The Glory After Rebirth [ɇÇ”Ÿä¹‹Å°Šè£] Chapter 256- 258

Chapter 256: I Can’t Wait

“Haha.” Originally half of Ling Zhang’s body had been limp because of Yuwen Tong’s grip on his wrist, but this loud clank brought his mind out of the half-trance and a chuckle escaped his lips. Fortunately this door hadn’t broken, or else they’d have to have someone replace it, which would be quite embarrassing.

Yuwen Tong, at the sight of his curved smiling eyes, was aroused even further. Teeth clenched, he drew Ling Zhang into the bathroom, shut the door, swept him into his embrace, pinned him against the back side of the door, looked down at him and said under his breath, “How dare you laugh at me?”

“You did a shameful thing, and I’m not allowed to laugh about it?”

Ling Zhang slightly moved his body and shifted his position to make himself more comfortable, leaning against the door, his curved smiling eyes gleaming with a mixture of fox-like cunningness and fox-like charm, not at all afraid of Yuwen Tong’s feigned ferocity.

Yuwen Tong felt as though his soul were being disembodied, the yearning in his eyes intensifying. “Then I shall have you know the consequences of laughing at me.”

After saying this, he pressed his lips onto Ling Zhang’s before Ling Zhang could utter another word.

Ling Zhang put his arms around Yuwen Tong’s back and opened his mouth in a very cooperative manner.

Yuwen Tong paused fleetingly and then his tongue started wriggling violently in Ling Zhang’s mouth.

…

It took the two of them almost two hours to finish their bath, and sure enough their dinner had gone cold completely some time ago.

While their masters were having an intimate moment, servants were also pretty happy. When Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong went to the dining room after bath, another tableful of freshly prepared dishes had been served. The chef had also specially cooked congee, and whom it was meant for was self-evident. Ling Zhang’s face went green at the sight of the congee. He shot a dark glance at Yuwen Tong who seemed fully refreshed, firmly pushed the congee to the front of Yuwen Tong, sat down and started wolfing down those meat dishes.

The delight on Yuwen Tong’s face didn’t fade at all when he saw the congee, and he didn’t try to coax Ling Zhang into drinking the congee. The ointment prepared by that court physician had proved miraculously effective. Ling Zhang’s body had adapted to it noticeably, and Yuwen Tong now had a better control of his movement and wouldn’t hurt Ling Zhang, so it was okay if Ling Zhang didn’t drink congee.

But seeing Yuwen Tong happily drinking the congee, Ling Zhang went a little displeased. While eating meat, he was introspecting – he clearly had already figured out a way to get on top of Yuwen Tong, but he always forgot it when he was giddy. It must be because he hadn’t been eating enough meat that he couldn’t keep his mind clear!

“Slow down a little bit, or you’ll end up overeating again.”

Given that there had been several occasions when Ling Zhang had overeaten, Yuwen Tong worried that it was bad for his health, so he had been keeping an eye on Ling Zhang when dining, careful not to let him eat too much.

Ling Zhang ignored him, focusing on eating meat. It was true that he missed Yuwen Tong very much after a two-day separation, so much that he had lost control of himself at the sight of him, but after the flurry of excitement was over, he’d come back to his senses and didn’t feel like even talk to Yuwen Tong. In the knowledge that Ling Zhang was being difficult, Yuwen Tong looked at him with doting eyes.

Beneath this gaze of his, Ling Zhang found himself having difficulty venting his anger on him, so he started talking business. “The Millennium Pavilion has given a reply. My grandfather said that he could take us there after the revamp of the new manor is over. When do you think is convenient for us to go?”

As the Millennium Pavilion was brought up, Yuwen Tong’s face grew somewhat serious. “Almost all necessary arrangements have been made. We may depart after your grandfather gets everything done in the manor.”

This matter had been on their to-do list for quite some time. All Ling Zhang had to do was ask the Imperial College for a few days off. The only thing they’d been worried about was that people of the Millennium Pavilion might not agree to meet them. Fortunately things had gone fairly smoothly. Both of them were fully aware that Ji Yin must have put a lot of effort into this to make it happen.

“I think I’ll be staying in that manor before we depart.” Ling Zhang didn’t have the heart to let his grandfather dealing with everything in the manor on his own. When he’d been in the manor over the past two days, Ji Yin had had a smiling face all the time. Thinking about the past, Ling Zhang felt rather upset and was inclined to spend more time with Ji Yin. “Can you talk to the principal and have him grant me leave of absence?”

