“This brat runs so fast,” sighed Fu Caiwei.
Ling Xingzhong, however, didn’t lose his temper. He was very glad to hear the news. Stroking his beard, he said, “It seems that there’s still hope.”
‘My eldest grandson has already begun to proactively court Yuwen Tong’s favor. Would it be long before he agrees to the marriage?’ he whispered to himself in delight.
“But we still have to remind Zhang’er that he must not be excessively solicitous. He must adopt a moderate finesse.”
Fu Caiwei pulled a wry face when she heard his words. It was this man who had wanted Ling Zhang to establish a close relationship with Yuwen Tong, but now he wanted Ling Zhang to keep a moderate distance from him.
‘Alas. This old man’s thoughts are so unpredictable.’
Meanwhile, Ling Maomao rapidly ran to the Green Bamboo Mansion. The moment he entered the courtyard, he was greeted by tempting aromas. Instantly, a wave of pique flooded him and he yelled, “Elder brother!”
On hearing Ling Maomao’s silvery voice, Ling Zhang, who had prepared some novel dishes to entertain Yuwen Tong, did a double take. “Maomao?”
‘He should be having lunch at this hour. Why did he come here?’ he wondered.
Yuwen Tong also put down his chopsticks, watching Ling Maomao running into the room. The first thing Ling Maomao did after entering was glance at those dishes on the dining table, and then he flicked a rather aggrieved glimpse at Yuwen Tong.
Yuwen Tong was confused at first. And then, as he saw Ling Maomao ran to Ling Zhang with a faintly sulky pout, he had a general idea of what was going on, but he kept his countenance in silence, waiting to hear what Ling Maomao was going to say to Ling Zhang.
“Elder brother, I haven’t seen you for days. Are you very busy?” Ling Maomao complained in an aggrieved tone of voice.
Yuwen Tong’s eyebrows lifted. ‘This kid’s not bad. He adopted a roundabout method in pursuit of his ends.’
But Ling Zhang didn’t have a clue what kind of grievance Ling Maomao had been nursing, so naturally his heart was softened as he heard his aggrieved voice. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have neglected you. I apologize to you. Please forgive me.”
“Then… Then can I sleep with you tonight?” Ling Maomao raised his head and pitifully looked at him.
Ling Zhang recalled that he didn’t have to take a medicated bath on this day, so he nodded. “By all means. You’re always welcome at elder brother’s house.”
On hearing this, Ling Maomao gave a smile. “And you’re also telling me stories about Marshal Yuwen.”
Ling Zhang was speechless with embarrassment.
He gave a soft cough and glimpsed at Yuwen Tong who was watching him.
“Okay.”
He didn’t care whether he would lose face. His younger brother being happy was the most important to him.
Ling Maomao cheered and held his belly. “I hurried here to meet you and I haven’t had lunch yet.”
“Then have it here. Come on. Take a seat.” Without any suspicions, Ling Zhang drew Ling Maomao to the dining table and settled him on a chair.
Xia Feng, who had carried these dishes to the Green Bamboo Mansion with Ling Zhang previously, was an observant man. He gave the boy a spare bowl and a pair of spare chopsticks and said, “Enjoy your meal, Second Young Master.”
Ling Maomao happily took the bowl and chopsticks and cast a smile at his elder brother. “Let’s eat, elder brother.”
“Okay,” Ling Zhang replied and sat down on a chair beside him.
Yuwen Tong gazed at the two brothers, the responsive little one of whom was smugly watching him while his elder brother wasn’t paying attention, and the other one of whom seemed to be completely oblivious of what was going on, which Yuwen Tong found a pretty amusing sight.
“Err, let me continue offering you some information about these dishes. So this one…” Ling Zhang resumed providing Yuwen Tong with information on the next course.
And then the look in Ling Maomao’s eyes turned from smugness into envy. Beneath his gaze, Yuwen Tong picked the best and also most delicious part of that dish for himself.
