Chapter 4

"Is today the day of the funeral?" Lu Xuejin asked.

The entire Li residence was draped in mourning cloth, the pure white color hanging from the sky. Passersby spoke in hushed tones, accompanied by the weeping of women.

“It’s the perfect day, young master. Would you like to go in and take a look?” Ziyan asked from the side. The two of them were hidden in the crowd.

Lu Xuejin stared at Madam Li's red eyes not far away. She was dressed in plain clothes, her white robes indistinguishable from mourning clothes.

"Let's head back early today." Lu Xuejin paused for a while, looking behind her. Pedestrians were busy on the street, and dark shadows could be seen flashing by.

"If they go in, it will inevitably cause more trouble for the Li family."

Ziyan also looked behind her and noticed the guards in the crowd. She said to Lu Xuejin, "They've been following us for a while now, in the teahouse."

“Let them follow… Who has Xue Yi met with recently?” Lu Xuejin asked.

Ziyan: "His Majesty has been searching for Lord Cui recently. In addition to ordering people to look for Lord Cui, he has also met with people from the Fate Society and the Ritual Society, perhaps to calculate an auspicious day."

"..." What day are we counting? Lu Xuejin remained silent for a moment, unwilling to bring up the matter again.

He and Ziyan passed by a shop selling cloud lanterns and saw cloud lanterns with plum blossom patterns. The plum blossoms in his house withered and fell in just a few days.

Ziyan followed his gaze, but neither of them mentioned it.

On their way back to the palace, as they passed through Zhizhang Hall, Ziyan finally spoke, "His Majesty sent the Ninth Prince to the Grand Tutor's office, and it seems he has been studying with the sons of court officials recently."

Finally, Ziyan added, "Still as a prince."

Lu Xuejin looked at the palace not far away, with the three characters "Zhizhang Palace" written on it. The characters were sharp and continuous, and the atmosphere was imposing.

This was the calligraphy he received as the top reward when the late emperor was alive. After Xue Yi ascended the throne, he changed the furnishings of many palaces, but this one was still preserved.

"Prince?" Lu Xuejin murmured these two words, and he couldn't help but sigh. Perhaps it was as he suspected, that they had come up with some new way to humiliate the child.

Thinking of Murong Yue, he pictured the man kneeling in the snow, looking helpless as he held the plum blossoms. He inexplicably thought of the angry-eyed dolls in New Year's paintings—scenes that evoked pity.

"Young master, would you like to go in and take a look? The students have petitioned several times, requesting that you come and teach them," Ziyan asked him.

Lu Xuejin paused slightly, but only for a moment, his eyes involuntarily turning to the girl beside him.

“Ziyan, these are all sons of newly rich families. What do you think will happen to him in school?”

Ziyan: "The Ninth Prince is intelligent and modest, and he will surely be appreciated by the Grand Tutor."

As soon as they finished speaking, they spotted the people in the distance. Zhizhang Hall was the academy for emperors to govern in person, and entry required the emperor's personal instruction. In other words, those currently inside were mostly close officials of the new emperor.

Grand Tutor Li passed away a few days ago; the current Grand Tutor of Zhizhang Hall is Grand Tutor Zhao.

The willows growing outside Zhizhang Hall are over a hundred years old. In winter, the weeping willows are withered, with only a few green leaves peeking out from the branches, vibrant and delicate.

Inside the hall, the Grand Tutor, clad in a red official robe, was lecturing, the burning sandalwood incense mingling with the rustling of books. Before the first month of the lunar calendar was over, Murong Yue stood outside the hall, before a small window, upon which rested a small booklet.

The boy stood straight, his background like a budding maple tree. From a distance, his eyes and brows looked serious, his ears and cheeks were red from the cold, and his hands holding the book were still wrapped in gauze.

Lu Xuejin and Ziyan were behind the willow tree, their figures perfectly concealed by the eaves. As it was time to rest, small groups of people emerged from the hall.

