On the path towards the capital, Xi Chen walked by an elderly couple with snowy white hair. The husband was pulling a wooden cart filled with a variety of fruits and vegetables while his wife walked by his side.

"Take it easy, don't push yourself too hard. We can stay at a nearby inn if we couldn't make it to the capital by tonight." The wife told her husband as she gently wiped the sweat off his forehead.

"You and I both know that there aren't any more inns from here to the capital. I can't let my bride sleep on a bed of hay, can I?" The elderly man's twinkling eyes crinkled into a smile as he looked at his wife lovingly.

"What bride? We've been married for over sixty years!" the elderly woman scolded, flustered.

The elderly man only smiled at her playfully. "Really? Well, it feels like it was only six days."

Xi Chen smiled warmly at the couple's antics. They reminded him of another couple he was familiar with.

"Good day. Let me help you." Xi Chen said while walking towards the elderly couple.

"Oh, no. We wouldn't want to be a bother." The elderly man quickly responded.

"But thank you for your offer, young man." His wife continued, the wrinkles by her eyes crinkling with her smile.

"It's not a bother really. I'm heading towards the capital anyway." Xi Chen reassured the elderly couple while fluidly taking over from the elderly man. "Both of you just get on the cart and we'll be on our way."

The elderly man was going to refuse but his wife put a hand over his arm and shook her head slightly, sensing that Xi Chen wasn't the type to budge even if they refused his help.

However, the elderly woman was still trying her best to negotiate with Xi Chen. "Are you sure you'll be alright, young man? Wouldn't it be better if we don't add to the weight of the cart?"

Xi Chen smiled at the elderly woman and said, "Don't worry, I didn't get to finish my training this morning. I'm using this to make up for it. Would you both be kind enough to help me out?"

The elderly man was both intrigued and amused by how this young man was asking them for help when it was obvious that he was the one who was helping them.

"Well, if you put it that way, I guess we should lend you a hand." The elderly man replied in amusement while his wife smiled at Xi Chen with gratitude.

The couple settled into the cart and the elderly woman offered Xi Chen kindly, "Do you want to put your things back here?"

Xi Chen surveyed the cramped cart that barely had enough extra space for the elderly couple to sit in comfortably and only gave them an earnest smile. "It's alright."

And then, Xi Chen faced the front and started pulling the cart into motion.

"What's your name, young man?" The elderly man asked as Xi Chen pulled the cart over the uneven path.

"It's Yun Xi Chen (云希晨)." Xi Chen replied.

"Xi Chen.. Hoping for a new dawn, eh? What a great name." The elderly man gave his sincere compliment.

"Thank you, I think so too." Xi Chen turned to smile at the elderly man before facing the front again.

The elderly woman then added, "Ah, your parents must be proud that you've turned into such a fine young man." 

"I could only hope so. They passed away a long time ago." Xi Chen mused wistfully.

"Oh, I'm sorry." The elderly woman sympathized.

"It's alright. There's nothing to be sorry about. They passed away when I was really young. I don't really have any memories of them." Xi Chen turned his head to the elderly couple to reassure them.

The group chattered on en route to the capital with the conversation mostly revolving around the elderly man's nattering on how the crops were faring this time of the year and the price fluctuations of the crops that he had planted back home. Before any of them knew, they had already arrived at the city gates. By then, night had fallen and the city was awash in the warm crimson glow of the red lanterns that were peppered all over the city.

Xi Chen took his wooden identification plate out to show the officer who was guarding the city gates. The officer took a look at it and his eyes grew into the size of saucers as he looked back at Xi Chen and stood to attention, getting ready to greet the young lieutenant.

"Lieu-"

Noting the guard's reaction, Xi Chen shook his head ever so slightly as he eyed the elderly couple who had disembarked the cart behind him and were both busy pulling out their own identification plates to present to the guard.

To Xi Chen's relief, the guard understood his cue and cleared his throat nervously before curtly saying, "Pass."

Not long after, the elderly couple passed the guard's inspection as well.

"Ah, young man. Thank you so much. I can take over from here. We'll just look for an inn to stay in for the night. Tomorrow would be a busy day at the market." The elderly man got off the cart to take over from Xi Chen while his wife packed a few snow pears from their cart into a small bag.