Ling Maomao went speechless.
He abruptly took a mouthful of rice in a fit of anger.
Yuwen Tong deliberately picked the best part of every other dish, which Ling Maomao desired the most. The little boy could barely forbear to throw a tantrum.
Finally, Ling Zhang also sensed that something was not right. In perplexity, he looked at Yuwen Tong and then moved his eyes onto Ling Maomao. “What’s going on?”
As eager as Ling Maomao was to tell on Yuwen Tong, when he saw the look on Yuwen Tong’s face, an inexplicable unwillingness to admit defeat clutched at his heart. His cheeks bulging, he said, “Nothing.”
Of course Ling Zhang didn’t believe him. He looked at Yuwen Tong. Naturally, which parts of those dishes this marshal had just picked didn’t escape his notice. ‘Surely it was not by sheer coincidence that this guy took away the part Maomao liked the most every time he used his chopsticks?’ he wondered.
“This is the first time that I’ve heard of these dishes. After having a taste of each of them, I found that they’re pretty appetizing. Very good.”
After hearing Yuwen Tong’s words, Ling Zhang thought, ‘This is the first time that this guy has tasted these dishes, so he shouldn’t have known what Maomao liked the most. It must be a coincidence. But the resemblance between their preferences is so uncanny.”
“Then I’ll have them serve these dishes again in a couple of days.”
“Okay.”
Ling Maomao cast a glance at his elder brother, wondering, ‘These dishes will be served again in a couple of days? Will I be allowed to come here to freeload one more time?’
Though Ling Zhang believed that it was a mere coincidence that Yuwen Tong behaved this way, he was well aware of what Ling Maomao was thinking about as well as which dishes he liked the most, so he said, “You’ll get a serving of this menu as well. I promise all courses will be your favorite.”
Ling Maomao’s eyes lit up. It was not until this moment that he felt happy again. “Thank you, elder brother.”
Yuwen Tong had merely been teasing Ling Maomao on a whim. It was not that he really wanted to cross him, so during the rest of the lunch time, he no longer gave Ling Maomao tit for tat, and Ling Maomao secretly sighed with relief.
After lunch, Ling Maomao, who had run out of good reason for staying in the Green Bamboo Mansion, reluctantly left the mansion, frequently looking back at his elder brother on his way out.
“The brotherly affection between you two is unduly saccharine. It’s not that you won’t be able to see each other again,” said Yuwen Tong.
“Maomao is still a little boy,” Ling Zhang explained.
It was mainly because he always had an urge to make up for Ling Maomao and make Maomao happy, which was what he had failed to do in his last life as well as his greatest regret.
“He’s already seven, an age at which I’ve already had my experience of the cruelty of war,” said Yuwen Tong.
Ling Zhang flicked a resigned glance at him. “How could Maomao compare to you? I only hope he spends his life in peace and happiness.”
But Yuwen Tong gave a chuckle. “If you keep doing this, he will only end up being spoiled. You should find the guts to subject him to discipline and toughen him up if you really want the best for him. Only by becoming strong enough can he protect himself and ensure his safety and happiness.”
Ling Zhang seemed to be absorbed in thought. After a while he said with a wry smile, “I know what you’re saying, but in any case, I have to resolve the present crisis first.”
Seeing that he had understood, Yuwen Tong made no further remarks.
Meanwhile, Ling Maomao, who had returned to the ante-room of his home, was summoned by Ling Xingzhong. “Maomao, how are your elder brother and Lord Yuwen getting along?”
On hearing Yuwen Tong’s name, Ling Maomao pouted, “As usual.”
“Be more specific. Tell me,” Ling Xingzhong urged.
Ling Maomao looked at his grandfather in perplexity, wondering, ‘Even grandfather regards Elder Brother Yuwen as such an important person. Why?’
“Maomao, why are you keeping silent?” Ling Xingzhong watched him.
