The Glory After Rebirth [ɇÇ”Ÿä¹‹Å°Šè£] Chapter 142- 144

Chapter 142: A Request of Liu Yi

“Wait a moment.” Yuwen Tong suddenly halted.

“Marshal?” Yao Yi was confused.

“It was after receiving Yuwen Qi’s message that Zhao Fugui came to Tanyang with the intention to rescue him. How did Yuwen Qi send out the message at that time?”

Yao Yi widened his eyes and immediately replied, “I’ll go and ask him right now!”

Seeing Yao Yi returned, Zhao Fugui, unaware of what Yao Yi’s intent was, narrowed his shoulders.

“How did Yuwen Qi send that message to you?” asked Yao Yi, a cold expression on his face.

Zhao Fugui had already made his cross on the confession document. In the knowledge that there was no way back, he answered without any misgivings, “Second Young Master did it by means of a snake he kept, which has received special training and is able to smell a certain sort of strange, unique odor.”

Snake? Yao Yi asked in a suspicious tone of voice, “What kind of snake?”

“A very small snake. It can slither a very long distance. Second Young Master always carries a bamboo tube with him, which is used for containing that snake.”

“So you have something that gives off the odor that can lure the snake to you?”

Zhao Fugui nodded, unfastened a sachet from his belt and handed it to Yao Yi.

Yao Yi did smell a weird odor and reached out his hand to take it.

But Zhao Fugui withdrew it. “This odor is not strong but very lingering. It can last about people who touch it for a very long time. I don’t know how, but the snake can detect it. If you touch this sachet and that snake by any chance finds you, Second Young Master will definitely lay suspicions on me. And, you must not tell Second Young Master what I just informed you of. Otherwise I’ll be dead before I could do anything for Marshal.”

Yao Yi coldly gave a snort and left.

After walking out of the place, Yao Yi reported to Yuwen Tong what Zhao Fugui had just told him.

Yuwen Tong recalled what Ling Zhang said that day, amusement gleaming in his eyes. ‘Ling Zhang has a pretty keen sense of smell.’

“So be it.”

Yao Yi gave a bob of his head.

…

The next morning, Ling Zhang, like the day before, went to the guards’ yard to check the security guards’ progress in their training.

After the previous day’s training, they were significantly more proficient in the formation and indeed didn’t let Ling Zhang down.

“Young Master.” Liu Yi walked over.

Ling Zhang inclined his head. “Come with me.”

Ling Zhang brought Liu Yi back to his dwelling. Liu Yi had been to this place many times, but he had not had a single occasion to visit here recently. As a result, when he stepped into the courtyard, he couldn’t help but secretly sigh in sentiment.

“You should know what I want to ask you about,” Ling Zhang, who had no intention of beating around the bush, observed straightforwardly after the two of them sat down.

Seeing Ling Zhang had a calm face with no trace of anger, Liu Yi actually felt a sense of great relief.

He had really feared that Ling Zhang might directly send him packing.

“I’ve indeed been keeping something back from you, Young Master, but I’m only doing this because I have to. By your leave, I’d like to explain it to you in detail.”

“Go ahead.” Ling Zhang flicked a bland glance at him. ‘What do you think I brought you here for? Tea?’ he thought.

Liu Yi let out a soft cough and hurriedly said, “When I was a child, a kung fu expert instructed me in martial arts, so I learned some moves. Since there’s something sensitive about the background of that kung fu expert, he exhorted me not to disclose his whereabouts. That day, when we were sparring with the Marshal, I concealed part of my strength because I was uncertain about Marshal’s identity and worried that I might bring trouble to that kung fu expert if I performed the moves he had taught me.”

“That’s it?” Ling Zhang was somewhat surprised. ‘It’s as simple as that?’

Liu Yi inclined his head in a sincere manner. “It’s as simple as that. I’m really not hiding anything else. What I once told you is also true. I didn’t lie to you, Young Master. It’s just that I really cannot disclose anything about this kung fu expert. He’s my benefactor and I cannot do anything that might endanger him, but I can guarantee that he had never crossed the path of anyone of Ling family, and I will never do anything that might cause Ling family or Young Master harm.”

“What about your visit to Tanyang? Did it have anything to do with this kung fu expert?” asked Ling Zhang.

Liu Yi replied in an embarrassed tone of voice, “The kung fu expert did mention that bandits were a terrible scourge in Tanyang. He said that it was a pity he had to live in seclusion due to his past. Otherwise he would have come here to do something for Tanyang people. It was after hearing his remarks that I had the intention of coming to Tanyang.”

Liu Yi didn’t seem to be lying. And Ling Zhang’s observation during these days also suggested that Liu Yi harbored no evil intentions.