"I know it's not much but here's something for us to show our gratitude." She told Xi Chen while passing him the bag of snow pears and patting the back of his hand warmly. 

"Oh, it's alright. There's no need." Xi Chen refused kindly. It was already summer, snow pears were out of season and the elderly couple probably saved up the last of their harvest so that they could fetch a much higher price here in the capital. Xi Chen couldn't bring himself to accept such an expensive gift.

"We insist." Steel was evident in the elderly woman's eyes as she stood her ground.

Xi Chen still hesitated but ended up smiling gently at her and quietly accepting the gesture. "Thank you. I'll make sure to enjoy them."

With that, they bid each other farewell.

*******

Ye An still couldn't believe that Governess Hsu actually moved out from the residence that was across hers. She spent the entire afternoon pretending that she didn't hear the commotion that was the servants moving Governess Hsu's belongings to her new residence.

The emperor's residence and the small area surrounding it was always a safe haven for Ye An. It was the one place in the entire Imperial Palace where she could be free from the Empress Mother. And it was the only place she could freely be herself. Ye An didn't want to admit out loud that having Governess Hsu move out of this safe cocoon of hers and having a stranger move into it instead made her feel disoriented and uneasy. So she cooped herself up in her own chambers, trying her best to focus on reading the endless scrolls that kept piling on her desk.

When night fell, Ye An put on an outer robe over her sleeping robe and took her guqin out to the Forbidden Garden. One thing that could always calm her mind was music. She was well-versed in guqin, flute, erhu, and many more instruments. They weren't skills that the Empress Mother deemed necessary for an emperor, but she didn't outwardly stop Ye An from playing music either.

The night was heavy with the fragrant scent of night-blooming jasmine as Ye An stood under the full moon. Her fingers brushed past those delicate flowers as she closed her eyes to listen to the whispers of the leaves. How fitting to have these flowers in her own private gardens. Flowers that could only bloom under the cover of the night. As she gazed up towards the starless night sky, she wondered what life would be like if her parents hadn't passed away. If they had lived long enough to produce an actual heir, not the impostor that she currently was.

Ye An sighed as she lowered her lashes and laid the guqin on the stone table that was placed in the center of the garden. She sat on the adjacent stone stool and let her fingers run through the chords with grace, filling the gardens with a lonely tune.

*******

Xi Chen was walking towards his newly assigned residence when his ears caught the melodious tune of guqin. Captivated, he followed the sound to the Forbidden Garden.

When he reached the archway at the edge of the gardens, he spotted a slender silhouette playing the guqin with his back facing him. He only saw a fraction of the person's pale face under the moonlight, his unpinned hair flowing in the warm breeze. Jasmine flowers bloomed around the guqin player, casting a luminescent glow on him. Xi Chen stood in the shadows, mesmerized.

Ye An was lost in her own thoughts as she played the guqin well into the night. Hours had passed before she finally sensed that someone was with her in the Forbidden Garden.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Ye An demanded in her lower register as she turned towards the direction where Xi Chen was standing at.

Xi Chen snapped back into reality as he took in the dragon emblem on the guqin player's outer robe and stepped out of the shadows. "My apologies, Your Imperial Majesty. I'm Lieutenant Yun Xi Chen." Xi Chen went down on one knee and averted his eyes to the ground in front of him. He knew instantly that he had intruded on the emperor's private space.

Ye An's eyes narrowed and her voice thinned into icicles. "Lieutenant Yun, you're not required to report for duty until tomorrow morning."

Ye An's cold demeanor was all a shield. Truthfully, she was taken aback by how the young lieutenant managed to slip into her vicinity without her noticing. She was usually very sensitive about people entering her personal space, especially someone associated with her grandmother.

"Please forgive me, Your Imperial Majesty. I didn't mean to intrude." Xi Chen continued.

"Leave. Do not step into these gardens ever again." With a swish of her robes, Ye An turned her back on Xi Chen and warned him coldly as she waited for his departure.

Xi Chen took his cue and quickly left.

