The Glory After Rebirth [ɇÇ”Ÿä¹‹Å°Šè£] Chapter 346- 348

Chapter 346: The Ling Family’s Arrival in the Capital City

In the next few days, Miao Shiba still, on a daily basis, reported to Yuwen Tong everything Ling Zhang did. Meanwhile, every day Ling Zhang still ate three meals with Yuwen Tong. Every night Yuwen Tong came back from the consultation hall very late and could see without fail that Ling Zhang had been waiting for him all along. On one occasion, when Yuwen Tong returned, he walked in without having a guard pass word of his presence and found Ling Zhang giving huge yawns, his eyes watering from drowsiness caused by the long wait. At the sight of him entering, Ling Zhang immediately rose to his feet and made towards him.

Sometimes Ling Zhang went to the consultation hall to deliver some late-night snack to him and then stayed there to help him sort memorials to the throne.

“A staff member of the Ministry of Rites paid Childe Ling a visit during the day to deliver to him a thick pile of pamphlets about the ritualistic rigmarole of the wedding ceremony. After reading them, Childe Ling wanted a couple of the steps omitted, saying that they were too time-consuming and cost too much money, that right now the imperial court needed money to help the people restore their lives and he should cut down the expense as much as he could,” Miao Shiba reported to Yuwen Tong.

“He’s consulted with the Ministry of Rites about it already?” asked Yuwen Tong.

“Not yet. There are too many of the formalities, and Childe Ling has no acquaintance with any of them, so it took him quite some time to familiarize himself with them. He hasn’t found the time to confer with the Ministry of Rites yet. Currently, staff members of the Ministry of Rites are occupied with the preparatory work for your enthronement. As far as I could tell, Childe Ling seems to intend to wait until after the enthronement to discuss it with people of the Ministry of Rites,” answered Miao Shiba.

Miao Shiba cast a look at Yuwen Tong and then continued, “In the past couple of days Childe Ling has been bustling around from dim dawn to dark. What with the tons of chores in the imperial palace and the wedding preparations, he couldn’t hardly spare any time to rest, except when he dines with you at dinner time. There has been nothing out of the ordinary about Childe Ling over the last few days. With all due respect, I don’t think Childe Ling is keeping anything back from you, Sire.”

Yuwen Tong’s countenance remained unchanged. He just flicked Miao Shiba a glance.

Miao Shiba hurriedly bowed his head, breaking out in a cold sweat.

But Yuwen Tong didn’t reprove him. He just told him matter-of-factly, “All you need to do is continue to keep watch on him.”

“Yes, Sire,” Miao Shiba hastily answered.

Yuwen Tong followed Miao Shiba with his eyes as he left. He was not angry with Miao Shiba for his taking the liberty of making that comment. Miao Shiba was his personal bodyguard and was supposed to obey every order from him, but Yuwen Tong also hoped his bodyguards would care about Ling Zhang just as much and bear Ling Zhang’s safety in mind all the time. As a result, Yuwen Tong wasn’t annoyed about Miao Shiba’s attempt to defend Ling Zhang. He just wondered what Ling Zhang was concealing from him exactly.

Ling Zhang was indeed very tired due to the hectic schedule. At this moment he was fast asleep, unaware of what Yuwen Tong had left to do after he drifted off. When Yuwen Tong returned to the bed and took him in his arms, Ling Zhang just subconsciously wriggled in Yuwen Tong’s embrace, shifting into a more comfortable lying position, snoring lightly, bearing a similarity to Whitie the fox in its sleep. Yuwen Tong planted a kiss on his cheek.

…

Yuwen Tong worked day and night in the consultation hall for ten solid days before he finally had all the pressing state affairs settled. Governors of the many prefectures were coming into the capital city one after another. The Wan Kingdom’s and the Luohai Kingdom’s replies had also arrived, both saying they would send some top-ranking officials and imperial family members to attend the wedding ceremony. It was at this point in time that members of the Ling family arrived in the capital city.

On this day, Yuwen Tong specially cleared his morning and went to the city gates with Ling Zhang to meet the Ling family.

There were five horse-drawn carriages, escorted by over thirty armed guards. It was quite a big team.

“Grandfather.”

“Old Master Ling.”

Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong bowed to Ling Xingzhong with hands folded in front when he had got out of the carriage. Ling Xingzhong hastened to raise Yuwen Tong. “I’m far from deserving of this level of formality from you. Please rise.”

Yuwen Tong and Ling Zhang straightened themselves at the same time, standing shoulder to shoulder. Ling Xingzhong looked at him, appearing sentimentally gratified.

“How are you feeling, Grandfather? Did they drive too fast? Are you having any discomfort?” Ling Zhang asked him.

