The Glory After Rebirth [ɇÇ”Ÿä¹‹Å°Šè£] Chapter 118- 120

Chapter 118: So That Man Is Ling Zhang?

The capital city.

“Mr. Gu! I finally finished the assignment you gave me. Look! What do you think?”

Tao Yi excitedly ran out of his room, holding a pile of test paper about half a palm in thickness in his hands, so slovenly that he looked like a primitive man who had been living in some cave for years.

“Mr. Gu is otherwise engaged. What took you so long? Something big has happened in capital city,” a school friend told him.

“Was it that Marshal Yuwen finally returned?!” asked Tao Yi in excitement.

His school friend looked at him as if he was a weirdo. “Tao Yi…”

“What’s the matter?” Tao Yi had no idea why the man was giving him that look.

“Marshal Yuwen isn’t back.”

“He isn’t? Is it possible that something happened and he was kept? Do you think Country Wan by any chance has gone back on their word and decided to go to war?!”

His school friend shook his head. “That’s not the case. An envoy of Country Wan arrived a couple of days ago. The imperial court is consulting with Country Wan on the details of a peace agreement.”

“Then why didn’t Marshal Yuwen come back?” Tao Yi fell perplexed.

“The very day you went into your room to start writing your article, news spread that Marshal Yuwen didn’t return to capital city but went to look for his betrothed!”

“What? Marshal Yuwen is engaged?! Who’s his betrothed? Which family is that lady from? What does she look like? Is she a match for Marshal Yuwen?” asked Tao Yi emotionally, who nearly threw away the wad of test paper.

His school friend looked at him with a weird smile. “I guessed you would act like this some time ago. I know the reason why you specially came back here ahead of schedule was that you wanted to behold the elegant demeanor of Marshal Yuwen, but you might want to prepare yourself for what I’m going to tell you next.”

“Is it because that lady is awful? But it can’t be. I mean, how would a man like Marshal Yuwen come to be engaged to an awful lady?!”

“It’s not a lady that he’s engaged to.”

“Ah?”

Tao Yi failed to get the point. ‘What does he mean by ‘not a lady?”

“He’s engaged to a man.”

Tao Yi nodded. “Oh… What?! A man?!”

His school friend sighed, “Yeah. It is rumored that their engagement was concluded twenty years ago, that it was the grandfather of Marshal Yuwen who made that decision.”

“Old General Yuwen concluded the engagement? But why did he betroth Marshal Yuwen to a man?” Tao Yi felt that his mind was not big enough to hold so many astounding news.

“Word has it that Marshal’s betrothed wasn’t even born yet at that time.”

“Then the engagement is invalid. How can a man marry another man?”

On hearing this, the school friend looked at Tao Yi with an amused expression, as if silently telling Tao Yi that he was too naive. “You forgot that the consort of Emperor Gaozu was male. From the times of Emperor Gaozu, the tradition and social mode of our country has been increasingly open and tolerant. There have been a lot of precedents for a gay marriage during the past few hundreds of years. The most recent one is the Governor of Sheng Zhou, Governor Xu, who married a man last year.”

As if in a trance, Tao Yi gave a nod. “I did hear about that. Governor Xu is the youngest governor in our country, full of talent and having boundless career prospects. He suddenly married a man. Even residents of capital city gossiped about it for a long time. Everybody speculated that Governor Xu would never get another promotion, that he might even be demoted.”

“Tell me about it. But it’s been such a long time, and His Majesty still hasn’t done anything to him so far. Governor Xu has been in office for three years. Sheng Zhou is such a key area. Three years is more than enough for him to get established. I think his position is secure. As regards a promotion, I’m afraid it’ll remain a pie in the sky.”

Tao Yi also heaved a sigh. Suddenly, he recalled the unanswered question. “Well, you still haven’t told me which man Marshal is engaged to!”

The regretful expression on the face of his school friend was instantly replaced by that weird countenance. Watching Tao Yi, he said, “I think you know him.”

“I know him?!” Tao Yi gave a jump. “Who?!”

“He’s from Tanyang, your hometown. His surname is Ling, and his grandfather’s name is Ling Xingzhong. Rumor has it that his grandfather is that very Assistant Minister Ling who took office twenty years ago but only stayed in that position in the Ministry of Rites for a very short time, a flash in the pan. Oh, what is the name of that Marshal’s betrothed again? Ling Zhang! Yeah, that’s his name. Tao Yi, you traveled thousands of miles to get here, but I guess it’d never crossed your mind that Marshal was actually in Tanyang, the same city that you were in at that time, right? Tsk, tsk. You literally brushed past him. I feel sorry for you, really.”