Ye An didn't realize she had been holding her breath until a puff of air was released from her chest once she sensed that Xi Chen was no longer in the gardens with her. She was enraged. This was her personal space, even Governess Hsu had never stepped into the Forbidden Garden. The sheer audacity of Lieutenant Yun entering these grounds without permission made her fill with anger. How long was he standing in the shadows watching her? Long enough to realize that she was a woman? A fake emperor? The Empress Mother told her that he didn't know about that. But was he allowed to know? Or was she supposed to keep it a secret from him as well?

In the end, Ye An decided that she would keep things to herself because she couldn't trust this lieutenant anyway. And she would not be the one to hand him any possible leverage against her.

With that decided, she picked her guqin up and headed to bed.

********

The next morning started as usual for Ye An. She went for her daily bath at her private bathhouse with the company of her personal servants who were all mute. The only thing that differed from her usual routine was that she was greeted by Lieutenant Yun as soon as she stepped into the courtyard that they both now shared.

"Your Imperial Majesty, Lieutenant Yun Xi Chen reporting for duty." Xi Chen greeted as he bowed to Ye An. Xi Chen finally saw the young emperor under the bright daylight. With his hair pinned in place and the emperor's Dragon Robe sashed over his slight frame, it was a contrast to the vulnerability he accidentally stumbled across the night before. Xi Chen came to a sudden realization that this young man in front of him was the most powerful man in the entire country and his life could've easily ended last night without any warning.

"Good morning, Lieutenant Yun. It's good to finally meet you. I have heard so many stories of your endeavors." Ye An's honey warm voice this morning was a contrast to her icy attitude last night.

With his head still bowed down and his eyes on the ground, Xi Chen tilted his head ever so slightly in confusion at the contrasting reception compared to the previous night and how the young emperor was obviously pretending that this was their first meeting. However, Xi Chen quickly caught on. He wasn't valued in the military for his sharp mind and quick wit for nothing. As he stood back up, Xi Chen towered over Ye An, and Ye An was forced to look up at him.

"Thank you for the compliment, Your Imperial Majesty. It's good to finally meet you as well." Xi Chen replied, smiling at Ye An.

The area around Ye An's eyes tightened. "Ah. Humble as well. Good to hear. So I'm guessing that you'll be following me everywhere from now on?" Like an annoying fruit fly.

"Yes, that is what was arranged." Xi Chen replied neutrally.

"I assume that Governess Hsu has given you my schedule. We shall be going to the Empress Mother's residence for my morning greeting."

"Yes. I will be escorting you, Your Imperial Majesty."

Usually, at least ten servants consisting of eunuchs and court ladies would accompany Ye An for her morning greeting with the Empress Mother. Ye An had always felt uncomfortable and anxious having so many people following her when she was around the Empress Mother. Therefore, one of the conditions that she had proposed at the last moment in order for her to accept this arrangement was that she could go around with only Lieutenant Yun escorting her.

"Good. Let's go." Ye An stated as she turned towards the direction of the Empress Mother's residence.

"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty." Xi Chen replied proceeded to open a parasol over Ye An as they left the courtyard.

Ye An turned to look at Xi Chen and raised an eyebrow. She then looked to the sky. Sure, the sun was out this morning but the sky was riddled with large, fluffy clouds covering the sun. And there was also no sign of rain. Ye An was baffled by Xi Chen's action but decided to let it go and continued walking.

"Your Imperial Majesty, please forgive me for overstepping last night." Xi Chen started quietly when they were alone.

Ye An suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned to glare at Xi Chen. "Do not mention last night again if you don't want your head to end up on a stake somewhere." Ye An hissed.

Xi Chen was perplexed at the intensity of Ye An's sudden hostility and quickly averted his eyes, saying "Yes, Your Imperial Majesty."

Satisfied with his answer, Ye An turned her back on Xi Chen and marched on.

Both the young emperor and lieutenant were rounding off the edge of one of the many lotus ponds on the palace grounds when a pigeon flew over both of them. Xi Chen recognized the pigeon to be one of the messenger pigeons Ah Lin always used to transmit emergency messages. Xi Chen stood still as he lifted an arm out waiting for the pigeon to land. Sensing that the lieutenant had stopped following her, Ye An looked back as Xi Chen untied the small piece of parchment attached to the pigeon's feet and unfurled it.

Northerners have invaded the border. But the situation's under control for now. Have contacted General Shao regarding this matter. Just thought that you should know about it. –Ah Lin

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