While Xiao Jin was bustling non-stop in the capital, Xin Yi had just woken up. Today was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and since the foreign envoys were being entertained with a banquet in the palace, he had some free time before the busyness began and could spend it with Bai Jiu. Just after he finished washing up, Old Qu came in, smiling, to ask for a holiday blessing.

"Today is the Festival of Reunion, the servants below have made mooncakes and osmanthus honey wine to present to Master and Young Master. Would Master and Young Master like to try some with their breakfast?"

"Thoughtful." Bai Jiu was in a good mood today, a hint of pleasure adding to his intense charm. He said, "Reward them."

The two ate their meal together. Afterwards, the palace's gifts arrived first, followed by a constant stream of visitors from various factions. Bai Jiu had no habit of receiving guests in previous years, so he uniformly accepted their calling cards, returned mooncakes and fruits as per custom, and did not meet anyone. However, there was one group that came specifically to deliver gifts to Xin Yi. The calling card bore "Beiyang"; Xin Yi merely glanced at the name and never mentioned it again.

He Anchang also came, unexpectedly. Xin Yi invited him into the courtyard for tea, but after three cups of tea, he took his leave, without mentioning a single word about why he had come.

Bai Jiu was painting a sesame lantern for Xin Yi. Xin Yi leaned on the window, watching He Anchang disappear down the corridor, and asked Bai Jiu, "What's wrong with Lord He?"

Bai Jiu, with a flick of his brush, said, "Xie Jingsheng is staying in Qingping and won't be able to return to the capital by year-end."

Xin Yi suddenly understood, "What a pity."

Bai Jiu didn't mention it, but it was actually Xie Jingsheng's own decision. He had decided that Xiao Yan would come alone for the year-end report. After the previous investigation, he intentionally avoided He Anchang, leaving stealthily.

Chichi rubbed against Bai Jiu's feet. Xin Yi bent down, picked it up, and sat beside Bai Jiu, watching him paint. Bai Jiu ruffled his hair with one hand and asked, "What color do you like here?"

Xin Yi thought for a moment, "Red, I guess. It'll look bright and festive at night." After saying it, he suddenly thought that weddings also used a lot of red... his cheeks burned slightly, and he hastily added, "Or maybe blue."

Bai Jiu dipped his brush in red pigment. "Too late." As he spoke, Xin Yi watched him paint the wave-like patterns red, then slowly said, "Festive is good, it should be festive."

Xin Yi's face burned even hotter.

Bai Jiu painted several lanterns for him, in various shapes and forms, with red as the main color. A row of them hung in the corridor outside the house; when lit at night, they looked incredibly beautiful. Xin Yi circled them for a long time, loving them immensely. Although Bai Jiu didn't speak, Old Qu understood perfectly, turned, and gave instructions. These lanterns would remain hung here from now on. Dinner was supposed to be a grand affair, but since only Bai Jiu and Xin Yi were in the manor, and neither enjoyed opera, a small banquet was served instead. Outside the screen, lotus-shaped watermelons, mooncakes, and seasonal offerings for the moon were displayed. With autumn in full swing, the small feast naturally included crabs, ginger wine, and osmanthus duck.

While the preparations were being made, Xin Yi saw Old Qu in the corridor, deep in thought, and asked what was wrong. Old Qu replied, "Master hasn't celebrated a festival in over ten years. This is the first time since the manor was established."

Xin Yi was shocked. "Did he usually celebrate in the palace then?"

Old Qu shook his head. "Master hasn't celebrated any festivals since leaving Shanyin."

Xin Yi truly didn't know what was going on. He didn't even know what Bai Jiu's past was like. But he could tell that Old Qu was deliberately avoiding mentioning too much. Others didn't know either; if he wanted to hear it, he would have to wait for Bai Jiu to tell him himself someday.

He only wanted to hear it from Bai Jiu.

That evening, after they finished their meal and changed clothes, they went out.

