The Glory After Rebirth [ɇÇ”Ÿä¹‹Å°Šè£] Chapter 457- 459

Chapter 457: An Underground Vault

Ling Zhang was bemused. His father had told him that in his last life, after Zhu You and Wang Xiangxin died, furious Jiangzhou residents had poured into Zhu You’s residence and ransacked it, that they’d found huge amounts of money in a storeroom of the Zhu family and carved it up.

However, given how well concealed this secret storeroom was, those Jiangzhou residents must be amazingly observant to have found it. Even his twenty-four bodyguards had searched for quite a long time before locating a spot which was presumably the entrance to an underground space, and they hadn’t even found the control switch yet.

Clearly Yuwen Tong had also thought of this issue, but it’d been in Ling Zhaowu’s last life that that thing had happened. As it had never happened in this life of his, so there was no way to ascertain the truth. They could only wait until they returned to the capital city to ask Ling Zhaowu about it.

“There’s a faint breeze blowing through this crack.” Ling Zhang crouched down and scrutinized that patch of floor. The floor of this book chamber was neatly paved with tiles, and the patch near the foot of that wall was no exception. Neat as those tiles were, there were still gaps between them, through which breeze was blowing. “There’s definitely a large space down there.”

“These tiles are quite level. Nobody would be able to find anything out of the ordinary about them unless they look carefully. The control switch is not on the floor. I think it’s somewhere nearby,” observed Yuwen Tong.

Wang Dashan and the others were scrupulously checking each and every single one of the furnishings in the chamber. They even moved all the books to see what was beneath them.

“Got it.”

The speaker was Liu Yi, who was standing beside a desk. It was the lampstand on the desk that he’d touched. The lampstand was fairly special. It’d been inlaid into the surface of the desk. This kind of lampstands were not really rare. Actually they were commonly seen in places like studies, because lamps placed on this kind of lampstands wouldn’t be blown over by wind, so owners of the studies didn’t have to worry about their books being burnt by fire. Therefore, none of the searchers had suspected anything when they’d first clapped eyes on the lampstand inlaid in the surface of the desk. When Liu Yi had crouched down to check the desk, he’d discovered a small iron ring attached to the bottom of the desk. It was directly below the position of the lampstand on the desk. As he pulled the ring, he heard a movement from the lampstand on the desk. He hurriedly stood up to move it only to find that the lampstand, which he hadn’t been able to turn a moment before, was now rotatable.

Ling Zhang walked up to him with Yuwen Tong, took a look at it and then said, “Turn it.”

Liu Yi nodded and turned the lampstand and with that faint clicks came from somewhere in the book chamber.

On the heels of the clicks was a muffled, dull sound of tiles moving. It was from none other than the patch of floor that they’d found a short while before. The whole patch near the foot of the wall were edging beneath the wall bit by bit, revealing an entrance about a square meters in size. Where the daylight touched, a quite steep flight of stairs leading all the way down could be seen.

Ling Zhang was thrilled. “What needs to be done next is to find out if this is where the money is.”

“Young Master, please let us go inside to check out the lay of the land first in case there are any dangers down there,” suggested Liu Yi.

“Be careful,” said Ling Zhang.

Liu Yi inclined his head, produced a little paper roll an end of which was still glowing, blew at it and a small flame popped out of its glowing end. Then he started to descend the steep stairs leading underground, followed by Wang Dashan.

Ling Zhang stood at the entrance, watching the two of them. As they progressed, they found that the steep flight of stairs was between two walls from each of which hung a wall lamp. Liu Yi and Wang Dashan paused beside the wall lamps and lit them. By the lamplight, they now had a clearer view of things around them and found that the descending stairs turned right at a spot not far away.

They were unable to see what was around the corner. Zhao Shen and some others walked down the stairs with Liu Yi and Wang Dashan. Then Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong also descended the stairs, leaving Yang Liuzi and the others to stand guard on the ground. Yao Yi and his men also arrived shortly after being informed of the discovery.

Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong proceeded along the flight of stairs, which were solid and firm. The structure of this passage was very simple, and there weren’t any dangerous defense mechanisms. As they took the turn, the narrow passageway widened into a large space.

Liu Yi and Wang Dashan had lit the couple of wall lamps, the light of which brightened one third of this underground chamber. The ceiling of this chamber was very high, given that it’d take them quite a while to reach the bottom. Also, it was very roomy. The walls were lined with treasure shelves, every one of which was laden with valuable rare curios. On the ground in the middle were piles of chests.

