The Glory After Rebirth [ɇÇ”Ÿä¹‹Å°Šè£] Chapter 244- 246

Chapter 244: Rumors

In the living room of Yuwen Zhi’s branch of Yuwen family, Zheng shi smashed a teacup to pieces and spat disgustedly, “All that fuss over a small drugstore! Yuwen Tong is such an ungrateful character. Never once has he helped with our family business, and now he is openly offering support to that brat of Ling family!”

Su Yaoyao standing on the side was startled. “Aunt…”

Su Yaoyao had been staying in the residential compound of Yuwen family all along lately, keeping Zheng shi company and helping taking care of Yuwen Qi. As the saying goes, ‘It takes at least a hundred days for a tendon injury or a fracture to heal.’ Since both Yuwen Qi’s legs had been broken, it would only take longer than that for him to recover. Zheng shi had sent for almost all famous physicians in the capital city and finally Yuwen Qi had made an acceptable recovery. However, though he could walk now, physicians had advised him not to run or jump, and he had trouble standing longer than a certain amount of time at a time. After hearing the physicians’ diagnosis, Zheng shi had hated Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong for quite some time, regarding the two of them as her foes.

“Master once personally wrote to him, asking him to offer some help with Su family’s business, but he categorically refused without any consideration of our face. Now he became a backer of an outsider whom he hasn’t married yet, showing a total disregard for his respectability. Isn’t he deliberately trying to revolt us?! Fortunately I haven’t married you to him. I cannot imagine how hard life would’ve been for you had you married that ungrateful bastard who was heartless enough to force his uncle into breaking his cousin’s legs!” Zheng shi huffed to Su Yaoyao.

Su Yaoyao had a somewhat embarrassed look on her face, what with not only Zheng shi’s words but also her recollection of the apathy and disgust for her shown by Yuwen Tong on that day.

“Don’t be mad, Aunt. Anger is bad for your health,” consoled Su Yaoyao, massaging Zheng shi’s back.

Zheng shi sniffed coldly, “How could I not be mad? Your cousin’s legs…”

Zheng shi’s eyes reddened as she said this. In a resentful tone, she continued, “I promise I’ll have them pay for it. They want to run a drugstore in the capital city? In their dreams!”

But Su Yaoyao was somewhat worried. She still remembered the terrifying look in Yuwen Tong’s eyes that day. “What are you going to do about it, Aunt?”

Zheng shi replied, “I’ll make sure that country bumpkin’s drugstore goes bankrupt, reduce him to a laughing stock of this city and have him evicted!”

“What did you just say you’re going to do?” A voice was heard. Yuwen Zhi walked inside, looking at Zheng shi with a cold face.

Zheng shi had also come to hate Yuwen Zhi when he’d broken Yuwen Qi’s legs, but Yuwen Zhi was the patriarch of this family and her husband, so Zheng shi didn’t dare show her resentment in his presence for fear of angering him. She replied humbly, “Master, Yuwen Tong is such an ungrateful bastard. He’s openly become a backer of that rustic of Ling family. Back then when you personally wrote a letter to him, he showed a total disregard for your feelings, but today he went to that yokel’s support without a second thought. Isn’t he trying to humiliate us? How can we swallow this?”

Yuwen Zhi’s expression went even colder at Zheng shi’s words. “So what do you plan to do?”

Zheng shi answered, “Since that country bumpkin wants to run a drugstore, we need to make sure he doesn’t have his way. Qi’er suffered so much because of him. We cannot let him get away with that.”

But Yuwen Zhi appeared indifferent. “All you need to do is take good care of Qi’er. Do not get involved in any other matters.”

Zheng shi was unwilling to obey. “I know you promised that ungrateful bastard you won’t make trouble for Ling Zhang, but as long as we do it secretly, Yuwen Tong wouldn’t be able to find out. It’s not like he has three heads and six arms or something. Besides, even if Yuwen Tong finds out, what could he possibly do to us without any proofs?”

Yuwen Zhi flintily looked at her and said in a frosty voice, “Which part of my words do you not understand?”

Zheng shi gave a start at his icy eyes and tone. In the knowledge that Yuwen Zhi got angry, she didn’t dare make any more remarks.

Yuwen Zhi said, “None of you are to make trouble for Ling Zhang or offend Yuwen Tong without my permission!”