Ling Zhang believed that there was an eighty-percent chance that he was trustworthy. As regards the other twenty percent, it was because Ling Zhang wanted to stay wary and observe Liu Yi for a longer time.

“Since that’s the case, I won’t push you, but if you do anything against the interest of Ling family and I find out, I will not let you get away with it.”

“I understand, Young Master. If that happens, you may punish me in whatever way you deem necessary.”

“Young Master, I wonder if I may take the liberty of making a request,” Liu Yi suddenly added.

Ling Zhang looked at him.

“May I ask if Young Master will go to the capital city with the Marshal?” asked Liu Yi.

“That’s true. What do you have in mind?” Ling Zhang believed that it was unnecessary to keep his plan to go to the capital city secret from him.

“May I have the honor of going there with you, Young Master?” Liu Yi looked at Ling Zhang, an expectant look on his face.

Ling Zhang’s forehead corrugated in a frown. “You want to go to the capital city?”

Liu Yi gave a bob of his head. “I want to go to the capital city to look for someone. Before I left Yan Zhou, I promised that kung fu expert that I would go to the capital city to look for an old friend of his for him if occasion arose. Actually, my original plan was to ask for a leave of a month half a year later and pay a visit to the capital city.”

“Is it of great importance?”

Liu Yi thought for a few moments and then inclined his head. “I think it means a lot to the kung fu expert. Given that he had never implored me to do anything for him, it must be very important.”

After pondering over it for a while, Ling Zhang replied, “You have to allow me some time to think about it.”

“Thank you, Young Master,” said Liu Yi.

Later that day, Ling Zhang went to see Yuwen Tong and told him about the explanation of Liu Yi.

“Kung fu expert? What kind of Kung fu expert?” asked Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang shook his head.

“Then what do you think? You want him to go to the capital city with us?”

“I’m still considering. Actually, I don’t see that there’s any harm in letting Liu Yi go to the capital city with us. The only thing that concerns me is whether what he’s going to do will bring any influence on us.”

After all, even he himself would be a total stranger in the capital city.

“Then let him go with us. You actually have made a decision already, haven’t you?” Yuwen Tong looked at him.

Ling Zhang slid a sideways glance at him. “Yes, Mr. Know-it-all.”

He had indeed already made a decision. Since he was still slightly uncertain of the allegiance of Liu Yi, he believed that he might as well take Liu Yi with him to find out exactly what it was that he intended to do. At least it would be better than leaving him in Tanyang –if anything bad happened, he wouldn’t be able to help, given the long distance between Tanyang and the capital city.

“If this matter really bothers you so much, why not just send him packing?” Yuwen Tong made a suggestion.

“You are not helping. If I really have him leave, you will definitely tease me again.” Ling Zhang refused to fall for his trick.

Yuwen Tong chuckled, “When did I ever tease you?”

Ling Zhang shot him a dark glance. ‘What a nuisance!’

‘Having Liu Yi leave is simple, but what would others think of me if I fire him for such a petty thing? Those security guards, Wang Dashan in particular, wouldn’t they be bitterly disappointed by it? I didn’t put so much effort into training them for fun,’ he thought.

Moreover, Liu Yi was actually competent in his work. Ling Zhang didn’t have the heart to fire him.

“What about you? Why did you release Zhao Fugui?” Ling Zhang asked him.

Yuwen Tong gave him a sketchy account of the matter concerning Zhao Fugui but skipped the part about Yuwen Zhi’s attempt to pair him off with the niece of Zhen shi.

“I got the goods on him. He has no choice but to follow my orders.”

“A base man like him might double-cross you. You’ve got to be careful,” observed Ling Zhang. He held a deep dislike for Zhao Fugui and his likes. The sight of any of them always jogged his memories of what happened in his last incarnation. ‘Maybe the one who took some men to Tanyang and ridiculed my family in my last life was Zhao Fugui’s father, that man named Zhao Laifu or something,’ he thought.

“You may rest assured that I’ll take over all affairs in Yuwen family after I return to the capital city. Previously, since I was defending the border area, I couldn’t be bothered to take a personal interest in the matters at home. Now that we are going to live in the capital city for a long time, I definitely won’t wink at family matters any longer.”

“You are going to live in the capital city for a long time?” Ling Zhang was thrown into a trance of surprise. ‘Why does Yuwen Tong want to live in the capital city for a long time?’ he wondered.

Yuwen Tong inclined his head. “Yeah. At least I’m not going to leave the capital city before our wedding day, unless there is another war. But theoretically, the Wan Kingdom wouldn’t wage another war during the next few years.”

Ling Zhang was sent speechless with astonishment.

