Chapter 163: A Mysterious Old Man
The old man went upstairs. Before Ling Zhang could detect anything, Yuwen Tong briefly squinted his eyes.
“Waiter, another place setting, please,” Ling Zhang said to the waiter.
The waiter had some time ago dismissed his previous thoughts from his mind, including the “a fresh flower sticking in a heap of cow-dung” part. Despite the fact that they were a gay couple, that man looking like an upstart master had just now given each of those men a kick sending them flying out of the tavern. ‘He’s by no means a common person!’ the waiter thought.
On hearing Ling Zhang’s words, the waiter repeatedly answered “Yes” and quickly left. Soon, he brought another place setting to their table and obsequiously asked, “Would you care for another few courses?”
Ling Zhang tossed a glance at the dishes on the table and replied, “That won’t be necessary. You may leave.”
There were a tableful of courses, which should be more than enough for three men.
“Please take a seat, old gentleman.” Ling Zhang pointed at the seat beside him.
The presence of an outsider made it inconvenient for him to take off his veil hat, so he decided to just sit here and eat later.
Yuwen Tong glanced at the old man and asked, “Your internal energy is pretty potent. How did you come to be knocked over by a childe too frail to stand a gust of wind?”
Ling Zhang was taken aback by this remark and immediately looked at the old man.
Surprisingly, the old man’s countenance remained rather natural. He gave a chuckle, took his chopsticks, picked a piece of food and sent it into his mouth. Chewing, he responded, “He’s just a young man. I was afraid that I might knock him dead if I mobilized my internal energy. I didn’t have the heart.”
“You are such a kind-hearted old gentleman,” commented Yuwen Tong.
“Alas. I just couldn’t help it. Soft-heartedness is my only weakness,” said the old man. With that, he took another bite of a dish. It seemed that he was really hungry, since he had gulped down a bowl of rice within just a few moments.
Seeing this, Ling Zhang reached out his hand with the intention to refill the old man’s bowl but the old man stopped him and said, “One bowlful is enough for me. Thank you for your kindness, Childe.”
Yuwen Tong sitting on the side observed, “Oral thanks show a lack of sincerity. How about expressing your gratitude with something more practical?”
Ling Zhang remained silent. Though Yuwen Tong’s words somewhat surprised him, he had always believed that Yuwen Tong was not a man who would do things aimlessly.
Unexpectedly, the old man did not feel Yuwen Tong’s proposal inappropriate to the occasion. After thinking for a moment, he answered, “Actually you are right. I can’t just freeload and walk away without giving anything in return. How about this? I’ve got a secret manual on internal energy here. I’d like to give it to you as a gift, Childe.”
After saying this, he fished a handbook out of his bosom and handed it to Ling Zhang.
Yuwen Tong intercepted it and was just about to open it when the old man stopped him.
The old man chuckled, “This is not for you, my friend.”
After a rapid blur of movement, the handbook in Yuwen Tong’s hand suddenly disappeared. Meanwhile, Ling Zhang felt someone stuff something into his hand. He cocked an eye at it and found that it was that handbook.
The look in Yuwen Tong’s eyes slightly changed and he fixed the old man with a stare.
After handing the handbook to Ling Zhang, the old man remarked, “Childe, you are the only one suitable for the internal energy cultivation method recorded in this secret manual. Please see to it that this manual is taken good care of. Don’t let it fall into the hands of anybody else.”
Ling Zhang kept having this feeling that this old man seemed to have had all this planned out. After thinking for a few moments, he replied, “Thank you.”
The old man let out a laugh, looked at Ling Zhang with bright piercing eyes and said, “You stood me a meal, and I but returned the favor. It’s about time I stopped imposing on the two of you. So, until our paths cross.”
With that, he walked out of the private room and closed the door as he left.
After the old man left, Yuwen Tong remarked slowly, “This man has reached the peak of perfection in both internal energy and lightness skills.”
Holding the handbook, Ling Zhang handed it to Yuwen Tong. “Do you want to check it out?”
Yuwen Tong thought for a few moments, shook his head and replied, “There must be a reason why he didn’t want me to read it. Keep it yourself.”
Hearing this, Ling Zhang withdrew the handbook and asked, “Was it because you had known he’d got this thing on him that you said those words?”
Yuwen Tong smiled, “Who do you think I am? A seer? It’s just that the old man was clearly a pretty good kung fu practitioner, yet he acted like a vulnerable victim down there and then specially went upstairs to have a meal. I figured he was definitely up to something, which was why I said that.”
‘Yuwen Tong’s discernment is indeed greater than mine,’ Ling Zhang thought.
Ling Zhang took off his veil hat and opened the handbook. He had just taken a glance at it when he froze. And then he was shocked and immediately closed the handbook.