If Yuwen Tong intervened, the principal would definitely consent. However, Ling Zhang had had a fairly guilty conscience when he’d mentioned his idea of asking for leave, for he’d done this too many times since he’d entered the Imperial College, and it was not at all something a studious student would do.

“No problem,” answered Yuwen Tong. In all likelihood, they’d be engaged on preparations for their wedding after they returned from their journey to the Millennium Pavilion, and after they got married, they’d be heading for the borderlands, so Ling Zhang was bound to drop out of the Imperial College. Fortunately Ling Zhang wasn’t very interested in scholarly honour or official rank. He’d entered the college because he wanted to learn some knowledge and broaden his horizons, and he wasn’t really determined to finish his study in it.

Nevertheless…

There was no way Yuwen Tong was allowing the two of them to live apart in their respective manors, which, though separated by only a short distance, would keep the two of them from meeting, leaving them missing each other. He had made up his mind that if Ling Zhang went to stay in that manor, he would go with him one way or the other.

“Ahem, there’s another thing,” Ling Zhang suddenly said in a different tone, his face going faintly pink. “Have you and my uncle agreed on a date?”

Date? Yuwen Tong’s eyes slowly brightened, looking at Ling Zhang feverishly. “Uncle Ling selected two dates. The closer one is in three months, and the other half a year.”

Yuwen Tong knew better than to ask Ling Zhang how he’d come to know that he’d consulted with Uncle Ling about the date for their wedding. His eyes were fixed on Ling Zhang. “How about the one three months later?”

Ling Zhang’s eyes uneasily strayed elsewhere, for he found Yuwen Tong’s passionate gaze somewhat unbearable. “I’m afraid that’ll be too hasty. We haven’t made any preparations yet.”

A hint of disappointment appeared in Yuwen Tong’s eyes. In fact he was also aware that it would be too hasty, but as Ling Zhang had asked about this issue, he couldn’t help but want to hold the wedding as soon as possible. In his opinion, those complex ceremonies were totally unnecessary, and the two of them getting married was the only thing that mattered, but he also knew that how much preparation he made represented how much the Yuwen family valued this marriage, so he must show patience.

“Then we’ll do it after half a year.”

Ling Zhang agreed and lowered his head to help himself with some rice, a flush on the tips of his ears.

Watching this, Yuwen Tong couldn’t help but raise his hand and lightly pinch the tip of his ear. Actually he was more inclined to nibble it and savor it slowly, but they were now having dinner, and there were some servants on the side. If he went too far, his sweetheart would no doubt get annoyed.

“I really want to marry you right away,” croaked Yuwen Tong, thinly veiled earnestness and urgency in his eyes.

The tip of Ling Zhang’s ear held between Yuwen Tong’s fingers reddened even further at this remark. He swallowed the rice in his mouth and said inarticulately, “Cut the nonsense.”

Yuwen Tong heaved a soft and long sigh. “I can’t wait – can’t to have everybody know that we’re husband and wife.”

Now Ling Zhang was thoroughly not in the mood for eating. He put down his bowl and took Yuwen Tong’s hand off his ear. “Stop it… What’s the hurry? All you have to do is wait half a year.”

As a matter of fact, half a year might not be enough for them to get everything ready either. After all, Tanyang was rather far away from the capital city, and preparations for the various preliminary ceremonies would be highly time-consuming. On top of that, the Yuwen family would also have to… As this thought occurred to him, Ling Zhang’s countenance suddenly changed, the flush fading. He looked at Yuwen Tong. “Who will be the elder in charge of these things?”

Yuwen Tong was briefly stupefied, plainly also recalling some troublesome issues. He replied, “My granduncle has agreed to help. My two uncles and aunts will also move into the residence and stay there to offer assistance until the wedding is over.”

Ling Zhang nodded. “Wouldn’t your second uncle kick up a stink when he finds out that you invited your granduncle?”

Yuwen Tong’s eyes went cold. “He doesn’t dare.”

Seeing this, Ling Zhang lapsed into silence. After a while, he said, “I compromised once, but I won’t do it for a second time. If they mess with me again, on no account would I show them any mercy, and even you won’t be able to stop me.”

Yuwen Tong raised his hand to stroke him. “I know. If that really happens, you won’t have to do anything, because I’ll handle it for you personally.”

