The Glory After Rebirth [ɇÇ”Ÿä¹‹Å°Šè£] Chapter 178- 180

Chapter 178: A Sharp Contrast

Yuwen Jin’s father in front flicked a backward glance at them and gave an affected cough.

This time it was Yuwen Tong who shut up.

Ling Zhang at a loss for words.

Yuwen You had long ago moved out of the residence of Yuwen family to maintain an independent house, but his family was now much larger than Yuwen family. The reason for this was known to everybody – too many members of Yuwen family had died on the battlefield. Even Yuwen Zhi had only two sons left. In the large residential compound of Yuwen family, a lot of courtyard houses had stood unoccupied for years, which was quite a poignant contrast to the liveliness in Yuwen You’s family.

Thinking of this, Ling Zhang couldn’t help but feel sad for Yuwen Tong, but Yuwen Tong seemed to have long ago got used to this kind of scene and didn’t feel upset at all.

‘It would be so nice if Yuwen Zhi were not out of tune with Yuwen Tong. At least things wouldn’t have ended up like this – Yuwen Tong wasn’t even willing to go back to his own home first after returning.’ Ling Zhang thought a lot. Even he himself was startled by some of his thoughts after they occurred to him, but after flicking a glance at Yuwen Tong, he still didn’t dismiss those thoughts from his mind, for he didn’t have the heart to do that.

“What’s wrong?” The moment Ling Zhang’s mind wandered away, Yuwen Tong noticed it.

Ling Zhang collected himself and shook his head in an effort to keep Yuwen Tong from guessing what he was thinking. Nobody wanted other people’s sympathy in this kind of circumstances, especially Yuwen Tong.

“I’m just surprised that you’re on such good terms with them.”

Yuwen Tong gave a smile. “They don’t stir up trouble.”

After having been fighting enemies at the front risking life and limb for so many years, he was fully aware of which ones had never been a drag on him, and which ones had never made trouble for him.

Ling Zhang heaved a sigh. He could fully empathize with Yuwen Tong.

On the other side, Yuwen Hong and a couple of others, seeing Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong whispering to each other, exchanged knowing winks and dissolved into snicker.

“It never crossed my mind that some day our cousin would end up like this as well,” observed Yuwen Jin under his breath.

“Previously, when he came back here and saw me talk with your sister-in-law for just a short while, he would always say that we were saccharine. Now I think he himself is much more saccharine than us,” said Yuwen Hong.

“This is so weird. Do you think by any chance our uncle’s father’s spirit is really at work? Otherwise, how did he come to get it into his thick skull that it’s time he found himself someone and got married?” commented Yuwen Han.

Yuwen Tong and Ling Zhang, who had exceptionally good hearing, heard each and every word of the three brothers’ private conversation.

Embarrassed, Ling Zhang immediately stepped aside, keeping a certain distance away from Yuwen Tong.

But the expression on Yuwen Tong’s face was extremely natural and unhurried. ‘How could Yuwen Hong and his wife compare with me and Ling Zhang?’

They entered the living room and sat down. Yuwen You first asked Yuwen Tong about the situation in border areas, and then asked Ling Zhang about the situation in his family. After hearing the replies of Yuwen Tong and Ling Zhang, he inquired of them, “Do you have any specific plans? Have you fixed a date for your wedding?”

Yuwen Tong replied, “There are still many things I have to make arrangements for in the capital city. I have to have these things handled first before making preparations for our wedding. There’ll be many complex ceremonies which require prior arrangements. Besides, Younger Brother Zhang’s family are all still in Tanyang. Things that our two families need to consult with each other about have to wait until they come, so I think we’ll have to take this step by step.”

All others were somewhat surprised to hear Yuwen Tong’s words. Yuwen You looked at him, “Are you saying that you are going to stay in the capital city longer than usual?”

It would take half a year even a full year to make preparations for all these miscellaneous things. Judging from Yuwen Tong’s remarks, there were also some other things he needed to deal with, so Yuwen Tong had to stay in the capital city for at least a year.

From the day Yuwen Tong was assigned to the border areas until this day, he had always been in haste when he returned to the capital city or left it. Seldom had his stay lasted longer than half a month, but this time he was going to stay in this city for such a long time, which greatly surprised Yuwen You and others. But soon their surprise was replaced by delight.

“Cousin, you’re really going to stay in the capital city for a long time? Does this mean that you’ll have enough time to fulfill your promise of teaching me military strategy and tactics?!” asked Yuwen Jin excitedly.

Yuwen You uttered “Um?” and then gave Yuwen Jin a dirty look and said, “Behave yourself.”

