The Glory After Rebirth [ɇÇ”Ÿä¹‹Å°Šè£] Chapter 463- 465

Chapter 463: A Change in the Air About Ling Zhang

Ling Zhang walked into the abode of the Marquess Fuan shoulder to shoulder with Yuwen Tong and then casually glanced around.

Yuwen Tong had offered to build Yuwen You a new residence, but Yuwen You had declined the offer, saying that he just wanted to expand this residence. He had purchased the adjoining mansion from a courtier, planning to incorporate it to this residence and revamp them next spring. Therefore, the residence looked the same as usual except for some new furnishings.

The two of them, followed by Yuwen You and his family, entered the main living room and settled themselves in the high seats.

After they sat down, Yuwen Tong gave the permission for Yuwen You’s whole family to sat down and they all took seats on the right-hand side of the living room. Yuwen You’s manner was deferential, and his family members were also quite discreet about their words. Yuwen Qian and his wife were sitting at the end of the front row, respectful expressions on their faces.

Ling Zhang didn’t intentionally look at Yuwen Qian or his wife. He’d appeared calm since he’d sat down, and he hadn’t tried to strike up a conversation with any of the people present. The purpose of this visit of his was to make a gesture, so when he sensed the furtive appraising glance from Yuwen Qian’s wife, he didn’t look back at her.

Though Ling Zhang seemed unperturbed, he was spontaneously emanating an air that deterred the others from trifling with him. Everybody present perceived the change of Ling Zhang. This kind of change seemed to be boring into them as Ling Zhang’s eyes were.

His eyes were unemotional, but the others felt as if he were seeing right into their hearts.

This kind of change struck Yuwen Qian and the others as quite astounding. After all, not long before, Ling Zhang had given them the impression that he was an affable person who always smiled genially, but now, Ling Zhang made them feel that…anybody could tell at a glance he was the empress.

He was the empress of the Great Wen, a noble man not to be taken lightly.

Yuwen Qian’s wife withdrew her eyes after stealing a single glance at him, the curiosity in her eyes concealed, not daring look at Ling Zhang again, doing her best to keep her back straight.

Yuwen Qian had also sensed his wife’s fear, having quite mixed feelings about how much Ling Zhang had changed. A few days before he’d been an amiable childe, but now he had developed a becoming air for an empress.

No wonder his cousin liked Ling Zhang so much, had disowned his own uncle on account of Ling Zhang, treated Ling Zhang as an equal, and even planned to…

As this thought crossed him mind, Yuwen Qian couldn’t help but glance at his wife’s abdomen and with that mixed feelings surged inside him again. Before this day, he’d been reluctant, excited and had some ideas even he himself couldn’t quite understand, but on this day, after meeting Ling Zhang, Yuwen Qian suddenly found that those ideas which even he himself couldn’t explain had disappeared. It was not that he was intentionally subduing them but that he had perceived the existence of that gulf which he would never be able to bridge.

By this moment, these thoughts had crossed Yuwen Qian’s mind thrice, and the others had also thought about similar things several times. Although Ling Zhang had never cast any appraising glances at any of them and seemed to be listening carefully to the exchange of usual pleasantries between Yuwen Tong and Yuwen You, he actually could sense the subtle atmosphere in this living room acutely, and could distinctly perceive the smallest movement of people present and even the minor changes in their breathing.

He was about to achieve a breakthrough and reach the third layer of his method of cultivating internal energy, and his Chi was getting increasingly powerful, his five senses growing sharper and sharper. Therefore, he could hear even the faintest sound in this living room. From the moment he’d entered the abode of the Marquess Fuan, he had appeared calm and relaxed, but in fact he had mobilized all his internal energy, and the air about him had changed, which was why the others, when their eyes fell on him, felt he’d changed noticeably, especially so when he looked back at them.

This was because the method of cultivating internal energy from the Millennium Pavilion was very special. It was meant for descendants of the Ji family who possessed the Blood of the Phoenix Clan, and was tailor-made for that kind of constitution. As their proficiency in the cultivation method developed, their meridians were enhanced, their potential increased. Just like those foreseers living in that previous dynasty – the more powerful their internal energy, the more otherworldly they’d looked. Ji Yanlai was also a very good example.

