News of the assault on Yuwen Zhi’s wife and son in an alley soon spread through the whole capital, and the emperor was also alarmed who ordered an immediate citywide hunt for the culprits.
At this time. In a house of Yuwen Zhi’s branch of the family.
“I don’t know who those damn thugs are. When I find out, I swear I’ll have them hacked to pieces!” spat Zheng shi tearfully to Yuwen Zhi, groaning, massaging her swollen cheek. “Master, you must help us get justice.”
Yuwen Zhi had a scowl on his face. “Did they say why they wanted to beat you?”
“No. They attacked us on sight, blustering that they’d beat every member of our family that they lay eyes on. They’re absolutely lawless!” wailed Zheng shi in tears, and then something seemed to occur to her. “We’ve never offended anybody. It must be Yuwen Tong, that ungrateful bastard, who caused offence to someone and subjected us to this attack. Master, you must get justice for us. Yuwen Tong has got to give us an extra share of the family property as compensation. Look how badly bruised Qi’er is!”
Yuwen Zhi rose to his feet making towards the door. Yuwen Feng, remaining in his seat, asked Zheng shi, “Mother, did those men in black say anything else?”
“No. Those goddamn scoundrels were utterly unruly!” replied Zheng shi resentfully.
Although Yuwen Feng disliked the way his mother usually did things, it didn’t change the fact that she was his mother, so he walked up and consoled her.
He was not optimistic about this matter. His mother believed that his cousin had been the cause of this attack, but he felt that didn’t seem to be the case, that it was likelier those people had been directly targeting them, members of his father’s branch of the Yuwen family. And it was almost certain that his father wouldn’t be able to get any justice had he gone to talk to Yuwen Tong right now.
Who was working against the second branch of the Yuwen family exactly?
This issue gave Yuwen Feng severe headaches. A few days ago, his cousin had suddenly demanded he and his father divide up the family property and live apart. He had raised an objection to it. If they and his cousin went their separate ways, the Yuwen family would never be whole again. Given that his cousin never took action without a high degree of confidence that he would succeed, the reason why he, fully aware of what the emperor’s consent to their breaking up the Yuwen family meant, had made that decision anyway was undoubtedly because he was fully prepared for every eventuality. It was a pity that his mother had stopped asking questions after hearing that she was going to get half of the family property. And then there was his father… What on earth was Father thinking about? These days he kept feeling that his father’s behavior was rather abnormal. First he’d been laying low all along after being pressured into breaking his youngest son’s legs, as if really afraid that Yuwen Tong would disown them, and now, after hearing Yuwen Tong say that the emperor had consented to their breaking up the family, he had seemed to be bursting to separate from Yuwen Tong, as if fearing very much that he might be incriminated. He knew his father too well to believe that his father had chosen to swallow such humiliations. What had he failed to notice exactly?
BANG!
“Get out! Get out of my sight!”
A smash came from inside Yuwen Qi’s room, closely followed by Yuwen Qi’s angry voice telling the handmaids to leave.
Yuwen Feng knitted his eyebrows, but Zheng shi had already hurried to the doorway. “Qi’er, it’s Mother. What’s the matter?”
“Leave me alone!” thundered Yuwen Qi’s voice, not even allowing Zheng shi to enter.
“Qi’er, be careful not to hurt yourself. You’re scaring me,” called Zheng shi in the doorway.
After a long silence, Yuwen Qi replied, “I’m fine. Don’t come in.”
Zheng shi, for fear of antagonizing Yuwen Qi further, didn’t dare get inside, summoned the handmaids and queried, “What happened? Why aren’t you doing your job properly? Do you still value your pathetic lives? You want me to have you chopped into pieces and fed to the dogs?”
“Please have mercy on us, Mistress. We just wanted to change Second Young Master’s dressing. Second Young Master… Second Young Master wouldn’t let us touch him…”
“It must be because you pariahs felt him up. Guards, drag them away. They’re to be sold to the brothel!”
“Please don’t, Mistress! Have mercy on us. We really didn’t grope Second Young Master. He’s unwilling to let us help.”
