The Glory After Rebirth [ɇÇ”Ÿä¹‹Å°Šè£] Chapter 319- 321

Chapter 319: Friends

The garrison of Jiangzhou started moving north. While waiting for the up-to-date report, Ling Zhang received an invitation. It was from Xun Huo.

Ling Zhang had a placid expression on his face as he gazed at the invitation on the table, but the look in his eyes was not so calm.

Xun Huo hadn’t contacted him since they’d seen Ji Feng off on that day, so he was greatly surprised by this sudden invitation and thought a lot about it in spite of himself. Seeing as how sensitive the Ling Mansion’s status and his identity were in the capital city, he couldn’t help but wonder why Xun Huo had chosen to renew acquaintance with him at this point in time.Read more chapters at ReadNovelFull.com

“Apart from you, the Xun family also sent invitations to the Zhao family, the Xie family and the collateral branch of the Yuwen family. All the couple of friends of yours and Childe Ling received his invitations,” said Miao Shiba.

Whenever anybody sent an invitation to the Ling Mansion, they always ascertained the ins and outs of what it was about.

“Childe Ling, Xun Yi keeps a very low profile and seems not to be in league with any force, but I fear that’s only a spurious impression created by him. Given the current circumstances, you need to be extra careful if you decide to accept the invitation,” added Miao Shiba.

Miao Shiba was actually more inclined to try to dissuade Ling Zhang from going there, for the capital city was now a very dangerous place.

“Has any of the others made a reply?” asked Ling Zhang.

Miao Shiba shook his head. “Not yet.”

Ling Zhang gave a smile. “It would seem they’re all waiting for me to take the lead. Send him a reply. Tell him I’ll be there.”

Miao Shiba hesitated for a moment. “Childe Ling, if by any chance they’re up to something…”

“I don’t want anybody to regard me as a coward,” said Ling Zhang. Xun Huo hadn’t been in touch with him for quite some time, and now he’d suddenly made contact with him at this juncture and also invited so many others. Considering this, even Ling Zhang himself wouldn’t believe it if he told Miao Shiba that Xun Huo was not up to anything, but he couldn’t shy away from it because of the potential dangers.

After Ling Zhang’s reply was delivered, Yuwen Jin, Zhao Jiusi, Zhao Turui and Xie Qing, one after another, also had their replies delivered to the Xun family.

The time of the appointment was the next morning. Ling Zhang and the other invitees happened to arrive at the Xun family’s residence at the same time.

Xun Huo had been waiting for them at the front gates. At the sight of them coming, he gave a smile. “It’s such a coincidence that you guys arrived all at once, which spares me the long waiting.”

“Xun Huo, have you been busy hatching eggs lately? We haven’t seen you for ages.” Yuwen Jin was the first to speak, and his voice was as jokey as always, sounding as though they were still on the same terms as they used to be.

“Yeah, we’ve all been worried about you, Xun Huo. All our servants delivering our letters to you told us that you were otherwise engaged and didn’t have the time to meet us,” Zhao Turui also said.

Looking at the couple of them, Xun Huo chuckled and then shifted his gaze to Ling Zhang and said, “Let’s go inside first and talk later.”

Ling Zhang bobbed his head. “Okay.”

Xun Huo cast him a smile and then led the four of them into the residence. In the courtyard house Xun Huo lived, they took seats.

“My father is not in, and my mother went to a Buddhist temple to pray for blessings, so there are no elders here today. You guys may make yourselves at home,” said Xun Huo.

Ling Zhang glanced around Xun Huo’s courtyard house and observed, “This courtyard house of yours is not big but the layout is comfortable and exquisite down to every detail. It’s a pretty nice place.”

Xun Huo said, “All I did was make this place less of an eyesore. It stands no comparison with the Ling Mansion.”

Xun Huo personally brought them teacups and started making tea. For a few moments, the five of them just sat around the table, saying nothing.

Ling Zhang was in no hurry. Given that Xun Huo had invited them over, he would tell them his intentions sooner or later.

When the tea was ready, smelling the aroma, Ling Zhang took a sip and made a couple of remarks in praise of the tea, as though he were here for the tea.

Seeing this, the others all started enjoying the tea, as if this were really just a tea party.

