The Glory After Rebirth

Yao Yi broke off in the middle of a sentence. Yuwen Tong looked at him. “Anything you feel it inconvenient to talk about?”

Yao Yi hurriedly replied, “Not inconvenient. It’s just that I don’t dare say for sure. This morning, Xie Shi had a message delivered here, which said that Wang Dashan and some others had been assigned by Childe Ling to perform some kind of task and their whereabouts were unknown.”

Yuwen Tong briefly paused, coming to understand what Yao Yi was implying. “Since when have Wang Dashan and his men learned how to slip away from under your noses without any of you noticing?”

“The ones who tailed them said that those men in black adopted some kind of weird method, that they unmistakably caught sight of them but the next moment they suddenly vanished.” Yao Yi was also very confused and had been wondering all along what had happened.

Something occurred to Yuwen Tong and he raised his eyebrows and said, “It seems that they’re quite quick learners.”

Yao Yi didn’t understand. “What was it that they learned?”

“Mr. Ji has been personally instructing them. As for what he is teaching them exactly, I have no idea either.”

Mouth hanging open, Yao Yi recalled the miraculous skill Ji Yin had displayed in the mansion that day, and began to worry. If all those security guards became so difficult to shadow, would they still be able to keep them under control with kung fu skills?

“Don’t you make me lose face,” added Yuwen Tong.

Yao Yi had no choice but to hurriedly answer, “I don’t dare, Marshal.”

Yuwen Tong flicked a glance at him and said, “Given that it was Wang Dashan and his men who did that, there’s no doubt they were following Brother Zhang’s orders. Stay out of this. Pretend you’re still investigating. Distract those performing the search when necessary.”

Yao Yi was totally unsurprised at Yuwen Tong’s decision. “Yes, Marshal.”

“Have you found anything out about what my uncle is up to?” Yuwen Tong started to ask about something else.

Yao Yi answered cautiously, “I noticed that every seven days Second Master’s old personal servant goes to a small teahouse located in the North Alley beside the second street in the east of the city to drink tea, and every time when the storyteller in the teahouse reaches the best part of his story and all customers’ attention is focused on the storyteller, he rises to his feet and goes to the privy without fail. At first I had a suspicion that he goes there to meet someone, which afterwards turned out to be untrue. Yesterday that old servant went to the teahouse as usual and when he was heading for the privy, someone bumped into him and a bamboo tube slid out of his sleeve, which looked similar to the bamboo tube Second Young Master had carried with him in Tanyang.

Zhao Fugui once said that Second Young Master’s venomous snake was capable of delivering messages, so I immediately became vigilant. Pity I was unprepared. Even if that old servant sent out a venomous snake, for the moment there’s no way to find out where it went. We can only wait for him to do that again.”

A frown creased Yuwen Tong’s face. If that was the case, Yuwen Zhi must have been corresponding with someone in this way for a very long time.

Recollecting the layout of the surroundings of the North Alley beside the second street in the east of the city, pondering who this person that Yuwen Zhi had been corresponding with might be, Yuwen Tong eventually found that several of the residences closest to the teahouse belonged to courtiers. Another fact that rendered Yuwen Tong cautious was that this place was near the imperial palace.

That alley was only two north-south streets away from the wall of the imperial palace. At the foot of the palace wall was a broad thoroughfare paved with blue flagstones, which palace guards patrolled in shifts day and night. In order to prevent the air from getting dusty, grass seeds had been sowed in the soil in the gaps between blue flagstones of all main streets in the capital city. Though horses and pedestrians walked along them day and night, there was still green grass growing in those gaps, which made it very easy for a small snake to get cross the streets. Of course there might be other ways. After all, all they needed was a passage wide enough for a small snake to go through…

He remembered that the place behind that palace wall seemed to be a utility room.

Faintly cold-faced, Yuwen Tong contemplated, hoping that he was merely overthinking it by making this speculation. It would take more time and patience to ascertain whom Yuwen Zhi had been contacting.

“Be cautious about this. Tell Xie Shi to come back in a few days. I want him to personally go there and keep a close watch on that old servant.”

Yao Yi nodded. Xie Shi excelled at detoxification and was more acquainted with that kind of venomous snakes.

“Have you found the merchant that provided these venomous snakes for my uncle’s branch of the family?” inquired Yuwen Tong.

“We’ve got a shrewd idea who he is. Pity people of south Xinjiang are very wary of outsiders and unwilling to disclose more details. Also, that merchant enters the capital city every three years. To find him, we have to either wait or go to south Xinjiang. I’ve already had a message delivered to our scouts there, telling them to keep their eyes peeled for him. Currently I’m waiting for their report.”

If the situation went urgent, Yao Yi would personally pay a visit to south Xinjiang, but he was Yuwen Tong’s right-hand man, and Yuwen Tong merely wanted to know who had provided his uncle’s branch of the family with that kind of venomous snakes, and had no intention to do anything to that merchant, so there was no hurry.

“Our first priority right now is finding out what that old servant has been doing exactly in that teahouse. Make sure he’s under constant watch.”

“Yes, Marshal.”

…

“Young Master, the dowry-delivering team of the Yuwen family has departed for Tanyang. They exited the city this morning. It was Yuwen Chi, Yuwen Han and Yuwen Jin who were heading the team.”

This day, Ling Zhang had just returned from checking the artisans’ progress in building the drill ground when Wang Dashan hastily entered and gave him a report with a delighted face.

Ling Zhang was surprised. Yuwen Jin was in the team as well? That guy definitely had gone along for the ride.