Yuwen Jin replied, “Grandfather, haven’t you already approved of it?”

“There’s a whole lot of matters your cousin has to attend to. You think everybody is as idle as you? Keep out of mischief and focus on your study when you are in the Imperial College,” commented Yuwen You.

Yuwen Jin was unreconciled, but seeing the severe look in his grandfather’s eyes, he had no alternative but to sit back into his seat.

Ling Zhang was somewhat confused. ‘Are there by any chance any members of this family disapproving of Yuwen Jin learning military strategy and tactics?’

After Yuwen You and Yuwen Jin finished speaking, Yuwen Tong said, “Just like grandfather said, I’m indeed going to be fully occupied for quite some time. Let’s talk about this when I’m at my leisure.”

Yuwen Jin’s eyes instantly became expectant again as he detected in Yuwen Tong’s words the implication that there was still room for maneuver. “Then I’ll wait until you’re available.”

This time Yuwen You didn’t say anything, as if he wouldn’t raise any objections to Yuwen Tong’s opinions.

Ling Zhang believed there was definitely something behind this that was unknown to him.

The two of them stayed for lunch. Yuwen You showed great appreciation of the for jars of wine brought by Ling Zhang. The old man drank a lot, his cheeks glowing. If, before drinking, his attitude towards Ling Zhang had been tinged with politeness, then after drinking, there were no civilities whatsoever. He called Ling Zhang “Xiao Zhang” in a very natural way, and also asked Ling Zhang to take him back to Tanyang to find out how the best wine there tasted.

Of course Ling Zhang consented without much deliberation. It struck him that Yuwen You, when half-drunk, bore some resemblance to his own grandfather, which naturally further deepened the rapport between him and this old man.

After lunch, Yuwen Tong and Yuwen You went to the study to have a talk, while Yuwen Hong and the other peers of Ling Zhang stayed to keep Ling Zhang company.

“Elder Brother Zhang, I heard about what happened last night. I think what you said in there was absolutely right,” said Yuwen Jin.

Yuwen Hong gave him a dirty look. ‘This guy’s airing dirty laundry again. Why is he bringing this up at this time?’

Yuwen Jin, feeling that there was no harm in talking about this, ignored his elder brother.

After this short amount of time’s acquaintance with Yuwen Jin, Ling Zhang had got a general idea of what kind of person he was, so he replied, “It’s okay. Lord Yuwen has already said what happened back there last night was a mere misunderstanding. We cleared the air, so there’s no hard feeling.”

Yuwen Hong smiled, “I’m glad you see it that way. Actually, though Second Uncle is somewhat arrogant, he is always good to family members of the younger generation. Give it some time. I’m sure you two will get along well.”

Ling Zhang also gave a smile. If Yuwen Zhi was really willing to stop picking on him and live on good terms with him, he might not necessarily find it difficult to come to reconciliation with him. It was just that he feared Yuwen Zhi wouldn’t change his mind.

Ling Zhang recalled those thoughts that had crossed his mind when he came here in the morning, and with that some other ideas occurred to him.

“Humph. If only that would be the case.” It was Yuwen Jin who made a remark on that.

Yuwen Hong shot him another dark glance, warning him to guard his tongue.

Having seen all this, Ling Zhang came to a general realization that Yuwen Hong and some others had no intention of getting involved in domestic affairs of Yuwen family.

Yuwen Jin, who had been warned several times, stealthily made faces at Ling Zhang, expressing his displeasure with Yuwen Hong.

Ling Zhang inwardly gave a smile. He didn’t really mind this, and he could understand what Yuwen Hong was thinking. The kind and gentle attitude that Yuwen Hong and his brothers had towards him indicated that they were on the side of Yuwen Tong and him. This was enough for him. The situation would be thorny if they fell out with Yuwen Zhi on account of him and Yuwen Tong.

“Elder Brother Zhang, when are you going to the Imperial College?” asked Yuwen Jin.

“In a few days. What about you? When will you go?” Ling Zhang inquired of him.

After a few moments’ thinking, Yuwen Jin replied, “I think I’ll go with you. I’m in no hurry anyway.”

Unsurprisingly, this time Yuwen Hong raised no objection. He also said, “Someone from the Imperial College will come and send you an official notification. They’ll have to make some preparations as well.”

After Yuwen Tong and Yuwen You finished their talk, the two of them took their leave. They still had to pay a visit to Yuwen family.

Ling Zhang asked Yuwen Tong, “This time around you’ll stay and live there, right?”

Yuwen Tong responded, “It’s too soon to make a decision. Let’s go there and take a look first.”