In other words, the cultivation method of internal energy of the Millennium Pavilion was meant for psychics. The further they went down that path, the more aristocratic and transcendent they would appear. The Blood of the Phoenix Clan in Ling Zhang was stronger than that of most descendants of the Ji family, so as his internal energy grew, more and more people would be deterred from looking him in the face.

Although he hadn’t reached the third layer yet, this kind of feeling he gave people was still very intense when he mobilized all his internal energy.

This was the very change that Yuwen Qian and the others had perceived.

Yuwen Tong sitting beside him had naturally sensed the change in the air about Ling Zhang as well. He inwardly praised his sweetheart for his smart move, a ghost of smile hidden in the depths of his eyes.

He had merely given Ling Zhang a pointer, but the latter not only came to know what he should do, but also was doing it better than he’d expected.

Yuwen You, who seemed to be exchanging common courtesies with Yuwen Tong, was also a sly old fox. On the surface he didn’t any achievements worth mentioning, but actually he was quite clever. Anybody could tell from his sons’ and grandsons’ good career prospects alone that he was by no means as…mediocre as he seemed.

Naturally, he also noticed how much Ling Zhang had changed. Unlike any of the others living in this residence, he was acutely conscious of why Ling Zhang was now so different than the person he used to be. Of course, the judgement he made was based on Ling Zhang’s identity. Therefore, though he “knew the reason”, he was still shocked by Ling Zhang’s current mien, because he hadn’t bargained for such drastic change in Ling Zhang’s temperament either. Even he didn’t dare look at Ling Zhang for long.

Yuwen You had long since come to known that once Yuwen Tong was enthroned, the relations between Yuwen Tong and his family would change radically, that though they were of the same blood, the monarch-subject part of their relations would be dominant.

All his family must adapt to the change of their identity as soon as possible. Therefore, after Yuwen Tong’s enthronement, he had severely cautioned all his family members that they must come to realize the changes their new identity had brought. When Yuwen Tong had disclosed to him his intention to adopt Yuwen Qian’s child, what had worried Yuwen You the most was potential change in Yuwen Qian’s attitude. As a result, he had specially admonished Yuwen Qian many times not to have any ideas he was not supposed to have. Earlier this day, before Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong had come, he had warned Yuwen Qian in private once again, worrying that this grandson of his might not be able to figure out what was the right thing to do…

However, now all his worries had dissolved. The air Ling Zhang was emanating deterred everybody. Though Yuwen Tong hadn’t made any particular remarks, he was positive that all his family members knew how they should conduct themselves.

Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong had come here because: firstly, they did want everybody in this residence to know about the difference between their identities, and secondly, they were inclined to show care and concern for Yuwen Qian’s wife. Her time was near, and her baby, be it a boy or a girl, would be a member of the imperial family. This was an agreement between Yuwen Tong and Yuwen You.

Yuwen Tong and Ling Zhang didn’t stay in the living room for long, because Yuwen Qian’s wife was in late pregnancy and would feel uncomfortable if she sat still for long. Neither Ling Zhang nor Yuwen Tong was inconsiderate, so after another few moments’ small talk with Yuwen You, they rose to their feet and made an excuse, saying that they would like to go to the garden for a walk, that Yuwen Qian’s wife and the others didn’t have to accompany them. Next, Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong had a stroll in the garden in the company of Yuwen Qian, Yuwen You, Yuwen Si and Yuwen Han.

“In a couple of days I’ll have Physician Mu of the Ling Mansion pay you a visit,” Yuwen Tong said to Yuwen You.

Mr. Mu’s name was now known to all members of the couple of most powerful families in the capital city. Yuwen You, who had heard about the matter of Yuwen Tong’s being poisoned, was fully aware of how capable a physician Mr. Mu was. Certain that with Mr. Mu’s help, Yuwen Qian’s wife would safely be delivered of her baby, Yuwen You accepted the offer.

“Thank you, Your Majesty. I’ll make sure Physician Mu feels at home during his stay here,” said Yuwen You.

Yuwen Tong looked at him. “Great-uncle, you may have Physician Mu feel your pulse and assess your health after he comes here.”

Yuwen You smiled, “Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty.”

Yuwen You, who was robust, knew very well that he had no serious health problems. Though he was suffering from some ailments, they’d been caused by his old age and were inevitable. Yuwen You was quite philosophical about them and was not depressed at all.

