and to attack the heart, one must act according to the situation. Only by attacking the heart can one truly conquer a man.

The day before the winter break, Ji Linxi was called to the masters’ courtyard again. Over the past few days, the History master had consulted his colleagues about Ji Linxi’s situation. While most were sympathetic, none took action. They understood the History master’s intent, but taking in a student was no simple matter. While they appreciated Ji Linxi’s diligence, they hadn’t known him long enough. Offering help with studies was one thing, but providing room and board was different—it was tantamount to taking him in as a “closed-door student,” a decision that reflected directly on their own reputation. They had taught for many years and had seen many students start off hardworking only to degenerate into laziness later. If Ji Linxi turned out to be one of those, their reputations would be tarnished.

After all, what is more precious to a scholar than their name? Furthermore, if one were to take in someone who proved to be an ingrate, it would be a true disaster. After two days of deliberation, the History master finally made up his mind.

He told Ji Linxi: “During the winter break, you shall come live at my home.”

Ji Linxi did not feign modesty this time. He knelt on the ground with a clean, fluid motion, knocked his head three times, and then arched his calloused hands. The jade ointment given by the “Beautiful Young Master” was only a small box, and he had used it with extreme frugality. While his hands no longer looked mangled, they remained covered in blue bruises and thick calluses—the hands of a laborer, not a scholar.

“This student thanks the Teacher for his immense kindness. I will certainly exhaust every effort to study and repay your grace by placing high in the imperial examinations!”

His eyes were filled with genuine-looking gratitude. This time, the History master truly accepted the title of “Teacher.” He helped Ji Linxi up, his brow relaxing slightly, though his expression remained stern. “High in the examinations? Others study for years without daring to make such a claim. You are arrogant. If you can even manage to pass the provincial-level exams, it will be due to the fortune your ancestors burned incense to procure for you.”

Ji Linxi thought: That simply won’t do.

If he stopped at the provincial exams, he would never reach the Beautiful Young Master. To pluck a high-hanging moon, one must climb step by step, rising until he stood directly before the moon. Therefore, he would not only pass the exams; he would use any means necessary to climb the official ladder until he reached the position of being “above all but one.” Only then could he take his coveted Beautiful Young Master into his arms and savor his charms.

And he would kiss him every single day. Before court, after court, on the bed, off the bed. Only then would he be truly satisfied and spend a lifetime in bliss.

When the winter break arrived, while other students were packing to go home, the wily Ji Linxi successfully moved into the History master’s home.

Unlike the elegant mansion of a wealthy scholar Ji Linxi had imagined, the master’s home was not much different from an average household. It was a small courtyard with four rooms: a main hall, a woodshed, a study, and a guest room. There were no servants, only the master and his wife. Though few in number, it was not a lonely place; an ancient ginkgo tree stood in the center of the yard, surrounded by flowers and plants that sat dormant in the winter, waiting to burst into beauty come spring.

The master’s wife, a woman of dignified appearance in her late twenties, greeted him with her two children. One child hid shyly behind her, while the other took her hand and boldly inspected the newcomer. Knowing from her husband’s letter that a student would be staying, Madam Qi had cleaned the guest room and prepared a meal, her manner warm and welcoming. “This must be Linxi. What a fine, talented-looking young man.”

Ji Linxi could not call her “Mistress” just yet, as the master hadn’t officially taken him as a closed-door student. Thus, he bowed respectfully: “Junior Ji Linxi greets you, Madame.”

With his deceptive, handsome appearance and refined demeanor, Ji Linxi immediately won her favor. She laughed, “Why call me Madame? We are not wealthy folk; just call me Madam Qi.”

After speaking with his wife, the History master led Ji Linxi to the guest room. He pushed open the door: “During the winter break, this is where you will stay and study.” He was a strict teacher and did not mince words: “The county exams are at the end of February. If you are not diligent during this break and fail to pass, don’t bother coming to my home for the next vacation.”

Ji Linxi hurriedly agreed. The History master, whose name was Huai Xiuyong, saw his attitude was excellent and softened further, telling him to drop his bags and come eat.

Once the master left, Ji Linxi unpacked. It wasn’t much—mostly books, paper, and ink—but his most cherished items were the jade ointment from the Beautiful Young Master and the black jade chess piece he had salvaged after the Young Master had discarded it at the Wang residence.

