Zhao Baozhu stared for a moment before recognizing him, his face lighting up. “Lord Lan!”
The man on horseback was the kind gate guard who had helped him when he first arrived in the capital.
Zhao Baozhu’s eyes brightened, a smile spreading across his face. He wanted to step forward, but was somewhat afraid of the horse, so he awkwardly stopped half a step away from its head.
“It’s been a while, Juren Zhao, have you been well?” The soldier surnamed Lan seemed to notice his unease, holding the reins firmly with one hand and nodding to him, giving him a quick once-over. “I saw you from afar earlier and thought I might be mistaken.”
Hearing this, Zhao Baozhu smiled sheepishly. “I must have looked quite disheveled that day, sorry to have been a laughingstock, Lord Lan.”
The man smiled as well, the lantern light reflecting in his deep-set eyes. “My name is Lan Yu. If you don’t mind, just call me by my name.”
Since childhood, Zhao Baozhu had admired the great generals who rode across battlefields in books. Seeing Lan Yu’s tall and imposing figure, he felt even more respect. He pursed his lips shyly and said, “Brother Lan.”
Lan Yu smiled slightly. “That works.”
Zhao Baozhu looked around and, not seeing any other soldiers nearby, asked, “Brother Lan, what brings you here?”
Lan Yu said, “There are many people at the temple fair today. His Majesty sent us here to patrol.”
“Ah.” Zhao Baozhu nodded with lingering fear. “There really are too many people.”
As he spoke, he looked enviously at the fine horse Lan Yu was riding. Though he was afraid of horses, riding one looked incredibly imposing. From atop the saddle one could overlook the crowds below, instead of struggling awkwardly like him, standing on tiptoe and craning his neck.
Seeing his expression, Lan Yu smiled again and lowered his voice.
“Juren Zhao, there is something I need to return to you.”
Hearing this, Zhao Baozhu looked up in confusion. What could Lan Yu possibly have to give him? Then he saw Lan Yu lower his head and take something from inside his robes. The faint reddish glow of the lanterns before the poetry society illuminated the yellowed paper and the faded ink stains upon it.
Zhao Baozhu had endured countless hardships on his journey to the capital and had protected these sheets close to his chest every moment of the way. He remembered every tear and wrinkle on them clearly.
At a single glance, Zhao Baozhu recognized that what Lan Yu held was his name card.
The item he had searched for throughout the entire capital without success now lay steadily in Lan Yu’s hand, extended before him.
“When I found this at the city gate that day, I intended to return it to you,” Lan Yu explained slowly. “But I searched through the inns along Yongyang Street and couldn’t find you. I planned to hand it over to the Government Studies Bureau tomorrow, but happened to run into you today instead.”
Zhao Baozhu stared blankly at the name card.
For a moment, the noisy voices around him seemed separated by a lake of water, distant and indistinct.
“Juren Zhao?”
Lan Yu’s somewhat puzzled voice sounded out.
Zhao Baozhu trembled slightly and only then came back to himself. Instantly, a wave of ecstatic joy crashed over him. He reached out and seized his name card, flipping it over and over in his hands before rubbing the dry, rough paper surface. After confirming it truly was his, he leapt up in delight.
“It’s my name card! I found it! So it was Brother Lan who picked it up!”
Clutching the card happily, Zhao Baozhu spun around several times on the spot, cheeks flushed red as he bounced excitedly.
Seeing how delighted he was, a faint smile appeared on Lan Yu’s face as well.
Only after quite a while did Zhao Baozhu calm down slightly. Gripping the name card tightly, he looked up at Lan Yu on horseback with eyes full of gratitude.
“Ever since I lost this name card, I’ve searched for so long. I thought I’d never find it again. Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to sit for the spring examinations. Brother Lan is my lifesaver!”
His eyes glimmered faintly with moisture from excitement. “I truly don’t know how to thank you.”
Lan Yu smiled. “It was only a small effort. No need for thanks. That we happened to meet here may be fate itself. Juren Zhao will surely achieve great success in this spring examination.”
Zhao Baozhu immediately smiled even brighter and cupped his hands toward him cheerfully. “Then I’ll borrow Lord Lan’s auspicious words!”
“Only,” Lan Yu said with some confusion, “where is Juren Zhao currently staying? It seems you never lodged at any of the inns I recommended.”
At this, Zhao Baozhu recalled the whole series of foolish things he had done and laughed awkwardly before tucking the name card into his robes.
“That’s… a long story—”
Before he could finish, a slightly cool voice suddenly sounded behind him. “Baozhu.”
Zhao Baozhu paused and turned around, just in time to see Ye Jinghua making his way through the crowd. With jet-black hair and a jade-like face, he held an orange-and-red fox mask in his right hand. Standing head and shoulders above the crowd, he drew the gaze of countless passersby.
Instinctively, Zhao Baozhu called out, “Young Master.”
Ye Jinghua walked over expressionlessly and handed him the mask. After his gaze swept over Zhao Baozhu once, he lifted his eyes toward the person behind him.
Lan Yu’s voice sounded. “Greetings, Second Young Master Ye.”
Zhao Baozhu blinked in surprise. These two knew each other?