Yuwen Tong had always found Yuwen You’s broad-mindedness admirable. His broad-mindedness had also affected his descendants, all of whom, including Yuwen Jin who was uninterested in study, were moral and upright. There was not a single coward or wimp or evildoer in his Yuwen You’s family.

After walking in the garden for a while, Yuwen Tong, believing he’d said all he needed to say to Yuwen You, stopped talking. Though he hadn’t said anything to Yuwen Qian directly, he’d made his point quite clear, so he didn’t stay in this residence for long. Before lunchtime, he and Ling Zhang took their leave and set out to return to the palace.

Before they left, Yuwen You asked Yuwen Tong about Yuwen Jin. The Shadow Battalion was a special department, and it was impossible for Yuwen Jin to send any messages back home from inside. He wouldn’t be able to get in touch with his family unless he left that place.

Yuwen You and his two sons were the only ones in the family who were aware of Yuwen Jin’s journey to the Shadow Battalion. All the others believed that he’d gone to the borderlands to toughen himself up. Yuwen You knew that the Shadow Battalion was a powerful force under Yuwen Tong’s command. Now that Yuwen Jin had gone to the Shadow Battalion to receive special training, there was no way he could get out of that place without being put through hell. Out of his worries for his grandson, Yuwen You couldn’t help but ask about it.

Yuwen Tong, who had been receiving letters from the Shadow Battalion on a regular basis, was fully aware of how Yuwen Jin had been doing. He told Yuwen You that there was no need for him to worry about Yuwen Jin, that Yuwen Jin had gradually adapted himself to the special training in the Shadow Battalion already.

Yuwen You let out a long sigh of relief at the reply.

After leaving the abode of the Marquess Fuan, Yuwen Tong and Ling Zhang went into the imperial carriage and sat down side by side. Ling Zhang had barely talked during his stay in the residence. Basically, he’d been affecting an air of dignity all the time. And because of the change in his aura, and the absence of Yuwen Jin who was the only one in the family that dared joke with him, all those people, naturally, had been deterred from being familiar with him.

“You did pretty well back there.” Yuwen Tong was generous with his compliment.

Ling Zhang tossed him a glance. “Really?”

“Certainly. Did you not notice none of those who’d cast appraising looks at you in the beginning did that again afterward?” said Yuwen Tong.

Of course Ling Zhang was conscious of that, but after Yuwen Tong confirmed it, he naturally was more convinced that he’d done the right thing.

“This special function of your cultivation method is so convenient. I think I may well be the only one having the guts to look you in the eye in the future. Um…the prospect of that gladdens my heart,” observed Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang, “…”

Chapter 464: A Banquet- The Upcoming New Year’s Eve

Though Yuwen Tong had put it this way, actually the air emanated by Ling Zhang merely served to put people around him under stress, and it barely had any influence on anybody with a strong will or powerful internal energy.

After the two of them returned to the palace, a large batch of valuables meant as reward were delivered to the abode of the Marquess Fuan. Many people were baffled as to why Yuwen You had first received a visit from the imperial couple and then such a handsome reward. Though some of them had some speculations, none of them connected it with adoption, because that possibility was unbelievable.

The problem was the abode of the Marquess Fuan had been quiet ever since, and there hadn’t been any particular activities in there, which further bewildered many people.

A few days later, Ling Zhang declared he was going to hold a banquet. In the invitations he sent, he made it clear that those invited were supposed to bring their kids to attend the banquet.

They were supposed to bring their kids to attend the banquet? Those who’d been bemused soon came to understand.

The day before the banquet, Ling Maomao, the Second Young Master of the Ling family, was brought into the imperial palace.

On hearing the news, everybody caught on to what it was about. The consort wanted to find his cousin some playmates.

These officials of the capital city, who were far more worldly-wise than common people, after guessing that Ling Zhang intended to find his cousin some playmates, all started to contemplate. Ling Zhang was now the empress, and the emperor cared about him very much. Given that the first thing the emperor had done after his enthronement was to make Ling Zhang his consort, it was obvious that the relationship between the two of them was uncommonly strong. Unless some serious problem came up between the two, Ling Zhang’s position as empress would always be solid, and so would the status of the Ling family. However, Ling Zhang was a man after all, and there was no doubt the emperor would take concubines and have them bear him sons so that he could pick one of them to be his heir. When that happened, Ling Zhang and the Ling family would be in an awkward position, but that was not really a foregone conclusion, because although Ling Zhang was a man, he could adopt a concubine’s son. In that case, Ling Zhang’s and the Ling family’s status would still be unsurpassable.

