After being informed that the gift Yao Yi and others had given to Ling Zhang was a white fox cub, Wang Dashan had a somewhat different expression in his eyes when he looked at Yao Yi.
Just like a craftsman who feared that his apprentices would some day obsolete him after they learned all his skills, Wang Dashan was deeply worried that Yao Yi and others might some day replace him and the other twenty-three security guards as trusted subordinates of their young master.
“Where did you get that white fox cub?” Wang Dashan inquired of Yao Yi.
Yao Yi, unaware of Wang Dashan’s complicated feelings, replied in a delighted tone of voice, “We bought it. Originally we had intended to buy a puppy, but as luck would have it, a hunter was selling fox cubs he’d found in a fox den, so we purchased the best one.”
“Where are the others?” asked Wang Dashan.
“There were only three in total. And all of them were sold almost immediately. A lot of childes and ladies from rich families were fascinated by those little creatures at first sight and scrambled for them. Fortunately we were quicker than them,” responded Yao Yi smugly.
Wang Dashan felt slightly regretful in the knowledge that all of them had been sold so soon.
…
Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong went into the streets and did find someone who knew about raising foxes. They bought adequate food the white fox cub needed and also wrote down all the tips on raising it.
After that, they resumed their journey carrying the white fox cub with them.
After ten days, they arrived in northern Cangzhou. On that night, they checked into the largest inn in the city. They were only two days’ journey away from the capital city.
Given that they had been traveling for ten consecutive days, Yuwen Tong decided to let them have a day’s rest in the city before departure. Except for a couple of small counties, the capital city would be the only place that they could get a good rest, but currently, it was inadvisable to hurry into the capital city.
This time even Zhao Pingchuan and Zhang Xi didn’t feel any displeasure. After ten days’ non-stop travel, the two of them were also exhausted.
“Are you nervous?” Since they were very close to the capital city, Yuwen Tong asked Ling Zhang whether he was nervous or not.
After hearing this question, Ling Zhang carrying the white fox cub replied, “I would be lying if I tell you that I’m not nervous, but what I’m nervous about is why there is yet another guy who wants me dead.”
This reply gave Yuwen Tong a somewhat guilty conscience. “Maybe you should move in with me. I’m not comfortable with the idea of you living elsewhere.”
“I cannot run from them forever. And I’d like to find out who it is that want to see me dead. I might be weak, but I’m not going to let them get what they want too easily.”
Yuwen Tong, seeing Ling Zhang was still stroking the white fox cub in his arms and didn’t even raise his head to glance at him, felt somewhat upset. “I got your back. I’ll see that you come to no harm.”
Ling Zhang raised his eyes and flicked him a glimpse. “You’ll be having no less troubles than I will when we’re in the capital city.”
The troubles waiting for him in the capital city didn’t really bother Yuwen Tong, because every time he returned to the capital city, there were always pulsing undercurrents of various kinds running through the city, which was something he had long ago become accustomed to.
“That person has already been escorted to the capital city, I suppose?” Ling Zhang asked.
Yuwen Tong gave a bob of his head. “He’s been taken to Yuwen family.”
“News of the assassination has spread through the whole capital city, hasn’t it? Did your men staying in the capital city find anything? Has the Ninth Princess taken any particular course of actions?”
Yuwen Tong replied, “The Ninth Princess went to the Zhaohua Temple to pray to the Buddha for blessings half a month ago and has not returned to the capital city yet.”
“This is so coincidental. Do you think she is intentionally doing this to avoid us?”
“No matter whether she’s deliberately avoiding us or not, we will find some traces, one way or another, as long as that was indeed her doing. Besides, we’ve already escorted the assassin into the capital city. With the testimony of this witness as a line of inquiry, the one behind the scenes will undoubtedly be found out, no matter whether this person is the Ninth Princess or not. There should be definite news by the time we arrive in the capital city.”
Ling Zhang inclined his head. ‘That’s great.
But about the Ninth Princess… ‘
“Exactly how many daughters does the emperor have? And how many of them are of marriageable age?”