He kissed the ointment box with his left hand and the chess piece with his right. He imagined the Beautiful Young Master right before him, whispering with deep affection: “Sir, wait for me.”

I will certainly reach your side. I will make you see me.

At the Eastern Palace, a servant plucked several blooming white plum blossoms from the garden, hurried back, and replaced the withered flowers in the vase. The “Earth Dragon” (underfloor heating) was burning, and the palace doors were sealed against the cold. The servant sighed in relief, her expression turning lively.

She turned to look inside. Behind the thin gauze curtains, the Crown Prince was playing Go with the young Duke Yan Huai.

Soon, Yan Huai said with a defeated sigh: “I have never won a game against Your Highness. Your skill is peerless.”

Chu Yu gathered the pieces: “If you asked me to spar in martial arts, I would never win against you.”

As they began their second game, Eunuch Chen—who had finished his punishment and returned to service—entered to report: “Your Highness, Yunsheng requests an audience.”

Chu Yu tilted his head: “Let him in.”

Yunsheng strode in and knelt: “Your Highness.”

“All of you, leave.”

“You heard the Crown Prince—all of you, out,” Eunuch Chen commanded.

Chu Yu added: “You too.”

Eunuch Chen’s expression faltered, but he smiled and bowed, leading the palace servants out.

“Old Master Wang, Madam Wang, Young Master Wang, and Prefect Song have committed suicide by hanging in the Dali Temple prison,” Yunsheng reported.

Yan Huai’s hand, holding a Go piece, froze. “Suicide?”

A cold shiver ran through his heart. He understood the implications but struggled to believe it: “Prefect Song is one thing, but Master Wang, Madam Wang, and Wang He—aren’t they the Prime Minister’s kin? Master Wang even helped him in his youth.”

It was precisely because of that debt of gratitude that Master Wang had been able to rule Yongcheng with an iron fist—a fact Yan Huai had only learned after returning to the capital.

Chu Yu toyed with a Go piece: “It seems that in the face of profit and power, even family ties are things the Prime Minister can discard.”

Why kill them? Simply because they knew things that would bring trouble to Wang Yang, so he chose to eliminate them permanently. If he could reach into the Dali Temple prison, who could say the Prime Minister’s power didn’t cover the heavens?

“It seems this case will be closed very soon.”

At the Prime Minister’s residence, upon hearing the news of his uncle’s family and Prefect Song committing suicide, Wang Yang leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He remembered years ago, when he was a child, his uncle taking him out to play and buying him candied hawthorns, and that same uncle jumping into the water to save him when he fell.

When his career began to rise, knowing his uncle’s lecherous nature, Wang Yang had kept him in Yongcheng rather than bringing him to the capital. Even the promotion of Prefect Song was for his uncle’s benefit. Yet, one trip from the Crown Prince had cost him a relative who had truly cared for him.

His staff reported the investigation details: it was exactly as the local officials said. The Prince and Duke Yan arrived, visited the Wang house on the second day, and a group of people burst in to report the uncle’s crimes to Prefect Song. After the Prince intervened, things escalated, the Prince was enraged, the Grand Tutor’s son brought the Imperial Guard, and the family was arrested and sent to the Dali Temple.

“Prime Minister,” his Chief Clerk Guo Xing’an said, “It seems all this was mere coincidence, not a deliberate target by the Crown Prince.”

The clerk Lu Meng sneered: “How could it be such a coincidence that the Grand Tutor’s son arrived with the Imperial Guard that very day? If not for them, the situation wouldn’t have reached this point. Now, you haven’t attended court for days. Furthermore, the Prince acted so decisively, giving us no time to receive news or intervene. If this wasn’t deliberate, who would believe it?”

Guo Xing’an looked at him with contempt: “If you knew the Prince was traveling incognito and was set to return to the palace, wouldn’t you greet him to ensure his safety?”

Lu Meng was silenced.

Guo Xing’an continued: “Furthermore, the Grand Tutor’s son is not Duke Yan. Duke Yan is the Prince’s companion and grew up with him; he is clearly the Prince’s man. But the Grand Tutor’s son is not. The Empress and Prince have extended olive branches, but he refused. He is not close to the Prince, nor any other royal. Are you saying he followed the Prince’s orders?”

Lu Meng darkened: “I didn’t say that! You said it yourself!”