Yuwen Tong looked at him. “What’s going on?”
Ling Zhang tightened his mouth into a thin line, stuffed the handbook into his bosom, rose from the seat and walked out of the private room. “I’ll be back.”
Yuwen Tong’s brow corrugated in a frown.
Ling Zhang hurriedly walked downstairs to look for the old man only to find that the old man was nowhere to be seen in the street.
There were only two lines on the first page of the handbook –’A phoenix secluded itself in mountains shall transcend eternity.’
This old man had shown up not long after his mother’s parentage come to his knowledge. It wouldn’t really be an exaggeration to say that Ling Zhang was shuddering with fear.
‘Exactly why did the old man do this just now? He’s clearly a member of the Millennium Pavilion, but why did he give me a secret manual about internal energy? Didn’t people of the Millennium Pavilion intend to kill my mother? I’m her son. Shouldn’t they want to kill me as well?’
Ling Zhang’s mind was in a whirl. He was eager to find that old man and have him answer all these questions.
He also wanted to know whether or not Ling Zhaowu had really found the Millennium Pavilion, and why he had never returned home…
However, the street was crowded with people, and he was unable to find any traces of the old man no matter how hard he tried.
In anxiety, he kept walking around on the street aimlessly and fruitlessly.
Yuwen Tong had already followed him out of the tavern. He held Ling Zhang’s shoulder and asked, “What seems to be the problem? Is there anything wrong with the old man?”
Ling Zhang shook his head with a heavy heart. He had not yet figured out how to explain this matter to Yuwen Tong, but this old man had already shown up.
“Let’s go back to the tavern.”
He wanted to find out more information about that secret manual on internal energy. Just now he had been too anxious to find the old man and had not had the time to read it carefully.
Without asking any further questions, Yuwen Tong returned to the tavern with him.
Seeing the two of them return, the tavern-keeper was somewhat stunned. In a quivering voice, he asked, “My guests, is there anything wrong with the food?”
“No. We’d like to order another couple of dishes,” replied Yuwen Tong. He ordered another few courses and told the waiter to deliver the food to the private room they had been staying in.
Ling Zhang had barely eaten anything just now.
They returned to the private room. After all dishes were served, they had the waiter close the door.
Ling Zhang, bursting with impatience, took off his veil hat and opened the handbook in his hand.
In the handbook was indeed a mental cultivation method of internal energy, and the handbook also said that this mental method was suitable for descendants of the Phoenix Clan, that they would be able to get twice the result with half the effort and would be almost invincible after achieving perfection of it.
Ling Zhang was aware that he had her mother’s blood in him. His uncle had also mentioned something about blood of the Phoenix Clan. But he had always thought that this was merely a fabrication, that those foreseers had merely made up this story to consolidate their position in the imperial court. It had never crossed his mind that this was a real thing.
The mental cultivation method of internal energy recorded in the handbook seemed highly ingenious and profound. Someone had even annotated many paragraphs in detail lest he had trouble comprehending them.
If this handbook was telling the truth, the current conditions were ideal for him to start cultivating it!
However, Ling Zhang soon calmed himself down in the knowledge that people of the Millennium Pavilion were not to be trusted for the moment. He decided not to follow this handbook to cultivate internal energy until he confirmed it was safe to do so.
He believed that Yuwen Tong was, without doubt, the most suitable to help him confirm whether this handbook was problematic or not.
However, with so many confused thoughts in his mind, he had no idea how to explain this matter to Yuwen Tong.
Seeing Ling Zhang raise his head to look at him, Yuwen Tong inquired, “Now can you tell me what the matter with the handbook is?”
Ling Zhang put away the handbook and shook his head. “Please give me some more time. This is of great importance. I need to think it through.”
When they had been in Tanyang, there had barely been any occasions when Ling Zhang kept things back from Yuwen Tong. The only thing that he had not yet told Yuwen Tong about was the one that Yuwen Tong had not ascertained to this day.
Feeling that it was inadvisable to let things stay this way, Yuwen Tong decided to make the first move, so he asked, “Does it have anything to do with the martial formations that your family know about?”
Ling Zhang looked at him in surprise. “Why did you connect it with this?”
“Because no member of Ling family is ever known for mastery of martial formations, not to mention that those martial formations are stunningly ingenious, which will cause an immediate sensation once brought to light,” Yuwen Tong responded in a serious tone of voice.
Ling Zhang’s mouth tightened. After a few moments’ thinking, he said, “Those martial formations have nothing to do with Ling family. You won’t be able to find anything.”
Yuwen Tong gave a chuckle. “I know.”