…

Soon, Yuwen Tong and Ling Zhang’s visit to Yuwen You came to the knowledge of everybody who had been paying attention. Now they were all waiting to see what the two of them would do next.

As the carriage of Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong left, the two of them sensed that some people were staring in their direction. They both knew very well whom those people worked for.

“They really care much about your every act and every move,” observed Ling Zhang.

When they arrived at the gateway of the residential compound of Yuwen family, they saw that Yuwen Feng was waiting, but Yuwen Zhi and others were absent.

Yuwen Tong’s face gave little away, but Ling Zhang knew that Yuwen Tong actually was not very happy about it.

“Cousin, Childe Ling, it’s nice of you to finally show up.” Yuwen Feng gladly walked up to their welcome. “A moment ago my parents were waiting for you at the gateway as well, but I could tell they were tired after a long wait, so I had them go back to sit and have some rest. I never expected you’d arrive right in the next moment.”

‘Yuwen Feng seriously expects us to believe that Yuwen Zhi and Zheng shi were here waiting for us?’ Ling Zhang was very skeptical.

“Let’s go inside,” Yuwen Tong said.

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go back right now. We didn’t dare to enter your house, so we cleaned a courtyard house nearby. You and Childe Ling may make whatever arrangements you like, cousin. My mother has been bustling around in the kitchen since noon. She prepared a lot of dishes you like. I’m sure you’ll be surprised at dinner. None of us have any knowledge of Childe Ling’s tastes in food, so we hired a chef from Tanyang and had him cook some courses of Tanyang flavor. I hope you’ll like them, Childe Ling.”

Yuwen Feng appeared hospitable but also showed a sense of propriety; his tone of voice was amiable and didn’t strike people as unpleasant. Servants of Yuwen family, seeing Yuwen Tong return, were all submissive and deferential to him, which was an unmistakable indication of Yuwen Tong’s absolutely dominant position in this family.

However, after Ling Zhang saw Yuwen Zhi and Zheng shi, his fairly good mood was ruined to some extent.

These two people were sitting in host seats facing the doorway of the hall. Seeing Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong walking inside, the two of them seemed to have no intention of standing up to welcome them. ‘From the perspective of elders, they are not doing anything wrong, for Yuwen Tong is their nephew and indeed should pay respect to them, but they are kins after all, and blood is thicker than water. On top of that, they haven’t seen each other for such a long time, and it’s the battlefield that Yuwen Tong has returned from. Is it really so difficult for them to show a little affection, to stand up, walk over and say something nice? Do they really have to sit upright in host seats?’ Ling Zhang thought.

It was not that Ling Zhang was a fault-finder but that after he met Yuwen Tong’s father’s uncle and his family, the attitude of Yuwen Zhi and Zheng shi really made Ling Zhang feel sad for Yuwen Tong, for it was such a stark contrast.

“You are back. I’m so glad. No place compares with home. Look at you, you seem thinner after staying elsewhere for one day,” Zheng shi said with a smile but still didn’t rise from her chair.

After hearing the last remark of hers, Ling Zhang was secretly amused. ‘What did Zheng shi mean by the last remark? That Yuwen Tong had been subjected to abuse during his stay in my place? Besides, had she met Yuwen Tong before that? She knows how much Yuwen Tong weighed in the past few years?’

Chapter 179: Point at Me Again and I’ll Make You Regret It

Yuwen Tong simply gave a bob of his head in response to Zheng shi’s words and then blandly greeted them. “Uncle, Aunt.”

“Nice to meet you, Lord Yuwen, Madam Yuwen,” Ling Zhang also said.

“So you are Ling Zhang.” Zheng shi, as if she had just noticed Ling Zhang, sized him up from head to toe and then remarked, “It must’ve been quite an ordeal for you to travel thousands of miles with them from Tanyang to the capital city. Situation in a small place like Tanyang is uncomparable with that in the capital city. If a brick falls off a building in this city and hits three men, one of them would be an official of some description. Given that you have no knowledge of how things are done around here, it’s almost inevitable that you’ll offend someone. Now that you’ve already come, why don’t you move here to live with us? People won’t dare to pick on you if they know you live in Yuwen family. And when you decide to go back to Tanyang, we’ll be able to have you sent back in one piece. You may take it as a favor in return for what Old Master Ling did for our family that year. What do you say?”

Zheng shi was sitting there with grace and decorousness, but there was a sarcastic and tart undertone in her words, which made her presence rather hollow.

