The sudden shout startled Li Tong, who had been moving to support Li Huaiqing, and the maidservant as well.

"What?"

They stood frozen, still bent over with their hands outstretched.

"It's truly healed," the Emperor laughed, clicking his tongue twice. "Elder Li, your speed is remarkable."

Elder Li was near tears.

"Your Majesty, how did you come here? Why are you out of the palace? So late? Did you bring attendants? Who followed? Does the Empress Dowager know? Does the Five-Tenths Military Command know?" he gasped out in a rapid volley of questions.

The Emperor only smiled, clapping his hands and rising.

"Truly, you look much cuter when you're lying down," he chuckled. "I'm leaving."

His departure was so swift that Elder Li hadn't even registered it.

The Emperor walked past the stunned Li Tong.

"Here, this is for you." He thought of something and pressed the teacup in his hand into Li Tong’s.

"Ah! Kneel!" Elder Li cried out.

Only then did Li Tong thump to his knees, his whole body trembling as he felt footsteps receding past him.

He knew nothing of the ensuing chaos. He remained kneeling, his mind a jumble, fixated on one thought over and over.

The Emperor!

He saw the Emperor!

He spoke to the Emperor!

He served tea to the Emperor!

The Emperor!

Heavens above...

Li Tong desperately wanted to hide somewhere private to compose himself, but that was impossible, as it seemed he was the only person in the household who had actually spoken to the Emperor!

Elder Li settled back down, propped up. Master Li the Elder could no longer stand and sat down. Even the guest scholars and advisors were summoned, a circle of people surrounding Li Tong, demanding he recount every word the Emperor spoke, every flicker of his eyes, every gesture.

By the time Li Tong finished, he no longer knew what he was saying.

"What did His Majesty ask you?" Elder Li prompted.

Li Tong nodded.

"It is my grandson's dullness; I didn't know what tea it was, and that is how I answered," he murmured, head bowed.

Elder Li looked at him and nodded.

"The way you answered was excellent," he stated.

Li Tong looked up at Elder Li.

"His Majesty is too clever by half, so he favors those who appear a bit simple," Elder Li explained, smiling at him. "You handled yourself perfectly. Naturalness is the hardest thing to feign in this world."

A great weight lifted from Li Tong’s heart.

"Alright, you may go down now. You must be exhausted. Go rest." Elder Li’s expression towards Li Tong was gentle.

Li Tong complied with a soft "Yes, sir," and withdrew.

The others hadn't taken their eyes off the doorway where he vanished.

"That lad is certainly..." Master Li the Elder couldn't help but mutter.

What luck...

"So, being well-born is better than being good," Elder Li remarked, smiling. "Regardless of who it was, this is a great fortune for our Li family."

Indeed, everyone was quite pleased. The Emperor's personal visit was an immense honor, though one they could never speak of.

"To speak of this honor would only invite jealousy. We must keep it to ourselves," Elder Li stated, letting out a heavy breath, feeling his illness already half-cured. "Has Brother Tong passed the Imperial Exams yet?"

Who knew that...

Master Li the Elder looked momentarily embarrassed.

"Whether he passed or not, the Inner Cabinet is short a desk clerk these days. Arrange for him to go there," Elder Li directed.

Master Li the Elder sucked in a sharp breath. Good heavens.

Although it was a runner's errand, it meant proximity to the Emperor!

But, it was actually quite fitting.

Master Li the Elder agreed.

This boy, is he truly this blessed by fate?

Meanwhile, Li Tong almost ran back to his own quarters. The Li family had not yet formally separated; the four branches were still crowded within the same courtyard, separated only by a few walls.

"Brother, Brother."

As soon as he entered, Li Tong was stopped by a girl's voice, and then he saw his younger sister rushing toward him, overjoyed.

"Brother, thank you, thank you." Li Tong's sister clung to his arm, weeping.

Li Tong was momentarily bewildered by the thanks and the tears.

"What is it?" he asked quickly.

"Father... Father canceled my marriage to that sickly wretch," Li Tong’s sister cried, wiping her eyes.

Li Tong was overjoyed.

"Brother, was it you who spoke to Father?" Li Tong's sister asked through her tears. This needed no question; it could only be her brother. Who else would care for her?

Li Tong's own eyes stung with emotion, unsure what to say.

It had all come too fast, too much...

But his premonitions hadn't been far off. Soon, Master Li the Elder sent a messenger to Li Tong’s father, relaying the news that Li Tong was to report to the Inner Cabinet for duty in a few days.

Li Tong's father was stunned speechless.

In the room, Li Tong’s mother and his several elder brothers were equally dumbfounded.

Just moments before, Li Tong’s mother had been complaining because Li Tong's father had called off that engagement.

"So what if he cured the Old Master? Curing an illness—what great merit is that? It's the doctor's accomplishment! Is that worth protecting him like this?" Li Tong's primary mother had stated, very displeased.

But at this moment, her eyes were wide open, and she couldn't utter a word.

A clerkship? The Inner Cabinet?

"Why?" Li Tong's father finally managed to ask.

This question was also for everyone else.

The Emperor's visit had become the Li Residence's highest secret; only a few knew, and others were naturally unqualified to learn.

The guest scholar delivering the message smiled faintly.

"The Old Master saw that he had nothing to do at home and wished for him to come help out a bit," he said plainly before taking his leave.

The room fell silent.

"Why? Why not let me help out?" one of Li Tong's elder brothers exclaimed, glaring. "I'm idle too!"

"Because you didn't summon a good doctor..." Li Tong's father, being the patriarch, hit the nail on the head with one sentence.

After breakfast, a new day began. Fan Yilin finished tending to his collection of caged birds and prepared to lounge on a long chair to listen to the little maid play the qin.