Ling Zhang immediately fixed him with a stare and squinted his eyes. “You held an inquiry into it?”
Yuwen Tong let out a soft cough. “Back at the time when I just moved into the residence of Ling family, I was surprised to see you teach Wang Dashan and others those martial formations, so I sent some men to ascertain it, but they didn’t find anything.”
With a severe look in his eyes, Ling Zhang remarked, “Stop doing that.”
‘If by any chance they trace it to the Millennium Pavilion and alarm anyone, things will get very tricky.’
“I’ll tell you what you want to know, so stop the inquiry,” Ling Zhang informed him.
He knew Yuwen Tong well. Yuwen Tong was not someone who would easily give up what he started. The more difficult it was to find out, the harder he would try, and it was only a matter of time before he traced this to his mother.
Seeing the expression on Ling Zhang’s face, Yuwen Tong asked, “You are afraid? Those martial formations, the thing your uncle told you about and the handbook that the old man just gave you, are they all related?”
Ling Zhang held his forehead with resignation. He had known that he should not give Yuwen Tong a single hint, because this guy was amazingly smart and could find a lot of relations between things with merely the vaguest clue.
“Yes. So stop the inquiry.”
“The knowledge that you are in some kind of danger unknown to me is unbearable for me,” commented Yuwen Tong.
Ling Zhang sighed. As if his mind was wandering, he said, “So far, I myself have not yet figured out whether or not I’m in danger.”
His uncle had told him that people of the Millennium Pavilion were dangerous, but the old man had just gifted him with a secret manual about a mental cultivation method of internal energy.
“Then you are indeed in danger,” Yuwen Tong said. “You cannot let your guard down if you are not a-hundred-percent sure.”
Ling Zhang inclined his head. “I see. Give me some time to think it through. I’ll make a decision before we enter the capital city.”
People of the Millennium Pavilion had already found him. Nobody knew what was going to happen next. If he kept concealing this from Yuwen Tong, he would end up being reduced to a passive position.
It was just that he still needed to do some extra thinking so as to find an appropriate way to explain this matter.
Yuwen Tong replied, “Okay.”
Fortunately, Yuwen Tong had trust in him and was willing to wait for him to think it through.
“Let’s eat. We’ll leave after this meal.”
Ling Zhang gave a bob of his head. Finally, he managed to dismiss those miscellaneous thoughts and started enjoying the food.
Yuwen Tong went to the tavern-keeper, got something a fox could eat, returned and fed the white fox cub.
And then the two of them left the Wu City.
…
After they left, an old man showed up outside the north city gate of the Wu City, looked in the direction of the capital city, let out a sigh and then headed for the capital city as well.
Meanwhile, news of what had happened in the Wu City previously had spread back to the capital city. By the time when someone had attempted to poison Ling Zhang, it had come to the knowledge of all citizens in the capital city.
Everybody had been waiting to see what kind of action Yuwen family would take. However, it had been half a day, yet there had still been no reaction from Yuwen family, as if they were totally unaware of this incident.
Tao Yi, who had been following the developments all along, angrily jumped up and thundered, “Why are Yuwen family being like this? What is it they’re trying to do?!”
Chapter 164: Entry into the Capital City and a Confrontation at the City Gate
While all people in the capital city were focusing their attention on Yuwen family, the caravan from Tanyang finally entered the capital city.
There had indeed been another assassination attempt halfway to the destination, which, fortunately, had been more alarming than dangerous.
It was when the caravan was about to reach the capital city that Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong showed up. Seeing the two of them return safe, everybody felt a sense of relief.
“Young Master, has there been any trouble on your way back?”
“Not really. What about you? Did anybody get hurt?”
Ling Zhang scrutinized Wang Dashan and others one by one and observed that Yang Liuzi and a couple of others had injuries on them. “How bad are your wounds? What did the physician say?”
“Just some minor injuries. The physician said that our constitutions were strong and we would soon recover.”
Yang Liuzi and other injured ones embarrassedly scratched their heads. Actually all of them felt that the reason why they had got hurt was because their kung fu skills were not good enough. Yao Yi and his men were all unharmed, which showed a striking contrast that was making the injured ones feel rather awkward.
“Young Master, we are useless.”
With a solemn expression on his face, Ling Zhang informed Yang Liuzi and a couple of others, “None of you are useless if you tried your best. Don’t belittle yourselves. If you really feel that your kung fu skills are far from good enough to qualify your for your jobs, put more efforts into practice.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Ling Zhang began to consider whether he should hire a master of kung fu to train his security guards after he settled down in the capital city. They had been staying with Yao Yi and other bodyguards of Yuwen Tong’s all the time these days, and sometimes even an outsider could tell from the look in their eyes how much they admired their kung fu skills.
