The autumn breeze was gentle, carrying the fragrance of osmanthus throughout the courtyard.
Four-year-old Xie Zheng practiced thrusting motions with a small wooden sword in the yard, swinging it repeatedly until his arms grew sore, yet he refused to stop.
Under the blazing sun, his chubby cheeks flushed pink, and a fine layer of sweat beaded on his forehead. His eyes held a stubborn determination and focus far beyond his years.
Wei Wan sat on the leaning rail beneath the corridor, leisurely fanning herself with a flower and bird fan adorned with a green jade tassel. She sighed helplessly to Meng Lihua beside her, "A few days ago, his father pointed out that his sword techniques were sloppy. Ever since, aside from eating, studying, and sleeping, he’s been clutching that wooden sword to practice whenever he gets a chance. He’s been this stubborn since he was little—nothing like me or his father. He takes after his uncle instead."
Wei Qilin had been assigned to Wei Wan by Wei Yan, making him part of her maternal family. He was highly valued under Xie Linshan’s command and had become son-in-law to Meng Shuyuan, a veteran general under Xie Linshan, further strengthening the close ties between the Xie and Meng families.
Wei Qilin was accompanying Xie Linshan on a border inspection and wouldn’t return for months. Knowing Meng Lihua was heavily pregnant and fearing she might grow lonely at home, Wei Wan had invited her over for company, chatting to pass the time and sharing child-rearing wisdom.
Over time, the two had become close friends.
Meng Lihua chuckled at Wei Wan’s words. "They say a nephew takes after his uncle—there’s truth to that."
She rubbed her rounded belly. "This little one in me is quite lazy. Even at this stage, it hardly moves. I think it must be a quiet girl. But when her father tries to tease her, she kicks so fiercely it kept him up all night. The next day, he came to me with a long face, asking what we’d do if it turned out to be a boy."
Wei Wan couldn’t help but laugh. "General Wei wants a daughter?"
Meng Lihua’s eyes held a mix of amusement and exasperation. "The moment the pregnancy was confirmed, he started brainstorming names. Despite barely knowing a handful of characters, he had his Record Keepers flipping through books for days before proudly announcing to me that if it’s a girl, she’ll be named Changyu. He’s also been collecting clothes for her from infancy up to her first birthday—already filled several trunks."
Wei Wan smiled. "And if it’s a boy?"
Meng Lihua’s expression turned complicated. "He said boys are tough, so we’d just call him ‘Iron Egg’ or ‘Iron Ox’ for the time being. Once he’s older, his grandfather can give him a proper name."
Wei Wan hadn’t expected the usually steady and reliable Wei Qilin to be like this in private. Leaning against the rail, she laughed until tears nearly spilled from her eyes. "It seems General Wei truly adores daughters."
Her gaze then shifted to her young son practicing swordsmanship outside the corridor. "I’ve heard of an old folk belief—children under five can tell whether a pregnant woman is carrying a girl or a boy."
Meng Lihua looked surprised. "Such a thing exists?"
Wei Wan grinned. "Shall we test it?"
She called out to her son, "Zheng’er, come here to Mother."
Hearing her voice, Xie Zheng turned and saw his mother beckoning from the corridor. He sheathed his wooden sword and approached. "Mother, you called?"
Wei Wan wiped his sweaty face with a handkerchief, her voice gentle. "Aren’t you afraid of the sun? Look at all this sweat."
Xie Zheng roughly wiped his face with his sleeve. "I’m fine."
Wei Wan had a servant bring him a cup of honeyed flower tea, then asked, "Zheng’er, would you like a little brother or sister?"Xie Zheng answered bluntly, "No."
Wei Wan asked, "Why?"
The child frowned slightly and said, "Crying is annoying."
Over the years, the key generals under Xie Linshan had gradually started families. Since they were frequently away on campaigns and there were no decent schools in the frontier regions, Xie Linshan had arranged for the children of his officers to attend a private school at the Xie residence, ensuring their education and easing their fathers' concerns.
In the classroom, Xie Zheng was most often subjected to the endless wails of the younger children, who could cry for half a day without stopping.
He had no desire for a younger brother or sister. If there were a little one at home who screamed all day, he doubted he’d ever get a peaceful night’s sleep.
Wei Wan had only asked casually, but the child’s unexpected response left her stifling laughter.