Tao Yi stood speechless.

Finally, he failed to keep his hold on the wad of paper, which dropped with a rustle and scattered all over.

“What?!”

He let out a roar of shock. Even people in the distance were startled and looked in his direction, wondering what had happened.

“You–You’re overreacting. Why did you yell so loud? Have you no shame?” His school friend hurriedly drew him aside.

Shame? Tao Yi watched him, face full of disbelief. This had gone beyond shame. He felt he was deeply hurt!

‘Ling Zhang is such an asshole. No wonder…No wonder he declined when I invited him to come to the capital city with me. I could tell a mile off that he liked Marshal very much, and I wondered why he seemed totally uninterested in coming to the capital city. It turns out that he and Marshal have long ago…’

“That can’t be true. I’d never heard about Marshal’s arrival in Tanyang when I was there. And there’d been no particular reaction in Ling family either. They didn’t look like they had an honored guest in their home.”

The school friend observed, “I have no idea why that was the case. I just heard that Marshal departed for the capital city a long time ago. He was supposed to arrive here more than half a month before. Do the calculation yourself.”

After calculating the time, Tao Yi had an urge to burst into tears. ‘Why did I come back here so excitedly?! I should have stayed in Tanyang!!’

“No. I’m going back to Tanyang right now!” Tao Yi immediately turned around, intending to leave.

His school friend grabbed him. “Wait. Pick up your test paper! By the way, word has it that Marshal will return soon. So what’s the hurry? Oh! There’s yet another more serious issue.”

Tao Yi looked at him in disbelief. ‘There’s another thing that is more astounding than the fact that Marshal is in Tanyang and is engaged to my bosom friend?’

“Yesterday morning, His Majesty suddenly ordered the house arrest of Concubine Shu and the Sixth Prince. It is rumored that half of the troops of the Garrison Battalion and the Reserve Battalion stationed in southern city were dispatched before daybreak yesterday, and nobody knows where they have gone to,” said his school friend, a grim look on his face.

On hearing this grave incident, Tao Yi quickly calmed down. “What do you think has happened?”

His school friend shook his head, craned closer to him and told him in a quiet voice, “It was unmistakably because the Sixth Prince did something and angered His Majesty that has led to such large-scale troop movement, but there has been no related news so far. Everybody in the capital city is speculating about it. And this is also the very issue that Mr Gu is occupied with. He should know something.”

Tao Yi observed disapprovingly, “Mr Gu intends to get involved? If by any chance–”

“Rest assured, it’s not that Mr Gu is trying to involve himself in the competition between the princes but that His Majesty summoned him. He has gone to the imperial palace with a couple of lords. I don’t know any details either.”

Tao Yi heaved a sigh of relief, then knitted his eyebrows with a serious countenance. “Let’s figure out a way to make some inquiries. So many troops were suddenly dispatched. There’s got to be someone who knows about their destination.”

…

At dusk on that very day. Near the Yellow Sand River.

“Li Chong is in jail, and his troops are also under control, which means the waterway of Yellow Sand River has been rid of safety risks. Where’s the secret entrance to the Grand Mang Mountain that you mentioned?”

Dai Cheng was the commander of the Garrison Battalion stationed in southern capital city as well as one of the emperor’s henchmen. Tall and stalwart, he struck people as a simple-minded tough hombre, but actually he was a cautious precisian who was loyal to the imperial family and deeply trusted by the emperor.

“Ten miles ahead along this river,” responded Yao Yi in a bland tone of voice.

Dai Cheng flicked a glance at him. “Yao Yi, may I ask why you are willing to serve under Yuwen Tong as a mere captain of guards? I mean, you’re clearly competent to be a marshal.”

Yao Yi replied calmly, “A second marshal is not needed, and there is but one who is marshal to me. All others, including myself, are insignificant in my sight.”

Dai Cheng said in a regretful tone, “What a pity. You should know that His Majesty thinks the world of you, and there has been more than one occasion when he said to me that your choice was regrettable.”

“I feel very much honored to be in good graces of His Majesty, and I appreciate General Dai’s kind offer, but my decision stands unchanged, and it won’t change in the days to come.”

Dai Cheng unnoticeably knitted his brows and observed, “Yao Yi, why are you being so stubborn? Serving under Yuwen Tong is not going to get you anywhere.”

Yao Yi inexplicably flicked a glance at him. “Have I not distinguished myself already? I mean, even His Majesty thinks highly of me. Who else’s recognition do you think I have to win to count myself as outstanding?”

