The Eastern Palace was bathed in the flickering glow of candlelight.
Jinxi watched his master with concern, continuously grinding ink by his side.
"Master, you should rest for a while."
The Crown Prince, draped in a fox-fur cloak, did not lift his head as he continued writing diligently.
"Cough, it's fine. I'm in good spirits today, and my health seems slightly better."
He wanted to make arrangements for his affairs while he still could, leaving something behind for him.
After returning from the Zhou family, Lu Chao sent Liu Yao to the Song residence to deliver a letter to Lu Yuanzhao.
"Young Master, the Song family lives in the southern part of the city, in the Hundred Flowers Lane. It's not too far from here, but with so many people crammed into a four-courtyard estate, it can't possibly be as comfortable as our place."
Lu Chao had initially assumed the capital was like Yingchuan—where one could build as large a residence as they pleased, as long as they didn’t overstep their rank. He hadn’t expected land in the imperial capital to be so scarce. His own courtyard was already considered spacious, which explained Zhou Qingyuan’s stunned expression when he mentioned looking for a modest four-courtyard home.
The Song family’s uncle held a fifth-rank position as an academician in the Imperial Academy, with three daughters and one son. The three daughters were all born to Madam Song, while the only son was a concubine-born child. If the two families were to form a marriage alliance, it would likely be with the eldest daughter, Jinzhen.
Upon hearing that his younger brother had arrived in the capital, Lu Yuanzhao was eager to rush out to meet him. However, remembering his lessons the next day, he restrained himself and decided to first seek out his uncle in the main courtyard.
The Song uncle had previously heard Lu Yuanzhao mention this younger brother but hadn’t paid much attention. He cleared his schedule for the day after next, reminding Lu Yuanzhao not to let this interfere with his studies, before turning to discuss with Madam Song about sending an invitation to Lu Chao.
"Husband, why has Lu Chao come to the capital alone without any word? And why hasn’t your sister sent a letter?"
Madam Song grumbled in dissatisfaction. A mere boy, and a concubine-born one at that—he could have just entered through the side gate. Why bother with formal invitations?
"Yuanzhao says he has a sharp mind for business. He probably came with a merchant convoy to trade goods."
Hearing that he was involved in trade, Madam Song’s disdain grew.
"He’s not planning to stay with us, is he? There’s barely enough room as it is!"
With over a dozen family members and a crowd of servants, the residence was already cramped. She tolerated Lu Yuanzhao staying for the imperial exams, but she absolutely refused to allow Lu Chao to move in.
The Song uncle frowned. The house was indeed crowded, but turning away a guest so bluntly seemed improper.
"Mark my words, merchants are only after profit. Who knows if he’ll start using your name to drum up business?"
Madam Song’s words tipped her husband’s wavering opinion, though he didn’t outright reject the idea.
"We’ll see when the time comes."
Madam Song rolled over in irritation. Ever since she caught wind of her husband’s intention to betroth Jinzhen to Yuanzhao, she had been in a foul mood.
Her brother-in-law was merely a magistrate in some impoverished county, stuck in the same position for three years without promotion. Even if Yuanzhao performed brilliantly in the exams, what good would it do? At best, with her husband’s connections, he might secure a minor position in the Hanlin Academy. Wouldn’t she just be laughed at again by the other officials’ wives? When would Jinzhen ever rise above this?
Her worries, however, had no effect on her husband, who fell asleep within moments, his thunderous snores only fueling her frustration. She kicked him in annoyance.
Two days later, when Lu Chao arrived with a cartload of gifts, Madam Song’s expression finally softened.
Upon hearing that the gifts had been personally selected by his sister, the Song uncle’s eyes reddened briefly.
The two elders exchanged polite but distant pleasantries with Lu Chao before leaving the brothers to catch up.
"Chao, why have you lost so much weight? Is the capital’s climate not agreeing with you? How is everything at home? Why did you come to the capital alone? Did you come with Prince Kang?"
Having been away from home for nearly a year, Lu Yuanzhao bombarded his brother with questions.
"I’m fine, and so is the family. Xingyao even asked me to bring you some candies—said they were for you and no one else."
With that, Lu Chao pulled a small brocade pouch from his sleeve and tossed it to Lu Yuanzhao.
Opening it, Lu Yuanzhao found a few pieces of candy, several banknotes, and a key.
"What’s this? I still have money."
His mother had given him two thousand taels in silver notes when he left. The contents of the pouch must have been from Lu Chao.