Of all five of them, Xun Huo had always been the relatively taciturn and reserved one.Please go and support our new domain MangaBob.com.Thanks! After Ling Zhang and the others drank some tea, he began of his own accord, “Actually, this time around I invited you guys over simply to do some catching up. The current political situation in the capital city is complicated. Although my father is must a low-ranking official, he’s still in it. As his son, I have no alternative but to obey him. I fear that we might not have another chance to sit together enjoying tea, so I presumptuously invited you guys here at this point in time. What with Ji Feng’s leaving the capital city, Ling Zhang’s long absence from here, and the spate of serious unforeseen events, we haven’t been in the mood for catching up with each other for quite some time.”

After Xun Huo finished these words, all the others lapsed into silence. In fact, the only sentence that mattered in these words was “We might not have another chance to sit together enjoying tea.”

The meaning of this remark was quite explicit, and there was no need for any of them to check with the speaker.

Ling Zhang slowly took a sip of his tea, put down the teacup and looked at Xun Huo. “Are you serious?”

Xun Huo looked back at him. “I wouldn’t have invited you guys around if I’m not serious.”

With a calm look on his face, Ling Zhang nodded. “It’s too boring to just drink tea. We should be drinking wine. Carpe diem. Let’s make some good memories.”

Xun Huo’s countenance slightly changed. Yuwen Jin suddenly threw his arm around his shoulders and said, “That’s true. Xun Huo, you won’t really let us walk out of your home with only tea in our stomachs, will you? Because that would be so not cool.”

“Alas, Xun Huo is never stingy. He might not be a consummate rider, but other than that, he’s a pretty nice guy, and his tolerance to alcohol is not bad, too,” said Xie Qing.

Xun Huo beamed, willingly letting Yuwen Jin rest his arms on his shoulders. “Then let’s have a couple of drinks, but be forewarned, it’s pretty windy today, so don’t drink too much.”

Ling Zhang tossed a thoughtful glance at him. “Okay. We all know where the limit is.”

Since Xun Huo had already stated clearly his stand, they naturally wouldn’t try to dig deeper into the matter. All the topics of their conversation were about the funny things that they’d been through together, most of which had happened in the Imperial College. Eventually, when each of them had had three or four cups, they stopped drinking.

The reason why Xun Huo had become close friends with them previously was because Xun Yi, a councillor of the Ministry of Penalties, had been keeping his head down, but now the political landscape had changed, and Xun Yi, low-key as he was, had to pick sides, so Xun Huo had to make a choice as well.

“I’m sorry I can no longer be by your side,” said Xun Huo, gazing unblinkingly at Ling Zhang.

Ling Zhang replied, “You have nothing to be sorry for. We all have our own positions and have to make our own choices. Now that we’ve already drunk this wine, what we had in the past shall be left in the past. From now on… we’ll have to take care of ourselves.”

“Okay,” said Xun Huo, a solemn look in his eyes.

They had barely stayed in the residence of the Xun family for two hours when they took their leave. Before leaving, Zhao Turui stared at Xun Huo for quite a while and then got into the carriage with Zhao Jiusi, a gloomy expression on his face. The two of them had known Xun Huo since childhood, so they had stronger bonding with him and were also more upset.

Before getting into the carriage, Ling Zhang asked Miao Shiba to send some men to keep an eye on Zhao Jiusi and the others lest any accidents happen.

Back then when they’d been in the residence, Xun Huo had told them to beware of the windy weather, which struck Ling Zhang as some kind of hint.

Predictably, after Ling Zhang’s horse-drawn carriage left the residence of the Xun family, they were ambushed. There were a lot of assailants, all of whom were pretty good at kung fu.

But before they approached the carriage, Wang Dashan and the others suddenly showed up, trapped them all in a formation and disposed of them. The fight lasted less than the time a man needed to finish a pot of tea at leisure.

“Keep moving.” Ling Zhang dropped the carriage curtain.

The carriage resumed proceeding, followed by Wang Dashan and other security guards, leaving over twenty bodies lying on the street.

A man hiding in the shadows looked at those dead men on the ground, recalling how those people had killed them just now, his hands quivering.

When he had returned to the Ling Mansion, Ling Zhang said to Miao Shiba, “Tell me when the others arrive home safely.”

“Yes, Your Lordship.”

“You were ambushed?” Ling Zhaowu walked out, appraising him with a concerned face.

“There were over twenty of them. Wang Dashan and the others handled them. Their kung fu skills were pretty good, but not good enough. The mastermind was probably just putting out feelers,” said Ling Zhang.

Ling Zhaowu inclined his head. He didn’t ask any questions about how his appointment had been, for he had come to know the answer when he’d been informed of the ambush.