‘Why is Yuwen Tong so sure that we’ll get married?

And about the war, why is he so positive that the Wan Kingdom wouldn’t wage another war? There has been numerous frictions and also frequent battles between the Great Yue and the Wan Kingdom in the past. There has never been any long periods of peace.’

“How can you be so certain that the Wan Kingdom won’t wage another war?”

Yuwen Tong gave a mysterious smile but didn’t answer the question. “Some day you’ll know.”

Strangely, Ling Zhang had a sneaking suspicion that Yuwen Tong must have done something covertly.

…

Another day passed and the date for Jia Yin’s execution arrived.

Many residents congregated around the chopping block at the entrance of the food market, waiting to see Jia Yin be beheaded.

Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong were sitting near the window in a private room on the second floor of a nearby teahouse, which happened to be a good vantage point for watching the execution ground.

Jia Yin was escorted to the place of execution, skinny, in striking contrast to the image of a rich man that he was ten days ago before being imprisoned. Clearly, this ten-day-long wait for death had cost him all his vital energy. He scarcely had enough strength to keep his balance, staggering along the way.

The color of his face was a deathly white twined with sickly blue, which was, for all intents and purposes, identical with that of a dead man’s face.

When Jia Yin was escorted to the chopping block, he still didn’t utter a word, staring vacantly at the ground.

“It is said that after Jia Zhong died, he kicked up a stink, spat out a mouthful of blood and ended up like this,” said Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang blandly responded “Um”, thinking that Jia Yin got his just deserts.

Apart from Jia Yin, other members of Jia family were also escorted to the execution ground. They were here to watch the execution. After Jia Yin died, they would be escorted to a defense works construction site near the border, where they would spend the rest of their lives.

On their arrival at the execution ground, they burst into tears. Fang shi was wailing the hardest, but none of the onlookers nearby felt any sympathy for her.

At Wuzheng (12:00), Jia Yin was beheaded.

Fang shi passed out and was carried into a prison wagon to be sent to the border, along with all other convicted members of Jia family.

Jia Yin’s corpse was collected and then casually thrown to a mass grave.

Thus, Jia family was consigned to oblivion, leaving no traces of its existence whatsoever in Tanyang.

Jia family had been eradicated and Zhang Chong had died. Ling Zhang’s remaining enemies were those who, adding to the misfortunes of Ling family, had carved up Ling family’s assets. All those people used to be Zhang Chong’s lackeys and were the next ones to be eradicated. As regards how to deal with them, Ling Zhang had already had a plan.

Yuwen Tong and Ling Zhang left the teahouse. While leaving, Ling Zhang unintentionally noticed two men, who had been hiding among the crowd, leave the scene. The figures of the two men were very familiar to Ling Zhang. One of them was the patriarch of He family, and the other the patriarch of Zhou family. The two men appeared panic-stricken, unable to disguise the fear on their faces.

Chapter 143: You Don’t Know?

Yuwen Tong glanced in the direction Ling Zhang was looking and asked, “Who are they?”

Ling Zhang replied, “Zhang Chong’s lackeys. Since Zhang Chong’s dead and Jia family ended up like this, they got scared.”

Yuwen Tong lost his interest in the two men after hearing this and withdrew his gaze. “Let’s go. You’re still recovering.”

…

In the small town in Yan Zhou, Yuwen Qi, who had been waiting in the inn for quite some days, was informed of Zhang Chong’s death before Zhao Fugui and the other two, whom he had been expecting, could return to report.

It threw him in astonishment that Zhang Chong had met his end only a couple of days after his leaving Tanyang. He also heard about Dai Cheng’s presence in Tanyang, which also greatly perplexed him, since he had been in this town all along but never seen any armies pass by. He specially made some inquiries and was told it had been through a passage in the Grand Mang Mountain that the army had got to Tanyang.

“Zhang Chong had been hiding such a secret route. It seems that the Sixth Prince had long ago made preparations. What a pity…” Yuwen Qi didn’t finish his sentence, secretly muttering that the Sixth Prince and those on his side had been so unlucky. ‘They’d been concealing this trump card so well yet Yuwen Tong still found it and destroyed it.’

‘This matter would definitely cause quite a stink in the capital city. What’s been keeping Zhao Fugui? Why is he still not back after such a long time?’ He wanted to return to the capital city immediately to take a look.

Yuwen Qi had just privately complained about Zhao Fugui’s not coming back in time when the next moment Zhao Fugui and the other two men showed up.

Surprisingly, apart from Zhao Fugui and the other two men, he also saw Xie Shi, Yuwen Tong’s bodyguard!

“You–You!” Yuwen Qi was filled with anger and anxiety.