Most of the unclosed chests were filled with calligraphy works and drawings. One of them contained a bolt of precious cloth which glimmered at night, and which had been paid to the former emperor as tribute by the Fangcun Kingdom. It was said that producing a bolt of this kind of cloth would take several years. Apart from these, there were also some big luminous pearls kept in carefully sealed caskets. However, there was no silver ingot…

Though there was no silver ingot, if they transfer these things out of this chamber and sold them, they would get a lot of money.

“Is it possible that those silver ingots were never here?” Ling Zhang couldn’t help but wonder if those silver ingots of the Zhu family had disappeared when he’d been reborn.

Yuwen Tong was also uncertain about it, for the matter of rebirth was too mysterious. After pondering for a while, he said, “Let’s carefully search this place again. Judging from the facts I’ve ascertained, there’s a very high chance that the Zhu family does possess a large sum of money.”

Wang Dashan and the others didn’t give up looking for clues either. All the wall lamps in the underground space were lit, the light of which hit those treasures and became glaring as it was reflected. Of all the shiny things, that bolt of cloth was particularly obtrusive.

“I’ve heard of this kind of cloth before, and I thought those people were dramatizing things. It surprises me this kind of cloth does exist,” said Ling Zhang, looking at the cloth curiously. Rumor had it that even in the Fangcun Kingdom, hardly anybody knew how to weave this kind of cloth. Also, it’d been a very long time since the Fangcun Kingdom had last paid tribute to the Zhou family, the imperial family of the Great Yue, and they hadn’t gifted anybody with this kind of cloth for over a hundred years. It was said that this kind of cloth was something of a rarity even in their royal household.

“This cloth is supposed to be in the former imperial family,” said Yuwen Tong, looking calm. “Considering the presence of this thing in this place, my speculation may well be right.”

Ling Zhang inquired of him, “What have you come to know about exactly?”

Yuwen Tong glanced around him and then replied, “According to some unofficial historical records, after that prince of the Zhou family who plotted to usurp the throne was apprehended, a large sum of money, which he’d embezzled in the imperial court’s allocations for the armies, poverty-stricken peasants and provincial fortification projects, went missing. That money was also the reason why he’d dared plot to usurp the throne. However, after his plan failed, a substantial portion of that money was gone.

There’s also rumor which says that that forefather of the Zhu family’s, who used to be the Assistant Minister of Revenue, was very much in that prince’s confidence, that he virtually worked as the chief financial officer of that prince, managing most of the prince’s money for him. As a result, at that time, some people suspected that it was the Zhu family who stole the money away from that prince after his attempt at a usurpation failed.”

Ling Zhang said, “If that’s true, how the Zhu family got the money would be understandable.”

“So, that sum of money–”

“Your Highness, Your Majesty, there’s a secret room here, but the door won’t open!”

The conversation between the two was interrupted. It turned out that there was a hidden door behind a treasure shelf near the corner on the right-hand side of the underground chamber. It was a single-leaf door and was also controlled by some kind of switch. Because they had turned a lampstand to open the entrance to this chamber, they rechecked the wall lamps hanging from the walls. The lamp on the same wall that the hidden door was in was movable. However, after it was turned, the hidden door merely shook briefly and then became motionless. Except for some fallen dust, everything remained unchanged, but the existence of this hidden door had come to the knowledge of everybody present.

Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong walked over. After a few moments’ meticulous examination, they discovered that the mechanism of the hidden door had malfunctioned, that it seemed to be stuck. There was no telling whether it was a coincidence or someone had sabotaged it.

Yuwen Tong kept silent for a moment before he instructed, “Get these things out of this underground chamber and blast this door open.”

Since the mechanism had malfunctioned, it was impossible to open the door with conventional methods. Though the mechanism was not complex, it was hidden in the wall. If they were to repair it, they’d have to break the wall, so they might as well directly blast open the door.

Ling Zhang was looking at the door, his eyes twinkling with merriment. In all likelihood, what they were looking for was right inside.

The two of them left the underground chamber and returned to the ground above. Wang Dashan and the others started transferring those valuables, going in and out of the chamber frequently. When they had finished, the open space in front of the book chamber was almost filled with treasures. Yao Yi had had the two teams of crack soldiers stand guard on the periphery of the book chamber, preventing people from approaching. If anybody saw these things, their jaw might well drop.