She coaxed her son, "Then how about a little brother or sister from Auntie Meng’s family to play with you? Do you think Auntie Meng is carrying a brother or sister?"
Xie Zheng tilted his head to look at the round bulge beneath Meng Lihua’s skirt, then answered with a serious expression, "A sister."
He had no idea whether the baby was a boy or a girl, but he figured a sister would be less troublesome. Otherwise, it might be like General Liu’s son—always provoking him, then howling like a slaughtered pig after getting beaten before running home to tattle. When word reached his father, Xie Zheng would end up getting scolded again.
Meng Lihua gently stroked her belly with a tender smile. "I’m also hoping for a daughter."
Wei Wan teased her son, "If it really is a sister, how about you marry her later and bring her home as my daughter-in-law?"
The little boy, still unaware of what marriage meant, frowned. "Why would she have to be your daughter-in-law?"
Wei Wan and Meng Lihua both laughed at his innocent words.
Wei Wan pinched her son’s slightly puffed cheeks and said, "Because I’d like her."
Xie Zheng seemed to consider this seriously before replying, "Okay."
This response only made Wei Wan and Meng Lihua laugh even harder.
Three months later, Meng Lihua indeed gave birth to a daughter.
When the news reached the Xie residence, Wei Wan was momentarily surprised before delightedly preparing a generous array of gifts to send to the Meng household in celebration.
Xie Zheng, who had been studying by the window, suddenly asked, "Mother, did Auntie Meng have her baby?"
"Yes, Zheng’er. Are you thinking about your little wife already?" Wei Wan continued teasing him mischievously.
Xie Zheng pressed his lips together, gripping his book silently.
That night, back in his room, he pulled out a blank notebook from his desk drawer, ground some ink, and wrote a line on the first page:
Birthday: 11th day of the first month, Qinghe Year 5.
It wasn’t until the hundred-day celebration that Xie Zheng finally met the little sister who had spent ten months in Auntie Meng’s belly.
In the lively front hall, a crowd of women surrounded the tiny bundle in swaddling clothes, chatting and laughing. Xie Zheng, standing beside his mother, found it all incredibly dull. When he glanced at the baby, he noticed she seemed just as uninterested—though fair and adorable, her eyelids drooped sleepily, as if she might doze off at any moment. No matter who held her, she didn’t cry.
The women praised her as an easy child before launching into stories about how troublesome their own children were.
Meng Lihua smiled in response, but seeing her daughter’s lack of energy, she assumed the baby was sleepy. Unable to leave her guests, she handed the child to the nursemaid and instructed her to take the baby to a side room for a nap.Xie Zheng thought the little one was lazy, not sleepy.
Seeing the little one being carried away, he followed out of the front hall, wanting to take a stroll outside.
The nanny noticed him and asked cheerfully, "Has the young master come to see the little miss? The wind and snow are fierce out there—come inside to see her."
Xie Zheng felt that refusing would make him seem insincere, so after a brief consideration, he toddled into the side room.
The little one had been placed in the cradle. Spotting a stranger enter, she simply stared at him with those lazy, sleepy eyes.
The nanny tucked a silk quilt around her and moved the tiger-head cloth toy and rattle to one side of the cradle.
Seeing Xie Zheng standing by the cradle, she handed him the rattle and said with a smile, "Young master, why don’t you play with our little miss?"
Xie Zheng remembered that when he was three, his mother had still used this very toy to amuse him. He found the dong-dong-dong noise unbearably loud and would reach out to grab it, hoping she’d stop shaking it.
But the adults, seeing him reach for it whenever it made noise, mistook his actions for delight and shook it even more enthusiastically.
It hadn’t been a pleasant experience.
Xie Zheng didn’t take the rattle. "I’ll just look," he said.
He stared at the little one, and the little one stared back.
The nanny said, "Our little miss has a sweet temper—she rarely cries or fusses, though she does love her naps. Once she falls asleep, young master mustn’t disturb her."
Xie Zheng said, "She’s not sleepy."
He waved his hand in front of the little one. Perhaps because, from birth until now, she’d only seen adults, the sudden appearance of a much smaller person playing with her intrigued her. The baby girl in the cradle suddenly reached out and grabbed the finger wiggling before her.
Xie Zheng tried to pull free but couldn’t.
Afraid of making the soft little creature cry, he didn’t dare use too much force.