After a short while, Miao Shiba came in to report to Ling Zhang.

“The couple of childes have all returned home unharmed.”

Ling Zhang heaved a sigh of relief. It seemed that that word of warning from Xun Huo had been meant for him alone.

Recollecting the couple of cups of wine he’d drunk in the residence of the Xun family, Ling Zhang just inwardly sighed in sentiment for a few moments and then calmed down.

After this meeting, he had one less friend in the capital city, but considering the big picture, he had no choice but to leave these aside, for giving them more thought wouldn’t do any good. Xun Huo had done him a favor by giving him a word of warning, and if some day they were on opposing sides and had to cross swords with each other, he would return the favor, and that would be all.

However, because of this meeting with his friends, he couldn’t help but think of Tao Yi. Like Xun Huo, Tao Yi also hadn’t contacted him since the day they’d seen Ji Feng off, but unlike with Xun Huo, he hoped that Tao Yi would see reason and choose not to stand on the opposite side, because after all, his friendship with Tao Yi was deeper than the one he had with Xun Huo.

As a result, he had been waiting all along, but considering the imminent conflict with Fang Quan, if Tao Yi didn’t…

“Childe Ling, there’s a letter for you.”

As Ling Zhang thought of this, his train of thought was interrupted by Miao Shiba’s voice, who walked inside with an envelope.

With a hunch, Ling Zhang took the envelope and opened it. Unsurprisingly, it was Tao Yi’s handwriting. Tao Yi didn’t invite him to meet him but had drawn a picture for him.

The picture depicting a kind of medicinal herb. Tanyang abounded with medicinal herbs, some of which were connected with allusions known to nobody but locals. On seeing the picture, Ling Zhang exhaled deeply and smile finally reappeared on his face.

“You look in a good mood, Childe Ling. It seems that Childe Tao didn’t let you down,” commented Miao Shiba.

Ling Zhang chuckled, “He has some sense of perspective. I’ll give him that. Still, see as it took him so long to decide to send me this picture, I’m afraid the situation in his family is also somewhat complicated and he’d been faced with a difficult choice all along.”

“Childe Tao’s teacher used to be very much in the former emperor’s confidence, and this time around he would probably take the Eighth Prince’s side. Now that Childe Tao has chosen to side with you, things would be quite difficult for him if he stays in the Oriental Rite Academy,” said Miao Shiba.

Ling Zhang thought for a while and then said, “Let him stay there. Except for his relations with his teacher, he has no involvement with any faction in the capital city. No matter what happens, innocent students in the academy wouldn’t suffer any serious harm.”

However, whatever Ling Zhang had expected, it wasn’t that Tao Yi would come to him for shelter, carrying his baggage with him.

Early the next morning, when Miao Shiba told him that Tao Yi came to see him with baggage on his back, Ling Zhang was briefly stunned and then quickly went to meet him.

“Wow, what is wrong with your front gates? Why can’t I see them? I thought a ghost was haunting this place or something. This is so creepy!”

He was still a distance away when he heard Tao Yi marvel at the amazing changes to the front gates of the Ling Mansion.

Chapter 320: A Letter from the North-West

“Tao Yi,” called Ling Zhang, quickly walking up to him.

Tao Yi pivoted around and his face crumpled up at the sight of Ling Zhang coming. In a tearful tone of voice, he said, “My teacher chucked me out, so I have no choice but to turn to you. You’ve got to take me in. If I get my sorry ass back to Tanyang like this, my father would definitely beat me to death.”

Ling Zhang, “…”

While speaking, Tao Yi handed his several traveling bags of different sizes to the couple of servants and said “Give me a hand with these. Thank you.” as though Ling Zhang had already agreed.

The servants exchanged hesitant glances and then all looked at Ling Zhang.

Ling Zhang stared at Tao Yi for quite a while before saying to the servants, “Take all Childe Tao’s baggage to a guest room and get the room ready.”

“Yes, Young Master,” the servants chorused and then took all Tao Yi’s baggage away.

Tao Yi gave a gasp of relief, stepped over and threw his arm around Ling Zhang’s shoulders. “I’m entrusting you with my life here. You and the Marshal need to make it work and show that stubborn old man he’s wrong about you.”

Ling Zhang resignedly looked at him. “Why did you leave the academy? None of this would’ve happened to you had you stayed there.”

“It would’ve happened even if I stayed. My teacher is so influential that even I, a nobody who’s close to him, cannot stay out of this,” said Tao Yi.