Contented finally, Ling Zhang said, “Although half a year later sounds a better choice to me, I still have to ask my paternal grandfather, uncle and maternal grandfather for their opinions. It’s best if they make the final decision.”

Yuwen Tong inclined his head solemnly. “Okay.”

‘I must have the elders give their consent. Half a year is already too long,’ thought Yuwen Tong.

After they finished discussing the topic of their wedding, Ling Zhang brought up the matter that Tao Yi and some others had been worrying about during the past few days. He inquired of Yuwen Tong, “Have you heard of it?”

Yuwen Tong nodded. “It was the very reason why granduncle called me over. He wanted me to talk some senses into the emperor. I told him that my persuasion would only have the opposite effect – the emperor would definitely become more determined to build an imperial mausoleum if I try to talk him out of it.”

The corner of Ling Zhang’s mouth briefly worked. “Building an imperial mausoleum will undoubtedly arouse enormous public indignation. I wonder what’s got into the emperor.”

Yuwen Tong’s face slightly fell. Sure enough he was angry about the emperor’s stubborn decision to build a mausoleum. He and his troops had risked life and limb fighting at the front, but instead of considering how to make this country a better place, the emperor had been dwelling on how to strengthen his reign all along, with his mind concentrated on checks and balances; and the others had been resorting to every expedient to embezzle public funds like bloodsuckers draining a beast of its blood. It was really amazing that the Great Yue hadn’t been subjugated, and the emperor probably had his ancestors’ spirits to thank for it. In the final analysis, Yuwen Tong was just a marshal in command of the armies, not the ruler of this country, and he couldn’t do anything as he pleased. For fear that he might suddenly rebel, the emperor had been keeping a weather eye on him as though he were some kind of thief who could steal his country at any moment, and in no circumstances would he allow Yuwen Tong to interfere in this kind of affairs.

“Although it might not have the desired effect, I have sent in a memorial raising an objection to the building of an imperial mausoleum before leaving the city.”

Ling Zhang looked at him in surprise. “Didn’t you say that your persuasion would have the opposite effect?”

“I couldn’t not try to persuade him. People of the Great Yue have suffered a lot during the war that lasted so many years, and officials of all descriptions have been exploiting them all along. It’s not everyday that we get a large sum of compensation like this to ease the financial stress, but instead of using it on the people, the emperor wants to use it to build a tomb. If I hadn’t tried to talk him out of it, my grandfather’s memorial tablet might fall onto my head next time I step into the ancestral hall.”

Yuwen Tong had a scowl on his face, and Ling Zhang could guess that though Yuwen Tong had sent in a memorial to persuade the emperor, the emperor wouldn’t change his mind.

“Before you returned, I’d received a message saying that this task had been assigned to the King Duan, and the emperor will reward him after he gets it done, which is why the King Duan’s followers are all doing everything they can to make it happen. The building of the imperial mausoleum is a foregone conclusion now.”

Words had really failed Ling Zhang. The Zhongxin Marquess would probably go berserk when this came to his knowledge. Maybe he should give Ji Feng a word of warning, telling him to spend more time with his grandfather after his return. If the old man developed some kind of disease because of rage, this school friend of his would be upset.

Chapter 257: This Kid’s Got a Lot of Tricks Up His Sleeve

Ling Zhang spent two days with Yuwen Tong and then went back to the new manor, Yuwen Tong accompanying him.

As Ji Yin’s eyes fell on Yuwen Tong who was in disguise, a spasm crossed the corner of his mouth without anybody noticing.

“This is the date Old Master Ling, Uncle Ling and I agreed on. Please have a look, Mr. Ji.”

Yuwen Tong handed Ji Yin a piece of paper with the date he and Ling Zhang had fixed. Ji Yin took a look at it, did a quick mental calculation factoring in their Eight Characters (in four pairs, including the year, month, day and hour of a person’s birth, each pair consisting of one Heavenly Stem and one Earthly Branch, formerly used in fortune-telling), felt that there was nothing wrong with the date, and said, “Then let’s start going through the process. On this occasion, your family are supposed to make the first move.”

“I understand. I’m going back to the city to consult with my elder right now.”

“You mean with your second uncle?”

“At my request, my granduncle has agreed to be the representative. My other two uncles and aunts have moved into the residence of the Yuwen family temporarily to help me handle these things.”

Ji Yin looked at him with very admonitory eyes. “What about your second uncle?”

