This year’s Mid-Autumn banquet was lively to the extreme.
Once the Duke of Zhen, the Duke of An, and several Ministers of the Six Departments had departed, the crowd erupted into a feverish discussion. The air was thick with astonishment and doubt—could the rumors be true?
Did Tianxu truly have a son? And was it Ye Zhao?
Though it seemed hard to believe, anyone with eyes could see the truth. Several of the high-ranking officials present had served in the imperial court alongside Master Tianxu in their younger years; they had seen him with their own eyes. The fact that Ye Zhao bore such a striking resemblance to Master Tianxu was nearly indisputable.
Recalling Lady Ye’s cryptic reaction from moments ago, all sorts of conjectures began to sprout in their minds.
Some even began to whisper about the old romantic scandals involving Master Tianxu, the Duke of Zhen, and the Duke of An. They were just getting to the juicy parts when they suddenly felt a piercingly cold gaze.
Turning their heads, they saw Pei Yunting.
Well, discussing his father’s past romantic entanglements right in front of the son was indeed a bit inappropriate.
The group fell silent one by one.
After Pei Yunting shot them a final, icy look, he departed with an air of indifference.
"Do you think the rumors are true?" one man whispered again once Pei Yunting was out of earshot.
"Who knows? Those are matters from decades ago. You’d have to ask the elders of the court."
"Like the six Ministers, or..." The speaker lowered his voice to list potential candidates before mentioning one specific title: "...or Duke Mingde. They were the ones closest to Master Tianxu back then. Especially the six Ministers—you could say they were personally groomed by Master Tianxu himself."
"Oh..." The first man realized the weight of it, but then...
A crucial problem occurred to him. "Who would actually dare to ask a Minister about such a thing?"
That hit home; it was a needle-sharp truth. No one dared to approach their superiors with such frivolous gossip.
In an instant, the topic died. Unable to continue the conversation, the group dispersed.
As the night deepened, the crowds outside the hall thinned, but the ripples of this event began to spread, growing larger bit by bit.
***
The Ye family of three sat in their carriage on the way home. Lady Ye’s face was set in a hard line, her displeasure visible to the naked eye.
Ye Zhao cautiously tugged at his mother’s sleeve. "Mother..."
Lady Ye swatted his hand away. Ye Zhao tried a few more times, but her expression did not soften. Finally, Ye Zhao stopped moving, sitting obediently as he waited to be scolded or punished.
Seeing his cowardly display, Lady Ye’s temper flared. "Now you know how to be afraid? You were quite bold when you tried to hoodwink me earlier!"
"Tell me, where did you dig up that fan? And how did it end up in someone else's hands?"
Ye Zhao knew his mother had recognized the fan. He glanced at his father, hesitated for a moment, and then explained the whole story. "I found it in the storage room, in the chest where you keep your things."
Lady Ye thought to herself, *As I suspected.*
With a sigh, she asked, "Can you get it back?"
Ye Zhao paused for a second before answering honestly, "I can."
Lady Ye immediately looked as though a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
Father Ye asked, "What’s the matter with that fan?"
Ye Zhao’s heart leaped into his throat; they had reached the crux of the matter he cared about most.
He watched as Lady Ye rolled her eyes ungracefully and said crossly, "You claim to treasure your son every day, yet you don't even remember his *Zhuazhou* ceremony?"
*Huh?*
Father Ye was stunned. He delved deep into his memories until a distant recollection suddenly surfaced.
He slapped his thigh. "Oh, right! Wasn't that the thing our son grabbed during his one-year-old trial?"
Lady Ye, exasperated, picked up the thread. "Exactly. Back then, didn't you say the object looked extraordinary and was likely dropped by a guest? You said the son had just happened to grab it and that we might have to return it to someone later, so you told me to put it away. Who would have thought twenty years would pass in a flash? If I hadn't seen it today, I would have forgotten about it entirely."
Ye Zhao: "..."
So that was it? It seemed he had indeed overthought things.
Misunderstandings are often born from one's own imagination—take Ye Zhao, for instance, or the crowd tonight who had misinterpreted Lady Ye’s expression and concocted an entire saga in their heads.
Father Ye, knowing about the secret agreement between the old Chancellor Pei and Ye Zhao, felt at ease. "As long as it can be retrieved, it's fine. Don't worry."
Lady Ye was mostly relieved now that she knew the fan could be returned. It wasn't just that she feared the owner might come looking for it one day only to find they had given it away—which would be a breach of etiquette and potentially bring trouble—but also because it was the item Ye Zhao had chosen during his *Zhuazhou*. If it were any other object, they would have kept it safe, but because they weren't sure they could rightfully keep this one, they had simply locked it away.