…
“The residence has already been cleaned. It’s big enough and not far away from Yuwen family, and there’s a spacious drill ground, too. Originally, I had wanted to make it more tasteful and elegant, but given that it would be inconvenient for guards to keep the residence under surveillance, I changed my mind and merely planted some bamboo along the yard wall of your courtyard house. There is also a garden in front of the drill ground.”
Yuwen Tong handed Ling Zhang the title deed of the residence that he had purchased for Ling Zhang in the capital city.
Ling Zhang put the title deed away and said, “I see.”
With the residence ready, he could soon fall to making necessary arrangements.
Before long, the caravan reached the outside of the capital city. There were a lot of people who had come to meet them. Among them, all men were wearing robes and their ranks seemed to be fairly high. The most obtrusive one of all was a female, who was sitting in a horse-drawn carriage. The carriage was unique and very luxurious. Unlike common carriages which usually focused on providing shelter from wind, this carriage had no carriage boards, only four bearing posts, a ceiling and layers of curtain hangings made of gauze which was fluttering in breezes. People of the caravan could smell wafts of perfume carried over by the breezes as well.
Most importantly, there were a lot of palace guards standing at attention behind this horse-drawn carriage and also some eunuchs and court maids in front of it. Only an member of the imperial family was eligible to own retinue of this kind. ‘Is she a princess? The Ninth Princess has gone to the Zhaohua Temple. The Eighth Princess is betrothed and it’s very unlikely that the emperor has sent her here to welcome Yuwen Tong. And the Tenth Princess has mental retardation. So exactly who is this one? It would be somewhat ridiculous if a young princess comes here to meet Yuwen Tong,’ thought Ling Zhang.
Apart from the owner of this sumptuous horse-drawn carriage, there was also a young man wearing a gold hat and a robe with the pattern of a four-clawed golden dragon on it. Though well-featured, this young man had a piercing and somewhat sinister look in his eyes. He not only didn’t seem cordial but also sent chills down the spines of people who laid eyes on him. Though unaware of specifically which prince this young man was, Ling Zhang could tell with half an eye that he was a member of the imperial family.
Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong got out of their horse-drawn carriage together. Seeing this, those people waiting for them came up to them. Even the female in that luxurious carriage got out of her carriage. It was just that she was wearing a veil. Though unable to see her features clearly, Ling Zhang could distinguish the elegant contours of her face. Clothed in rich floor-length attire, she was looking at Yuwen Tong with her sparkling, liquid eyes.
“Welcome back to the capital city, Marshal. We’ve been eagerly anticipating your return for quite a few days. Finally, you’ve come back,” observed the young man in a luxurious robe with the pattern of a four-clawed golden dragon on it, who was the first one to greet them.
Yuwen Tong made a bow with his hands folded in front. “I’m honored to bow before you, King Duan.”
As the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Great Yue, Yuwen Tong had been granted the privilege of merely making a bow instead of kneeling down when having an audience with a member of the imperial family.
Ling Zhang, along with all others who didn’t enjoy such privilege, had to kneel down to pay his respect.
However, the King Duan, or the Third Prince, whose full name was Zhou Mingyuan, had probably been the one who had ordered Peng Fang to poison him. Ling Zhang lowered his eyes to conceal the coldness in them.
Zhou Mingyuan glanced at Yuwen Tong and then looked at Ling Zhang. With a smile on his face, he raised Ling Zhang to his feet and said, “This must be Childe Ling, I suppose? You are indeed of striking appearance and great presence. It’s true what they say, ‘Knowing a person by repute is not as good as seeing him in the flesh.'”
Zhou Mingyuan held Ling Zhang’s arms in a vise-like grip, using great strength. Ling Zhang secretly frowned, but the look on his face was very calm. In composure, he replied, “Thank you, King Duan.”
Yuwen Tong turned his head aside and stared at Zhou Mingyuan’s hands, a somewhat cold expression in his eyes.
Zhou Mingyuan’s face briefly froze and with that he released his grip and said, “Are you jealous, Marshal? I was just raising Childe Ling to his feet, but the look in your eyes makes me feel that you are going to eat me alive. Oh, Marshal, I never expected that you would end up in this kind of situation as well.”
All officials standing behind the prince dissolved into polite laughter.
But Ling Zhang felt an urge to hurl abuse at Zhou Mingyuan. ‘Bullshit!’
“Brother, you scared Childe Ling. Childe Ling, why don’t you come here and stay with me? Don’t lower yourself to the same level as men.” A gentle and lovely female voice suddenly chipped in.