Lan Yu lowered his hand, equally surprised. Seeing Zhao Baozhu and Ye Jinghua standing together, though there was no overt action, an unspoken intimacy lingered in their posture. He frowned slightly.
Ye Jinghua, however, had already withdrawn his gaze and lowered his head toward Zhao Baozhu. “You were talking just now?”
Zhao Baozhu froze, then hurriedly explained, “Lord Lan picked up… my item and specially came to return it.”
The words “name card” were already on the tip of his tongue, yet somehow he failed to say them.
Only after finishing did Zhao Baozhu pause in confusion. Huh? Why hadn’t he said it?
Ye Jinghua, however, showed no suspicion. His gaze lingered briefly on Zhao Baozhu’s face before he looked toward Lan Yu. “So Guard Lan knows Baozhu.”
There was not the slightest hint of a question in his tone.
Lan Yu paused at the way he addressed Zhao Baozhu and was just about to speak when Zhao Baozhu hurriedly cut in first. “Young Master, when I first arrived in the capital, Brother Lan was guarding the city gates. He helped me a great deal.”
Lan Yu could only close his mouth.
Hearing this, Ye Jinghua nodded. Raising a hand, he lightly gathered Zhao Baozhu by the shoulder and subtly drew him farther away from the horse’s head.
“In that case, I thank Guard Lan on Baozhu’s behalf. A gift of thanks will be delivered to your residence tomorrow.”
Lan Yu glanced at Zhao Baozhu, who was now faintly sheltered behind Ye Jinghua, and said, “Second Young Master Ye is too courteous. It was only a small effort.” After speaking, he cupped his hands. “This subordinate still has imperial duties to carry out, so I won’t disturb the two of you further.”
With that, he tugged lightly on the reins. The horse obediently turned around and headed into the distance.
Watching horse and rider depart, Zhao Baozhu tilted his head. “Young Master, do you know Brother Lan?”
Ye Jinghua withdrew his gaze and replied indifferently, “I’ve seen him several times in the palace.” After a pause, he added, “He is the only son of Commandant Lan and currently serves as an imperial guard.”
“An imperial guard?” Zhao Baozhu was startled. He had assumed Lan Yu was only an ordinary soldier. Unable to help himself, he sighed, “How impressive.”
Ye Jinghua paused slightly, lowering his eyes. His gaze settled on Zhao Baozhu’s profile. Unaware of his stare, Zhao Baozhu murmured, “Brother Lan is so tall and imposing.”
Then he asked curiously, “Shouldn’t imperial guards stay in the palace at all times protecting His Majesty? If they’re all outside, what about the emperor’s safety?”
Ye Jinghua slowly withdrew his gaze. One hand loosely encircled Zhao Baozhu’s waist and back, shielding him as he guided him out through the crowd.
“There’s more than one imperial guard. His Majesty periodically rotates them out for various duties.”
Though from now on, he certainly would not mind arranging for Lan Yu to spend more time inside the palace.
“I see.” Zhao Baozhu nodded, extremely interested in such a prestigious position. “Then how does one become an imperial guard? Do they only select those with extremely high martial skills?”
Ye Jinghua glanced at him again. Seeing Zhao Baozhu’s shining eyes and eager expression, his tone became even cooler. “Some inherit the position through family privilege.”
“Oh.” Zhao Baozhu looked slightly disappointed, but quickly perked up again. “Then what about the sword at Brother Lan’s waist? Is it real? Is it truly like the legends say, able to cut iron like mud and kill with a single strike?”
By now the two had already emerged from the crowd. Ye Jinghua withdrew the hand behind Zhao Baozhu’s waist, his dark brows lowering slightly, a trace of chill appearing along his profile. “Of course it’s real.”
Only then did Zhao Baozhu finally realize from Ye Jinghua’s sparse replies that something was off. Ye Jinghua did not seem to be in a very good mood.
Maybe he had asked too many questions and annoyed the Young Master.
Closing his mouth, Zhao Baozhu carefully glanced at Ye Jinghua and fell half a step behind him.
It was nearly the third watch now. Much of the bustling crowd had dispersed, and the cool spring night breeze carried the fragrance of riverside grasses around Zhao Baozhu.
He followed behind Ye Jinghua in silence.
Taking a deep breath before slowly letting it out, he thought of the name card he had finally recovered. Yet amid the joy, he unexpectedly found a trace of vague melancholy lingering in his heart.
Now that he had recovered the name card, he should tell Ye Jinghua about his juren status immediately.
Quietly thinking this, Zhao Baozhu carefully looked at Ye Jinghua’s back. Earlier, the words had reached his lips several times, yet each time he failed to say them. He had even interrupted Lan Yu before he could utter the words “Juren Zhao.”
But concealing the truth intentionally was not the conduct of a gentleman.
Lowering his head, Zhao Baozhu touched the place over his chest where the name card rested. Why couldn’t he say it?
The worst possibility would only be that Ye Jinghua viewed him as a sly flatterer who had deliberately hidden his identity to get close to the son of the Prime Minister—
At that thought, Zhao Baozhu suddenly halted.
