The Glory After Rebirth [ɇÇ”Ÿä¹‹Å°Šè£] Chapter 268- 270

Chapter 268: Wild Fantasies? Intrigues?

Su Yaoyao hurried off from the corner, instructed her handmaid accompanying her not to breathe a word of it to anybody, quietly returned to her courtyard house and found Mrs. Su, her mother.

“Mother, there seems to be something going on in Aunt’s family. I saw a handmaid sent to the first branch of the Yuwen family to help prepare for the wedding stealthily come back and tell Aunt that something was done, and Aunt was ravished with joy at the message,” Su Yaoyao said to Mrs. Su in an undertone.

Mrs. Su’s face took on a serious expression. “Did you hear what was done exactly?”

Su Yaoyao shook her head. “That handmaid didn’t give any details. I find it very strange that Aunt suddenly made an apology to Yu… to Marshal Yuwen, suggesting they wipe the slate clean. Do you think Aunt by any chance has secretly done something?”

Mrs. Su rose to her feet, walked around the room and then said, “We need to figure out a way to find out about it. I’ll go and pay her a visit. You stay here and wait for me.”

Su Yaoyao wanted to go with her, but Mrs. Su had already hurried out of the room, so Su Yaoyao had no alternative but to give up.

When Mrs. Su arrived at the doorway of Zheng shi’s courtyard house, Zheng shi was just about to leave to see Yuwen Qi and was quite surprised to learn that Mrs. Su came to visit her at this hour of the day, but she couldn’t treat Mrs. Su the same way she did Su Yaoyao, so although bursting to share the good news with her younger son, Zheng shi subdued her urge and went to meet Mrs. Su.

“What brings you here, Sister?” said Zheng shi.

Mrs. Su didn’t go straight to the point but made small talk with Zheng shi for a while. Seeing Zheng shi begin to show unmistakable signs of anxiety in her eyes, Mrs. Su grew more positive that Zheng shi had something urgent to attend to. Taking advantage of this opportunity, she casually started trying to worm the truth out of her.

Eventually, Zheng shi became suspicious. “Why do you keep making inquiries about the first branch, Sister?”

Mrs. Su replied, “Nothing escapes your discerning eyes, Sister. I and Yaoyao have been staying in your house all this time, relying on you for survival. And these days, people of the first branch have been making preparations for the wedding. It concerns me that if by any chance I and my daughter come into some kind of contact with any of them, we’d be putting you in an awkward position, Sister.”

Zheng shi didn’t think Mrs. Su was lying. On hearing this, she said, “You and Yaoyao may dismiss all worries from your mind and just live in this house. Nobody would dare pick on you, Sister, I guarantee you that. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go and check on Qi’er.”

Mrs. Su stood up as well. “How about I go with you, Sister?”

Zheng shi intended to talk with Yuwen Qi in private and didn’t want Mrs. Su to be in her way, so she made a few more remarks to dismiss Mrs. Su and then hastily left.

Mrs. Su’s face darkened the moment she left Zheng shi’s courtyard house. After returning to her own place, she told Su Yaoyao, “I couldn’t worm anything out of her. She was impatient to see Yuwen Qi and dismissed me in haste.”

When Mrs. Su mentioned Yuwen Qi, a distressed and hesitant expression appeared on Su Yaoyao’s face. “Mother, are we really going to do what that person told us to? Actually Second Cousin is also a very good man–”

“You are not seriously stupid enough to fall for his lies?” spat Mrs. Su, frowning, expecting her daughter to see sense.

“I don’t really have anything Second Cousin needs to tell lies to get,” contradicted Su Yaoyao in a muted voice. “If I marry Second Cousin, I’ll get part of the ownership of that bank as well. Besides, Second Cousin is actually very good to me.”

“Did you not see how brutal the way he treats his servants is? Did you not see his erratic temper? He’s been acting weirdly all along ever since his legs were broken, and I’ve lost count of how many batches of servants he’s chucked off! It’s time you saw reason, Daughter! That private bank was given to the second branch by Marshal Yuwen, and it’s also the most profitable business of their family. You think your aunt would let you get a slice of the pie instead of keeping it all to herself? In addition, Yuwen Qi is not her only son. There’s also Yuwen Feng, who’s the firstborn son and will carry even more weight in this family after the two branches separate. Even if some day that private bank is to be handed over to someone else, it would be Yuwen Feng who gets it. Yuwen Qi won’t stand a chance.”