Ling Zhang’s eyes briefly went cold. Seeing Yuwen Tong was about to flare up, he raised his hand and stopped Yuwen Tong, then said to that female, “May I ask who this lady of noble presence is? It must be that your veil blurs your vision, or the sound of wind hinders you from hearing clearly. As a man with a fair sense of decency, I think it’s advisable for me to just stay where I am lest I stain your reputation. If I keep you company today, people will think differently of you and your chance of finding a husband might be compromised, for which I will be held responsible.”
A hush descended over the crowd. Many people looked at Ling Zhang in shock. It had never crossed their minds that Ling Zhang would dare to directly answer the female back.
Saying that her veil blurred her vision was no different from saying that she had poor eyesight, and was almost synonymous with saying that she was blind. Likewise, saying that the wind hindered her from hearing clearly was no different from saying that she had poor hearing, and was almost synonymous with saying that she was deaf. Eventually, he had even spitefully implied that she might not be able to find a husband…
“Outrageous! You are but a commoner. How dare you talk to our princess like that! On your knees and admit your guilt!”
A brittle voice of a eunuch was heard. A fair-skinned beardless eunuch standing beside that female pointed at Ling Zhang and reprimanded him angrily.
“Each and every single word of mine was sincere and honest. I have no idea which one of them was offensive to Your Highness. Since Your Highness is so unhappy, I’ll have no alternative but to kneel down and apologize. Yuwen Tong, it seems that coming to the capital city with you was a bad idea. I haven’t even walked through the city gate yet, but I’ve already offended a member of the imperial family. I’m afraid my life will be a disaster if I stay in the capital city, which will make our marriage pointless. Whatever… it seems that this fancy military rank of yours, ‘Marshal’, is no big deal. You fooled me into believing that you were a high-ranking official. Shame on you. After I kneel down and apologize, I’ll go back to Tanyang where life will be easier for me.”
All people present were stunned by his words.
“It’s my fault. I apologize to you,” Yuwen Tong gently said to Ling Zhang in a low voice after turning around. “Please stop being angry.”
Then he twisted around, a much colder look on his face, and said to the female, “Your Highness, Ling Zhang is new to this place and has little acquaintance with the rules here. Please excuse him for his offensive words. If it really bothers Your Highness, I’ll kneel down and make an apology to you for his impertinence right now.”
After saying this, he twitched aside the lower front part of his robe and was about to kneel down.
“Marshal!”
Yao Yi and other bodyguards of Yuwen Tong’s cried out in alarm at the same time.
Faces of all officials present also instantly changed.
King Duan hurriedly stopped Yuwen Tong. “No, no. Please don’t, Marshal. My sister was just joking.”
The Ninth Princess, whose face was behind the veil, remarked in a quivering voice, “My brother is right. I was just kidding Childe Ling. It was all this flunkey’s fault. He made such a fuss about it and caused this misunderstanding. Guards, teach him a lesson.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The sound of someone’s face being slapped was heard repeatedly. The eunuch who had pointed at and rebuked Ling Zhang just now was punished. Soon his mouth became bloody.
King Duan winked at those standing behind him and with that someone among the crowd of officials walked forward and said, “Marshal must be tired after such a long journey. How about you go back to the city and have some rest? His Majesty is going to give a reception to welcome you back in the Taiqing Palace tonight. His Majesty has been eagerly anticipating your return all along. Our country owe you the complete victory of this war against the Wan Kingdom. Now they’ve come here to sue for peace with their tails between their legs, which gladdens the hearts of all of us!”
“Yes, Marshal. We’ve been looking forward to hearing you talk about how you inflicted a crushing defeat on the armies of the Wan Kingdom at the welcome banquet tonight. I’m sure your story will satisfy the craving of all people like me who didn’t have the chance to fight on the battlefield.”
“What do you say, Marshal? I think Childe Ling must be weary as well,” King Duan said with a smile.
Yuwen Tong replied, “Of course I’ll follow King Duan’s suggestion.”
On hearing this, King Duan dissolved into laugh. “Great. Then let’s return.”
Yuwen Tong inclined his head and then turned around to ask Ling Zhang, “Are you still mad?”
Ling Zhang slid him a sideways glance. “Was I ever? You are indeed plausible enough to talk white into black.”
Yuwen Tong immediately responded, “It was me who misunderstood. Let me guide you onto the carriage.”
Ling Zhang said, “I can manage it with my own hands and legs. There’s no need for you to go to such bother.”
However, Yuwen Tong still carefully helped Ling Zhang get onto the carriage. It was not until the curtain was let down that he heaved a sigh of relief. Then he turned around with the lukewarm face he had had a moment ago and said to King Duan, “Sorry to keep you waiting, King Duan. After you.”
With a brief and slight change of the look in his eyes, King Duan smiled, “This way, please.”
