Chapter 1

Chapter 1

In the winter, the river in Jinling should have been cold and desolate, but today the ferry crossing was bustling with people.

A line of chestnut horses snorted white plumes of steam from their nostrils, their lacquered carriages halted by the roadside. Soldiers kept the curious onlookers beyond the official thoroughfare.

Three years ago, Duke Yi, Ruan Zhengye, had returned to his hometown with his family to observe filial mourning after his mother's passing. Now, the three-year period of observance had ended.

Duke Ruan had been reinstated to his official position, and today, he was returning to Hangzhou with his wife and children.

The Ruan family upheld strict traditions. As they were returning home for filial mourning, Duke Ruan traveled with minimal retinue, bringing only his primary wife, Madam Jiang, and their three sons.

The Ruan family had many servants remaining in their grand Hangzhou residence. Now that they finally had the chance to welcome their master, most of them had come out, forming a dense, dark mass at the ferry.

Song Yun stood at the very front of the group, watching from afar as the Ruan family's large boat cut through the cold evening mist, gradually coming into clear view.

"Second Young Master! It's the Second Young Master!"

Song Yun seemed to recognize the figure standing at the bow of the ship. He called out excitedly twice, tugging at his companion behind him and bouncing with glee.

Song Yun had been the Second Young Master's study companion since childhood. Now, after three years apart, his eyes were filled with eager anticipation.

With a dull thud, the boat finally docked.

The first to disembark was the Third Young Master, Ruan Ying. Soon after, the Second Young Master, Ruan Heng, emerged, supporting his father, the Duke.

After such a long separation from their masters, the servants all performed deep bows. Song Yun, along with the other attendants, kowtowed as well.

Though the Duke was nearly fifty, perhaps due to the rest he had taken in his hometown, he showed no signs of aging.

His steps were firm and strong, and his mere presence made the gathered crowd straighten up even more.

Several head stewards stepped forward first to pay their respects. After Ruan Zhengye gave them a few terse instructions, he was escorted to the carriage by his two sons, one on each side.

Ruan Heng remained behind, first directing the stewards to unload the boxes and goods from the ship. After busily issuing a few more orders, he finally turned his attention to his young attendant.

Three years had passed since they last saw each other. Song Yun followed behind Ruan Heng, and when the young master finally turned to him, he eagerly stepped closer, bouncing with excitement.

"Second Young Master, welcome back!"

Song Yun's face was brimming with joy, and Ruan Heng was also pleased to see him. He pulled Song Yun in front of him, looked him up and down, then patted his head lightly with a faint smile. "Hmm, you've grown taller."

Ruan Heng was never one for joking.

Among the three Ruan brothers, the Eldest Young Master was gentle and taciturn, and his attendant, Zhu Shuang, was similarly steady in temperament. The Third Young Master was lively, and his attendant, Mei Xue, was clever and quick-witted.

Only the Second Young Master and Song Yun were complete opposites in personality.

The Second Young Master was reserved and self-restrained, while Song Yun was simple-minded and incessantly talkative.

"I've grown three years older—of course I'm taller! But no matter how tall I get, I'll never be as tall as you, Young Master."

Ruan Heng was nearly eighteen now, much taller than before, with broader shoulders.

Song Yun tilted his head back, unable to resist gazing at him with a beaming smile.

Song Yun had never been diligent in his studies. Despite attending lessons with the Second Young Master for years, he still hadn't learned all his characters. He didn't know how to describe the Second Young Master's appearance now.

But in any case, it was good—better than three years ago, so good it was almost unbelievable.

Only, that jade-like face usually wore an indifferent expression, rarely smiling.

When Ruan Heng was serious, he could be quite formidable.

But only Song Yun knew that the Second Young Master's temperament was the best. He wasn't afraid of Ruan Heng in the slightest.

Song Yun loved it most when Ruan Heng smiled at him.

Three years of separation had left Song Yun bursting with pent-up chatter. As they walked toward Ruan Heng's carriage, he chattered nonstop, lacing his speech with endless "Young Master this" and "Young Master that."

Ruan Heng boarded the carriage, and Song Yun had originally planned to walk alongside it outside, but Ruan Heng pulled him inside instead.

So absorbed in Ruan Heng that he hadn't noticed anything else, Song Yun only suddenly remembered once he was inside the carriage. "Young Master, where are the Eldest Young Master and Madam?"

"Elder Brother and Mother are staying a few more days at our maternal family home in Yangzhou. They'll return in a few days," Ruan Heng explained.

Song Yun said "Oh." The Ruan family's ancestral home was in Yangzhou, and Madam Jiang's maternal family was also there. After observing years of filial piety with her husband, Madam Jiang had taken the opportunity to visit her family.

