“Grandfather, I’m going to go to the capital city with Yuwen Tong.”
Ling Zhang told Ling Xingzhong about his decision. Ling Xingzhong, as expected, beamed with delight and said “Good” several times in a row.
“It seems that you’ve changed your mind,” observed Ling Xingzhong, a big smile on his face.
Ling Zhang was sent speechless with astonishment.
“Yeah,” he replied.
Ling Xingzhong stroked his beard, smiling, “When do you plan to depart?”
Surprisingly enough, his grandfather didn’t ask him any questions on the details about his relationship with Yuwen Tong –questions like when he had changed his mind, whether he had fallen for Yuwen Tong, whether he was going to marry Yuwen Tong soon, etc.
After a brief trance of surprise, Ling Zhang answered, “I’m going to be in Tanyang for a few more days. We’ll depart when the imperial edict from the capital city arrives recalling Yuwen Tong to return.”
Ling Xingzhong nodded and commented, “Since you have already made up your mind to go to the capital city with him, you’ll have to take care of yourself. The capital city is a prosperous and bustling place, but be careful not to be blinded by its prosperity. You must stay alert at all times and be discreet about your words and deeds. It takes only a momentary lapse to get yourself in trouble.”
“I understand, grandfather,” responded Ling Zhang.
“The capital city…” Ling Xingzhong fleetingly paused and then continued, “We don’t have any relatives or social contacts in the capital city, and neither do we have any good reputation there because of those things happened in the past. This time around, when you are in the capital city, there will inevitably be some people who are going to rake up those matters. When they do, don’t get mad, since those things were in the past. Try to smooth things over whenever you can. All you have to know is that the Marshal is your most powerful backer. No matter what those people say, they won’t dare to do anything to you. If there’s really anything you cannot handle by yourself, you can always consult with Marshal.”
He was surprised that his grandfather had so much trust in Yuwen Tong.
“I understand, grandfather. I’ll be discreet.”
Ling Xingzhong gave a bob of his head, rose to his feet, walked inside, took out a casket, and handed it to Ling Zhang. “There are some signed checks in this casket. Take it. When you arrive in the capital city, buy a house first, or you can send someone to the capital city beforehand and buy one for you. Keep the rest of the money. There will be a lot of occasions when you find yourself in need of money in the capital city. If you’re in short of money, write us in advance so we can send some to you.”
Ling Zhang was greatly surprised. There were a lot of signed checks in the casket. Judging by the denominations of them, they were worth at least 50,000 to 60,000 taels of silver in total!
“Grandfather, this is too much. I’ve had some savings myself. Uncle and aunt have also transferred a lot of money to me. I can’t accept so much money.”
Ling Zhang returned the casket to Ling Xingzhong but Ling Xingzhong refused to take it back. “Keep it as a contingency fund. This money will offer you a greater degree of flexibility in your life. You may resume your study, or buy a couple of stores, be it drug stores or variety stores, to start a business career. In that case, our herb farm will prove helpful. With the new military presence, Tanyang will soon be rid of the scourge of bandits and after that, it’ll be a lot easier and safer to go in and out of Tanyang. Speculative reselling of sundry goods between the south and the north is rather lucrative. It’ll provide with you a steady income, sparing you from the worry about money.
We mean Wang Qing and Li Sicai to go with you to the capital city. Wang Qing is pretty familiar with medicinal material business. Li Sicai is also an intelligent man. No matter you want him to be a butler or a storekeeper, he will prove himself competent. I know you’ve been training Xia Feng. When Xia Feng is able to take charge as chief at one of the fronts, Li Sicai will focus on helping you handle the stores.
Apart from this, the president of the Tanyang Academy, who has some social connections in the capital city, has written a letter of recommendation for you. Added to this your scholarly honor of Xiucai (One who passed the imperial examination at the county level in the Ming and Qing dynasties of feudal China), you may go to the Oriental Rite Academy to continue your study. If you have the intention to take part in the imperial examination, the Oriental Rite Academy is just the place you should go to. You won’t regret it.
