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“I’ll go,” said Ling Zhang.

Yuwen Tong gave a smile, eyes gleaming with ill-concealed appreciation for Ling Zhang’s decision.

Ling Zhang had risen to his feet and summoned Xia Feng. “I’ll go to the imperial palace with Yuwen Tong tonight. Bring me all clothes in my wardrobe suitable for that kind of occasion.”

It was no exaggeration to say that this welcome reception would be a war without bullets, and he didn’t want to end up being an embarrassment to Yuwen Tong because of his poor taste of attire. As regards Ling family, Ling Zhang knew very well what level Ling family was at, but thinking of Ling family, Ling Zhang couldn’t help but recall those matters concerning his grandfather’s past. In the knowledge that this time, when he was in the imperial palace, there would definitely be some unthoughtful people raking those things up, Ling Zhang had a fairly flinty look in his eyes.

He was standing with his back to Yuwen Tong, so his facial expression didn’t come to Yuwen Tong’s notice. In an amused tone, Yuwen Tong said, “There will be something entertaining tonight.”

“Something entertaining?” Ling Zhang turned around. His eyes had returned to normal. “What do you mean?”

Yuwen Tong lowered his head and whispered something in Ling Zhang’s ears. Ling Zhang slightly squinted his eyes and looked at Yuwen Tong. “Wouldn’t that be beyond the pale?”

“Won’t that be a good thing? I thought we’d be celebrating my returning to the capital city,” Yuwen Tong replied, as if what he had just suggested were a matter of course.

Ling Zhang fell speechless with embarrassment.

‘This guy’s indeed wildly arrogant!’

Yuwen Tong walked into the inner room to check the garments that Xia Feng had picked. A lot of them had been rushed out before they departed for the capital city. After thinking for a while, Yuwen Tong picked one and said, “This will do.”

Ling Zhang followed inside, run an eye over all the attire selected by Xia Feng and looked at Yuwen Tong, a confused look on his face. “Why this one?”

‘It’s not that this one is unsuitable. It’s just... a little too sumptuous,’ he thought.

‘I don’t want to dress so... ur... cockily the first time meeting those people.’ Ling Zhang preferred to be low-key. ‘If I put on the finest clothes this time, how am I suppose to best myself in the future?’

Yuwen Tong said, “This looks pretty good. It suits you.”

Ling Zhang fell speechless with embarrassment. After a few moments, he commented, “It’ll make me appear a little cocky.”

But Yuwen Tong responded, “What’s wrong with that? I mean, your behavior earlier this day was already cocky enough. Don’t you think, Childe Ling?”

Ling Zhang exchanged glances with Yuwen Tong and with that his eyes gradually lit up. ‘That’s right. I appeared cocky enough earlier this day anyway. It would be a divergence from my previous behavior at the city gate if I wear low-key attire.’ Thinking of this, he said, “Okay. I’ll take this one.

Fortunately you reminded me of this. Otherwise I might let the cat out of the bag.”

...

“Just the two of you? Where’s Yuwen Tong?”

The moment Yuwen Feng and Yuwen Qi returned home, their mother, bursting with impatience, asked them where Yuwen Tong was, since whether she would be able to show her face in front of all those wives of officials in the capital city depended on this matter.

“Ask my elder brother.” After making a brusque reply, Yuwen Qi stormed into the living room.

Zheng shi, who failed to stop her younger son, had no choice but to look at her elder son and asked expectantly, “How’s it going?”

“My cousin will come back tomorrow,” Yuwen Feng responded.

“Tomorrow?” Zheng shi’s face changed. “He’s not coming back today?”

“I would never have taken ‘tomorrow’ for an answer had elder brother not been keeping me from speaking!” Yuwen Qi yelled in the living room.

Yuwen Feng’s face darkened. “Had I let you do the talking, he wouldn’t even set foot in this house again, let alone come back tomorrow.”

“Exactly what happened there? Can either of you two give me a clear explanation?” huffed Zheng shi.

“Yuwen Tong said that he would pay a visit to his father’s uncle early tomorrow morning before coming back here,” Yuwen Qi informed her.

“His father’s uncle?” Zheng shi’s forehead corrugated in a frown. “What did Yuwen Tong mean by that? It’s us who are the most closely related to him. Master, why do you think Yuwen Tong is doing this?”