Just now, when they’d been in the underground chamber, due to the poor lighting, Ling Zhang had only been impressed by that bolt of cloth and hadn’t had any particular feelings about any of the other objects, but now, seeing that these curios almost filled the open space in front of the book chamber, he came to feel that the Zhu family was indeed quite wealthy.

However, according to the results of a previous investigation, the Zhu family didn’t own any lucrative businesses in Jiangzhou apart from some rental paddies and stores. Zhu You should be no wealthier than a common rich merchant, but unexpectedly, he had so many valuables kept in his secret vault.

This further proved Yuwen Tong’s speculation right – the Zhu family had got all these things when that forefather of theirs had been serving that prince of the Zhou family. Apart from that bolt of cloth, those calligraphy works and drawings, all of which had been created by pre-eminent artists of the previous imperial dynasty, were also a proof. Many of those artistic creations bore the Privy Seal of the then emperor, presumably because the then emperor had given these things to that prince as rewards, and then that forefather of the Zhu family’s had made all of them his own while managing that prince’s property for him.

“That forefather of the Zhu family’s had a lot of balls. He not only got away after assisting that prince with his attempt to usurp the throne, but also took possession of so many valuables of that prince. Though men like him have no sense of loyalty, their cunning overshadows that of most common people,” commented Ling Zhang.

That progenitor of the Zhu family’s had been not only bold but also sly. He had ratted on his master, extricated himself from the then emperor’s investigation unpunished, took a large number of valuables from his master, and lived a peaceful and comfortable life in Jiangzhou for many years. On top of that, some of his descendants had worked as officials in the yamen of Jiangzhou and could have risen up the hierarchy all the way back into the imperial court had they been provided with the opportunities they needed.

While Ling Zhang was thinking about it in admiration, preparations were made to blast open the hidden door in the underground chamber.

“Young Master, they’re ready to blow up that door. You and His Majesty need to be careful,” cautioned Wang Dashan, walking out of the entrance.

It was Yao Yi who lit the fuse. All others had left the book chamber. Yao Yi, who had excellent lightness skills, swished out of the chamber immediately after the fuse was lit.

BOOM!

A muffled boom emanated from under the book chamber and the ground quaked violently for a few moments.

Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong were standing in front of the book chamber, feeling the quake. When it had stopped, they found that the book chamber was still there, as erect and intact as always. Ling Zhang couldn’t help but remark, “This book chamber is pretty substantial.”

Clouds of dust were coming out of the entrance to the underground chamber and there was no telling what the situation down there was like. It was a few moments before Yao Yi and some others re-entered the underground chamber.

Chapter 458: A Return Journey to the Capital City

The hidden door had been blasted, and large numbers of shiny silver ingots had cascaded to the ground with broken stone.

The secret room behind the blasted hidden door was filled with silver ingots which were glittering. When the door had been blown up, these ingots had lost their cover and been thoroughly revealed. Right now they were all over the ground, mixed with dust and pieces of bricks.

At the sight of those silver ingots, Yao Yi, who was the first to enter, came to know that what his masters had been looking for was now found.

Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong waited until the clouds of dust in the underground chamber cleared away to go in. As he sighted the silver ingots lying right and left, he chuckled in delight, “They’re indeed here. My father didn’t lie to me.”

“How big is the secret room?” asked Yuwen Tong.

Yao Yi, who had checked that secret room already, replied, “Bigger than half of this outer chamber.”

“My goodness. Imagine how much money this could be.” Ling Zhang made a rough mental calculation and then drew a conclusion. Then he said, “No wonder my father said that there’s a large sum of money hidden here. The Zhu family must have emptied the vault of that unlucky prince!”

Yuwen Tong stooped down, picked up a silver ingot, looked at it and found that it bore the official seal of the former imperial household, that it’d been cast in the same times that that unfortunate prince had lived in.

“These are all government-cast ingots. The imperial court definitely tried to track down that unlucky prince’s possessions after his attempt at a usurpation failed, but the Zhu family somehow managed to transfer these ingots to this place without anybody noticing. The reason why they never dared use this money is because the imperial court has been secretly looking into it all these years, but these ingots did embolden them. Seeing as these things are kept in a secret room, the Zhu family must have been regarding this money as some kind of talisman.”