"Young Master, listening to this every day, don't you get tired of it?" the young servant said, sitting beside him on a small stool, his face wrinkled in distress. He gestured towards the girl, "Say, Ruying, could you play a different tune? It's always the same one; I swear I'm about to vomit from listening."

Fan Yilin quickly stood up to intervene, but it was too late.

The little maid huffed.

"Then have someone else play," she said, pushing away from the instrument and running off.

"Look at that, look at that! Young Master, what is the attitude of this little shrew!" the servant exclaimed angrily, glaring.

Fan Yilin slapped him lightly on the head.

"You little brat! The Madam only left us this one girl for music. If she leaves now, what am I supposed to do for the Young Master!" he scolded.

"Young Master." The servant held his head, looking aggrieved. "It sounds truly awful... We shouldn't have to suffer like this."

Fan Yilin sighed and retreated to the lounge chair.

"At least it's some noise," he sighed. "Otherwise, I'd just be lying here with no one around..."

As he spoke, a young servant came sprinting in from outside the door.

"A visitor has arrived!" he gasped.

Fan Yilin remained reclined.

"Young Master, Young Master," the servant called. "There is a visitor."

Fan Yilin simply closed his eyes.

"A visitor arrives. Guests come all day long. What does it have to do with me?" he said irritably.

"Young Master, the visitor has come to see you," the servant panted in reply.

"Me?" Fan Yilin's eyes snapped open. He pointed at his own nose. "Which blind fool has come to call on me?"

The servants stared at him, mouths agape.

The "blind" visitor had already finished three cups of tea in the main hall, making Third Master Fan, who sat with him, quite uncomfortable.

"Go, find that little rabbit and somehow, no matter what, bring him here immediately," he instructed a young servant in a low, grinding voice.

Before the words were finished, Fan Yilin’s deliberately loud cough was heard from outside the door.

"I'm coming," Third Master Fan sighed in relief, forcing a smile.

Then everyone looked toward the door and saw a man in a brightly patterned shirt, holding a folding fan, swaggering in with a deliberate, swaying gait.

Third Master Fan raised a hand to cover his face, refusing to look.

Father, you were so wise to stay out of sight today...

"Who is looking for me? I'm quite busy..." Fan Yilin began.

Before he could finish, someone rushed forward and bowed deeply to him.

"Young Master Fan, thank you, thank you so much," Li Tong said, his voice trembling.

Fan Yilin was startled by such a deep bow.

"Young Master Li, what, what is it?" he asked. He stopped mid-sentence when he saw the piles of gifts stacked in the room.

Fan Yilin forgot about Young Master Li and stared greedily at the large and small boxes, the bolts of fabric.

"Are these... are these all for me?" he asked.

Li Tong bowed again.

"A small token, please do not refuse it, Brother Fan," he said.

Fan Yilin, already feeling embarrassed, tore open one of the topmost parcels and found a complete set of the Four Treasures of the Study.

Fan Yilin chuckled.

"This item for me... Ah, wait, this is Ouyang Xiu's!" His laughter abruptly stopped, replaced by an exclamation. "Ouyang Xiu's inkstone!"

Third Master Fan, who had been hiding his face, couldn't help but look over.

"Actually, it's Li Tinggui's inkstone..." a middle-aged man sitting nearby commented with a slight smile.

Third Master Fan shot up from his seat.

That was worth more than Ouyang Xiu!

Fan Yilin's eyes widened. Though he was considered a simpleton, he knew the lore behind these study tools for the sake of appearing cultured.

"Little Li, you've spent a fortune. It's nice of you to support your brother, but a small gesture would have sufficed. You’ve really gone too far," he scolded. "Next time, I won't be able to afford to play along with you..."

Li Tong was amused by his words.

"Brother Fan, this is truly my sincere offering," he said, bowing again.

Third Master Fan then turned to the man who was seated.

"Master Li, this is far too valuable!" he said, bowing to Li Tong's father.

"Young Master Fan is worthy of it," Li Tong's father replied with a smile, adding a precise note: "This is my father's intention."

Elder Li!

Third Master Fan froze, his expression solemn.

"This... this is, what have I done to deserve this?" he quickly asked.

"Yes, yes! How did Elder Li suddenly realize I was a treasure of gold inlaid with jade?" Fan Yilin also hastily asked.

Third Master Fan felt a pang of regret for ever calling the young man over.

"It was Young Master Fan who recommended the doctor to my son, which saved my father from a crisis. Such a debt of life cannot be repaid with these small worldly possessions, though we hope Young Master Fan does not disdain them," Li Tong's father stood up as well, speaking with solemn gravity.

From beginning to end, he never took his eyes off the gift boxes, afraid he wouldn't be able to control himself and rush over to hug the box containing the inkstone and weep.

These fine items—he wouldn't acquire a single one in his lifetime...

And yet, they were given to this good-for-nothing...

What a waste of good things...

Truly, being well-born is better than being good...

He couldn't fight fate... Li Tong's father wept internally.

What a sin...

Last time, I rallied everyone to support a famous scholar's interview, and everyone went, but I lagged behind.

This time, I urged everyone to support the YY voice interview, and everyone came, but my microphone had no sound.

Once, twice—there cannot be a third time. Three parts effort, seven parts destiny. So, I must accept my fate. I am not destined to communicate with people; what is fated cannot be forced. I promise there will not be a next time....

This is the draft written for tomorrow, as today's journey involved a disastrous rafting trip and disastrous hotel internet, plus a disastrous 5 AM wake-up call tomorrow, meaning I can’t write a single word. But I feel terribly bad, so I’ve added this extra chapter. As for tomorrow's update, I'll have to force it out, provided the hotel in Dunhua isn't quite so dreadful. (To be continued.)