Chapter Nineteen (Second Watch)

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Pei Ze took Qi Yunmiao out for a boat ride.

After tidying her appearance and putting on the only cloak she had, Qi Yunmiao set out with him.

It was not until they reached the lakeside that she learned Pei Ze was not taking her boating alone. He was meeting several of his classmates.

The Imperial Academy would begin its winter recess at the end of the twelfth month. The students could either remain there during the holiday or return home.

Of the four young men who shared Pei Ze’s courtyard, only he and Song Su would be going home. The other two were not from the capital, and their homes lay so far away that the journey there and back would waste too much time. They had therefore decided to remain at the Imperial Academy throughout the recess.

Before the holiday began, the four had arranged to meet and take a boat out to the middle of the lake.

The winter sunlight in the capital was not warm at all. Sometimes it appeared golden, hanging above the mountaintops, yet gave off not the slightest trace of heat.

Especially now, as the sun was setting.

Qi Yunmiao followed Pei Ze, clutching her cloak tightly around herself, until they reached his three other classmates.

The three boys displayed varying degrees of astonishment. They were utterly amazed that Pei Ze had brought a little girl with him.

Fortunately, Song Su and He Yan had met Qi Yunmiao before. Once their surprise passed, they greeted her one after another.

“Hello, little sister!”

“Little sister, it’s been ages!”

Only one of them had never met her. Pei Ze introduced him.

“This is Wu Yezhou. And this is…” He paused briefly before continuing, “my younger sister.”

Qi Yunmiao noticed the hesitation in his voice when he introduced her.

She glanced at Pei Ze and pretended not to have heard it, simply offering Wu Yezhou a proper bow.

Wu Yezhou looked like an affable elder brother as well. Once he learned who she was, he smiled and addressed her just as the others did.

“Little sister.”

Qi Yunmiao had no objection.

They boarded the boat at sunset, and the boatman began rowing them toward the center of the lake.

“Hey, little sister, what made you suddenly want to come boating with us today?”

The cabin was spacious. Besides the equipment needed for the boat, it contained lanterns, a kettle, and shawls. Most importantly, there was a complete set of implements for brewing tea over a brazier, as well as a broad table covered with all sorts of food. Pitch-pot, leaf cards, and every other amusement were also fully provided.

Qi Yunmiao had barely settled herself in the cabin and had not yet finished looking around when He Yan asked her a question.

She blinked and turned toward him.

“Her school is on holiday, and she’s been bored senseless at home these past few days.”

Before she could answer, Pei Ze had already replied for her from beside her.

Her body swayed with the boat, and she nodded.

“Mhm. I was bored at home.”

“I see.” He Yan smiled. “Then why didn’t you come to the Imperial Academy to play?”

Was the Imperial Academy somewhere she could simply visit whenever she pleased?

Qi Yunmiao did not quite understand.

She looked at Pei Ze again, and heard him say, “She doesn’t want to disturb anyone.”

“Coming by once in a while hardly counts as disturbing anyone. Zhaolin’s younger siblings have come several times too!” He Yan said unconcernedly, turning to Song Su. “Haven’t they?”

Song Su nodded. “That’s right. A-Xiao and Qingyu have both come quite a few times.”

“Exactly!” He Yan said. “Little sister, whenever you’re bored in the future, you can come to the Imperial Academy and play with us!”

He sounded so enthusiastic that Qi Yunmiao naturally found it difficult to refuse. She was just about to agree when Pei Ze spoke ahead of her once again.

“She doesn’t like it.”

What? When had she ever said she disliked it?

Qi Yunmiao turned her dissatisfied gaze toward Pei Ze.

But Pei Ze was the one who had brought her out to play today.

No matter how displeased she was, Qi Yunmiao could only swallow it down.

He Yan looked from Qi Yunmiao to Pei Ze and felt that he had begun to understand the peculiarities of this pair of siblings.

He slapped his thigh.

“What’s gotten into you, Jingxuan? I’m talking to little sister—why are you answering every question? Are you a worm in her stomach?”

Pei Ze raised an eyebrow and glanced at him.

He Yan had asked Qi Yunmiao three questions, and Pei Ze had answered every one on her behalf.

