Chapter 20

The Imperial Academy had also begun its winter break.

Ever since their return from the lake excursion, the frequency with which Qi Yunmiao encountered Pei Ze at home had increased significantly. She woke early every day for her training and would occasionally bump into him as he headed out. Sometimes, when Nanny Fang prepared new pastries and asked her to deliver them to Pei Ze, she would invariably find him in his study.

According to Nanny Fang, Pei Ze would be sitting for the imperial examinations in a year or two, so even during the winter break, he spent most of his time at home focused on his studies. The entire household treated the young master's upcoming examinations as their highest priority, and no one dared to distract him.

Qi Yunmiao nodded, though she only half-understood. She knew that men could take the imperial examinations, and those with aspirations to enter officialdom usually began preparing for the local prefectural exams around the age of fifteen or sixteen, followed by the metropolitan and then the palace examinations. Pei Ze was already fourteen, turning fifteen after the New Year; it was only natural that he would be facing the exams within a couple of years.

"If the young master becomes an official in the capital later, that would be fine, but if he is sent far away, who knows where he might be assigned?" Even before the examinations had begun, Nanny Fang was already worrying about his future.

Qi Yunmiao, however, did not share her concern. "I actually think going away would be quite good," she said. "The world is so vast; if one were to spend their whole life in the capital, wouldn't that be dreadfully boring?"

"But where else in this world could compare to the capital?" Nanny Fang asked with a smile. In her eyes, the capital was the finest place on earth—the imperial city, the seat of power, the most noble place in existence. There was nowhere more prosperous or flourishing.

"Hmm..."

Yet, to Qi Yunmiao, prosperity and grandeur were not the only ways to measure the value of a place. She had recently been studying poetry, and her tutor had taught her: "The desert smoke rises straight; the long river sets round." The tutor explained that this was a regulated verse describing the magnificence of the borderlands and the vastness of the desert. But she had never seen the desert, nor had she ever been to the frontier. If one read ten thousand books but could not travel ten thousand miles, wasn't that just empty talk on paper?

Nanny Fang was stunned. She had not read as many books as Qi Yunmiao. Lacking money in her youth, she had gone to work early, moving between several households before finally settling down at the Prime Minister’s residence. She could not grasp what Qi Yunmiao meant by "long rivers," "desert sunsets," or "empty talk on paper."

Qi Yunmiao explained the poem and the idioms to her while she painted. Nanny Fang listened attentively and nodded silently. Finally, looking at Qi Yunmiao's painting, she asked, "What is the young lady painting?"

"The pavilion in the middle of the lake in winter!" Qi Yunmiao lifted her scroll.

Although she had completely forgotten the paintings she had seen in Pei Ze’s study, she remembered the scenery clearly from the day he had taken her out on the boat. For her homework, she had decided to capture that scene.

"This is the middle of the lake?" Nanny Fang’s expression was strange. She stared at the painting for a long time before she finally had a moment of realization. "Ah, it is the middle of the lake," she murmured in affirmation.

"..."

Qi Yunmiao took back her painting. Although she knew her skills were not yet ready for public view, Nanny Fang’s tone was truly hurtful. She pouted. Seeing that Qi Yunmiao was upset, Nanny Fang hurried to comfort her: "No, that’s not what I meant, miss! The painting is very good, truly!"

Qi Yunmiao didn't believe her and buried her head back into her work without looking at the nanny.

Nanny Fang had no choice but to say, "Alright, alright. You continue painting, and later I will roast some sweet potatoes for you, and make that date-paste yam cake you love so much. How does that sound?"

Qi Yunmiao swallowed her saliva silently.

But she still had her pride and didn't immediately respond.

Nanny Fang added, "And I'll send someone to the East Market to buy a freshly baked cherry pastry! I guarantee it will still be piping hot when it arrives!"

Very well, Qi Yunmiao finally forgave her. She turned her head and nodded vigorously.

"Such a little glutton," Nanny Fang laughed, patted her head, and left her to her painting while she went off to prepare the afternoon snacks.

—

With her heart set on the date-paste yam cake and the cherry pastry, Qi Yunmiao lost all interest in painting. Holding her brush, she spent half an hour doodling on the paper, achieving nothing, and eventually ruined another sheet. She crumpled the paper into a ball and tossed it into the wastebasket with practiced ease.

After a sigh, she realized she couldn't entirely blame Nanny Fang. Her painting really was quite poor. But she didn't know how to properly depict the lake scenery. With the same brushes and ink, why could others paint mountains that looked like mountains and water that looked like water with such vividness?

