Great Yan’s capital had been rebuilt remarkably quickly following the war.
The desolate atmosphere that had once hung over the city during the Great Hunt, when Yan’s forces were struggling against overwhelming odds, had long since disappeared.
Now, with the Spring Festival just around the corner, the entire capital was bursting with excitement.
Colorful lanterns and festive decorations adorned the streets, while the occasional crackle of firecrackers and fireworks echoed throughout the city.
The morning sunlight had only just begun spilling onto the streets of the bustling marketplace.
Golden rays illuminated the stone-paved roads, lending the lively atmosphere a gentle warmth.
“Good morning, Lord Grand Warden!
I’ve just finished steaming a fresh batch of buns!
Would you like to try one?”
“Good morning, Lord Grand Warden!
Only bringing Miss Ling with you today?
Where are the other young ladies?”
“Lord Grand Warden!
Lord Grand Warden!
The sword Miss Nian commissioned me to forge is finally finished!
When would you like to come pick it up?”
“Lord Grand Warden!
We love you!”
“Lord Grand Warden!
I’ve just made some fresh tanghulu!”
“Save one for me!”
Hongyu responded almost instantly.
The residents of the capital were remarkably friendly toward him.
And it wasn’t simply because he held the prestigious position of Grand Warden of the Sui Regulator.
More importantly, Hongyu received an enormous salary from the imperial government and had absolutely no idea what to do with all that money.
As a result, he frequently ventured out among the common people in plain clothes, conducting his own little “incognito inspections.”
During these excursions, he had undertaken numerous charitable activities, casually spending large amounts of silver that he had little personal use for.
Over time, these acts had earned him an excellent reputation among the people.
After returning the enthusiastic greetings of the townsfolk, Hongyu looked up at Ling, who was sitting on his shoulders.
“So, what exactly were you in such a hurry to come out and buy?”
“Is tanghulu really the only thing you wanted?”
By now, Ling was no longer holding Hongyu’s hand.
Instead, she had climbed onto his shoulders and made herself perfectly comfortable.
She held a stick of tanghulu that Hongyu had just purchased from a street vendor.
Her legs dangled on either side of his shoulders, swaying idly back and forth as she hummed an unfamiliar tune.
Every now and then, she took another bite of the candied hawthorn.
“Isn’t tanghulu something you wanted to eat yourself?”
Ling lowered the skewer toward Hongyu’s mouth.
She had already taken a bite out of one of the candied fruits.
“Want some?”
“Sit properly.
Stop wriggling around…”
Hongyu took a bite of the hawthorn, which still bore a tiny mark from Ling’s teeth, and steadied her by the legs.
“You’re already a grown girl.
Why are you still acting like a little kid?”
“What’s wrong with being a kid?”
Ling spoke around the empty skewer dangling from her mouth.
“Children get to act spoiled whenever they want.
Adults have to sneak off and cry in the bathroom.”
With nothing else to occupy her hands, Ling naturally rested them on Hongyu’s head and began gently ruffling his white hair.
“What I’m saying is that you’re already an adult…”
“Stop, stop!
That’s enough!”
Ling immediately interrupted the lecture she knew was coming.
“Yu!
Go that way!
Over there, over there!”
“That wine shop is open!”
She eagerly urged Hongyu to take her over so she could buy some wine.
“Which way?”
Hongyu followed the direction she was pointing.
Ling flinched at the unexpected sensation, and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
Despite her normally carefree attitude and how casually she behaved around Hongyu, even she was caught off guard.
Of course, Ling had absolutely no intention of climbing down anytime soon.
After all, until now, the privilege of riding on Hongyu’s shoulders had almost always belonged to Shu, Nian, or Dusk.
Today was Ling’s first time.
Whenever she had been walking alongside them while the others gathered around Hongyu, laughing and playing, she had always experienced a strange, unpleasant feeling.
She couldn’t quite explain it.
Nor did she understand why she cared so much about everything involving Hongyu.
She simply enjoyed being around him.
“Ling, I really don’t want another lecture from Shu.”
Hongyu tried to reason with her.
“Can’t we at least avoid drinking first thing in the morning?”
After all, being lectured by a girl who looked barely old enough to be in her teens, while she tugged at his ears, was not an experience Hongyu particularly wanted to repeat.
“Ehhh—!”
Ling dragged out her complaint and began squirming restlessly on his shoulders.
“Hey, stop that!
Quit fooling around!”
“Then buy some wine and drink with me when we get home!”
“Alright, alright…”
…
“So Sister Ling and Sir went out to play again without eating breakfast?”
Shu sighed in frustration as she arranged the tableware.
“Then what about little Nian and little Dusk?”
“They’re…
probably still sleeping?”
Wang quietly averted his gaze.
For some inexplicable reason, he felt that Shu’s eyes were particularly intimidating today.
Almost as though her gaze itself were burning into him.