Within merely half a day, every one of these officials made a lot of assumptions, each more opinionated than the last. Meanwhile, Old Master Ji the Left Prime Minister, Zhao Zheng the Minister of War, and even Chu Liangyan the Right Prime Minister had made up their minds to bring their most valued teenage family members to the banquet the next day.

It was premature to talk about the succession to the throne. Even if the emperor had plans to take concubines, which he didn’t, it would be some time before the birth of his first child, and an even longer period before the princes reached adulthood. The future was full of uncertainties in this regard, which made it more advisable to please Ling Zhang first than it was to dwell on the possible development of this issue. Ling Zhang was now the empress, and was very much in favor with the emperor. Whoever dared to take the banquet lightly the next day would be offending not only Ling Zhang but also the emperor. Anybody, so long as they were not stupid, knew what they ought to do the next day.

After Ling Zhang gave the instruction, numerous people in the capital city were thrilled, a lot of whom hastened to consult with each other in private.

Their acts, which they themselves believed nobody would be able to find out, didn’t escape Yuwen Tong’s men’s notice.

Ling Zhang, though having guessed this, turned a blind eye to it. He didn’t care about the process. What he cared about was the outcome of the next day’s banquet. He wanted to find Ling Maomao some playmates, but these people were so bold as to judge the Ling family first when the Ling family hadn’t judged any of them. They would have to face his anger and the consequences of their actions.

Fortunately, only a limited few were foolish. The next day, most invited guests dressed up and brought their own children or their blood relations’ children to the palace to attend the banquet, and most of the children were around Ling Maomao’s age. Those who didn’t have any family members of similar age brought the most favored ones of the younger generations of their families.

Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong were both very pleased to see that these people were pretty sensible. As regards the small number of insensible ones…

They were scared out of their wits when Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong hadn’t even said anything yet. Nobody knew what these people were thinking – maybe because they were ill-informed or had been tricked by others, they actually had merely brought some of the average ones of their teenage family members. When they noticed that the others had brought sons born of their legal wives or grandsons born of their sons’ legal wives, they almost blacked out, coming to know that they’d made the wrong decisions. Unfortunately for them, it was too late to change their minds. They had no choice but to steel themselves and take their seats, praying Ling Zhang’s and Yuwen Tong’s eyes wouldn’t alight on them.

“They’re so stupid. His Majesty has taken a clear-cut stand in his handling of the matter of His Highness’ advisers, but these people still couldn’t see sense, or maybe they’re just wildly self-important. They seriously believe His Highness and the Ling family would see them differently just because they brought their sons and grandsons born of legal wives? What a bunch of incurable idiots.”

“The matter of advisers concerned His Highness, and this matter concerns the Second Young Master of the Ling family. These people probably see themselves as above the Ling family.”

“Ridiculous. Who are they to give the Ling family the cold shoulder?”

“They’re oafs. What other explanation is there? You’ll see – considering how insensible they are, they’d never go any further in their careers. It would take nothing short of a miracle for any of them to get a promotion.”

A lot of guests were whispering in sarcastic tones or discussing something in private. Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong, though sitting in the high seats, could hear them distinctly, but neither of them showed any sign of their true feelings on their faces, so naturally the guests sitting down there were unable to tell what either of them was thinking.

In addition, on this day, Ling Zhang mobilized his internal energy to change the air about him once again. After that visit to Yuwen You, he had developed a real flair for this. Many of those high-ranking courtiers, who were shrewd and crafty, were secretly startled as their eyes met Ling Zhang’s, and none of them dared to look at Ling Zhang’s eyes again.

The location for this banquet was the imperial garden. It was just a common palace banquet, the purpose of which was to create opportunities for children to get to know each other, so overall, the atmosphere was fairly relaxed.

“Maomao, why don’t you go and show these childes around the garden?”