The question let Dai Cheng at a loss for words. What was he supposed to say? That it was not enough? Wouldn’t that be synonymous with disrespectfully stating that someone else’s recognition outvalued that of the emperor?

“Yao Yi, you know that’s not what I mean.”

“Let’s just drop it, General Dai. If you keep talking about this, I might suspect that you’re trying to drive a wedge between me and the Marshal. You should know that in our eyes, the Marshal matters more than our own lives. If it weren’t for the Marshal, we wouldn’t have still been breathing.”

Dai Cheng let out a laugh and said, “Don’t overthink it. I just feel it a pity that you’re wasting your talent. I mean nothing else.”

Yao Yi slid a sideways glance at him. “Maybe it’s better that General Dai concentrates on how to get so many men onto the Grand Mang Mountain without alarming those bandits. If you cannot even handle this matter and have to bother me with it, I will lay scorn on you.”

Dai Cheng gave a smug smile. “All you have to do is lead the way.”

“Is that so? Let me get this straight beforehand – if by any chance you alarm those bandits on the Grand Mang Mountain and Zhang Chong and botch up this favorable situation, then you’ll have to clean up all the mess in the wake in Tanyang. Our marshal is not going to intervene and get shit on his shoes,” observed Yao Yi flintily.

The corners of Dai Cheng’s mouth involuntarily twitched. “I won’t bother Marshal Yuwen if that’s the case.”

“Make sure you don’t,” said Yao Yi.

Dai Cheng fell speechless with embarrassment.

As night fell, after traveling ten miles by boat along the Yellow Sand River, an army quietly went ashore at a secret dock and entered the Grand Mang Mountain.

The silent Grand Mang Mountain was shrouded in the dark night. The only audible sounds were occasional bursts of weird caws coming from the distance, which made people’s blood freeze.

“There are bandits on guard ahead. The only way to get through without alarming others is to eliminate them quietly. If any of them sends word back, we’ll be in deep shit,” observed Yao Yi.

Ever since Dai Cheng saw that there was indeed a secret route leading to the capital city, his face had been tense and grim all along. “I know. You’re familiar with this area. Just tell me the approximate positions of those on sentry duty.”

Yao Yi flicked a glance at them and felt an urge to sarcastically tell him to go and find it himself, but then it occurred to him that time was short, so he forbore from satirizing him and provided Dai Cheng with information about the positions of bandits that he was aware of.

Dai Cheng listened carefully, summoned his henchman and made arrangements for those hidden bandits to be handled.

Chapter 119: A Beauty in the Candlelight

Tanyang was also very quiet on this night. Since a burglar intruded into the Prefecture Yamen and even threatened Lord Tao a few days before, all residents in Tanyang were left afraid to go outdoors at night. All doors and windows were tightly closed, and those of Ling family were no exception. Only few rooms had oil lamps still ablaze.

“Young Master, please go to sleep. It’s getting late.” Xia Feng tried to persuade Ling Zhang.

There was a candle still on in the room. Ling Zhang was not sleepy at all. According to Yuwen Tong’s deduction, Yao Yi should lead the army back to Tanyang on this night. If the army managed to get over the Grand Mang Mountain, their plan would be smoothly carried out. If the army got stuck in the Grand Mang Mountain, he and Yuwen Tong would be thrown into grave danger in Tanyang.

“Young Master?” Seeing that there was no reaction, Xia Feng called Ling Zhang once again.

Ling Zhang rose to his feet. “I can’t sleep. You may leave and hit the sack. I’ll take care of myself.”

Xia Feng intended to make another attempt to convince him, but Ling Zhang started walking towards the door. He hurriedly followed in his wake and asked, “Young Master, it’s cold out there. Where are you going?”

“Next door,” Ling Zhang answered without turning his head back.

Next door? With a slightly weird look on his face, Xia Feng halted.

Ever since he saw Ling Zhang and the one living next door hugging and also presumably… Xia Fen, though a rather poised man, had been somewhat in confusion about where he was supposed to stand with these two men. On such occasion when his young master went next door to meet Lord Yuwen at such a late hour of the night, should he dissuade him or wink at it?

After dithering for a few moments, he made a choice, hurriedly went back into the room, found a cape after some fumbling, ran outside and called, “Young Master, it’s cold. You should put on this cape.”

Ling Zhang had walked far away some time ago. Hearing Xia Feng trying to catch up with him, he didn’t pause but directly walked out of the courtyard gate, took a turn and headed for the Green Bamboo Mansion.

A guard on duty in the Green Bamboo Mansion was somewhat surprised to see him. “Childe Ling? Are you here to meet Marshal?”

