AYM Chapter 28

Kneeling on the ground in a daze, Yan Yihuan even forgot to receive the imperial decree. Yan Zheng was just about to remind him when he saw Ming Zhang smiling as he walked over to Yan Yihuan’s side. He bent down to support Yan Yihuan by the arm, leaned in close to his ear, and said in a voice low enough for only the two of them to hear,

 

“If it weren’t for the inappropriate timing right now, I’d really want to pinch your cheeks to see just how soft they are.”

 

If it had been in the past and a beauty had taken the initiative to tease him, Yan Yihuan would’ve surely found a way to get back at them. But now, supported by Ming Zhang as he stood up, his wide eyes were filled with nothing but fear.

 

“Did this official perhaps announce the wrong decree? I… I’m to be the Grand Historian?”

 

Yan Yihuan had never been interested in studying since he was young. Coupled with poor health as a child, his father hadn’t pushed him, so he was fully aware of just how limited his knowledge really was.

 

What ‘the emperor was very pleased with him’? What ‘got along very well’? He hadn’t even met the emperor before! Where did this sudden deep longing come from?

 

Excuses! All excuses!

 

Jing ge had just left, and now the imperial decree had arrived. The emperor must’ve found something out. All this polite formality on the surface was just a cover, in reality, they must be trying to drag him back to the capital to be a hostage again.

 

“How could the decree be wrong? The Third Young Master is now the very first Grand Historian of our dynasty.” Ming Zhang said with a gentle smile, “His Majesty gave special orders that we are to return to the capital immediately.”

 

“Immediately?!”

 

As soon as those words were spoken, even the King of Yan widened his eyes in shock, frozen in place. But he quickly came to his senses and politely said to Ming Zhang,

 

“Lord Ming has come from far away. If you don’t honor us with at least a cup of tea, it would be a failure of our household’s hospitality.”

 

Although he hadn’t been on the battlefield for a long time, King Yan’s imposing presence remained undiminished. Those words sounded courteous, but the message was unmistakably firm.

 

Ming Zhang paused for a moment, then nodded with a smile,

 

“Then I shall respectfully accept.”

 

As Ming Zhang was invited inside, King Yan exchanged a glance with his eldest son, his eyes were filled with worry.

 

“Yihuan, the imperial decree has been issued, no one can change it. This time, your father and brother can no longer be at your side. You must be careful.”

 

Hearing his father’s words, Yan Yihuan’s eyes immediately turned red. He never ever wanted to go back to the capital again. But this was an imperial decree, no amount of pouting or pleading could change that.

 

He silently nodded and said in a chocked voice,

 

“It’s not my first time going there. I’ll be fine.”

 

Yan Zheng hesitated. He wanted to tell his younger brother to keep his distance from the emperor, but the decree had appointed Yan Yihuan to serve as Grand Historian by the emperor’s side, so how could he possibly keep away?

 

Yan Yihuan usually appeared carefree and unruly, but in reality, it was because he had been too well protected. His thoughts were pure, and he was naturally timid. Saying too much might only scare him further, and if he were to lose his composure before the emperor, things could become even more troublesome.

 

Yan Zheng wasn’t the only one who thought of this, King Yan did too, so they only reminded Yan Yihuan to strictly follow his duties and do his part well. They would try to find a way to bring him back as soon as possible.

 

Hearing that brought Yan Yihuan a bit of comfort, but he also knew that whether he’d be able to return after this trip was still uncertain.

 

But no matter how unwilling he was, Yan Yihuan had no choice but to climb onto the carriage back to the capital, in front of his worried father and brother, and his crying mother.

 

As the carriage took him farther and farther from Linjing, Yan Yihuan resigned himself to fate and gradually began to form a plan.

 

If his father and brother really were going to conspire with King Qin, then maybe entering the palace to accompany the emperor wasn’t such a bad thing. If he could win the emperor’s favor, then perhaps if something truly happened, he might be able to plead for mercy on their behalf.

 

On the other side of the carriage, Ming Zhang picked up a piece of pastry, unwrapped the oiled paper, and handed it to Yan Yihuan, who had been deep in thought. Yan Yihuan took it and instinctively said,

 

“Thank you, beauty.”

 

“What did you say?” Ming Zhang was taken aback, then immediately smiled so wide that his eyes turned into crescents. Finally unable to hold back any longer, he reached out and pinched Yan Yihuan’s cheek.

 

“Soft, just as I thought,” Ming Zhang sighed in satisfaction. “It was worth all my guessing today.”

 

Yan Yihuan’s face turned red in an instant. One hand holding the pastry, while the other unconsciously rubbing the spot Ming Zhang had pinched, he thought to himself, Why are all the beauties in the capital so hard to deal with? All the charm I’ve built up over the years was of no use at all.

 

His older brother had made a point to warn him that this Ming Zhang was not a simple person, he had grown up with the emperor and shared a deep bond with him. So he should be particularly vigilant around him on the journey.

 

Yan Yihuan didn’t dare ask about other things, but asking about the emperor’s likes and dislikes wouldn’t be considered overstepping, right? With that in mind, Yan Yihuan put on his usual bright smile and leaned in closer to Ming Zhang.

 

“Ming Zhang ge, can I ask you something?” If someone treated him kindly, he would naturally be friendly with them. It had only been a day, yet he was already calling him “Ming Zhang ge[mfn]明彰哥 – Brother Ming Zhang[/mfn].”

 

“What do you want to ask about?” Ming Zhang raised an eyebrow at the clearly flattering tone, ready to hear him out.