Yet when it came to his own question, he had nothing to say.

He Yan found this utterly amusing and was about to tease him a little more when Song Su finished warming several oranges.

He handed each person a roasted orange. Afraid that Qi Yunmiao might burn herself, he peeled hers first and set it aside until it had cooled to a comfortable warmth before giving it to her.

“Thank you, Brother Song!” Qi Yunmiao said.

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“You’re welcome!”

Song Su flashed a radiant smile, making the two dimples in his cheeks especially prominent.

He Yan looked from one person to the next. Seeing how attentively Song Su was caring for Qi Yunmiao, he refused to be outdone and began pouring her tea from the pot already boiling over the brazier.

“Here you are—the finest Dragon Well tea, picked before the Grain Rain, straight from Qiantang. Careful, little sister, it’s hot!”

Qi Yunmiao hurriedly accepted the tea and thanked him as well.

“Thank you, Brother He!”

“No thanks needed, no thanks needed!” He Yan said cheerfully.

He loved seeing Qi Yunmiao smile.

Her face was round, and although her cheeks seemed a little darker from the sun after several days apart, whenever she smiled, her perfectly proportioned features reminded him of a little sparrow in spring, brimming with life.

He Yan had several younger sisters at home, all around Qi Yunmiao’s age. To him, seeing Qi Yunmiao was no different from seeing one of his own sisters.

The group sat in the cabin, chatting and laughing for a while, until Wu Yezhou asked, “This Dragon Well tea picked before the Grain Rain—is it from Qiantang?”

“Yes,” He Yan replied. “My family sent it.”

Wu Yezhou then asked, “When the Chancellor went south to Jiangnan this time, did he pass through Qiantang?”

For no apparent reason, he had suddenly brought up Pei Xun.

Everyone in the cabin’s expression shifted. Pei Ze gave a vague acknowledgment.

“Mhm.”

“Ah.” Wu Yezhou sighed. “I heard the Chancellor went south to inspect the people’s circumstances and see how things stood after the floods. In another two years, we will all be taking the civil examinations. I truly wonder whether we shall have the chance, like the Chancellor, to serve the court and the people.”

“Why think about such things when nothing has happened yet?” Seeing Pei Ze’s expression gradually darken, He Yan said, “I only hope that once you become a high-ranking official, Lord Wu, you won’t forget your classmates!”

“Hey, hey, hey! You all have far greater prospects than I do.” Wu Yezhou waved his hands.

He was not being modest.

Of the four young men in their courtyard, one was the Chancellor’s son, another was the son of the Vice Minister of Rites—both sons of powerful officials in the capital. As for He Yan, though his family lived in Jiangzhou, his father was the governor of Jiangzhou, a magistrate who presided over an entire region.

Only Wu Yezhou came from the humblest background. He had risen through his own efforts and examination results.

“All right, enough,” He Yan said. “It’s rare that we’ve come out to enjoy ourselves. Let’s not talk about these things. Drink your tea—this is the finest Dragon Well!”

Under He Yan’s urging, Wu Yezhou finally took a sip.

But after drinking, he said, “By the way, I heard someone at the Imperial Academy say that Prince Ning will be returning to the capital before long. I wonder what sort of bloody turmoil his return will bring.”

“Tsk…”

For some reason, that man was always eager to discuss affairs of state.

Pei Ze now wore his impatience plainly on his face. Even mild-tempered Song Su was beginning to find it difficult to listen.

“Yezhou, give it a rest for one day. The world won’t end if you stop worrying about the court!” he said.

“But…”

“Ah, enough, enough. Drink your tea…”

Wu Yezhou still wanted to say more, but He Yan swiftly topped up his cup, filling his throat with tea.

For quite some time afterward, Wu Yezhou could say nothing at all.

Qi Yunmiao sat to one side, listening to their conversation.

She knew that Pei Xun had gone to Jiangnan, but who was Prince Ning? She did not think she had ever heard of him.

Well, ever since she entered the Chancellor’s residence, she had heard of more and more members of the great noble families—from Pei Xun, the Chancellor, to the Vice Minister from the Song family, then the Duke of Dingguo and the Marquis of Lingyang, and now Prince Ning.