Unresigned to the situation as Zheng shi was, she didn’t dare contradict Yuwen Zhi, so she had no choice but to reluctantly undertake that she wouldn’t.

After Yuwen Zhi left, Zheng shi who was unconvinced cursed him, but Su Yaoyao’s tense back muscles relaxed — she feared Yuwen Zhi very much.

“Worthless wretch! Coward!” Zheng shi angrily called her husband names.

Su Yaoyao, taken aback, hurriedly looked left and right. Seeing servants were all waiting outside, she let out a sigh of relief. “Aunt, if by any chance uncle hears you…”

Zheng shi was indignant, but she was indeed afraid of Yuwen Zhi. After hearing this, she swore no more, though her face was still sullen. She just observed bitterly, “He doesn’t dare cross Yuwen Tong for fear that Yuwen Tong might disown us. That day he showed Qi’er no mercy whatsoever, and now he still chose to swallow insult and humiliation.”

Su Yaoyao held back the words that had sprung to the tip of her tongue. Who was not afraid of Yuwen Tong?

Zheng shi clenched her teeth. “No. Even if I cannot do anything about this myself, on no account will I let that rustic of Ling family have his way. Yaoyao, I want you to take a message to your parents for me. There’s a particular matter I need them to handle for me.”

Su Yaoyao was startled and wanted to decline. Even Yuwen Zhi didn’t dare mess with Yuwen Tong. Her father was merely a common official in the capital city. What could he possibly do?

Zheng shi seemed to have noticed that Su Yaoyao was hesitating. With a cold face, she piercingly stared at Su Yaoyao. “You don’t want to do that for me?”

Su Yaoyao started at the change of Zheng shi’s countenance and tone and broke out in a cold sweat. She replied, “I’d love to. What is it you want me to tell my parents, Aunt?”

Zheng shi gave a cold snort somewhat contentedly and then told Su Yaoyao her plan.

…

Three days after the opening of the drugstore, some rumors suddenly started to spread in the capital city, all of which were directed at the Ling’s Drugstore.

Someone had died after taking the medicine bought at the Ling’s Drugstore.

The Ling’s Drugstore didn’t retail medications. Since it was located in the trading center in the west of the city, its customers were merchants who went to the center to do business and only purchased things in bulk, not common residents who typically bought drugs at drugstores on the streets.

Anybody with some discernment could tell that these rumors were quite unfounded. All those who had purchased medicinal herbs from the Ling’s Drugstore had checked the goods and knew that there was no quality problem.

However, not everybody was discerning enough to tell rumors from the facts. Many residents in the capital city didn’t know such inside information. After hearing that someone had died because of the medication of the Ling’s Drugstore, they kept snowballing the rumors like crazy, and soon it spread through the whole city. Citizens blinded by the hearsay gritted their teeth when circulating it, as if they’d seen it with their own eyes, disdaining and cursing the Ling’s Drugstore, claiming that they’d never buy any drugs from it.

Ling Zhang knew that somebody definitely had done this on purpose to make life difficult for him, but if he didn’t do anything about it, the business of his drugstore would no doubt be affected.

Merchants from other cities who were unaware of the truth naturally would be deterred from going to the Ling’s Drugstore.

Ling Zhang asked with a cold face, “Have you ascertained the source of the rumor?”

Li Sicai answered, “It started at a food market near the South Alley in the east of the city, which is a place all sorts of people go in and out of every day. It’s very difficult to confirm who’s the initiator.”

All these rumors circulating in the city were about the death of someone, but nobody knew for sure who had died exactly. Though even the identity of the victim was unknown, numerous residents believed that such a thing had indeed happened. Li Sicai was also very annoyed, but the food market was crowded with people of every description: common citizens, servants, ruffians and hooligans, businessmen living in and outside the city, thieves etc. It was a very messy place. Some said that it was a woman who had started the rumor; some others said that they’d heard it from a market trader. Li Sicai had asked them one by one, but all those market traders and businessmen told him that they’d heard it from someone else. The large number of floating population made it very hard to find out the truth.

Apart from foes, those who were in conflicts of interest with the Ling’s Drugstore could also be the one who’d worked against Ling Zhang, so it was not easy to narrow down the list.

Ling Zhang said, “Tell those looking into this matter to continue the investigation. Now our first priority is to clarify this issue. We cannot let the rumors put us in a one-sided situation.”