Ling Zhang leaned over to take a look. Finding that there was indeed an official seal on the ingot as Yuwen Tong said, he remarked, “Ill-gotten gains are ill-gotten gains after all. The Zhu family believed these ingots would bring them good luck and secure their future, but the younger generation of the family still went down a dark path. Zhu You was so short-sighted as to collude with Wang Xiangxin, with the pipe dream of becoming a Wang (a nobleman of the highest rank below the monarch in feudal China). I wonder if this is divine retribution for their forefather’s deeds.”

Yuwen Tong tossed the silver ingot back to the pile of broken stone and said, “Now that we’ve found these ingots, all we need to do is have them come down here and get these ingots out of this place. It’s time we went up there.”

Having found the silver ingots, Ling Zhang, who felt quite contented, willingly agreed to Yuwen Tong’s suggestion and the two of them returned to the book chamber above. Yao Yi and some others transferred those silver ingots out of the secret room and boxed them up on their own, without letting any common soldiers get involved. These ingots were to be transported back to the capital city to be melted and remade, and then the imperial court would allocate them to Jiangzhou to help the people there restore their lives.

The purpose of this visit to Jiangzhou fulfilled, neither Ling Zhang nor Yuwen Tong lingered in this prefecture. Apart from anything else, it hadn’t been long since Yuwen Tong’s enthronement, and the political situation had just stabilized. They still had a long way to go before the Great Wen could return to full powder and strength. Therefore, now that this matter had been settled, they naturally decided to go back to the capital city as soon as possible.

On fast horses, the two of them traveled with all haste, but it still took them almost five days to finish the journey from Jiangzhou to the capital city.

Yuwen Tong had left the capital city secretly, so he returned to the palace first without alarming anybody. Ling Zhang stayed outside for half a day to stagger their return.

The emperor hadn’t shown his face in a court meeting for almost a month, so over time some people had guessed that Yuwen Tong had left the capital city, but they didn’t have a clue when Yuwen Tong would come back. However, after the news of Ling Zhang’s return to the capital city spread, almost everybody came to realize that they could now relax safe in the knowledge that barring accidents, the emperor would soon return, given that the empress had come back already.

The first thing Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong did after their return was have some rest. What with the long weary journey, they were too tired to do anything else and directly went to bed. Early the next morning, the two of them woke up in succession.

Having had a good night’s sleep, they both felt quite refreshed.

The Infinite Fortune Palace had been quiet for almost a month, and all guards and eunuchs were very happy to learn that their masters had finally returned, their faces etched with delight.

Chu Liangyan, Old Master Ji and some other courtiers entered the palace at a very early hour. The emperor had returned, and there were a lot of matters they needed to start dealing with. As a result, Yuwen Tong had to hurry to the consultation hall immediately after having breakfast with Ling Zhang.

Ling Zhang didn’t go with him. He had learned a lot during his visit to Jiangzhou, so he decided to lick those pieces of information into shape first and then go to talk to his father about the matter of Jiangzhou.

During the journey, Ling Zhang had first traveled past Cangzhou, then entered Haizhou, and eventually reached Jiangzhou, lodging everything he’d seen and heard in his mind. And now it was time to think back and summarize them.

When he’d finished summarizing all of them, it was already noon. Yuwen Tong returned in haste to join him for lunch.

“How did it go? Is the work too much for you to handle?” Ling Zhang asked him.

Yuwen Tong replied, “Not really. Would you like to go there with me in the afternoon?”

Ling Zhang shook his head and handed Yuwen Tong a pamphlet in which there was a summary he’d spent the whole morning to make. “Take a look at this.”

While eating, Yuwen Tong opened it and ran an eye over it. After coming to know what it was about, he closed it, planning to bringing it to the imperial study to read it carefully after lunch.

“There’s something I need to figure out in the afternoon. The maritime trade situation in Pingtao City is pretty good, and a lot of things there struck me as quite interesting. I’ll sort them out first and then go out of the palace to talk with my father and ask him his opinions,” added Ling Zhang.

Yuwen Tong nodded. “That might not be a bad idea. The port outside Pingtao City is one of the largest in Haizhou. Actually it’s one of the largest ports in the Great Wen. Half of the merchant ships from the Fangcun Kingdom get ashore in that port. What with the previous situation in Jiangzhou, Pingtao City was under martial law, and all the Fangcun merchant ships had to switch to other harbors. On top of that, winter is coming, so Pingtao City wasn’t at its liveliest when we were there.”