Still, hearing of them was one thing. Qi Yunmiao had never felt any particular longing for the aristocratic clans and their exalted status.

Could noble rank truly be something one was born destined to possess?

As the boat rocked gently from side to side, it finally carried them to the middle of the lake.

When they had first boarded, the sky outside had still been flushed crimson, as though ablaze. But by the time Qi Yunmiao stepped out of the boat, she discovered that darkness had nearly fallen so completely that she could barely see her own hand.

She stood at the bow, swaying several times, and nearly lost her footing and tumbled into the lake.

In the darkness, a hand reached out and gripped her arm.

Qi Yunmiao turned her head. Through the hazy lantern light, she saw Pei Ze’s figure.

“Brother…” she said softly.

“Mhm. Go on up.”

Pei Ze’s voice was cold and firm. Along with the biting night wind over the middle of the lake, it slipped into her ears.

Qi Yunmiao did not know why, but despite the boat’s unsteady rocking, the moment she heard Pei Ze’s voice, an inexplicable sense of security settled over her.

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She nodded. With his support, she gathered up the hem of her cloak and finally stepped onto the pavilion in the middle of the lake.

That night, they warmed themselves around a fire in the lakeside pavilion, ate roast chicken, and reveled in the lake and mountains—scenery that could not be seen in the daytime.

The cold wind swept past them, yet not one of them felt cold.

Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, the leaf cards and pitch-pot they had brought in the cabin came into play.

“Little sister, do you know how to play leaf cards?”

“Pitch-pot, then! Pitch-pot will do!”

The group chattered noisily.

Qi Yunmiao was surrounded in the middle. She did not know how to play leaf cards, though she could play pitch-pot.

“Oh, no, wait. Little sister, you managed to hit the bull’s-eye with an arrow last time. I’m not playing pitch-pot with you! Let’s play leaf cards instead!”

He Yan slapped his forehead as he remembered what had happened when Qi Yunmiao visited the Imperial Academy before. No matter what she said, he refused to play pitch-pot with her.

Qi Yunmiao could only play leaf cards with them.

But she did not know how to play those either.

“How about this? You play with Jingxuan and have him teach you!” He Yan arranged everything for her in a few words.

Then he said, “Little sister, Jingxuan is the best leaf-card player among us. Ask him to help you. Whatever stakes he wins today, I’ll give them all to you as spending money!”

By then, He Yan had become just as familiar with Qi Yunmiao as Song Su had.

He called her “little sister” at every turn, prompting Qi Yunmiao to hurry and look toward Pei Ze.

Pei Ze tugged at the corner of his mouth, amused as he watched the two of them.

Without even asking his permission, they had already made all sorts of arrangements for him.

But since they had come all this way, returning without playing anything would indeed be dull.

He called Qi Yunmiao to sit beside him.

There were five people, but only four positions around the table.

With Pei Ze guiding Qi Yunmiao, they won nearly every hand that night. They did not achieve an overwhelming victory, but they won eight or nine games out of ten.

In the end, just as He Yan had predicted, Qi Yunmiao carried a great many chips home with her.

It was already deep into the night when they returned.

The five of them chatted and warmed themselves by the fire, and before they knew it, they had reached the shore.

Qi Yunmiao followed Pei Ze home, while the others returned to their respective residences.

Her mood had risen and fallen too dramatically throughout the day.

As she sat in the carriage home, Qi Yunmiao was still exhilarated and found it difficult to settle down.

She looked at her chips, then at the nighttime scenery along the streets, replaying everything that had happened during their outing. She fidgeted as though needles had been stuck beneath her, unable to remain seated for long.

Only when Pei Ze looked at her without a trace of emotion did she finally fall silent, not daring to make another move.

Still, when they were nearly home, Qi Yunmiao shifted against the back of the carriage.

“Brother…”

“Mhm?”

Pei Ze turned his head and opened his previously closed eyes.

Qi Yunmiao’s cheeks bloomed with a smile.

“Thank you, Brother. I had such a wonderful day!”

“…”

Pei Ze looked at her without answering at once.

Only after a long while did his reply finally sound within the carriage.

“Mhm.”

Neither light nor heavy.