“Yeah. Has he gone to sleep?” Ling Zhang paused and asked.

The guard shook his head and answered, “Not yet. He’s waiting for the message to come. Please come in, Childe Ling. I’m sure Marshal will be very glad to see you.”

Ling Zhang fell speechless.

Ling Zhang let out a cough in embarrassment and grunted, “Um.”

As expected, after entering the house, he saw that Yuwen Tong was reading something wearing what he usually wore during daytime, as if he was ready to leave at any moment.

“You can’t sleep?” asked Yuwen Tong at the sight of Ling Zhang.

“I’m a little worried. Have you had any news from Yao Yi?” said Ling Zhang.

Yuwen Tong put down the pamphlet he had been reading and looked at him meaningfully. “I thought that you would show some concern for me first, given the late hour.”

Ling Zhang was sent into a brief trance. ‘This guy is still in the mood for joking!’

“I’m here to talk with you about something sensible.”

But Yuwen Tong replied in a very serious tone of voice, “What I’m talking about is also sensible. Your concern means a lot to me.”

Such was the explicitness of Yuwen Tong’s last remark that Ling Zhang was left at a loss for words for quite a while. What he found weirder was that he was unable to recall why he had come here in the first place after Yuwen Tong steered the conversation away.

“There has been no news from Yao Yi so far, which means that everything is going as planned, so we might as well just wait. There’s no need to get anxious.”

Eventually, it was Yuwen Tong who, after seeing Ling Zhang remaining silent for quite a while, curved the corners of his mouth and changed the topic.

Hearing this, Ling Zhang collected his thoughts and looked Yuwen Tong in the eye. Surprisingly, his cheeks burned somewhat. A moment ago, he had just criticized Yuwen Tong for being frivolous, but now it turned out that he himself was the one whose mind was wandering. ‘No. It’s all Yuwen Tong’s fault. If it weren’t for that remark of his… Forget it. In the final analysis, I’m too easily distracted by Yuwen Tong’s words.’

Trying hard to get these miscellaneous thoughts out of his mind, Ling Zhang asked, “Aren’t you ready to go out at any moment? I mean, you’ve already changed clothes.”

“Preparedness averts peril. Besides, I’m a kung fu practitioner. It takes me only a few moments’ meditation and Qi circulation to recover from fatigue,” commented Yuwen Tong.

“Is my young master in there?” At this time, a faint voice came from outside. It was Xia Feng speaking to the guard.

Ling Zhang looked in the direction of the doorway.

Before long, Xia Feng walked inside, a cape in his hands. Seeing that Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong were just sitting there talking, he inexplicably felt a sense of relief. He gave the cape a shake unfolding it and then walked towards Ling Zhang. “Young Master, it’s cold at night. You should put on your cape.”

In the knowledge that Xia Feng was doing this out of his concern for him, Ling Zhang gave a bob of the head.

Xia Feng hurriedly walked up to Ling Zhang and put the cape on him.

Yuwen Tong glanced at the cape Ling Zhang was wearing and then cavalierly cast a look at Xia Feng.

Xia Feng sensed Yuwen Tong’s blithe gaze, which was somewhat putting him under pressure, but for the sake of his young master, he still steeled himself and ventured, “Young Master, Lord Yuwen, it’s getting late. Health is the most important. Please go to sleep.”

Not having detecting any undertone in these remarks, Ling Zhang said, “Okay. You may go back first. I’ll return and hit the hay in a short while.”

“If you’re tired, just sleep here. It’s late. Why bother walking back?” offered Yuwen Tong.

Before Ling Zhang could make a reply, Xia Feng immediately responded, “Thank you for your kindness, Lord Yuwen, but I’ll wait outside and carry the lantern for Young Master on his way back.”

Ling Zhang nodded.

Yuwen Tong watched as Xia Feng turned around, walked outside and stood waiting in the corridor. Then he said to Ling Zhang, “This servant of yours is somewhat being overprotective. Does he fear that I’m a monster capable of swallowing you?”

“Xia Feng is merely worried about me.”

“But what is it that’s causing his worry? Is he worried that you might encounter any danger in my place? Just sleep here if you’re tired. The bed is broad enough.”

‘Is he inviting me to sleep with him?

I have my own bed. Why would I stay here?’

Ling Zhang cleanly rose to his feet. “I’ll keep my sleep light tonight. If there’s any news, have your guard inform me. I’m going back.”

He wondered what had got into him when he decided to come here and have this stupid talk with Yuwen Tong.

