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Zhanying is about eight when he meets Jingyan. He’d just been walking home after school, taking the seldom trodden overgrown weed path back to his house. It’s a route no one dares to take because it’s been occupied as part of the palace grounds, even if the said building is more than a kilometre away. Zhanying takes it because otherwise he’d have to walk another hour to get home, and he’d rather make a break for it if he gets spotted by the guards.He finds Jingyan wandering amongst the low shrubs one day, big dark pupils blinking back at him in interest. Back then Zhanying had no idea he was a prince—true heir or not—and didn’t even question why they only met by the secluded path to chat or play. It’s only when Jingyan tells him about how he knows he isn’t the Emperor’s blood borne son, but how he was just conceived at a convenient time after his mother was selected by the Emperor to be his concubine. How much he hates that his mother doesn’t speak much of how she’d been torn from her previous life just because the Emperor demanded it so, but instead has fully accepted her current position.Jingyan has not.There’s once when Jingyan leads him back to the palace secretly, through a tiny hole in the wall and crawling under windows. It’s the first time that Zhanying realises the chasm in status between them. The imperial palace was, frankly, horribly intimidating. The jade roof gleams brightly under the sun, and the ornate furniture are larger than Zhanying himself, who had already started his growth spurt by then. Jingyan excitedly sneaks him to meet his mother who admonishes both of their recklessness but also smiles warmly and sets down a bowl of hazelnut cookies for Zhanying to eat.When Jingyan sees him off, Zhanying notices the hard longing in his eyes to follow despite the smile in his farewell—and with the dark looming architecture behind them, suddenly, Jingyan looks scared. And angry. And terrified. Zhanying thinks wouldn’t want to stay in the cold, scary palace either, even if it means he would never have to worry about going hungry.“I, I won’t be able to come and play anymore,” Jingyan blurts in a rush, like he can’t help himself from keeping it in anymore. “I’m going to join the military.” And then in the silence between them, he presses on, meeting Zhanying’s surprised gaze. “…Zhanying, come with me.”It takes a while to understand what Jingyan is asking. “…To be a soldier?”“Yes,” Jingyan says, voice firmer. “We’ll get my mother back together.”Zhanying is only freshly nine. Jingyan outstretches his palm, giving him the option to accept or to decline. It is a bold favour to ask. Zhanying has his own commoner life, he doesn’t need to decide his future because of a prince that isn’t the Emperor’s legitimate son. Zhanying doesn’t even have much feelings for the ruling monarch, to tell the truth. But Jingyan is looking at him, breath steady even though the word ‘please’ is ghosting unsaid on his lips.Zhanying reaches to touch the hand.Military school is, in short, pretty brutal. They sign on in the same year, but due to their birth status Zhanying would normally not be assigned to be in the same class as Jingyan. Nonetheless, Zhanying finds Jingyan setting his belongings on the top of the bunk bed they share. They are surrounded by children of nobles, many who do not take their training seriously. There are constant rumours whenever Zhanying walks with Jingyan, about how strings were pulled to get a commoner into their midst. Jingyan does not deny them, and he always looks unbothered by the (un)subtle accusation.Instead, whenever they watch their classmates bully their retainers, sometimes even teachers, because of their untouchable status, Jingyan simply swivels on his heel and says, “They didn’t earn their standing on their own.”Zhanying knows what Jingyan means.Four years fly by quickly. They focus and work hard together, and soon enough Jingyan graduates as the representative of the year, while Zhanying takes salutatorian. That night, Jingyan invites Zhanying to come to the palace to see his mother again. They enter through the front gates of the palace this time, only pausing briefly at a calligraphy portrait painting of the late Emperor Wu, first monarch of the Liang Dynasty, hung in the main reception area. The guards positioned nearby are watching, so they bow in respect towards it before making way towards the western wing.“Zhanying,” Jingyan begins quietly as they stroll slowly through the west wing gardens, out of ear shot to anyone else. “Have you ever thought of it this way?” Jingyan isn’t looking at him, distracted by the blooming flowers around him. “The Liang Dynasty didn’t exist since the dawn of humanity. It began with that arrogant bastard Xiao Yan.”Zhanying flits his gaze around quickly, because using the first monarch’s given name like that was akin to treason. And they were in the palace.“He started out as no more than an ambitious upstart,” Jingyan continues, “but the times were such that he managed to become a holy and inviolable emperor. Zhanying,” he turns to Zhanying then, finger lingering on a blossomed petal of a peony. “If Xiao Yan did it…do you think I can?”There is a determined fire blazing behind Jingyan’s questioning stare.Sometimes Zhanying is reminded how he underestimates the deep seated and growing hatred that Jingyan holds in his heart towards imperial rule, despite being a potential heir himself. But when Zhanying thinks about the times both he and Jingyan had to bite their tongue in the military because of their superiors, or the beggars and orphans sleeping in the dirt in the open streets, or when he sees Jingyan quietly looking out of the window every morning thinking about his mother, it becomes so easy to say,“Yes.”Jingyan smiles then, dropping his attention on the flower to reach for Zhanying’s forehead. Zhanying is still growing, despite that he’d already surpassed Jingyan in height a couple of years prior. He stays still as Jingyan touches the wayward strands of his front bangs—they’d grown out quite a bit and he hadn’t gotten around to sniping them neatly before the ceremony.