Ling Zhang looked at Ling Maomao with encouraging eyes, suggesting he show these young childes around the imperial garden. Ling Maomao inclined his head. Slightly poker-faced, he rose to his feet and made towards the group of childes. He appeared somewhat nervous, but his bearing was unhesitating.

Ling Zhang felt relieved for Ling Maomao, watching as the boy walked towards those childes, who were either his age, or slightly older than him, or slightly younger than him. Soon the boy led the group of peers towards the depths of the garden. Ling Zhang arranged for Wang Dashan and some others to follow the group of teenagers to protect them in case any accidents happened.

Ling Maomao slightly twisted his head aside to look at Ling Zhang, who nodded at him, and after that Ling Maomao progressed without another backward glance. Many of these childes looked familiar to Ling Maomao, because they had met once and talked with each other at the banquet on the night of Ling Zhang’s and Yuwen Tong’s wedding day. All of them sensibly took the initiative in striking up conversations with Ling Maomao. With some of them speaking, the atmosphere naturally wouldn’t be chilly. Ling Maomao knew that they were in the imperial palace, and there were men all around who’d been sent here to protect them by his cousin, and there was no need for him to worry about any accidents, so his face slowly relaxed, and gradually things began to go well between him and the other teenagers.

After the children left, the officials naturally wouldn’t let the imperial couple feel bored. Some of them brought up politics, and some others had prepared other topics. There were always subjects they could discuss.

This palace banquet lasted quite a long time and didn’t end until dusk.

Ling Maomao hit it off with a couple of peers. Ling Zhang had observed them and come to know which families they were from, but he had no intention to interfere, because firstly, Ling Maomao had just met them, and although how people felt about each other on first acquaintance mattered when it came to making friends, getting to know each other better was also necessary; those teenagers’ elders, as long as they were not fools, would definitely require them to socialize more with Ling Maomao and see if they could become close friends with him; secondly, Ling Zhang was not inclined to meddle in Ling Maomao’s choice of friends. He preferred to let the kids figure it out on their own, so long as none of those people was up to anything underhand.

There were two fairly important matters to be dealt with after the banquet. The first one was to establish an imperial elementary school. This was a matter of great urgency. Although Yuwen Tong had no children for the time being, Yuwen You’s great grandchildren, Ling Maomao, the two prime ministers’ grandchildren and the six ministers’ grandchildren all needed a place where they could receive education and socialize with their peers. As a result, after Yuwen Tong brought up this matter at the banquet, officials in the imperial court had started discussing it. Barring accidents, a decision would be made in a day or two, and then the selection of teachers would begin. The second one was to make preparations for the Spring Festival which was very close. Even the plan to establish an imperial elementary school wouldn’t be carried out immediately after a decision was made, because the preparatory work for the Spring Festival would be given priority. This would be the first Spring Festival since Yuwen Tong’s enthronement, so everybody in the imperial court set great store by it, especially staff members of the Ministry of Rites, who found themselves up to their eyebrows in work once again. In the past couple of days, dark circles had reappeared under Yuwen Feng’s eyes, and he always had a sulky face when speaking in court meetings. Whenever anybody disagreed with him, he contradicted them hotly. What with this, the mood of court meetings had become considerably more tense in the past few days.

Yuwen Tong sitting on the throne, however, appeared quite unperturbed. The New Year celebration must be taken seriously, but it shouldn’t be an excuse for extravagance, because currently they still had to be sparing with money so that people who were struggling to restore their lives could get more help. However, it shouldn’t be modest either. All the necessary ceremonies should be held with due pomp. Ceremonies meant a lot to the imperial household, and they meant even more to the people. Everybody would be watching when the emperor paid tribute to the gods at a ceremony during the Spring Festival. It would be some kind of comfort to them and thus should on no account be trifled with.

This made things pretty difficult for Yuwen Feng. He had to make the celebration both economical and impressive. Were the emperor not Yuwen Tong, he would have shouted stinging rebuke at the emperor. Since reprimanding the emperor was not an option, he had no choice but to take it out on those who were insensible enough to cross him.

Ling Zhang felt quite sympathetic towards Yuwen Feng after coming to know about it. The very sight of the dark circles under Yuwen Feng’s eyes gave him a twinge of guilt. Still, though feeling sorry for him, this was Yuwen Feng’s job and he was supposed to get it done.