Ye Jinghua’s cold, disdainful expression surfaced in his mind, and the softest place in his heart felt as though someone had viciously squeezed it.
Pressing his lips together, Zhao Baozhu unconsciously slowed his steps. Feeling miserable, he secretly scolded himself inwardly. Was he really so reluctant to part with the glory and wealth of the Ye residence?
If Ye Jinghua wanted to drive him away, then he would leave. So what if it took him ten or even twenty years to repay the favor? One day, surely Ye Jinghua would believe he had not concealed the truth intentionally…
Lost in thought, Zhao Baozhu failed to notice that Ye Jinghua, upon realizing he had not caught up, had already stopped and waited for him. Now he had turned back and returned.
A shadow fell over Zhao Baozhu.
Startled, he blinked and looked up straight into Ye Jinghua’s lowered eyes.
Standing only a step away, with the tavern lights around them dimmed, Ye Jinghua’s eyes resembled black jade. “What are you thinking about?” he asked softly.
Zhao Baozhu stared at him blankly and, for some reason, suddenly blurted out: “Young Master… would you drive me away?”
The surrounding crowds had thinned, and the night had quieted somewhat, making Zhao Baozhu’s slightly lost voice especially clear.
Ye Jinghua visibly froze.
Then his brows slowly drew together. Taking a step closer, he fixed his gaze tightly on Zhao Baozhu’s face.
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
His dark brows pressed low, turning his usual relaxed elegance into something stern and imposing.
Earlier, when Zhao Baozhu had failed to catch up for so long, Ye Jinghua had looked back and seen the young man hanging his head low in apparent dejection, one hand pressed against his chest.
Just now, because Zhao Baozhu had exchanged a few extra words with Lan Yu, he himself had openly shown displeasure. He had probably hurt Baozhu’s feelings.
For perhaps the first time in his life, Ye Jinghua felt a trace of regret.
It truly had not been anything important, yet he had acted so childishly and shown Baozhu such an obvious face. Baozhu had come alone to the capital, isolated and without family, suffering who knew how many hardships. He was still so young, naturally he must feel insecure inside…
Seeing that Ye Jinghua’s expression was not good, Zhao Baozhu finally reacted and slowly opened his mouth: “Ah… young master, I didn’t–”
“It was my fault.”
The man’s low voice cut him off. Zhao Baozhu’s eyes widened as he saw Ye Jinghua raise his hand, lightly touch the side of his ear with his knuckles, then turn to grasp his hand: “Baozhu, forgive me this once, alright?”
He lowered his eyes as he spoke.
Zhao Baozhu was full of astonishment, not knowing why Ye Jinghua was apologizing, but his face honestly flushed first, his mouth open yet unable to speak.
It was as if shattered starlight lay within Ye Jinghua’s eyes, his expression unbelievably gentle: “Baozhu, spare me this once, will you?”
Dazed, Zhao Baozhu nodded vigorously. He felt as if his sudden ailment had returned, his heart beating so fast it seemed about to leap out of his mouth.
Seeing this, Ye Jinghua’s gaze softened, and he said gently, “To trouble you with worry for no reason was my fault. I will never drive you out of the residence.”
Zhao Baozhu looked up, his cat-like eyes bright as he gazed at Ye Jinghua. Though he understood that Ye Jinghua spoke this way only because he did not know the truth, he still couldn’t help but feel deeply moved.
The young master was truly a reasonable and gentle master.
Ye Jinghua looked at him with a smile, raised his hand to rest on Zhao Baozhu’s shoulder, and drew him along as they walked outward: “Let’s return to the residence.”
For the moment, Zhao Baozhu set aside his worries, becoming once more like sticky rice cake glued to Ye Jinghua’s side, master and servant reconciled as before. Following him toward the carriage, Zhao Baozhu suddenly thought of something and looked up: “Young master, then if one day I want to leave?”
Ye Jinghua’s steps paused, and he turned his head slightly: “Go where?”
“This…” Zhao Baozhu hesitated, lowering his head and speaking vaguely, “I mean… I can’t rely on the young master’s support forever… maybe in the future I’ll go somewhere else…”
“No.”
Ye Jinghua said in a low voice.
Just then a light breeze passed by, and Zhao Baozhu didn’t hear him clearly. He blinked and looked up: “What did you say, young master?”
Ye Jinghua did not repeat himself, instead turning his gaze away, one hand resting on Zhao Baozhu’s shoulder: “Nothing. It’s already the third watch, let’s return quickly.”
“Oh.” Zhao Baozhu nodded, quickening his pace, yet still curiously asked, “Young master, you still haven’t answered me. If later I want to leave the residence…”
Ye Jinghua’s lips flattened as he cast him a cool glance. Because of what had just happened, he held back from saying anything harsh, and only said lightly: “When you pass as a jinshi, I will allow you to leave the residence.”
Zhao Baozhu froze at once. Ye Jinghua seemed to have said it casually; after speaking, he turned his head away, said “let’s go,” and led Zhao Baozhu toward the carriage.
Yet those words echoed in Zhao Baozhu’s mind, leaving him unable to recover for a long time. It was as if he heard something heavy crashing to the ground, everything already destined in the unseen.
