In the capital, everyone knew of two great clans. One was headed by a military general who commanded the three armies and had won countless battles; the other was headed by a great civil official, a family of scholars for generations, honest and incorruptible.
The two families lived side by side, but their temperaments did not agree, and they were sworn enemies.
Few knew that when the two family heads were young, they had been kindred spirits and called each other brothers. Only a low wall stood between their homes, and an apricot tree grew beside it. Shen Du, the young son of the general's family, had loved climbing over that wall since he was little.
Over the years, the apricot tree grew larger and the wall grew taller, but Shen Du never lost his habit of climbing over it.
In spring, apricot blossoms covered the tree. A careless shake of the branches sent a shower of petals raining down. Shen Du lay across the wall, staring at the person in the courtyard opposite.
A young master sat in the courtyard, upright and graceful. He was the same age as Shen Du, the age of youth and vigor, yet while everyone else had begun wearing light robes for the season, he still had a rather thick cloak draped over his shoulders.
The warm sunlight slanted into the courtyard. The young master sat in a chair, head bowed as he covered his mouth and coughed softly. Shen Du's brows remained furrowed for just as long.
"After all these years, why hasn't his illness gotten any better?"
"Second Brother, you know his illness has been with him since he was in the womb. It's not something that can just get better."
Shen Du hadn't noticed anyone coming up behind him. Startled, he nearly fell into the courtyard opposite.
Hearing the commotion, the young master in the chair looked up at the wall, but all he saw was a hurried figure disappearing amid the falling apricot blossoms.
Later, the two inherited their fathers' legacies and stood on opposing sides at court, never facing each other directly.
Everyone said the two of them couldn't be in the same room without getting into an argument.
But what they didn't know was that one bitter winter, amid plum blossoms in the snow, An Zheyan was pinned in a corner by that unruly young general. Shen Du's warm hand brushed An Zheyan's cheek as he smiled and said, "You really do blush easily."
Theme: Building a beautiful and prosperous age together