Ling Xingzhong patted his hand and replied, “I’m fine. At my advanced age as I am, a journey like this won’t break me. On our way here, your uncle and the others had the drivers drive slowly. I was anxious to see you and wanted them to pick up speed, but they disagreed.”

Holding Ling Xingzhong’s arm to support him, Ling Zhang studied his countenance. At the sight of the weariness on his face, Ling Zhang came to know that the journey had been an ordeal for the old man. Feeling a mixture of guilt and heartache, he said, “Let’s go into the city right away.”

Ling Xingzhong smiled, “There’s no hurry. Greet your uncle and the others first.”

At this time Ling Zhaowen also got out of his carriage, followed by Fu Caiwei and Ling Maomao, so Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong walked up to them.

Ling Zhaowu took Ling Zhang’s place, supporting Ling Xingzhong. “Father,” he said.

Considering him, Ling Xingzhong asked, “How have you been? You look better than the last time I saw you.”

Ling Zhaowu, somewhat guilty about his aged father having to worry about him due to his physical condition, answered, “With Mr. Mu treating me, I couldn’t have been unhealthy even if I wanted myself to be. Now I can run as fast as and jump as high as the next man, so there’s no need for you to worry about me. I haven’t been able to stay in Tanyang to keep you company, and neither was I among the team escorting you to this city. I’m an unfilial son.”

Ling Xingzhong shook his head. “I’m not really in desperate need of your company. It’s not like I’m dying or something. Nursing yourself back to health is the best way for you to show me your filial affection.”

Ling Zhaowu felt even more terrible after hearing these words.

On the other side, Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong greeted Ling Zhaowen and Fu Caiwei. Ling Zhang held out his hand to Ling Maomao, who stepped over and took it.

“Uncle, Aunt, you and Grandfather must be tired after such a long journey. Let’s enter the city first, shall we? Maomao will be going with me.”

Naturally, Ling Zhaowen and Fu Caiwei agreed. If truth be told, Ling Zhaowen felt quite flattered, for Yuwen Tong’s status was different now, but he had still personally come to the city gates to meet them.

Ling Zhaowu accompanied Ling Xingzhong into a carriage. Ling Zhang, after walking Ling Zhaowen and Fu Caiwei into their carriage, scooped up Ling Maomao to put him into the saddle on Snowflake the horse, and then mounted her and looked at Yuwen Tong.

Yuwen Tong gave a bob of the head and instructed aloud, “Enter the city.”

The large group of people started to progress through the city gates. Residents who didn’t dare approach and were looking on in the distance watched them leave, and then fell into discussions with each other.

“So those people are the Ling family from Tanyang?”

“Yeah. They’re future in-laws of the emperor.”

“It’s true what they say, ‘When a man becomes an immortal, even his dogs and chickens will ascend into heaven.’ After Childe Ling marries His Majesty, the Ling family will definitely get super-rich in an instant.”

“Twenty years ago, when Ling Xingzhong left the capital city, a lot of people regarded him as a laughing stock. Now I guess none of them dare utter a word about it.”

“Shh! Keep your voice down. The Ling family will soon become a juggernaut nobody dare mess with, so guard your tongue if you don’t want to get into any trouble.”

Ling Zhang was on Snowflake’s back with Ling Maomao sitting in front of him against his chest. His sense of hearing was unusually sharp, so he naturally heard these discussions distinctly, but he chose to ignore these gossipy characters.

“Maomao, straighten your back.” Ling Zhang reached out a hand to clap Ling Maomao on the back.

Ling Maomao obediently sat bolt upright, his curious eyes sweeping the streets of the capital city, his voice inevitably imbued with amazement. “Big Brother, the capital city looks much prettier than Tanyang!”

“Of course it’s different from Tanyang. It’s the capital of this country. You see those people over there? They are all staring at us, at the Ling family. You’re the youngest son of the Ling family, and from now on they’ll be paying attention to your every act and every move as well.”

Ling Maomao twisted his head around to look at him. “I know. During the journey Grandfather and my parents all kept telling me that I must mind my manners and must not mess around in the capital city, that I must not disgrace you.”

Ling Zhang smiled, “Actually what they meant was you must not disgrace the family name. In the next couple of days I’ll spare some time and show you around the city.”

Eyes lighting up, Ling Maomao delightedly let out a cheer, but soon he restrained himself and said with a faintly dispirited face, “Well, maybe it’s best if you don’t.”

“What’s the matter?” Ling Zhang looked at him, puzzled.

“My father told me that you were very busy, that I was not to attach myself to you after getting to this city. He said you would soon become the prince consort, which would be all the more reason for me not to attach myself to you,” replied Ling Maomao.