When passing by Murong Yue on his way out, everyone avoided him like the plague. Grand Tutor Zhao came out from the main gate and spoke to the students beside him, as if the young man outside the hall was nothing.

"Hey, do you guys even know how to write the character for 'dog' in 'a stray dog'?" With a sneer, several figures appeared in front of the palace gate.

“I know how to write it. First, the father and elder brother must hang themselves in front of the city wall. Second, set a big fire and burn down the eaves of your own house. Then, bow down and wag your tail at your master. Call out ‘Father’ twice.”

The boys burst into laughter, their mocking laughter echoing through the hall. The boy in the lead brushed past Murong Yue and bumped heavily into his shoulder, causing the book in Murong Yue's hand to fall to the ground.

"..." Lu Xuejin witnessed this scene firsthand and asked, "Who is the boy in the lead?"

Ziyan: "Reporting to Young Master, it is Liu Mingde, the nephew of Lord Liu of the Ministry of Rites. Lord Liu strongly supports the matter of making her empress, and she is now being appreciated by the Emperor."

"...Xue Yi is so carefree. If you and I were in office in the court, we would probably be able to gain power as well," Lu Xuejin said.

Ziyan remained silent, watching as the boy bent down to pick up the books, only to have his finger broken by Liu Mingde's foot. She observed her young master's expression, wondering how long he would remain bystander.

"The Grand Tutor forbids you from attending classes in the palace, but I, this young master, can. Just crawl between my legs and call me 'Young Master Liu' twice. Then I'll consider it, how about it?"

Outside the Zhizhang Palace, Liu Mingde was surrounded by a group of young men and women, the oldest around twenty and the youngest no more than fourteen. Having grown up in the palace, they were already adept at understanding the ways of the world and knew when to watch the show and when to join in. They paid no attention to the now-fallen prince of the former dynasty.

"..." Murong Yue raised his eyelids slightly, a deep melancholy settling in his eyes.

Dealing with such an idiot... if Xue Yi finds out, it will definitely cause trouble.

"Young Master Liu...which Young Master Liu?"

As he was pondering, a melodious voice suddenly rang out, and the air fell silent. He sensed some indescribable change.

Beneath the weeping willows, the young man stood tall, with the green willow palace wall behind him as a backdrop. His face was bright and fair, and his temperament was calm and serene, like jade. The cool moonlight shone down, making people feel ashamed of their own appearance.

...what kind of change.

Before Murong Yue could react, the boy who had been making things difficult for him was struck as if he had been hit, and he staggered back several steps in the blink of an eye.

“You…you are here…Lord Lu…I…I…” The young man named Liu Mingde’s face turned pale and then red, and he stood there helplessly. After he came to his senses, he immediately bent down to pick up the books for him.

“Lord Lu… I was just joking with him. I… I didn’t mean that.” The other person picked up the book and handed it to him.

Murong Yue remained motionless, but the group of young men and women behind him suddenly became reserved. Their previously indifferent expressions vanished, replaced by a tense and uneasy demeanor.

What kind of change? That would cause the despicable to feel unbearable shame.

Liu Mingde: "We had written several letters, but His Majesty ignored them... We thought you wouldn't come."

A group of young men and women looked at Lu Xuejin with shyness and curiosity. The name of the top scholar had been written into history, and his articles were recited repeatedly every day. Many of them entered the Zhizhang Hall just to see Lu Xuejin.

Lu Xuejin: "Young Master, you're too kind... I'm not on duty in the court, so there's no need to call me 'Sir.' I just happened to be passing by and saw someone listening to a lecture outside the hall. I wonder what mistake he made... and why he was punished by Grand Tutor Zhao."

“If it weren’t an unforgivable mistake, I would like to plead for him. Learning is a difficult journey, and a minor mistake shouldn’t be enough to shut him out of the halls of knowledge. What do you all think?” Lu Xuejin asked.