Soon, new hearsay contrary to those rumors started circulating, stating the location and clients of the Ling’s Drugstore, saying that the drugstore didn’t retail drugs, that none of the registered clients had ever made any complaints about poor quality, that someone had been deliberately spreading malicious rumors to ruin the reputation of the Ling’s Drugstore.

The trading center in the west of the city was very large, and all residents in the capital city knew what kind of place it was. After hearing that the Ling’s Drugstore was in the trading center in the west of the city and only took bulk orders, some people stopped spreading the rumors. Malevolent rumors had spread very quick, but the clarification circulated just as quick. The two statements were mixed together. Most people were in doubt about both of them, and the rampant circulation of the malicious rumors was curbed.

But before long, a new rumor was started, saying that the sole reason why Ling Zhang had successfully opened a drugstore was because of Yuwen Tong’s support, that all medicinal herbs in there were actually of inferior quality, that all the merchants who’d made deals with Ling Zhang had done it on Yuwen Tong’s account, and the medicinal herbs of the Ling’s Drugstore were no good.

This time, Ling Zhang didn’t have to clarify it himself. The Jiang’s Drugstore Chain came to the defense of the Ling’s Drugstore. The general storekeeper personally took some medicinal herbs and let customers examine them, proving that herbs of the Ling’s Drugstore were of high quality. Apart from the Jiang’s Drugstore Chain, owners of some other drugstores who had seen Yuwen Tong’s attitude towards Jiang Hong, were fully aware of what was the right thing to do and naturally wouldn’t lag behind again. All of them made an effort to explain the issue, not sparing themselves.

With these people’s help, the second bout of circulation of rumors was also contained.

But soon a third rumor was started. This time it was directed at not the drugstore but Ling Zhang himself. It was said that Ling Zhang had driven a wedge between Yuwen Tong and his uncle Yuwen Zhi, incited Yuwen Tong to force Yuwen Zhi to divide up family property, that Ling Zhang was a male courtesan.

Apart from slanderous words about Ling Zhang, events that happened twenty years ago were also part of the rumor, which said that it was by sheer fluke that Ling Xingzhong had been promoted to Assistant Minister of Rites, that he had no solid learning at all and had left the capital city with his tail between his legs after being satirized by officials in the capital city, that Ling Xingzhong was just as narrow-minded and unforgiving as Ling Zhang was.

Ling Zhang had kept his temper when the rumors had been only about him, but on hearing that his grandfather had been defamed, he flied into a rage.

“Have you found anything?” asked Ling Zhang, a cold look on his face.

“We’ve found a couple of suspects and are investigating them one by one,” answered Li Sicai.

If the first rumor had been the only one, they might have still been in perplexity, but those people had started another two rumors, which had allowed Li Sicai to find some traces.

“Give me the names. I’ll handle it myself,” instructed Ling Zhang.

“Yes, Young Master,” replied Li Sicai and then informed Ling Zhang of the suspects’ names.

Icy-faced, Ling Zhang rose to his feet and said, “There’s another matter I need you to deal with.”

Li Sicai look at him, “At your service, Young Master.”

With a flinty look in his eyes, Ling Zhang said, “Even if it were by accident that my grandfather was appointed as Assistant Minister of Rites, they should not forget that it was not my grandfather but the former emperor who made that mistake. My grandfather wouldn’t have got the job had the former emperor not issued that erroneous imperial edict. Though the former emperor must be true to his word and was unable to rescind an issued imperial edict, it doesn’t change the fact that he was the one who made a mistake. Those who regard my grandfather as a laughing stock only dare ridicule him in private. Never has anybody been so bold as to talk about it in public. Whoever started this rumor is questioning the former emperor’s decision. After all, in that imperial edict, the former emperor expressly praised my grandfather as a talented and knowledgeable man. By spreading this rumor, aren’t these people actually laughing at the former emperor and accusing him of muddle-headedness and incompetence?”

Chapter 245: Counter-attack

Li Sicai took action very quick, and the way he counter-attacked was radical and efficient. Instead of circulating hearsay on the sly, he chose to do it in the Taibai Tavern, the busiest place where the youngest intellectuals congregated.

It was from the mouths of young intellectuals that some statements began to spread. They indignantly assailed the rumors, charging the initiator with calumniating the former emperor.

When the criticism reached the mastermind’s ears, the whole city was talking about this matter.