“Alas, you have no idea how difficult it was for me to make a choice between my teacher and you. My father told me to keep my nose out of these things so that I wouldn’t get hurt, but I did some careful thinking and felt that the imperial family was so boring, that things would be much more interesting if I follow you and the Marshal. It’s just I could no longer stay in my teacher’s place after I picked a side, and I have nowhere else to go to in the capital city, so I risked making myself seem thick-skinned and came here to ask you for help.”

Eyes still on him, Ling Zhang asked, “Your teacher chucked you out?”

“Well…sort of. But this time around he didn’t lash out at me. He just told me to think things through. I made a decision and he calmly had me leave the academy. Before I left, he drummed it into me that I should take the imperial examination and become an official, and make myself useful to both the imperial court and the people in this country.”

After saying this, Tao Yi lapsed into silence, the smile on his face fading, appearing rather upset.

Ling Zhang knew what it was about. “Your teacher wanted you to take the examination and become an official because he had faith in you, because he had faith in us. Cheer up. As long as you keep the goal in mind and fight for it, it will come true.”

Tao Yi bobbed his head. “I’ll strive for it.”

“Actually I knew what that was about. My teacher dropped a hint by saying those words. He’s fully aware that the Zhou family’s dominion over this country is coming to an end. Otherwise he wouldn’t have had me leave just like that, but he himself doesn’t want to leave. He’d rather die with the Zhou family. What’s the point of that?”

Maybe only when they reached the same age as the old man would they be able to understand the point of that.

Ling Zhang patted his shoulder. “You’re his student, and you’ll carry on his legacy. If you want to repay your teacher for his guidance, you should study hard and earn yourself a position in the government, so that you’ll live up to his expectations.”

“Alas, it seems that I still have a lot of books to read,” said Tao Yi, harassed-looking.

Ling Zhang smiled, “Let’s go. I’ll take you to see my maternal grandfather and father.”

Tao Yi gave a nod and then abruptly paused. “Your… maternal grandfather? And your father?”

Ling Zhang said, “Yeah.”

“This is… No… I thought that your father… He’s been away for many years, hasn’t he? And about your maternal grandfather…. What’s going on exactly?” jabbered Tao Yi, astonishment written all over his face.

“It seems that recently you’ve really been quite vexed and distressed, which is why you’ve ended up ill-informed. I thought the news about my father had spread through the city,” said Ling Zhang.

With an aggrieved face, Tao Yi replied, “I didn’t know. Nobody told me about it!”

“Well, I’m telling you now,” said Ling Zhang.

“I… Well… I need to change clothes and make myself presentable. And I haven’t prepared any gifts,” said Tao Yi.

Ling Zhang rolled his eyes upwards. “You’re not here for a blind date.”

Tao Yi quietly looked left and right and then responded, “Are you trying to get me killed? If anybody hears this and tells the Marshal about it, the Marshal will definitely take a dislike to me.”

“He’s not as childish as you think he is,” commented Ling Zhang.

Tao Yi curled his lip. “You don’t know that, not for sure. The Marshal cares about you so much that he seems to want you staying by his side all the time. If I dare have any funny thoughts about you, he’d surely have me killed.”

Ling Zhang was terribly embarrassed. “Cut the nonsense, will you?”

But the mention of Yuwen Tong sent Ling Zhang so depressed that he didn’t seemed to have any insides. Yuwen Tong was not in this city. What was the point of talking about this?

Seeing him instantly become dispirited, Tao Yi came to realize that he’d said the wrong thing and hastened to change the topic. “Hurry. Take me to meet your father and grandfather. They deserve to make the acquaintance of an outstanding talent like me.”

His sorrow dissolved by Tao Yi’s quip, Ling Zhang took him to see Ji Yin and Ling Zhaowu.

Tao Yi’s eyes slightly widened at the sight of Ling Zhaowu. Before Ling Zhang could introduce him, he walked up on his own initiative. “You must be Uncle Ling. I’m Tao Yi. My father’s Tao Feng, the prefectural governor of Tanyang. I’m friends with Ling Zhang. Please forgive me for visiting the Ling Mansion uninvited today.”

Ling Zhaowu gave a smile and put his hands to Tao Yi’s upper arms. “I heard Zhang’er talk about you many times. Lately he’s been quite worried about your safety.”

“It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have concerned my friend,” said Tao Yi.

“I met Governor Tao in Tanyang before I came to this city. He’s in good health,” said Ling Zhaowu.