Of course Ling Zhang was angry after hearing these words, not because Zheng shi was picking on him but because Zheng shi showed a total disregard for Yuwen Tong’s feelings. ‘Yuwen Tong and I have just come here and not even taken a seat yet. Does Zheng shi really have to be so anxious to pick on me? She’s Yuwen Tong’s aunt and, in a sense, the mistress of this large residential compound of Yuwen family. What harm could it do to keep up a pretence? What harm could it do to save her nephew’s face? Even if she wants to pick up on me, is it really so difficult to at least wait until we sit down? Yuwen Tong had just returned home, is letting him take a sip of tea first really too much to ask?’

Ling Zhang was indeed very angry, feeling that Zheng shi literally couldn’t hold a candle to his aunt, Fu Caiwei.

“Those considerations of yours are unnecessary, Madam Yuwen. I’m an uneducated countryman and not used to living in a noble family. I find small houses more comfortable to live in. Besides, Yuwen Tong and I are engaged to be married. It would be somewhat awkward if I move in here just like this. Even if I’m to move in some day, we should wait until after the wedding day of Yuwen Tong and I,” replied Ling Zhang.

‘Zheng shi didn’t even mention the engagement between me and Yuwen Tong, yet she wants me to leave the capital city? Fine. What she doesn’t want to talk about is exactly what I’ll bring up!’

As expected, Zheng shi’s face darkened. ‘What is wrong with this Ling Zhang guy? Does he not understand my words? He really thinks he could marry into Yuwen family?’

“Pooh, Ling Zhang, do you really not understand or are you just pretending not to? You are not welcome here in Yuwen family, so stop drea–”

Bang!

Yuwen Qi’s tone was sarcastic from the first word, but unfortunate for him, he hadn’t finished his sentence when Yuwen Tong gave him a kick sending him flying.

“Ah!” Yuwen Qi’s pained cry mixed with Zheng shi’s scream. The living room was instantly thrown into confusion.

“Qi’er! What are you doing, Yuwen Tong? He’s your cousin. You want to kick him to death?!” Zheng shi nervously helped Yuwen Qi to his feet, drew him behind her and rebuked Yuwen Tong coldly.

Yuwen Zhi smacked his hand down onto the table and reprimanded Yuwen Tong, “How dare you throw you weight about like this!”

Yuwen Feng hurriedly walked to the middle and tried to persuade them. ” Father, cousin, we can discuss this. Don’t be impulsive.”

Yuwen Tong, face frosty and sullen, appeared very angry. In a tone of voice not as polite as before, he said to Yuwen Feng, “Even His Majesty is staying out of my marriage. You are in no position to interfere. If you hold any differing opinions about the marriage between me and Younger Brother Zhang, we may discuss and work things out. If there are any misgivings, we may figure out a solution, but if all you are capable of are sarcasm, pointing fingers and making trouble, I’ll stop being nice to you.”

“Outrageous! I’m your uncle, your elder! Is this the way you are supposed to talk to me?!” Yuwen Zhi flied into a rage.

“From the moment I walked in here until now, I haven’t even been offered a cup of tea, nor a single word of greeting from you. I’m treating you in the exact way you’ve been treating me. During the past over twenty years, there hasn’t been a single day that passed when you did what an uncle should do, nor a day when I interfered in any domestic affairs of this family. Given that it’s been like this for so many years, I’d like it to stay this way,” commented Yuwen Tong coldly.

Yuwen Zhi’s face was dark with rage. “It’s me who’s the patriarch of this family. Are you challenging my authority, Yuwen Tong?”

His words struck Yuwen Tong as amusing. “Now that you want to make things clear, I’ll get this straight. There are some ridiculous rules that I don’t really give a damn about, but on this particular day, I think I might as well state my opinions of them. In every sense of the word, you are not the patriarch of this family, uncle. It’s true that my father passed away, but I still draw breath. You know very well who should be the rightful patriarch of this family. It’s just that I’ve always been in border areas and have seen too many deaths on the battlefield, so I don’t really care about these things. Since you live in the capital city, I think it’s not altogether inexcusable that you take charge of this family, but if you think that just because of this you get to interfere in my marriage, then you are mistaken. I can tell you, in a definite way, that I’ll be staying in the capital city for a very long time. You will not be the patriarch of this family if I don’t want you to be. And you certainly have no power over me.”

“How dare you!” Yuwen Zhi was infuriated by Yuwen Tong’s words so terribly that he almost passed out.

“Cousin, it’s not that my father is picking on you about anything. Your words are too hurtful to him,” remarked Yuwen Feng.

Yuwen Tong flicked a contemptuous glance at Yuwen Feng and replied, “Your thoughts are no secret to me as well. Given that you always know your position, I won’t make things difficult for you, but you’d better try to talk some sense into your father.”