Yuwen Tong watched as Ling Zhang walked outside and left the mansion. It was not until Ling Zhang completely disappeared from view that he withdrew his gaze, sitting still on his seat.

‘Was he unaware that it was very provocative of him to come to my room with so little clothes at such a late hour of the night? His thin inner shirt couldn’t even conceal his clavicles, which looked partly hidden and partly visible. In the candlelight, they seemed smooth and tender, as if sparkling. I could barely forbear to touch them.’ thought Yuwen Tong.

A moment ago, when Xia Feng put the cape on Ling Zhang and fastened it up, Yuwen Tong did feel that Xia Feng was a nuisance. If it weren’t for that he still had his senses, he would have directly sent Xia Feng flying out of the room with one blow. And that cape was of dark color, which provided a perfect foil for Ling Zhang’s skin and left Yuwen Tong unable to move his eyes off him…

Leaning against the back of the chair, Yuwen Tong was too distracted to resume reading the pamphlet. The scene of the beauty sitting in the candlelight replayed itself in his mind again and again.

Meanwhile, it was not until Ling Zhang returned to his room that he noticed that the cape he was wearing was a red, silk one. After a brief trance, he asked, “Why did you give me this one?”

“This cape was aired just a couple of days ago and was put on top of others. I worried that you might get a cold and was in a hurry to catch up with you, so I took this one,” answered Xia Feng. Concerned that Ling Zhang might be angry with him, he gave a very detailed explanation.

Ling Zhang was not angry but just a little surprised. After hearing Xia Feng’s explanation, he let this matter go, took off the cape and asked Xia Feng to put it away, but then he said, “Wait. Leave it here. Don’t put it away yet. I’ll need it when I go out tonight.”

“You’ll go out again?” Xia Feng was amazed.

“Yeah. I have some trouble sleeping tonight.” Ling Zhang gave a simple explanation and said no more. After all, this was a matter of the utmost importance, so he wanted to keep it secret for as long as he could.

As a result, this dull-red cape was not put into the bottom of the case but temporarily hung on the screen.

What Ling Zhang didn’t know was that Yuwen Tong living next door was reliving the scene of him in this cape.

At last, Yuwen Tong had to raise his hand and knead his forehead to get rid of the headful of fantasies.

He had never expected that he would some day be in this kind of situation as well. When he had been in the army camp, he had never tried to stop his soldiers from going to brothels to satisfy their sexual needs, but he himself had been rather uninterested in this kind of thing all along. No girls, however beautiful they were, had ever made him feel aroused, let alone those rugged soldiers. The main reason why he had come to Tanyang was that he wanted to rid himself of those troublesome issues in the capital city. How could he have expected that he would fall for Ling Zhang at first sight? And he also couldn’t help but begin to have all kinds of eager anticipations of the matters that he used to think were boring.

‘I’ve got to burn more Zhiqian (paper made to resemble money and burned as an offering to the dead) in front of grandfather’s grave,’ Yuwen Tong couldn’t help thinking.

‘I had thought that I would be single for the rest of my life, but unexpectedly, by a strange twist of fate, God sent such a beauty to the front of me.’

“Ha,” Yuwen Tong chuckled.

Ling Zhang returned to his bed and had been trying to prevent himself from drifting into deep sleep, for fear that he might not be able to wake up in time when Yuwen Tong’s guard came to deliver a message, but it turned out that nobody living in the Green Bamboo Mansion had come, and he slept the whole night.

The moment dawn broke, Ling Zhang, bursting with impatience, hurried to the Green Bamboo Mansion.

“Is there still no news from Yao Yi?”

“No.”

Yuwen Tong flicked a glance at him. Seeing that he had changed out of the clothes he wore the night before that had made him an attractive sight, Yuwen Tong felt somewhat regretful.

‘No news means that everything is going as expected. Yao Yi has successfully led those men into the den of those bandits!’ Ling Zhang thought.

“They should have found everything they need by now. All we have to do is wait for them to get out of the Grand Mang Mountain. It won’t be long before Zhang Chong finds out about this. What’s coming next is a real, tough battle,” remarked Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang sat down. “I’m not afraid. I’ve been waiting for this day to come for a very long time.”

‘As long as there’s a chance to eliminate Zhang Chong, any risk is well worth taking!’ Ling Zhang thought.

“Young Master, Young Master! Comman–Commander Zhang of Prefecture Guards and Lor–Lord Tao suddenly came here together!”

All of a sudden, a servant’s anxious and flustered voice came from the courtyard next door. Unaware that Ling Zhang was in the Green Bamboo Mansion, the servant had gone directly to Ling Zhang’s place.