A faintly disappointed look appeared on Ling Zhang’s face. Thinking that he’d seen many interesting things there when it hadn’t been at its liveliest, he couldn’t help but wonder how fascinating the city would be when its vigor was at its peak.

“We’ll pay another visit to Haizhou sooner or later, but I’m not letting you go anywhere in the next few weeks.” Yuwen Tong, who could divine what Ling Zhang was thinking just by looking at him, immediately nipped his plan in the bud.

This was no joking matter. After Ling Zhang left, he hadn’t been able to eat well or sleep well. He had had a hard job bringing Ling Zhang back. If he let Ling Zhang go on another journey, his life would be like hell. How was he supposed to endure it when every day he was up to his eyebrows in work and his lover was not by his side?

“I know, I know. I’m just thinking about it. I didn’t say I was planning another journey.” Ling Zhang felt slightly guilty. The idea had just crossed his mind, and he hadn’t said anything about it yet, but Yuwen Tong had still got it in one.

“Humph. As far as I could tell, you’ve been doing too much traveling lately and is kind of getting addicted to it.” Yuwen Tong was not very happy.

Ling Zhang cast him a sidelong glance. “What are you talking about? I did that because I wanted to know more about common people’s living situation. You see? I even summarized the information I got for you. I’m doing sensible things, not getting addicted to travel. Besides, I missed you all the time out there.”

He had really benefited a great deal from this journey, and the greatest gain was a change in his mentality. Previously he’d seldom paid any attention to common people’s lives, and had always regarded them as part of normality, but now, with a different identity and new responsibilities on his shoulders, he had thought about from a different perspective what he’d seen and heard during the last journey. The change in his mentality had brought a change to the way he saw things. At the same time, it’d been broadening his horizons constantly.

There were so many prefectures in the Great Wen. What he’d witnessed in Cangzhou and Jiangzhou was merely the tip of the iceberg. Even during his stay in Haizhou, he had only seen Pingtao City. He really wanted to see with his own eyes the natural conditions and social customs in every prefecture in the Great Wen to get more acquainted with this country and at the same time further expand his horizons.

He told Yuwen Tong about his opinions. Yuwen Tong said, “In a year or two, after we get everything handled, I’ll go with you.”

Ling Zhang looked at him. “Are you sure you’ll be able to go with me?”

Yuwen Tong replied, “The next two years or so is going to be hectic, but after that, I will find the time. In the past I mostly stayed in the north-west. Youzhou and Shengzhou are the two prefectures I know best. I’m quite acquainted with the Wan Kingdom as well, less so with the Luohai Kingdom. As regards the area to the south of the Great Wen, I’ve been there only once, and I think it’s about time I paid another visit to it. Do you remember there was still unrest in the south-west when I was enthroned? It was He Xiao and his men who handled it eventually. Now I’ve acceded to the throne and the outcome is a foregone conclusion, so those people don’t dare make trouble any more, but they’re still a threat. If the situation in Cangzhou and Jiangzhou stabilizes and the imperial court gets back on track in the next two years, we’ll be able to pay a visit to the south-west to fix things that need fixing, so that when our army returns to full strength and is ready to fight another war with the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom, the south-west wouldn’t be a burden to us.”

After hearing Yuwen Tong’s words, Ling Zhang fully understood. The south-west was indeed a hidden peril. Currently they were able to have those people toe the line, but there was guarantee they would stay this way forever. In fact, they would almost certainly start making trouble again when the Great Wen went to war with the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom. Such a latent danger must be removed. Yuwen Tong had ambition. The Great Wen had ambition. If they were to unify the three nations, first they’d have to make sure that the Great Wen was a united country, that every side was willing to make a contribution. Otherwise the unification of the three countries would be nothing but a pipe dream.

“All right. We’ll pay a visit to the south-west together in two years.”

After the two of them finished lunch together, Yuwen Tong, carrying the pamphlet with him, returned to the consultation hall to resume dealing with state affairs. Ling Zhang had a few moments’ rest and then carefully thought back to the details of what he’d seen in Pingtao City, sifting out from them anything that might be of use and carefully sorting them. Shortly before nightfall, he went out of the palace. Before leaving, he instructed the cooks in the kitchen to make dinner for Yuwen Tong and deliver it to him.

