The news did not arrive all at once.
It came like ripples spreading across still water—quiet at first, then impossible to ignore.
Yue Ning was copying passages from the Classic of Governance when Lian Hua came running into her courtyard, skirts lifted, breath uneven.
"Ning'er! Ning'er!" she called. "Are you free? Something huge happened!"
Yue Ning set her brush down calmly. "You're moving."
Lian Hua skidded to a stop.
"…You already know?"
Yue Ning smiled faintly. "You only run like this when your life is about to change."
Before Lian Hua could recover, another voice joined in.
"Meimei, slow down!"
Fang Jian walked in behind her, posture straight, expression controlled—but his eyes were bright. At his side was Fang Mei, graceful as always, though her fingers twisted nervously in her sleeve.
"Ning'er," Fang Mei said softly, "Father received an imperial transfer this morning."
"To the capital," Yue Ning said.
Fang Jian exhaled. "So you knew that too."
Lian Hua stared between them. "Wait—your family too?"
Fang Mei nodded. "Father has been appointed Assistant Director in the Ministry of Rites. Jian-ge and I will follow him."
Zhao Rong's voice suddenly rang out from the gate.
"Then we're all doomed!"
Everyone turned.
Zhao Rong strode in dramatically, hands clasped behind his back. "My father says the capital is full of people who smile while plotting to stab you. Sounds terrifying."
Li Wen followed quietly behind him, carrying a stack of books.
"My family is also moving," Li Wen said softly. "Education Office. I'll be studying in the capital academy."
Silence fell.
Five children stood together, realization settling in.
Lian Hua broke it first. "So… all of us?"
The wind that morning carried the smell of dust and distant rain.
Yue Ning stood just inside the provincial gate, hands folded in front of her, watching as five carriages lined up one after another.
Servants moved busily, voices overlapping, while guards checked documents.
This time, she was not packing.
She was seeing people off.
Lian Hua turned around for the third time, eyes already red.
"Are you sure you're not coming?"
Yue Ning smiled helplessly.
"I'm sure."
Zhao Rong crossed his arms.
"That's unfair. We're the ones being dragged to the capital, and you're the one staying comfortably behind."
"Comfortably?" Yue Ning raised an eyebrow. "You'll be living closer to the Emperor."
Li Wen adjusted the strap of his book case nervously.
"That's exactly why it's frightening."
Fang Mei laughed softly, though her gaze kept drifting back to Yue Ning.
"The capital is loud. Ambitious. Everyone measures you with their eyes."
Fang Jian, standing beside his elder sister, nodded once.
"And mistakes linger longer there."
Lian Hua sniffed.
"See? Even the Fang siblings sound gloomy."
Fang Jian shot her a look. "That's called realism."
Yue Ning watched them quietly, memorizing their expressions.
This is how fate separates paths, she thought.
Not by breaking them—but by stretching them.
Zhao Rong kicked at a small stone.
"My father says the capital needs fresh blood. Apparently, our families are 'timely.'"
Li Wen nodded.
"The Education Office summoned us directly. Refusal wasn't an option."
Fang Mei folded her hands in her sleeves.
"Father said it's a chance our family cannot miss. Jian-ge and I discussed it last night."
Fang Jian added calmly,
"If we want to rise, this is the road."
Lian Hua turned to Yue Ning again.
"And you? Your father is already Third Rank.
You could go if you wanted."
Yue Ning shook her head gently.
"Not yet."
Zhao Rong squinted.
"You always say that."
She met his gaze.
"Some things grow better when left undisturbed."
None of them fully understood—but none argued.
Before departure, they gathered in a small teahouse near the gate.
Steam rose from bowls. Chopsticks clinked.
"This is probably the last time we'll eat together like this," Lian Hua muttered.
Zhao Rong laughed loudly.
"You say that like we're dying."
Li Wen smiled faintly.
"Distance changes things."
Fang Mei looked at Yue Ning.
"Ning'er… will you write?"
"Of course," Yue Ning replied. "And you'll reply."
Fang Jian added,
"We'll exchange books. Capital texts are different."
Yue Ning nodded.
"I'll send provincial ones. Keep you grounded."
That earned a laugh.
Zhao Rong leaned closer.
"If someone bullies us in the capital, can we blame you for not being there?"
Yue Ning smiled sweetly.
"You'll manage."