“He is the Marquess Huaiwen (AKA the Marquess of Moderation) and the Minister of Rites, and it’s a natural thing his title and post come with a lot of duties. If he fails to handle this matter properly, he’d have a hard time showing his face in court meetings next year. Though he’s been snapping at a lot of people in recent court meetings, he’s been doing his job pretty well,” observed Yuwen Tong.

Yuwen Tong would pretend not to hear any of the harsh words Yuwen Feng said to the others, so long as Yuwen Feng performed his duties with distinction. He’d started out as a military officer, not a civil official. In the army, officers banged on tables and swore at every meeting, because they’d have difficulty making themselves understood if they spoke in a gentle manner. As a result, he didn’t care how heated the argument between his men was. As long as they could get the job done, he would turn a blind eye to all the bloodletting.

Yuwen Tong’s attitude towards it was very clear. Having served him for quite some time, almost all the courtiers knew what he was like in this regard, and were aware that they must get their job done with flying colors, that the emperor wouldn’t mind if they argued with each other from time to time, but if they argued all the time and didn’t do their job, they might have to face consequences including, but not limited to losing their positions.

Chapter 465: A Visit to the Abode of the Marquess Huaiwen

As the end of the year neared, staff members of the Ministry of Rites were getting increasingly occupied with work. Ling Zhang, as the empress, also had a lot of matters to attend to, every one of which was tedious but had to be handled. On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, there were a succession of sacrificial ceremonies. Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong were on the move for a whole day. When they finally returned to the imperial bedchamber after getting everything dealt with, Ling Zhang slumped down in a chair and didn’t utter a word for quite a while.

“What’s the matter?” Yuwen Tong looked at him apprehensively.

“Even sitting with you in the consultation hall for a whole day couldn’t have been more tiring than this.” Ling Zhang finally made a remark, putting his hands on his shoulders to massage them. He was wearing particularly thick clothes which had many layers. It had been such a hectic day that Ling Zhang was having trouble putting his hands and feet in comfortable positions.

Yuwen Tong walked up to him, helped him take off his overgarment and then reached out his hands to knead Ling Zhang’s shoulders. “All this is over now. What we need to do next is wait for the Spring Festival to come.”

His shoulders heaving as Yuwen Tong massaged them, Ling Zhang’s face slowly relaxed. “It never occurred to me an empress had to deal with so many chores.”

He was a man, which spared him from a lot of chores, but even so, he still had tons of trivial matters to attend to. He couldn’t imagine how busy he would be were he a woman. Managing the imperial seraglio alone might well tire him out. And, fortunately for him, Yuwen Tong only had eyes for him and had no intention to take concubines. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to bear managing a large seraglio full of troublesome issues, even if he could stand Yuwen Tong taking concubines. At the thought of this, Ling Zhang felt a cold shiver run through him.

He looked up at Yuwen Tong, his mild eyes full of affection. “You’re so sweet.”

Yuwen Tong was surprised. “Um?”

“Am I doing it correctly?”

Mistakenly believing that Ling Zhang said so because he was doing a good job in massaging him, Yuwen Tong continued.

“Yeah,” answered Ling Zhang, but that was not what he meant. “If you could always…”

“What is it?” Yuwen Tong asked him, confused as to why he left his sentence hanging.

Ling Zhang shook his head. “Nothing. Stop massaging me and sit down. I’ll give you a massage in return.”

Yuwen Tong slightly paused. This guy seemed to have something to say. What was on the tip of his tongue a moment before?

Without the slightest change of his countenance, he stopped and sat down. When Ling Zhang walked behind him to knead his shoulders, he inquired in a seemingly casual tone, “There are indeed too many trivial matters in the palace. If it really bothers you, I’ll have the Ministry of Rites simplify the celebration and cancel those optional parts.”

“Don’t,” demurred Ling Zhang immediately. “We only have one or two days as hectic as this one in a year. All the officials and residents will be watching. If we give them a simplified version of the celebration, there will definitely be discontent. Besides, in order to save money, the Ministry of Rites have canceled some unnecessary parts already.”

Owing to this matter, Yuwen Feng had visited Yuwen Tong privately and complained to him about the inadequate budget several times, and eventually managed to get an extra sum from the Ministry of Revenue.

