Yuwen Tong had set off for the north-west. It’d been before dawn and shortly after the city gates opened that he exited the city, followed by Yao Yi and some others, galloping straight towards the north-west.
Watching the end of the road in the distance where Yuwen Tong’s receding back had disappeared, Ling Zhang stood on the spot, feeling as though he didn’t have any insides, as though his heart had left with Yuwen Tong and probably wouldn’t return to his chest until Yuwen Tong came back.
“Have faith in him. With you waiting here for him, he will come back safe and sound.” Ji Yin reached out his hand and patted his shoulder.
Ling Zhang twisted his head around. “Grandfather.”
“All we need to do is keep the situation in this city in check. This place will be your foundation, your headquarters. He’s gone to the north-west, and you could contribute to your future by removing the obstacles in your way,” Ji Yin continued.
Ling Zhang inclined his head. “I understand.”
“Then cheer up. The moment that Yuwen boy left, I sensed that there were a lot more spies out there staking out this compound. They’re already making their move,” said Ji Yin.
Face darkening, Ling Zhang looked through the front gates of the residential compound.
…
In the Fang Mansion, the residence of Fang Quan, the Eighth Prince’s grandfather.
“Your Lordship, Yuwen Tong has exited the city. Presently, Ling Zhang and some guards are the only ones left in the Ling Mansion.”
“Humph, good! This is virtually a godsend. It is as though the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom had specially dispatched their armies here for our gain. I really should send them a long thank-you letter! Yuwen Tong’s got a lot of balls. He actually believes the Northern City Garrison Battalion alone are enough to defend this city, and also dared leave Ling Zhang and those people of the Yuwen family here. He’s indeed just an army guy with plenty of brawn but no brains.”
Fang Quan smiled smugly, “Did you have the letter delivered there?”
“Yes, I did. The couple of lords must be considering as we speak,” answered his henchman.
“Considering? What do they think there is that needs to be considered? This is a heaven-sent opportunity. Once my grandson ascends the throne, they’ll be the most meritorious helpers. The imperial court is currently understaffed and all the high-ranking vacant posts will be theirs in the future. Why are they still hesitating?” said Fang Quan with a cold snort.
His henchman immediately replied, “I was being short-sighted and I said the wrong thing. Right now the couple of lords are, without doubt, writing in reply. The Eighth Prince is predestined to rule, and nothing can stop that from happening.”
It was only then that Fang Quan withdrew his frosty eyes and asked, “What’s the situation in the palace like? How are the Eighth Prince and the Concubine Jin doing?”
“Everything’s fine in there, Your Lordship. Her Highness and the Eighth Prince are still keeping vigil beside the bier, waiting for you to go to the palace.”
“There’s no hurry. Tell them to show more patience.”
“Yes, Childe Ling.”
…
In the residential compound of the Assistant Minister of Rites.
Yuwen Feng was still occupied with work in the imperial palace. Yuwen Zhi and Yuwen Qi were the only ones in the residence.
“Father, Yuwen Tong left the city?” Sitting in his wheelchair, Yuwen Qi moved to the doorway of Yuwen Zhi’s study by giving the wheels one push after another.
Yuwen Zhi had a servant wheel his son inside, dismissed the servant with a motion of his hand and then said, “He exited the city this morning.”
“What plans do you have? Surely we’re not going to stand by and watch Yuwen Tong take the throne? Given what kind of person he is and the history between us, he would almost certainly make our lives hell!” said Yuwen Qi, an icy and resentful look in his eyes.
“It was because of him that my mother died; my loss of mobility was also his doing; and he even evicted us from the residential compound of the Yuwen family. Father, on no account should we let him accede to the throne. Otherwise I’m afraid all of us, except for my loving big brother, will suffer!”
Yuwen Zhi didn’t move. He just tossed him a glance and then slowly said, “Seeing as how you’ve ended up, what could you possibly do about it?”
“Father!” Yuwen Qi erupted anxiously. “I may not be able to do anything to make a difference, but you can!”
Yuwen Zhi smiled wryly, “Me? He’s disposed of all my pawns and ruined all my plans. What would you have me do?”
“You don’t remember? The Eighth Prince and the Ninth Prince are still alive! It’s them who are the former emperor’s offspring and have claim to the throne. You forgot this?!” said Yuwen Qi.
Yuwen Zhi’s eyebrows slightly twitched. “The Eighth Prince?”
“Yes. The Ninth Prince is only two years old, but the Eighth Prince is already ten. It’s totally viable for him to ascend the throne first, designate a courtier to assist him in governing the country, and assume dominion when he reaches adulthood. If we put some effort into it, maybe you’ll be the one bearing the title ‘the Courtier Regent’!”
The look in Yuwen Zhi’s eyes flickered. His original plan had been to control the emperor and command the nobles, but all his arrangements had been upset by Yuwen Tong. As things stood, if he really managed to get the Eighth Prince enthroned, maybe he would still achieve his goal.
Seeing he was swayed, Yuwen Qi continued, “The Eighth Prince’s grandfather is Fang Quan. Father, do you think Fang Quan is going to willingly give Yuwen Tong the throne that is rightfully his grandson’s? He’s sure as hell been making plans. If you at this point in time offer him some help which he desperately needs, he would undoubtedly be very grateful to you.”
Yuwen Zhi, who had already begun to mull over it, tapped the table.
“Since there are rightful successors to the throne, Yuwen Tong should step aside. Presently, the Wan Kingdom’s and the Luohai Kingdom’s armies are about to attack, so we cannot do anything to him, but once he wins the war and returns to this city, we can just pin the label of ‘traitor’ on him and have him executed, and then nobody would be a threat to us.”