Zheng shi anxiously went inside. ‘The root of Yuwen family is here. Yuwen You and his offspring are merely an offshoot. Yuwen Tong decided to visit them first instead of coming back here. Is he out of his mind?’

“How dare he!” Yuwen Zhi flew into a temper. With a piercing look in his eyes, he looked at Yuwen Feng. “Didn’t you say that you’d get him back? Tell me exactly what happened.”

“Father, elder brother didn’t have the balls to say a single word carrying weight. He agreed to Yuwen Tong’s every remark and made no efforts whatsoever to convince Yuwen Tong,” huffed Yuwen Qi loudly.

Yuwen Feng’s face darkened. “Yuwen Qi, curb your desire to stir up trouble.”

However, Yuwen Zhi instructed him, “Enough. Tell me the details.”

Resigned, Yuwen Feng had no alternative but to tell the whole story from beginning to end. “Cousin was displeased with us getting too involved in this matter. He cares about Ling Zhang more than we expected. Father, he’s sending a word of warning to you.”

Yuwen Zhi heavily smacked his fist onto the teapoy sending the tea set jumping. “Who does Yuwen Tong think he is!”

“Tell me about it. You’re his elder, Father. How could he treat you like this?” said Yuwen Qi.

“Stop being so talky, will you?” Yuwen Feng looked at him in displeasure.

Yuwen Qi reluctantly shut his mouth.

Zheng shi walked over. “Qi’er is right. It was indeed too arrogant of Yuwen Tong to show such a lack of respect for his elder. Master, I think I’m beginning to see the light –he’s trying to show favor to that Ling Zhang guy by humiliating us. That male courtesan is so crafty. It’s been such a short time yet he’s already had Yuwen Tong in the palm of his hand. And Yuwen Tong dared to commit such deed in contravention of all the heavenly laws of morality and filial love.”

Face stamped with coldness, Yuwen Zhi replied, “Humph! I’d like to find out how much longer that Ling Zhang guy could keep doing that!”

Yuwen Feng frowned. ‘It’s really inadvisable for us to have another disagreement with Yuwen Tong. Why can’t father and mother see this?’

“Father, if this does bother you, please wait until my cousin comes back to discipline him. Right now maybe you should subdue your anger lest there be any further disagreement with him.”

Yuwen Zhi looked at him in displeasure. “You have always had a pretty good sense of propriety. How did you come to be so short-sighted this time around? If I don’t state my stand categorically right now, that Ling Zhang guy will definitely turn this house upside down after he marries your cousin. Besides, he’ll have to get my consent first if he wants to marry into Yuwen family!”

“That’s right, Feng’er. If we don’t make our position known, outsiders will mistakenly believe that we are afraid of Ling Zhang. What kind of awkward situation will we be reduced to if that’s the case? Members of the honorable Yuwen family compromise with an unpresentable countryman? How are we supposed to show our faces if we let that happen?” Zheng shi agreed.

“Mother! Let’s not forget that we owe a debt of gratitude to Ling Xingzhong, Old Master Ling. If we go too far, what will outsiders think of us?” Yuwen Feng said.

“That’s just an insignificant favor,” commented Yuwen Qi in a scornful tone of voice.

“He saved our grandfather’s life,” Yuwen Feng solemnly corrected his younger brother. “One should repay the droplet of water received in raging thirst with a bubbling spring. It’ll be dishonorable of us to make life difficult for Ling Zhang, and we’ll be reduced to a terribly passive position once Ling Zhang fights back.”

“Even that’s the case, we can’t just stand by and watch Ling Zhang behave so cockily.” Yuwen Qi’s eyes briefly rolled left and right and with that he continued, a sinister look in his eyes, “We may figure out a way to–”

“Shut up!” His brother’s words were giving Yuwen Feng headaches. “Don’t you dare take any rash actions, unless you want us to part ways with our cousin, which I’m absolutely certain will be detrimental to us!”

“Elder Brother, why do you keep defending them? I thought you were supposed to be on your family’s side,” remarked Yuwen Qi who was hiding behind his mother.

Zheng shi’s face was stamped with displeasure. Clearly she shared her younger son’s opinion.

Yuwen Feng, who no longer had the patience to reason with the two of them, looked at Yuwen Zhi and said, “Father, on no condition should we fall out with my cousin.”

Yuwen Zhi replied, “I know where the limit is.”

