Outside the Courtyard Gate

Although so much time had passed, the dynamic among the three remained unchanged from their days in Wanxiang City. Xu Yuan and Xu Xinyao strolled ahead, chatting as they walked, while Ran Qingmo trailed behind without uttering a word, acting like a mute gourd. Only when someone occasionally addressed her would she respond with brief acknowledgments like "Oh," "Okay," or "Mhm." Crunching through the accumulated snow, the three soon arrived before the main courtyard. Pushing the door open, Xu Yuan immediately saw Xu Changge, dressed in luxurious celadon-toned robes, slowly setting porcelain bowls onto the table one by one. A heaping platter of boiled dumplings had already been placed in the center of the table, flanked by an assortment of breakfast snacks—presumably all prepared by Xu Changge himself. Walking closer, Xu Yuan took a glance and realized Xu Changge had even thoughtfully prepared dipping sauces for the three of them. Xu Yuan's dipping dish leaned spicy, Xu Xinyao's favored sweet and sour, while for Ran Qingmo, whose preferences he didn't know, he had arranged a standard, unpretentious dish of plain vinegar. Overbearing yet attentive. At a glance, the classic gap-appeal trick of a scumbag. No wonder Xu Changge, with his wretched personality, had managed to charm that Young Celestial Master lady from Celestial Master Manor. As this thought crossed his mind, Xu Changge's gaze swept over. Seeing Xu Yuan's loose, disheveled robes and his damp, messy hair, his brow instinctively furrowed. On the morning of the New Year, to be dressed so improperly—what kind of decorum was this? Yet a moment later, Xu Changge's brow relaxed again. Helplessness. This third brother of his had been this way since childhood. No matter how much he was beaten, he always did as he pleased, and he would likely stay this way for the rest of his life. Unable to change him, one could only adapt. "Sit." Uttering that single word, Xu Changge took the seat of honor without sparing Xu Yuan a second glance. Looking at him was infuriating, and being infuriated made it easy to resort to violence, so it was better not to look at all. Xu Yuan also shot a glance at Xu Changge. Was something wrong with this guy's head? Pulling a foul face first thing on New Year's morning. Still, Xu Yuan didn't stand on ceremony. This was his own home, after all. He plopped right down opposite Xu Changge, then glanced back at Ran Qingmo, only to find the big ice block staring blankly at the chairs. Ran Qingmo was hesitating. Her master had said that when visiting someone else's home as a guest, one had to observe propriety regarding seating order. Her quiet, dark gaze kept circling the chair under Xu Yuan's rear. According to etiquette, she ought to sit at the foot of the table, but Xu Yuan had already taken that seat... Seeing this, Xu Xinyao stepped forward, took her hand, and guided her to sit on the left, chuckling softly: "Sister Qingmo, our family doesn't bother with such formalities. Just sit wherever you like." "Oh." Ran Qingmo gave a quiet response and glanced cautiously at Xu Changge in the seat of honor. Compared to how he treated his infuriating third brother, Xu Changge's attitude toward Ran Qingmo was noticeably gentler. He gave her a cool nod of acknowledgment, tacitly agreeing with Xu Xinyao's words. After everyone had taken their seats, Xu Yuan picked up a meat dumpling with his chopsticks and asked softly: "Xu Changge, where are Father and Uncle? Aren't they joining us for breakfast?" Xu Changge paused his chopsticks and glanced at Ran Qingmo, who was still standing by the table without sitting, before answering flatly: "Word came from the palace. The Emperor ordered the Directorate of Ceremonial to begin preparing the imperial carriage at the hour of Mao." His tone was nonchalant, yet his words contained a significant secret of the Prime Minister's Manor. Just like how the movements of state leaders in his past life were strictly confidential, only a handful of people could receive advance word of the Son of Heaven's travel. In other words: The Prime Minister's Manor had planted hidden moles inside the imperial palace, and at a very high rank. Voicing this in front of Ran Qingmo was a show of trust, but also a test. Picking up on the implication in Xu Changge's words, Xu Yuan frowned slightly, though he said nothing. Such things were always inevitable. In an ordinary household, conducting a background check on a child's partner would seem redundant and pretentious, but inside the Prime Minister's Manor, it was an absolute necessity. Especially since Ran Qingmo was the sole disciple of the Imperial Preceptor. Subconsciously glancing at Ran Qingmo, Xu Yuan wanted to see her reaction. As it turned out, the big ice block had no reaction whatsoever. She had piled a whole porcelain bowl full of dumplings and was chomping away diligently. Xu Changge's dumpling filling seemed to suit her palate quite well. Noticing Xu Yuan looking over, Ran Qingmo paused reflexively and raised her clear, dark eyes to meet his, her fair cheeks puffed out full. Chewing quickly and swallowing, Ran Qingmo asked softly: "What is it... Xu Yuan?" In that instant, Xu Yuan felt genuinely foolish. Truly. "Nothing." Shaking his head, Xu Yuan let out a soft sigh, looked at Xu Changge, and said, "Preparing at the hour of Mao... Then His Majesty's carriage should be arriving soon." "Calculating the time, there should be about a quarter of an hour left." Xu Changge ate a dumpling and replied in a quiet voice, "At the imperial carriage's pace, traveling from the Prime Minister's Manor to the imperial palace takes about two hours, and the New Year banquet begins reciting scriptures and praying to the heavens at the hour of Si." "True. As Grand Tutor, Father has to preside over that." Saying this, the smile at the corners of Xu Yuan's lips carried a hint of wistful mockery. "If they knew it would come to this, why bother in the first place? Coming in person despite his illness to invite Father back into office—after this, Father's prestige in the imperial court will surely rise yet another level." Xu Changge didn't respond to this, seemingly unwilling to discuss politics over New Year's Day breakfast. Seeing this, Xu Yuan tactfully changed the subject and asked with a smile: "By the way, don't you need to attend the New Year banquet? If I recall, you hold an official post too, don't you?" As the eldest son of Great Yan's Prime Minister, groomed as the future successor of the manor, Xu Changge naturally held an official post. After returning from his travels outside the capital, Xu Changge had placed fifth in the metropolitan examination during the thirty-fourth year of Jiajing. While that fell short of second brother Xu Chang'an and their old man placing first as the Zhuangyuan back in their day, it was already no small feat. After all, this eldest brother's head was basically filled with muscle. After earning his degree, Xu Changge's name remained registered at the Imperial Academy for three years before he was fast-tracked and parachuted into the post of Grand Astrologer, which oversaw astronomy, calendar calculations, and historiography. Earlier, after slaying the two snake princesses of Guyuan, Ji Fenghua and Ji Qingyue, he had also been granted the lowest rank of nobility. According to Great Yan law, as Grand Astrologer, Xu Changge ought to assist the Grand Tutor in presiding over the grand New Year banquet ceremonies. Regarding this question, Xu Changge lifted his eyes, glanced at Xu Yuan, and slowly drawled: "The princesses and noble ladies at the banquet are very annoying." "..." Xu Yuan. The meal finished in silence. Without tidying up the dishes, Xu Changge departed directly. According to the rules of the manor's inner court, whoever cooked was exempt from washing dishes. Naturally, Xu Yuan would never wash dishes—not in this lifetime—so usually, this chore fell to Xu Xinyao, the youngest sister. Today, however, Ran Qingmo was here. After finishing her meal, the big ice block took the initiative to gather the bowls and chopsticks. Her master's wife had told her: After going to Di'an City, once you finish eating at someone else's house, you can't just sit there doing nothing. Seeing this, Xu Yuan didn't just sit idly by either; he rose directly to help, and it was precisely this gesture of helping wash the dishes that earned him several sarcastic jabs from Xu Xinyao. Just as the three put away the dishes and walked out of the inner kitchen chatting and laughing, a eunuch's measured, singsong call suddenly rang out across the skies above the Prime Minister's Manor: "The Emperor arrives—" Li Yaoxuan had arrived on schedule. He had come in person to pay court and invite the retired Prime Minister back into service. Xu Xinyao glanced at Xu Yuan with a hint of nervousness, seemingly worried that the fact he was still alive might be exposed. Ran Qingmo followed Xu Yuan without any expression. Xu Yuan, entirely unconcerned, continued strolling toward his own courtyard. The Luanyin Formation in the inner court had already been activated. Even if Li Yaoxuan was a Saint, it would be impossible for him to probe into the restricted inner court right beneath the old man's nose. Besides, those two old fellows wouldn't linger long in the manor. For matters where everyone understood what was going on without saying it aloud, there was no need to play hard to get like the three visits to the thatched cottage; providing each other an honorable way out was all that mattered. "..." "..." The snow-covered lane was long and narrow. Coming out of the inner kitchen, the three had walked more than ten zhang across the snow when Ran Qingmo, who had been trailing closely behind Xu Yuan, suddenly halted at the entrance to the inner court and stopped to gaze at the sky. Seeing this, Xu Yuan instinctively stopped as well and asked softly: "What's wrong?" Ran Qingmo pondered for a moment before answering honestly: "Xu Yuan, my master has come too." Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised: "With the Emperor?" Ran Qingmo shook her head: "No..." Saying this, she raised a slender, pale index finger to point at the nearby courtyard gate and said in a small voice: "He seems to be right outside the gate now, telling me to open it for him."