In a quiet corner of a fine estate just outside the capital city, a certain man sat alone in the confines of his study. The room was well stocked with shelves full of books and scrolls, so much that there was only enough room on the walls for a single painting. Nevertheless, the tall blue-green shan shui landscape gave the viewer a peek into the vast and expansive mountains, offering a breath of fresh air in the enclosed space.

There were various instruments scattered about the room as well---a bamboo flute, a xun, or Chinese ocarina, and the rosewood zither currently resting before its owner on a small raised table. There was an incense burner by the instrument, but it was currently empty. The man himself seemed more preoccupied by a book he was reading in his hands. Occasionally, he would pause to take a sip of tea from a nearby cup.

Tap, tap.

At the sound of a knock on his door, Ling Fengxiao simply said, Come in, without looking up from his book. A young pageboy entered with a low bow and a package in his hands. 

"Master, the item you asked for is here."

Only then did the lord of the house raise his eyes to peer over his volume. After examining the pageboy just long enough to make him squirm, he intoned, "Set it up."

Without a word, the pageboy opened up the package in his hands and took out a single stick of South Heaven Fragrance. He placed the incense stick in the empty holder and lit the tip with a match, before neatly storing the rest of the box in a different corner of the room and withdrawing from the chambers.

Gradually, the scent of the incense began to diffuse around the room. Unlike the incense of the north, South Heaven Fragrance was lighter and sweeter, an ideal companion to the oftentimes stifling heat that plagued the warmer climes. It really was a fitting match for noble ladies and their pursuits, the fragrance strong enough without being cloying or dense. By the time its tendrils filled the room, Ling Fengxiao had already set aside his book to rest his fingers above the zither. 

Music, while not one of his passions, was one of his pursuits. He had sought to master it as he did all other things, and thus was quite an accomplished player in his own right. He trailed his fingers past the strings before plucking one to begin the melody. Any guest at the banquet would recognize it immediately...as the song behind Mei Yanran's dance.

As far as songs went, it was a simple and repetitive tune, more suited to a work of dance than a standalone melody. But Ling Fengxiao took care to play each phrase over and over again, as if...searching for something. 

"Master."

In the middle of a lull in the melody, a voice sounded from outside his window. Without even looking, Ling Fengxiao knew that it was one of his guards.

"Speak," he replied, pausing in his play to sip more tea.

"The watcher just switched shifts with a replacement," his guard reported.

"Noted. Maintain your guard."

"Yes, master."

In the space of a breath, the guard had disappeared again, leaving Ling Fengxiao alone with his thoughts. A series of curious events had started ever since the night of Snow Festival. First was the unexpected win by an unknown daughter of a new official, then his own stirrings of nostalgia for a long-lost memory. The previous Lord Ling had no children, but had adopted Ling Fengxiao and raised him as his successor after the boy nearly beat him in a weiqi match. Before that, he only had vague memories of living with a poor woman who could've been his mother.

That woman had used to sing lullabies to him at night, when the hunger was too much. He'd long forgotten then words, but he still remembered snatches of the melody...the very same one that Mei Yanran had danced to that night. The old Lord Ling had picked him off the streets in the southern regions, but Ling Fengxiao hardly knew who his mother was or even where he came from. He had instructed his men to look further into Mei Yanran's hometown to find more clues or distinguishing features. Among the items brought to him was South Heaven Fragrance, a particular incense exclusive to the region.

Playing the music, along with smelling its scent, had awoken a powerful sense of nostalgia within him. But more than that, the guard's report elicited further curiosity in his mind. Two days ago, his guards had noticed a suspicious presence in the nearby forest. While the Winterflower Woods were the property of the current Lord Ling, no man laid claims to the surrounding wilderness. The figure had concealed himself so well that they might have missed him completely if not for the errant gleam of the man's weapon. He had been using a knife to cut himself a piece of meat, and the reflection had caught the eye of a passing guard patrolling by the front gate. 

Immediately, the matter had been reported to his master, who told them to watch and wait without alerting the intruder. Eventually, they realized that the man in the trees switched shifts, and a scout had even managed to trace the guard to a region of the capital before losing him in the city streets. After repeated attempts yielded the same failures, Ling Fengxiao had brought up a map of the capital and approximated the area where the watchers had disappeared to every time. It was filled with the usual mix of civilian and officials' homes, but one name in particular stood out against the rest.

The Mei Estate.

He recalled how the daughter of Official Mei had stared at him unabashedly during the banquet, then her choice of music, her hometown, her seemingly random request for the empress dowager to grant her access to his domain. Could she be keeping watch on him as well? But for what purpose, and why?

"Master!" 

Once again, Ling Fengxiao looked up, this time spotting his head guard waiting outside the window.

"What is it?" he asked tersely.

"The men deployed by His Highness Crown Prince are planting trees around the city," the head guard explained quickly. 

"In the middle of winter?" Ling Fengxiao arched a brow.

"Yes. It seems to be related to his visit to Miss Mei two days ago," the head guard went on. After some hesitation, he added, "They're...plum blossom trees, sir."

There was that, too. The Miss Mei from the same Mei Estate had ostentatiously met Chu Yeguang at the door before seeing him off. The only witness had been a palace retainer hired by the crown prince to pull a cart full of plum blossom trees to the estate. Questioning him only yielded the impression that His Highness Chu Yeguang was attempting to catch a 'winter butterfly.' He didn't seem too bright, and attempts at further inquiries only yielded details on different capture methods. 

Without proper context, there was no telling whether the retainer was simply addled in the brains or repeating information he didn't fully understand. The list of merchants he'd offered up were simply traders who dealt in seeds and other plant stock for the city, common businessmen who made their profits from the capital's long winters and cold climes. It all seemed rather harmless, but Ling Fengxiao's paranoia couldn't help but speculate over potential schemes.

It was rather obvious that Mei Yanran was trying to get close to him, even as her exact relationship with the crown prince remained unclear. She clearly wasn't Chu Yeguang's usual type, yet the retainer had spoken of the prince's enthusiasm when greeting the girl. If she was supposed to be one of Chu Yeguang's agents, sent to probe him while his plans were still incomplete, then she was being far too obvious with her plots. But if not, why show interest in him at all?

He'd never heard of her existence before her family came to the capital, and his own exploits were but a brief utterance at court. He had power and status, yes, but it was hardly more exemplary than another other upper fourth rank official. Was she pursuing him on a whim? Yet, her acceptance speech for the empress dowager had been remarkably specific. What made her think of the Winterflower Woods? They were well-famed for their beauty, but they weren't one of the highlights of the capital. Unless she did extensive research into plum blossom trees and his lands in particular, how would she ever know about them?

For that matter, what is a girl like her doing being interested in trees instead of trinkets or favors for her family?

Ling Fengxiao wasn't familiar with girls or what they thought, but he had enough sense to get a gauge of their usual hobbies. There were better things she could've---might've, should've (?)---asked from the empress dowager instead. 

He was interrupted from his thoughts by a sudden knock on the door.

"Moxiao (墨曉), are you there?"