Ling Zhang’s face took on a slightly surprised look at this answer. He raised his hand with the intention to rub Ling Maomao’s head but paused briefly and then patted Ling Maomao’s shoulder. “It’s okay. Sparing some time to show you around won’t be too much trouble. Even if I become… Even if I move into the palace, I’ll still be your big brother, and I’ll be there for you whenever you need me.”

Ling Zhang was having rather mixed feelings. The towering imperial palace was standing right in the distance. Right now he and Yuwen Tong were still able to leave the palace to meet his family, but after Yuwen Tong acceded to the throne, after the two of them got married, finding an opportunity to do something like this would be much more difficult.

…

The Ling family’s arrival in the capital city arrested the whole city’s attention. Everybody knew they were genuinely future in-laws of the emperor and would become one of the forces in this city, so almost everybody was trying their best to nose out as much information about the Ling family as possible.

The Ling Mansion, which had always been a quite special place in the capital city, was thrust into the limelight once again.

Fortunately, back at the time when Yuwen Tong had been looking for a house for Ling Zhang, he had taken into consideration the possibility that people of the Ling family might one day come to the capital city to live with Ling Zhang. The Ling Mansion was huge, and there were more than enough rooms for all members of the Ling family.

“In-law, it’s been a while since we last met. You seem to be aging backwards,” said Ling Xingzhong with a smile as he met Ji Yin.

Ji Yin said, “You must be joking, In-law. I’m a geriatric now as well. How could I possibly look young? Did everything go smoothly during the journey?”

“Yes. Thanks to the guards you sent to protect us, no trouble-maker dared to bother us. The journey was quite uneventful,” replied Ling Xingzhong.

“I’m glad to hear that. Now that you’ve arrived safe and sound, Zhang’er could now set his mind at ease,” said Ji Yin, leading Ling Xingzhong inside.

Given that Yuwen Tong’s identity was different now, theoretically he should be walking in front, but he didn’t show the slightest inclination to do that. Instead, he, along with Ling Zhang, was proceeding abreast of Ling Zhaowu and Ling Zhaowen, heading towards the far end of the residential compound.

“It surprises me that this residence also has such a large drill ground,” said Ling Zhaowen as they walked past the drill ground.

“It was Yuwen Tong who helped me purchase this residence. He specially picked one with a drill ground so that it’d be more convenient for the guards to practice their formations, and more convenient for me to practice kung fu every morning as well,” said Ling Zhang. “There’s also a pond and a garden over there. The rear yard is vast and has been unoccupied all this time. Apart from these, there are also some separate courtyard houses on the left and the right sides. I’ve been saving them for you for quite some time. All of them have been cleaned, waiting for you to move in.”

Ling Zhaowen gave a little cough. Yuwen Tong’s status was different now. Why was Zhang’er still calling him by his full name?

“Brother Zhang, Uncle Ling and Aunt Ling are probably tired after such a weary journey. We should let them get some rest,” said Yuwen Tong on the side.

Ling Zhang inclined his head. “You’re right. Uncle, Aunt, let me walk you and Maomao to your room.”

“You may just have someone else take us there.” Ling Zhaowen hurriedly declined Ling Zhang’s offer after throwing a glance at Yuwen Tong. Having seen that Yuwen Tong was on Ling Zhang’s heel all along like his shadow, he really feared that if he accepted the offer, Yuwen Tong would go with them, which would be a level of formality far above his station. “You should go and keep your grandfather company,” he added.

Chapter 347: A Bowl of Noodle Soup

Since Ling Zhaowen had put it this way, Ling Zhang had Xia Feng lead Ling Zhaowen and the other two to the courtyard house prepared for them. He himself, along with Yuwen Tong, accompanied Ling Xingzhong to another courtyard house.

When they reached the gateway, Ling Xingzhong paused, pivoted around and said, “Don’t bother to walk me any further. Lao Li will unpack and take care of everything else for me as well.”

Ling Zhang wanted to stay to keep him company, so Yuwen Tong on the side said, “Maybe it’s better if Brother Zhang stays here to keep you company, Old Master Ling. I’ll go to the front yard to see how the arrangements for the welcome reception are going.”

Ling Zhang was rather surprised. Preparations for the welcome reception were not something that Yuwen Tong needed to personally supervise. Why was he doing this?

Then he glanced at Ling Xingzhong who unnoticeably heaved a sigh of relief, and with that he suddenly came to understand the reason why Yuwen Tong had offered to leave was because he could tell that his grandfather was feeling uneasy.