“You’ve grown a bit taller, haven’t you?” Jingyan remarks inquisitively as he plays with the soft locks.“I haven’t grown in two months, your Highness,” Zhanying replies.“Mm,” Jingyan tugs his hair just so ever gently before letting go with a smile. “You don’t have to call me “Your Highness” when no one is around. How many times have I told you that?”“I know that,” Zhanying replies, casting a glance around again. “But still…”“If you know, then do it,” Jingyan states as a final word. “Come on, I’m starving for hazelnut pastries.”When Jingyan is twenty-one, he gets conferred the title of an admiral and gains authority over half the military. It’s an impressive feat, sealed when he successfully led an army to subjugate the rebel Wei forces that was only one third the size of their enemy’s. Zhanying himself is named commodore, having climbed the military ranks quickly by Jingyan’s side. It’s a little stressful, to be honest, to be promoted two ranks every time they get sent to the front line, but that’s how ambitious and brilliant Jingyan is, like a wildfire that will not stop for anything.Jingyan invites him to the palace the day after, to have tea with his mother.“Are you sure I should?” Zhanying thinks to ask.“Of course,” Jingyan quirks a brow. “Why would it bother you now?”Zhanying probably should reflect the implications of his close relationship with a high-ranking imperial prince and the favoured consort of the Emperor, but Jingyan seems to be deliberately obtuse to any of it. Jingyan’s mother looks equally pleased to see him, and they sit in a close-knit circle around a table full of tea pots and snacks to chat.At some point in the conversation, she sends Jingyan to search for a bottle of wine she’d gotten as a gift, not terribly bothered about hiding her intention to speak to Zhanying alone. Jingyan goes off to retrieve it with an amused huff, warning his mother not to tell Zhanying embarrassing stories of him. Consort Jing only suppresses a playful eyeroll behind the leaving back.“You’ve done so much for my son,” she says gently, and its then that Zhanying is struck by the beauty of her porcelain white skin as the sunlight caresses over them. She hasn’t aged a day throughout the years.“Not at all,” Zhanying demurred quickly. “He’s the one who has done much for me. To be a commodore at my age…”“I heard. Congratulations,” she nods, fussing around some biscuits to put on his plate. “Jingyan doesn’t say it out loud, or maybe he just hasn’t noticed, but he truly relies on you a great deal.”Zhanying shakes his head shyly. “You flatter me. I am nothing special.”“Zhanying…” She smiles in return, peering up to look at him directly. “You should really value yourself a bit more. Jingyan has talent, but he isn’t as mature as you,” she continues. “That’s why I have to ask…that you watch over him, so that he doesn’t lose sight of what’s right and important.” Her voice stays gentle, but it’s firm. “If you see him heading in that direction, tell him so. If it’s a warning from you, I know that he will listen.”“I will do everything I can,” Zhanying says finally when he sees how serious she is. “Please have faith in my loyalty to Jingyan.”“I don’t doubt that,” her mouth twitches ruefully. “But your heart is soft towards my son.” Zhanying blinks, and blinks again when she reaches for his hand, placing her own over it. “I am grateful for it,” she says at last. “But sometimes the truth hurts to tell.”Zhanying nods in understanding. “I will not disappoint you.”“Thank you,” she says, and her hand retracts right before Jingyan comes back declaring he’d been victorious in finding the wine bottle in his grasp.The first mission after Jingyan establishes his admiral mansion is to quell the Hua rebellion. Specifically, Jingyan assigns Zhanying to deal with it by himself. The other rear and vice admirals look disgruntled as Zhanying moves to accept the imperial order, and he knows that they whisper behind his back about his biased relationship with Jingyan. He’s the youngest of them all by far—and Jingyan himself, despite his noble status, also gets whispered comments about his ability due to his age.He doesn’t voice these concerns to Jingyan when he bids the other farewell at night, having prepared to leave the next morning, since they’d heard it all throughout the years. He does, however, worry about leaving Jingyan alone to the vultures, especially when Jingyan half-brothers are starting to hold them in jealous contempt.“You are such a worrywart,” Jingyan chuckles after Zhanying repeatedly tells him to take care in his absence. “What can they do to me?” Jingyan shuffles forward as he speaks, absentmindedly reaching up to play with Zhanying’s messy fringe again. “Don’t you trust me to take care of myself?”“I have never doubted you,” Zhanying returns. “It’s just, at times, I am afraid.”Jingyan’s expression softens then, and he give Zhanying one last gentle caress over the forehead. “Then come back as quickly as you can to me.”Even though Jingyan’s been playing with his hair since the night they graduated, Zhanying still finds a moment to himself later to examine his front bangs for a bit. He’s always felt the wayward strands are a little annoying, especially when they fall into his eyes, but he can’t bring himself to cut it too neat or short anymore.Zhanying exhales, pressing a cool palm against his heated cheek.