Chapter 3
When he saw Yan Yunhe, Yu Qin's body paused almost imperceptibly, but he quickly regained his composure and walked to his desk, placed his books down, and began grinding ink.
This time, Yan Yunhe was not promoted to Shuaixing Hall alone; two of his childhood friends had joined him. They were also young masters from prominent households, though they didn’t partake in Yan Yunhe’s antics. Their families shared long-time friendships, and so did they.
You Liang, who was frank and outspoken, discreetly nudged Yan Yunhe with his elbow. “Huaiyang-xiong,1 I'd advise you to leave the academy's flower2 alone. And watch out for his admirers; they might throw a sack over your head and give you a beating."
It was no wonder that You Liang and Yan Yunhe got along so well. They were birds of a feather, equally sharp-tongued.
There was Yu Meiren, the flower,3 and there was Yu Qin, the prized “flower” of Donglin Academy—didn’t that make him the academy’s flower?
Yan Yunhe dissolved into laughter and slumped over his desk, laughing so hard he was unable to sit up straight for a good while. Yu Qin remained kneeling on his cushion, his back straight as a ramrod, his bearing poised and dignified. He focused solely on his own business, as if he hadn’t heard the voices behind him.
Still, there was someone who couldn’t stand it any longer. It wasn’t any of the other students from the Shuaixing class who were on friendly terms with Yu Qin, but Yan Yunhe’s other close friend, Fang Zhizhou.
“He’s the grandson of Duke Yu, after all,” Fang Zhizhou said. “Huaiyang, don’t take it too far.”
Yu Qin’s grandfather, Yu Chang’en, had lived through the rebellion of the vassal princes.4 As the Minister of War at the time, he led the capital’s forces against the rebel army to defend the city gates, holding out until reinforcements arrived to quell the uprising.
Had Yu Chang’en not risen to the occasion and turned the tide of the crisis, the current emperor would not be sitting on the throne today. After ascending the throne, the late emperor appointed Yu Chang’en as Grand Preceptor to the Crown Prince,5 to assist the crown prince at the Eastern Palace.
Yu Chang’en’s illustrious reputation was admired by all. He had great deeds to his name, yet he was humble and lived frugally, upholding his family’s strict values. Such virtuous officials were hard to come by. Despite his rank, Yu Chang’en never promoted his younger relatives. No descendants of his had ever been known to hold official positions in the court. He neither forged marriage alliances with aristocratic families nor established connections with the nobility. Yan Yunhe had never seen anyone from the Yu family at any of the banquets held in the capital. Had he not come to Donglin Academy, a spoiled young master like Yan Yunhe might never have crossed paths with Yu Qin in his entire life.
Stroking his chin, he remarked to Fang Zhizhou, “It’s said that Duke Yu was exceptionally handsome in his youth. It must be true—just look at how beautiful Yu Qin is. He should be named the number one beauty in the capital.”
Someone kill me. Fang Zhizhou thought that by bringing up the revered Duke Yu, Yan Yunhe would show some restraint, but it turned out this guy had no sense of propriety at all.
You Liang pulled Fang Zhizhou aside. “Don’t you know what he’s like? The more you tell him not to do something, the more he’ll want to do it. Let him be. I bet he’ll take a huge tumble before he comes to his senses.”
Soon enough, Yan Yunhe took his first tumble.
During class, the teacher was calling on students to recite from memory and happened to pick Yan Yunhe. Having previously studied at Zhengyi Hall, such demanding schoolwork was all new to him. He had just been feeling smug about passing Shuaixing Hall's entrance exam, but the intensity of the assignments was so scary he almost wanted to drop out.
However, he had anticipated the teacher picking him, so he had come prepared. As the scoundrel of the academy, Yan Yunhe had naturally resorted to underhanded tactics. Early in the morning, he had made a small cheat sheet and stuck it on the side of his inkstone before class began. He sneaked some glances at it, but before he could finish reciting, the person next to him noticed and tattled on him to the teacher. That person was Zhao Yi, one of Yu Qin’s many followers.
His brazen cheating resulted in Yan Yunhe getting kicked out of the classroom and punished with copying the precepts he was supposed to memorize ten times.