Ling Zhang’s lips briefly clamped together and he said to Yuwen Tong, “Come to think of it, my maternal grandfather probably has something to confer with you about. Also, the Clan Leader should arrive here soon. I’ll stay here with my paternal grandfather for a few moments and then go there.”

Yuwen Tong gave a nod. “All right.”

When Yuwen Tong had left, Ling Zhang guided Ling Xingzhong into the house.

Ling Xingzhong took a seat and looked at him. “Zhang’er, the Marshal will soon ascend the throne. His identity is different now. How could you have him go to the city gates with you to meet us? It’s against the etiquette.”

Ling Zhang kept silent for a brief moment and then replied, “We didn’t think much about it. He’s been quite busy lately. It’s not everyday he could spare the time to do something like this.”

Ling Xingzhong patted Ling Zhang’s hand and said, “You must not do anything like this again. He will be the emperor after the enthronement. Leaving etiquette aside, for the sake of his safety alone, you two should be more cautious.”

If truth be told, Yuwen Tong’s personally meeting them had indeed boosted the Ling family’s respectability earlier this day, and Ling Xingzhong also felt overwhelmingly flattered. It could be said that the Ling family had gained a firm foothold after this act of Yuwen Tong’s. However, Ling Xingzhong was also a little worried that Ling Zhang would be impeached because of this. There was no hurry about the Ling family gaining a foothold in this city, but if Ling Zhang was impeached before his nuptials, it would put him at a disadvantage.

“I see. I promise I’ll be more discreet,” said Ling Zhang. “Let me guide you to your room to change, Grandfather.”

Ling Xingzhong would like to have a word with his grandson, so he didn’t decline. With Ling Zhang supporting him, he washed his face, changed and then settled himself in a chair in the main living room. Butler Li was giving instructions to the servants, bustling around. Even so, the main living room was still very quiet. All servants were staying away from the main living room so as not to disturb their masters.

“How’s the current situation in the capital city? During the journey we heard a lot of rumors which we didn’t know were true or not. I was only too anxious to get to the capital city right away, but what with my senility, I had no choice but to travel here at a gentle pace,” said Ling Xingzhong.

Ling Zhang analyzed the current situation in the capital city for Ling Xingzhong.

Ling Xingzhong listened quietly. When Ling Zhang had finished speaking, he observed with a sigh, “Right now the first priority is to have the Marshal accede to the throne as soon as possible. Only after his enthronement would the political situation truly stabilize and other matters become easier to handle.”

“The date has been fixed already, and staff members of the Ministry of Rites are racing against time to finalize the ritualistic arrangements,” said Ling Zhang.

Ling Xingzhong gave a bob of the head. “Originally Tao Yi wanted to come here with us, but a serious case suddenly happened in Tanyang and he had to deal with it first. There will probably be another two days before he arrives in this city. Incidentally, how’s Tao Yi? I heard that he moved into the Ling Mansion. Why am I not seeing him?”

Ling Zhang explained, “He returned to the Oriental Rite Academy after the abdication ceremony. His teacher, after all, is a distinguished scholar. Thanks to the abdication ceremony, many of the literati have now let go of their personal antipathy towards Yuwen Tong. As his teacher has an influence on a lot of literary men’s opinions about the imperial court, I want to draw him over to Yuwen Tong’s side, and Tao Yi went back to the Oriental Rite Academy to help convince his teacher.”

Ling Xingzhong pondered over it for a few moments and then said, “Lord Pei, Tao Feng’s respected teacher, and Lord Hu, Tao Yi’s teacher, they go way back. It’ll advantage you two even further if you manage to get him on board as well.”

Ling Zhang said, “Currently I don’t have a clue how to rope Lord Pei in. Also, it would be presumptuous to pay him a visit. Do you have any good ideas, Grandfather?”

Ling Xingzhong answered, “Well, I wouldn’t call this a good idea, but Tao Feng will arrive in a day or two, and when he does, I’ll talk to him. He’s a smart guy. He’ll know what the right thing to do is.”

It struck Ling Zhang that this might be a way to handle it. “Thank you in advance, Grandfather,” he said.

Ling Xingzhong shook his head. “Overall, there’s too little I could do to help you owing to my lack of connections in this city.”

Of all the contacts he used to have before he left this city in that year, the Yuwen family were probably the only ones who still carried weight, and among them, Yuwen Tong was the only one that still remembered they owed the Ling family a favor.

“Neither our family nor your maternal grandfather has any connections in any of the political forces in the Great Yue. Our family is in Tanyang, a backwater, and your maternal grandfather leads a secluded life in remote mountains. The assistance we could offer you is limited, which is to your disadvantage.” Ling Xingzhong began to fret about his grandson’s future.