Those officials exchanged glances with each other and then all of them unnoticeably stole a glance at the horse-drawn carriage of Ling Zhang.
The caravan departed once again. This time, with the attendants of King Duan and those officials of all ranks and descriptions joining them, the column seemed even longer and mightier.
When they were leaving, the slap could still be heard. That eunuch was disregarded just like this, along with the Ninth Princess. She was so angry that she kept twisting the handkerchief in her hands with great strength, clenching her teeth so hard that they almost broke. The expression on her face was terrifyingly cold as well, leaving all court maids and eunuchs too afraid to raise their heads to look at her.
Ling Zhang, who was sitting in the horse-drawn carriage leaning against the inside of the carriage, also didn’t seem as tough as he had appeared to be a moment ago, his face sullen.
‘The Ninth Princess was supposed to be in the Zhaohua Temple, yet she specially came back here. What’s she thinking? That all assassins are dead and unable to rat her out?
And the King Duan…
This is so fucking coincidental. One of them tried to have me assassinated, and the other one tried to have me poisoned. Both of them came here to welcome Yuwen Tong.
It’s just that the King Duan is smarter than the Ninth Princess. Just now his pretence was excellent. Who could have guessed what he had done behind the scenes?
This is what members of the imperial family are like.
In the capital city, Yuwen Tong is the only one I can rely on. No matter in terms of attitudes or otherwise, I must keep up my own pretence.
Fortunately Yuwen Tong was sophisticated enough to take the hint just now or else I would really have to return to Tanyang!’
Chapter 165: The Marshal Doesn’t Really Care?
News of what had happened at the city gate, like a gust of wind, soon spread through the whole capital city. The caravan had not reached the residence of Yuwen family yet, but all people of Yuwen family had already heard about it.
Yuwen Zhi’s face was terrifyingly sepulchral. The servant who had just delivered the message was so nervous that he was involuntarily trying to keep his breathing shallow.
With a frown on her face, Zheng shi, worriedly twisting her handkerchief, said, “Master, that Ling Zhang guy is so arrogant and domineering. If we really allow him to marry into this family, he will no doubt make our life unbearable.”
Yuwen Qi remarked indignantly, “He’s such a tough bastard. How did he come to survive the journey?!”
“Tell me about it. He’s in the capital city now. The very thought of having to face such a male courtesan every day makes me feel sick,” Zheng shi said in disgust.
Then she added, “Master, you need to figure something out. Surely you won’t just stand by and let it be? My niece is a thousand times, if not ten thousand times, better than that Ling Zhang guy. Anyway, if that Ling Zhang guy really marries into this family, I’ll go back to live with my parents. On no account will I stay here letting him bully me.”
“Mother, this is Yuwen family, and you are the mistress. Who is he to have you make way for him?” observed Yuwen Qi in displeasure.
Zheng shi winked at him, signaling him to keep quiet. Then she continued her talk with Yuwen Zhi. “Master, Yuwen family used to be home to so many martyrs who died honorable deaths for our country. Surely you won’t let a male courtesan ruin the reputation of this family, will you?”
Yuwen Zhi replied in a flinty tone of voice, “Enough.”
But Zheng shi persisted with her efforts. “I’m saying this for the sake of our family. Currently, our family enjoys very high prestige among all people in this city, but once we allow that male courtesan to marry into this family, we’ll instantly end up becoming a laughing stock of them!”
“I think that’s enough, Mother,” another man suddenly said, who had been sitting quietly in a right-hand seat all along. “You are dramatizing things.”
When faced with Yuwen Qi, Zheng shi was able to hush him, but when faced with this person, Zheng shi didn’t dare to do the same thing.
“Feng’er, surely you also disagree with letting that male courtesan marry into our family, don’t you?” Zheng shi asked worriedly.
Yuwen Feng was the eldest son of Yuwen Zhi, whom servants of Yuwen family usually addressed as “First Young Master”. He was now working in the Ministry of Rites. What was quite coincidental was that he was the current Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites.
Both Yuwen Feng and Yuwen Qi were natural sons of Zheng shi, but Yuwen Qi was arrogant and domineering, while Yuwen Feng was usually poised, calm and very discreet.
In Yuwen family, except for Yuwen Zhi, Yuwen Feng was the one held in the greatest awe by servants.
“Mother, you are the Second Mistress of Yuwen family, a woman of high status who are not supposed to utter words like ‘male courtesan’ without thinking twice first. People might look down upon our family because of this.” Yuwen Feng even dared to lecture his own mother.
Surprisingly, Zheng shi was afraid to contradict. “I–I said that because I’m in my own house with no outsider present.”