Ye Zhao’s family remained unaware of the "beautiful" misunderstanding they had caused, but Ye Zhao still had to pay the price for his overactive imagination.
The next morning, he was driven out of the house by Lady Ye to go to "work," with strict instructions to improve the teahouse's business.
Ye Zhao found it difficult. He hadn't told his parents about the large group of people who had tried to kill him the day before. He knew that telling them would only cause worry without solving the problem, and might even implicate them.
Judging by the size and skill of that group, and the fact that they dared to clash with the soldiers at the city gate, he knew his would-be assassins were no ordinary thugs; they possessed immense power.
Nevertheless, he went out, because hiding at home was useless.
He walked down the street, maintaining constant vigilance, only to run straight into someone in front of the teahouse. "Commander Wei?"
Wei Feng looked at Ye Zhao and suddenly flashed a smile—a smile that made the hair on the back of Ye Zhao's neck stand up.
The two sat across from each other.
Wei Feng’s gaze swept up and down Ye Zhao’s body. He chuckled. "It seems you are indeed quite capable."
Seeing that familiar smile from their first meeting, Ye Zhao felt like giving his usual reply: *Capable of talking nonsense? You flatter me.*
But then he heard Wei Feng continue in an inscrutable tone, "...To be able to escape from dozens of highly skilled death-sworn assassins."
"Huh?" Ye Zhao was stunned.
Had he heard correctly? Death-sworn assassins?
Wei Feng noted his surprise. "That’s right. Dozens of highly skilled death-sworn assassins. To be honest, I am surprised you managed to escape them unscathed."
Ye Zhao wanted to say he wasn't entirely unscathed—couldn't he see the bruise on his forehead that hadn't faded yet?
But in Wei Feng’s eyes, such a minor injury was no different from being perfectly fine.
"But what surprises me even more is that the other side was willing to sacrifice so many people just to kill you. Ye Zhao, you are far more significant than I thought. How did you provoke those people?" Wei Feng asked with a smile, looking quite intrigued.
This was a question Ye Zhao desperately wanted the answer to as well.
He went silent for a moment before saying, "I don't know. I only found out about it myself yesterday."
Wei Feng had known someone was targeting Ye Zhao even earlier than the boy himself. He rested his chin on his folded hands, his eyes staring intently at the man before him.
Their eyes met, and the air fell silent. Ye Zhao felt a bit uncomfortable under the scrutiny. "Commander Wei, have you thought of something?"
This question should have been directed at the person involved, but clearly, the person involved was unreliable. Wei Feng’s gaze traced every inch of Ye Zhao’s face. "Do you know that your face looks very much like someone else's?"
His tone was exceptionally slow, as if he were savoring something.
Recalling the events of the previous night, Ye Zhao sighed. "Sigh... I know. I've been mistaken for him several times lately. Are you saying those people were drawn by this face? It seems that although Master Tianxu is famous throughout the world, he also has no shortage of enemies."
He lamented the thought.
To have his life targeted simply because he looked like someone else—if it were the actual person, the enemies would likely want to grind his bones to ash.
It seemed being a hero wasn't always glamorous.
Wei Feng laughed heartily. Ye Zhao’s depressed and miserable expression was truly amusing, but in truth, that wasn't the only reason he laughed.
He said, "You don't know yet? It's not just that you look like him; you supposedly have a very special relationship with Master Tianxu."
Who was Wei Feng? After leading his men to the South Gate last night to wipe out the assassins, he had naturally been informed of everything that happened at the palace banquet, including the suspicion that Ye Zhao was Master Tianxu’s son.
It was called a "suspicion" because it hadn't been proven yet.
Was the attempt on Ye Zhao’s life also because of this? It seemed the other side had harbored this suspicion for quite some time.
As expected, Ye Zhao looked suspicious. "What relationship?"
"Some say you are Master Tianxu’s son."
Wei Feng finished speaking seriously, observing Ye Zhao’s reaction.
Ye Zhao... Ye Zhao simply froze for a moment, and then his entire mood soured. "Who is spouting such nonsense? I may not look like my father, but you can't just say people are father and son just because they look alike, can you? What would be the point of blood relations then?"
If that were the case, one could just travel the world looking for people who looked like them and say, "Aha! You are my son!"
Give me a break!
The mere thought made Ye Zhao’s skin crawl; he felt a wave of revulsion.
Wei Feng’s mood turned subtle for a moment. "You don't want to have a connection with Master Tianxu?"
"No, I don't! I have a father; why would I want to claim a total stranger as my father?! Besides, if a 'father' like that were offered to you, would you want him?"