 

“Although I stayed in the capital for a while, I never had the chance to meet the Emperor. Now I’m suddenly expected to accompany His Majesty all the time, so I can’t help but feel nervous,” Yan Yihuan poured Ming Zhang a cup of tea. “So I wanted to ask Ming Zhang ge for some guidance. Maybe share a little about what His Majesty likes or dislikes.”

 

“Oh? Is Grand Historian Yan trying to make me slander the Emperor behind his back?” Ming Zhang accused him[mfn]明彰一顶大帽子扣了上来 – Ming Zhang slapped a big hat on him. Basically means to accuse someone of something serious, but in this context, Ming Zhang said it as a joke to tease Yan Yihuan.[/mfn], and Yan Yihuan’s expression changed instantly. A hint of fear and grievance appeared in his eyes, he lowered his head.

 

“I’m not sure about the Emperor’s dislikes.” Seeing his pitiful expression, Ming Zhang stopped teasing him, “But I do know what the Emperor likes.”

 

“What is it!” Yan Yihuan looked up upon hearing that, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.

 

Ming Zhang still wore a faint smile at the corners of his lips, though his gaze gradually dropped, dimming a little. But his voice remained light and cheerful,

 

“What the emperor likes… isn’t it you?”

 

The people from the capital are all cunning, this was Yan Yihuan’s evaluation after a few exchanges with Ming Zhang on the road. Actually, calling it “exchanges” was already considered saving face for himself, even Yan Yihuan had to admit he’d been teased by Ming Zhang the whole way.

 

But now that they had entered the gates of the capital, Yan Yihuan visibly became nervous. Even when Ming Zhang spoke to him, he was distracted and answered half-heartedly.

 

Yet the carriage didn’t head directly to the palace as Yan Yihuan had thought, instead it drove towards Hanlin Academy. When he got off the carriage and saw the large characters “Hanlin” on the plaque, a cold sweat instantly broke out.

 

This was the most prestigious scholarly institution in Northern Jin Dynasty. It was said that even the servants here could recite poetry and literary allusions with ease.

 

Yet, composing poetry and essays happened to be what he feared most. How was he supposed to serve as the Grand Historian like this?

 

Yan Yihuan timidly followed Ming Zhang into Hanlin Academy. Beyond the main gate was an elegant courtyard, with pine and cypress trees curling inward on both sides and stone statues of ancient sages enshrined in the center.

 

Yan Yihuan secretly glanced towards the main hall in the back and saw that it too was serene and refined. Occasionally, there were people passing by carrying books, looking very busy.

 

He thought Ming Zhang would lead him directly inside, but unexpectedly, they walked to the side and turned several corners before finally ending up at a bathing hall.

 

“Lord Yan, you must be tired after your long journey, please take a bath first.”

 

What… what kind of custom is this?

 

Yan Yihuan was already too nervous to question anything, but when he saw a servant behind them holding a full set of official robes, he figured this must be how it goes when taking office for the first time, bathing and burning incense. So he obediently followed the attendants inside.

 

To be fair, after being jostled around in a carriage for so long, a hot bath was indeed a blessing. But isn’t it a bit excessive for a mere fifth-rank official to have this kind of service?

 

No matter how many questions he asked, the attendants bathing him simply did their job in silence, scrubbing him clean and even carefully applying a layer of lotion at the end, leaving Yan Yihuan feeling embarrassed.

 

Were all Hanlin Academy attendants this skilled? It felt more like… more like the palace’s eunuchs. Still, the lotion feels pretty good. Yan Yihuan contentedly rubbed his arm that was smooth as silk.

 

Before long, Yan Yihuan stood before a bronze mirror, wearing a black gauze hat and a cyan official robe embroidered with a white pheasant. Now, he really did look handsome and dignified, quite the proper gentleman.

 

“Lord Yan.”

 

Hearing Ming Zhang’s voice, Yan Yihuan turned around happily and was just about to show off, but the moment he saw Ming Zhang, he immediately dropped his playful expression and respectfully cupped his hands in greeting,

 

“Lord Ming.”

 

It turned out that Ming Zhang had also bathed and changed clothes. He now wore a dark red official robe, and atop his head was a black gauze hat with golden cloud patterns, inlaid at the center with a piece of smooth white jade. The wide, wing-like flaps[mfn][/mfn] on either side of the hat showed his high ranking.

 

Yan Yihuan looked down at his own attire and immediately lost any desire to show off. He lowered his gaze, folded his hands properly, and stood quietly to the side.

 

“Why so quiet all of a sudden? Weren’t you quite lively on the way here?”

 

Hearing Ming Zhang’s teasing, Yan Yihuan let out a dissatisfied snort. There hadn’t been any rules to follow out there on the road, but now that they were in the capital, he understood the principle that higher-ranking officials can crush lower-ranking ones to death.

 

“Let’s go. I’ll take you to meet Lord Liu, the scholar in charge of Hanlin Academy, then we’ll meet your colleagues.”

 

Seeing Ming Zhang turn to leave, Yan Yihuan hurried to follow. He spoke in a low voice,

“Lord Ming, I already confessed to you on the way here, I really don’t know how to write essays. Could you make a request to the emperor to let me just pour tea or something.”

 

Ming Zhang paused upon hearing those words and turned around to look at the nervous Yan Yihuan. He said with a calm smile, “Actually, I could bring it up to the emperor, but it all depends on whether Lord Yan is willing to give it up.”

 

“Willing to give what up?” Yan Yihuan asked blankly, only to see that all-too-familiar glint of mischief begin to rise again in Ming Zhang’s eyes.

 

“Lord Yan, think about it, only what kind of person gets to pour tea at the emperor’s side.”

 

Yan Yihuan froze in place. A moment later, his entire face turned beet red. He quickly caught up to Ming Zhang, who was walking ahead, and didn’t dare bring it up again.