The sudden appearance of Jiang Youwei caught Ye Yun and Ye Huan completely off guard. They scrambled to their feet, bowing in unison. "Your Highness."
The Eldest Princess gave a slight nod. "At ease."
Ye Yun couldn't stop herself from asking, "Your Highness, what are you doing here?"
Jiang Youwei's gaze fell on Ye Yun, her expression cool. "You were the one who begged me to get you into Glory Academy under a false name. Now you plan to vanish without a word? That's not the deal we made."
A flush of embarrassment crept up Ye Yun's neck. "The family elders found out. My hands are tied, Your Highness."
Though Jiang Youwei was an imperial princess, the title was a common one, and the Imperial family's power was a shadow of its former self, easily eclipsed by the Cabinet. It was why Ye Huan, the fifth son of the great House of Ye, felt bold enough to step forward.
"That's right," he said, his tone firm. "The elders know about my sister's little stunt. My father's orders are clear: I am to bring her home to face the consequences. I hope Your Highness can understand."
"I can't," Jiang Youwei said flatly.
Ye Huan's eyebrow arched. "And if I take her anyway?"
As he spoke, he unleashed a crushing wave of Origin Power. The air grew thick and heavy, pressing down on everyone in the room. A bone-deep chill settled over them, and the young maid, Xiao Huixiang, gasped for breath, her face draining of color as if an invisible hand were wrapped around her throat.
Jiang Youwei felt the raw force of his power and was inwardly stunned. To think that the fifth son of the House of Ye, so young, had already reached the rank of a ten-star Grand General. Their family was truly a nest of dragons.
But she was a powerhouse in her own right. Calmly, she released her own aura, a steady, unyielding force that met his and pushed back the suffocating pressure. A small, knowing smile played on her lips.
"Listen to me," she said, her voice dangerously soft. "Even if your father, the great Duke of Qi, were standing here himself, he wouldn't be laying a hand on her."
Her words hit them like a physical blow. Their father, Duke Ye Taisong, was one of the five most powerful men in the empire—a man whose influence could shake the foundations of the nation. Even the Emperor treated him with a measure of respect. How could this princess, a figurehead from a fading dynasty, make such an audacious claim? Was the Imperial family really willing to start a war with the House of Ye over a single student? Especially when her grandfather, Ye Xuan, was one of the five ruling elders of the Cabinet?
Reading the disbelief on their faces, Jiang Youwei's smile widened. "If she were just another student, you could have her. But things have changed. Last night, His Majesty personally selected the top three graduates of Glory Academy. Your sister, known to us as Ye Yun, has been named the Tanhua—third in the entire class."
She let that sink in. "Tomorrow at dawn, she is summoned to the Golden Luan Hall to be honored by the Emperor himself and become an Imperial Disciple. If you kidnap our Tanhua the night before the ceremony, what does that make our Emperor look like? No, we can't let that happen. The Imperial family will not allow it."
The color drained from Ye Huan's face as the full weight of the situation crashed down on him. This was no longer a simple family matter.
"Is there any way to undo this?" he asked, his voice strained. "The selection was just made. Can't someone else take her place?"
Jiang Youwei looked at him as if he were a child. "Every word the Emperor speaks, every action he takes, is recorded in the Imperial Annals. His selection last night is already a thing of the past. You can't just erase a line from the Annals because it's inconvenient for you."
The Imperial Annals were sacred, the immutable record of a monarch's reign used to judge him after his death. Not even the Emperor could alter it.
The appointment was official. Ye Yun was now the Tanhua, a disciple of the Emperor. Her presence at the ceremony was not just expected; it was required. If House of Ye tried to take her, it would be a direct challenge to the Emperor's authority.
And though the Imperial family's influence had waned, it was still a formidable power. It couldn't take on the entire Cabinet, but it still had the might to crush a single house like the Ye Clan if pushed too far. On a matter of imperial dignity, there would be no backing down.
A cold sweat beaded on Ye Huan's brow.
"Go home, Fifth Young Master," Jiang Youwei said, her tone final. "Tell the Duke and Elder Ye that Glory Academy has a student named Ye Yun. We know nothing of a Ye Yun. Don't come looking for her again."
The message was clear: As far as the throne was concerned, Ye Yun, the girl, didn't exist. Only Ye Yun, the male scholar, the Emperor's new prized disciple, remained. The family would have to wait.
Defeated, Ye Huan left.
Back at the Ye estate, he found his father and grandfather waiting. After he explained what had happened, Ye Taisong's eyes narrowed. "So, the boy Emperor is growing bold. He knows her true identity but names her his disciple anyway. He wants to show the world he can tame a child of our house, to signal a revival of imperial power?" He let out a cold snort. "Does he forget that the empire can survive without an Emperor, but not without the great houses?"
"Watch your tongue," a quiet voice cut through the room.
Ye Xuan, who had seemed frail and asleep in his chair, opened his eyes. The sharpness in his gaze made Ye Taisong, a man who commanded armies, bow his head.
"Yes, Father."
"Yun'er has always been gifted," Ye Xuan said, his voice a low rasp. "A pity she was born a girl. She refuses to accept her fate. If she wants to play this game, let her. We'll bring her home when the time is right. It's about time we arranged a marriage for her anyway."