A brooding gleam of wildness could be faintly seen in Ji Yin’s eyes, which was a manifest indication of what consequences Yuwen Tong would have to take if he angered him.

“Rest assured, Mr. Ji, I’ll have everything properly handled.”

Yuwen Tong understood what Ji Yin’s warning meant. He was fully aware that unlike Ling Zhang’s other family members, Ji Yin had no misgivings and was a consummate kung fu expert to whom people’s lives meant nothing in some circumstances, and who could kill as he pleased. Taking the lives of Yuwen Zhi’s family was probably as simple as trampling a couple of ants to death. Ling Zhang was Ji Yin’s grandson, and also the only thing he cared about in the world outside the Millennium Pavilion. He’d have no scruples whatsoever about killing a couple of people for Ling Zhang’s sake.

Ji Yin believed that Yuwen Tong had understood his warning. The wild and murderous look in his eyes disappeared, and he appeared a genial old man once again.

…

“I’m going back to the city. You stay here and be patient. Make sure you’re accompanied by your bodyguards when you’re going elsewhere. Xie Shi is staying here as well. Wait for me to come back.”

When the two of them were alone, Yuwen Tong exhorted Ling Zhang to be careful, saying that he was going back to the city to consult with his family with the wedding, that he would return to this manor this very night if he could.

“What my grandfather meant was–”

“Mr. Ji said that for your good. I can totally understand.”

Ling Zhang, worrying that Yuwen Tong was under pressure due to Ji Yin’s words, wanted to say something but Yuwen Tong interrupted him. He could understand what Ji Yin had said that. If he were Ji Yin, he would have done it in an even more dramatic way. He himself was under the constraint of the promise he’d made previously, but it was his burden to bear and he didn’t want Ling Zhang to share it. He would have everything dealt with all on his own.

However, Ling Zhang was unable to set his mind at rest. He had a sneaking worry.

What with Yuwen Qi’s broken legs and Su Zhi’s death, both Yuwen Qi and Zheng shi hated Yuwen Tong to the core. Yuwen Zhi held him in contempt and was against this marriage from the very beginning, and had even stooped so low as to threaten his family. He had been on very bad terms with Yuwen Zhi all along. Afterwards, Yuwen Tong pressured Yuwen Zhi into breaking Yuwen Qi’s legs, threatening to disown them if he refused to do that, and there had been grudges between the two of them ever since. It could be said that their relations with Yuwen Zhi’s branch of the Yuwen family were so terrible that they literally couldn’t bear sharing the same house with each other. He knew this very well, and so did Yuwen Tong. Now that it was impossible for the two sides to live in the same residence, breaking up the family was inevitable.

But given the status of the Yuwen family, breaking it up wasn’t a simple thing. Back then when Yuwen Tong had been forcing Yuwen Zhi to make a decision after Yuwen Qi set a venomous snake on him, he’d prepared for breaking up the family, but at that time the conditions hadn’t been ripe for it, and forcibly breaking up the family would bring a lot of trouble –getting the emperor’s consent alone would cost them dear. Yuwen Zhi’s making concessions had actually been a mutually beneficial choice. But now the circumstances had changed. Shan Congwen had returned to the Wan Kingdom, and the terms of the truce between the two countries had become unchangeable.

Although Yuwen Tong had every intention of taking him back to the north-west after their wedding, from the vantage point of the present, it was very difficult for them to leave the capital city, unless the Wan Kingdom broke the truce. With Yuwen Tong himself in the capital city, Yuwen Zhi and his family were barely of any use to the emperor. Therefore, this time around, if Yuwen Tong went to the emperor and suggested he and his uncle divide up the Yuwen family and go their separate ways, the emperor’s reply to it would be directly linked with his next move. If the emperor disagreed, they would stand a chance of going to the north-west; if the emperor agreed, then it would be impossible for them to leave the capital city unless there was an outbreak of hostilities in the north-west, and Yuwen Tong would be in grave danger unless he handed over his command of the armies, and if he did that, he would be at the mercy of the emperor, like a toothless tiger. Ling Zhang was unwilling to see Yuwen Tong be reduced to that. To put it disrespectfully, he wanted Yuwen Tong to have enough power to protect himself, and if by any chance the emperor decided to kill him some day, Yuwen Tong could directly overthrow him and take over, which would obviously be a better choice than to wait to be killed after serving this country for so many years.

“Show some patience and don’t mention breaking up the family to the emperor yet, as long as they don’t make trouble for us.”