Ling Zhang instantly pulled a wry face. “Grandfather, you’re overthinking it. I don’t really care much about the so-called assistance. It’s not for fame or wealth that I’m marrying Yuwen Tong, so take it easy.”

Ling Xingzhong looked at him. “Nonsense. You really should think more about yourself.”

Ling Zhang smiled, “Grandfather, I know what I’m doing.”

Resigned, Ling Xingzhong had no choice but to keep his vexations to himself, planning to confer with Ji Yin in a few moments about what they could do for their grandson.

…

After the welcome reception, Yuwen Tong returned to the palace. Ling Zhang stayed and spent the whole afternoon with his family and didn’t go back to the palace until after dinner.

He entered the Infinite Fortune Palace, took a bath, changed, went to the kitchen and then made towards the Infinite Fortune Palace to deliver late-night snack.

“You had a bath?” He had just walked into the hall when Yuwen Tong took a couple of sniffs, put down his writing brush and looked at him.

“I was on the run out there all day and I was sweaty all over,” explained Ling Zhang, placing the snack onto the desk. “You’re working overtime tonight as well?”

Yuwen Tong replied, “It’ll take another few days to get all these things handled.”

He might as well directly say that he wouldn’t be able to get any leisure before the enthronement and would probably still be fully occupied in the few days after it.

“Did my maternal grandfather tell you during the day when the Clan Leader would arrive?” Ling Zhang inquired of him, handing a bowl to Yuwen Tong.

Yuwen Tong took it, picked up a pair of chopsticks and started eating the noodles in it, slurping noisily from the bowl. The soup was thick and tasty, the noodles chewy, the chopped green onion unnaturally appetizing.

“Yeah. He said that the Clan Leader would arrive the day after tomorrow.” Yuwen Tong swallowed a mouthful of noodle and then took a gulp of soup. “It strikes me that this soup was not made by an imperial chef.”

Ling Zhang gave a smile, looking at him with gleaming eyes.

Yuwen Tong paused and then the expression in his eyes suddenly became deep and ardent. “It was you who made it?”

Ling Zhang responded, “It’s not everyday that my aunt could come to this city. My aunt was the one who prepared the soup base; I made the noodle after learning from my aunt for a solid afternoon; the chopped green onion was ready-made; a cook helped me make the fried egg. How does it taste?”

Yuwen Tong made no reply. He just quietly finished the soup, wiped his mouth, drew Ling Zhang over to have him sit on his lap, put his arms around Ling Zhang’s waist, rested his head on Ling Zhang’s shoulder and then said with a sigh of contentment, “From now on, my late-night snack will always be noodle soup. I can sit here all night after drinking a bowl of noodle soup.”

Cuddled by him, Ling Zhang couldn’t move and didn’t want to move. He carefully shifted his position slightly to make it more comfortable for Yuwen Tong to rest his head on his shoulder, though he was now unable to twist his head around to see the expression on Yuwen Tong’s face. “I’ve learned how to boil down the mixture to make the soup base. Today I didn’t have the time to prepare it, but I’ll get it ready tomorrow.

I’m willing to make noodle soup for you every night. I just worry that one day you’ll get sick of it. Also, I don’t want you to have it every night, because that would mean you’ll have to work late every night. I want you to have more time to rest.”

Yuwen Tong hugged him tight, rocking gently. “And I don’t have the heart to have you go to the trouble of making soup base every day. Just let a cook handle it when you need it.”

‘How could that be the same?’ thought Ling Zhang. That would be different. In fact, a moment ago he had also fried an egg by himself, but it hadn’t looked very well, and he’d figured it probably didn’t taste well either. Worried that Yuwen Tong had waited too long and got hungry, he had asked a cook for help, who made a fried egg for him. He believed that he would get the hang of it after practicing it for a couple of more times.

Ling Zhang remained in Yuwen Tong’s embrace for a while and then asked him, “Where do you plan to settle Ji Yanlai in after he arrives?”

Yuwen Tong answered, “I’ll ask Ji Yanlai his opinion and see if I should keep his identity secret for the moment. As for the accommodation, I consulted with your grandfather and we decided to let him and his men stay in the Ling Mansion.”

Ling Zhang bobbed his head. “There are enough rooms to accommodate all of them.”

Fortunately this residence Yuwen Tong had purchased for him was large enough. Otherwise how to accommodate all these people would have been a big problem.

“Given that Ji Yanlai is coming here personally, I think he probably has plans to put an end to the seclusion he and his people have been living in, but they might not be totally honest with the public about their identity,” said Yuwen Tong.

“What do you mean?” Ling Zhang asked him.