Tonight, the lantern-lined street was bustling and lively. Lanterns of every description were dazzling, depicting birds, beasts, flowers, and trees. The most common people lingering under these lanterns were scholarly youths in their green robes, pondering and guessing riddles, subtly smiling back at passing maidens, and exchanging fond glances—a beautiful Mid-Autumn dream in itself. Ordinary children carried lanterns made from hollowed-out grapefruits, running and playing in groups amidst the crowds, laughing joyfully. Xin Yi paid attention to these grapefruit lanterns, secretly pondering making one for Bai Jiu.

Xiaoxiao Restaurant and Bu'er Teahouse didn't miss out on the competition tonight either. One had a "fire dragon" parading in front, the other erected a "Mid-Autumn tree", and both had converted their top floors into places for worshiping and gazing at the moon, creating an extraordinary spectacle.

There were people everywhere. Many maidens threw sachets and flower bags to Bai Jiu. The Master wore a dark blue, vertical-buttoned, cloud-patterned brocade robe. The color wasn't flashy, but standing among the crowd, his tall, long-legged figure and outstanding demeanor still made him impossible to miss. Covered in fragrance, he frowned. Xin Yi suppressed his laughter along the way, stopped under a lantern, and said to Bai Jiu, "Let's guess a riddle. If we keep squeezing through, I'm afraid the sachets will block the path." As he spoke, he looked up at the lanterns hanging above and asked Bai Jiu, "Which one caught your eye? I'll guess it for you."

Bai Jiu knew the difficulty at a glance. He first pointed to a fish-scale lantern. Xin Yi stood on tiptoe to look, then read aloud, "'Mountains upon mountains, cannot return; twilight rain over Xiang River, partridges fly.'" His dimple deepened, "That's easy. I guess 'Out'*."

*T/N: '出': chū, meaning 'out' or 'go forth'

Having won the fish-scale lantern, Xin Yi gained confidence and said to Bai Jiu, "Pick another one."

Bai Jiu, holding the lantern, scanned the lanterns with his narrow eyes and pointed to one depicting a child playing with a carp. Xin Yi smiled, feeling that Master was surprisingly childlike. Thinking, he recited again: "'Solitary peaks, layered clouds disperse—layered clouds disperse, is it 'Rise'*?'" Seeing the stall owner hand over the child-playing-with-carp lantern as well, Xin Yi happily leaned into Bai Jiu's ear and said, "I didn't expect the riddles in the capital to be so simple. If Master likes them, I'll guess all of them for you."

*T/N: '崛:'(jué, meaning 'to rise', with '山' (mountain) and '出' (out) components

Bai Jiu heard his cheerful words, but seeing that all the other lanterns had riddles that were too easy, he took the opportunity of receiving the lantern to squeeze Xin Yi's fingertips, saying, "Only these two have truly captured my heart."

Xin Yi felt a slight regret, but then he thought, he'd performed exceptionally well tonight; what if he guessed all the lanterns? 'Let's leave the stall owner a way to live...' Bai Jiu saw him purse his lips and smile, guessing the gist of his thoughts. There was a hint of smugness in his eyes, looking vibrant and lively.

The two walked shoulder to shoulder, touring the entire street. When they saw that it was getting late, they returned. Back in the corridor, they saw the splendid lanterns. Xin Yi paused, watching for a long time, while Bai Jiu hung up the fish-scale lantern and the child-playing-with-carp lantern they had won.

"How is it?"

"Beautiful." Xin Yi's dimple deepened, and he gave a broad smile at Bai Jiu, then repeated, "Beautiful."

Bai Jiu turned his head, seeing Xin Yi under the bright lanterns, his features gentle and innocent, smiling with quiet comfort. He also smiled and said, "You're just grinning foolishly. Let's go back inside."

When Bai Jiu finished bathing, the room beyond the screen was completely dark. He lifted the curtain of the canopy bed, revealing a faint, hazy light. Xin Yi's face flushed. He raised the grapefruit lantern he held in his hand and said to him, "One last one."

Bai Jiu got onto the bed and took the grapefruit lantern. There was a faint, fresh scent of grapefruit, presumably made by him secretly while Bai Jiu was bathing. Bai Jiu lowered his gaze to the clumsy, rough carving on the grapefruit lantern, his eyes tranquil.

"Is that Chichi carved on it?"