“Why is this happening? Who started the rumor about Ling Xingzhong? I never instructed any of you to do that!”

“Have mercy on me, Master. It wasn’t us who started the rumor. None of us told those people anything about Ling Xingzhong. We have no idea who started it.”

In the residential compound of Su family, Su Zhi, Zheng shi’s brother-in-law, was beside himself with rage and alarm. At the request of Zheng shi, he’d had some of his men spread rumor. Much unwilling to offend Yuwen Tong as he was, it’d been with Zheng shi’s assistance that Su family had managed to gain a foothold in the capital city, so he couldn’t disobey Zheng shi and ordered his men to gingerly spread those rumors about Ling Zhang.

But he’d never expected that eventually things would come to this. Though his position in the government was low, he was not stupid and immediately came to realize that someone was taking advantage of their rumors and spreading the hearsay about Ling Xingzhong on purpose, but why this person was doing this was unknown to Su Zhi. What he did know was that once anybody found out he was the one responsible for the circulation of the rumors, in no circumstances would he be allowed to go unpunished.

His eyes instantly went murderous as he looked at his two servants, who perceived it and were horrified. “Please have mercy on us, Master. Please!”

…

Meanwhile, Yuwen Tong had just exited the imperial palace. After rumors started spreading that he was trying to pressurize Yuwen Zhi into meeting his demand that the two of them divide up family property and live apart, the emperor had summoned him and Yuwen Zhi to the palace and asked them about it.

Sure enough Yuwen Tong had denied it, and so had Yuwen Zhi. Eventually, the matter had been left unsettled.

Yuwen Tong’s eyes got cold as he thought of the one who’d started the rumor.

When he returned to the Ling Mansion, angry accusations of young intellectuals in the Taibai Tavern had reached his ears.

Countenance unchanged, Yuwen Tong got a shrewd idea of why those intellectuals were doing this.

“Childe Ling had Li Sicai do that,” explained Li Sicai.

Yuwen Tong, who hadn’t seen Ling Zhang since his return, inclined his head and asked, “Where’s Brother Zhang?”

“Li Sicai found some people who might be initiators of the rumors, and Childe Ling has personally set out to investigate them,” answered Yao Yi.

After thinking for a few moments, Yuwen Tong turned around and started walking outside, planning to find Ling Zhang.

Li Sicai had narrowed down the list to some women responsible for buying groceries for a couple of rich families. These women worked for different families, and it was very easy for them to hide themselves, for entering a large residential compound was like entering another world. It had been their repeatedly starting rumors that had given Li Sicai the opportunity to track them down.

Ling Zhang had looked into the background of these families and found that all patriarchs of them were officials working in the capital city, but there was nothing noteworthy about any of them; none of them had had any dealings with Ling Zhang or had any powerful backers; they’d always kept a relatively low profile compared with other officials in the city and their ranks were rather low; no sides would consider them worth co-opting, which was why none of them belonged to any particular faction.

After going through the background information of these families, Ling Zhang didn’t directly visit any of them to query their patriarchs. Instead, he found a way to have those women sought out and interrogated them one by one.

The couple of women were all very scared when faced with Ling Zhang, especially when their eyes fell on the “ferocious-looking” bodyguards beside him. They made a full confession immediately after being threatened. Someone had paid them to do that. The one responsible for contacting them was a market trader living outside the city who entered the city to sell vegetables in a stall every day.

At their words Ling Zhang came to know that these women had done this multiple times — there was actually a fixer they were in regular contact with.

After dragging out of those women how to make contact with that market trader, how they usually got things done, and some other details they needed to pay attention to, Ling Zhang took some men and went to look for that market trader.

As that market trader was someone those women went to the market to contact on a regular basis, he definitely went there very often. Even if he wasn’t there, there was no doubt that some others would be able to offer information about where he might be, so it wouldn’t be difficult to find him.

As a result, when Yuwen Tong arrived at the market, he was told that Ling Zhang had just left. He hurriedly went in the same direction.

…

“Tell me. Who paid you to spread those rumors?”

“It wa–was a peddler near the end of the bridge in front of the food market in the east of the city.”

A peddler?

“Did that peddler contact you regularly or just this once?”

“Just this once.”

“Do you know that peddler? Does he show up often or occasionally?”

“He used to show up every couple of days, but these days he goes there daily.”

He went there on a daily basis probably to make contact with this market trader.