“Previously we had a speculation that Ji Yanlai wanted to lead people of the Millennium Pavilion out of the Sanguan Mountains, that he just needed me to help him get a new place to live. Now we just have to wait to see where the place he wants is, but no matter where it is, seeing as he has chosen to cooperate with me, the place he picked must be somewhere he couldn’t take possession of without an authorization issued by the imperial court, somewhere he needs the imperial court’s help to keep outsiders from snooping around. This makes it inevitable that some information about the Millennium Pavilion will come to people’s knowledge, and it’ll be impossible for them to go back to the kind of state of absolute seclusion they used to be in,” said Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang gave it some thought. “Do you have any guesses about where he might want people of the Millennium Pavilion to settle down?”

Cuddling him and rocking him gently, Yuwen Tong said, “I’ll let you take a guess first.”

After a few moments’ silence, Ling Zhang said, “The south-west?”

“Why?”

“The south-west is off the beaten track, and the dense forest further south is inhabited by many nationalities. That area has always been difficult to govern, but it would make a perfect hideout.”

“Any alternatives?”

“To the north of this country is the Luohai Kingdom. He might make a deal with Luohai, but the further north he goes, the colder the climate gets, and the more barren the land is. He doesn’t strike me as someone who would lead his clan to an area like that. If he goes west, he may make a deal with the Wan Kingdom, but likewise, the further west he presses, the poorer the land is. Actually that area is basically a desert. If he goes eastwards, he’ll reach the sea… and the Fangcun Kingdom. Surely he’s not planning on moving to an island?”

Yuwen Tong smiled, “What’s wrong with moving to an island? Ji Yanlai is not struck on the north or the west, and the south-west is not very inhabitable either. It bristles with thick woods and poisonous miasma. I could tell at a glance that Ji Yanlai is the kind of person who hates having to handle troublesome issues. Dealing with those barbarians in the south would be a terrible ordeal for him. Going to the sea is his best option. All he needs is an island.”

Ling Zhang was astonished. An island?

Chapter 348: The Arrival of Ji Yanlai

“An island in the sea will indeed allow them to stay far away from the earthly world without being cut off from it completely, but if it’s really an island that they want, how are we supposed to get them one? I have little acquaintance with the sea. The Eastern Heron Island and the Morning Star Island are the only two islands I know of. These two islands are close to the shore and relatively large. Apart from local islanders, there are also navies stationed on them. Further to the east is the Fangcun Kingdom. It’s an island country, and there are also some small islands sparsely located around it, all of which are very far from us. How are we going to hold up our end of the bargain?” said Ling Zhang.

“Since Ji Yanlai has chosen to cooperate with us, there’s no doubt he has also chosen us to be his long-term ally, which means he wouldn’t pick somewhere too far away, but he wouldn’t live too close either. His best choice would be an island that makes it convenient for him to contact the mainland as well as the Fangcun Kingdom.”

Ling Zhang looked at him. “Does an island like this exist? Even if it does exist, are we really going to give it to him just like that? Apart from everything else, the courtiers would by no means agree, and if word gets out, your reputation would be compromised.”

Yuwen Tong said, “There’s no need for you to worry about that. Ji Yanlai is a smart man. He won’t make any unreasonable demands if he wants to get an island without any trouble. Besides, if the island is too big, it would make the Millennium Pavilion conspicuous and his people wouldn’t be able to live in seclusion. Therefore, he would prefer a relatively obscure island that is not too big nor too small, one that can accommodate all people of the Millennium Pavilion and is fit to be their headquarters. This also means it’ll be better if the island is uninhabited. I’ve read the map and narrowed down the list to a couple of islands. Barring accidents, he’ll choose one of them.”

Ling Zhang said, “Let me take a look.”

Yuwen Tong led him into the side hall. On a wall of the hall hung a map which was large and also very detailed. In fact, it could be said this was currently the most detailed map in the world, and he could only imagine how precious it was. Yuwen Tong tapped at a couple of points on the map, indicating the islands he had just mentioned to Ling Zhang.

Ling Zhang looked at them, confused. “I don’t understand. This one here – it’s totally blank.”

“But in fact there IS an island. It’s just in that area appear curious whirlpools from time to time, so local fishermen living in coastal villages never venture there. That island mostly consists of woodlands, high hills and rocks, and it’s a relatively medium-sized one of the couple of islands. I tend to believe that they’ll pick this one,” explained Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang understood what Yuwen Tong meant. This island had a natural barrier around it, so if people of the Millennium Pavilion wanted to keep themselves away from prying eyes, this would be a perfect choice for them. However… “For them, this also means danger,” observed Ling Zhang.