Yuwen Tong gazed fixedly at him and couldn’t help sweeping him into his embrace. “I’ll have to settle this matter sooner or later.”

Currently the emperor had some scruples, because it hadn’t been long since the war had been won. Sooner or later the emperor would make an excuse and relieve Yuwen Tong of his command, so he might as well break up the Yuwen family first. He had made some preparations for this some time ago. “Trust me.”

Ling Zhang kept silent. After quite a while, he nodded. “Whatever. I’ve decided to marry you anyway. No matter what the future holds, I’ll stay by your side.”

Delighted, Yuwen Tong narrowed his eyes and kissed Ling Zhang. “You may rest assured that I’ll keep you and our family safe.”

Cheeks wet with saliva due to the sloppy kisses, Ling Zhang felt uncomfortable and tried to push him aside.

“Let this hug last a little longer. I’m not sure if I could make it back here tonight. Alas, sleeping alone is such a torture.”

“How about I go back to the city with you?” Ling Zhang couldn’t help but suggest, feeling that without Yuwen Tong by his side, he would probably have trouble sleeping as well.

Yuwen Tong tightened his cuddle. He would be lying if he said that he didn’t want Ling Zhang to go with him. But a round trip to the city would be tiring, and he didn’t have the heart. Besides, he was unwilling to subject the person in his arms to the cold-shoulder that his uncle and the others would almost certainly give him if he went there. “That won’t be necessary. I’ll be quick about it.”

Now that he’d promised he’d come back soon, Yuwen Tong without further ado gave Ling Zhang another kiss and then departed.

Ling Zhang saw him to the front gates of the manor. Whitie the fox jumped onto his shoulder and, along with him, watched Yuwen Tong riding away with some men.

“He’s just left, and you began to miss him already?” Ji Yin voice came from behind him.

Ling Zhang hurriedly swiveled around and looked at him. “Grandfather.”

Ji Yin glanced in the direction Yuwen Tong had gone and said, “Rest assured, this lad of the Yuwen family is quite resourceful and wouldn’t let anybody get the best of him.”

Ling Zhang inwardly snickered. At first his grandfather had been formally addressing Yuwen Tong as “Marshal Yuwen”, and then he’d switched to Yuwen Tong’s full name, and now maybe because the date for their wedding had been fixed, he was calling him “this lad of the Yuwen family”.

“He’s a man who rose to the rank of marshal, turned an overwhelmingly unfavorable situation to the Great Yue’s advantage, and routed the Wan Kingdom. It’s impossible for the emperor to relieve him of his command easily. These years, the North-western Army has never run short of provisions or funds, and he brought down the Sixth Prince and the King Hui with great ease. This kid’s got a lot of tricks up his sleeve. There’s no telling which one of them will end up being the victim of artifice. Although he seems a lone wolf, it’s very likely that most courtiers have already been bought by him. He has troops, allies and the people’s respect…”

Ji Yin didn’t finish his remarks, but Ling Zhang had got a general idea of what he meant. Shocked, he looked left and right. After confirming that there was nobody else around, he heaved a sigh of relief.

“Don’t worry. Just go back to your room. Be patient and keep grandfather company for another couple of days.” Saying this, Ji Yin turned around and started heading back. Seeing Ling Zhang and the little white fox following him, he stroked his beard in contentment. What he hadn’t told Ling Zhang was that he felt Yuwen Tong was much more than what he seemed. Though he was not capable of foretelling the future as that prodigy had been, he also had the Blood of the Phoenix Clan and had reached the tenth layer of the mental cultivation method, so he could sense many things that common people couldn’t. There was something inside Yuwen Tong that had astounded him the first time they’d met each other, but he was still a little uncertain about it and had to wait until he returned to the Millennium Pavilion and had the clan leader take a look before he could draw a conclusion. ‘If that’s really the case, my grandson…Ha, maybe all these things were predestined. Why else would Yuwen Tong be engaged to my grandson?’ thought Ji Yin.

Ling Zhang had no idea what Ji Yin was thinking about. He just saw that the old man seemed to be thinking about something amusing, a smile at the corners of his mouth, as if smug about something. He took Whitie off his shoulder and held him to eye height, asking him with his eyes, “You know what my grandfather is thinking, Whitie?”

Whitie gazed at his master with his beady, liquid and black eyes, and whimpered softly, as if trying to make himself adorable.