“What happened? Why did Commander Zhang and Lord Tao suddenly come here?” Xia Feng’s voice was heard.

“I have no idea. But Commander Zhang and Lord Tao brought a lot of people here. Second Master has been informed and already gone there!” replied the servant.

Ling Zhang exchanged glances with Yuwen Tong and immediately stood up. “I’ll go and see.”

But Yuwen Tong said, “I’m going with you.”

“You…” A possibility suddenly struck Ling Zhang. “Are you saying that the news might have spread here?”

Yuwen Tong nodded. “Let’s go there together and check.”

“All right!”

Chapter 120: Confrontation

Shortly after daybreak on this day, residents of Tanyang who had got up at an early hour first saw Zhang Chong, the Commander of Prefecture Guards, hastily enter the city, followed by four deputy commanders, galloping straight towards the residence of Ling family. Almost at the same time, Lord Tao, head of the Prefecture Yamen, was also seen hurrying towards Ling family with his subordinates.

“What’s going on? Did anything happen in Ling family?”

“But it doesn’t look like it. Before dawn, I saw the butler and some servants of Ling family go to the market to do grocery shopping, and as far as I could tell, none of them were acting like anything had happened.”

“I didn’t get wind of anything either.”

“Then what on earth is all the fuss about? Shall we go and check?”

Since both of the two big shots of Tanyang hastily went to Ling family with subordinates at daybreak, people’s curiosity was aroused and a lot of them gathered at the gateway of Ling family, craning their necks trying to find out what was going on inside the residence.

At this time. Inside Ling family.

Neither Zhang Chong nor Tao Feng had uttered a word. They just stood still opposite each other with serious faces, their moods different from one another.

One of them received an urgent letter delivered by a courier pigeon late at night the day before, and the other shortly before dawn on this day. Both letters said that Yuwen Tong, the Supreme Commander of armed forces of the Great Yue, was living in Ling family in Tanyang, that Marshal Yuwen had come to Tanyang to see his betrothed who was Ling Zhang from Ling family, that this news had spread through the whole capital city and caused a major sensation.

‘Isn’t this going to cause a sensation in Tanyang as well?’ Though Tao Feng had a grave face, he had actually been in shock all along.

‘Yuwen Tong is such a big noise. With his current status and the number of troops at his command, he is actually the second most powerful man in this country. There’s not a single person who doesn’t know his name in the whole Great Yue. This person is right in our city but we’ve been totally unaware of his presence all along. He’s been in Tanyang for so many days! Yet we never got wind of it!

Ling Zhaowen is such a bastard. Marshal has been in his home all along but he has never disclosed a single word about it!’

At this moment, Tao Feng’s mood was an uncommonly weird mixture of delight and alarm.

What alarmed him was that he had never detected any trances of Yuwen Tong’s presence in Tanyang, and people of Ling family had been keeping this secret and never disclosed anything about it. Blindsided by this news, he had to recall again and again all occurrences during the past almost half a month in Tanyang to confirm whether there had been any unjust or misjudged cases in his jurisdiction, whether there had been any news that might jeopardize his reputation, for fear that a minor mistake might bring his official career to an end.

What delighted him was also related to Ling family — ‘Ling Zhang is engaged to Yuwen Tong! And it was Old General Yuwen who concluded the marriage contract. Now the news has spread through the whole capital city, which means that the whole Great Yue will soon know about this and it’ll be an unchangeable fact! This is such a good news. Since Ling Zhang is engaged to Yuwen Tong, it is only too obvious whose side Yuwen Tong will take. It’s definitely not me but Zhang Chong whose life is going to get tough!

With the support of Yuwen Tong, Ling family’s position in Tanyang will be firm and solid. Given the feud between Zhang Chong and Ling family, it will be an easy job to crack down on Zhang Chong if Ling family decides to use the power of Yuwen family!’ thought Tao Feng.

After being under the threat from Zhang Chong for so many years, Tao Feng finally saw a favorable turn of situation. How could he not be delighted? He felt that he might burst into laugh in his dream and wake up at night.

Thinking about this, Tao Feng moved his eyes onto Zhang Chong’s face with the intention to find some traces of his thoughts.

Unfortunately, that hideous scar on the face of Zhang Chong was so obtrusive that Tao Feng found it very difficult to gauge his mood.

Tao Feng coldly gave a snort, thinking, ‘Stop your ridiculous pretence. I know you’re as anxious as an ant running in a heated pan.’