Half a dozen handmaids were reduced to kowtowing repeatedly to Zheng shi by her words, looking panic-stricken, begging Zheng shi to change her mind, but Zheng shi was determined to vent her anger on them and refused to listen. Yuwen Feng interceded with her on behalf of them, but his words had exactly the opposite effect, angering Zheng shi further. Soon the six handmaids were dragged away.
Yuwen Feng felt a sense of resignation but knew better than to make another attempt. His mother, believing that he should have talked his father out of breaking his brother’s legs that day, had been holding a grudge against him all along, giving him the cold shoulder on various occasions. Eventually, Yuwen Feng clenched his teeth, turned around and walked away. Comparing with his brother’s throwing a tantrum, the matter of his cousin was of much greater importance. He hoped to dissuade his cousin from separating the two branches of the Yuwen family.
…
A group of people furtively exited the city.
“How did it go? Any of you get exposed?”
“Don’t worry, Brother Wang. We were all very careful. Nobody saw us.”
“That’s good. Let’s go back to the manor straight away. Young Master must’ve got anxious for waiting.”
Halfway along the journey, someone said, “Back there in the alley, who said ‘Even Yuwen Tong himself doesn’t scare us’?”
The twelve men all lapsed into silence, waiting for the one who’d made that remark to admit.
“Let it go. Whoever it was, he just said that to fool Zheng shi. What’s the point of dwelling on it?” observed Wang Dashan.
The other eleven men immediately dissolved into chuckle. “Brother Wang, we were just joking. Why did you look so serious just now? You scared us.”
“The second branch of the Yuwen family have always been eyesores. I would’ve kicked their asses some time ago were the Marshal not their relative. The way they treat Young Master is just disgusting.”
“Tell me about it. What we did back there felt so good.”
“Guard your tongues. We’re not in the manor yet. Somebody might hear you.”
“Got it.”
The twelve men returned to the manor and went to see Ling Zhang. Wang Dashan said, “We’ve completed the task, Young Master.”
“Tell me the details.” Ling Zhang’s eyes swept across all of them. After confirming that they were all unscathed, he felt fairly satisfied.
Qiu Bing gave Ling Zhang a vivid account of how they’d intercepted Zheng shi and the others, highlighting the part where Zheng shi had screeched in panic and Yuwen Qi had shouted in pain.
“Well done. You finished the job with flying colors and produced the desired effect.” Ling Zhang complimented them unstintingly and then asked, “Did any of you get exposed?”
“No. We specially picked a quiet alley and laid concealment formations beforehand to stop pedestrians from entering. After the job was done, we left in different directions and disguised ourselves before exiting the city.”
Ling Zhang inclined his head, pleased. Ji Yin had been instructing them for merely a couple of days, but they had already learned how to lay formations. Though they were just some simple barricades, their utilizing what they’d just learned had proved that they’d mastered the skills pretty well.
“I also applied something to Yuwen Qi’s knee. He won’t be able to find it during the next few days. It’ll take effect in ten days, and he won’t even know who did it to him. I’ll avenge you by having him know how it feels to be tortured by poison,” said Qiu Bing in a self-satisfied tone of voice.
Ling Zhang was astonished. “Oh? What did you leave on his knee?”
Qiu Bing uttered the name of a poison. “My master shifu taught me how to concoct it, and I was trying to find someone I could test it on. I specially adjusted the dose to make sure it shows effect in ten days, so that nobody would link it with this attack.”
Ling Zhang smiled, feeling that Qiu Bing was indeed very smart. “That was brilliant. I’ll see to it that you’re handsomely rewarded.”
Qiu Bing was pleasantly surprised. “Thank you, Young Master!”
“Make sure you’re as cautious as you were this time in future operations. Under no circumstances should you reveal your identity.”
“I promise I’ll be careful!”
“All right. Dismissed. You’re to go to the hill behind this manor to meet Mr. Ji in two hours.”
All security guards left except for Wang Dashan and Liu Yi.
Ling Zhang inquired, “What’s the name of that private bank Zheng shi and Yuwen Qi visited?”
“Dousheng Bank.”
Dousheng Bank?