The New Year had just passed, and though spring was beginning to show in Jinling, the weather was still bitterly cold.

Song Yun hurriedly fetched the hand stove that had been prepared in advance in the carriage and handed it to Ruan Heng. Then he dragged out the foot stove from under the seat, opened the lid, and poked the coals inside. Once the fire was burning hotter, he pushed it toward Ruan Heng's feet.

Song Yun worked diligently but was clumsy and often heavy-handed.

Over the years, he had overturned countless inkstones, brushes, and papers, and had broken or lost many of Ruan Heng's belongings.

If not for Ruan Heng protecting him, the housekeeper's switch would have broken on his back many times over.

Song Yun was well aware that his skills in serving others were rather lacking.

But heaven knew that when it came to Ruan Heng, he truly did his best—his absolute best. It was just his nature to be a bit slow, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't do as well as others.

Fortunately, Ruan Heng was never particular. Now, he simply let Song Yun clumsily arrange the hand and foot stoves, brushing off the soot that Song Yun had accidentally smeared on his robes. Then, using his sleeve as a buffer against the overly hot hand stove, he sat back comfortably.

"Elder Brother underwent presentation last month," Ruan Heng suddenly said.

"In Yangzhou? What secondary gender?" Song Yun was surprised, his eyes widening into circles.

He was still fussing about, searching for the teapot and cups, but Ruan Heng stopped him—likely afraid that on such a bumpy carriage ride, Song Yun would scald himself before even managing to pour the tea.

The Eldest Young Master, Ruan Cheng, was already eighteen. Everyone had assumed he was certainly a beta. Who would have thought he would present at this age, and in Yangzhou, no less?

"An omega."

Ruan Heng's voice remained calm, but Song Yun gaped in shock.

"Ah? Then... then then then... what do we do?"

"Mother took him to our maternal grandparents' home to meet his aunts. They need to secure a match for him as soon as possible," Ruan Heng said.

Though Ruan Zhengye held a hereditary ducal title, he had no substantive official post.

Meanwhile, Madam Jiang's father was the Yangzhou Prefect—not an exceptionally powerful official, but one with extensive connections.

Given that the Eldest Young Master was already of advanced age, finding a suitable match in such a short time naturally required relying on his mother's family.

Song Yun was still stunned, unable to recover from the shock.

The Eldest Young Master was Madam Jiang's eldest son, the legitimate heir of the Ruan family. Originally, there had been no doubt that he would be invested as heir and succeed to the title.

But now, with such an unexpected differentiation, it truly left everyone reeling.

The question of who would inherit the Ruan family's fortune suddenly became uncertain overnight.

Though Song Yun might not fully grasp these matters, he knew that if the eldest young master had differentiated into a Kun Ze, he would no longer be able to establish achievements outside and would likely be restricted to domestic life.

What young man would ever wish to differentiate into a Kun Ze?

Still, the eldest young master had his privileged position—such concerns were well above the worries of someone as insignificant as Song Yun.

"Then, Young Master, have you differentiated?" Song Yun suddenly thought of this and quickly looked up eagerly to ask.

Though his features had matured considerably, shedding much of his childishness and gaining a young man's bearing, his eyes still held a wide-eyed innocence.

Ruan Heng sighed but was accustomed to Song Yun's simple nature. He nodded and said he had already differentiated into a Qian Yuan.

Song Yun couldn't help but light up with delight, his face lighting up with pride. "I knew it! Second Young Master is the best! If I tell Consort Wei, he’ll be overjoyed!"

Ruan Heng was born to Consort Wei.

Madam Jiang, Ruan Zhengye's wife, was a beta female. After the Jiang and Ruan families were allied by marriage, they selected Wei Shi, a Kun Ze from an obscure family branch, to be sent to the Ruan household as a concubine to assist Madam Jiang.

Many families with neutral children, when seeking marriage alliances with Qian Yuan families, would use this method of sending a Kun Ze as a companion.

As a neutral, Madam Jiang had difficulty conceiving, but fortunately, she bore the legitimate eldest son, Ruan Cheng, and Third Young Master Ruan Ying. The other children were all born to Ruan Zhengye's Kun Ze concubines.

As a son by a concubine, Ruan Heng showed no pride in his differentiation result.

On the contrary, with his elder brother's unexpected differentiation and his younger brother yet to differentiate, his status as a Qian Yuan became extremely precarious.

Though Madam Jiang maintained a facade of generosity, no legitimate wife would willingly watch a son born to a concubine inherit the family estate.

This was simple logic, but Song Yun clearly wasn't sharp enough to grasp it.