The letter from the capital city that he had received told him that, for some unknown reason, the emperor had ordered the house arrest of both Concubine Shu and the Sixth Prince after being angered by something they had done, that all people on the side of the Sixth Prince were in deep anxiety. Since Zhang Chong and the Sixth Prince had common interests in a lot of aspects, and now Yuwen Tong had suddenly shown up in Tanyang, Zhang Chong was no doubt in alarm and fluster.

It was very quiet in the residence of Ling family. Though two big names — the commander of Prefecture Guards and the governor — had both come here, all servants of Ling family acted as usual, each calmly performing their respective duties.

The two men waited for quite a while but no member of Ling family came to the hall to receive them. Zhang Chong was just about to lose his temper when Ling Zhaowen hurriedly arrived.

“Lord Tao, Commander Zhang, please pardon me for not having welcomed you with due formality. May I ask what the urgent matter is that brings both of you here so suddenly?”

Tao Feng immediately put on a smiling face. “Well, Zhaowen, you–”

“Of course you know what brings us here. Stop playing dumb.” Zhang Chong flintily gave a snort and interrupted Tao Feng, looking at Ling Zhaowen with his piercing eyes. “Tell me — is Marshal in your home?”

After a brief pause, Ling Zhaowen smiled, “I don’t quite understand your words, Commander Zhang.”

“Well, Zhaowen, I know you have some misgivings, but the news has already spread out, and soon people of Tanyang will know about it as well,” observed Tao Feng.

Ling Zhaowen’s face remained unchanged. “Lord Tao, may I ask… what the news is that you are referring to?”

‘You want me to admit that Yuwen Tong is in Ling family? It won’t be that easy,’ thought Ling Zhaowen.

Zhang Chong’s face went cold. “Tongzhi Ling, Marshal Yuwen is of noble identity. We can’t afford to let the slightest harm come to him. If you keep deliberately hiding things from us and something does happen because of it, all people of Tanyang will have to pay for the mistake of Ling family with their lives.”

Ling Zhang, who had just come with Yuwen Tong out of worry about his uncle, happened to hear this remark and his face fell cold.

“There’s no need for you to threaten my family, Commander Zhang. Tanyang is under the protection of the Prefecture Guards. What could go wrong?”

Hearing this, all people in the ante-room looked in the direction of the doorway and saw Ling Zhang as well as Yuwen Tong standing beside him.

Tall and well-featured, calm but having something awe-inspiring about him, Yuwen Tong blandly glanced at those people in the ante-room with his penetrating eyes, which gave all of them a sweaty back.

This mere first sight brought all people — aware or unaware of the man’s identity — into realization of who this person was.

‘Yuwen Tong is indeed in Ling family!’

‘The news from the capital city is true!’

“Inferior official Tao Feng is honored to kneel before you, Marshal!”

Tao Feng was the first to react, who immediately knelt down onto the ground and kowtowed to Yuwen Tong. On seeing this, all others collected their thoughts.

With a slight change of his countenance, Zhang Chong also made a bow with hands folded in front to pay his respect to Yuwen Tong, saying, “Inferior officer Zhang Chong is honored to bow before you, Marshal.”

“We’re honored to bow before you, Marshal.”

Zhang Chong’s four deputy commanders — Bai Jun, Wang Ming, Wang He and Dou Li, all followed suit. Their attitudes had involuntarily become respectful. Their will had been overborne by Yuwen Tong’s presence, which made it difficult for them not to behave respectfully in front of him. After all, this man was the Supreme Commander of armed forces of the Great Yue, a legendary war hero who had countless confirmed kills.

“There’s no need for formality,” said Yuwen Tong, walking side by side with Ling Zhang into the ante-room.

“Thank you, Marshal.” Seeing Yuwen Tong walking side by side with Ling Zhang, all of them had mixed feelings.

Naturally, the expression on their faces didn’t escape the notice of Ling Zhang or Yuwen Tong. The look in Ling Zhang’s eyes was still icy, but Yuwen Tong, who had a cold look on his face, observed, “The two of you never struck me as so well informed. My visit to Tanyang is a private matter, but unexpectedly, it still failed to escape the two of you’s notice.”

The questioning note in this remark took Tao Feng aback, who hurriedly replied, “Marshal, news of your presence in Tanyang spread through the capital city a couple of days ago. It was not until I received a letter from my mentor which was delivered by a courier pigeon that your presence came to my knowledge.”

“Is that so? Then how did Commander Zhang come to know this?” Yuwen Tong moved his eyes onto Zhang Chong.

The mood in the ante-room instantly fell serious, even somewhat subdued.