Zhao Fugui, face full of depression, didn’t dare to look at Yuwen Qi. The other two men were also keeping their heads down.

“Second Young Master, I brought word from Marshal that if you don’t take your men and go back to the capital city right now, he’ll make sure you never get back.” Xie Shi threatened him in a flinty tone of voice.

Yuwen Qi flied into a temper. How dare a mere bodyguard talk to him like this!

“Son of a bitch! Who do you think you are? How dare you threaten me!”

“This is the Marshal’s order. If you’ve got a problem with it, please go and talk to the Marshal.”

“You think you can scare me by mentioning Yuwen Tong’s name?!” thundered Yuwen Qi after overturning an inn stool with a hard kick.

Xie Shi coldly looked at him and folded his arms across his chest, saber in hand. “Second Young Master, please hurry and start packing.”

After panting with gritted teeth for quite a while, Yuwen Qi furiously turned around and abruptly slapped Zhao Fugui hard across the face, reprimanding, “Start moving, good-for-nothing! You want me to do it myself?!”

“Ouch!” Zhao Fugui let out a pained cry and, frightened out of his wits, hastily went upstairs to pack.

No matter how reluctant he was, Yuwen Qi didn’t really dare to challenge Yuwen Tong’s authority. Though barely able to forbear to kill people due to extreme rage, eventually he was still forced into leaving the town.

Xie Shi followed them and didn’t leave until they were out of the town, which infuriated Yuwen Qi to such an extent that he nearly vomited blood.

When they were far away from the town, Yuwen Qi kicked Zhao Fugui off his horse and thundered, “What the fuck is wrong with you?! Why did you lead Yuwen Tong’s man to me?!”

Zhao Fugui was trembling all over from the pain caused by the heavy landing, but he still rose to his knees in the knowledge that his young master’s question was not to be ignored. Head hanging, hate and ferocity glinting in his eyes, he replied in a loud and tearful voice, “Second Young Master, it was all because of that wild-card Ling Zhaowen! We were tricked by him real bad!”

Zhao Fugui skipped the part where he had been coerced into disclosing the secrets and signing the confession document, and told Yuwen Qi about Ling Zhaowen’s threatening to put them in jail.

“That Ling Zhaowen was very arrogant. He was fully aware of our identities but refused to show us a shred of respect, laying ill-concealed humiliation and total disregard on Yuwen family. It was outrageous!”

Yuwen Qi’s face was livid with rage. “It was not Yuwen family but us, people of secondary Yuwen family that he was humiliating! Ling family are nothing but a bunch of uneducated country bumpkins. I’ll have them know just because they have Yuwen Tong at their back doesn’t mean they get to scorn secondary Yuwen family. They should have peed on the ground and looked into it to find out what they look like!”

“Young Master, what should we do?” asked Zhao Fugui, weeping.

“We return to the capital city,” replied Yuwen Qi through gritted teeth. “Since Ling family have such a strong death wish, my father’s fury will befall them.”

“Yes!” Zhao Fugui secretly felt a sense of relief and hurriedly got on his horse.

After they left, Xie Shi showed up again, a shallow frown on his face.

Xie Shi returned to Tanyang, reported Yuwen Qi’s remarks to Yuwen Tong and then observed, “Marshal, Second Master would probably do something to harm Ling family. We have to take precautions.”

Yuwen Tong had a cold expression on his face all along.

Yao Yi and a couple of others exchanged glances with one another, all looking somewhat worried.

“Yao Yi, send word to the Shadow Battalion and tell Qi San to dispatch a team to Tanyang. They are to keep their identities secret protecting Ling family covertly.”

“Yes, Marshal!”

However, this was merely an expedient after all. In the final analysis, the root of the problem was in the capital city. But the crux of it was that Yuwen Zhi was Yuwen Tong’s uncle. Yao Yi and others were all privately worried about Yuwen Tong.

“This is a matter concerning the Marshal’s future marriage. Why does Second Master have to get involved in it? Back then when Marshal was having a tough time, they didn’t even–”

Yao Yi shot a dark glance at the speaker.

The speaker shut up but looked rather unreconciled.

“That’s enough. Do what the Marshal told us to do. I believe the Marshal will have it properly handled,” said Zhang Liu.

After the others left, Zhang Liu and Xie Shi exchanged glances, both their faces sullen.

“If it weren’t for the last words of the Old Master, the Marshal would never have to put up with Second Master and his men,” commented Zhang Liu in a contemptuous tone of voice, manifest disgust in his eyes.

“Even a lifeless statue has its own little temper, not to mention Marshal. Let’s just wait and see,” replied Xie Shi blandly.

…

At the same time. In Jiangzhou.