Tao Yi was delighted. “I’m glad to hear that. Thank you for telling me this, Uncle Ling.”

Ling Zhaowu found Tao Yi a fairly sympathetic person on first acquaintance, and the two of them enjoyed the conversation pretty much.

Seeing that Tao Yi’s tongue was loosened and probably wouldn’t stop talking any time soon, Ling Zhang hurriedly interrupted him and introduced Ji Yin to him. “This is my grandfather. His surname is Ji.”

Tao Yi gaped at Ji Yin and then moved his eyes to Ling Zhang, a you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me expression on his face. The reason why he’d talked with Ling Zhaowu for so long and hadn’t shown the slightest inclination to stop was that it didn’t strike him that this mustached middle-aged man on the side was Ling Zhang’s grandfather, because he appeared so young!

“Are you introducing the wrong person to me?” Tao Yi asked Ling Zhang, lowering his voice, incredulous.

Ling Zhang looked at him resignedly. “No, I’m not. He’s really my grandfather.”

Tao Yi still didn’t believe him. In a voice he thought was low enough, he said, “Impossible. He’s so young. How could he be your grandfather?! I mean, he looks even younger than your father.”

Ling Zhaowu, who heard this, was rendered speechless with embarrassment.

Ling Zhang gave a soft cough and explained, “My grandfather is a kung fu master with powerful internal energy, which is why his look doesn’t age.”

At this time, Ji Yin was also amused by Tao Yi’s whisper. Heedless of Ling Zhaowu who was having a faintly awkward face, he said to Tao Yi, “You have a good sense of humor, Childe Tao.”

It was at this moment that Tao Yi believed Ling Zhang’s words. In the knowledge that his behavior just now had been impolite, he hastened to pay his respects to Ji Yin. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr… Ji. Please forgive me for not being discerning enough to accept the fact earlier that you’re Ling Zhang’s grandfather.”

Ji Yin said, “That’s a mere trifle. Most people were just as surprised when they first came to know I was Zhang’er’s grandfather. Your reaction was totally understandable.”

Tao Yi was a great talker, and it took him only a few moments to send Ji Yin into fits of laughter. The embarrassment on Ling Zhaowu’s face ebbed away and he just amusedly shook his head.

“I heard that your teacher is a famous, learned scholar, and you’re a student of the Oriental Rite Academy. You have very good prospects,” said Ji Yin.

Tao Yi replied, “Actually I’ve sort of graduated now, and I’m waiting for the next imperial examination. I could use some quiet, so I specially came to Brother Zhang, wondering if I could stay here for some time.”

“There’s not much I can guarantee you, but I assure you all the servants here are absolute rule-followers. Your courtyard house will be quiet all the time and nobody will disturb you. You may put your mind at ease, stay here and focus on your study,” said Ji Yin.

“Thank you, Mr. Ji,” said Tao Yi.

With Tao Yi enlivening the atmosphere, they didn’t have to worry about the climate getting tepid. Ji Yin found Tao Yi’s talkativeness pretty endearing.

Seeing that Tao Yi got along so well with the others, Ling Zhang believed there was no need for him to worry about Tao Yi. “You may go to your room to get some rest. The reception will start soon.”

Without any pretence of courtesy, Tao Yi took his leave of Ji Yin and Ling Zhaowu and then made towards the guest room.

“Tao Yi is more interesting than his father,” observed Ling Zhaowu. “Tao Feng is more inclined to play it safe. His son is far more audacious than him.”

Ling Zhang said, “You talked with Tao Feng in Tanyang, Father?”

“It was just a quick chat. I’m not very interested in making friends with Tao Feng, but your uncle works for him, so I had to make his acquaintance,” responded Ling Zhaowu.

Ling Zhang could tell that Ling Zhaowu loathed Tao Feng.

“You seem to be quite ill-disposed towards Tao Feng,” remarked Ji Yin.

Ling Zhaowu gave a sneer. “Tao Feng has no balls. Back then when Zhang Chong was still alive, he could barely breathe under Zhang Chong’s oppression but never dared put up a fight. Had Zhang Chong not been brought down, he would’ve stayed that way till this day. A man like him would never be able to get to a position higher than the governor of Tanyang.”

After hearing this, Ji Yin curled his lip with a feeling of anticlimax. “Well, then he’s indeed an uninteresting guy. Fortunately Tao Yi is not like him.”