“Young Master, this private bank is very famous in the north, but the owner never tried to have it expand into the south, so most southerners don’t know about it,” said Liu Yi.
Ling Zhang had Liu Yi provide more detailed information about the situation of the Dousheng Bank. Liu Yi did as he was told and finally said, “The owner of the Dousheng Bank has always been rumored to be a northern merchant. No outsiders know it belongs to the Yuwen family. I’m afraid this time around it’ll be exposed.”
In addition, nobody could have foreseen that Yuwen Tong would actually give such profitable private bank to his uncle’s branch of the family.
Ling Zhang thought for a while. “Tell Xia Feng to keep watch on Dousheng Bank and keep me informed of any change of situation.”
“Yes, Young Master,” Wang Dashan answered and went to have someone deliver a message back to the city.
Ling Zhang kept this matter in mind, intending to clear it up with Yuwen Tong after he returned. It was not that he coveted this private bank, but that this bank must be of great significance to the Yuwen family. By handing it over to the second branch of the Yuwen family just like this, Yuwen Tong, as the eldest grandson of Old General Yuwen and a member of the first branch, was putting himself in a very awkward position. Besides, people of the second branch were definitely unworthy of it!
After giving this matter some thought, Ling Zhang decided to ask Xie Shi about it first, and there was also another matter that he’d like to make some inquiries about in passing.
When Ling Zhang found Xie Shi, the latter was following in Ji Yin’s wake, mesmerized, watching him instructing Yang Liuzi and the other eleven in formations. The look in his eyes was as worshipful as though he was looking at his idol. Xie Shi had never shown such deep admiration even when facing Yuwen Tong.
Ling Zhang gave a shudder from head to foot, feeling that this bearing of Xie Shi’s was somewhat spooky.
“Guard Xie.”
Xie Shi heard Ling Zhang call him. Though rather unwilling to leave Ji Yin’s side, he still quickly walked over. “How can I be of service to you, Childe Ling?”
“There’s something I’d like to ask you about.”
Xie Shi bobbed his head and followed Ling Zhang to a quieter spot that was more suitable for a private talk.
Ling Zhang asked him about Dousheng Bank. Xie Shi did a double take and then replied, “It’s been decades since the establishment of that private bank. Old General Yuwen was one of the founders. Back then, he sold some of the other businesses of the Yuwen family to set it up with a rich southern merchant, with whom he had a friendship of life and death. The original reason for his founding that bank was to create an extra source of income for his family members living in the capital city, and to provide some financial assistance to the army if the occasion arose. But the Marshal, after inheriting it, stopped using it to offer the army pecuniary aid, saying that it was too dangerous. Instead, he utilized it to help wounded soldiers to start new lives after the war. These years, most of the profit of Dousheng Bank is used on the resettlement of soldiers, which is a fact known to almost all senior officers of the North-western Army.”
“But now it’s been given to Yuwen Zhi, which means the money is no longer accessible to Yuwen Tong, isn’t it?” Ling Zhang said apprehensively.
Xie Shi hurriedly explained, “Don’t worry, Childe Ling. The Marshal did this for a reason. The existence of Dousheng Bank has been exposed and come to the emperor’s knowledge. It’s now a hot potato. The Marshal took advantage of this opportunity and got rid of it. But the money has been secretly transferred elsewhere through some other methods.”
After hearing this, Ling Zhang, who had been wondering why Yuwen Tong had given such an important business to Yuwen Zhi, came to understand.
Having been informed of what was really going on, Ling Zhang was much more relaxed, planning to have a talk with Yuwen Tong and ask for more details after he came back.
“By the way, previously, after you discovered Yuwen Qi’s venomous snake in Tanyang, you probably looked into how he got it, I suppose? This time Qiu Bing…” Ling Zhang told Xie Shi about Qiu Bing’s helping him get his revenge, and then said, “Will Yuwen Qi find out and trace it back to you?”
Xie Shi smiled, “There’s no need to worry about that, Young Master. Although that poison is fairly rare, people with enough money don’t have much difficulty getting it. I’m not the only one having the poison in hand, and nobody will be able to trace it back to me. As regards Yuwen Qi’s venomous snake…”