A downtown variety store in Jiangzhou was suddenly ringed by a large team of Yamen runners. Seeing this, all customers in the store were scared and hurriedly left.

“Excuse me, officers. May I ask why are you doing this?” asked the keeper of the variety store in a surprised and bewildered tone of voice.

“Where are your bosses?” asked the head constable, a serious look on his face.

“Well…our bosses are otherwise engaged. Can I take a message for you?” replied the storekeeper discreetly.

“Go and get your two bosses here. Tell them that their presence is requested in the yamen.” The head constable, still having a cold expression on his face, didn’t disclose any details.

Seeing their unfriendly faces, in the fear that something bad might have happened, the storekeeper went to inform Wang Xingfeng and Zhou Gaoyi without asking any further questions.

Both Wang Xingfeng and Zhou Gaoyi were greatly surprised to hear that their variety store had been surrounded by a lot of Yamen runners headed by some constables, and that their presence was requested in the yamen. In their perplexity, they wondered whether any of their previous doings had offended people of the yamen.

Perturbed, the two of them arrived at the hall of the variety store and met the head constable. Wang Xingfeng put on a smile. “Greetings, Head Constable Wang. May I ask if I can be of service to you?”

“Your service is unwanted. The two of you stand accused of illegal possession of important antiques as well as bribing the county magistrate of the Lotus County into granting you permission to open an unlawful gunpowder workshop with the intent to make profits, both of which are felonies. We’re here to arrest you. Constables, restrain them!”

Faces of Wang Xingfeng and Zhou Gaoyi changed drastically. They turned around with the intention to flee but their path had already been blocked. After a short while’s resistance, they were put under restraint.

“All properties in the names of Wang Xingfeng and Zhou Gaoyi have been seized awaiting further check of the yamen. You people are not allowed to live in this place any longer, and neither are you allowed to leave the city. Be ready to go to the yamen at a moment’s notice.”

Head Constable Wang gave an instruction to the storekeeper and store assistants and then took Wang Xingfeng and Zhou Gaoyi away with Yamen runners.

From start to finish, Wang Xingfeng and Zhou Gaoyi had on idea how their deeds had suddenly been brought to light.

The next day, the yamen ordered the seizure of all properties in the names of Wang Xingfeng and Zhou Gaoyi, who were convicted of the felony of running gunpowder workshop without official consent and sentenced to life imprisonment. Before long, their businesses in Yan Zhou, both big ones and small ones, were carved up by other business owners.

When news of this matter reached Ling Zhang, his countenance stood unchanged. Of course, he was the one who had sent his men to Jiangzhou to do those things.

Even Yuwen Tong had been unaware of this matter. “When did you send people to Jiangzhou?”

‘All these people in Ling family have been here all along. When did Ling Zhang send people to Jiangzhou?’ he wondered.

Ling Zhang looked at him. “You don’t know?”

Surprisingly, there were things that even Yuwen Tong didn’t know about. He had thought that Yuwen Tong knew everything he had done.

It had never crossed Ling Zhang’s mind that this matter would escape Yuwen Tong’s notice. He couldn’t help but secretly feel a little smug.

The rhetorical question asked in a surprised tone and the ill-concealed complacency on Ling Zhang’s face brought Yuwen Tong to an instant realization of what he was thinking. ‘Um… He looked pretty cute with this smug little expression on his face, as if there’s a tail behind him that’s going to be cocked up.’

“Yeah. I don’t know. Please tell me,” Yuwen Tong replied in an appealing tone of voice, feeling as if he was acting.

Ling Zhang said, “It was actually very simple. I had my uncle’s men go there.”

“Your uncle?” Yuwen Tong was sent into a brief trance of surprised. Then he couldn’t help but give a chuckle. ‘That figures. Ling Zhaowen is a Tongzhi of Tanyang after all.’

“How did you come to be so sure that the two men were up to something?” asked Yuwen Tong. Ling Zhang had been rather hostile towards the two men from the very beginning. As far as he knew, there had not been any conflicts between them and Ling family.

Ling Zhang’s eyes went flinty. “Those two guys harbored evil designs. The day has eyes, the night has ears.”

Even if the two men had done nothing illegal, Ling Zhang would have figured out a way to set them up. Under no circumstances would he show them any mercy. But apparently the two men had committed a serious crime. They had been so bold as to secretly run a gunpowder workshop without official consent. It was a pity that the gunpowder workshop was not of a large scale. Otherwise, it was likely that what they had been condemned to would have been death instead of life imprisonment.

Yuwen Tong felt that this matter was definitely not as simple as it seemed, but he had no idea how he could figure out exactly which part of it was not right. This feeling was just like Ling Zhang’s previous attitude towards him –it had come under suspicious circumstances, but there was no way to find out the reason.