“But that day when we were in the bank, I heard with my own ears Aunt say that she would let Second Cousin read all the account books. Aunt always favors Second Cousin, and I don’t think she’d go back on her word. Besides, Second Cousin said that as long as I marry him, all the–”

“Oh, my daughter, why is it so hard to knock sense into you?!” Mrs. Su was consumed with anger. “Yuwen Qi has lost his mobility. What good can you possibly expect to come out of your marrying him?!”

“Everything will be fine. Aunt has found a miracle-working physician to treat Second Cousin’s legs, hasn’t she? He will make a full recovery.”

Mrs. Su shook her head. “Even if he fully recuperates, he’s still second in the pecking order. There’s no doubt Yuwen Feng will get to pick first when the two of them divide up family property. No matter how much your aunt favors Yuwen Qi, it doesn’t change the fact that your uncle is the one calling the shots in this family, and he values your first cousin more. Try as your second cousin might, he could never outshine his brother. Even aside from all these, which one do you think is of higher status – wife of the second son of a collateral branch of the Yuwen family, or wife of Marshal Yuwen?”

If anybody else were in the room to hear Mrs. Su’s last remark, they would no doubt be shocked and unable to believe she had said such words. She actually had the fond hope of marrying her daughter to a marshal. Leaving aside the fact that the Su family had lost all its former influence, and that even Zheng shi, the one they’d been depending on, didn’t have any authority over Yuwen Tong, Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong would soon be married. Had these two women of the Su family lost their mind?

However, neither Mrs. Su nor Su Yaoyao felt there was anything wrong with this remark. If they hadn’t gone crazy, then it must be because of something else.

At this moment, Su Yaoyao, after hearing Mrs. Su’s words, appeared to be having a fierce struggle within her breast, her very troubled face tinged with fear. “He scares me.”

“Who scares you?”

“Marshal Yuwen.” Su Yaoyao bit her lower lip. “Mother, you have no idea how scary he was the day Second Cousin’s legs were broken. Even Uncle was pressured by him into personally breaking Second Cousin’s legs. His eyes were icy and he didn’t even give me a glance. He looked like a ca–cacodemon. Even if I married him, I wouldn’t dare stay in the same room with him.”

“Stupid girl, what nonsense is this? He cold-shouldered you that day because you were an outsider. Once you marry him, you’ll become his wife, and he naturally will treat you in a different way. Think about it, has he ever been apathetic to Ling Zhang?”

Su Yaoyao thought for a while, as if in a trance, and then shook her head. “No. He has a very gentle expression in his eyes when he looks at Ling Zhang.”

“Of course he does. His eyes are gentle when he looks at Ling Zhang because he’s going to marry Ling Zhang and sides with him at every turn. If you marry him, you will be the one whom he looks at with gentle eyes, and whom he sides with at all times. Do you not want any of these?” wheedled Mrs. Su in a quiet voice.

As expected, Su Yaoyao was swayed. After another few moments’ daze, her eyes gleamed longingly and expectantly, a pink flush on her cheeks.

Seeing that she was convinced, Mrs. Su breathed a sigh of relief. “As long as you do what Mother tells you, you’ll get all these.”

And then she put on a different face and observed, “The reason why your father inexplicably died in the Court Prison was because he did something under your aunt’s orders. She owes it to us to show us kindness, and even if you’re to marry Yuwen Qi, there would be nothing that should make you feel unworthy of him, but look what she’s been doing to you. She not only makes you frequently go in and out of a man’s chambers, but also have you apply ointment to his wounds. There are so many handmaids present, but she pays no regard whatsoever for your feelings. It’s only too evident that she thinks little of you, treating you as some insignificant nobody. Her intention is very clear. There’s no way she’s going to let you be Yuwen Qi’s legal wife. Since she has no gratitude for your father’s sacrifice, why should we throw ourselves on her mercy?

As long as we follow that person’s instructions, submit the forged evidence to prove that Ling Zhang was the one who ordered your father to spread the rumors, let everybody know that Ling Zhang resorted to the ruse of self-injury to play Marshal Yuwen off the second branch of the Yuwen family, then Ling Zhang will be toast. Given that even your father, a courtier, was condemned to death after being convicted of calumniation of the former emperor, Ling Zhang who’s a commoner would no doubt be executed.

That person also said that he just wants to get revenge, that as long as we help him kill Ling Zhang, he would petition His Majesty to designate you to be Marshal Yuwen’s wife, and when he does, even Yuwen Tong won’t dare defy an imperial edict and will have no choice but to take you as his wife!”

