The Snow Emperor and the Little Plum

Chapter 1

A swallow flew over the Imperial Garden. From the air, the bird could witness a swarm of people in colorful attires who paced over the ground like ants. They moved over the stone paths between strictly formed trees and bushes, carefully placed in such a way they were in harmony with each other. The cherry trees were in full bloom and the leaves from the flower fell like in a rain over the serene river.

The lush garden was surrounded by the Imperial Palace and its impenetrable walls. Each corner was lavishly decorated with gold to put the court's wealth on display. The building itself was in the colors of red, green and white. The green roof curved and was carried by pillars adorned with dragons which slithered up towards the roof like serpents. Instead of one vast building, the palace consisted of smaller, buildings in square shapes. Each building consisted of at least three floors and was connected to each other through porches which gave the entire palace the illusion of being one.
In the garden itself, you could hear melodiously plunks from the traditional stringed instrument which could bring calm and joy to the guests who delighted in the tasteful food delivered by the servants. People spoke in whispered to show esteem for the host who stood quietly and conversed with his advisor.

The Emperor's white, long attire illuminated among the crowd, who expressed respect to the heavenly Emperor by not carry the same color on their clothes. To many, the Emperor's radiant face was not something you could lay eyes upon. This prevented, however, only a few of them from stealing small glimpsed of his honorable back and the long raven hair fell over it like water from a waterfall.

They only shifted their inquisitive gaze away when the Emperor's obsidian eyes turned towards them. Cold as the night, but sharp as a sword. The Emperor's eyes beheld everything and watched his subjects with both wisdom and clarity. Which was not always a favorable act as Emperor seldom used his wisdom to show compassion. His unwavering gaze fell most often upon those who have done wrong and few of them appeared among civilized people again.

In this case, the event was much more agreeable as the young men who have managed to pass the ministerial exam are celebrated today. Years of studying have finally yielded results and many of the youthful noblemen could enter the Imperial Court to begin building their reputation and wealth. For some, it was a tremendous day. For others, it was far from a joyful event.

Yecao Cao glared bitterly at his brother who conversed with a lower minister with a facile attitude. His brother, Yecao Ji, made sure to shift his words from modest flattery to smug boasting, all while Yecao Cao himself wanted to sneak away from the scene. Not that he succeeded as his brother watched over Yecao Cao like a hawk and each time he tried to sneak away his brother grabbed onto his younger brother by the neck to pull him back.

"Have I introduced my brother? Little Cao, come over here. My younger brother has gained a Zhang position in the Ministry of Finance," Yecao Ji said to the lower Minister who looked surprised.

"Minister of Finance? An impressive accomplishment as only the most distinguished is placed in the Ministry of Finance."

Yecao Ji released a facilely laughter with a pleased gleam in his eyes," Indeed, my beloved brother did not betray my expectations."

Yecao Cao held back a snort as he was in the reach of his brother's elbow but did throw a reproachful glare at him. Yecao Cao had no interest in neither studying or in a higher position hence his older brother spent a large amount of sum to bribe the ministers of Finance to get his younger brother entrance. Yecao Cao himself had almost cried tears of blood as the Ministry of Finance was renowned for their overworked Zhang, officials, and was far off from Yecao Cao's current carefree lifestyle.

"Your brother has a bright future in front of him," said the minister and Yecao Cao could feel how he inspected him with a calculating gaze. The gaze weighted Yecao Cao's worth and apparently found him lacking as the minister lost interest.