Delicate cicadas clung to green willows, unable to outcry the crows; a few distant mountains, a brushstroke of rosy clouds.
Stepping into the spring woods, cloud shadows danced in confusion; across the stream, an immortal hound barked at peach blossoms.
As the Spring Imperial Examination drew near, the spring scenery of Lin'an Prefecture grew ever more delightful.
An Le, clad in blue robes with Green Mountain Ink Pool at his waist, left Lin Manor with Ye Chong and boarded the lavish carriage that had long been prepared.
The wheels rolled with a soft rustle as they left Lin'an Prefecture's city district. Green waters and blue mountains, washed in the hues of spring, possessed a charm all their own.
Ye Wenxi, Ye Yinping, Lin Zhuifeng, and Ninth Sister Lin—who had intended to go copy paintings but had been forcibly dragged along—sat upright in the carriage behind them.
The two lavish carriages headed all the way toward the Martial Temple.
An Le lowered the curtain, taking in the romantic spring scenery beyond the city. His mood, too, became bright and splendid.
Ye Chong radiated an aura of iron and blood. Even seated within the carriage, he held his back ramrod straight, maintaining at all times the bearing of a soldier from a rigorously disciplined army.
A charcoal stove boiled water inside the carriage, accompanied by fine Longjing tea leaves. Ye Chong did not seem to know how to brew tea, so An Le took up the tea cups and began steeping the fragrant brew.
The carriage was rather quiet, leaving only the bubbling water, the humming stove, and the soft rustling sounds of An Le rinsing and brewing the tea.
The first steep was water, the second tea; the third and fourth held the true essence.
An Le was no professional