Yet the chubby little hand gripping his finger was as soft as milk curd but surprisingly strong, holding on firmly.
Finding it novel, Xie Zheng didn’t pull away. Instead, he gave her plump little hand a gentle squeeze.
The little one seemed delighted, kicking her legs and stretching her other arm, even breaking into a grin.
The nanny chuckled. "Our little miss likes the young master!"
The next moment, however, the tiny thing in the cradle grabbed Xie Zheng’s finger and stuffed it into her mouth.
Xie Zheng’s expression darkened instantly. He yanked his hand free, scowled at the drool on his fingertip, and marched straight to the washbasin to scrub it clean.
Whether startled or upset at losing her toy, the little one in the cradle suddenly burst into loud, vigorous wails—not the usual high-pitched cries of an infant but full-throated, powerful sobs.
The nanny tried to soothe her with the rattle and the tiger-head toy, but nothing worked. Even after picking her up and pacing around the room, the baby wouldn’t stop crying.
Xie Zheng, having just washed his hands, glared at the little one before finally resigning himself and offering his finger again.
The little one stopped crying at once. Tears still clung to her long lashes as she began sucking his finger with gusto.
Xie Zheng was taken aback, then turned to the nanny. "She’s hungry."
The nanny blinked. "The mistress fed the little miss less than half an hour ago. She shouldn’t be hungry so soon."
Even so, she sent someone to the kitchen to warm a bowl of goat’s milk.
When Meng Lihua was unwell and couldn’t nurse, she would temporarily feed the child warm goat’s milk instead.With so many guests today, the nanny knew Meng Lihua likely couldn't get away, so she first tried soothing the little one with goat's milk.
A maid quickly brought over a bowl of warmed goat's milk. The nanny dipped a spoon and brought it to the baby's lips, who indeed spat out her fingers to chase after the spoon.
The nanny exclaimed in surprise, "The young miss really was hungry!"
She fed the child over half a bowl with the spoon before the little one started dodging, refusing more.
Wiping the baby's mouth with a silk handkerchief, the nanny chuckled, "A big appetite is good—makes for a strong body. This young miss may have tiny hands and feet, but she's quite strong!"
The infant in the rocking cradle, as if understanding the adults were playing with her, obligingly kicked at the silk quilt covering her and waved her chubby little hands.
Xie Zheng thought the child must truly be tired this time—those plump paws gradually lost their vigor as they waved, and her eyelids slowly drooped.
Eat then sleep—he found this little one quite lazy indeed.
Though when she cried, she didn't seem quite so annoying?
Returning that day, Xie Zheng added another page to his little notebook: Gluttonous, sleepy, lazy.
After a pause, he appended: Easy to raise—
Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, Xie Zheng turned eleven.
For children of ordinary officials at his age, they'd be pressured to take the imperial exams—studying for years to qualify as government students before advancing further.
Scholar, provincial graduate, palace graduate—each major hurdle clearly lay ahead.
Since Xie Zheng would join the military later, he didn't need to take the exams, but Xie Linshan remained strict about his studies.
Fortunately, he'd been studious since childhood, earning consistent praise from academy teachers.
With no great scholars beyond the frontier, Xie Linshan discussed with Wei Wan about sending him to Luyuan Academy or back to the capital's Imperial College in a couple years.
Xie Zheng paid this no mind—either destination suited him equally.
At ten, he'd taken several personal guards and spent months traversing Great Yin's northern border by horse, living rough, frightening his mother to tears. When he finally returned mud-streaked, his father punished him with ancestral hall kneeling before he could even eat.
Over the years, his various misadventures earned frequent paternal reprimands.
His father often told his mother the boy was strong-willed, wild-natured, and uncontainable—once he stood taller than a horse's back, they'd toss him into military training.
Xie Zheng actually longed to join the army now—hardships notwithstanding, it offered vast freedom.
But at his current age, the troops would only see Xie Linshan's son.
Unwilling to leverage that identity, wanting to forge his own path, he'd need to wait a few more years until he matched common soldiers' stature to enlist anonymously as a foot soldier.
Nowadays, academy studies merely passed the time.
After class one day, someone called out: "Brother Xie, help me with something."
Xie Zheng lazily lifted his gaze to regard the all-brawn-no-brains fellow.
The caller was General Liu's son, Liu Xuan.