Wang Dashan was very happy, for the dowry-delivering team of the Yuwen family was huge. It was so long that he couldn’t see the end of it, and the dowries were unimaginably lavish. When the team had been going through the city gate, residents had crowded the two sides of street looking on. The dowries had been prepared according to the highest ceremonial standard that the Yuwen family was currently allowed to adopt, and Yuwen Chi, Yuwen Tong’s uncle, was personally leading the team. Though Yuwen You’s branch of the Yuwen family had separated from the other two branches many years ago, Yuwen Chi was Yuwen Tong’s father’s peer, and Yuwen Tong respected him very much, so everybody knew how much weight Yuwen Chi carried. On top of that, apart from Yuwen Chi, Yuwen Han who was Yuwen Tong’s peer, and Yuwen Jin were in the team as well, so the level of formality was very high.

“It is rumored that the North-western Army had a pair of wild geese delivered here with a fast horse to send their congratulations. All those who saw them said that the wild geese were very imposing.”

It was not the wild geese but the gesture of the North-western Army that was of significance. By doing this, they were unmistakably telling everybody that they’d accepted Ling Zhang as their Marshal’s wife.

“I heard that the North-western Army also sent word out that on the wedding day of the Marshal and Childe Ling, Jiang Xi, one of the two assistant commanders, along with several hundred crack troops, would accompany the Marshal to Childe Ling’s home to escort him back to the wedding.”

Though Ling Zhang wanted to keep up his pretence of composure, the corners of his mouth curled up in spite of himself.

A soft cough was heard.

Ling Zhang turned and called in a somewhat embarrassed tone, “Grandfather.”

Walking over, Ji Yin remarked, “That Yuwen boy knows what’s good for him. I’ll give him that.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be instructing Yang Liuzi and the others? Why did you come here?” Fairly awkward, Ling Zhang steered the conversation away.

Ji Yin lightly snorted, “I’m neither deaf nor blind enough to let the uproariousness on the main road to escape my notice. I came here to inform you of it, but this guard of yours anticipated me.”

Wang Dashan repeatedly apologized to the old man. Ji Yin had given him and other security guards a lot of directions, and their kung fu had improved considerably in a short amount of time. Though aware that it was impossible for them to have Ji Yin apprentice them, they still respected Ji Yin very much, inwardly regarding him as their master shifu.

Ling Zhang was astonished to learn that Ji Yin had heard it. There was a very long distance between the manor and the main road, but he had still heard the noises?

“Don’t worry. Now that the Yuwen family prepared dowry of this standard, Grandfather will make sure your trousseau is of much greater value than that. The Ling family just has to do their best; I’ll handle the rest of it. There’s no need for you to feel too embarrassed to accept it. Just take it as a compensation Grandfather makes on behalf of your mother.”

Now that Ji Yin had put it this way, Ling Zhang had nothing else to say.

But, speaking of the trousseau…

Subconsciously, Ling Zhang suddenly realized that something was not quite right. Why hadn’t he sent a dowry-delivering team to the Yuwen family instead of allowing Yuwen Tong to send one to the Ling family? His embarrassment instantly disappeared at this thought. Ling Zhang, wringing his wrist in regret, let out a sigh. Now it was too late. The team of the Yuwen family had already departed. It was impossible for him to tell them to return. He was such a fool!

“What’s the matter? You’re unhappy that Grandfather wants to chip in money to buy you trousseau?” Seeing the odd expression on Ling Zhang’s face which seemed to be regret or something, Ji Yin mistakenly believed that Ling Zhang was unhappy to hear that he wanted to get involved in the preparation of his trousseau. The old man appeared aggrieved.

Ling Zhang jerked out of his trance and hurriedly said, “Of course not. I couldn’t be happier about it. I’ve never worried about that matter, because I know you got my back, Grandfather.”

Ji Yin’s spirits rose to normal at these words, but he still asked, “Then what were you thinking about just now? You looked rather regretful.”

Ling Zhang didn’t dare tell Ji Yin the truth. Having been staying with the old man for all these days, he had come to know that his grandfather was fairly overprotective of him. If he told Ji Yin, the old man would definitely go and stop the team of the Yuwen family straight away.

“I was just thinking that I’m not in Tanyang and cannot see with my own eyes how my paternal grandfather and uncle would react when they see the team.”

“That’s very easy to fix. Let’s go back to Tanyang right now,” observed Ji Yin unhesitatingly, as expected.

Ling Zhang hastily said, “The revamp of the manor isn’t finished yet, Grandfather. We may go to Tanyang after returning from the Millennium Pavilion. At any rate, I need to see my… my father first.”

Ji Yin thought for a moment and acceded, “You’re right. The two of you haven’t seen each other for so many years. It’s about time you went to meet him. It’d be best if he recovers before your wedding day.”

Ling Zhang, who had never given this any thought, was slightly surprised. After all, the existence of his father had been strange to him for too long.

Although unable to depart for Tanyang immediately, Ji Yin set out to prepare Ling Zhang’s trousseau without further ado. He still instructed the security guards as scheduled, but had delegated everything else in the manor to Ling Zhang, who had pulled a wry face when accepting the assignments.

The revamp of the manor was being carried out according to the diagram of a formation. Ji Yin had fully briefed Ling Zhang on it, and over the past couple of days, it was Ling Zhang who had been supervising the craftsmen working, so naturally he could take over the whole project with no problem. Artisans were doing the revamp according to the owners’ instructions. Some renovations confused them, and none of them could understand. Firstly, such an ingenious formation was beyond their grasp; secondly, Ji Yin personally handled the revamp of the crucial parts. Therefore, though the artisans had been doing the revamp, why the owners wanted they to do it that way was a mystery to them.

“Are there any messages from the city?” Ling Zhang inquired of Wang Dashan after taking charge of the revamp of the manor. He wanted to know when Yuwen Tong would finish the business in hand.