‘Exactly what secrets has Ling Zhang been hiding?’

Yuwen Tong was eager to know the answer, but he wouldn’t make Ling Zhang tell him. He had plenty of time, and he would slowly have Ling Zhang open his heart and willingly tell him about it.

“When do you plan to tell you grandfather about going to the capital city?” Yuwen Tong asked him.

“I’ll talk to my grandfather about it later this day,” said Ling Zhang. The very thought of talking with his grandfather about going to the capital city with Yuwen Tong made his blood freeze. He had already had a premonition that his grandfather, inevitably, was going to ask him some questions about Yuwen Tong, his engagement to Yuwen Tong undoubtedly included.

‘Alas…’ Thinking about this, Ling Zhang didn’t feel like talking with his grandfather any longer.

“What’s the matter?” Yuwen Tong, who saw the strange expression on his face, couldn’t help but ask, “Is there anything bothering you?”

Ling Zhang flicked an inexplicable glance at him. “No.”

But Yuwen Tong disbelieved him. “Are you worrying that your grandfather would disapprove? That’s not very likely. I remember very well that he supported you in your remaining engaged to me.”

‘It’s his being over-supportive that is vexing me!’

Ling Zhang softly snorted, believing that Yuwen Tong would definitely be smug if he told him about this.

“I’m going there right now. Talk later.’

Watching Ling Zhang leave with a somewhat annoyed look on his face, Yuwen Tong was thrown into perplexity, unaware of which remark of his had caused offence to Ling Zhang.

Chapter 144: I’m Going to the Capital City with Yuwen Tong

“Grandfather, I’m going to go to the capital city with Yuwen Tong.”

Ling Zhang told Ling Xingzhong about his decision. Ling Xingzhong, as expected, beamed with delight and said “Good” several times in a row.

“It seems that you’ve changed your mind,” observed Ling Xingzhong, a big smile on his face.

Ling Zhang was sent speechless with astonishment.

“Yeah,” he replied.

Ling Xingzhong stroked his beard, smiling, “When do you plan to depart?”

Surprisingly enough, his grandfather didn’t ask him any questions on the details about his relationship with Yuwen Tong –questions like when he had changed his mind, whether he had fallen for Yuwen Tong, whether he was going to marry Yuwen Tong soon, etc.

After a brief trance of surprise, Ling Zhang answered, “I’m going to be in Tanyang for a few more days. We’ll depart when the imperial edict from the capital city arrives recalling Yuwen Tong to return.”

Ling Xingzhong nodded and commented, “Since you have already made up your mind to go to the capital city with him, you’ll have to take care of yourself. The capital city is a prosperous and bustling place, but be careful not to be blinded by its prosperity. You must stay alert at all times and be discreet about your words and deeds. It takes only a momentary lapse to get yourself in trouble.”

“I understand, grandfather,” responded Ling Zhang.

“The capital city…” Ling Xingzhong fleetingly paused and then continued, “We don’t have any relatives or social contacts in the capital city, and neither do we have any good reputation there because of those things happened in the past. This time around, when you are in the capital city, there will inevitably be some people who are going to rake up those matters. When they do, don’t get mad, since those things were in the past. Try to smooth things over whenever you can. All you have to know is that the Marshal is your most powerful backer. No matter what those people say, they won’t dare to do anything to you. If there’s really anything you cannot handle by yourself, you can always consult with Marshal.”

He was surprised that his grandfather had so much trust in Yuwen Tong.

“I understand, grandfather. I’ll be discreet.”

Ling Xingzhong gave a bob of his head, rose to his feet, walked inside, took out a casket, and handed it to Ling Zhang. “There are some signed checks in this casket. Take it. When you arrive in the capital city, buy a house first, or you can send someone to the capital city beforehand and buy one for you. Keep the rest of the money. There will be a lot of occasions when you find yourself in need of money in the capital city. If you’re in short of money, write us in advance so we can send some to you.”

Ling Zhang was greatly surprised. There were a lot of signed checks in the casket. Judging by the denominations of them, they were worth at least 50,000 to 60,000 taels of silver in total!

“Grandfather, this is too much. I’ve had some savings myself. Uncle and aunt have also transferred a lot of money to me. I can’t accept so much money.”

Ling Zhang returned the casket to Ling Xingzhong but Ling Xingzhong refused to take it back. “Keep it as a contingency fund. This money will offer you a greater degree of flexibility in your life. You may resume your study, or buy a couple of stores, be it drug stores or variety stores, to start a business career. In that case, our herb farm will prove helpful. With the new military presence, Tanyang will soon be rid of the scourge of bandits and after that, it’ll be a lot easier and safer to go in and out of Tanyang. Speculative reselling of sundry goods between the south and the north is rather lucrative. It’ll provide with you a steady income, sparing you from the worry about money.