“Given what the Millennium Pavilion is capable of and Ji Yanlai’s extraordinary discernment and intuition, I think they’ll figure something out to handle it by themselves,” said Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang looked at him. “If they really want this island, you’re really going to give it to them?”

“Give it to them? No. What I’ll give them is just the permission to live there. The geographical location of that island is a little special… The waters to the south-east of the Fangcun Kingdom are infested with pirates. A lot of merchant ships traveling between Fangcun and our country fell prey to their robberies, along with some trade vessels from the South Ocean. But most of those pirates are very cunning. They live on the sea and are very familiar with it, which is why they are all experts on making escape. The imperial court is always sending the navy to hunt them, but six times out of ten the navy end up losing eyes on them. This island is located right near the waters where trading ships frequently get robbed. If people of the Millennium Pavilion want a peaceful life on that island, they’ll have no choice but to rid their gateway of pirates first. With them living there, the imperial court will be saved some trouble. Besides, that island is not big, and the Millennium Pavilion doesn’t have many members, so we could just take it as a sect in Jianghu. We give them a place to live and tell them they must abide by the laws made by the imperial court. In essence, they’ll still be our subjects,” said Yuwen Tong.

It was at this moment that Ling Zhang caught on to Yuwen Tong’s plan. In the final analysis, when Ji Yanlai had chosen to cooperate with them, he had also in a sense chosen to strike up a certain relationship with the imperial court. Their request for authorization from the imperial court would count as a pledge of allegiance in disguised form. Considering their creed of standing aloof from earthly affairs, they were unlikely to cause any trouble.

Ling Zhang relaxed safe in the knowledge that Yuwen Tong had had it all planned out.

Previously he had had a grudge against the Millennium Pavilion because of his mother’s death, but then he had wiped the slate clean after being informed that the Millennium Pavilion had once rescued his father. Afterward, the Clan Leader had given him two precious pills which cured his father of his illness and also turned out to be a lifesaver for Yuwen Tong. Also, Ling Zhang himself had benefited a lot from the handbook on internal energy of the Millennium Pavilion, so as long as people of the Millennium Pavilion were indeed seeking to find a place to live in peace, he would fulfill his end of the deal that they had struck.

…

Two days later, Ji Yanlai’s carriage trundled into the capital city at a leisurely pace, followed by five guards on horseback. In the carriage was also a young boy – Cong, Ji Yanlai’s nephew.

It was Ling Zhang and Ji Yin who went to meet them and then led them to the Ling Mansion.

“It’s been quite some time since the last time I left the mountains. This city is pretty prosperous.” Ji Yanlai raised the curtain and looked out of the window without the slightest inclination to conceal the fact that he was a country bumpkin. Whenever he saw something unfamiliar to him, he discussed it with Cong, and every time their eyes alighted on food, the two of them stared fixedly in its direction until it was out of sight.

“What do you think that is, Uncle? It smells so good!” Cong, hanging out of the carriage window, was eyeing something hungrily, and so was his uncle.

Seeing Ji Yanlai was gazing covetously out of the window with Cong like a child, Ling Zhang and Ji Yin, who were sitting on the other side of the carriage, couldn’t help but pull wry faces.

“Those are Deep-fried Ears. If anything takes your fancy, just tell me and I’ll have someone buy it and bring it to your room,” said Ling Zhang.

Ji Yanlai’s looks were uncommonly attractive, and that scarlet mole in the middle of his forehead lent him an air of something further removed from the mortal world, so when he and Cong, hanging out of the window, made a fuss about the things they saw with amazed expressions on their faces, they were drawing a lot of pedestrians’ attention, almost all of whom were sneaking surreptitious glances in this direction. Ling Zhang, seeing their excited and curious faces, had originally intended to offer to take them out of the carriage and go back to the residence on foot to let them have some fun, but now he worried that if Ji Yanlai got out of the carriage, he would instantly be surrounded by lookers-on.

“Deep-fried Ears?” Cong clapped his hand to his ear in astonishment. “That’s horrible!”

“Not human ears. They’re made of flour. People shape the dough into ears and then put them into boiling oil to fry them. They’re quite delicious,” Ling Zhang explained to him. Cong reminded Ling Zhang of Ling Maomao at a younger age, and Ling Zhang always had a soft spot for adorable children.

Cong took his hand off his ear, giving a gasp of relief. “I see. I want some!”

“No problem.”

“And what are those? They smell great!”

“Those are snacks: pot-stewed fowl, duck necks, etc. I’ll buy you some.”

“And what’s that? That big flat cake over there.”

“Those are pies, with chive filling or meat filling. I’ll buy you some as well if you want.”