Mrs. Su sounded almost hysterical at the end of her remarks, as if what she was depicting had already come true.

As Su Yaoyao listened to her mother talking, her heart was beating increasingly fast, her chest heaving more and more vigorously, her cheeks blushing further with excitement.

“Mother, when will we submit the evidence that person gave us?” Su Yaoyao couldn’t help but ask.

Mrs. Su said, “I’ve already had it planned out. Tomorrow I’ll submit it. You may wait and see. The wedding that the Yuwen family have been preparing for is bound to belong to you.”

“Mother!” Su Yaoyao called Mrs. Su, face full of anticipation and timidity.

…

It was quite a while before a secret bodyguard, who had been crouching on the rooftop, closed his mouth. He could have sworn that he really had just come to this rooftop out of curiosity. It’d never crossed his mind that he would hear this kind of conversation.

He was supposed to spy on Zheng shi. It was so obvious that Mrs. Su had gone to talk with Zheng shi for a particular reason, and Zheng shi was probably the only one stupid enough to neglect it. The bodyguard had felt that it was very suspicious of Mrs. Su to, directly and indirectly, make inquiries about the first branch of the Yuwen family, so he’d decided to come and take a look.

‘With an oversight of ours, these two women were bought by someone, and they’re so close to ruining the Marshal’s plan. Fortunately I’m alert enough,’ thought the secret bodyguard.

Hearing the two women in the room talking about their ‘bright’ future in excited tones, the secret bodyguard rubbed his hands covered in goosebumps and then left. He had to return immediately to report it to the Marshal that someone else was plotting to make mischief. And given that this man deliberately chose to stir up trouble at this time, he undoubtedly was a foe of Childe Ling’s.

Yuwen Tong, after hearing the secret bodyguard’s report, instantly emanated a menacing air.

“Marshal, let me look into this matter,” said Miao Shisan.

The preparatory work for the Marshal’s and Childe Ling’s wedding had already started, but troublemakers had been showing up one after another, trying to thwart it. How could they stand by and swallow this?

Yuwen Tong had a dark look in his eyes. “I’ll handle it personally.”

Miao Shisan and the others exchanged glances, beginning to feel sympathetic towards those who had been secretly scheming.

“Marshal, in all likelihood Zheng shi is going to contact the one behind the scenes and take action tonight or – at the latest – tomorrow morning. It’s inadvisable for you to leave at this time. I suggest you let me keep a close watch on Xiao Zheng shi (Mrs. Su). After Zheng shi makes her move, Xiao Zheng shi definitely won’t dare do anything rash and will try to make contact with the one she’s been colluding with; I’ll follow her and ascertain the mastermind’s identity, and then you may make your move,” said Miao Shisan.

Chapter 269: Siege of the Residential Compound by Palace Guards

“This is precisely what the Marshal conjectured.”

After Nanny Zhong had planted that thing in the storeroom, Yuwen Tong had come to the conclusion that Zheng shi would have a message delivered to the mastermind, so he’d some time ago assigned two of his bodyguards to keep watch on her. The bodyguards had tailed the servant sent by Zheng shi and finally found out who the mastermind was.

One of them angrily smacked a fist onto the wall beside them with a bang. They were both very indignant, for they were fully aware of what this meant.

“Sulking about it won’t help. I’ll keep watching. You go back and report it to the Marshal.”

“Okay.”

A figure zigzagged in the darkness.

In the residential compound of the Yuwen family.

Yuwen Feng woke with a start at midnight, inexplicably feeling that it was uncommonly hot and stuffy tonight, and the mood in the residential compound was subdued as well. Quite fretful, he walked out of his chambers for a stroll. On his arrival at the gateway of Yuwen Qi’s courtyard house, he surprisedly found that there were oil lamps still ablaze inside.

The first thought crossed Yuwen Feng’s mind was that Yuwen Qi’s leg injury had deteriorated again. Alarmed, he hurried up to the gate.

“First Young Master?” Gatekeepers were all startled to see Yuwen Feng come alone at this late hour of the night.

“What’s going on? My brother’s legs are hurting again?” demanded Yuwen Feng sharply.

The gatekeepers hurriedly shook their heads and one of them answered, “No. Second Young Master just has trouble sleeping and is sitting in the courtyard.”

Frowning, Yuwen Feng walked through the gate. None of the gatekeepers dared stop him.