Knowing that Ling Zhang had gone out of the palace and probably wouldn’t return until late at night, Yuwen Tong had dinner in the imperial study instead of going back to the Infinite Fortune Palace.

In the Ling Mansion.

The Ling Mansion had been in peace and quiet lately. Ling Zhaowen had gone to Shengzhou. Ji Yin and Ji Yanlai and their men had all left. Members of the Ling family and their servants were the only ones in the residence. Ling Xingzhong and Ling Zhaowu both had titles of nobility, but neither of them had to participate in any political affairs. Ling Xingzhong was at his advanced age, and seldom accepted any invitations to banquets or other social activities. Ling Zhaowu went to socializing occasions from time to time, but more often he was nowhere to be found. As a result, over time, those who visited the Ling Mansion on a frequent basis had come to realize that neither of them were into social activities. A lot of people had given up trying after being turned town several times.

Thus, the Ling Mansion became even quieter. There were hardly any visitors except for the couple of madams living in the Abode of the Marquess Fuan, who came to the Ling Mansion occasionally to keep Fu Caiwei company.

This time around, Ling Zhang’s return caused a stir among the whole Ling family.

Chapter 459: Ling Zhang’s Return to the Ling Mansion

Ling Zhang first went to see his grandfather and father to wish them good health.

It had been after Ling Zhang’s departure that his journey to Jiangzhou came to Ling Xingzhong’s knowledge, and the old man, deeply concerned, had blamed Ling Zhaowu, saying that he could have stopped Ling Zhang had Ling Zhaowu told him sooner.

“Grandfather, I made my father promise not to tell you, because I didn’t want you to worry about me. You see, I’ve come back safe and sound.”

Naturally, Ling Xingzhong was happy to see Ling Zhang return in one piece, but he still affected an air of anger and remained poker-faced for a few moments. “You’re a consort now and that’s a noble identity. How could you risk going to such a dangerous place as Jiangzhou? Had anything happened to you, His Majesty would be heartbroken, and your father and I would be heartbroken as well; it would also affect the political situation that has just stabilized. It’s no joking matter.”

Ling Zhang obediently listened as his grandfather lectured him.

Ling Xingzhong talked for a while and it was not until he saw that Ling Zhang’s attitude towards his ‘mistakes’ was acceptable that his sulky face softened.

Seeing this, Ling Zhang naturally hastened to placate him by telling him about some of the things he’d seen in Jiangzhou.

After pacifying Ling Xingzhong, Ling Zhang went to see Fu Caiwei and Ling Maomao.

It’d been merely a month since he’d last seen Ling Maomao, but it struck him that Ling Maomao had grown taller. He wondered if it was an illusion. Fu Caiwei’s belly had been growing, and all the handmaids and doula in her courtyard house were giving her intensive care, not daring make the smallest mistake.

For fear of worrying Fu Caiwei, neither Ling Zhaowu nor Ling Xingzhong had mentioned anything to Fu Caiwei about Ling Zhang’s journey to Jiangzhou. She’d been told that Ling Zhang had left the capital city to attend to something, and she’d never connected it with anything concerning Jiangzhou.

“You’ve been away from a month. Did you settle what you set out to deal with?” Fu Caiwei asked him.

“I did, and I won’t have to leave the capital city to deal with anything anytime soon, so I’ll come back here to see you more often,” replied Ling Zhang.

Since Fu Caiwei’s belly had been growing, he was rather worried. However, as he was a man, there was no way he could get to know all the details in this regard, and there were also a lot of things he was supposed to leave to women to handle, so he could only try to offer help in other ways. Apart from hiring experienced midwives, he had given Mr. Mu full access to all the precious and rare medicinal herbs in the imperial hospital. If Fu Caiwei was in need of any of them, it would be delivered to the Ling Mansion immediately.

There were only two masters in the imperial palace, and how much Yuwen Tong valued the Ling family was public knowledge, so nobody dared take this matter lightly. Fu Caiwei didn’t have to concern herself with anything during her pregnancy.

“Seeing as you’re now the empress, I’m sure there are a lot of things you have to deal with. You don’t have to come back here to see me on a frequent basis. I have some handmaids by my side wherever I go. Also, Mr. Mu lives in this residence. It’s totally unnecessary for you to worry about me.”