…

The horse-drawn carriage had slowed down considerably after entering the city, because Ji Yanlai and Cong were feasting their eyes and lost track of time. Ling Zhang, who didn’t want to rain on their parade, kept his promise and bought them all the things they were struck with. Although pedestrians on the street were all watching, and some of them even followed in the wake of their carriage staring at Ji Yanlai, they didn’t dare get too close – thanks to the guards – and no trouble was caused.

But Ling Zhang inquired of Ji Yanlai, “Clan Leader, is it okay that so many people out there have seen your face?”

Ji Yanlai appeared nonchalant. “What could they possibly know about if I don’t tell them anything about the origins of the Millennium Pavilion or my identity as the leader of it? They’re just curious about my appearance. It’s no big deal.”

Ling Zhang looked at Ji Yin, who raised no objection either, so he made no more comments on this matter.

He led Ji Yanlai and Ji Yin to the gateway of the Ling Mansion, where Ling Xingzhong, Ling Zhaowu and Ling Zhaowen, along with Ling Maomao, were waiting for them.

As they all knew who Ji Yanlai was, Ling Xingzhong and Ling Zhaowen were quite polite to Ji Yanlai. Ling Zhaowu, however, acted in a much more natural way.

Cong, who was being drawn forward by Ji Yanlai, curiously sized up Ling Maomao.

Ling Maomao was also looking at him, probably because Cong, who was a fair-skinned, round-faced little boy with beady big black eyes, struck him as quite cute. Ling Maomao couldn’t help gazing at him for a few moments.

Cong asked, “Who are you?”

“I’m Ling Maomao. What’s your name?” Ling Maomao replied.

“Cong.”

“Cong?” Ling Maomao was puzzled. “Just Cong? What’s your full name?”

“Well, it’s just Cong. Ji Xiaocong,” answered Cong in a silvery voice.

Ling Maomao was bemused. His parents had named him this? Didn’t people only put ‘Xiao’ in pet names?

“Is ‘Cong’ the one meaning smartness?” Ling Maomao asked him.

Cong was perplexed for a brief moment, clearly having difficulty finding in his memory a Chinese character that was pronounced ‘Cong’ and meant smartness. Having no knowledge of this character, he responded, “No, it’s the one meaning ‘chopped green onion’. My uncle told me that chopped green onion’s very fragrant, that it’s the most fragrant thing in the world, so I was named ‘Cong’, because I’m the best.”

Ling Maomao was also thrown into perplexity. Ah?

On hearing this, all adults standing on the side pulled wry faces. Ji Yanlai had named his nephew ‘Cong’ just because chopped green onion struck him as fragrant? What kind of uncle would do this kind of thing to his nephew?

Ling Zhang was torn between amusement and sympathy for Cong, but he didn’t really believe that ‘Ji Xiaocong’ was this boy’s full name.

Unsurprisingly, Ji Yanlai explained, “It’s a rule of our clan to wait until a child passes their seventh year to give them their full name, so ‘Cong’ is just his pet name.”

All the others felt relieved for Cong at this explanation. Ling Maomao also heaved a sigh of relief, feeling that it would be such a shame that an endearing white-skinned young boy like Cong had actually been named ‘Ji Xiaocong’. Fortunately that was not his full name, he thought.

Cong, whose attention had been distracted by his uncle’s words, asked, “What’s a full name, Uncle?”

“Well, it means a formal name,” answered Ji Yanlai.

Surprise was written all over Cong’s face. And then something occurred to the boy and he jerked his head up to look at his uncle and said in a voice tinged with panic, “I don’t want a full name. I want my name to be ‘Ji Xiaocong’!”

Ji Yanlai lowered his head to look back at him, his eyebrows lifted. “Why?” he asked.

“Because chopped green onion is very very fragrant, and the name ‘Cong’ makes me the best. I don’t want my name to change,” answered Cong, sounding somewhat anxious.

Ji Yanlai reached out a hand to give the boy a playful pinch on the cheek. “You’re quite discerning. Actually I think it’s a pretty good name as well, but your mother would probably kill me if I make it your formal name. Let’s wait until you’re seven years old to talk about this. There’s no hurry.”

But Cong was still a little anxious, a sulky expression on his face.

Ling Maomao, who was walking abreast of him, consoled him, “‘Cong’ is a good name, but it does no harm for you to get a full name that sounds even cooler.”

Cong looked at him. “A full name that sounds even cooler?” he asked.

Ling Maomao gave a bob of the head. “Yeah. One cooler than ‘Cong’,” he replied.

Cong’s eyes moved to him again. “What kind of name would sound even cooler than ‘Cong’?”

Ling Maomao started racking his brains. Ling Zhang walking on the side looked at them with a curious face, thinking, ‘Not bad. Maomao has learned how to coax people.’