Ling Zhang smiled, “If he was, he wouldn’t have disobeyed his father or chosen me over his teacher.”

Ji Yin inclined his head.

“Given how long it has been, those people in this city should’ve got wind of the Jiangzhou garrison’s moving north. I’m afraid there’s going to be a panic among citizens, and the situation would take a turn in an unforeseen way. It’s time for the garrison of Shengzhou to make their move, so that some people will get the shot in the arm they need.”

Feeling that Ling Zhaowu had got a point, Ling Zhang gave a nod. “Okay.”

After having Miao Shisan sent a message to the commander of Jiangzhou garrison, Ling Zhang received a letter from the borderland, which had been written by Yuwen Tong personally. Judging from the handwriting, Yuwen Tong must have written this letter in haste. He probably had carved out time for it in his hectic schedule.

In the letter, Yuwen Tong gave a sketchy account of the situation at the front and how he’d been recently, told Ling Zhang not to worry and then reminded him to stay safe in the capital city with a lot of words.

After reading Yuwen Tong’s letter word by word, Ling Zhang became even more concerned about the situation in the borderlands, summoned Wang Dashan and asked, “Is Wang Qing ready? Has he got all the medicinal herbs prepared? When could they depart?”

“Wang Qing has just sent a message here, saying that everything’s ready, that the caravan will set off early tomorrow morning,” answered Wang Dashan.

This would be the second batch of medicinal herbs delivered to the borderlands. The first batch had been transported there along with other supplies from the capital city.

Chapter 321: A Traitor and Usurper

In the Fang Mansion.

“The garrison of Jiangzhou have picked up speed. They’ll get here in five days.”

“Good! I’ve had all necessary arrangements made in the imperial palace, ensuring the Eighth Prince’s and the Concubine Jin’s safety.”

“But what shall we do with Yuwen Zhi? We’ve been ignoring him for several days.”

“Humph. Don’t worry. I’ll handle him.”

…

In the residential compound of the Assistant Minister of Rites.

“Father, Fang Quan actually expected us to do such a dangerous thing. He clearly doesn’t trust us and is deliberately picking on us!” huffed Yuwen Qi.

Fang Quan had requested Yuwen Zhi to figure out a way to stall the Right Prime Minister and the others when the garrison of Jiangzhou reached the capital city, creating an opportunity for Fang Quan and his men to open the city gates.

“How on earth are we supposed to do that?!” spat Yuwen Qi.

Yuwen Zhi’s face was also quite sulky. Through gritted teeth, he said, “We have to find a way to make it happen. Fang Quan wants proof that we’re trustworthy, and we’re going to give it to him.”

“But how are we going to do that? Chu Liangyan has the whole Northern City Garrison Battalion at his command. How is it possible to hold him back?” said Yuwen Qi.

…

The garrison of Jiangzhou led by its commander was getting very close to the capital city, only a few hundred miles away from the city gates.

Fang Quan was thrilled at the latest intelligence report. “They’re finally here!”

The garrison of Jiangzhou had moved without an imperial edict and was now only a couple of hundred miles away from the city, threatening to launch an attack at any moment. News of this instantly threw the whole city into panic. A lot of officials who’d been taking a wait-and-see attitude began to have second thoughts.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, at the emperor’s memorial service attended by all courtiers, Fang Quan requested that the Eighth Prince accede to the throne.

“The Eighth Prince is of direct descent from the imperial clan. Right now the Great Yue is tottering in a precarious situation and in dire need of an emperor. Only by enthroning the Eighth Prince will we be able to stabilize the political situation, set people’s mind at ease and ensure the peace in this country,” claimed Fang Quan, standing in the hall.

“The Eighth Prince is still young.”

“Chu Liangyan! No matter how young the Eighth Prince is, it doesn’t change the fact that he’s a descendant of the Zhou family, the imperial household. Why are you trying to stop the Eighth Prince from succeeding to the throne? What kind of evil intentions are you harboring?”

Standing behind Fang Quan were a group of people, including the Concubine Jin and the Eighth Prince, all of whom were confronting the Right Prime Minister and some other courtiers.

The Right Prime Minister sneered, “Lord Fang, everybody knows you’re just doing this for your own ends, no matter how hard you try to make it sound honorable. The Eighth Prince is too young. He will no doubt end up becoming a puppet on your string if he ascends the throne. Under your control, the Great Yue will sooner or later be subjugated; or maybe some day the Fang family will usurp the power of imperial dominion. If that happens, you think you can keep this country from falling in this crisis-ridden situation? We’ve all worked so hard to get the imperial court where it is. Why should we hand it to you on a silver platter to let you squander it? I think you’re the one who harbors evil intentions.”

