Yamei Province, Gelu Town.
When the month of Frozen Earth arrived, this small, remote town far from the heart of the Golden Sparrow Empire suddenly welcomed a procession of silver-armored knights, their banners high, adorned with the family crest.
Upon seeing the emblem on the banners, Palsha, the town's old scholar, froze. His eyes widened in shock, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
— A tiger stepping on a serpent, the serpent winding around the full moon.
Palsha's neighbor, Dim, the town's only blacksmith, noticed the old man's expression. Puffing on his water pipe, Dim curiously asked, "Hey, old friend, what's with that look? Do you recognize where these knights are from?"
Palsha took a deep breath and quietly spoke to Dim. "If I'm not mistaken, the emblem on their banners... seems to be the crest of the Meng En family."
"Meng En family?!" Dim froze, staring at Palsha in disbelief.
"Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
Before Palsha could answer, Dim seemed to realize something, and with a shudder, hurriedly retreated into his cramped blacksmith shop, locking the door behind him, his entire body trembling.
Palsha shook his head as he watched Dim through the blacksmith's window. Normally, the two old friends would have mocked each other, but today, with the sudden arrival of the Meng En family in Gelu Town, and considering the family's standing in the Empire, Dim's fearful reaction made sense.
Palsha recalled the rumors he had heard at the Hunter's Tavern in the city.
The Meng En family was known as the backbone of the Golden Sparrow Empire. Over the centuries, they had produced at least six military generals, each of whom had achieved great military feats in defending the Empire from enemy invasions. And during every war, the members of the Meng En family didn't hide away in safe shelters, issuing orders from afar—each of them was a soldier on the front lines, brave and strategic. This hands-on approach, coupled with their prominent background, had naturally allowed the Meng En family to control the Empire's military power.
Recently, the Golden Sparrow Empire was in a state of open conflict with the neighboring Hai Lan Kingdom. The Hai Lan Dynasty's border was not far from Gelu Town, so the arrival of the Meng En family's knights... perhaps, was for this reason.
Palsha speculated they had two purposes: recruiting soldiers or setting up defenses, or perhaps both.
For Dim, either purpose would be fatal. The Golden Sparrow Empire's conscription laws were strict—towns within conscription zones were required to send a young man from every household or pay a hundred gold coins to receive an exemption token. Dim was the only man in his family and was within the conscription age. If he were drafted, his wife and daughter would have no security. As for paying the gold coins? In all of Gelu Town, perhaps only the Pat family could afford that much. After all, one gold coin was enough to cover his family's living expenses for half a year.
Palsha, having been initially surprised, quickly returned to his usual calm. As an old bachelor nearing the end of his years, he was not within the conscription age, so he had nothing to fear. In fact, he was even interested in observing the movements of the Meng En family.
Hmm... they haven't approached the town mayor. Could this not be for conscription?
Palsha continued to observe as the iron-shod knights turned toward another destination.
— That estate, which, even in the month of Frozen Earth, remained full of fragrant, blooming flowers: the Pat family's manor!
...
Pat Manor.
Two maids wearing beige linen headscarves were working while whispering to each other.
Their topic of gossip was none other than the two young masters of the Pat family.
"Master and Madam have been dead for two years now, and according to Empire law, after this month of Frozen Earth, the Frostfall Month will be the time for the eldest son to inherit the title," said the young maid with a round face, a hint of concern in her voice. "I wonder, will the second son's position change once the eldest inherits the title?"
"Oli, best not to meddle in matters of the masters," said the middle-aged maid with a scarred face, smiling. "But I think your worry is unnecessary. You work in the second young master's tea garden, but it's far from the main estate. You might not know that the eldest and second young masters have a good relationship! Don't worry, the kind of conflicts you see in opera scripts won't happen here in our manor."
Just then, the sound of horse hooves clattering along a nearby path reached their ears.
Before long, a knight in bronze-glinted armor appeared before them.
The knight's horse neighed and reared as he stopped in front of the tea garden gate and removed his helmet.