“A ready tongue is an evil. We need to be cautious with our words and actions at all times.” Yuwen Feng didn’t fall for his mother’s excuse.
Yuwen Qi went impatient and felt an urge to contradict his brother but hesitated. Evidently, he was somewhat afraid of him. Eventually, he merely gave a frown.
“We haven’t met this person named Ling Zhang yet, so don’t jump to conclusions. Indeed, what he did at the city gate today seemed rather arrogant, but he successfully established his authority and made it distinctly known to everybody how much my cousin cared about him. Actually Ling Zhang is not the one we should be afraid of. He knows very well that my cousin is the key to everything. No matter what kind of man he really is, by no means is he someone to be taken lightly,” commented Yuwen Feng.
Yuwen Zhi’s face was still cold and sullen, but he gradually calmed down while hearing Yuwen Feng’s words.
“My cousin and the team will soon arrive. We’d better try not to anger him. Now let’s go outside to welcome him.”
Yuwen Qi responded contemptuously, “I’m not going, not when that Ling Zhang guy is among them.”
“That’s true, Feng’er. You really think we should go outside to welcome that man? Your father and I are elders, even to your cousin,” said Zheng shi.
Yuwen Feng shook his head, rose to his feet and said, “These words of yours were unthoughtful, Mother. It’s true that you are an elder to him, but he’s the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Great Yue. Even His Majesty has to send the King Duan to welcome him. Surely you won’t think your status is even higher than that of the King Duan, do you? If this comes to the knowledge of any outsiders, they will only say that we are undisciplined and unobservant.”
A vexed look appeared on Zheng shi’s face. Though her eldest son was telling the truth, she still felt his words quite displeasing.
“Master–” She twisted her head aside and looked at her husband with the intention to ask him for support.
Unexpectedly, Yuwen Zhi rose from his seat, as if ready to go outside to welcome the group, and said, “Let’s go.”
Zheng shi clenched her teeth. Though bitterly unconvinced, she had no alternative but to stand up and follow in her husband’s wake.
…
“I’ll go to the imperial palace to have an audience with the emperor first. You may go to your house first. I’ve already sent Yue Qi there in advance. He’s familiar with that area. If you need any help, just talk to him. I’ll go there to see you after finishing the business in the imperial palace,” Yuwen Tong informed Ling Zhang.
Ling Zhang was surprised. “I don’t have to visit the residence of Yuwen family first?”
Yuwen Tong’s face went cold. “That can wait. Just go to your own place. Tomorrow I’ll take you to visit my uncle. And then we’ll go to the residence of Yuwen family.”
Originally, he had wanted to convince Ling Zhang to live in the residence of Yuwen family, but after so many terrible things happened during the journey, people of the secondary Yuwen family, who were headed by his second uncle, couldn’t even be bothered to state their stand, so he decided to show a tit-for-tat disregard for their feelings.
After thinking for a while, Ling Zhang responded, “All right. Then I’ll go back to my own residence first. You should be careful. His Majesty…”
“I’ll take care,” Yuwen Tong said.
Originally, the King Duan had been walking side by side with Yuwen Tong, but Yuwen Tong had suddenly slowed down and gone to the horse-drawn carriage to talk with the one inside about something.
A thoughtful look flashed across the eyes of the King Duan. With that, he flicked a glance at the horse-drawn carriage and soon took his eyes off it.
When they reached a fork, the King Duan and others watched as all people of Ling family and half of Yuwen Tong’s bodyguards left the columns and turned into a branch.
“Marshal, where is Childe Ling going? That road does not lead to the residence of Yuwen family,” the King Duan couldn’t help but said in surprise.
Yuwen Tong replied, “Ling family have their own residence in the capital city.”
‘Really? Why is this my first time hearing this?!’ the King Duan wondered in astonishment.
Even those officials behind him were amazed. ‘When did Ling family purchase a residence in the capital city?’
“King Duan, how about we go into the imperial palace together?” asked Yuwen Tong.
The King Duan’s eyes lit up. “You want to seek an audience with my father?”
Yuwen Tong inclined his head. “Exactly. Naturally the first thing I should do after returning to the capital city is visit His Majesty to pay my respects. I’m his servant and this is part of my obligation.”
The King Duan dissolved into laugh. “You are just as courteous as always, Marshal. All right. I’ll go to the imperial palace with you right now.”
Thus, news of this reached the ears of Yuwen Zhi and some others who had been waiting at the front gate.
Yuwen Zhi’s face instantly went cold once again.
Yuwen Qi immediately said, “I told you so. There’s no need whatsoever for us to welcome him. Now this whole thing has become a big joke.”
Yuwen Feng flicked him a disapproving glance.
Zheng shi had never wanted to come. Feeling that she had been humiliated, said, “Let’s go back right now.”