“If the Eighth Prince is not the one who should be crowned, who is?! Right Prime Minister, we both know very well for whose gain you’re saying these words. It’s no good trying to pretend otherwise,” said one of Fang Quan’s followers.

“Of course I’m fully aware of why I’m doing this. I’m not as stupid as you are. If this country is to navigate through these trying times, we must select a wise leader, a wise leader who has the abilities and courage required to stabilize the political situation and defend this country against foreign enemies, not someone who’s destined to become a puppet on a string. I’m doing this for the people of this country, who can live in prosperity and contentment only when their emperor is sagacious and visionary. If the imperial court falls into the hands of someone incompetent once again, they will be subjected to endless civil strife and reduced to destitute and homeless refugees!” said the Right Prime Minister.

“Faugh! Cut the shit. A wise leader? He’s nothing but a traitor and would-be usurper!”

“A traitor and a would-be usurper? It’s so funny you guys are saying this. All of you are fully aware of whom you should thank for being able to stand here alive, not having to worry about when you’d become slaves of a foreign power. You’ve been enjoying his protection all along but you hold him in contempt, which is so despicable.”

“That’s his duty as a servant!”

“A servant? Of whom? As far as I can remember, right now we don’t really have an emperor. He did that for the people of this country, not some unsavory individual. Fang Quan, you want to use a figurehead to have us do your bidding and be the one at the top of the pecking order. Why pretend otherwise? Each and every single one of us has seen through your little game. Today, standing in this hall, I, Chu Liangyan, am saying this loud and clear – I disagree with the Eighth Prince ascending the throne!”

“You–!” Fang Quan was beside himself with fury.

“Right Prime Minister, you’re not the one calling the shots here. You will agree to enthrone the Eighth Prince, no matter whether you want to or not. Otherwise you might die a violent death!”

“Die a violent death? You guys are so foolish. Right now the whole capital city is under my control. Who could possibly kill me? The Jiangzhou garrison? That’d be even more ridiculous. For your information, the garrison of Jiangzhou are never going to make it to this city.” After the Right Prime Minister said this, his eyes coldly raked Fang Quan and those behind him, seeing their faces clearly, not pausing for a split instant when they swept across Yuwen Zhi, as though this person weren’t there at all.

“What do you mean? Your demise is imminent, yet you’re still in the mood for bluffing?” huffed Fang Quan, pointing at the Right Prime Minister.

“What do I mean? If you don’t believe me, just wait and see if the garrison of Jiangzhou will arrive here as you wish,” replied the Right Prime Minister.

“You–You are openly admitting rebellion?! Are you not afraid the people will despise you?! You’re blackening your master’s name!” Fang Quan went ballistic.

“Why should I be afraid? Anyway, eventually someone will have to make the right decision in a sensible and obedient way,” observed the Right Prime Minister, eyeing them flintily.

…

“Your Lordship! Your Lordship! This is bad!”

The hall ringed by soldiers, Fang Quan and the others could only walk within a small radius, his followers still confronting the opposing side headed by the Right Prime Minister.

Someone quickly stumbled his way into the hall and prostrated himself on entry, looking up at Fang Quan with a panic-stricken face. “Your Lordship, the garrison of Shengzhou suddenly showed up and stopped all troops of the Jiangzhou garrison!”

“What?!” Fang Quan and his followers were horror-struck, unable to believe their ears. “How come the garrison of Shengzhou moved south without receiving an imperial edict?! Are they not afraid of being executed?!”

“The garrison of Jiangzhou left their encampment and moved north, also without receiving an imperial edict, didn’t they? Why couldn’t the garrison of Shengzhou move south?” said the Right Prime Minister.

Fang Quan and his followers came back to themselves. Pointing a shaking finger at the Right Prime Minister and those behind him, Fang Quan spat, “You! You did this!”

Wasn’t it obvious? The Right Prime Minister and his followers curled their lips, making no reply.

“You–You’re going too far. You actually dispatched the garrison of Shengzhou without authorization to openly rebel!” railed Fang Quan.