Yuwen Zhi stopped tapping the table at the last remark. Seeing the crazed enthusiasm on Yuwen Qi’s face, he observed, “Yuwen Tong is family after all.”
Yuwen Qi sneered several times, “Father, you are not really that naive, are you? Yuwen Tong has never regarded us as family. Moreover, once he dies, everything of the Yuwen family will be yours.”
Yuwen Zhi looked at him wintrily, “Even so, this is not how you talk to your father.”
Yuwen Qi’s countenance froze for a moment, and then the grim smile on his face faded. “I’m sorry, Father.”
“Someone send Second Young Master back to his chambers to have some rest,” Yuwen Zhi instructed.
Yuwen Qi furrowed his brows. “Why are you doing this, Father?”
“Since you’re less mobile than before, you might as well stay in your chambers. Don’t move around or make any trouble for me. Guard your tongue and be careful about what you say after your big brother comes back,” said Yuwen Zhi.
Gripping the armrests with all his might, Yuwen Qi clenched his teeth. “I look forward to hearing good news from you, Father!”
Yuwen Zhi made no response. After having Yuwen Qi wheeled off, he pondered in the study for a long time, a sepulchral expression on his face, his eyes glinting bitterly. Eventually, he made up his mind.
…
Apart from Yuwen Zhi and his son, there were also some others entertaining dark schemes in the meantime.
Though staying in the Ling Mansion, Ling Zhang could still sense that there were turbulent undercurrents beneath the semblance of tranquility in the capital city.
During this morning alone, Miao Shisan had reported to him several locations of secret meetings of courtiers in the city.
“It turns out he was right. He’s been away for merely half a day, but these people are already girding up their loins.” Ling Zhang had a wintry look in his eyes.
“Childe Ling, the Right Prime Minister seeks an audience with you,” reported Zhang Liu, walking inside.
The Right Prime Minister? Ling Zhang’s countenance returned to normal. He rose to his feet and asked, “Where’s he?”
“In the ante-room. I was afraid that the Right Prime Minister would attract too many people’s attention if he waited in the gateway, so I took him to the ante-room,” said Zhang Liu.
Ling Zhang inclined his head. “Then let’s go.”
In the ante-room, Ling Zhang met the Right Prime Minister, who was in his forties and seemed in very good health. Unlike other officials at his age who were mostly pot-bellied, he was quite lean and had scholar quality written all over him.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Lordship. May I ask what it is that you came at this hour to see me about?” said Ling Zhang without preamble on entry.
The Right Prime Minister wasn’t uncomfortable with Ling Zhang’s straightforwardness. Smiling, he folded his hands in front and replied, “I’m sorry to disturb you, Childe Ling.”
Ling Zhang said, “Take a seat, please, Your Lordship.”
The two of them sat down. After having a sip of the tea, without making a mystery of anything, the Right Prime Minister said directly, “I turned up uninvited because there’s something I need to consult with you about, Childe Ling. Presently, there are some hidden forces in this city eager to make their move. If we are to eliminate them in one fell swoop, we’ll have to work together in cooperation.”
Ling Zhang gave a smile. “You’ve got a point, Your Lordship. Yuwen Tong put some of his informers under my command before leaving the city. Fang Quan has been having quite some visitors lately. Although I’ve never been there personally, I have a shrewd idea what they’ve been discussing. What do you think is the best way for us to cooperate?”
The Right Prime Minister had been unnoticeably observing Ling Zhang all along. He had long since heard of Ling Zhang as well as many of his deeds, and was aware of how his reputation in the capital city was like. Before coming here, he had envisioned several scenarios, and Ling Zhang’s appearing composed and unhurried was one of them, but the confidence in Ling Zhang’s eyes was something he hadn’t expected. He had thought that no matter how poised Ling Zhang was, he was still a young man, that he dared to act arrogantly only because Yuwen Tong was at his back, that after Yuwen Tong left, faced with this situation, he would be more or less flustered and develop dependence on him who was the Right Prime Minister.
But now, as far as he could tell, when Ling Zhang looked at him, in his eyes was no fluster caused by fear of the current situation. Although Ling Zhang was asking him what would be the best way for them to cooperate, the expression in his eyes was suggesting that he was very confident. Clearly he had some time ago taken precautions against this situation and probably had already figured out a counterplot to tackle it…
The Right Prime Minister was sent confused as to whether this was a good thing or a bad thing. On the bright side, this would make things a lot easier, for both of them knew what they should do, and things in the capital city would be kept in check before Yuwen Tong returned. The downside to it was that he wouldn’t be able to manipulate Ling Zhang. This young man was not someone who would be deluded into doing anybody else’s bidding, which meant that his little tricks wouldn’t work on him, and he needed to cooperate with him in another way.
It was such a pity, for he had an unmarried daughter of marriageable age. Never mind. Given the circumstances, he could only play it by ear now. Presently the first priority was to ensure the stability of the situation in this city.
“If Fang Quan is to help the Eighth Prince succeed to the throne, he would have to do something to break the Northern City Garrison Battalion’s sole control of this city. My guess is that he will figure out a way to rope in the commander of the battalion. Meanwhile, he might also seek help from forces in provincial areas. Have you made any preparations, Childe Ling?”
“Forces in provincial areas? The military presence in Jiangzhou is his only option, I suppose?”
“Exactly. I wonder if you have devised a counterplan, Childe Ling.”
Ling Zhang smiled, “If the garrison of Jiangzhou want to come to his help, first they’ll have to consider whether or not they’ll be able to make it here alive.”