“Haah.
Then I’ll go wake them up.”
Shu placed her hands on her hips helplessly.
After glancing toward the entrance, she headed for Nian and Dusk’s rooms.
Almost as soon as Shu disappeared, Hongyu returned.
Ling was riding on his back, and he was carrying several jugs of wine.
The moment Shuo spotted them, he immediately called out toward the direction Shu had gone.
“Shu!
Sir’s already ba—MMPH!”
Seeing Hongyu return with Ling on his back and wine in his hands, Shuo had assumed that Shu would inevitably give them a lecture.
So he’d decided to call her over directly.
Perhaps, if he intervened, Shu might be willing to let the matter slide for his sake.
Unfortunately, Wang immediately realized that his beloved eldest brother was about to say something incredibly stupid.
‘WHAT THE FUCK, YOU IDIOT?!
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!’
Wang hurriedly clamped a hand over Shuo’s mouth.
Was he joking?!
If Sixth Sister discovered that both he and Big Brother had been present when Sir took Third Sister out that morning, they would almost certainly end up getting lectured as well.
And as for whether Sixth Sister would show mercy out of respect for their eldest brother?
What a joke!
Sixth Sister didn’t even hesitate to scold Sir himself!
‘Big Brother, where the hell are you getting all this confidence from?!’
Shuo pulled Wang’s hand away from his mouth.
He turned toward his younger brother, intending to ask what on earth he was doing.
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
Shu had rushed over to Hongyu.
Seeing this, Wang slapped a hand against his forehead.
“We’re doomed.”
Shuo, however, still hadn’t figured out what Wang was trying to tell him.
He casually nudged Wang in the side with his elbow.
“Hey, did you notice how quickly Shu just moved?”
Wang brushed Shuo’s arm away with an expression of utter despair.
“Just prepare yourself.
We’re both getting yelled at later.”
“Hm?”
Shuo tilted his head.
He didn’t understand.
…
‘Come to think of it…’
‘Shouldn’t I be acting a little guilty right now?’
‘Let’s see…
What sort of emotions would a parent experience when being lectured by their own child?’
‘Oh!’
‘Embarrassment!
That’s probably it!’
That was Hongyu’s conclusion.
Meanwhile, near the entrance, Shu watched Ling leisurely climb down from Hongyu’s back.
The smile on Shu’s face stiffened slightly.
However, she quickly regained her composure.
Turning toward Hongyu, who was wearing an awkward grin, she gave him a reproachful look.
“Sir!
You went out without eating breakfast again!”
“And you’ve been drinking in broad daylight!”
“Uh…
Shu, you see, your Sister Ling was…”
Hongyu had barely begun explaining himself when Shu cut him off.
“This isn’t Sister Ling’s fault!
You’re the one who spoils her too much, Sir!”
She reached out and took the wine jugs from his hands.
Then, while continuing to scold him, she urged him toward the dining room.
“Honestly!
Forget it, forget it!
Come eat breakfast first!”
“I’ll have more to say to you once you’ve finished eating!”
“What an unreliable adult…”
Hongyu continued wearing his awkward smile.
Meanwhile, Ling stood nearby, casually whistling as though none of this had anything to do with her.
Seeing that Shu had decided to postpone the lecture until after breakfast, Wang finally let out a tremendous sigh of relief.
He had absolutely no desire to experience that hellish torment again—being lectured by Shu for two straight hours simply because he’d stayed up too late.
It was the kind of situation where you knew perfectly well that the other person was only looking out for you, yet you still couldn’t bring yourself to listen and found the whole thing incredibly irritating.
It was torture.
Unfortunately, his beloved eldest brother would never let him have a moment of peace.
Shuo was just about to say something in an attempt to calm Shu down when she turned toward him.
There was a smile on her face.
But the oppressive atmosphere surrounding that smile was enough to make him swallow his words.
To Wang, the look in her eyes practically screamed:
‘Oh, that’s right.
I almost forgot about you two.’
Wang slapped his forehead.
Turning toward the now-frozen Shuo, he sighed helplessly.
“Big Brother, you really shouldn’t be so confident.”
At the border fortress of Yumen, Great Yan.
“Hey, I heard that Lord Wang, the current Grand Warden of the Sui Regulator, doesn’t have a particularly high opinion of what the Grandmaster used to be like…”
During a shift change, two soldiers had gathered together and were casually chatting.
“Ah, well, they’re brothers, aren’t they?”
The other soldier waved his hand dismissively.
“Besides, someone as outstanding as the Grandmaster couldn’t possibly have that bad a reputation, even among his own siblings.”
“That’s what I thought too, but I heard something interesting from someone who came over from the Sui Regulator.”
“Apparently, their Grand Warden once described the Grandmaster as someone who was so straightforward that he was practically an idiot.”
“An idiot?
How could that possibly be true?”