"You know I’m good at making money. This is nothing. Keep the key—living under someone else’s roof isn’t ideal. If you ever feel unwelcome, you can move out. Or after the exams, come stay with me. No point letting the place gather dust."
Lu Yuanzhao chuckled and tucked the pouch into his robe without further protest.
"You’ve probably heard by now—His Majesty summoned Prince Kang to the capital for his birthday, so I came along. But my connection to Prince Kang must remain secret."
"Of course. I told Uncle and Aunt you came with a merchant convoy."
Though he knew his brother was capable, Lu Yuanzhao couldn’t help but worry.
"I’ve heard that while the Second Prince and Prince Kang share the same mother, their relationship is strained. The Second Prince has a volatile temper—be careful around him if you’re with Prince Kang."
Lu Chao nodded. "Don’t worry, Brother. I operate in the shadows. There’s little chance I’ll cross paths with him."
Remembering Lady Lu’s instructions, Lu Chao changed the subject.
"Tell me about Uncle’s family—who’s who? I don’t want to say the wrong thing later."
After listening to Lu Yuanzhao’s explanation, Lu Chao casually added,
"Have you met your cousins? Xingyao was so excited to hear about the three Song sisters—he nearly begged to come with me."
Lu Yuanzhao, oblivious to his brother’s probing, answered honestly.
"I’ve only seen them from a distance during family gatherings."
Seeing his brother’s straightforward expression, Lu Chao deduced that the Songs hadn’t yet broached the marriage topic, nor had any dramatic, love-struck scenarios unfolded. Good, very good.
At dinner, when Madam Song learned that Lu Chao owned a four-courtyard estate in the eastern part of the city, her eyes lit up, and she even managed a rare smile in his direction.
After Lu Chao left, she cornered her husband again.
"Husband, how could your sister be so careless, entrusting such a major purchase to a concubine-born son? Doesn’t she trust her own brother?"
The Song uncle frowned. "That’s the Lu family’s business. Besides, Lu Chao was raised under her care since childhood. Why meddle?"
Madam Song pursed her lips. "If your sister cared about family, she’d help us out. Look how cramped we are! That house must have cost at least ten thousand taels—bought just like that. Who knows what windfall they’ve had?"
The Song uncle ignored her.
"Yes, it’s crowded now, but once the girls are married off, there’ll be plenty of space. You’ll probably complain it’s too quiet then."
Madam Song shot her brother-in-law a disdainful look—how provincial! What was so impressive about this place? Her cousin’s estate back home had pavilions and towers where one could leisurely admire flowers or go fishing. Just thinking about it made her resentful. As the year drew to a close, it was almost time for her cousin’s annual plum-blossom viewing banquet. She simply had to take Jinzhen along this time.
Though Lu Chao hadn’t moved into Prince Kang’s residence, he hadn’t been idle either. He and Liu Yao spent their days wandering from one end of the street to the other, buying whatever caught their fancy. When they grew tired, they’d sometimes lounge in a teahouse for half the day.
With officials from across the realm flocking to the capital to present gifts for the emperor’s birthday, many unfamiliar faces had appeared in the city. As such, someone like Lu Chao didn’t draw much attention.
One day, as Lu Chao reclined on a rattan chair listening to the storyteller recount the war against the Tatars, a familiar voice suddenly reached his ears.
“Boss, a pot of tea, please.”
“Ah-Zheng, this storyteller’s quite good! He makes the Northwest Marquis sound like a god descending from the heavens!”
It was Xiao Zheng, the thousand-household officer.
“Mm. Stop talking—you’re distracting me,” Xiao Zheng replied.
With a glance, Xiao Zheng signaled to Xiao Huan that someone was in the adjacent booth. Xiao Huan nodded in understanding.
When the storyteller described how the Northwest Marquis had crushed the Tatars, driving them back a hundred miles, the commoners downstairs erupted in cheers.
“With the Northwest Marquis guarding us, those Tatars wouldn’t dare invade our lands again!”
“Do you think they’ve been beaten into submission? Why else would they send a princess for a marriage alliance?”
“That must be it! There’s no other reason to send a princess!”
“If I lived on the border, I’d offer prayers to the Northwest Marquis before every meal. Our peace is all thanks to him!”
Xiao Huan and Xiao Zheng grinned from ear to ear, pleasantly surprised by the capital’s discerning commoners.
Lu Chao let out a faint sigh.
To trained ears, the soft sound was unmistakable. Xiao Zheng’s smile faded as his gaze flickered toward the adjacent booth, where a sheer curtain obscured all but the silhouette of a figure gently swaying in a rattan chair.