Yuwen Qi had some time ago heard the voices outside. Seeing Yuwen Feng show up, he wasn’t surprised, and merely swiveled his wheelchair to turn his back against the lamplight streaming out of the house, hiding the smug expression on his face which he didn’t have enough time to replace. “Elder Brother.”

After walking up to him, Yuwen Feng first flicked a glance at Yuwen Qi’s legs, and then asked, “Why are you still awake at such a late hour? Is it because of your legs?”

“That miracle-working physician’s drug is very effective. I haven’t felt any pain for days. It’s just that I couldn’t sleep, so I came out to sit for a while. What is it that you came here to see me about at such a late hour?” Yuwen Qi asked back.

Yuwen Feng shook his head. “I just woke up and came out to enjoy the breezes. And then I saw light from your house and walked here to check on you.”

At the same time, Yuwen Feng also found this situation rather strange. He couldn’t sleep because he felt restless and unease and that the weather was sultry. Did his younger brother feel the same way? Was this just a coincidence or was something really going to happen tonight?

Yuwen Feng’s heart instantly went leaden at these thoughts. “The night wind is a little strong in this courtyard. Why didn’t you bring a blanket or something? Having a miracle-working physician’s drugs doesn’t mean that you get to pay less attention to your health. You should go back to your chambers. It’s time you turned in.”

While saying this, Yuwen Feng had begun to steel himself for Yuwen Qi’s impatient contradiction, but unexpectedly, Yuwen Qi didn’t say anything about it. He even smiled, “Okay, Elder Brother. You should go back to sleep as well.”

Yuwen Feng was secretly somewhat surprised, but he didn’t show it on his face, watching a servant wheeling Yuwen Qi back into the house. Before long, servants put out many of the lamps inside, leaving only one alight.

Yuwen Feng left Yuwen Qi’s courtyard house. When walking through the gate, he still felt that just now Yuwen Qi’s reaction had been somewhat weird. Maybe because he had some kind of intuition, Yuwen Feng asked one of the gatekeepers a question, which was not something he normally would do. “Was Second Young Master alone all night long?”

“Mistress had been keeping him company all along tonight and left only a short time ago,” said the gatekeeper.

“Only a short time ago?” Yuwen Feng looked quizzical. His instinct told him that there was something going on, but it was now very late, and Zheng shi no doubt had gone to sleep after returning. As her son, he shouldn’t go to her courtyard house to disturb her at this hour. With the unanswered questions in his mind, Yuwen Feng was in perturbation all night.

The next day, before daybreak, Yuwen Feng got up, preparing to go to the imperial palace to attend the court meeting. Preoccupied with some thoughts, he asked a servant after walking through the front doors of his courtyard house, “Has my mother got up?”

“Yes. She’s gone to check on Second Young Master,” answered the servant.

Yuwen Feng paused. This was unusual. In the normal course of events, his mother wouldn’t have got out of bed at this hour. He could remember very few occasions when she’d risen so early.

He turned on his heel and was just about to make towards Yuwen Qi’s courtyard house when his father called, “Where are you going? You won’t have much time left to go to the court meeting after having your breakfast.”

Yuwen Feng had no choice but to swivel around and walk into the dining room to breakfast with Yuwen Zhi.

“Father, was there anything particular that Mother talked with you about in the past few days?”

Yuwen Zhi directly asked him, “What is this about?”

Yuwen Feng, seeing that Yuwen Zhi did seem to know nothing about it, said, “Last night Mother stayed in Qi’s courtyard house until very late, and today she went there again before sunrise. I’m worried that Qi’s leg injury may worsen.”

Yuwen Zhi slightly furrowed his brow. “Has she sent for a physician?”

Yuwen Feng shook his head. “No. The physician has been unwilling to come ever since Mother chucked him out that day. Recently Mother has been taking Qi to see that miracle-working physician.”

“Then just invite that miracle-working physician around,” said Yuwen Zhi, an unconcerned look on his face. In his eyes, this was merely an insignificant matter.

Their breakfast finished, Yuwen Zhi and Yuwen Feng set off to attend the routine court meeting. Shortly after leaving home, they saw palace guards marching past them one team after another, heading for none other than the residential compound of the Yuwen family.

Yuwen Feng’s brow involuntarily twitched. Heedless of everything else, he yelled, “Stop!”

Yuwen Zhi’s palanquin in front also came to a halt. Yuwen Feng hastily got off his palanquin, walked up to Yuwen Zhi’s and said, “Father, these palace guards seem to be headed in the direction of our home.”