Fu Caiwei was both gratified and apprehensive. For fear that people might gossip about Ling Zhang if Ling Zhang came back to the Ling Mansion too often, she tried to persuade him not to frequently return to this residence. She had an intimate knowledge of her physical condition, and she had so many people watching over her. On occasion she would be worried about her husband who was in Shengzhou, a faraway city, but other than that, she really couldn’t think of anything she had to concern herself with. She had barely even felt any morning sickness that pregnant women normally suffered from.

“I’ll strike a balance. The things I’m supposed to handle will be handled properly, but at the same time I’ll come back here to see you when I’m needed,” said Ling Zhang. In his eyes, all Fu Caiwei’s worries were needless. “By the way, Aunt Caiwei, the weather is getting colder. I fear that this courtyard house might not be comfortable enough in winter. How about I have your room revamped?”

During his return journey to the capital city, Ling Zhang had encountered a cold wave and put on an extra piece of clothing, and the temperature had dropped continuously as he’d got closer to the capital city. The weather would be even colder in a few days, and he was worried that Fu Caiwei’s room was not warm enough.

“That won’t be necessary,” Fu Caiwei hurriedly interrupted him. “This house is pretty good and doesn’t need revamping at all. Everything was taken into consideration when they built this house. And there was also a kang (a heatable brick bed). I can have them make a fire in it when winter comes, and it’ll be very warm. Didn’t you used to live in this house? Surely you know about this?”

Ling Zhang smiled, “I didn’t live here long enough to spend a winter, so I’m not sure whether or not it’s warm enough in winter.”

“It is,” affirmed Fu Caiwei with curt finality for fear that Ling Zhang might once again offer to revamp this house. Of all the houses in this residential compound, her courtyard house was the best in terms of layout and furnishings, except for Ling Xingzhong’s courtyard house. It could be said that this was the main courtyard house of the whole compound, and Ling Zhang had given it up for her. The main courtyard house of such a vast residential compound was by no means shabby. All that should be taken into consideration had been taken into consideration when it’d been built. Fu Caiwei was positive that she wouldn’t feel cold in this house in winter. “I’m stronger than you give me credit for. There’s no need to worry so much about me.”

The little boy that she had had to keep an eye on had now grown up and was thoughtful enough to always put her needs first, which naturally struck Fu Caiwei as quite sweet and greatly gladdened her heart.

“I heard that it was His Majesty who picked this residence for you, that before you moved in, he had this whole place revamped, that a lot of efforts were put into the revamp of this main courtyard house. Considering how much His Majesty cares about you, I think this place might well be as good as the imperial palace, so you may rest assured that I’ll be fine. If you have this place revamped, I’ll have to move to another place before it’s finished. I don’t want that trouble.”

After hearing these words of Fu Caiwei’s, Ling Zhang dropped the idea of revamping the courtyard house, believing that he could come here more often in winter, and if it was really not warm enough, he could always bring his aunt into the palace to make sure she was well attended.

Seeing he had given up the idea of revamping the house, Fu Caiwei felt a slight sense of relief.

“Your grandfather has been worried about your going out of the city all the time. You didn’t anger him when you were talking to him just now, did you?”

Ling Zhang smiled, “You know I would never anger my grandfather, Aunt Caiwei. He’s not mad at me any more. Actually he had a broad smile on his face before I came here.”

Fu Caiwei was amused by his words, knowing that basically, Ling Xingzhong had merely been apprehensive about Ling Zhang’s safety and hadn’t really been angry, so he would naturally dissolve into smile if Ling Zhang cajoled him.

Ling Zhang asked Fu Caiwei about her daily life, and then specially sent for Mr. Mu and asked him about Fu Caiwei’s physical condition. It was not until Mr. Mu told him that Fu Caiwei was very healthy that Ling Zhang took his leave.

Before leaving the Ling Mansion, he gave Ling Maomao the gifts he’d brought back from Haizhou. There was a whole box of them. Ling Maomao was so happy he almost jumped. The boy had become a lot more poised than before and was now able to keep his cool in circumstances where he would normally jump for joy in the past.

“How’s Maomao’s emotional condition lately? Does he still miss Cong?” Ling Zhang secretly asked one of the servants responsible for waiting upon Maomao.