After a brief moment’s surprised silence, Yuwen Tong observed, “Why do you ask? You’ve got me.”
Ling Zhang slid him a sideways glance, as if warning him not to steer the conversation away.
Yuwen Tong was thrown into resignation. Since his attempt to change the topic had failed, he had no choice but to honestly answer the question. If he didn’t, Ling Zhang might take the white fox cub and leave him for good.
“The emperor had twelve daughters. Four of them died young, so there are actually eight princesses. The Eighth Princess and the The Tenth Princess, who are elder sister and younger sister of the Ninth Princess respectively, are of marriageable age. The other two princesses are still young.”
Ling Zhang stroked the white fox cub, a fairly satisfied expression on his face. In fact, Tao Feng had some time ago informed him of this.
“So apart from the Ninth Princess, there are at least the Eighth Princess and the Tenth Princess who might be betrothed to you by the emperor?”
This remark brought embarrassment to Yuwen Tong’s face. “Even if the emperor did have such intention, that was in the past. Currently, it is us who are officially engaged.”
Ling Zhang gave him a dirty look. “What is it that you think I’m going to say? The point I’ve been trying to make is that if the other two princesses also intend to marry you, they would also want me dead, which means I’ll have to keep an eye out.”
Yuwen Tong hurriedly said, “The Eighth Princess was betrothed to someone long ago.”
“Oh? How do you know?”
“Ur… That was several years ago. Everybody knows.”
Ling Zhang decided to let this go. “And the The Tenth Princess?”
This time, Yuwen Tong was somewhat hesitant. “It is said that the Tenth Princess has mental deficiency, but I never paid any attention to her, so I didn’t try to verify whether the rumors are true.”
Ling Zhang was dismayed to hear this. “Mental deficiency?”
Yuwen Tong inclined his head. “Her mother is an unfavored concubine of the emperor. She suffered a lot during childhood, which resulted in her mental retardation.”
Something seemed to have just occurred to Ling Zhang. “During childhood? So she’s been have mental retardation for many years?”
“Exactly.”
“As things stand, it is indeed the most likely that the Ninth Princess is the one the emperor intends to marry to you. The Eighth Princess has already been betrothed, so she’s not an option. As regards the Tenth Princess, no matter whether she really has mental deficiency or not, she is retarded in the eyes of the people and the emperor, which means she is also not suitable to be married to you, since the emperor will have to face revilement from his subjects if he betroths her to you.”
This meant that, from the vantage point of the present, everything indicated the Ninth Princess was the one who had ordered the two palace guards to assassinate Ling Zhang.
“The Ninth Princess is daughter of the Concubine De. I heard that the emperor favors her very much, that the Fourth Prince is her elder brother, who bears the title of the Huiwang King and is a force to be reckoned with in the imperial court.”
Ling Zhang slowly repeated what Tao Feng had told him.
“If the Fourth Prince is just as ambitious as the Sixth Prince, he would definitely marry his younger sister to you trying to co-opt you, given how easy it’ll be for him to eliminate the Crown Prince and ascend the throne providing he has you at his back. It seems that I’ve probably got in the way of the Fourth Prince. I haven’t reached the capital city yet, but I’ve already become a thorn in his flesh.
As it stands, those on the side of the Crown Prince are actually the ones who don’t want the Ninth Princess marrying you the most. People on the side of the Third Prince who was given birth to by the Concubine Xian, as well as those on the side of the Fifth Prince whose natural mother is the Concubine Liang definitely hate the idea of you marrying the Ninth Princess as well. However, much as they don’t want the Ninth Princess marrying you, they no doubt wish to marry their younger sisters or elder sisters to you, which makes them no less anxious to see me dead. Uh… Taking all these into account, I believe there are a lot of people having every reason to kill me. Do you think some other assassins will show up during the next two days?”
At a loss for words, Yuwen Tong fell speechless with embarrassment.
“Was it Tao Feng who told you you all this?”