Yuwen Zhi, who was resting his mind with his eyes closed in his palanquin, abruptly opened his eyes at these words.

…

On this day, the residential compound of the Yuwen family was just as uproarious as usual. Almost all servants and handmaids had got up very early. They were bustling around here and there in groups, every one of them holding something in their hands or consulting with someone. Fang shi, Yuwen Chi’s wife, and Liu shi, Yuwen Si’s wife, had also risen at a quite early hour. This was going to be yet another hectic day for the two of them. They first went to inquire after Yuwen You. As luck would have it, Yuwen Tong was also present, who had all servants leave and then had a talk with the two of them.

After about half the duration of drinking a pot of tea (about five minutes), Yuwen Tong left.

Fang shi and Liu shi walked out of the house hand in hand shortly after that. They could feel each other’s tight, sweaty grip, but on the surface they looked totally normal. Servants merely felt that these two mistresses were more serious than usual, and thus were working with greater caution, not daring to make any mistakes.

“Palace guards have taken over the security at all the four city gates.”

After Yuwen Tong returned, Yao Yi immediately came to report it to him. They had noticed the movements of the palace guards the night before. This day, before dawn, palace guards had sealed all the four city gates, guarding them heavily, which had raised a lot of ungrounded speculation.

“They sealed all four city gates. Are they really so afraid of us making our escape?” spat Xie Shi in a very contemptuous and indignant tone of voice.

Yuwen Tong sat down and said with a calm face, “They’re indeed afraid, and they’ll be even more afraid of it after this day. They’re afraid because they’re scared. As long as you stay composed, there would be nothing they could do to you.”

“But Marshal, are you sure you’re going to do this? If you do it, your–”

“It’s okay. Sooner or later it’ll be in my hands again.”

Both Yao Yi and Xie Shi were a little worried. They were not Yuwen Tong, and were unable to remain as collected as him, but they trusted Yuwen Tong. In their sight, Yuwen Tong was like a god. Since Yuwen Tong had said that he would get that thing back sooner or later, they believed it without a shadow of doubt.

“Marshal!” A bodyguard hurried into the room and reported in a deep voice, “Palace guards have been dispatched and are heading our way. They’ll arrive in about the duration of a burning joss stick (roughly five minutes).”

“Who’s leading them?” inquired Yuwen Tong calmly.

“The–The Crown Prince,” said the bodyguard through gritted teeth.

Yuwen Tong sneered, “Good. Let him come.”

…

This day, residents in the city got up as early as usual and made breakfast. After breakfast, students set off to their respective schools, laborers to their workplaces, and idlers to their hang-outs. However, when they had left home, they sensed that the atmosphere in the city was somewhat unusual. Soldiers could be seen on the streets, putting the city under martial law, and large numbers of palace guards were marching towards the residential compound of the Yuwen family!

Some even said that palace guards had sealed the four city gates, allowing entry but forbidding exit, that lines of people waiting to go out of the city stretched from city gates right to the gates of the inner city.

“What happened exactly? Why are they suddenly imposing martial law?”

“I don’t know. Some heard movements on the streets last night and they all thought that it was just yamen runners chasing after a burglar or something, but guess what? Just now I saw teams of palace guards heading for the residential compound of the Yuwen family!”

“What?!”

Palace guards that had filed into the streets without warning bore down on the Yuwen family with unstoppable momentum and soon clustered around the front gates and the back gates, as if they wouldn’t even allow a fly in it to flee. This unforeseen turn of events not only caused quite a stir among common citizens, but also threw all servants of the Yuwen family into panic.

They’d seen the emperor’s corporeal presence as well as his kinsmen’s and other dignitaries’ guards of honor, but never had they ever been encircled ring upon ring like this. None of them had the faintest idea of what this was about. Those palace guards even attempted to break into the residential compound but were held back at the front gates by dozens of crack soldiers who’d suddenly shown up.

“What is the Palace Guards trying to do? What kind of place do you take the residential compound of the Yuwen family for? The one who dwells this place is the Supreme Commander of Armed Forces of the Great Yue, not some Mr. Nobody. You cannot enter as you please!” snapped Yao Yi, who was standing in front of dozens of crack soldiers in the gateway, keeping the palace guards at bay.

“Guard Yao.” Zhao Pingchuan cantered towards the gateway, halted at the bottom of the flight of stone steps and looked at Yao Yi. “Even Marshal Yuwen cannot get away with violation of the law.”