“All right. Then let’s stick to the plan,” said Yuwen Tong. “What was it you wanted to say just now? Are you worried about something else?”

Ling Zhang subconsciously shook his head. “No. I’m just happy you’re like this. You make my life so much easier.”

“You’re happy I’m like this?” Yuwen Tong’s mind raced. “What do you mean?”

Some thoughts crossed Yuwen Tong’s mind as he recalled that Ling Zhang had been busy all day and was somewhat resigned to the red tape in the palace, but he still wanted to confirm them.

“We’re the only ones living this place, so there are not many knotty issues. Otherwise I might well end up working myself to death as the empress,” said Ling Zhang.

Yuwen Tong had the twinkle of a smile in his eyes when listening to the first half of Ling Zhang’s words, but as he heard the latter half, his eyebrows contracted. “What are you talking about? This is a festive day. Don’t say any inauspicious words.”

Yuwen Tong went fretful at the word “death”. Heedless of the fact that Ling Zhang was massaging his shoulders, he turned around and spanked Ling Zhang. “Don’t you say anything like that again.”

Ling Zhang clapped his hands to his butt. “Okay, okay. I won’t! You don’t have to spank me! I was just saying! Why are you making such a big deal out of it?”

Yuwen Tong snorted, “Why do you think I’m making a big deal out of it? This is a festival. You’re not supposed to anything like that. The only reason why I’m letting you get off with a mere spank is because I’m soft-hearted.”

Knowing that he indeed should have been more careful with his choice of words, Ling Zhang gave a little cough and said, “All right, I get it. Stop being mad. I’m sorry, okay?”

Yuwen Tong looked at him. “Then why are you still keeping distance from me? Come over here.”

“Okay.” Ling Zhang stepped closer and said, “Don’t overreact. I didn’t mean any of those words. Besides, it’s not like I made a prophecy or some–”

“Um?” Yuwen Tong knitted his brows, staring at Ling Zhang piercingly.

Ling Zhang immediately shut up, appearing quite docile.

Yuwen Tong gave another snort. “Today is a festive day, so I’ll let you off the hook. If I hear you say anything like that again, you’ll have to take consequences far more serious than spanking.”

Ling Zhang inwardly rolled his eyes upwards, thinking that he was not a kid any more.

“It was your first time dealing with this kind of rigmarole, which was why you were a little flustered. With the experience you gained today, you’ll find yourself able to deal with this kind of matters with great facility the next time you’re in a similar situation. After you get more helpers and finish grooming some of them as your henchmen whom you click with, you may have them share your burden. Your position as the empress is supposed to serve as a platform for you to realize your aspirations. I could never bring myself to see you shackled to this kind of chores.”

After lecturing Ling Zhang, Yuwen Tong made some serious remarks.

The faintly rebellious idea in Ling Zhang’s mind disappeared at these words. In an earnest tone of voice, he said, “I see.”

Presently, Jiang Yu and Zhao Jiusi were the only ones he had at his service apart from Wang Dashan and the other twenty-three. Both of them were talented. After he knocked them into shape, he would recruit another couple of capable advisers, and then there would be no problem. After all, he would have much work to do in the palace in only the next few years. After everything was back on track, he would focus on the business network his father was trying to build, and use it as a foundation to do what he wanted to do.

He wouldn’t interfere with any state affairs. He could tell that the courtiers had mixed feelings about him and were also somewhat wary of them. It was unnecessary for him to make any of them become more defensive with him. Besides, he didn’t have any political aspirations. Yuwen Tong was more than enough to keep things under control in the imperial court, and a second ruler was needless, for it would severely undermine the stability of the political situation. Even if he and Yuwen Tong were totally okay with it, their subordinates would sooner or later come into conflict with each other because of partisan wrangle, which would do the people no good whatsoever.

As a result, ever since he’d married Yuwen Tong, he’d been visiting the consultation hall considerably less often, and after the Spring Festival, he wouldn’t go to any court meetings with Yuwen Tong or show up in the consultation hall once again unless he had to.