Ling Zhang, “…”

Never mind. Whitie was just a common fox, not a fox spirit, and could never understand his question.

Somehow Whitie sensed his master’s disappointment, gave another cry, affectionately reached out a paw and lightly put it on Ling Zhang’s arm, wrapping his fluffy tail around Ling Zhang’s wrist, suggesting that he was a meek, well-behaved fox.

But as Ling Zhang’s eyes fell on a dirty pad mark on his forearm, he lapsed into silence, twisted his head aside to look at his shoulder and saw some more fox footprints.

“Where the heck have you been just now?”

Whitie raised his head and let a howl, seeming very happy.

Ling Zhang, “…”

It was no good trying to look cute. Had this little guy not saved his life in the Wu City, he would have begun to doubt that Whitie was of great inwardness.

Whatever. He was the one who’d chosen to raise this fox, and he had to keep him even if his inwardness had become vestigial.

He put Whitie back onto his shoulder, ignoring the fact that he would stain his robes further. ‘What eyes do not see is regarded as clean,’ as the saying goes.

Whitie, after returning to his shoulder, happily howled, walking back and forth. Then he sat down with a wag of his tail. This little fox, which had grown considerably but was actually still a ball of fur, tried his best to make himself appear imposing, sitting on his master’s shoulder, making an inspection tour of his territory.

He let out another long howl.

Importantly appraising the manor with his sparkling black eyes, he smugly raised his paw.

This belonged to him, and this, and this… All these belonged to him.

Of course, his master also belonged to him.

Chapter 258: Scarce Herbs

Wang Qing had sent this store assistant here to tell Ling Zhang that his negotiations with a trading fleet from the Fangcun Kingdom had been going well, that the company had agreed to reserve one third of every shipment of the kind of rare herbs Ling Zhang wanted for the Ling’s Drugstore, but they requested a face-to-face meeting with the proprietor of the drugstore. If the cooperation went smoothly, the company would consider selling all this kind of herbs they owned to the Ling’s Drugstore.

Overjoyed, Ling Zhang asked the store assistant, “When do they want to meet?”

“Their ship departs for the Fangcun Kingdom in three days, Young Master.”

Ling Zhang thought for a while and then said, “You may go outside and have some rest. I’ll make some arrangements and then go back to the city with you.”

Had he known this beforehand, he would’ve returned to the city with Yuwen Tong the night before.

Ling Zhang informed Ji Yin of this matter. The latter exhorted him to be careful.

Wang Dashan, taking Qiu Bing and the other ten with him, would be accompanying Ling Zhang providing protection. Yang Liuzi and the other eleven were staying, and Ji Yin would personally instruct them. Xie Shi was also staying, excited at the prospect of seeing Ji Yin train them. Qiu Bing, however, was so happy to know his master shifu wouldn’t be tormenting him for some time that he was almost reduced to grabbing Ling Zhang’s sleeve and dissolving into tears.

“Young Master, my master shifu is so horrible. He’s literally a monster,” Qiu Bing complained tearfully.

Lately, in order to learn skills from Xie Shi, Qiu Bing had gone through all sorts of hardships and been having nightmares at night about Xie Shi, which always ended with him waking with a start.

Feeling fairly sympathetic to him, Ling Zhang clapped him on the shoulder and boomed, “Hang in there.”

Qiu Bing almost burst into tears. He really didn’t want to stick to it at all.

After some quick thinking, Ling Zhang decided to be a little more encouraging. “Don’t forget your great original aspiration. You promised me you’ll become a master of detoxification for my sake. I’m counting on you to ensure my safety.”

Qiu Bing wiped his tears, regretting having made that reckless promise. Woebegone, he said, “Yes, Young Master. I’ll stick to it. You can count on me.”

After consoling Qiu Bing, Ling Zhang took Wang Dashan and the others out of the manor. Instead of a carriage, he chose Snowflake the horse, for it was much faster and he would be able to reach the city at dusk.

They traveled at full speed the whole journey and got to the city gate at dusk before the sun set completely behind the mountains. After entering, they went to the drugstore first.

Wang Qing was pleasantly surprised to see Ling Zhang. He had originally thought that Ling Zhang wouldn’t return until the next day.

“Where are people of the trading fleet from the Fangcun Kingdom? Would it be convenient for them to have a meeting with me tomorrow?” asked Ling Zhang on entry.