Zhang Chong’s face was rather stiff, but in face of Yuwen Tong who had just hurled a question at him, he had no choice but to lower his head and answer, “I beg your pardon for taking the liberty of doing this, but it was because of the news from the capital city that this matter came to my knowledge. Before I came here, I didn’t fully believe the news, but there are too many bandits in areas near Tanyang. The night before last, there was even a wildly arrogant burglar who posed a threat against Lord Tao. Out of worry for Marshal’s safety, I made a decision I was not in a position to make and came here to check.”

“Is that so? Who’s the burglar that dared to act in such unruliness?”

Yuwen Tong asked in a puzzled tone of voice. Meanwhile, the tension in the air dissolved considerably and the atmosphere grew milder.

Both Tao Feng’s subordinates and those of Zhang Chong couldn’t help heaving a sigh of relief and they abruptly found that their backs felt cold with sweat.

“Has Marshal not heard about it during your stay in Ling family? A burglar murdered the magistrate of Wu County whose name was Lu Kui, and then threatened Lord Tao.”

Zhang Chong affected a surprise he did not feel but fixed his eyes on Yuwen Tong, trying to find some traces on his face.

Yuwen Tong merely flicked a bland glance at him. “I never heard of it. This matter is under the jurisdiction of the Prefecture Guards and Prefecture Yamen. Of course I won’t act beyond my authority.”

Neither Tao Feng nor Zhang Chong believed this remark, but Tao Feng was very observant. He immediately walked forward and gave an account of the savage murder committed by the burglar.

“I see. But as far as I know, the Prefecture Guards recruits soldiers and expands the encampment every year. It’s still not powerful enough to wipe out those bandits?”

“There’s more to this matter than you know, Marshal. Those bandits are entrenched in mountainous areas with natural defence, which are easy to hold but hard to attack. There are mountains all around Tanyang. Those bandits are hiding in the depths of those mountains, taking advantage of the precipitous terrain and poisonous miasma to defend themselves. If I order my men to go in and launch a frontal attack, there will be extremely heavy casualties, so I have no alternative but to resort to a defensive strategy.”

“You are the commander of the Prefecture Guards, and it’s your job to handle bandits, so I’ll leave it up to you to use your discretion, but if any of those bandits sneaks into the city and acts so boldly as to murder an official appointed by the imperial court, that will be a dereliction of duty of yours.”

This pointed remark struck such alarm into Zhang Chong that his expression changed, and there was also thinly disguised panic on the faces of his four deputy commanders.

“It was indeed remiss of me not to prevent that from happening. I’ll see to it that the burglar is arrested and brought to justice as soon as possible,” Zhang Chong had no choice but to reply.

Zhang Chong felt that he had been put at a disadvantage to Yuwen Tong during his first confrontation with him. He was unreconciled but there was nothing he could do.

Having fully enjoyed this scene, Ling Zhaowen said, “Marshal, two lords, maybe we should sit down first and then resume our talking.”

Tao Feng, Zhang Chong and others all looked at Yuwen Tong. Their faces changed again when they saw Yuwen Tong sit down beside Ling Zhang.

Tao Feng was the first one to speak. “Now that Marshal has come to Tanyang, may I take the liberty of giving a reception in honor of Marshal’s arrival?”

“That’s a good idea. Soldiers of the Prefecture Guards are also looking forward to beholding Marshal’s elegant demeanor,” said Zhang Chong.

Yuwen Tong replied blandly, “I came to Tanyang to deal with some private affairs, and I have no intention of imposing on anybody.”

“Private affairs? Is the hearsay true?”

“What kind of hearsay is Commander Zhang referring to?”

“It is said that Marshal came to Tanyang for your marriage contract, that you are engaged to Childe Ling of Ling family.”

As Zhang Chong made this remark, all others rested their eyes on Yuwen Tong and Ling Zhang who was sitting beside him.

Ling Zhang’s expression remained unchanged. Yuwen Tong responded calmly, “That’s true. I am indeed engaged to Ling Zhang.”

This reply confirmed that the rumor was true.

Zhang Chong’s face slightly froze.

Tao Feng immediately rose to his feet and smiled, “Congratulations, Marshal. This is such a joyous news!”

“Thank you, Lord Tao. I’d like to invite you to come here to have a drink on my wedding day.”

Ling Zhang fell speechless with embarrassment.

He flicked a glance at Yuwen Tong but forbore to cut the ground from under his feet.

Tao Feng rejoiced and replied, “I feel greatly honored to be invited!”

There was a sharp contrast between Tao Feng’s delighted face and the faces of Zhang Chong and his deputy commanders. Zhang Chong managed to retain his affected composure but faces of Bai Jun and the other three seemed rather frozen with shock.