Xin Yi's eager expression froze, and he shrank back into the quilt. "It's a rabbit..." Bai Jiu chuckled. His cheeks burning, he said, "If you like to think of it as Chichi, then it's Chichi."

Bai Jiu carefully placed the grapefruit lantern on the small shelf at the edge of the canopy bed. He turned over and pulled Xin Yi into his embrace, holding him tightly. Xin Yi's ears were hot. He said, "Happy Mid-Autumn reunion, Jingyuan."

"Happy Mid-Autumn reunion." Bai Jiu replied to him, tracing from his forehead down his nose, gradually nibbling his way to the perfect spot.

Xin Yi's chest pounded violently. His body seemed to have anticipated something before his mind, actually reacting to Bai Jiu's delicate kisses. He was embarrassingly pressed down into the bedding. In the close friction, he seemed to sense Bai Jiu's hidden excitement. Bai Jiu's hand slid down, and soon Xin Yi let out a muffled groan, his chest heaving, his eyes red-rimmed and hazy with moisture.

The grapefruit lantern swayed, and their breaths intertwined.

Ji Baiyue was practicing calligraphy under the lamplight.

The autumn night was slightly cool. His brush left rigid, upright strokes on the paper, which seemed quite unlike the man himself.

He was more skilled at wielding a saber.

"The Young Master still hasn't seen us." The powerfully built man kneeling behind him frowned. "We are from Beiyang, why won't the Young Master see us? Could it be that he's truly been swayed by that King of Hell and wants to side with the capital faction?" Receiving no response, he anxiously stroked the saber on his lap and urged, "Ah Yue, do you think the Young Master can do it?"

"I don't know." Ji Baiyue stopped writing, turned his head, and slowly said to the man, "But he is the only one we can choose."

Ji Baiyue's face was revealed in the bright lamplight. His face was quite delicate, and even though he was no longer young, one could still discern stubbornness in the corners of his eyes and his brow. Unfortunately, a deep scar across his brow transformed his handsomeness into a grim, unsmiling coldness.

"He is Xin Jing's younger brother; he cannot be a dog of the capital."

"What if he does become one?" Meng Chen's anxiety was evident on his face. He was much older, but also much more straightforward. He said, "When did we last see him? At his full moon banquet, or when he was wearing open-crotch pants? It's been so many years. The Prince of Yan's Manor suffered humiliation and oppression, his father and elder brothers are all gone, and he, alone, fell into Xin Zhenxiao's hands, subjected to constant beatings and abuse. I truly don't know what kind of personality the Young Master will have become!"

Meng Chen had been anxious since before they even set off. Regarding Xin Yi, they knew nothing, yet they needed him all the more. No, it should be said that Xin Yi was crucial to them. Without Xin Yi, they could do nothing.

"If he is utterly weak, then I will kill him." Seeing Meng Chen get agitated again, Ji Baiyue raised a hand to stop the words about to spill from his mouth. "Beiyang is already at a dead end. If we wait any longer, the emperor will certainly find a way to reclaim Beiyang's military tally. It is already Mid-Autumn; in the blink of an eye, it will be year-end. Once the Crown Prince returns from his pilgrimage, everything will be set in stone, and we will be powerless to change it. Currently, only the Young Master can prevent the military tally from falling into the wrong hands. But if he is completely incapable, then what other path do we have? Rather than being slaughtered by others, it's better to strike first!" He spoke the last four words with resounding force, his spine ramrod straight, completely embodying the posture and bearing of a man who had long served in the military.

Meng Chen was helpless, but merely anxious. He got up and paced around the room, finally sighing, "Arslang has also come to the capital. If war breaks out at this time, Beiyang might not even be able to protect itself, let alone fulfill the promise of defending the nation that we made under His Highness Prince of Yan, swearing to the heavens and earth back then." As he spoke, his mood grew even more somber. "Any of the young masters left behind would have been good; why is it that only this one remains?"

Ji Baiyue picked up his brush again and said gravely, "If we don't test him, how will we know if he's incapable? His Highness and Princess Consort had four sons; the first three were all extraordinary talents. I bet that this last one is definitely not some insignificant nobody."

"He won't even see us now, how can we test him?"

"If he won't see us, I'll find a way to see him."