“They’ve been staying right at the Four Seas Inn. These two days they’re specially waiting for you to come back to meet them, so any time is convenient for them. How about I have someone go there and tell them the meeting is scheduled for tomorrow?” Wang Qing quickly collected his thoughts.

Ling Zhang nodded. “Okay. Tomorrow morning then.”

Now that Ling Zhang had come back, Wang Qing naturally gave him a minute report on the recent condition of the drugstore, which was much more detailed than the one given by that store assistant. Ling Zhang read over the account book of the drugstore, checking every other drugstore that had been in cooperation with him as well as every drug merchant that had bought herbs from his drugstore in bulks. It was only when he’d got a general idea of them that he put the account book down.

After unhurriedly getting informed of the business situation of the drugstore during the few days following his leaving the city, Ling Zhang asked about the trading company of the Fangcun Kingdom. “Now fill me in on that trading fleet from the Fangcun Kingdom.”

Wang Qing began, “Their captain’s name is Luo Sang. He’s around thirty-five or so, of medium height, sturdy, quite good at Chinese. He’s on voyages between the Fangcun Kingdom and the Great Yue almost all the year round. On average, he comes here twice a year, and this is his first voyage this year. There are fifty crew members in total in his trading fleet. They mainly provide transportation service for one company. Their master is the mayor of Wantao City, the biggest port city of the Fangcun Kingdom, and which is why he has access to the herbs you want, Young Master. But Luo Sang said that even his master could only get a limited amount of this kind of herb every year. Most of it goes to the royal household of the Fangcun Kingdom. And mayors of other cities scramble to purchase it as well, so the price is very high.”

“What’s their price?”

Wang Qing gave him a number.

Ling Zhang thought for a while. This price was ten percent higher than the one he knew, but he believed it was acceptable if Luo Sang would some day sell the whole shipment of this kind of herb to him. However, he couldn’t agree to this price without bargaining. “Don’t accept their price too quick during tomorrow’s meeting. We should talk to them about it.”

Wang Qing, who shared Ling Zhang’s opinion, bobbed his head.

“Wantao City is the biggest port city of the Fangcun Kingdom?” inquired Ling Zhang.

Wang Qing had had some dealings with several Fangcun trading fleets and had more acquaintance with them, so he replied, “Yes. According to Luo Sang, ships berthed in the harbor outside Wantao City are huge; apart from the Great Yue, those ships also travel to the Luohai Kindom as well as areas further south. Wantao City is the wealthiest city in the Fangcun Kingdom. On top of that, it also owns the finest navy in Fangcun. The mayorship of Wantao City is hereditary, but the mayor’s family also intermarry with the royal household every generation. They’re fairly close.”

Ling Zhang had a thoughtful look on his face. The Fangcun Kingdom was relatively near to the Great Yue, but it would still take several days to get there by sea. About one third the size of the Great Yue, this country was neither large nor small. It was currently the biggest overseas force.

After having Wang Qing give him some more information about that Fangcun trading fleet in detail, Ling Zhang pondered over it for a while and then made a lot of preparations, including sending a servant to find someone proficient in Fangcun language. Although that Luo Sang guy was fluent in Chinese, other crew members’ Chinese were terrible, and they communicated with each other in Fangcun language. With someone adept at Fangcun language at his disposal, he might be able to get some extra information when the occasion arose.

Given that this would be their first cooperation, it was impossible for everything to go perfectly well. There’d be things they needed to work through and it would take time, but he was not going to let them get the best of him.

“Fangcun trading fleets come here all the year around, so it won’t be difficult to find someone fluent in Fangcun language. I’ll go and look for one right away. You’ll have him at your service tomorrow morning,” said Wang Qing.

Ling Zhang gave a nod and told Wang Qing to start making preparations. “Get me someone reliable, someone who won’t double-cross us.”

Wang Qing’s countenance went grave. “I understand.”

After these matters were settled, Wang Dashan asked Ling Zhang, “Shall we go back to the residence, Young Master?”

“Yeah.”

Wang Dashan, walking Ling Zhang towards the door, said, “Just now Qiu Bing went back to the residence first and was told that the Marshal had never returned, and some citizens said the Marshal had gone back to the residential compound of Yuwen family. Do you want me to have the Marshal informed?”

This meant that Yuwen Tong was going to spend the night in the residential compound of Yuwen family and probably wouldn’t return to the Ling Mansion.

Ling Zhang thought for a while. “Send someone to tell him about it. He went back to the Yuwen family to attend to something, so there’s no need to have him specially return to my place.”