“Did he turn up today? What does he look like?”

Trembling all over, the market trader described the peddler to them and then added, “This morning he was there for a while and then left.”

“Is he usually like that? Staying only for a while?”

“No. Normally he peddles his goods in nearby streets and alleys until dusk.”

Ling Zhang’s brow furrowed. This was too coincidental. It’d been in the morning that those intellectuals had shown up in the Taibai Tavern. That peddler seemed to have got wind of it and fled.

Ling Zhang was somewhat frustrated, feeling that he should have waited until the peddler was caught to have Li Sicai talk to those intellectuals.

“Have the peddler’s portrait drawn and start searching for him.”

Yuwen Tong’s voice was suddenly heard. Ling Zhang turned around and saw Yuwen Tong walking over with Yao Yi and some others in his wake.

Yao Yi and some other bodyguards surrounded the market trader, had him give a description of the peddler’s features and soon, a portrait was finished. Then they immediately set out to look for the peddler.

Yuwen Tong said, “My men have some contacts. They can handle it quicker.”

Ling Zhang nodded and said, “Was it because of those rumors that His Majesty summoned you to the palace?”

Yuwen Tong replied, “Yeah. He asked me if I demanded my uncle and I break up the family and live apart.”

Ling Zhang looked at him anxiously. “What did you tell him?”

“I said I didn’t. My uncle denied it as well. Nobody has to hear about this matter from any of us as long as it is not brought to light.”

This was a fact that Yuwen Zhi was also fully aware of.

“Did His Majesty say anything else?”

“He just warned me not to break up Yuwen family.”

Yuwen Tong sounded indifferent. The emperor wouldn’t be able to stop him if he really decided to do it.

Ling Zhang, however, was rather worried. The only reason why the emperor didn’t want Yuwen Tong and Yuwen Zhi to break up the family and live apart was that he’d have nothing to keep Yuwen Tong under control if the two of them did that. Therefore, he wouldn’t allow such a thing to happen for no good reason. Previously Yuwen Tong had told him that he had found a way. Ling Zhang had no idea what it was specifically, but he was sure that there would be great aftermath. No matter what, it would cause a lot of trouble.

The problem was that when they’d been confronting Yuwen Zhi, even servants of Yuwen family hadn’t dared approach the room, and this matter should’ve been kept in the strictest confidence. How had it come to the knowledge of the initiator of the rumors?

Yuwen Tong sneered, “It’s probably my loving uncle who’s having a headache.”

He and Ling Zhang would never disclose it, which meant it was definitely a member of his uncle’s branch of the family who’d done that.

Indeed, just like Yuwen Tong said, Yuwen Zhi lost his temper after returning home. Staring at Zheng shi, he demanded angrily, “Was it you who started the rumors?!”

Zheng shi was taken aback by Yuwen Zhi’s furious tone. She had indeed had Su Yaoyao go back to tell Su Zhi to do that, but the angry look on Yuwen Zhi’s face scared her and she didn’t dare admit it. Shaking her head repeatedly, she said, “No. It wasn’t me, Master. Who told you that? You wronged me.”

“Who told me that? Nobody except us knows about this matter. Who else could have done that except you?!” stormed Yuwen Zhi. He had warned Zheng shi not to stir up trouble, but his words had gone in one ear and out the other. She’d been ignoring his warning and making trouble for him!

Zheng shi subconsciously defended herself. “Didn’t Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong also…”

She realized the problem and broke off in the middle of a sentence. The rumors were directed at Ling Zhang, who would never do this kind of thing to himself as long as he wasn’t soft in the head.

Yuwen Zhi eyed her coldly. “It seems that my words mean nothing to you.”

It was only at this moment that Zheng shi came to realize that by spreading those rumors, she’d made a rod for her own back. On this occasion, it was no good trying to deny it.

Yuwen Zhi stared flintily at her, fists clenched with anger. Yuwen Tong’s crossing and humiliating him had been tough enough for him, but this stupid woman was making life even more difficult for him. Had she any idea that he…

A butler hurried inside and reported, “Master, yamen runners are all over the streets.”

Yuwen Zhi furrowed his brows, looking at him. “What is it about?”

The butler wiped the sweat from his forehead and replied, “It’s said that His Majesty got angry and ordered a hunt for those who started the rumors in the past couple of days.”