“Violation of the law? What kind of sick joke is this? Our marshal, along with hundreds of thousands of troops, risked their necks fighting the enemies in the borderlands, defending the Great Yue, and you’re saying that was violation of the law? Do you think our marshal is some kind of pushover whom you can treat in whatever way you like? You’ll have to ask whether or not the countless soldiers of the North-western Army will let you do that!”

“We won’t let you!” bellowed the dozens of crack soldiers behind Yao Yi in unison.

These men were radiating a brooding sense of power. Though there were only dozens of them, the air about them was no less powerful than that of the palace guards who crowded the area in front of the gates – no, actually they were even more intimidating than these palace guards.

The Crown Prince, clothed in robes with the pattern of a golden, four-pawed dragon on its front, sitting in a sumptuous carriage not far away, darkly narrowed his eyes, coldly staring at the front gates of the compound and the dozens of crack soldiers who had an alarmingly daunting emanation about them.

“Move forward.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

As the horse-drawn carriage slowly got close to the front gates of the residential compound of the Yuwen family, a eunuch announced the crown prince’s arrival in a loud voice.

“The Crown Prince approaches!”

Chapter 270: A Farcical Search

Zhao Pingchuan dismounted from his horse and knelt down to welcome the prince. “It’s a great honor to kneel before you, Your Highness.”

Eyes darkening, Yao Yi winked at the crack soldiers behind him and they all knelt down to pay their respects.

It was a few moments before Zhou Mingtang rose to his feet and walked out of the carriage at a gentle pace. It was after gazing at the plaque etched with the name of the Yuwen family for a while that he said to Yao Yi flintily, “Guard Yao, just now you said that palace guards are not eligible to enter the residential compound of the Yuwen family. May I ask if I’m eligible?”

“I dare not judge you, Your Highness. What I said just now was directed at the Palace Guards’ unwarranted attempt to break into the residential compound of the Yuwen family. I meant no disrespect for you whatsoever. Please don’t misunderstand me,” replied Yao Yi in a neither humble nor pushy tone.

But Zhou Mingtang’s eyes went piercing. “You meant no disrespect? If that’s true, tell me whether or not these palace guards, who are acting under my orders, are eligible to enter this place?”

“If I may ask, Your Highness, why are you having the Palace Guards surround and try to intrude into this compound?” asked Yao Yi.

“You’re in no position to ask me this question. Where’s Yuwen Tong?” said Zhou Mingtang frostily.

“The Marshal is occupied preparing for his wedding and hasn’t been informed of your arrival yet. I’ve already sent someone to report it to him,” answered Yao Yi.

Zhou Mingtang didn’t move, fixing Yao Yi with a chilly gaze. He was the Crown Prince, but this bodyguard actually expected him to wait for his arrival to be informed?! No matter who told Zhou Mingtang that Yao Yi wasn’t doing this spitefully, Zhou Mingtang would find it hard to believe.

Of course Yao Yi was doing this deliberately. Disgusting Zhou Mingtang was exactly what he was trying to do. Surely he wasn’t supposed to welcome Zhou Mingtang with a smiling face when the reason why Zhou Mingtang had come here was so obvious?! If he let Zhou Mingtang easily get through the front gates of the residential compound of the Yuwen family, he would not only have trouble justifying his inaction but also find it hard to show his face in front of members of the North-western Army without feeling deeply ashamed!

“Your Highness?!” A sudden exclamation of alarm was heard. Zheng shi, wheeling Yuwen Qi, was walking over, a large group of servants and handmaids following in her wake. Her face took on a greatly startled expression at the sight of the Crown Prince standing in the doorway and with that she reprimanded Yao Yi, “What do you think you are doing, Yao Yi? How could you have His Highness wait at the front gates? Go and tell Tong to bring everybody in this residence here to kneel before and welcome His Highness! Now!”

The corners of Yao Yi’s mouth twitched. Gazing at Zheng shi and Yuwen Qi who had just turned up, he really found them terribly repulsive.

“What’s the hurry, Aunt?”

Yuwen Tong sure-footedly walked out side by side with Yuwen You, followed by Fang shi, Liu shi and other members of the collateral branch of the Yuwen family. It seemed that they were really coming out to welcome the Crown Prince.

Seeing Yuwen Tong showing up accompanied by members of the collateral branch, Zheng shi tightened her hands into fists and remarked coldly, “Not everybody is eligible to welcome the Crown Prince.”