“Elder brother prepared a tableful of delicious food for Elder Brother Yuwen and also offered detailed information about them. Elder Brother Yuwen said that those dishes were pretty good, and then elder brother said that he would prepare them again for Elder Brother Yuwen a couple of days later.” Though Ling Maomao was unwilling to do so, he still told Ling Xingzhong what had happened during lunch.
“Oh? He’ll cook meals for him again? Good. That’s good.” Ling Xingzhong burst into laughter.
“Grandpa, why do you like Elder Brother Yuwen so much?” Ling Maomao couldn’t understand.
“Um? You like him, too, do you not? You don’t want him to tell you stories about Marshal Yuwen any longer?” Ling Xingzhong looked at him.
Ling Maomao briefly froze. “We – Well, I do. Elder Brother Yuwen is a pretty good storyteller.”
“You like his stories, so does grandpa,” Ling Xingzhong told him.
Ling Maomao thought for a while. “Fine.”
He decided to let go of what had happened during lunch, considering it as a payment for all those stories Elder Brother Yuwen had told him.
In the afternoon, Ling Zhang went to the guards’ yard. Wang Dashan and Liu Yi had also got up after catching up on their sleep for half a day. All the twelve security guards had basically mastered what Ling Zhang had taught them, which greatly relieved Ling Zhang who had been worrying that these guys might not be able to acquire these skills after ten days even half a month.
“Tomorrow, we’ll officially start formation training. This afternoon I’ll introduce you to the first formation of this tactical deployment as well as your respective position in it.”
It would take a long time to elaborate on the principles of Trap-and-Kill Formation. Ling Zhang expounded it carefully, telling those guards their positions according to Yuwen Tong’s suggestions.
They found that their current positions were different from those designated to them on the first day. Wang Dashan asked in uncertainty, “Young Master, our positions have been changed?”
“That’s right. I have made some adjustment to your positions. Have a try. See if you can cooperate with one another more effectively.”
After hearing his words, Wang Dashan and others made a few moves and, as expected, found that they could now play their parts better in the formation. Wang Dashan said delightedly, “This is amazing.”
“I think the teamwork of you is now good enough. All you need to do is firmly memorize your respective positions and familiarize yourselves with the way you’re supposed to cooperate with people around you. And our final goal is the twelve of you working as one. I want all of you to show diligence in your training. We’ve been working so hard for quite a few days. And this moment is all we’ve been waiting for.”
“Rest assured, Young Master. We’ll do our level best!”
It would take more than a day and a night for these twelve people to work as one in the formation. First they had to force themselves to memorize the details, and then after some training, they would be able to utilize the formation proficiently and then flexibly.
Ling Zhang spent the whole afternoon teaching in the guards’ yard, while Yuwen Tong received a letter which said that Little Liu, a member of the guard team that he had ordered Yue Qi to dispatch to Tanyang from the capital city, had arrived waiting for Yuwen Tong’s instructions.
“Tell him to enter the city after dark. Remind him to stay out of people’s sight.”
“Yes, marshal.”
“Did Yao Yi come back?”
“The captain is back, marshal.”
“Let him in.”
Yao Yi, who had been waiting outside for some time, hurried inside on hearing that the marshal finally summoned him. “Marshal!”
“Um. So how’s it going?”
“The result of the investigation suggests that the mine director of Jia family has been visiting a private brothel named Pear Blossom Garden more and more often recently. We’d actually investigated the owner of the Pear Blossom Garden, who’s called Lady Jingwu. Originally, we thought that the mine director was merely a regular customer of hers. Unexpectedly, the mine director cared about her more than we’d imagined. It was just that he didn’t intervene personally but secretly sent a couple of intermediaries providing shelter for the Pear Blossom Garden.”
“Then I found that sometimes, when the mine director went to the Pear Blossom Garden, he even carried the account book on him, as if he didn’t mind the owner reading it. So the owner of the Pear Blossom Garden is another person who has access to the account book apart from that servant of the mine director of Jia family.”
“Oh? A woman.”