Grandfather is old. Originally, I wanted to go with you to the capital city, but after some careful thinking, I think I should let you go and seek your fortune alone. You are not going to blame grandfather for it, right?”
Ling Xingzhong made a lot of remarks. As Ling Zhang listened, astonishment built up inside him. Manifestly, his grandfather had been making these preparations –both those signed checks and the servants who were supposed to go to the capital city with him –for quite some time. Among all the supervisors in his family, Wang Qing and Li Sicai were indeed the most suitable to go with him. Zhou Quanfu excluded, Wang Qing was the most acquainted with medicinal materials. Li Sicai, Butler Li’s son, who had been instructed by Butler Li since childhood, was even more intelligent than his father. In fact, Ling Zhang had also meant these two people to go to the capital city with him…
And there was also the letter of recommendation from the president of the Tanyang Academy.
The Oriental Rite Academy was a highly prestigious academy in the capital city. Except for the state-run academy, the Oriental Rite Academy was the most famous. Moreover, its management was more flexible than that of the state-run academy, since there were not as many rules and regulations in it as there were in the state-run academy. It was rumored that many students from aristocratic families in the capital city chose to study in the Oriental Rite Academy.
“How could I blame you for it, grandfather? It’s just that my heart aches at the thought of leaving you.”
Ling Xingzhong smiled, “I promise I’ll go to the capital city to attend the wedding of you and the Marshal.”
“Grandfather…” Ling Zhang was almost reduced to tears.
Ling Xingzhong patted him on the shoulder and observed, “It’s just the capital city, not the edge of the world. Stop crying. Grandfather no longer has enough strength to scoop you up and coax you.
You may make some preparations yourself during the next few days before departure –servants you want to take you with, things you might need, etc. Make sure you don’t forget anything. And…”
After a few moments’ hesitation, Ling Xingzhong commented, “Grandfather does want you to marry the Marshal, but if by any chance you are not comfortable with how things are going, don’t force yourself into anything. Though Ling family is not as powerful as Yuwen family, they don’t really scare us.”
Ling Zhang was slightly surprised. ‘Did anybody of Yuwen family threaten grandfather?’
“Grandfather, what do you mean by the last remark? Did anything happen?” Ling Zhang ventured a question.
Seeing the nervousness on his face, Ling Xingzhong responded, “Relax. Nothing unpleasant happened. It just that the two of you have not walked down the aisle yet. Nobody knows whether there will be any turns of events. You have to stay sharp before getting married. Don’t trust everything people of Yuwen family say. Use your eyes to observe.”
His grandfather’s reminding him of these things surprised Ling Zhang even further.
‘I thought that grandfather would be grinning from ear to ear with his eyes being two lines throughout this talk… Ur… This is too disrespectful to grandfather.’
Ling Zhang hurriedly dismissed these frivolous thoughts from his mind.
The look on Ling Xingzhong’s face suggested that he had a lot more to say to Ling Zhang. Unsurprisingly, he started talking about the people he had met and the things he had been through back at the time when he had been in the capital city. He told Ling Zhang about each and every single person that he could find in his memories, giving him tips for dealing with them.
Eventually, he added, “Tomorrow, I’ll take you to visit Lord Tao. Lord Tao’s respected teacher is in the capital city, and so does Tao Yi. It’s likely that he is even more acquainted with the capital city than the Marshal is, so I think we should go and hear what he has to say.”
Ling Zhang inclined his head. “Okay.”
‘Preparedness averts peril,’ he thought, though he did not at all believed that Yuwen Tong’s acquaintance with the capital city would be inadequate. The longer he stayed with Yuwen Tong, the the deeper his realization of how great power Yuwen Tong wielded. Given the importance of the capital city, how could he be unacquainted with it?
However, seeing this issue from another perspective, he felt that hearing information about the capital city from another person might prove helpful for him to get an overall acquaintance with the capital city.
News on Ling Zhang’s plan to go to the capital city with Yuwen Tong soon spread across the whole Ling family. Ling Zhaowen was unsurprised at it, since he had some time ago been informed of it, but Fu Caiwei and Ling Maomao were shocked, in particular the latter.