In his sight, the best-case scenario would be for Yuwen Tong to rule the country as the emperor while he covertly offered Yuwen Tong assistance. Yuwen Tong would be dealing with all the important state affairs in the imperial court, and he would travel to different areas of the Great Wen and utilize the intelligence network his father built for him to secretly collect information about conditions of the people, so that Yuwen Tong would be able to keep abreast of the overall domestic situation without having to go out of the capital city. In addition, before that, they’d still be faced with the greatest problem – to unify the three countries.

Ling Zhang had given it some thought. In two or three years, after everything was back on track, he would gradually cut back on his public appearances, keep a low profile, and then visit the three countries. Of course, he was just planning it and hadn’t mentioned it to Yuwen Tong. They still needed to settle the matter of the south-west, so he prepared to wait until the situation there stabilized to talk with Yuwen Tong about it.

“What are you thinking about? You seem to be lost in thought,” Yuwen Tong suddenly said, gazing fixedly at Ling Zhang, as if he were reading Ling Zhang’s mind.

Ling Zhang instantly withdrew his eyes. “Well, just now you said something about realizing my aspirations. That’s what I was thinking about.”

A slightly skeptical look appeared in Yuwen Tong’s eyes as he saw Ling Zhang look away. “There’s no hurry.”

“I’m in no hurry. I know what our first priority will be in the next few years,” Ling Zhang hastened to reply.

Holding Ling Zhang’s hand, Yuwen Tong kept silent, pondering over something. Ling Zhang became faintly nervous. A moment before he’d merely been thinking about that matter, and he hadn’t said anything about i. Surely Yuwen Tong hadn’t divined what he’d thought about just by looking at him? But even if Yuwen Tong had, he would still set out to do what he’d made up his mind to do.

“I’m glad to hear that. They’ve established a plan to build a school. It’ll be carried out next spring. How about you deal with this matter?” said Yuwen Tong.

“Me? Uh…Are you sure it’s proper for me to do that?” Ling Zhang hesitated.

He hadn’t participated in any of the discussions in court meetings, so he worried that some of the courtiers might not be happy about him taking it over.

“There’s nothing improper about it. The establishment of an imperial school also concerns Maomao, which means you have a reason to be in charge of it. I’ll get you some help. Besides, there will be piles of state affairs to be dealt with next spring, which will obscure the significance of the matter of establishing a school. You may take it as an opportunity to improve yourself,” replied Yuwen Tong.

As Yuwen Tong had put it so explicitly, Ling Zhang naturally agreed briskly. If truth be told, the idea of taking over this matter struck him as quite appealing. Just like Yuwen Tong had said, he could improve himself during the process. The matter of establishing a school was somewhat different from those important state affairs which would come onto the agenda next spring, and it wouldn’t alert any of the courtiers. It was perfect to practice on.

“All right. I’ll handle it,” agreed Ling Zhang.

Now that he’d undertaken to handle it, he must finish the job with flying colors.

…

The day after the Laba Festival (the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month), people in the capital city started bustling around making preparations for the Spring Festival. There were a lot of stipulations concerning this festival in the imperial palace, so there were naturally a lot of work to do. Ling Zhang began to juggle the festival preparations and preparatory work for the establishment of the school which was scheduled for next spring.

Days went by one after another. During the process, Ling Zhang, as the empress, had paid a visit to Yuwen Feng’s residence. Most people were confused as to why Ling Zhang went to the abode of the Marquess Huaiwen. Only a limited few who knew some inside information were aware that Ling Zhang had brought a court physician with him to show care and concern for Yuwen Feng’s wife. Her expected date of childbirth was later than that of Yuwen Qian’s wife, but her belly was also quite big. A few days before, she’d accidentally tripped and suffered from bellyache. Ling Zhang, after conferring with Yuwen Tong, decided to pay her a visit, bringing a court physician with him. Given that the two of them had paid a visit to the abode of the Marquess Fuan, they should visit the abode of the Marquess Huaiwen as well, because after all, this baby of Yuwen Feng’s was to be fostered with Yuwen Tong as well.

Yuwen Feng had got two sons and a daughter already, all of whom were born of his legal wife. The three children were of similar ages. The eldest one of them was five. A few days before, when Ling Zhang had held a banquet in the imperial garden, Yuwen Feng had brought his firstborn son to attend it. Unlike Yuwen Feng who was poised, his firstborn son was blunt and bluff, more like Yuwen Jin.