We mean Wang Qing and Li Sicai to go with you to the capital city. Wang Qing is pretty familiar with medicinal material business. Li Sicai is also an intelligent man. No matter you want him to be a butler or a storekeeper, he will prove himself competent. I know you’ve been training Xia Feng. When Xia Feng is able to take charge as chief at one of the fronts, Li Sicai will focus on helping you handle the stores.

Apart from this, the president of the Tanyang Academy, who has some social connections in the capital city, has written a letter of recommendation for you. Added to this your scholarly honor of Xiucai (One who passed the imperial examination at the county level in the Ming and Qing dynasties of feudal China), you may go to the Oriental Rite Academy to continue your study. If you have the intention to take part in the imperial examination, the Oriental Rite Academy is just the place you should go to. You won’t regret it.

Grandfather is old. Originally, I wanted to go with you to the capital city, but after some careful thinking, I think I should let you go and seek your fortune alone. You are not going to blame grandfather for it, right?”

Ling Xingzhong made a lot of remarks. As Ling Zhang listened, astonishment built up inside him. Manifestly, his grandfather had been making these preparations –both those signed checks and the servants who were supposed to go to the capital city with him –for quite some time. Among all the supervisors in his family, Wang Qing and Li Sicai were indeed the most suitable to go with him. Zhou Quanfu excluded, Wang Qing was the most acquainted with medicinal materials. Li Sicai, Butler Li’s son, who had been instructed by Butler Li since childhood, was even more intelligent than his father. In fact, Ling Zhang had also meant these two people to go to the capital city with him…

And there was also the letter of recommendation from the president of the Tanyang Academy.

The Oriental Rite Academy was a highly prestigious academy in the capital city. Except for the state-run academy, the Oriental Rite Academy was the most famous. Moreover, its management was more flexible than that of the state-run academy, since there were not as many rules and regulations in it as there were in the state-run academy. It was rumored that many students from aristocratic families in the capital city chose to study in the Oriental Rite Academy.

“How could I blame you for it, grandfather? It’s just that my heart aches at the thought of leaving you.”

Ling Xingzhong smiled, “I promise I’ll go to the capital city to attend the wedding of you and the Marshal.”

“Grandfather…” Ling Zhang was almost reduced to tears.

Ling Xingzhong patted him on the shoulder and observed, “It’s just the capital city, not the edge of the world. Stop crying. Grandfather no longer has enough strength to scoop you up and coax you.

You may make some preparations yourself during the next few days before departure –servants you want to take you with, things you might need, etc. Make sure you don’t forget anything. And…”

After a few moments’ hesitation, Ling Xingzhong commented, “Grandfather does want you to marry the Marshal, but if by any chance you are not comfortable with how things are going, don’t force yourself into anything. Though Ling family is not as powerful as Yuwen family, they don’t really scare us.”

Ling Zhang was slightly surprised. ‘Did anybody of Yuwen family threaten grandfather?’

“Grandfather, what do you mean by the last remark? Did anything happen?” Ling Zhang ventured a question.

Seeing the nervousness on his face, Ling Xingzhong responded, “Relax. Nothing unpleasant happened. It just that the two of you have not walked down the aisle yet. Nobody knows whether there will be any turns of events. You have to stay sharp before getting married. Don’t trust everything people of Yuwen family say. Use your eyes to observe.”

His grandfather’s reminding him of these things surprised Ling Zhang even further.

‘I thought that grandfather would be grinning from ear to ear with his eyes being two lines throughout this talk… Ur… This is too disrespectful to grandfather.’

Ling Zhang hurriedly dismissed these frivolous thoughts from his mind.

The look on Ling Xingzhong’s face suggested that he had a lot more to say to Ling Zhang. Unsurprisingly, he started talking about the people he had met and the things he had been through back at the time when he had been in the capital city. He told Ling Zhang about each and every single person that he could find in his memories, giving him tips for dealing with them.

Eventually, he added, “Tomorrow, I’ll take you to visit Lord Tao. Lord Tao’s respected teacher is in the capital city, and so does Tao Yi. It’s likely that he is even more acquainted with the capital city than the Marshal is, so I think we should go and hear what he has to say.”

Ling Zhang inclined his head. “Okay.”

‘Preparedness averts peril,’ he thought, though he did not at all believed that Yuwen Tong’s acquaintance with the capital city would be inadequate. The longer he stayed with Yuwen Tong, the the deeper his realization of how great power Yuwen Tong wielded. Given the importance of the capital city, how could he be unacquainted with it?

