Kai Yin was sick of hearing the plan for the upcoming battle. After he finished the meeting with several war generals and his brother, he ran out. His personal guard, General Wei Jiang, followed him around, but both men were tall and muscular to the point if they exchanged clothing they couldn't be distinguished.

Many people commented on Prince Kai Yin's stature, he was called boorish yet when he went to Peony Palace the girls squealed over his strong body yet gentle nature. The Kind Prince, they said.

Still, Kai Yin found it more important to look the part of a boor than lose in war. His daily practice consisted of horse riding, archery, and sword fighting. The Crown Prince focused on them too, but somehow he always quit before he fully fell down on the ground in exhaustion—he knew his limits. Kai Yin didn't.

In fact, General Wei Jiang was often his sparring partner, which made Wei Jiang question why he was guarding him in the first place if Kai Yin wanted to surpass him.

Still, recently rumors had spread. Kai Yin was always walking with a rather tall beauty from Peony Palace, and people suspected a love tryst.

Wei Jiang didn't mind his Prince's nightly affairs as long as it didn't impact his mood and ability to focus in war, but now he had to mind. Kai Yin was restless all day and now, out of nowhere, he was cleaning up a dirty pavilion that was situation outside the inner court.

"This Peony Pavilion was meant for the girls of Peony Palace when they were allowed on walks," Wei Jiang mused.

"Thank you for telling me, I must look like I have an ant's brain to you!" Kai Yin snapped.

This also startled Wei Jiang as his Prince was never rude to him. He closed his eyes and wondered as an elder of five years, what should he do? Maybe he should ask about the girl.

He made a wise choice and he asked, "What should I do?"

"Come help me!" Kai Yin shouted as he pulled apart vines, not even flinching as thorns prickled his calloused hands.

Wei Jiang sighed and without protest, said he'd go find a servant. Most servants didn't venture to the outermost layer and worked in either the Inner Court where the "respectable" ladies gathered, as well as their maidservants, and then there were the eunuchs and princes in the outer court.

Peony Palace was at the very north, a place not tended to with strange herbs and herbs growing on the pond that was rumored to have girls commit suicide in. Simply put, it was an awful place.

He asked the servant for two rakes and many buckets of water, as well as linen cloth. He returned to Kai Yin and grabbed his hand, pulling what whatever strange things were stuck in his palm and fingers.

"What's the name of your lover?" Wei Jiang asked.

"Shui Lian." Kai Yin was surprisingly naive and still blushed as he said the name. "Listen for news concerning them for me. Most of all, make sure Brother Jin Long doesn't harm them. I heard he'd he going to battle late."

"Does Lady Shui Lian's show interest in Crown Prince?" Wei Jiang asked innocently.

"No!"

"Then why are you concerned?"

Kai Yin watched as the servants placed down buckets and then left. He wouldn't let anyone know Shui Lian's real gender, he decided.

"Eldest Brother Jin Long has always wanted to surpass me—in archery, sword fighting, and even as children, my figurines were taken. I never fought with him, but he's always chosen me to bully out of the siblings." Kai Yin wondered if he would notice his attachment to Shui Lian and felt sick at the thought.

"If you want any comfort, Crown Prince has never touched any of his younger brothers' women, wife or concubine. If you want my opinion, yes, he does enjoy your misfortune more than the rest," Wei Jiang said.

Kai Yin groaned. If there was one thing he hated and yet needed from Wei Jiang it was his lack of tact. He would, without doubt, add "his opinion" after fake words and they would hit Kai Yin in the face.

After all, all the princes grew up with advisors controlling their every move or were simply too immersed in women like Third Prince or Fourth Prince. Kai Yin only ever had one friend, and it was the strange soldier that came to the palace with nothing in his hands. Yet he rose prominently around the time Kai Yin began training too, and the two would start to exchange blows wordlessly.