As she scratched her head in frustration, a servant from the gatehouse arrived at her courtyard and announced, "Miss, a guest has arrived at the front!"

"A guest?" Qi Yunmiao looked around, puzzled. Why report a guest to her? Couldn't the others handle it? Oh, right, Nanny Fang was busy with her snacks.

"The steward is out today, and the young master is not at home either," the gatekeeper said.

So, it was left to her. Qi Yunmiao rose, smoothed her clothing, and walked out, asking, "Where is the guest from?" She hoped it was someone she knew; otherwise, she wouldn't know how to converse with them. And she hoped it wasn't the Duke of Ding’s residence—she had no desire to deal with that family again.

The servant replied, "They are from the Marquis of Lingyang’s residence!"

—

The Marquis of Lingyang’s residence had sent someone to the Prime Minister’s estate. Qi Yunmiao was baffled as to why.

The visitor was a smiling, white-bearded old gentleman. As soon as he saw Qi Yunmiao, he bowed and asked, "Is this the Prime Minister’s daughter, Miss Qi?"

Qi Yunmiao nodded with a smile, finding the old man quite amiable. After serving tea, the old gentleman explained his purpose: he was the steward of the Marquis of Lingyang’s residence, here to deliver an invitation.

"This is an invitation for the ninetieth birthday banquet of our Old Matriarch. We hope you and the young master will do us the honor of attending."

Qi Yunmiao took the invitation with both hands, astonished. "A ninetieth birthday banquet?"

The steward nodded. The Old Matriarch of the Lingyang Marquis residence was the grandmother of the current Marquis and was rarely seen in the capital due to her advanced age. The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month was her ninetieth birthday. Such milestones were major events, and the Marquis’s residence was naturally going to celebrate it with great fanfare.

Qi Yunmiao was truly stunned. She had never seen a ninety-year-old! In her old village, an elderly woman who lived to eighty-eight was the longest-lived person she had ever known. When that woman turned eighty-five, children from miles around were brought to her to receive her blessings. It seemed the Marquis of Lingyang’s family was truly blessed for their Matriarch to have reached ninety.

After seeing the steward off, Qi Yunmiao stared at the invitation, still feeling amazed. At the same time, she really wanted to go to the banquet. Firstly, she wanted to see the ninety-year-old birthday star; secondly, she hadn't been out since the boat trip, and she hoped to see her friends from school; and thirdly, the Marquis of Lingyang’s residence was said to be a premier military family in the capital—they even had an all-female army! Qi Yunmiao had long dreamed of seeing that.

The invitation was for both her and Pei Ze. She sat in the main hall, waiting for him to return. As soon as Pei Ze stepped through the door, she rushed over, holding the invitation aloft.

"Brother!" she said eagerly. "There’s an invitation here from the Marquis of Lingyang’s residence!"

"The Old Matriarch’s birthday?" Unlike Qi Yunmiao’s excitement, Pei Ze’s expression remained as cold as ever; he hadn't even glanced at the invitation since entering.

Qi Yunmiao paused, her hand holding the scroll mid-air. "How did you know?"

"A classmate received one today."

"Oh!" Qi Yunmiao realized.

Pei Ze didn't stop walking, passing through the hall toward the back courtyard. Qi Yunmiao trailed behind him like a little shadow. "So, Brother, do you plan to go?"

Pei Ze finally turned to look at her. The ten-year-old girl truly had no way of hiding her thoughts—or perhaps she simply didn't want to. Her excitement was written all over her face, her cheeks flushed a color more vibrant than any rouge sold on the street.

*No.*

Pei Ze felt a malicious urge to tease her, to let her taste the feeling of a shattered hope. But as the words reached his lips, he ultimately said, "We shall see."

He turned and walked away, leaving Qi Yunmiao standing there alone. Still feeling unsatisfied, she chased after him again. "Then, Brother, if you don't go, may I go with the Song family’s carriage?"

She was already planning for the possibility of him not going.

So impatient.

Pei Ze felt both a sense of absurdity and a hint of amusement. He stopped and turned to look at her. Qi Yunmiao hadn't expected him to stop so suddenly, and failing to steady herself, she nearly tumbled into his arms. She stepped back in a panic, stammering, "Brother..."

"If I don't go, you will stay at home as well. You are not to run about!"

Pei Ze’s icy tone pierced her ears, chilling her heart like a lake beginning to freeze over in the winter.