Yu Qin didn’t need to bother with Yan Yunhe; there were others who would deal with him.
In the days that followed, Yan Yunhe faced countless minor setbacks, but he smiled and laughed through them all. He resolved what he could and accepted punishment for what he couldn’t.
How come that flower has so many protectors?6 he wondered, grimacing in pain from being struck on his hands by the teacher.
It was unfortunate that Shuaixing Hall wasn’t his territory. If he were still in Zhengyi Hall, where he had the advantage of numbers, he wouldn't have been reduced to such a sorry state.
Yan Yunhe returned to the study hall and saw Yu Qin surrounded by several students, calmly answering their questions. As he approached, Zhao Yi and his group raised their heads, watching him warily.
Yan Yunhe just shrugged and looked at Yu Qin. “Would Yu-gongzi7 do this humble one the honor of a conversation?”
Zhao Yi wanted to say, Who do you think you are? Why would Yu Qin want to speak with you? But he quickly remembered that no matter how much of a bastard Yan Yunhe may be, he was still the son of the Marquis of Yong’an.
They had been pulling some petty maneuvers lately, yet they dared not go too far. Yan Yunhe conducted himself as an upright man with nothing to fear, so they couldn't find any weaknesses to use against him. But this guy was truly outrageous; he had gone as far as to gather a bunch of people in the dormitory under the guise of holding a “symposium,”8 only to hold cricket fights9 instead. Apparently, when the matter was reported, the teachers went to Headmaster Zhou Chonghua to make a fuss. He was certain he wouldn't see Yan Yunhe the next day, but who would have thought he’d show up in the study hall on time as usual?
Zhao Yi glared at Yan Yunhe, wishing he could spread his arms like a mother hen to protect Yu Qin.
But Yu Qin had his own ideas. Not only did he agree to Yan Yunhe’s request, but he also led the way.
Yan Yunhe followed Yu Qin, even turning back to wink and smile at the others, his smug expression nearly making Zhao Yi fall backward in anger.
After provoking Zhao Yi, Yan Yunhe accompanied Yu Qin to the academy's Jingxin Pavilion. With the cool, gentle breeze blowing there, it was an ideal spot to escape the summer heat.
As soon as they entered the pavilion, Yan Yunhe rushed to beg for mercy. “Yu-gongzi, someone as noble as you shouldn’t hold a grudge against a lowly person like me.10 It was my fault. I shouldn’t have called you a beauty and given you a nickname. I was entirely in the wrong. Can we stop this here and call a truce?”
Yan Yunhe was no coward, but he feared that if he kept getting in trouble, his old man might actually storm into Donglin Academy and execute him on the spot.
The Yan family had a strict father and doting mother, yet contrary to expectations, the Marquis of Yong’an was afraid of his wife. He had never been able to control Madam Yan in his entire life. Therefore, when it came to educating their son, as long as Madam Yan protected Yan Yunhe, the marquis dared not do anything to him.
Except this time, even his mother was furious with him for his absurd behavior.
He had assumed this matter should be easy to solve. As long as he stopped his teasing, Yu Qin wouldn’t spare the slightest bit of attention to a spoiled brat like him. Besides, wasn’t this the grandson of Duke Yu? Since Duke Yu was a man of such great righteousness, surely his grandson shouldn’t be much different.
Little did Yan Yunhe know that the moment he heard Yu Qin's reply, he would wonder if his ears had failed him—and perhaps his eyes, too.
Because Yu Qin actually smiled at him. Those eyes, which had always showed indifference, curved ever so slightly, as did the corners of his lips.
His smile was fainter than the ripples on a lake, as if a mere breeze could disperse it.
“Why?” he asked.
Yan Yunhe frowned. “What?”
Yu Qin’s smile faded, revealing a hint of coldness. “Why should I call a truce with you?”
Yan Yunhe raised his eyebrows slightly. Alright then. He had thought Zhao Yi and his men had been making trouble for him on their own initiative, but it turned out Yu Qin had tacitly approved it all along.
Come to think of it, Zhao Yi and the others had been tormenting him for quite a while. How could Yu Qin possibly be unaware?
Killing with a borrowed knife.11 What a clever scheme. What a ruthless beauty.
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