Perhaps because Wei Feng was exceptionally easy to talk to today and didn't seem as terrifying as their first meeting, Ye Zhao’s courage had grown significantly.
Furthermore, he was well aware that he was in danger. Although he didn't know why Wei Feng, as a member of the Yulin Guards, was helping him, he had a faint feeling that he and Wei Feng were on the same side.
In fact, his intuition was usually very sharp.
Wei Feng indeed would no longer interrogate him like a suspect as he had during their first meeting. Instead, he would protect him, because Ye Zhao was a significant piece of bait.
Thus, Wei Feng didn't mind Ye Zhao being a bit forward. He said, "I would. Why wouldn't I? Think about it—that name represents immense benefits. Wealth, status, power, beauties... all of it would be within your reach."
Wei Feng’s words sounded like a temptation, as if he himself truly craved those things, his eyes full of allure.
But Ye Zhao remained cold and unmoved.
He looked at Wei Feng, who seemed to have suddenly flipped some strange switch, and said flatly, "Oh... well, you are you, and I am me. I don't think it's a good thing at all."
A momentary silence fell between them.
A few seconds later, the expression on Wei Feng’s face gradually cooled. He pulled back his slightly leaning torso and crossed his arms, his expression returning to its usual indifference.
Seeing that Ye Zhao’s demeanor truly matched his words—if he was faking it, his acting skills were truly formidable. Wei Feng thought to himself and couldn't help but ask, "You don't want those things?"
Most people in this world chased after those very things. Could it be that Ye Zhao had the potential to be a reclusive hermit?
Ye Zhao didn't know what Wei Feng was thinking; he just felt little interest in what had been described.
He even seriously visualized it—what if he actually possessed those things?
A few seconds later, Ye Zhao’s feelings were complicated.
"...Aside from inheriting the shade of his great reputation, wouldn't I also have to take on all of his troubles?" Ye Zhao held a low-quality teacup filled with coarse tea, speaking slowly. "Thinking about it, I feel my current life is quite good. Those things don't seem very useful to me, so why should I go looking for trouble?"
*Not very useful?* What kind of indifferent, fame-shunning answer was that?
Wei Feng was silent for a moment.
Thinking of Ye Zhao’s reputation in the city... no, he felt those things would be very useful indeed; they could practically transform Ye Zhao into a new man of high standing.
But Ye Zhao seemed even more unwilling to touch the troubles that came with them.
The probing ended there. Wei Feng exhaled, a hint of sincerity entering his voice. "At this moment, you especially resemble a hedonistic scion."
What did that mean? Hadn't he always been one?
Ye Zhao was momentarily confused by the comment, but then Wei Feng asked him about serious business.
"How did you escape last night?"
That question...
A good question!
But Ye Zhao felt that what Wei Feng really wanted to ask was—how did he end up in the Imperial Palace?
He didn't know who had left that tunnel there, but a tunnel leading straight into the palace... he reckoned that no matter how you looked at it, it was a massive secret, and he had stumbled right into it.
Ye Zhao: *I feel like... I'm in danger of being silenced...*
He remained silent for a long time. Wei Feng saw that he was hiding something and was about to press him.
At that moment, a Yulin Guard walked in and whispered a few words into Wei Feng’s ear.
Wei Feng shot Ye Zhao a look and left without saying another word.
Ye Zhao breathed a small sigh of relief. He called out to the Yulin Guard who was also about to leave, recognizing him as the one who had given him the *Fengxin* last time. "Hey, uh, could you give me another *Fengxin*?"
He felt a bit embarrassed, but for the sake of his own safety, he needed a life-saving tool.
The man turned back to look at him, his expression somewhat speechless. "You don't need that thing. There are plenty of our people around you."
He mercifully informed the fool of a fact he was unaware of, choosing not to mention that they had been watching his every move for a long time.
Ye Zhao felt relieved and even quite touched. "That’s wonderful! Thank you so much!"
The man fell silent again.
Well, the guy was happy because he thought they were protecting him.
But honestly, no one had ever been so delighted and welcoming about being stalked by them...
Ye Zhao was indeed a person who could not be judged by common logic!
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
---|---|---
明德公 | Duke Mingde | A high-ranking noble mentioned as being close to Master Tianxu.
死士 | Death-sworn assassins | Elite warriors or assassins who are prepared to die for their mission; often translated as "dead soldiers."
抓周 | Zhuazhou | A traditional Chinese ceremony on a child's first birthday where they pick an object to predict their future.
风信 | Fengxin | Literally "Wind Signal"; a tool or device used to send a signal or call for help.
羽林卫 | Yulin Guards | The Imperial Forest Guards; an elite military unit responsible for protecting the Emperor and the palace.
