Blooming Beneath the Elm’s Shade

Have the master-servant bond and a debt of gratitude both turned into something else? Is this the collapse of morality, or the extinction of human decency? Welcome to the short series Blossoming Beneath the Elm’s Shade.

The story begins with Yu Sui’an, born into an ordinary merchant family and orphaned at a young age. He is sold into the Censor’s residence as a male servant, where he meets the household’s second young master, Ye Baiyu. The two spend six years together, day in and day out. Later, Yu Sui’an regains his freedom, and they go their separate ways for another six years.

Over those six years, everything changes. Yu Sui’an becomes the owner of Yu’an Teahouse, while Ye Baiyu rises to become Minister of Rites. After saving up ten thousand taels of silver, Yu Sui’an finally summons the courage to go repay his debt.

“I’ve thought about it for a long time, but I don’t know how best to repay you.”

“I also think that paying you directly would be far too vulgar for an upright official as noble as you. But what can I say? Not only is my name, Yu Sui’an, vulgar, I’m a vulgar person too.”

An otherworldly, upright official × a gentle, down-to-earth commoner

*Contains a BG side couple with a fair amount of page time, so please take note if that’s not your thing.

Set in an ancient world where men can marry.

The whole story is a very everyday, rambling little creation. There’s no dramatic plot, just a gentle warmth that flows on and on ╰(*´︶`*)╯

The setting is mainly inspired by the Tang dynasty, but it isn’t an exact match, so please don’t take the details too seriously.