“Lord Fang, you’re mistaken. To my knowledge, the reason why the garrison of Shengzhou left their encampment was because they heard that the garrison of Jiangzhou had dared move north without authorization, posing a threat to the capital city. They moved south to intercept the garrison of Jiangzhou so as to ensure the safety of the capital city and the two princes. You can’t pin the crime of rebellion on them like that. Speaking of rebellion, you secretly contacted the garrison of Jiangzhou and had them move north without receiving an imperial edict – that was a real rebellious act, wasn’t it?”

“You–!” Consumed with anger, Fang Quan instantly paled, failed to catch his next breath and almost blacked out. “You… The dispatch of the Shengzhou garrison was clearly part of a premeditated scheme of yours…”

“Don’t you sling mud at us, Lord Fang. We have nothing to do with the garrison of Shengzhou’s moving south. They did it because they found out about the movement of the Jiangzhou garrison, because they knew where their loyalty lay, because they wanted to protect the capital city and the two princes,” said the Right Prime Minister.

The one who had a moment ago been talking about a wise leader suddenly started speaking stern and just words, which threw Fang Quan and his followers into perplexity. When he jerked out of his trance, he found that a lot of other people had shown up in the hall, including the Concubine Liu and the Ninth Prince.

As Fang Quan and his followers came to realize what was going on, they were nearly reduced to vomiting blood with rage.

“Guards, bring the proof of Lord Fang and his accomplices colluding with the garrison of Jiangzhou,” the Right Prime Minister suddenly instructed.

Fang Quan’s eyes widened. “Bullshit! What kind of proof could you possibly have?!”

“It’s no good denying it, Lord Fang. What’s done is done, and you’re not getting away with it,” observed the Right Prime Minister icily.

Soon someone brought the proofs and witnesses to the hall, among which were several letters, two messengers and the butler of the Fang family…

Fang Quan suffered a fleeting blackout at the sight of the two messengers and his butler, and then when his eyes fell on the couple of letters fished out by the Right Prime Minister, all words on which were in his handwriting, he buckled at the knees and sank to the ground.

“What else do you have to say? We got both physical evidence and witnesses. Do you still deny your guilt?” asked the Right Prime Minister.

“Guards, restrain Fang Quan and all other courtiers involved in the complicity with the garrison of Jiangzhou. They’re to be held in custody in this place until the final sentence is pronounced.”

“Chu Liangyan, you–you traitor. You’re the one… The garrison of Shengzhou…”

“Stop making wild accusations against me, Lord Fang. I’m blameless and I’ve never done anything rebellious. Anybody having doubts about this may go to my house and search it. I won’t try to stop them,” said the Right Prime Minister.

Fang Quan failed to endure the fury and passed out.

The Eighth Prince watched this scene with panic on his face. Having always been rather cowardly, he was terrified and lost the last bit of his courage in these circumstances, hiding behind the Concubine Jin who was just as ashen-faced as he was, not daring to come out.

“Your Highness,” the Right Prime Minister said to the Concubine Jin, “I’ve ascertained the collusion between you and Lord Fang as well, and I’ve got the proofs. Considering His Majesty hasn’t been interred yet and the Eighth Prince is still young, I won’t file any charges against you, but from now on, please don’t leave this hall except in exceptional circumstances. Just stay here and keep vigil for His Majesty.”

The Concubine Liu, the Ninth Prince’s mother, held her son tight. The two of them, along with the group of officials who had come a moment ago, all kept silent, not daring utter a word.

“Your Lordship.” Suddenly, someone walked up to the Right Prime Minister, leaned over and whispered something in his ear.

The Right Prime Minister’s countenance remained unchanged. He just gave a nod, respectfully had the Concubine Liu return with the Ninth Prince, told the other courtiers to go back as well, instructed Commander Xie of the Northern City Garrison Battalion to guard Fang Quan, his accomplices, the Concubine Jin and the Eighth Prince, and then left.

“The couple of old courtiers have all arrived at the palace gates.”

“Fortunately we’ve finished this off ahead of schedule. Otherwise we’d have to go to some more trouble. I’ll go and hold them back. You guys stay in the palace and keep watch. By the way, where is Childe Ling?” asked the Right Prime Minister.

“Childe Ling was in the side hall all along until a few moments ago, but I don’t know where he is right now.”

The Right Prime Minister inclined his head. “I see. I’ll go and see Childe Ling after I dismiss the couple of mulish geriatrics.”

“Yes, Your Lordship.”

…

Walking out of the side hall, listening to the angry curses issuing from inside the main hall, Ling Zhang curled up the corners of his mouth and said, “Let’s go. It’s time we returned as well.”