“Is that so? I’m glad to see that you have the wisdom to know your place, Aunt,” said Yuwen Tong icily, walking closer and then passing her with Yuwen You and the others without a second glance at Zheng shi or Yuwen Qi.

Eyeing Yuwen Tong’s back, Yuwen Qi tightly gripped the armrests of his armchair, gave a sneer and then inwardly jeered, “You won’t be able to keep that cocky face for long. Your death is imminent, yet you’re too stupid to perceive.”

“Yuwen Tong, your humble servant, and all his family members respectfully welcome you, Your Highness.”

“Yuwen You, your humble servant, and all his family members respectfully welcome you, Your Highness.”

Yuwen Tong and Yuwen You uttered the same words – except for their given names – in unison.

Zhou Mingtang didn’t say anything, his gaze fixed on Yuwen Tong. He should have been holding an advantage considering palace guards had ringed the residential compound of the Yuwen family, but unexpectedly, palace guards were held back at the front gates, and after such a long time, he hadn’t even gained entry into the compound yet. This whole thing was turning out to be a farce!

“Yuwen Tong, I never thought it’d be so difficult to get through your front gates. This is the first time that I’ve been kept waiting in the gateway. Tell me, what kind of punishment do you think you deserve for this?”

Yuwen Tong said, “Your Highness graced us with your presence without notice, which was why I didn’t have enough time to make preparations and failed to give Your Highness a prompt welcome. Please forgive me.”

Zhou Mingtang didn’t tell them to rise, but there was no anxiety whatsoever on Yuwen Tong’s face, and even Yuwen You, Fang shi and Liu shi didn’t seem to be anxious at all, as if these palace guards who crowded the area in front of the gateway posed no threat to their family.

Anger was smoldering in Zhou Mingtang, and his face was getting darker. “Forgive you? I’m afraid that won’t be easy to do. Someone went to my father and charged you with possession of banned items as well as conspiracy to stage a rebellion. I’m here to escort you to the imperial palace.”

Zheng shi, who was kneeling in the rear of the group, tightly balled her hands which were trembling unnoticeably.

All of them were expecting to hear Yuwen Tong defend himself in a panic-stricken voice, but to their surprise, Yuwen Tong’s tone was as calm as usual when he spoke.

“May I ask if you have any proofs, Your Highness?

Readily willing to go to the palace to personally defend myself before His Majesty as I am, I cannot do anything that might compromise Your Highness’ and His Majesty’s reputation, for people will lay unfavorable comments on you if the accusations against me turn out to be untrue.”

Why was he still so composed? Was he not afraid?!

Zhou Mingtang crossed his hands at the back, fists clenched, eyeing Yuwen Tong fixedly.

“Do you dare let palace guards go inside to conduct a search, Marshal?”

“I don’t see why I should be afraid of doing that. It’s just that I’ve been doing preparatory work for my wedding and there are a lot of things stored inside in readiness for the occasion. If by any chance the palace guards cause damage to any of them, I’ll have no choice but to claim compensation, because I’m really poor, and I’ve been spending most of my salaries on subsidizing the North-western Army.”

Yuwen Tong made a reply in an unhurried manner and even tried to bargain. Zhou Mingtang gritted his teeth in rage. “If no evidence is found, I’ll compensate you for all damage they cause.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

Yuwen Tong, along with Yuwen You and the others, stepped aside to make way, and he also instructed Yao Yi and the dozens of crack soldiers to do the same.

Zheng shi and Yuwen Qi were the only ones still standing where they’d been, as if not having come back from the stupefaction caused by Yuwen Tong’s reaction.

“How dare you stand in His Highness’ way! Move aside!” yelled Zhao Pingchuan as he, escorting Zhou Mingtang forward, saw Zheng shi and Yuwen Qi still blocking the path.

Zheng shi gave a frightened start and hurriedly wheeled Yuwen Qi away, her confused, anxious eyes flashing towards Zhou Mingtang, who didn’t even glance at her and ordered the palace guards to conduct a thorough search after entering the residential compound.

Yuwen You’s face reddened with fury at the sight of those palace guards breaking things with no regard at all for other people’s property. “This is outrageous!”

Yuwen Tong turned to console him under his breath, “Take it easy, Granduncle. I’ll have the emperor pay back tenfold the total value of the things these people damaged here.”