Yuwen Feng’s face froze.

Yuwen Tong took Ling Zhang out of the living room, heading directly towards the ancestral hall.

After entering the ancestral hall with Ling Zhang, Yuwen Tong burnt joss sticks in front of the memorial tablets of his ancestors, quietly contemplated for a while in front of the tablets of his grandfather and parents, and then looked at Ling Zhang and said, “We haven’t got married yet, but if you don’t mind, I’d like you to burn some joss sticks for my grandfather and other elders. What do you say?”

Of course Ling Zhang didn’t mind. He inclined his head, took some joss sticks, lit them, deferentially bowed three times in front of the memorial tablets of the elders, and then stuck the joss sticks into the censer.

Finally, a hint of smile appeared on Yuwen Tong’s face. He said, “After we get married, I’ll hold an official sacrificial rite here.”

Ling Zhang laid no contradiction to his words about them getting married. Seeing smile had finally found its way back to Yuwen Tong’s face, he felt a sense of relief.

But when he thought of other members of Yuwen family, Ling Zhang’s heart sank again.

“Let’s go back,” said Yuwen Tong.

After a few moments’ thinking, Ling Zhang held his arm and stopped him. “Go back? But we just came here. Is it really okay to leave so soon?”

“You want to stay?” Yuwen Tong looked at him.

Ling Zhang replied, “This is your home. How could I not like this place? As for those regarding me as an unwelcome visitor, I can just ignore them.”

He didn’t want Yuwen Tong to leave this place in such haste. After all, this place, and this place alone, was Yuwen Tong’s home.

“I want to see where you live.” Ling Zhang looked at Yuwen Tong with an expectant look in his eyes.

Yuwen Tong was briefly surprised. Then he smiled, “I’ll take you there.”

Yuwen Tong’s courtyard house was very, very large. There was even a vast drill ground in it. Apart from the main house that he dwelt in, there were also some other buildings. ‘No wonder Yue Qi and the others stayed hidden in this place for such a long time,’ Ling Zhang thought.

There was hardly anybody inside. After going through a wood, they had scarcely seen any servants walking around. It was very quiet and cheerless.

Ling Zhang, who didn’t have the heart to walk too quick, kept looking around, scrutinizing this place that Yuwen Tong had grown up in.

“I don’t like servants touching my stuff. On top of that, sometimes Yue Qi and the others would secretly go back here, and they have to stay out of the sight of servants, so I ordered nobody get in without my permission, which is why this place has always been very quiet. Only when I return, when Yao Yi and others are also present, will this place be a little more lively,” explained Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang nodded. “That drill ground is so large. Has it always been there?”

Yuwen Tong gave a bob of his head. “Yes. It was the very place where my grandfather taught me kung fu when I was young.”

Yuwen Tong took him to the drill ground and showed him all kinds of marks on it, telling him how that groove had been caused, and when he had accidentally left those cuts in the giant rock on the side during a training session, and which of those weapons had previously been used by him and survived the years.

After hearing Yuwen Tong talk about so many things, Ling Zhang gradually had a vague picture of Yuwen Tong’s childhood.

“I’ll show you my chambers.” It lifted Yuwen Tong’s spirits to see that Ling Zhang was very interested in his past. He took Ling Zhang to the main house that he lived in.

To Ling Zhang’s surprise, Yuwen Tong’s main house was very simple and plain, and most of the furnishings served the purpose of being practical. Next to the bedroom was a commodious study, where there was a broad bookshelf behind a desk. On the bookshelf were ranked books of various descriptions, most of which were about military strategy and tactics.

“I put away those important ones. I read all these books in those years,” Yuwen Tong informed him.

Ling Zhang conveniently took one of the books, opened it and saw that there were all kinds of annotations on every page. Judging from the style of handwriting, those annotations must have been made in different stages of Yuwen Tong’s life. Some of them were tinged with immaturity, and some others were sharp and strong. Reading those words, Ling Zhang felt as if he was seeing images of Yuwen Tong at different ages, who was fired with enthusiasm.

Ling Zhang couldn’t help but smile, “I can see why you are now a marshal.”

Annotations on each page seemed to be more incisive than those on the last.

Naturally, Yuwen Tong was happy to hear the compliment.

And then Ling Zhang looked at the wall on the side. There were some special decorations on it, which gave him a general idea of what this wall was used for – hanging maps.

“When I’m at home, I hang the maps I need to read on this wall,” Yuwen Tong explained.