Incidentally, General Liu originally served under Xie Zheng's uncle, but when the latter remained in the capital as a civil official, he reassigned Liu to the Xie Family Army.Liu Xuan had been a troublemaker since childhood, becoming the little tyrant of the academy. In earlier years, seeing that Xie Zheng didn’t fear him like others did, he had picked fights with Xie Zheng several times. But each time, he ended up beaten black and blue, snot and tears streaming down his face as his parents dragged him home.
Though reckless, he was extremely concerned about face. After getting beaten too many times, he deluded himself into becoming Xie Zheng’s lackey.
Xie Zheng knew he must have stirred up trouble again and indifferently tossed out two words: “No time.”
Liu Xuan panicked, quickly catching up to him. “Brother Xie, I really had no choice but to come to you. One of my little brothers got beaten up—his eyes were so black and blue they didn’t fade for days. My mother warned me not to cause trouble. But just now, that same little brother came crying to me again, saying he got beaten once more. His nose bled so much it soaked a whole handkerchief! How can anyone bully people like this?”
“I asked him who did it, but he stammered and said the person was connected to the Xie family. He refused to tell me the truth. I bet it’s some reckless brat using the Xie name to throw his weight around in the academy!”
Xie Zheng had no intention of getting involved in this mess. If things went south and word reached Xie Linshan, he’d be punished again.
But at this point, he lazily raised an eyebrow and said, “Let’s take a look.”
He didn’t like provoking trouble, but if someone was using the Xie family’s name to bully students in the academy, he had to step in.
They found Liu Xuan’s eight-year-old brother and asked him to lead them to the person who had beaten him. But the child clutched his clothes, refusing outright—first saying the person was from the Xie family and he feared retaliation. When Liu Xuan pointed at Xie Zheng and said a Xie was right here, the boy then claimed it was too late and the culprit must have already left.
Liu Xuan, furious, kicked his younger brother in the rear. “How the hell did I end up with such a coward for a brother?”
He stormed into his brother’s classroom instead, kicking the door open like a bully. “Listen up! Who here claims to be a Xie relative and beat up my brother?”
The younger brother, dragged along by him, nearly buried his head in the ground at the outburst. His nose was still bleeding, but he was too flustered to wipe it, his face burning red.
The classroom was filled with children no older than seven or eight.
At first, they exchanged bewildered glances. But under Liu Xuan’s aggressive glare, the timid ones pointed toward a little girl sitting by the window, gripping a brush as she painstakingly copied text, her brows slightly furrowed as if wrestling with something.
Changyu was growing frustrated with the brush in her hand.
The rabbit-hair tip was too soft. If she pressed too lightly, the teacher scolded her for writing characters without strength, often making her recopy. But if she pressed too hard, the bristles splayed out, leaving only a few thick, clumsy strokes per page.
Liu Xuan’s sudden roar startled the child in front of her, who jolted and bumped into her desk. The page of characters she had struggled to complete was now marred by a hideous ink blot.
Changyu stared at the blot for a long moment before lifting her head, her small face darkening as she glared at the person who had kicked the door open.
Behind him, leaning against the wooden railing of the corridor, stood a boy in a russet-red archer’s robe. He looked about twelve or thirteen, with refined features and an air of nobility.
Xie Zheng was already tall for his age, and among this crowd of little sprouts, he stood out like a crane among chickens.
The moment Liu Xuan had dragged him to this classroom of brats, he had sensed trouble. Now, spotting the Meng family’s daughter, his eyelid twitched violently.No matter how he thought about it, he never expected that the one who beat up Liu Xuan's younger brother was actually that girl.
Liu Xuan was clearly stunned too. The little girl looked sweet and adorable, a whole half head shorter than his own brother. How could she have beaten Liu Cheng until he was black and blue?
He immediately roared at the child who pointed her out: "What nonsense are you spouting? Do you believe I'll—"
But the well-behaved girl, who looked like a porcelain doll, suddenly spoke up: "It was me."
Liu Xuan's words got stuck in his throat.
Looking at the girl who was a full half head shorter than his brother, he promptly gave his sibling a sharp knock on the head and scolded fiercely: "Didn't you say the one who beat you was a tall, sturdy brat? You lied and made me lose face with you, didn't you?"