Worry bubbled up inside Yuwen Feng. He kept feeling that things were going in the direction towards an end he wouldn’t like to see.

...

“Yuwen Feng and Yuwen Qi returned home empty-handed?”

“That’s right. Yuwen Tong didn’t leave Ling Zhang’s place at all.”

“Why did Yuwen Tong do that? How did he come to be so disrespectful to his family?”

Soon, similar conversations and various kinds of conjectures could be heard in streets and alleys of the capital city.

Tao Yi, who had also heard this, was in confusion, having no idea what was going on.

“Tao Yi, didn’t you say that you and that Ling Zhang guy were friends? How about you go and pay a visit to him?” A school friend of his egged him on.

But Tao Yi didn’t fall prey to his instigation. “It’s not the right time for me to visit him yet. Marshal Yuwen is still there. How can I turn up like this?”

“Ah? Pooh, I forgot that you are a big fan of Marshal Yuwen. You want to dress up first?” smiled his school friend.

Tao Yi gave a wave of his hand. “Stop talking nonsense. No matter what, I’ve got to prepare a present. I don’t want to strike the Marshal as frivolous. And–”

“Tao Yi!” someone suddenly yelled.

Tao Yi looked in that direction and saw that it was another school friend of his.

“What’s up?” Tao Yi asked.

“Mr Gu requests your presence. Someone from the Ling Mansion delivered a visitor’s card here!” the man replied aloud.

Tao Yi widened his eyes. “What?! Which Ling Mansion are you referring to?”

There were a lot of surnames in the capital city, Ling included, but when hearing the name “the Ling Mansion”, everybody in the capital city would only think of the one that had just been put to use earlier this day.

Tao Yi was afraid that he might have misunderstood.

“What do you mean by ‘which Ling Mansion’? The Ling Mansion, of course,” the man stressed the word “the”. “The Marshal’s betrothed. Your fellow-townsman, from Tanyang!”

Pleasantly surprised, Tao Yi immediately ran away.

“Is it really necessary to run so quickly?” asked the one who had been talking with Tao Yi, but after a few moments’ careful thinking, he believed that he himself might have become just as excited as Tao Yi was had he were in Tao Yi’s shoes.

“Mr Gu!” yelled Tao Yi after running into the courtyard house of his teacher.

“Stop yelling! It’s very undignified!” A sonorous voice like a crash of thunder was heard, which immediately sent Tao Yi into an awed silence.

Tao Yi hurriedly halted, adjusted his hat and clothes, slowed down his breathing and then made a bow with hands folded in front. “Mr Gu.”

The sonorous voice snorted, “Come in.”

“Yes, Mr Gu.”

Tao Yi obediently entered the room.

This was a spacious hall. There was no wall only a half-folded bamboo curtain at the far end of it, which allowed visitors to see the view of the back yard. The most obtrusive item inside was a desk in the front of the hall. A old man was sitting behind the desk, glaring at Tao Yi, a severe look on his face.

Tao Yi, as if having a guilty conscience, hung his head.

“How many times have I told you not to be so reckless and to develop some self-control? Look at yourself, you are still like this. For the sake of my reputation, you are not to tell any outsider you’re my student,” remarked the old man in a stern tone of voice.

Tao Yi listened quietly and then meekly admitted his mistakes.

Eventually, seeing the old man’s anger was allayed, he hurriedly asked, “Mr Gu, is it true that someone from the Ling Mansion sent a visitor’s card here?”

The old man slid him a sideways glance and replied, “Yeah. It’s said that your father had a lot of stuff delivered to the capital city. In order not to cause me disturbance, they sent a visitor’s card here first. Those things will be taken here tomorrow before their visit.”

“Wha–What about Ling Zhang? Did he say that he would come? And...”

“And what? You are not seriously expecting the Marshal to pay you a formal visit, do you?”

Tao Yi lapsed into an awkward silence again.

“This card is for you. Take it.” The old man tapped at the table where a visitor’s card was.

Delighted, Tao Yi stepped forward and picked it up, but after he read it, half of the delight on his face was replaced by disappointment.

“What’s with that face?” the old man inquired of him.

“Ling Zhang is coming here to see me, but the Marshal isn’t,” replied Tao Yi.

The corners of the old man’s mouth involuntarily twitched. “All right, go back to your books. Prepare yourself to receive the guest. Don’t be so frivolous. There’s no point dwelling on things that are not meant for you.”