Ling Zhang spent a lot of time in Yuwen Tong’s study. He skipped Yuwen Tong’s bedroom, for he was too embarrassed to go inside, but he was just about to turn around to leave when Yuwen Tong held him and asked beside his ears, “This is an important place. Why not go and take a look?”

A flush rose to the tips of Ling Zhang’s ears. “What’s worth seeing in it?”

Yuwen Tong playfully bit the tip of his ear and lowered his voice. “You tell me.”

It was the two of them that would be living in this place in the future.

Eventually, Ling Zhang was still led into the bedroom by Yuwen Tong. As Ling Zhang had expected, the furnishings in it were just as simple, but they manifestly displayed Yuwen Tong’s style and preferences. Ling Zhang even had an illusion that there was Yuwen Tong’s smell lingering inside this room.

Ling Zhang looked around and said, “Okay, I’ve seen it. Now let’s go.”

Yuwen Tong was standing right behind him. After hearing this, he put his arms around Ling Zhang from behind, affectedly pondered for a few moments and then said, “Actually there’s something else of great importance.”

“What is it?” Ling Zhang was perplexed.

Yuwen Tong whispered something in his ear and then carried Ling Zhang to the bedside. The two of them lay down on the bed.

Both the bedding and the mattress were clean and tidy. Yue Qi and some others had some time ago got these things ready in the knowledge that Yuwen Tong would soon return.

After lying down, Ling Zhang felt Yuwen Tong’s smell fully envelop his whole being. “Hey!” he called.

Chapter 180: A Fall-Out

Yuwen Tong and Yuwen Zhi had not really been on intimate terms. Previously, Yuwen Tong, after returning to the capital city, without exception would leave and go back to the border areas within ten days. The whole capital city knew about the sour relationship between him and his uncle.

However, this was the first time that Yuwen Tong had made such explicit remarks in the presence of his uncle. Yuwen Zhi was so angry that he smashed several teacups in a row. He believed that he was a figure of considerable fame and prestige in the capital city, that even the emperor had to show him some respect, but Yuwen Tong had never regarded him as someone to be reckoned with, and this time he had even threatened him to his face!

‘What distinguished Yuwen Tong was merely some battle achievements. If the deceased stubborn old man had not intervened, it would have been me who went to the battlefield, and Yuwen Tong would never have dared to act so cockily in my presence!’ he thought bitterly.

Unlike her husband, Zheng shi was more worried about the undertone contained in Yuwen Tong’s words – he wanted to come back and take the position of the patriarch of Yuwen family!

“I told you that male courtesan’s a master of subterfuge. He hasn’t married into this family yet, but he already successfully fooled Yuwen Tong into coming back to compete for the position of the patriarch. Master, you must not let that male courtesan have his way!” The more Zheng shi thought about it, the more anxious she went.

The look in Yuwen Zhi’s eyes fell even colder as he heard Ling Zhang’s name. ‘This Ling Zhang guy is the cause of all this. If it weren’t for him, none of these things would have happened. He’s not a member of this family yet, but he egged Yuwen Tong on to stay elsewhere instead of coming back home. And now Yuwen Tong even threatened me on Ling Zhang’s account. This Ling Zhang guy is undoubtedly a scourge.’

“I told you under no circumstances would I let him marry into Yuwen family,” replied Yuwen Zhi, a fierce look in his eyes.

Zheng shi felt a sense of relief, tightened her grip on her handkerchief and observed, “This is going far enough. We’ve got to figure out a way to send that Ling Zhang guy back to Tanyang and let my niece take his place.”

Zheng shi’s plan was very simple. She wanted her niece to marry Yuwen Tong. After that, even if Yuwen Tong intended to take the position of the patriarch of Yuwen family, her niece would still be in charge of the inner compound. Given the bond between her and her niece, she would remain the mistress who could do whatever she wanted in Yuwen family, and Yuwen Tong wouldn’t dare to cross her.

Yuwen Feng, after being warned by Yuwen Tong, had just collected himself when he found that his parents had already made a decision and were now consulting with each other about how to force Ling Zhang into returning to Tanyang, which instantly gave him headaches.

“Father, mother, I know what concerns you, but the day will come when my cousin has to go back to the border areas. Even if he marries Ling Zhang, Ling Zhang will be single-handed and helpless after my cousin leaves, and he will definitely choose to stay on good terms with us unless he’s a fool. Moreover, who knows whether or not Ling Zhang will go to the border areas as well? If they leave, this family will remain in your charge. It’s utterly inadvisable for us to offend my cousin in these circumstances.