The butler was in Yuwen Zhi’s confidence, so of course he knew about Yuwen Tong’s previous threat to break up Yuwen family. He was not a fool and naturally had guessed that Zheng shi probably had something to do with this matter. As a result, he was somewhat anxious.

Yuwen Zhi said, “Why is this happening? His Majesty didn’t say anything about a hunt when I talked with him in the palace.”

“It was because of some intellectuals in the Taibai Tavern.” The butler informed Yuwen Zhi of those intellectuals’ remarks. “Everybody is talking about this. These words probably have reached His Majesty’s ears, which is why he gave arrest orders for initiators of the rumors.”

Yuwen Zhi fiercely looked at Zheng shi and gave her a slap across the face. “You blockhead!”

Zheng shi was flabbergasted after being slapped hard across the face, blood flowing from the corner of his mouth, eyes full of incredulity.

The butler quickly hung his head in alarm and retreated to a corner, trying to pretend he didn’t exist.

“Do you want to get us killed? Do you?!” Yuwen Zhi was confused with ire. “Exactly what the hell have you done?! Tell me!”

Holding her face with one hand and clenching the other, trembling all over, Zheng shi said through gritted teeth, “I had Su Zhi do it. It has nothing to do with us. His Majesty won’t be able to trace it to us.”

Yuwen Zhi almost suffered a sudden death with rage. “Everybody knows Su Zhi is my brother-in-law!”

All the color drained from Zheng shi’s face.

Yuwen Zhi instructed the butler, “Go find Su Zhi immediately. Tell him to have all those involved in this disposed of, that he is to keep his mouth tightly shut if it’s traced to him, and if he breathes a single word of it to anybody, I’ll make sure his whole family suffers despite the fact that he’s my brother-in-law!”

Not daring to waste a moment, the butler immediately trotted out.

Yuwen Zhi felt dizzy from fury. Zheng shi was shocked by his words, her face ghastly white.

Chapter 246: The Death of Su Zhi

Yao Yi and some other bodyguards soon found out the peddler’s address and went there.

When they arrived, the peddler’s house was in a total mess, overturned furniture scattered all over the ground. There were also chairs and tables badly damaged by sharp weapons. The peddler’s shoulder was hurt. He was clutching the wound, his robes blood-soaked, face full of horror. At the sight of Yao Yi and the others, he gave a start like a frightened bird and loudly implored them to spare his life.

Plainly there had been a fight in this place, and judging from the scene, it’d been a rather intense one. Apart from the peddler’s blood, there was also someone else’s blood.

“What happened?” Yao Yi queried the peddler.

Still in fright, the peddler didn’t dare speak at all.

With a frown, Yao Yi stepped up to the peddler, hit a couple of his acupoints to stop the bleeding and said, “We’re not here to kill you, but I will if you refuse to answer our questions with honesty.”

The peddler was stupefied with shock. When Yao Yi asked him again, he didn’t dare keep silent any longer.

“So–Someone came here to kill me. I dodged. He stabbed my shoulder. And then a man in black suddenly showed up, killed him an–and took his body away.”

Yao Yi knitted his eyebrows. It was understandable that someone wanted the peddler dead, but who would want to save him?

No matter what, they had found the target, and they must drag the mastermind’s identity out of him, which meant they needed him to stay alive for the moment.

“Who hired you to spread those rumors?” Yao Yi inquired.

The peddler’s face changed at this question, which showed that he knew exactly what Yao Yi was talking about.

“Speak!” Yao Yi whipped out his sword.

The peddler cried in terror, “I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you. Don’t kill me.”

Then he swallowed hard and continued, “Please spare my life, sir. Someone paid me to do that. It was a servant of Su family that hired me to circulate the rumors.”

Su family?

Yao Yi asked, “Which Su family?”

The peddler hurriedly answered, “The family of Su Zhi, the ministry councillor who took office not long ago.”

Su Zhi? Yao Yi’s brow corrugated in a frown. Then he remembered. That was Zheng shi’s brother-in-law.

Yao Yi got a general idea of what had happened. A somewhat disgusted look appeared in his eyes and with that he started worrying about the marshal. That damn Zheng shi had made mischief once again, and it hadn’t been long since the last time she’d been warned. It seemed that breaking Yuwen Qi’s legs hadn’t been deterrent enough for her. She still dared stir up trouble, and this time her target was Childe Ling, who would definitely get angry when he found out about it.