"He...he didn't do anything wrong. If he did make a mistake, it might be the mistake of cowardly clinging to life. Lord Lu must know who he is. The Grand Tutor, a man of integrity, cannot tolerate spineless cowards, and naturally, he would not accept him as a student. You saw it just now! He didn't flinch in the face of humiliation...If you hadn't come over, perhaps he really would have crawled into my...crawled into my private parts." Liu Mingde was ashamed to utter those two words, and for some reason, he always felt that speaking such filthy words in front of a young man was a desecration.

“You don’t need to plead for him… I don’t think he has any interest in learning. Although the Grand Tutor refused to see him, he pretended not to care. If he went to plead with the Grand Tutor, why would the Grand Tutor refuse to see him?” Liu Mingde said loudly.

"..." Murong Yue listened from the sidelines, sneering inwardly. His two faces were truly disgusting. He hadn't been angry when he was being bullied, but seeing this person acting coquettishly towards the young man made him inexplicably angry.

The flame had just emerged when it was extinguished by the young man's next words.

"So, putting aside the Grand Tutor's behavior, has he done anything to displease you all?" Lu Xuejin asked.

Lu Xuejin: "Based solely on rumors, the alleged evidence is all false. If you listen to such hearsay, you will step into a murky river from which you will find it difficult to uncover the truth. A gentleman does not use his superiority to bully the weak. Since you all sought an audience with me, I have come here today. It seems we are destined to meet... My so-called request is that you will not make things difficult for him today, what do you say?"

“We didn’t make things difficult for him,” Liu Mingde said, stopping himself in his tracks.

Murong Yue remained kneeling on one knee, while the young man stood in front of him, his slender figure blocking the view of the person in front.

He stared at the young man's back, from his hair to his profile, to the pale skin of his neck. This man... no matter how others slandered him, he still believed in him, and thought he was not someone who would live a life of cowardice.

The young man reached out his hand to him, his palm still bearing the gauze that the other man had wrapped around him a few days ago, which he hadn't removed for some reason.

“Come with me,” Lu Xuejin said to him.

He then stood up. Lu Xuejin said something to them, and he looked down at his palm. The temperature of his palm felt like a furnace, suddenly burning his heart. With the book in his hand, his gloomy thoughts receded, replaced by an indescribable emotion.

"Why...why are you here?" he asked, his eyes darting around uncertainly.

“I was just passing by,” Lu Xuejin said. “I happened to see you outside the hall. How was Grand Tutor Zhao’s lecture? Were you able to concentrate on it while you were outside?”

Murong Yue stared at the young man's palm and answered absentmindedly, "I can still understand."

After his mother and elder sister died... he hadn't felt warmth for a long time. In this suffocating, power-hungry palace, being beside the young man inexplicably allowed him to catch his breath. The young man's presence beside him dispelled all the anger he had felt due to injustice, transforming into a longing for warmth.

“…This can’t go on forever outside the palace,” Lu Xuejin said, holding the child’s hand, which was icy cold. The child’s knee injury from a few days ago hadn’t healed yet, and now it was frostbitten again. He wondered how the injury was.

He spoke, but the boy behind him remained silent for a long time. He glanced sideways, wondering what Murong Yue was thinking. Today's events might leave a lasting shadow. The boy was only seventeen, disliked by his teachers and bullied by his classmates. Thinking of this, he didn't know how to comfort him.

Lu Xuejin thought quietly for a long time, then said thoughtfully, "We don't need to take other people's words to heart. I don't think it's as they say. In my opinion, Your Highness is already quite remarkable."

Was I being a bit too harsh? Lu Xuejin pondered, when the person behind him stopped walking, and he paused a second later.

Murong Yue hugged him.

He felt the boy's nose brush against his neck, a cool fragrance suddenly invading him. Never since he was young had he been so close to anyone, the other's breath resting on his ear. He stood frozen, unsure how to react. Perhaps the child was acting out of gratitude…

"Ninth Prince," Lu Xuejin called out, turning her head.

The boy huddled against him, silent. He called out, but received no response, only clinging to him, unwilling to let go. He had brought back a piece of rice cake. He couldn't help but speak softly.

"...Your Highness, is this someone trying to be affectionate with me?"

A note from the author: