The dust from the Autumn Hunt had barely settled, and the rewards were already being handed out. Every prince and noble son who participated was recognized for their performance, with prizes distributed according to their tallies.
Even the perennially underperforming Hanlin Academy walked away with a consolation prize.
But for the breakout stars of the Glory School—especially Xiao Ke, who had left everyone in his dust—there was only silence. It was clear the Emperor had something else in mind for them.
Thanks to the stellar performance of Xiao Ke, Ling Feng, and Ye Yun, even the gruff Chief Instructor Di Shitian had to swallow his pride. He gave Xiao Ke a rare, public commendation for a job well done before the entire contingent began the grand procession back to Qilin City, following the new Emperor's lead.
Once there, the Emperor returned to his palace, and the city's various factions scattered to their own estates.
When Xiao Ke and his friends arrived back at the Glory School, they were greeted by a hero's welcome. Banners celebrating their triumph were stretched across the entrance. For as long as anyone could remember, Glory had lived in the shadow of the Hanlin Academy. This year, they hadn't just won; they had dominated. The entire campus was electric with celebration.
That night felt like a homecoming festival, a sea of joyous noise and celebration. At the victory banquet, toasts were raised to Xiao Ke, Ling Feng, and Ye Yun again and again. Xiao Ke, a natural drinker, handled it with ease. Ye Yun, though her cheeks were flushed a deep crimson, managed to keep her composure. Ling Feng, however, passed out on the table before the night was half over.
Later that night, in the quiet solitude of the imperial study, the new Emperor, Jiang Ning, sat with his trusted advisor, Eunuch Li.
Tomorrow was graduation day for the thousand special trainees of the Glory School. On the Emperor's desk lay a list delivered just that afternoon by the Eldest Princess, Jiang Youwei. It contained the names of the ten most outstanding students.
The Glory School was the Imperial Family's answer to the Hanlin Academy, which churned out elites for the powerful aristocratic clans. Glory's purpose was to cultivate talent loyal to the throne, and the Emperor took a personal interest in its graduates. Every year, he would receive the files of the top ten students and, with his own vermilion brush, anoint the top three: the Zhuangyuan (First Scholar), the Bangyan (Second Scholar), and the Tanhua (Third Scholar).
Jiang Ning scanned the list. Unsurprisingly, the top three names were Xiao Ke, Ling Feng, and Ye Yun.
A slow smile spread across his face. "Xiao Ke," he murmured. "He didn't disappoint. His performance at the Hunt was a pleasant surprise. It makes me eager to see what he'll do next."
Eunuch Li, who also held Xiao Ke in high regard, nodded. "Your Majesty, his background is clean. A commoner, mistaken for a deserter. When the truth came out, he could have left. Instead, with a zombie horde bearing down on them, he chose to stay and fight as a real soldier. That kind of loyalty… You can't buy it. He is a talent worth nurturing."
"I agree," Jiang Ning said, his voice laced with nostalgia. "We met on the battlefield. We ate the same rations, sang the same war songs, fought the same monsters. I told him I wanted our story to be a legendary tale of a ruler and his subject. It's time to give him his chance."
He picked up the vermilion brush, drew a decisive circle around Xiao Ke's name, and wrote in the margin: Zhuangyuan.
His gaze then shifted to the next two names. "And these two? Ling Feng and Ye Yun. Are they reliable?"
Eunuch Li paused. "They are both exceptional, Your Majesty, but their backgrounds are… complicated."
"Complicated?" Jiang Ning frowned. "They were vetted for the Glory School. What's the issue?"
"Ling Feng," Eunuch Li began, "is the son of Ling Tian, the Count of Cangwu. A third-rank noble."
Jiang Ning's eyes narrowed. "The Ling family. They're a powerful gentry clan, with deep ties to the Cabinet. Why would his son be at our school instead of the Hanlin Academy?"
"Ling Feng is an illegitimate son, Your Majesty. At home, he's treated no better than a servant."
Understanding dawned on the Emperor. "Ah, I see," he said with a wry smile. "Unwanted by his father, ignored by his family. He has no future through the Cabinet's connections, so he's decided to bet on the throne instead. Smart kid. He has vision. He'll be the Bangyan. I want every ambitious soul in the empire to see that when the old guard shuts them out, the Imperial Family will welcome them with open arms."
He lifted the brush again, circling Ling Feng's name and marking it: Bangyan.
Finally, he looked at the last name. "Alright, Li. What's the problem with Ye Yun?"
A sly smile touched Eunuch Li's lips. "This one's a big problem, Your Majesty. It borders on the crime of deceiving the crown."
"Explain."
"The person named Ye Yun is not a man," the eunuch said softly. "She is a young woman. Her real name is Ye Yun."
The Emperor's face darkened with fury. "Outrageous! A woman disguised as a man, infiltrating the Glory School? If that gets out, I'll be a laughingstock! Deal with her. Quietly and severely."
"Your Majesty, please, calm your anger," Eunuch Li urged. "Allow me to first tell you who she is."
"Who could be important enough to justify this?" Jiang Ning snapped.
Eunuch Li's smile widened. "She is the granddaughter of Grand Secretary Ye Xuan, one of the five heads of the great aristocratic families. They call her the 'Pearl of the Ye Family,' a talent said to outshine all of her male cousins combined."
The Emperor's eyes went wide. "Grand Secretary Ye's granddaughter?" The Cabinet effectively ran the empire, and Grand Secretary Ye was one of its most powerful figures. Punishing his granddaughter wouldn't be simple. It might not even be possible.
After a long, tense silence, he finally asked, "What in the world is the prized lady of the Ye Clan doing in my school?"
"Your Majesty, she is as brilliant as the rumors say," Li explained. "But she is a woman. She can't build a career, can't earn merit, can't achieve greatness like a man can. So, it seems, she took matters into her own hands. She ran away from home, disguised herself, and enrolled in Glory to prove she could." He paused, letting the implications sink in. "So the question, Your Majesty, is what to do. Using her, or not using her... both carry significant consequences."
As Jiang Ning wrestled with the decision, Li added one last detail. "Oh, and one more thing. She and Xiao Ke are quite close. She's helped him a great deal during their time at the school."
The corners of the Emperor's mouth slowly curled into a grin.
"Have you reached a decision, Your Majesty?" Li asked. "Will you use her?"
"Use her? Of course, I'll use her!" Jiang Ning laughed. "Think about it. When her identity is revealed, who looks foolish? Me? Or the great Ye Clan, whose most brilliant scion ran away to join my cause? When their own children come to me for a chance to prove themselves, why would I ever turn them away? She is the Tanhua."
With a final flourish, he circled Ye Yun's name and wrote beside it: Tanhua!
A day of rest was granted to the heroes of the Autumn Hunt. Tomorrow at dawn, they would report to the palace with Princess Jiang Youwei for the "palace examination"—a formality, really. Everyone knew the top three spots were already decided. This was just the ceremony.
Early that morning, Ye Yun woke to a dull throb behind her eyes—the lingering ghost of last night's victory celebration. Though she'd kept her wits about her, the alcohol had taken its toll.
She slipped into a simple white robe, her long hair unbound and cascading over her shoulders. Calling for her maid, Xiao Huixiang, she washed her face, then went to the living room. The quiet ritual of lighting a small clay stove and cooking millet porridge was one of her few comforts. It was a habit picked up from the old world—a touch of refined, simple living in a chaotic era.
Suddenly, Xiao Huixiang burst into the room, her face a mask of panic. "Mistress, it's terrible! Terrible!"
Ye Yun's heart leaped into her throat. "What is it? Is it Xiao Ke? Is he here this early? Oh, my hair isn't even done..."
She was about to scramble back to her room when a figure appeared in the doorway—a handsome, immaculately dressed young man of about twenty.
He stepped inside, a teasing smile on his face. "No need to rush, Sister," he said, his voice smooth. "It's too late for that. Besides, it's just me. Not the Xiao Ke you seem to be waiting for."
Ye Yun froze. "Fifth Brother," she whispered. "It's you."
It was Ye Huan, the youngest of the five masters of the Ye Clan. The family had five sons and one daughter, and it was widely said that Ye Yun's brilliance outshone all her brothers combined. Ye Huan, for his part, had always idolized her, trailing after her like a shadow when they were children.
"So," he said, his smile widening. "A little disappointed it's me?"
A blush crept up Ye Yun's neck, but she quickly suppressed it, adopting the stern tone of an older sister. "What are you doing here, Wu Di? How did you find me?"
Even as she asked, she knew the answer. Someone at the Hunt must have recognized her. Her question was a probe, a desperate attempt to gauge just how much trouble she was in.
Ye Huan's smile faded into a weary sigh. "Come on, Sister. You're too smart not to know. You were spotted. The news reached home, and now everyone knows. Grandfather, Grandmother, Father, Mother… they all know you've been masquerading as a boy at the Glory School."
"How angry are they?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
He shrugged. "Grandfather and Father are furious, of course. They're worried you've ruined the family's reputation. But don't worry too much. Great-Grandmother adores you, and Mother and the aunts are all on your side. Your punishment probably won't be too severe. Grounded for half a year, maybe."
A bitter smile touched her lips. "So you're here to take me home."
"Father's orders," he confirmed. "I have to bring you back."
She hesitated. "Fifth Brother… if I go home, I'll be locked away for months, maybe a year. You know my time is running out. Soon, they'll arrange a marriage, and my life will be over. Please… just give me one more day. Let me say goodbye to my… friends."
She had almost said "brothers," remembering the oath she'd sworn with Xiao Ke and Ling Feng. But telling her family about that would only make things worse.
Ye Huan shook his head, his expression softening with pity. "I've always done whatever you asked, Sister. But I can't do this. I already know everything. The sworn brotherhood, how close you've become with Xiao Ke… I'm worried about you. You are the high lady of the Ye Clan. You will marry a man of equal station. Xiao Ke is not your future. The deeper this goes, the more it will hurt you in the end. It's better to make a clean break. Right here, right now."
"You're overthinking it," she said, her voice hollow. "We just… admire each other. We push each other. It's not what you think. And besides, do you really think my life will be happy even if I never met him?"
He knew she was right. He knew her talent was wasted, that her spirit was too big for the cage her family had built for her. But he had his orders.
"Father was very clear, Sister," he said, his voice firming. "I have to bring you back immediately. And as brilliant as you are, you're no match for me in a fight. Please, don't make this difficult. I don't want to use force."
Before Ye Yun could answer, a new voice cut through the tension, cool and sharp as glass.
"Even if you did, you wouldn't be taking her today."
They all turned. Standing in the doorway, flanked by two royal guards, was an elegant woman in a flowing palace gown. It was the Eldest Princess, Jiang Youwei.