But Yuwen You found no comfort in these words. Instead, he looked at Yuwen Tong with worried eyes. They both were fully aware of the reason for this disaster – the emperor was taking action to eliminate Yuwen Tong… Even if they managed to survive this, would they be able to survive what was coming next?

Yuwen Tong could tell what was on his granduncle’s mind. “Don’t worry, Granduncle. Everything will be fine.”

After saying this, Yuwen Tong turned his head back, something intense glinting in the depths of his seemingly calm eyes.

The residential area of the first branch of the Yuwen family was where the sweep was the most intensive. These palace guards, on entry, started swarming around like locusts, scouring every inch of the place, leaving a trail of mess in their wake. They were clearly under orders, and Zhou Mingtang, the one who’d given the orders, seemed to be positive that they would find proof of Yuwen Tong’s plot to rebel in this place.

At this time, the street outside the residential compound was congested with citizens, as if all people in the capital city had gathered here. They were speaking in whispers. Some were saying that the Yuwen family would never scheme to stage an uprising, that on no account would Marshal Yuwen become a rebel; some others were saying that people of the Yuwen family were greedy and full of wild ambitions; there were also some suspending their judgement. The only comforting part was probably that the majority of the citizens believed the Yuwen family would never betray this country.

Yuwen Zhi and Yuwen Feng, naturally, were marched to the group of members of the Yuwen family. At the sight of palace guards wreaking havoc in the residence, Yuwen Feng was shocked. “Wh–What was this about?!”

Yuwen Tong made no reply

Yuwen Feng detected something astounding in Yuwen Tong’s attitude but couldn’t figure out what it was exactly.

Yuwen Zhi asked Yuwen Tong but the latter still chose to ignore him. Yuwen Zhi flew into a temper, put on a cold face and was just about to tell him off when Yuwen You commented, “If you have the strength to scold people, you might as well use it to pray that they wouldn’t find any inexplicable evidence in this place, because if they do, all of us will meet our ends soon.”

Yuwen Zhi was rendered speechless by Yuwen You’s words, an extremely sulky expression on his face.

Yuwen Feng, however, discerned something else in Yuwen You’s remarks. “What do you mean by ‘inexplicable evidence’, Granduncle?”

Yuwen You coldly snorted, giving no answer to his question.

Clanking and smashing sounds could be heard coming from here and there inside the compound.

Every smash led to an increase in Yao Yi’s and the others’ anger. Yuwen Tong’s face had gone so cold that it seemed almost non-human, and anybody could tell that his fury was reaching flashpoint.

…

As time ticked away, the Palace Guards’ search was coming to an end.

“Commander, we found nothing.”

“Commander, there’s nothing here either.”

“Commander…”

More and more search teams came back to report to Zhao Pingchuan. Nothing had been found hitherto. With a somewhat sullen face, Zhao Pingchuan informed Zhou Mingtang of the results of the search. Zhou Mingtang’s face went even more sullen. He turned to glance at a personal bodyguard of his, who took the hint and intended to go inside.

“Your Highness, it’s best if your men touch nothing,” said Yuwen Tong suddenly, his voice so emotionless that even Zhou Mingtang felt a chill run down his spine.

Zhou Mingtang swiveled around and was greeted with Yuwen Tong’s inhumanly icy eyes, which seemed to belong to the most ruthless killing machine on a battleground, containing not a shred of emotion.

Zhou Mingtang broke out in a cold sweat and unnoticeably shifted his gaze elsewhere. “You overthink it, Marshal. Nobody is going anywhere.”

Zhou Mingtang’s heart was pounding violently. He suddenly realized that maybe this operation was a wrong move. Yuwen Tong seemed very frightening at this moment, his eyes seeming to have seen through everything. If he returned empty-handed, the situation would be very troublesome. People of the Yuwen family, whose loyalty was now as impassive as Yuwen Tong’s eyes and questionable, could get out of control at any moment.

No matter how hard Zhou Mingtang prayed, palace guards still failed to find the thing that should’ve been found by now, though they’d combed the whole compound.

“Have they finished the search, Your Highness? Did any of them find any banned items in my place?”

Zhou Mingtang had a terrible scowl on his face. As his frosty eyes raked Zheng shi and Yuwen Qi, the former paled visibly.

“This is so confusing to me. How about you give me an explanation, Madam Yuwen?”

Madam Yuwen?

Everybody focused their eyes on Zheng shi. The expression in Yuwen Feng’s eyes instantly went incredulous and even somewhat heartbroken. “Mo–Mother?!”