“Hah,” Guo Xing’an sneered: “Fool. Use your brain. The Prime Minister is clearly on the side of the Prince. What reason would the Prince have to target him? Wouldn’t that be digging his own grave? Does he think his position as Crown Prince is not stable enough?”

“Enough.” Wang Yang opened his eyes and interrupted the argument. After a moment of silence, he said to Guo Xing’an: “Guo Xing’an, you judged one thing wrong.”

Guo Xing’an was stunned. “Please teach me, Prime Minister.”

Wang Yang sneered, his voice filled with chilling coldness: “The Crown Prince has been established; he is the foundation of the state. With or without me, the one in the Eastern Palace remains the Prince. Even if the Emperor wants to depose him, as long as the Prince makes no grave mistakes, he cannot be removed.”

From ancient times to now, how many princes have been deposed? Only those who committed great crimes, met with accidents, or were utter fools. But this Prince? He was none of those things.

“The Crown Prince is also a sovereign.”

The Crown Prince is also a sovereign. Guo Xing’an, Lu Meng, and the other advisors suddenly realized the truth.

“…But even so, doing this brings the Prince no benefit,” Guo Xing’an argued, unsatisfied.

“The Crown Prince is also a sovereign,” Wang Yang closed his eyes again. “When the Great Sovereign is in the prime of his health, the Lesser Sovereign becomes a stinging thorn in his side.”

To avoid being that thorn in the Great Sovereign’s heart, their Prince had chosen to lie low. But this submission had cost him the lives of his uncle’s entire family and his hand-picked Prefect of Jingzhou. He had only realized the truth of the Eastern Palace’s actions today—and it filled him with a poison-like hatred.

He forced me to kill my own kin. The taste of it was bitter indeed. Even his son, whom he had sent into the palace as a companion, had been made a laughingstock under the Prince’s schemes, a story now spread across the court.

Prince… He gritted his teeth.

With the suspects dead, the Dali Temple closed the case and presented the files to the Emperor.

The Emperor glanced at them casually and didn’t even ask about the suicides. The next morning, he had Wang Yang return to court, scolded him publicly, and cited his past services—and the fact that the Prince had not been physically harmed—as the reason for a light punishment: twenty strikes with a cane, three years of salary forfeited, and half a month of house arrest.

Some officials were left in disbelief. Leaving aside the crimes of the Wang family, just the act of harming the Crown Prince was brushed aside so easily? But not a soul dared to speak.

After the punishment, Wang Yang was supported back into the hall, trembling as he knelt: “This subject thanks the Emperor for his grace—”

“That is enough. Morning court is adjourned.” The Emperor’s voice was icy and majestic.

As the bells rang and the Emperor departed, the remaining officials looked at each other. It seems the Prince is truly out of favor and has lost all his power.

The news reached the inner palace.

“My Lady—”

The Empress, supported by her personal nurse, let out a laugh after a brief moment of chaos, tears streaming down her face.

“Hahahaha…”

“When Chu Jing married me and brought me into the Eastern Palace, he swore he would treat me well for a lifetime, that he would give our son the best of everything in this world. How many years has it been?!”

“So a human lifetime is really that short? Short to only twenty years!”

Hearing her call the Emperor by his name, the maids knelt in terror. Her aging nurse, Rong Yao, who had entered the palace with her, had eyes red with tears: “My Lady…”

Another maid rushed in: “My Lady, the Emperor has flipped the tablet for the Jinxiu Palace today.”

Jinxiu Palace was the residence of Consort An.

The Empress’s long nails pierced her own palm until it bled. She groaned, spitting blood.

“My Lady!” The nurse steadied her, shouting: “Quick, call Physician Sun!”

Watching the maid rush out, the Empress took a deep breath, gripped her nurse’s hand, and slowly straightened her body. No, I cannot fall yet. If even she, his mother, were gone, who would Yu-er rely on? She had to hold on. She had to plan for him, until the day she saw him ascend the throne.

Chu Jing, An Yan—the debts between us will be settled one day.

Thinking you can take my son’s position? Thinking you can take his future throne? Impossible.

Ji Linxi, far away in Yongcheng, knew nothing of the changing tides in the capital. He was still buried in his studies at the master’s house. His diligence was so profound that even Madam Qi was astonished.

“This student of yours is truly painstaking. I woke up in the middle of the night, and he was still reading, the candle in his room still lit.”