Father, mother, currently my cousin cares about Ling Zhang very much. As long as we make an overture to Ling Zhang and ease the tension between us, given the personality of my cousin and uncle’s exhortation to him, I’m sure he won’t make things difficult for us ever again.”

Yuwen Feng made an effort to persuade his parents. Yuwen Tong’s warning kept thrusting itself before his mind. This cousin of his had always been a man of his word. Since he had already given them a word of warning, he would definitely take action if they stepped on his bottom line again, but at the same time, it was also in Yuwen Feng’s knowledge that this cousin of his was not the kind of person who would seek revenge for the smallest grievance against their kin or make a promise he could not keep.

“Feng’er, it’s not that I take pleasure in lecturing you, but you are too naive. Anybody can tell a mile off that Ling Zhang is a troublemaker. You’ve seen it yourself – he’s not a member of our family yet, but he sweet-talked your cousin into being so disrespectful to his elders. You think he would leave us an inch of land to stand on if by any chance he really marries your cousin?” Zheng shi felt that her eldest son was having unrealistic expectations.

Yuwen Feng responded, “Mother, my cousin is not the kind of man who’d let affections cloud his judgement. If you humble yourselves and make an overture to Ling Zhang but Ling Zhang refuses to let it go, then my cousin would definitely come to see his true colors, take a dislike to him and leave him without us making any further moves. Wouldn’t we get what we want as well if that’s the case?”

“Elder Brother, have you taken leave of your senses? You want us to humble ourselves and fawn on him? Are you really my elder brother? As far as I can tell, you just want to curry favor with our cousin, which is why you are trying to have us pave the way for you!” Yuwen Qi yelled.

Yuwen Feng took a deep breath. “Shut your mouth!”

‘Yuwen Qi is such an idiot. Does he have brains or not? All I’ve been trying to do is ease the tension between us and Yuwen Tong. Why does Yuwen Qi have to be a moron who cannot understand that falling out with Yuwen Tong in these circumstances wouldn’t do us any good whatsoever?!’ Yuwen Feng thought.

But clearly, he was the only one who saw things this way. There was no circumstance in which his father or mother would humble themselves playing up to Ling Zhang. The very thought of ingratiating himself with that male wife-to-be of Yuwen Tong, to whom he was an elder, just to have Yuwen Tong stop cold-shouldering him made Yuwen Zhi trembling all over with rage. In a flinty tone of voice, he instructed Yuwen Feng, “Enough! There’s no need for you to utter another word about this. I know very well what’s the right thing to do.”

Yuwen Feng still wanted so say anything but eventually swallowed back the words on the tip of his tongue in the knowledge that his father wouldn’t be swayed by his persuasion.

…

Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong stayed in the residential compound for over two hours. It was almost time for dinner, but no servant had brought them any messages. Clearly the host had no intention of inviting the two of them to have dinner with him.

Seeing Yuwen Tong’s increasingly sullen face, Ling Zhang also flew into a rage. Before he came, he had considered whether he should dismiss some of his grudges, subdue the rest of them and try to get along with Yuwen Zhi and his family. After all, Yuwen Tong didn’t really have many relatives left, and he hated to see the day come when Yuwen Tong came back to the capital city but didn’t even have a relative whom he could dine with, but now he rather suspected that maybe he was too naive.

“Let’s go back to the Ling Mansion,” said Yuwen Tong.

This time Ling Zhang didn’t try to stop him, planning to leave the residential compound of Yuwen family with Yuwen Tong.

“Cousin, Childe Ling!” Yuwen Feng quickly walked up to them and informed them with an apologetic look, “There’s been an accident in the kitchen and the dinner has just been prepared. My father and the others have been waiting for you. Let’s go to the dinning room right now.”

Yuwen Tong flicked him a glance but didn’t move.

“Cousin.” Yuwen Feng let out a sigh and then said to Ling Zhang, “I’m really sorry for what happened earlier this afternoon, Childe Ling. Those remarks of my mother’s were beyond the pale, but it was because she knew little about you and Ling family that she sounded somewhat mean. I’ve already talked some sense into her and I hope you’d forgive her. My younger brother is also a little overbearing. And that’s because my mother spoiled her. You may rest assured that I’ll discipline him myself. I apologize to you for his impertinence.”

Ling Zhang stared at him and suddenly smiled, “You’re being too courteous. I’m not a narrow-minded man.”

On hearing this, Yuwen Feng felt a sense of relief. Then he looked at Yuwen Tong and said in a somewhat beseeching tone of voice, “Cousin, please stay for dinner. It’s been several years since the last time you were home. As a family, we haven’t had a reunion dinner yet.”