“Yes, he does. Recently, Second Young Master hasn’t been as cheerful as he used to. I heard that he was a bit down for some time after you left the capital city, but because today you came back, he looks a lot happier,” answered the servant.

After being informed of this, Ling Zhang didn’t go to offer Ling Maomao any words of comfort. After all, the boy had to undergo all this to grow up. Ling Maomao was a teenager now, and, given enough time, he should be able to handle this kind of things by himself. Still, considering he was the only child at this age in this residence, he might well feel lonely, and Ling Zhang was worried that the boy might become taciturn.

“Recently, when the madams living in the abode of the Marquess Fuan come here to visit my aunt, do they bring their children with them?” asked Ling Zhang.

“Yes. The two young masters come here with the two madams a lot, and Second Young Master has gradually taken to them. Previously, when you were away from this city, Second Young Master was depressed, and it was after he had some dealings with the two young masters that his spirits rose noticeably.” The servants, who had come to realize what it was Ling Zhang wanted to know, gave him a detailed report about the boy.

Ling Zhang inclined his head, glad to learn that there were some peers Ling Maomao could talk with. He decided to throw a party in the palace in a few days and invite all the boys who were from aristocratic families and were about Ling Maomao’s age, so that Ling Maomao would have a chance to strike up relationships with them. As for whether or not Ling Maomao would hit it off with any of them, it would depend if Ling Maomao was in luck that day.

Apart from that, there was also the matter of Ling Maomao going to school. Recently Ling Xingzhong and Ling Zhaowu had been schooling Ling Maomao themselves, but they couldn’t make it a regular thing. It was about time they considered sending Ling Maomao to a school. Previously, Yuwen You’s great grandchildren had been receiving education in a school outside the palace, but now their identities were different, and it was inappropriate to let the boys continue to go to that school outside the palace. Previously both Yuwen Tong and he had been otherwise engaged and hadn’t had the time to think about this kind of things. Now it was time they took these things into consideration.

After these thoughts crossed his mind, Ling Zhang asked some other questions about Ling Maomao’s daily life, and the servant answered them one by one.

When he had finished prioritizing the matters that concerned him, Ling Zhang went to have a father-son talk with Ling Zhaowu in private.

“Father, we did find some silver ingots in Zhu You’s residence during the search. All of them are government-cast ingots from a previous dynasty. We did some research and confirmed that an ancestor of the Zhu family’s stole them from some prince.” Ling Zhang related to Ling Zhaowu that he and Yuwen Tong had taken some men to Zhu You’s residence to search it and confiscate his possessions.

Ling Zhaowu was rather unsurprised at the news of the discovery of silver ingots. “The Zhu family has been hiding those ingots for so many years. Now the money could finally be put to good use.”

Ling Zhang inquired of him, “But it took us a lot of time to find that secret room in the underground chamber. I wonder how those Jiangzhou residents you mentioned had managed to find it in your last life. That hidden door was sabotaged, and we had to use explosives to blast it open.”

Ling Zhaowu raised his head and cast his mind back for a moment before he said, “I do seem to remember someone led those residents to search the Zhu family’s residence. At that time, Wang Xiangxin and Zhu You were in league with each other, running roughshod over Jiangzhou people. The people were driven beyond endurance and stood up to them. They had a couple of leaders, and the one leading them into the Zhu family’s residence seemed to be one of them. Given that he was a leader, he shouldn’t be too stupid. It’s not surprising that he found some clues. I didn’t pay much attention to that matter.”

In his last incarnation, Ling Zhaowu had been wealthy and powerful. When those residents had found those ingots in Zhu You’s residence, he’d merely been impressed by the large number of them, not giving much thought to any other matters.

Apart from anything else, it had been in his last life that that thing happened. As it had never happened in this life of his, and the course of history was different, there was no point trying to get to the bottom of it. Ling Zhang was just curious. Anybody who could find those silver ingots was by no means a common person.

“Currently, the imperial court is undermanned. If that person is a talent and moral, I would really want to recruit him to work for the imperial court. There’s going to be an imperial examination next year, but it’ll take time to knock those who pass it into shape. It’s impractical to assign them to important positions right after the exam and expect them to do their jobs as well as they’re supposed to,” remarked Ling Zhang. Presently the imperial court was indeed short-handed, and Yuwen Tong was somewhat fretful about this very matter. If there were any talents out there, he wouldn’t hesitate to recruit them to have them work for the imperial court.