Ruan Heng couldn't help but rub his temples and put on a stern expression to warn him: "I’m telling you this in advance not for you to gloat. Inside or outside the household, you are not to speak a word about my brother’s or my differentiation. If I hear you discussing it with anyone, I’ll definitely have you beaten."

Though Ruan Heng didn’t raise his voice, his severity was clear.

Song Yun was startled by Ruan Heng’s sudden seriousness and hurriedly promised, "I understand, Young Master. I won’t say a word—not even if beaten to death."

The warm atmosphere in the carriage faded considerably. Song Yun lowered his head like a scolded child, then peeked up timidly at Ruan Heng’s expression.

Ruan Heng rarely treated him this way—most of the time, he was kind and affectionate.

Song Yun felt unfairly treated but didn’t dare say so, just scared.

Seeing him like this, Ruan Heng softened, feeling he had been too harsh.

But Song Yun was truly a fool—three years had passed, and though he had shot up in height, he hadn’t gained an ounce of wit. If Ruan Heng didn’t scare him, who knew what trouble his loose tongue might cause?

Before Ruan Heng could think of how to comfort him, Song Yun had already started pouting.

"Young Master, why do you come back and immediately threaten to hit me? You’ve never hit me before..." Song Yun mumbled in the corner, head bowed, nervously fidgeting with the hem of his robe.

To welcome Ruan Heng, Song Yun had worn new clothes today, stiffly starched—Ruan Heng noticed.

Ruan Heng knew what he was thinking. After three years apart, instead of a warm reunion, he had frightened him.

Song Yun was likely afraid that after three years, Ruan Heng had grown hard, turning into a tyrannical master who would mistreat him.

"Who said I’d hit you?" Ruan Heng sighed. "I just told you to behave."

"I will, Young Master," Song Yun quickly replied, relaxing slightly at his softer tone.

Ruan Heng nodded.

He knew Song Yun was guileless but honest—he never disobeyed. So he patted his head and reassured him with a few words.

Then, he untied a mutton fat jade pendant from his waist and handed it to him.

"A reward for me?" Song Yun immediately perked up, his earlier sulking and fear vanishing in an instant.

A reunion after long separation naturally called for a gift.

Ruan Heng had spent three years in mourning in his hometown, barred from wearing any ornaments, let alone buying new ones. Moreover, as a son by a concubine, he had meager allowances.

Being able to produce such a fine piece of jade now was quite an effort.

"Thank you, Young Master!" Song Yun was thrilled.

He had no idea how much the pendant was worth, but he believed anything given by the young master must be precious—and he loved it.

He carefully secured the pendant to his waist, adjusting it repeatedly to ensure it wouldn’t fall, clearly cherishing it.

That was Song Yun—always had been. A scolding made him cry, a treat made him smile. No cunning, but no malice either.

Seeing his unchanged, simple-hearted demeanor, Ruan Heng found himself smiling.

"How is Consort Wei these days?" Ruan Heng asked.

In the sunlight streaming through the carriage window, Song Yun was admiring the jade’s luster when the question drew his attention back.

"He’s doing well! Last time my mother visited, she said he looked healthy. Miss Sixteenth is also well—she’s already toddling about."

Miss Sixteenth was conceived by Wei Shi before Ruan Zhengye left to enter mourning. Born two years ago, she was now three years old.

The Ruan family had only three young masters but many young ladies—Wei Shi alone had borne four or five. Miss Sixteenth was currently the youngest.

Because of her birth order, the servants had taken to nicknaming her "Shiliu" (Pomegranate)—a lucky and endearing nickname.

Ruan Heng nodded thoughtfully but said nothing more.

Song Yun understood Ruan Heng’s thoughts. Having followed him since childhood, even someone as dense as he was could discern them.

Ruan Heng was deeply filial, so Consort Wei naturally held great importance in his heart. Yet, by social convention, he could never surpass Ruan Heng’s legitimate mother, Madam Jiang.

Though Madam Jiang had a reputation for virtue and never openly quarreled with concubines, everyone knew she tolerated no slight from them or their children.

Though born to Wei Shi, Ruan Heng had been taken to Madam Jiang’s quarters immediately after birth and raised by her.

Growing up, he was rarely allowed to meet or bond with his birth mother.

Thus, no matter how much Ruan Heng cared for Consort Wei, he could only keep it carefully hidden, never showing it openly.

Understanding this tacitly, Song Yun lowered his voice and recounted in detail the household affairs of the past three years.

That he had developed such tact was remarkable progress—proof that he hadn't just grown older in vain. Ruan Heng felt truly comforted.

So, he listened attentively and patiently to every word Song Yun said.