Ling Maomao was transfixed by the news. At the thought that his elder brother was going to the capital city and he wouldn’t be able to see him for a long time, he was nearly reduced to tears, eyes reddening with sadness.
“Elder Brother, I don’t want you leaving.”
Ling Zhang also didn’t have the heart to part with his family. Seeing Ling Maomao’s red eyes, he sank into heartaches. “I’ll come back to see you every certain amount of time, and you may go to the capital city to visit me as well.”
“Really?”
“Sure thing. You don’t want to go to the capital city?”
“I want to!”
Ling Maomao let out a yell and then flicked a glimpse at Yuwen Tong who was standing beside Ling Zhang. In his eyes were admiration but defensiveness as well, making an expression of extreme complexity.
Ever since the real identity of Yuwen Tong came to his knowledge, on the one hand Ling Maomao had been greatly surprised in a pleasant way, but on the other, after being informed of his elder brother’s engagement to Yuwen Tong, he had also been filled with broken-heartedness and anger because the news made him feel that someone had taken his elder brother away from him. As a result, every time he was faced with Yuwen Tong, he had mixed feelings.
“Are you going to the capital city because you want to marry the Marshal?” asked Ling Maomao in a muted voice after pulling his elder brother to the side.
Ling Zhang was like: …speechless.
“No. I’m just going to the capital city to see what kind of place it is.”
Relieved, Ling Maomao replied, “Oh.” Clearly, he had been deeply worried that his elder brother might be kidnapped.
To Yuwen Tong, who had an amazingly keen sense of hearing, Ling Maomao’s whisper was of no secrecy whatsoever. The sight of the relieved expression on the boy’s face brought an involuntary twitch to the corner of his mouth.
‘Your elder brother will be mine sooner or later. The relief you just felt is not going to make any difference,’ thought Yuwen Tong after privately giving a cold snort.
Soon, apart from people of Ling family, others also heard the news.
Ling Zhang and Ling Xingzhong paid Tao Feng a visit. After being informed of their intention, Tao Feng readily told Ling Zhang a lot of things about the capital city, including some secrets known to not many.
Ling Zhang couldn’t help but feel grateful for his straightforwardness.
“As regards the Yuwen family, I’m sure Marshal will tell you everything you want to know, so I think it’s advisable for me to keep my mouth shut.” Tao Feng specially avoided talking about Yuwen family.
‘It figures. He knows very well that it’s not his place to lay comment on matters of Yuwen family. Besides, offending Yuwen Tong is the last thing he wants to do.’
Ling Zhang, who had anticipated this some time ago, felt no disappointment. Moreover, he had already known what he needed to know.
“Tao Yi is living in his teacher’s place. This is the address. And this one is the letter of recommendation. You may go there to see him when you are in the capital city. There are a lot of things that he knows better than I do.” Tao Feng handed Ling Zhang two things, a piece of paper with the address of Tao Yi’s teacher on it and the letter of recommendation.
Ling Zhang took both. “I owe you a debt of gratitude, Lord Tao.”
“There’s no need for formality. You two may have each other’s back during your stay in the capital city,” observed Tao Feng.
“I will,” replied Ling Zhang. Since Tao Feng had done him a favor, naturally he agreed to take this advice. Furthermore, he found Tao Yi a pretty nice person and believed that Tao Yi’s company sounded not bad, given that he had no other relatives or friends in the capital city.
‘It’s just that… Yuwen Tong might not be happy to hear about this,’ he thought.
Yuwen Tong had every intention of having him live in the residence of Yuwen family, but both his grandfather and uncle meant him to find another place to live in, and he himself was more inclined to take the advice of his grandfather and uncle. ‘How am I supposed to convince Yuwen Tong?’
After returning home, Ling Zhang started pondering over it.
Before he could come up with any ideas, Yuwen Tong gave him a big surprise, but not really a pleasant one.
“I’ve already had some men start preparing the courtyard house. Yue Qi sent a message back saying that craftsmen have begun to revamp it, that the construction work will be finished by the time we arrive in the capital city.”
Ling Zhang lapsed into silence. ‘Under the circumstances, what is the appropriate way of telling him without hurting his feelings?’