The child covered his head, two trails of nose blood hanging down, and burst into loud sobs: "I couldn't beat her, and you kept questioning me, so I lied..."
Liu Xuan gave him another knock: "You feel ashamed losing to a little girl, but lying isn't shameful?"
His brother just covered his head and cried, saying nothing more.
Xie Zheng, standing outside, asked: "Why did she hit you?"
The child hemmed and hawed, unwilling to speak.
Changyu glared fiercely at Xie Zheng, seeming to understand that he had come earlier to back up Liu Xuan and his brother, and said: "He pulled my hair and smeared ink on my book. I'll beat him every time I see him."
Liu Xuan's expression changed, and he slapped his brother again: "You useless thing, bullying a girl and then daring to come back and lie?"
Xie Zheng noticed the clearly disheaped flower-bud bun on Changyu's head and unconsciously frowned. He looked down at the child: "This is my sister."
The child was already terrified, staring at Xie Zheng with teary eyes.
Liu Xuan's anger also faltered, and he stiffly asked Xie Zheng: "When did Madam Xie give you a sister?"
Xie Zheng didn't answer, only looking at the child: "Apologize."
The child, crying with snot and tears, blubbered to Changyu: "I'm sorry... I won't dare do it again..."
Xie Zheng walked over and half-knelt beside Changyu's desk, asking her: "Do you accept his apology?"
Changyu pursed her lips and stared at him, her chubby little face full of displeasure: "Did you come here to scold me with them?"
Xie Zheng now only wanted to throw Liu Xuan under a horse's hooves to be trampled. He gave Liu Xuan a look, and Liu Xuan wisely led the group of little brats out of the classroom before Xie Zheng said: "I didn't know they were talking about you..."
Changyu, her small face tense, interrupted him: "You bully people with them at the academy! I'm telling Uncle Xie!"
Xie Zheng rubbed his forehead: "That's not how 'bully people' is used."
Changyu glared at him angrily.
Xie Zheng had no choice but to continue patiently: "It's really not what you think. Don't tell my father about today."
Changyu said: "This is the guilty conscience of a thief!"
Xie Zheng felt his head about to explode, not knowing whether to be angry or amused at her words: "You've learned quite a few phrases since starting school. Today was really a misunderstanding. How about I take you to Xu's Restaurant for braised pork knuckle later?"
Changyu snorted and turned her face away.
Xie Zheng compromised further: "I'll buy you hibiscus cake from Tang's Shop too."
The snow-powdered little girl finally pointed at the ink-stained paper on the desk, her big dark eyes looking at him: "I still have to rewrite the homework the teacher assigned..."
Xie Zheng knew this was coming. He sighed: "I'll write it for you."After leaving the academy, the pair bought a pile of hibiscus cakes, sugar-coated haws on sticks, and osmanthus candy before heading to Xu's Restaurant.
Changyu munched on the freshly braised pork knuckle, her mouth glistening with grease, while Xie Zheng resignedly copied texts for her beside her.
Before leaving, noticing the disheveled flower bud bun on one side of her head, Xie Zheng worried Meng Lihua might ask about her hair and bring up how he'd been tricked by that scoundrel Liu Xuan. He fussed with her hair for a long time, trying to redo the flower bud bun.
But his hands were clumsy, and in the end, he only managed to tie an awkward, messy little knot.
Changyu reached up to touch it and said, "Ugly."
Xie Zheng was almost too exasperated to be angry anymore. Pinching her cheek, he said, "This is my first time doing someone's hair. It's not bad for a first try. Have you ever seen any other boy who knows how to tie hair?"
Changyu retorted stubbornly, "My daddy does it very nicely."
Xie Zheng scoffed lightly, "Your father has a daughter. I don't have a daughter—why would I practice doing hair?"
Changyu thought about it and realized that made sense.
When Xie Zheng walked her home, as they neared her doorstep, he reminded her, "Remember to keep today's events a secret, or I'll never buy you braised pork knuckle again."
Changyu waved her hand at him, "Got it, got it."
After a brief silence, he added, "If anyone at the academy dares to bully you again, you have to tell me."
Changyu asked puzzled, "Why should I tell you?"
Xie Zheng ruffled her hair haphazardly, "So I can stand up for you."
Changyu replied very earnestly, "But I already hit them."
"..."
The teenage boy pinched both her cheeks, "You still have to tell me even if you hit them."
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