Yuwen Qi immediately guided her towards the inside of the residence and observed, “It was all elder brother’s fault. If it weren’t for his insistence on us coming here, we would never have ended up becoming a laughing stock.”
Yuwen Feng, who was following in their wake, heard these words but his face remained unchanged. What worried him was that Yuwen Tong had not chosen to return home first. The only plausible explanation for this was that Yuwen Tong was angry. It seemed that he had been angered by Yuwen family’s turning a blind eye to the fact that someone had resorted to assassination and poison to have Ling Zhang killed.
Yuwen Feng halted and said to Yuwen Zhi, “Father, I’d like to have a talk with you in the study.”
Yuwen Zhi inclined his head and then headed for the study with his eldest son.
Seeing this, Zheng shi and Yuwen Qi were rather upset, feeling that they were keeping something back from them.
In a quite unhappy tone, Yuwen Qi commented, “Elder brother is always like this. He regards us as fools.”
His mother neither rebuked him nor agreed with him.
…
Meanwhile, news of Ling Zhang’s going to another residence instead of Yuwen family soon spread through the whole capital city.
“This is so surprising –Yuwen Tong didn’t take him to pay a formal visit to his elders. What’s this supposed to mean exactly? This is not really the way to show that he values his betrothed.”
“Tell me about it. Is it because Yuwen Tong actually does not think as highly of that Ling Zhang guy as he appeared to at the city gate?”
Soon all kinds of rumors started circulating, most of which had it that Ling Zhang didn’t mean much to Yuwen Tong.
The Ninth Princess also heard the news.
“Your Highness, it seems that the Marshal doesn’t really value Ling Zhang that much. What happened at the city gate was merely because that Ling Zhang guy was too plausible. The Marshal fell prey to his instigation and mistakenly believed that someone was trying to make him lose face, which was why he acted like that,” said a handmaid of the Ninth Princess.
The Ninth Princess removed her veil revealing her elegant and well-featured face. With a sarcastic expression in her eyes, she replied, “Of course I know. He’s but a man knowing nothing about being tender and gentle, yet he intends to compete with women for the heart of a man. This is ridiculous.”
“Your Highness, the Marshal has entered the imperial palace. Should we go there right away? You may spend more time with the Marshal. In the palace, you don’t have to wear the veil. You are the most beautiful woman in the world. The Marshal will be transfixed with shock when he lays eyes on your beauty,” the handmaid added.
With a smug expression on her face, the Ninth Princess said, “Let’s go. We should be quick.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
…
Wheels of the horse-drawn carriage kept rolling forward with a continuous purr. After traveling and looking for quite some time in the large capital city, Ling Zhang finally found the messuage that Yuwen Tong had purchased.
There were a lot of citizens following in their wake. Originally, these people had been following Yuwen Tong. When they had seen the carriage of Ling family take a turn, they changed their direction out of curiosity.
Yao Yi flicked a glance at those people and, in a somewhat resigned tone of voice, said to Ling Zhang, “Please don’t be angry, Childe Ling. Those residents follow the Marshal every time he returns to the capital city. Now you are also quite a celebrity, so they followed you here.”
Ling Zhang gave a smile. “Please spare me the embarrassment. I’m well aware of what kind of reputation I have.”
At this moment, Yue Qi, who had been waiting at the doorway of the residence, walked up to the horse-drawn carriage with some others.
After Ling Zhang got out of the carriage, Yue Qi and others made a bow with hands folded in front. “Your humble subordinate Yue Qi, along with ten bodyguards, respectfully welcome you to your residence, Childe.”
Ling Zhang had heard Yue Qi’s name several times, but this was the first time he saw Yue Qi in the flesh.
“Your reputation precedes you, Guard Yue.”
Yue Qi was slightly surprised. As he saw the amiable smile on Ling Zhang’s face, he couldn’t help but embarrassedly gave a smile. “You have a fair sense of humor, Childe. I’m but a boor.”
Ling Zhang observed, “You are by no means a boor. Quite the opposite, you have a wide range of capabilities, all of which I’ve been fully informed. And I owe you a debt of gratitude for your work in this residential compound. You gave me a place of my own the first day after I arrived in this city.”
Having never expected that Ling Zhang was such a courteous man, Yue Qi and others were somewhat pleasantly surprised. All of them replied, “You are too kind, Childe.”
“Childe, please allow us to lead you into the residence. You must be tired and could use some rest.”
“Childe, may I take the liberty of helping you carry your baggage?”
All bodyguards looked at Ling Zhang, curiosity gleaming in their eyes.
Ling Zhang gave a soft cough and replied, “I’m obliged to you for your help.”
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