Xiao Ke woke to the midday sun streaming through his window. After splashing some water on his face, he found Ling Feng still passed out in his bed. He gave him a gentle shake.
Ling Feng groaned, prying one eye open. "Big brother, give me a break. Those instructors were relentless with the toasts last night. I feel like a drum is pounding in my skull."
Xiao Ke just shook his head, a half-smile on his face. He brewed two cups of hangover tea, drank one, and left the other on Ling Feng's nightstand before heading out. The campus was eerily quiet, a ghost town after the previous night's blowout.
He made his way to Ye Yun's elegant cottage. He found Ye Yun not in his uniform but in a flowing white nobleman's robe, his hair tied back neatly. He looked less like a fellow cadet and more like a figure from a painting. The old saying, "a gentleman as flawless as jade," must have been written for someone like him, Xiao Ke thought.
Ye Yun was playing a solitary game of chess. He looked up and smiled. "I thought you'd be out cold like Second Brother. I'm surprised to see you up and about."
Xiao Ke had no idea that, just hours before, his friend had nearly been dragged away from the academy for good.
"How is he?" Ye Yun asked, a genuine warmth in his voice that he rarely showed Ling Feng.
"He's alive," Xiao Ke chuckled. "But he refuses to part with his bed."
Ye Yun smiled and motioned for Xiao Ke to sit. "Have you eaten?" he asked. When Xiao Ke confirmed he had, Ye Yun's smile grew. "Good. It's been too long since I've heard you play. Xiao Huixiang, bring me the flute."
"No water-tasting lesson today?" Xiao Ke asked, half-joking. He'd been learning the tea ceremony from Ye Yun, and while he could now identify different leaves, he was still struggling to distinguish the subtle flavors of various brewing waters—from mountain springs to morning dew. The last lesson had ended with him making several trips to the latrine.
Xiao Huixiang returned with the flute, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Afraid of another upset stomach?" she teased. "The young master is taking pity on you. Wouldn't want you to have an accident in the Golden Luan Hall tomorrow."
Xiao Ke flushed as Ye Yun shot the maid a mild glare. "Just the flute, Xiao Huixiang. That's enough."
Relieved to be spared another water-tasting session, Xiao Ke took the instrument. He polished it lightly, brought it to his lips, and a soft, clear melody began to fill the quiet room.
He played by ear, a skill taught by his mother long ago, but his music had a raw, natural talent. Usually, his songs were somber—either mournful folk tunes that spoke of loss or grim marches that echoed the battlefield.
But today, something was different. He played "Gongjin's Melody at Red Cliffs," a piece written in the flush of a great victory. The music that flowed from the flute was not one of sorrow, but of triumph. It was confident, bold, and full of the fiery spirit of a young hero ready to claim his destiny.
Ye Yun listened, captivated. The change was unmistakable. This wasn't the music of the poor, struggling boy he had first met. This was the music of a centurion, a champion, a young man who was finally stepping into his own power and looking toward a future bright with promise.
They spent the afternoon lost in talk of music, cultivation, and the shifting tides of the empire.
As evening fell, a recovered Ling Feng appeared to drag them to dinner. They turned in early, knowing they had to be awake before dawn for the imperial ceremony.
The air in the Golden Luan Hall was thick with incense and tension. Imperial guards, clad in gleaming armor, stood like statues. The top ten students from Glory, dressed in their formal battle uniforms, stood behind their instructors, Di Shitian and Jiang Youwei. With a cry from a eunuch, the Emperor, Jiang Ning, entered, draped in dragon robes, and ascended the throne.
"Your Majesty!" they all cried, bowing as one.
"You may rise," the Emperor said, his voice calm and clear.
Xiao Ke risked a peek. His jaw nearly hit the floor. It's him. There was no doubt. The Emperor was the same cocky, silver-tongued young man who had fought alongside them against the zombies. He'd heard rumors of the new Emperor's eccentricities, but he never imagined a ruler who would sneak a thousand miles from his palace to fight on the front lines.
After a formal speech praising the instructors and the students, Jiang Ning nodded to his chief eunuch, Li Gonggong.
The eunuch stepped forward, his voice ringing through the hall. "Tanhua: Ye Yun!"
A flicker of conflict crossed Ye Yun's face as he stepped forward to accept the honor, now a pawn in a game between the throne and his own family. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Bangyan: Ling Feng!"
Ling Feng beamed, stepping forward with a crisp salute. "Thank you for this honor, Your Majesty!"
The eunuch took a final, dramatic breath. "Zhuangyuan: Xiao Ke!"
Xiao Ke stepped out of the line. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Emperor Jiang Ning smiled down at him. "The three of you are now Imperial Disciples, students of the Son of Heaven. Xiao Ke, as Zhuangyuan, tradition dictates that you shall raise your own army. I grant you the right to form a legion of up to ten thousand soldiers. You will be a Chiliarch of Ten Thousand. Ling Feng and Ye Yun will each be a Chiliarch of a Thousand, serving under your command. Build your army. I will have your orders for you when it is ready."
A jolt of pure joy, sharp and overwhelming, shot through Xiao Ke. Standing beside his sworn brothers, he bowed deeply.
"As you command, Your Majesty!" they roared in unison.