Huai Xiuyong was naturally pleased, though he snorted on the surface: “If he doesn’t work hard, how will he pass the exams? He might not even clear the county level.”

Madam Qi poked her husband: “You really chose the right student. Not only is he handsome, but he studies hard and is very capable. Every morning, the water is already fetched and the firewood chopped. After eating, he washes the dishes. Whenever he sees me doing heavy labor, he helps. Unlike you—” She cast a disdainful glance at his frail frame. “I ask you to fetch water, and you can’t even manage it as well as he can.”

The master blushed and stiffened his neck: “He is not yet my formal student. Besides, I am a scholar, my physical strength is naturally… naturally weaker.”

“Forget it,” Madam Qi rolled her eyes. “As if your student isn’t a scholar. Why don’t you learn from him? When he’s tired of reading, he does push-ups. I always have to be the one to initiate—do you think I’m not tired?”

“Qi Xiangyun! Have you no shame!” the master whispered, flushed with anger.

Seeing her husband annoyed, she quickly kissed him on the cheek. “Calm down, calm down.” She then laughed at some thought.

“What are you laughing at?”

She cast him a glance: “I won’t say. But it’s not at you.”

She thought: The girl who marries Ji Linxi in the future will be blessed—he is smart, capable, and has endless energy. Perhaps the bride won’t be able to get out of bed the day after the wedding.

“Mom, Dad, what are you talking about?” The two children peeked in curiously.

Madam Qi waved them off: “Go away, children. Is what I’m talking to your father about something for you to hear?”

The brother pouted and took his sister outside to play in the snow. “When we grow up, we won’t let Mom and Dad play with us either.”

A moment later, they heard a knock. “Teacher, Madam Qi.”

Madam Qi opened the door: “Oh, Linxi. Is something the matter?”

After days of studying indoors, Ji Linxi’s once-dark face had paled slightly, revealing the aura of a scholar. “Student’s paper, ink, and candles are gone. I want to go to the market to buy some today; I will be back a bit late.”

“Oh, go ahead. Watch your step, and we’ll save you dinner.”

Ji Linxi bowed his thanks and set out with his bag. After an hour or so, he arrived at the market.

Sure enough, compared to the austere life of studying, he preferred the bustle of humanity. He inhaled the fragrant air, marched up to a noodle shop, ordered three bowls of noodles, finished them in one go, paid, and set off to buy books.

The History master had been generous, letting him look through the books in his study, but there were some the master didn’t possess. After an hour, having finished his shopping, Ji Linxi prepared to return. However, he stumbled upon a miscellaneous bookstore and couldn’t help but step inside.

Proper books are nowhere near as pleasant to read as miscellaneous ones. They were easy to understand and marvelous. Buying a few to pass the time wouldn’t hurt, as long as he didn’t neglect his studies.

He rummaged through the shop, eventually finding a copy of Unity of Yin and Yang. He paused. Someone who had looked at erotic prints since the age of fourteen knew exactly what this was. This is… I love it!

He nonchalantly picked up a book on herbal medicine to press down on top of it, then found The Yellow Court Classic, The Mysterious Techniques of the Bedroom, and Benefits of the Bedroom… This was a treasure trove.

With a thick stack of books, Ji Linxi looked around. Seeing no one near the counter, he moved to another section, feigning interest in other books. When the clerk was free, he stepped up to the counter, handed over the books with an indifferent expression.

“Young man, these are all for you?”

“Yes.” The clerk was enthusiastic to see such a large purchase. He saw Compendium of Materia Medica on top and didn’t pay much mind, but as he moved down, his hand froze upon seeing Unity of Yin and Yang. He suppressed the urge to look up and continued to check the rest. My god, I’ve seen people buy one or two, but never this many.

“Thirty-two taels, young man.”

Ji Linxi laid down the money, pressed the medical book firmly on top of the pile, shoved them into his bag, and swaggered out.

He pondered: if he read all these, studied them thoroughly, could he fail to please the Beautiful Young Master? He would surely make the Young Master burn with desire and become unable to live without him!

He was finally ready to go back. Passing a pork stall, he stopped to buy two pounds of meat. Passing a candy stall, he thought for a moment and bought a bag of sugar. Since he was staying at the master’s, benefiting so much from his hospitality, buying gifts was only right.

As they say, human relationships are a cycle of giving and receiving. To return a peach for a plum—isn’t that what the world loves to see?