“Yes, Young Master,” Wang Dashan answered and then instructed Zhou Xiang to deliver the message.

It was completely dark when he returned to the Ling Mansion. Qiu Bing had gone back to inform them, so Xia Feng had some time ago had bathwater and dinner ready.

“Young Master, it must’ve been a tiring journey. You should go and have a bath first,” observed Xia Feng, walking up and holding the reins of Snowflake.

Ling Zhang patted Snowflake on the side and said, “It’s been a tough journey for Snowflake as well. Make sure she’s well tended.”

Xia Feng smiled, “Rest assured, Young Master, I promise Snowflake will get all she needs. Whitie didn’t come back with you?”

“He fell off halfway, so I told him to go back to keep my grandfather company.”

Beaming, Xia Feng led Snowflake to the side and a servant came over to take Snowflake to the stable, where she would be served like a master.

Ling Zhang was travel-stained all over and his robes were wet with sweat. On entering his courtyard house, he hurried to the bathroom and bathed himself. It was after drying his hair and changing into clean clothes that he sat down to have dinner.

There were usually two servings of dinner on the table, but on this occasion, there was only one. Ling Zhang felt somewhat unused to this.

“Did anything particular happen these days?” Ling Zhang inquired of Xia Feng.

Xia Feng replied, “A couple of men came here to make inquiries. I drove them away. There were also several men showing up to recommend themselves as servants; I chucked them off as well. Everything’s fine except for these occurrences. The Marshal has left a couple of his bodyguards. With their presence, no thieves or rascals have ever dared to intrude.”

Ling Zhang smiled. This residential compound of his was now known far and wide. If some gangster dared intrude, he would definitely be doing it under a powerful master’s orders. Not long before, a lot of spies from various sides had been showing up non-stop, covertly and overtly. Fortunately Xia Feng had been very strict with the security and chucked off all those recommending themselves as servants except for the ones he’d selected himself. Servants had to follow rigorous rules when going through the front gates as well. Now even these servants had developed great discernment and were capable of seeing through those having sinister motives and driving them away, which spared Xia Feng a lot of trouble. There were also guards hidden in the dark. Spies who had lightness skills were unable to get in except for the occasion when Yuwen Tong had been “nursing his injury” and let some of them in on purpose.

At that time, the emperor had also left some of his bodyguards, all of whom had been instructed to stake out the residential compound. Yuwen Tong had chucked them out immediately after his “recovery”.

“Is there any news about the Zhongxin Marquess?” asked Ling Zhang.

These days Xia Feng, who had established a strict management system in the Ling Mansion, had been expanding his intelligence network. Now he had his own team of spies who were keeping watch on various forces in the capital city.

“The Zhongxin Marquess claimed to be sick. His Majesty sent a court physician to his place to help, and then word got out that the court physician said the Zhongxin Marquess had overworked himself, and His Majesty granted the Zhongxin Marquess sick leave, telling him to rest at home until a full recovery.”

Ling Zhang furrowed his brows. “Is the Zhongxin Marquess really ill or is he just faking it?”

“All servants in his residence seem as calm as usual, and it doesn’t strike me that their master is ill.”

An official like the Zhongxin Marquess was the pillar of his whole family. If he were really ill, everybody else in the residence would be harassed-looking, for their well-being depended heavily on their master’s well-being. Had their master really fallen ill, their definitely would’ve been signs of it on their faces.

Ling Zhang came to understand that the Zhongxin Marquess must’ve been pretending to be ill to express his disgruntlement about the emperor’s decision to build a mausoleum, but the emperor, instead of appeasing him, actually had told the Zhongxin Marquess to stay at home nursing his illness until recovery, allowing him to be off from work. Wasn’t he deliberately alienating the Zhongxin Marquess? It seemed that the emperor was quite displeased with the Zhongxin Marquess’ trying to stop him from building a mausoleum. Even if the Zhongxin Marquess was not ill, he would probably fall ill from anger.

What with his close relationship with Yuwen Tong, it was inconvenient for him to pay a personal visit to Ji Feng’s grandfather, though he wanted to, for the emperor might become suspicious if he did that, which would bring trouble to the Zhongxin Marquess. Eventually, Ling Zhang had no alternative but to instruct Xia Feng to prepare some gifts, and then personally deliver them to the Zhongxin Marquess’ abode and hand them to Ji Feng the next day.