Yuwen Tong still stood still. Ling Zhang squeezed his hand, hinting that he should accept the invitation.

Finally, Yuwen Tong spoke, but his words were a refusal. “Tell uncle that I’ll wait for him to think things through.”

After that he took Ling Zhang’s hand and the two of them left.

Yuwen Feng stood for a few moments and then hastened to see them out.

Yuwen Tong didn’t utter a word in the horse-drawn carriage on their trip from the residential compound of Yuwen family to the Ling Mansion. Ling Zhang was aware that he was unhappy, but he didn’t know how to cheer him up. If he were in Yuwen Tong’s shoes, he wouldn’t be happy either.

…

“They left before dark? It seems that the relationship between Yuwen Tong and Yuwen Zhi is just as sour as always, and this time Ling Zhang, a third party, is also involved. Yuwen Zhi cold-shouldered Ling Zhang even at the welcome reception, which was a self-evident inclination that he’s unwilling to welcome Ling Zhang into Yuwen family.”

The King Duan rejoiced after hearing the information obtained by a servant. “From the vantage point of the present, Yuwen Zhi will eliminate Ling Zhang, who’s also our obstacle, for us, which will save us a lot of trouble.”

“If that’s the case, Your Highness, wouldn’t you…” His henchman looked at him, a somewhat weird expression on his face. “Should we prepare a dwelling?”

“Dwelling? For whom?” The King Duan cast a perplexed glance at his henchman.

“Don’t you want to invite Ling Zhang to live here?” asked his henchman.

The King Duan fell speechless.

“What the hell are you talking about? Why would I do that?!”

His henchman was astounded. “You don’t have your eye on him?”

The King Duan gave his henchman a hard kick. “Bullshit! In what universe do I have my eye on him?! I like girls!”

Though having just been kicked, the henchman seemed to feel greatly relieved. “Previously, you instructed me to make some inquiries about Ling Zhang’s personality, likes and dislikes, which was why I mistakenly believed that…”

The King Duan looked at him like an idiot. “You fancy you have a monopoly on wisdom, don’t you? Of course I asked you to inquire about these things for a reason!”

“I’m sorry, Your Highness.” His henchman knelt down.

“Did you find anything?” queried the King Duan.

His henchman answered with a guilty conscience, “Things with that servant working in the Ling Mansion haven’t been going smoothly. He’s very discreet. I could hardly worm anything out of him. It’s said that people of the Ling Mansion are planning on recruiting new servants. I’ve been making preparations to plant some men in there to make further inquiries.”

The King Duan’s brow corrugated in a frown. After a few moments’ thinking, he commented, “That’s too slow… Whatever. Do it your way.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” his henchman hurriedly answered.

…

The recruitment of new servants of the Ling Mansion was in Li Sicai’s sole charge. They had not brought many men here from Tanyang, which made it inevitable for them to recruit or buy some new servants.

After some consideration, between recruiting servants and purchasing servants, he had chosen the latter, for a master had the right to kill his servants indentured to lifelong servitude, which made them easier to control and less prone to commit betrayal.

“You want to buy servants? The Ya Market in the west of the city is just the place to go to.” Yue Qi made a recommendation. “There are servants for sale in that place, who have been transferred here from other cities. I’ll go there with you when you have the time.”

Naturally Li Sicai was glad to hear this. “Thank you, Guard Yue.”

“It’s my pleasure. We both want the best for our young master,” Yue Qi responded with a wave of his hand, sounding very generous.

“Butler, young master and the Marshal returned.”

Li Sicai raised his head and looked at the color of the sky to gauge the time. ‘At this hour?’

Yue Qi also slightly furrowed his brow and then went with him.

Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong had just returned, both their faces sullen.

Li Sicai walked up to them. “Young Master, Marshal, did everything go smoothly?”

Ling Zhang flicked Yuwen Tong a glance and then said to Li Sicai, “Start preparing dinner.”

Li Sicai’s heart lurched and with that he answered “Yes” and then took his leave.

‘They didn’t even stay there for dinner. Was it because people of Yuwen family did not invite them or something else happened?’ Li Sicai, mind working really fast, had a shrewd idea of what had happened on this day as he made arrangements for servants to prepare dinner.

Meanwhile, Yue Qi went to see Yao Yi and the others, who were watching Xie Shi test Wang Dashan and other security guards one by one to see if anyone of them had medical talent. The testing method was somewhat frightening. Wang Dashan and the others, all of whom were tough hombres, were reduced to cold sweat, watching Xie Shi in horror.

“Guard Xie, wi–will we still be alive after the test?”