The knight was a young man with brown hair, exuding a masculine aura. The light behind him made his features appear even more striking, and his handsome face looked even more remarkable in this moment.
The young man's gray-green eyes swept over the two maids. He passed over Oli and fixed his gaze on the middle-aged maid.
"Mana, good afternoon."
Mana put down the bamboo basket she was holding and curtsied. "Good afternoon, Young Master Leo."
Leo glanced at the freshly picked tea leaves in the basket and sighed slightly. "Has my brother gone to see that old man again?"
Mana lowered her head respectfully and replied, "Young Master Angel is studying with Mr. Jon."
Leo rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath, "Studying? That old man must have lost his mind, spouting nonsense every day. My brother goes to him for lessons and has to bring tea leaves every day. I think he's a madman. I don't know what's wrong with my brother to be so fixated on learning from him."
With an impatient flick of the reins, Leo added, "Alright, I understand. You can go about your business. I'll go find him now."
With that, Leo spurred his horse, urging it into a gallop.
After some time, Leo arrived at the southeast corner of the manor, where, near the forest, stood a small hill with a rather exquisite wooden stilt house. The building's style was unusual, with flying eaves and angled corners, two stories high, and supported by pillars, with one side connected to the main building and the other three sides suspended in the air.
This stilt house, both in its construction and style, was completely different from the architectural characteristics of the Golden Sparrow Empire. In fact, Leo had never seen a similar style in any of the other countries he had visited.
"It's truly a remarkable structure! It's suspended on three sides and yet stands firm." Although Leo inwardly grumbled about Jon stealing his brother's attention, he couldn't help but admire Jon's astonishing craftsmanship in architecture. However, Leo would never openly show such admiration. Besides, apart from this stilt house, Leo couldn't think of anything else he respected about Jon. Maybe the method for building this stilt house was quite common in Jon's "country." Even though Jon had spent nearly twenty years at the Pat Manor, Leo still had no idea where Jon's homeland was.
Pushing open the fence, Leo entered the courtyard of the stilt house, which had some vegetables and fruits growing, while a trellis nearby was covered in withered vines. During the Harvest Month, these vines would bear many "hanging clusters," which Jon called grapes. Leo had tasted them before, and they were quite sweet, though by now, it was past the season for grapes.
As soon as Leo opened the bamboo door of the stilt house, he saw a young boy with delicate features, deeply engrossed in a sheaf of parchment, swiftly writing with a feather quill dipped in ink.
Leo approached, trying to tread lightly, but the sound of his copper boots striking the wooden floor still rang out loudly with every step, producing a series of heavy thuds.
"Huh, you're here?" The boy paused his writing, marked the sentence with a period, and looked up at the newcomer. His voice was clear and melodious, carrying a strong tone of affection.
"My dear brother, Angel. From your tone, I gather you knew I was coming today?" Leo smiled.
Angel shrugged, a playful smile curling on his lips. "Not really. I just thought answering this way would give me a little more control over the situation."
"Did that old man teach you to talk like this?" Leo raised an eyebrow.
Angel shook his head. "Do I need him to teach me that? Father always used to speak this way when he was alive."
"Then what if someone misunderstands and thinks you already know their intention? What if they come in and don't say anything—how would you respond?"
Angel tilted his head slightly. "I wouldn't say anything either, just wait for them to speak first."
"What if they never speak?" Leo pressed further.
Angel pursed his lips. "Then it would be awkward. If it were me, I'd just turn and leave, to avoid making the atmosphere even more uncomfortable. If they call me back, then we'll have something to talk about."
Leo chuckled and nodded, not offering any further comment, instead glancing around the room.
"So, where is that old man, Jon?"
At the mention of Jon, Angel's brow furrowed slightly, and a look of concern flashed in his eyes. "You know, the tutor's health has been getting worse. Every part of his body is slowly deteriorating. Just the day before yesterday, his legs became completely immobile. He only applied some medicine earlier, and now he's resting upstairs."