Finally seven years later Wei Jiang became a general and guard for Prince Kai Yin. In war he solemnly vowed to die for him and his sword moved faster if Kai Yin was lagging. He was his true brother.

Now, the two men who were going to war in two months raked the leaves quietly, and both thought of how exactly pitiful they looked.

"Well, when it's washed I'm sure it'll look lovely and romantic," Kai Yin said.

"I agree. We can ask for the gardeners to clean this area—"

"No! It'll be my secret," Kai Yin quickly said. He imagined Shui Lian frowning and protesting, Shui Lian blushing, and Shui Lian's smile when the moon grew full.

Then Kai Yin sneezed.

"It's getting cold, I doubt the pavilion would be a suitable place now," Wei Jiang said as bluntly as always.

Ah, he thought, Prince Kai Yin is frowning. He considered his words carefully, "Ah, I forgot it'll be romantic to share a cloak in the cold."

"Romantic!" Kai Yin shouted. "It's not supposed to be romantic! It's something to allow them to see the beauty in life, they were very upset that I had to go to war. They didn't want me to slaughter people."

Wei Jiang noted that must be why he was so pale during the meeting when they spoke of pillaging villages.

"They are too idealistic," Wei Jiang whispered.

"No, they've simply been through it. I never imagined I'd talk to one of those killed by my family's hands," Kai Yin mused. .

"Your father is the Emperor and you're the Royal family. You've been chosen by the gods and goddesses and hold power to—"

"Stop it, Wei Jiang."

Kai Yin looked at the leaves they had raked and the dirt that caked the floor of the pavilion. It was harder than expected, but no, he will not let a gardener do this, he wanted to show sincerity and was finishing the job.

Pulling back his sleeves and rolling them up, Kai Yin took linen and wet it before wiping the table in the pavilion. Wei Jiang similarly began to clean the railing and designs.

"Lord Kai Yin, please wring out the linen like this, you are merely putting water on the table."

"I thought the more water there is the cleaner it becomes," Kai Yin argued.

"I'm glad you weren't a maidservant," Wei Jiang whispered.

The two went back and forth and for the first time, and Kai Yin felt the joy of doing something for a friend. He thought of Shui Lian again, and somehow his heart won't stop beating loudly.

***

Meanwhile, Ai and Miao were trying to figure out why Shui Lian laid in his bed all day.

"I'm just cold. My room doesn't have a heater."

"Really, already? We have to tell Lady Ran to give you one," Ai said quickly.

"How was seeing fifth Prince last last night?" Miao went to the point. "You've been depressed ever since."

"I was disillusioned. That man's a killer. He is evil."

"Haven't heard a worse lie," Miao said. "We all know the princes here have to go lead armies, the one who killed your family is Crown Prince, anyways."

"They are brothers, but Fifth Prince Kai Yin is like a dog. He simply wants your affections and he's never arrogant towards any of us unimportant girls," Ai added.

"Your breasts are bigger than your brain," Shui Lian muttered, making Ai walk over and slap his head.

"Oww..." Even his cry of pain was half-hearted.

"I'm going to hit you again if you don't get up!" Ai threatened.

"Leave me alone."

"Fine, I won't lend you the book I just found!" Ai said in her childish idea to provoke Shui Lian. "It's the folktale mystery series you like. This volume was especially scary and the murders was unimaginable!"

"Why is Lady Ran buying such novels?" Miao was speechless. She only read the romance novels, obviously only after Lady Mu Dan and the ladies of the third floor were finished with them, and the books of Confucius teachings and poetry was for the lessons.

Ai never read so she borrowed books for Shui Lian, who had always been too self conscious to leave his room. Sometimes she felt like his gofer, but she didn't mind because she knew she was the only one he'd really argue with like siblings.

"Come on, read the novel!" She was lying when describing the plot, but the author was one of Shui Lian's favorites so he held on to it.

What, he wondered, what would he tell Kai Yin before he left? His favorite book, his likes and dislikes, and these nameless feelings of his?