Ling Zhang lowered his head and stroked the white fox cub. “Yeah. Lord Tao is a pretty interesting man. If some day I’m really somebody, I’ll definitely return the favor.”
Yuwen Tong was reduced to an embarrassed silence.
Never had he wished so strongly that Ling Zhang were less intelligent.
However, the thought that Ling Zhang had willingly followed him to this place dissolved his worry considerably.
“You specially allowed them to have a day’s rest here because you know what’s coming for us, right?” Ling Zhang added.
Yuwen Tong’s pulse was throbbing in his throat again. Now he deeply felt that Ling Zhang was being too smart, which made him a little panic-stricken.
“I’ll take you into the capital city in one piece.”
Ling Zhang nodded. “I know. If you don’t…”
He raised his head, looked at Yuwen Tong and gave a smile. “I won’t stop haunting you even after I die and become a ghost.”
Yuwen Tong was reduced to an embarrassed silence.
“You have only your charm to blame. And all those attracted to you are so powerful that every one of them is capable of crushing me to death with a single finger of theirs.”
Yuwen Tong started an in-depth introspection. For the first time, he felt it a trifle regrettable that he was such an eligible man. After a few moments thinking, he apologized to Ling Zhang in a sincere tone of voice. “I’m sorry for having been working so hard to improve myself. It’s not really my wish to have become a man of such magnetism.”
Ling Zhang was thrown into speechlessness.
His cheeks bulged with annoyance.
And then the Marshal was evicted from the room.
“This little fox is far better company than you are. Go wherever it is that you find comfortable and don’t come back.”
And then the door was slammed shut.
Yuwen Tong stroked his nose. Though the door nearly knocked his nose flat, he still couldn’t help but curve up the corners of his mouth in a faint smile.
“Marshal?” Wang Dashan and others guarding outside the room watched him in dismay.
‘Is he in trouble with young master? But it doesn’t make any sense. Young master is so angry, yet the Marshal is still smiling?’
All of them were in puzzlement.
Yuwen Tong stopped smiling and said, “Do your job and stay alert. Under no circumstances should this room be left unguarded.”
“Yes, Marshal!” Wang Dashan and others chorused, subconsciously throwing their chests out.
It was not until Yuwen Tong left that Wang Dashan and others pulled themselves out of awe and looked at each other, at a loss for words.
“Did young master and the Marshal have a quarrel?”
“I think so.”
“Then why was the Marshal smiling?”
“Uh… Some kind of personal preference?”
“…”
All others fell speechless. As bachelors, they couldn’t quite understand what that was. After all, it was somewhat hurtful to think about this kind of matters.
Before long, lunch was delivered to the doorway. Liu Yi examined the food by sticking a silver needle into it. After confirming that there was nothing wrong, he took the lunch box and knocked at the door. “Young Master, your lunch is here.”
“Bring it in.”
Liu Yi pushed the door open and was greeted by the scene of Ling Zhang teasing the white fox cub.
The white fox cub had become less somnolent during the past two days and had opened its liquid black eyes. It had some kind of inexplicable and innate affinity for Ling Zhang, which was manifested in the total disregard it showed to all others, including Yuwen Tong.
At this time, the white fox cub, head up, was letting out faint soft cries, rubbing itself against the tip of Ling Zhang’s nose.
There was manifest delight on Ling Zhang’s face, who didn’t at all seemed to have just had a quarrel with Yuwen Tong.
Liu Yi thought for a few moments and believed that maybe they did overthink it. ‘So that was really some kind of… Ur… personal preference.’
He put the dishes and the soup cup down onto the table and then placed a bowl of rice and a pair of chopsticks in suitable positions.
“Young Master, would you like me to take care of the white fox cub for you?”
“That won’t be necessary. Let it stay where it is,” replied Ling Zhang. “I’ll get it something to eat later.”
“Yes, Young Master. I take my leave. Please call me if you need anything.”
“Okay. Go and have lunch. There’s no need for all of you to be on guard at the same time. Do it in shifts. You need enough strength to perform your duties well.”
“I’ll relay your instruction, Young Master.”