Alas.

But even so, Yao Yi didn’t dare keep the truth back.

He was just about to take the peddler away when a guard rushed over and reported, “Captain, the imperial palace has dispatched some men to carry out a hunt.”

The imperial palace?

“What’s going on?” Yao Yi was surprised.

“It’s because of the rumor about Old Master Ling. Since the former emperor’s reputation was undermined, His Majesty got angry and gave arrest orders for the initiator of it,” answered the guard.

Yao Yi looked at the peddler, hesitating about whether he should take him away or let him stay.

The peddler asked in a trembling voice. “Whi–Which Old Master Ling?”

Yao Yi looked at him suspiciously. “Old Master Ling Xingzhong. Wasn’t you who started the rumor? How is it possible that you don’t know?”

The peddler yelled, “It wasn’t me! I didn’t start this rumor. That servant of Su family only asked me to spread rumors about the Ling’s Drugstore, and those about Marshal Yuwen’s threat to separate from Lord Yuwen because of Childe Ling. I have nothing to do with the other rumors!”

A frown creased Yao Yi’s forehead. After thinking for a few moments, he instructed, “Take him away.”

“Yes, Marshal.”

…

“It wasn’t them who started that rumor? So there’s someone else involved?”

Ling Zhang was confused. If it wasn’t Su Zhi, which meant Zheng shi wasn’t responsible for that, then who could this person be? Had this person deliberately mixed the third rumor with the former two to mislead people into believing that Su family was behind it?

“That market trader also said that he wasn’t the one who started this rumor.” Yao Yi returned from his trip and said, “Childe Ling, Marshal, His Majesty’s men have already traced it to the couple of women. It won’t be long before they track down that market trader. Given how bad secret-keepers those people are, His Majesty’s men will probably soon come to know what we’ve found out. What should we do with the peddler? Let him return?”

Yuwen Tong kept silent. Clearly there was someone else at work. First they’d started a third rumor mixing it with the former two, and then someone covertly rescued the peddler…

“Send the peddler back. Remember, wait until the arrival of His Majesty’s men to release him lest he get killed.”

“Yes, Marshal.”

After Yao Yi marched the peddler away, Ling Zhang said, “Who do you think intentionally started these rumors? What’s their intention?”

“By circulating the rumor about Old Master Ling, they merely made you a target for some gossips, and you didn’t really come to any harm, but by rescuing the peddler, they clearly were trying to expose Su family. Assuming that the one who started this rumor was the same person who saved the peddler, then their target would be Su family; if not, then their intention would be a mystery.”

After pondering for a moment, Ling Zhang said, “This might sound weird, but I have an intuition that it was the same person.”

Yuwen Tong thought for a while and said, “Then let’s find out what the mastermind wants to do exactly.”

What with the couple of women, the market trader selling vegetables, and the peddler, Su Zhi wouldn’t be convicted of calumniation of the former emperor, but conviction for slander was inevitable. The punishment for it ranged from a fine to dismissal from his post, totally subject to the emperor’s will, but in any case, Su Zhi wouldn’t die. What was the mastermind’s intention?

Ling Zhang said, “No matter what, it was definitely Zheng shi who instructed Su Zhi to spread those rumors. Yuwen Zhi promised us he wouldn’t interfere in any of our matters ever again, but Zheng shi’s conduct suggested otherwise.”

Yuwen Tong had a thoughtful expression. “Maybe this is just what the mastermind wants.”

Ling Zhang was puzzled.

Yuwen Tong said, “Though Su Zhi won’t be condemned to death, this matter has indeed reached the emperor’s ears, and given my agreement with Yuwen Zhi, I cannot turn a blind eye to this matter. But I and Yuwen Zhi have just talked with the emperor, saying that I never demanded the two of us break up family and live apart.”

Ling Zhang was startled and immediately came to understand what Yuwen Tong meant. “You mean someone is trying to force you into breaking the agreement?”

Yuwen Tong face darkened. “It seems that way.”

Once he broke the agreement, his agreement with Yuwen Zhi would be invalidated, and Yuwen Zhi would continue to interfere in their matters without scruple and with ever-increasing intensity.

“Do you think it’s possible that… your uncle did this?” Ling Zhang looked at him.

Yuwen Tong didn’t say anything. Clearly he also had such a suspicion, but he wasn’t sure because of the absence of any definite proof.