However, seeing this issue from another perspective, he felt that hearing information about the capital city from another person might prove helpful for him to get an overall acquaintance with the capital city.

News on Ling Zhang’s plan to go to the capital city with Yuwen Tong soon spread across the whole Ling family. Ling Zhaowen was unsurprised at it, since he had some time ago been informed of it, but Fu Caiwei and Ling Maomao were shocked, in particular the latter.

Ling Maomao was transfixed by the news. At the thought that his elder brother was going to the capital city and he wouldn’t be able to see him for a long time, he was nearly reduced to tears, eyes reddening with sadness.

“Elder Brother, I don’t want you leaving.”

Ling Zhang also didn’t have the heart to part with his family. Seeing Ling Maomao’s red eyes, he sank into heartaches. “I’ll come back to see you every certain amount of time, and you may go to the capital city to visit me as well.”

“Really?”

“Sure thing. You don’t want to go to the capital city?”

“I want to!”

Ling Maomao let out a yell and then flicked a glimpse at Yuwen Tong who was standing beside Ling Zhang. In his eyes were admiration but defensiveness as well, making an expression of extreme complexity.

Ever since the real identity of Yuwen Tong came to his knowledge, on the one hand Ling Maomao had been greatly surprised in a pleasant way, but on the other, after being informed of his elder brother’s engagement to Yuwen Tong, he had also been filled with broken-heartedness and anger because the news made him feel that someone had taken his elder brother away from him. As a result, every time he was faced with Yuwen Tong, he had mixed feelings.

“Are you going to the capital city because you want to marry the Marshal?” asked Ling Maomao in a muted voice after pulling his elder brother to the side.

Ling Zhang was like: …speechless.

“No. I’m just going to the capital city to see what kind of place it is.”

Relieved, Ling Maomao replied, “Oh.” Clearly, he had been deeply worried that his elder brother might be kidnapped.

To Yuwen Tong, who had an amazingly keen sense of hearing, Ling Maomao’s whisper was of no secrecy whatsoever. The sight of the relieved expression on the boy’s face brought an involuntary twitch to the corner of his mouth.

‘Your elder brother will be mine sooner or later. The relief you just felt is not going to make any difference,’ thought Yuwen Tong after privately giving a cold snort.

Soon, apart from people of Ling family, others also heard the news.

Ling Zhang and Ling Xingzhong paid Tao Feng a visit. After being informed of their intention, Tao Feng readily told Ling Zhang a lot of things about the capital city, including some secrets known to not many.

Ling Zhang couldn’t help but feel grateful for his straightforwardness.

“As regards the Yuwen family, I’m sure Marshal will tell you everything you want to know, so I think it’s advisable for me to keep my mouth shut.” Tao Feng specially avoided talking about Yuwen family.

‘It figures. He knows very well that it’s not his place to lay comment on matters of Yuwen family. Besides, offending Yuwen Tong is the last thing he wants to do.’

Ling Zhang, who had anticipated this some time ago, felt no disappointment. Moreover, he had already known what he needed to know.

“Tao Yi is living in his teacher’s place. This is the address. And this one is the letter of recommendation. You may go there to see him when you are in the capital city. There are a lot of things that he knows better than I do.” Tao Feng handed Ling Zhang two things, a piece of paper with the address of Tao Yi’s teacher on it and the letter of recommendation.

Ling Zhang took both. “I owe you a debt of gratitude, Lord Tao.”

“There’s no need for formality. You two may have each other’s back during your stay in the capital city,” observed Tao Feng.

“I will,” replied Ling Zhang. Since Tao Feng had done him a favor, naturally he agreed to take this advice. Furthermore, he found Tao Yi a pretty nice person and believed that Tao Yi’s company sounded not bad, given that he had no other relatives or friends in the capital city.

‘It’s just that… Yuwen Tong might not be happy to hear about this,’ he thought.

Yuwen Tong had every intention of having him live in the residence of Yuwen family, but both his grandfather and uncle meant him to find another place to live in, and he himself was more inclined to take the advice of his grandfather and uncle. ‘How am I supposed to convince Yuwen Tong?’

After returning home, Ling Zhang started pondering over it.

Before he could come up with any ideas, Yuwen Tong gave him a big surprise, but not really a pleasant one.

“I’ve already had some men start preparing the courtyard house. Yue Qi sent a message back saying that craftsmen have begun to revamp it, that the construction work will be finished by the time we arrive in the capital city.”

Ling Zhang lapsed into silence. ‘Under the circumstances, what is the appropriate way of telling him without hurting his feelings?’