"What's not the same?"

Chu Yexuan was completely out of the loop as he took a step towards Chu Yeguang, only for the other to whirl around and bellow, "Everything!"

Chu Yexuan blinked.

"Expressions, gestures, eyes---none of it can compare!" Chu Yeguang muttered under his breath, before turning to the matron. "Is this the best you have?!"

The matron hastily bent forward in a bow, "Honored guest, 'Springtime Outing' is the newest piece we've made for Scarlet Swallow. We were supposed to debut it when the plum blossoms bloom, perhaps if honored guest returned then---"

"Even ten years wouldn't be enough for this lot to match a single glance from her face!" Chu Yeguang declared vehemently. "If 'springtime' can leave me this cold, then I fear to see what winter would do to me instead!"

What face? Chu Yexuan thought. Whose glance? He stood awkwardly to the side and shot intermittent glances downstairs, where the dancers were all huddled together as they looked up with wide eyes. The musicians were doing the same, though clutching their instruments instead of their kin. Feeling a little sorry for them all, Chu Yexuan went to rest a hand on Chu Yeguang's shoulder.

"Brother, calm down."

Chu Yeguang whirled towards him, intending to break free, but Chu Yexuan simply increased the pressure on his shoulder. Despite being the youngest brother, Chu Yexuan held the advantage in both height and strength against Chu Yeguang. Eventually, his steady gaze and ever tightening fingers brought the crown prince back to his senses.

"....." The glower in Chu Yeguang's eyes went out like a light. "Tch. What am I doing..." He relaxed, resting a hand on his brothers to tell him it was alright. After Chu Yexuan released him, he gave a rueful chuckle and told the matron, "This gentleman shall double the payment I gave you today to open up the premises. Split them amongst your girls, don't let them leave with a bad impression on account of my temper."

The matron was quick to show her thanks. "I will give due credit to your generosity, honored guest and patron."

As she spoke, Chu Yeguang dug out a few sheets of silver drafts as well as a gold sycee and handed them all to the matron. "Take these and get us some wine."

After the matron left and wine was brought up, Chu Yexuan worriedly asked him, "Brother, what is the matter?"

Chu Yeguang swirled the liquid in his cup as he settled back in his seat. "Disappointment more than anything else. I expected too much when I shouldn't have expected anything at all."

Chu Yexuan glanced at the dance floor, then back at his sibling. "What were you expecting?" 

"Something a bit more than that," Chu Yeguang said with a quirked brow. "Haven't I told you before? The dances these days are dull. All they do is pose and stroll in circles, though---" he paused for another mocking grin, "I don't think this lot even stirred from their places."

Chu Yexuan thought back to the dance they'd just seen. It was true, most of the girls had spun in place and threw their sleeves here and there while they sang. He didn't remember much beyond that, being preoccupied with the music and half-wondering if the tune would work with a zither instead. "But you've always praised the dancers in...these places," he pointed out. Chu Yeguang had even mentioned them specifically during their conversation at the Snow Festival banquet. Was it because they didn't bare any skin today? That's hardly a fair request on a winter morning...

Imagining the women they just saw with bare shoulders and exposed arms only made Chu Yexuan flush, so he quickly took a sip of tea.

"Praise them? Perhaps I did," Chu Yeguang sighed. "But that was before I knew how grossly unperceptive I could be. I was a frog at the bottom of well, seeing the sky but never truly grasping it."

It's impossible to touch the sky with your bare hands anyways, Chu Yexuan privately thought to himself. "Then have you found someone better?" he asked.

Chu Yeguang's lips quirked up into an enigmatic curve. Staring at his brother, Chu Yexuan suddenly recalled the conversation he had with Ling Fengxiao a few days ago and blurted out, "Mei Yanran?"

Chu Yeguang's eyes flashed. "Why did you say that?"

Chu Yexuan blinked again. "Mei Yanran was victor at the Snow Festival because of her dancing, brother."

"Did this prince give you permission to say her name?" Chu Yeguang arched a brow, suddenly looking miffed.

Chu Yexuan was bewildered. "Isn't that the same line you used for Li Siyan a few days ago?"

Chu Yeguang ignored him and headed for the window instead, winecup in hand. Chu Yexuan wasn't usually quick enough to pick up the thread of such conversations, but his casual talk with Ling Fengxiao helped him connect the dots now.

"Brother, don't tell me you've taken a fancy to Miss Mei?"

Chu Yeguang seemed to take that as a challenge. "She's simply different from the rest, that's all."

It wasn't strange for his brother to fancy a new girl every other week, but he'd hardly shown interest in the officials' daughters. "You know, she's Official Mei's daughter, so it's better not to---"

"Now you sound like Zhonglang," Chu Yeguang looked at him balefully. At the mention of their second brother's courtesy name, Chu Yexuan just shrugged.

"Then maybe I'm just speaking in his place." Undaunted, Chu Yexuan settled to stand by the window right next to him.

Chu Yeguang ended up shooting him a helpless glare. "You always say what you want."

"That's because I'm your brother," Chu Yexuan shot back.

"When I become emperor one day, you'll become my subject," Chu Yeguang reminded him. "Will you say as you like, even then?"

"Don't put all the burden on me. You know Zhonglang says his share as well."

"Yes, but unlike you, he has the tact to shut up before he goes too far."

Chu Yexuan laughed. "Then I'm there to even him out!"

Chu Yeguang snorted and gave a half-hearted thwap towards Chu Yexuan's head, but the latter dodged easily. "So brother, did you plant those plum blossom trees too?"

"You noticed?"

"I heard about it," Chu Yexuan shrugged.

"Plum blossom trees for a plum blossom," Chu Yeguang only muttered back. "Fitting, don't you think?"

"Only you would go around planting trees in the middle of winter!" Chu Yexuan laughed, the sound free and easy. 

"Don't underestimate this prince!" In the heat of the moment, Chu Yeguang had reverted back to his formal state of address.

Chu Yexuan dutifully suppressed his snickering to study his brother thoughtfully. In the wan winter sunlight, Chu Yeguang's features stood out in sharp relief by the window, the slight furrowing between his brows giving him a uncharacteristically serious expression.

Moxiao, I don't think my brother's half bad, Chu Yexuan thought quietly to himself. With you and Zhonglang here, what do we need to fear with him becoming emperor?

Abruptly, Chu Yeguang straightened up, his eyes narrowing into slits as he looked out the window. "That's..."

That's?

Chu Yexuan went to take a peek as well. He only saw the snow-covered roofs and powder-lined streets belong them, filled with the usual mix of people. "What is it?"

"She's there!" Chu Yeguang exclaimed. "Right here in the city!"

Chu Yexuan looked closer, his eyes roving quickly through the crowd until he picked up a vaguely familiar form striding through the streets with her servant girl in tow.

Mei Yanran? Chu Yexuan arched his brows. But Chu Yeguang was already moving from the window and making a beeline for the stairs, only stopping to grab his fur-lined cloak. Since Chu Yexuan had no desire to hang about a brothel alone all day, he simply followed after him.

"Brother, wait!"