…

Though Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong had got some sneaking conjectures, things changed before they could confirm any of them.

Su Zhi had indeed been found responsible for the circulation of those rumors, but he categorically denied that it was Zheng shi who’d incited him. He merely said that he bore resentment towards Ling Zhang because of Su Yaoyao, who originally stood a chance of marrying Yuwen Tong. Ling Zhang’s engagement to Yuwen Tong had shattered his hopes, so he’d decided to make trouble for Ling Zhang.

Since Zheng shi hadn’t been ratted out, Yuwen Tong naturally didn’t have to break the agreement, which accorded with Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong’s speculations. At least it proved that this hadn’t been yet another Yuwen Zhi’s scheme.

Shortly after that, something even more unexpected happened — Su Zhi died. He committed suicide, allegedly because of his guilt about failing Yuwen family.

This unforeseen event had come as a surprise to everybody.

“I don’t believe Su Zhi committed suicide because of his conscience about letting down Yuwen family. Someone definitely pressurized him into doing that,” said Ling Zhang, frowning.

It’d been in the Court Prison that Su Zhi had died. He’d been in custody under orders of the emperor, who had intended to call a consultation first before deciding his punishment, but unexpectedly, Su Zhi had died shortly after being put in prison.

The most immediate aftermath of Su Zhi’s death was a drastic change of the relations between Ling Zhang, Yuwen Tong and Yuwen Zhi’s branch of the family. Zheng shi’s sister fainted after a long hard wail at Su Zhi’s funeral. Zheng shi and Yuwen Qi in a wheelchair had all attended the funeral. Zheng shi’s sister and Su Yaoyao had been accommodated in a courtyard house of Yuwen Zhi’s branch of the family.

Zheng shi and Yuwen Qi had pinned Su Zhi’s death on Yuwen Tong, and there had been a thorough breakdown in relations between the two sides.

Thinking about the series of changes, Ling Zhang knitted his eyebrows, feeling that something was not right, as if someone had pressurized Yuwen Zhi’s branch of the family into breaking completely with Yuwen Tong.

Yuwen Feng was the only one who had been relatively sensible all along, but there was nothing he could do to make a difference.

“If this is what the mastermind wants — you making an enemy of Zheng shi, then what is their final goal? Could the mastermind somehow benefit from this kind of thing?” Ling Zhang was totally bemused.

Yuwen Tong, however, was must more unhurried than him. “Even if Su Zhi was still alive, you think Zheng shi and I would stand a chance of getting along with each other? I forced my uncle into breaking Yuwen Qi’s legs, and she hates my guts because of it. This matter just gave her another reason to hate me more.”

After thinking for a moment, Ling Zhang felt that Yuwen Tong had got a point. In no circumstances would Zheng shi or Yuwen Qi live in peace with Yuwen Tong after that incident.

“That person definitely has an ulterior motive in deepening the hatred between me and Zheng shi,” commented Yuwen Tong.

Yuwen Tong had come up with a plan. Given that Zheng shi and Yuwen Qi harbored resentment against him, there was a very high possibility that they’d been used. As long as he kept close watch on Zheng shi and Yuwen Qi, sooner or later he would find out what the mastermind intended to do by taking advantage of the two of them.

Ling Zhang felt that Yuwen Tong’s analysis of the situation made a lot of sense, his anxiety ebbing.

Surprisingly, after this event, those rumors about the Ling’s Drugstore and Ling Zhang disappeared. People seemed to have forgotten about the whole thing.

Since the business of the drugstore was now on track, Ling Zhang believed it was time he returned to the Imperial College to resume his study.

After hearing that Ling Zhang was going back to the Imperial College, Yuwen Tong, who was still “recovering from his injuries” and thus had a lot of leisure, wishfully said he’d go with him.

Sure enough Ling Zhang refused. How was he supposed to learn anything if this guy went with him?

Thus, after some days off from school, Ling Zhang returned to the Imperial College to continue being a college student.

As luck would have it, this day, on his arrival at the Imperial College in the morning, he chanced upon Jiang Yu, as he had on his first day of school at this college. As usual, Jiang Yu had a group of cronies around him, including Zuo Yuanping who had always been ill-disposed towards Ling Zhang, and who was the son of Zuo Yi, the official working for the Ministry of Works whom Ling Zhang had once taunted at the gateway of the palace.