The return of the team sent to Tanyang seemed to disperse some of the repressive dark clouds that had been lingering in the sky above the capital city for quite some time. Yuwen Chi brought messages from Tanyang and a cartful of Tanyang specialities that the Ling family had prepared for Ling Zhang.
“Second Master Ling had originally planned to come to the capital city in a few days. Fortunately, my cousin’s letter arrived in time and Second Master Ling changed his mind,” said Yuwen Jin.
Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong were going to leave the capital city in a couple of days, went to the Millennium Pavilion first and then Tanyang. Ling Zhaowen would miss them had he been unaware of it and come to the capital city.
“It never crossed my mind that so many things would happen during our absence. Will we be able to finish the preparatory work for the wedding on time?” Yuwen Chi asked with a serious look on his face. He’d always had a perceptive understanding of the whole picture and anticipated some time ago that Yuwen Tong would hand over part of his military power, but he hadn’t expected that it’d happen so soon, and the occurrence of such an absurd incident had also come as a surprise to him. Although he was asking about the wedding, what he worried about was something of a higher plane – the fate of the Yuwen family.
“We will,” answered Yuwen Tong. Of course he knew what his uncles and cousins were concerned about. “I’m afraid I’ll have to put you to the trouble of dealing with all family matters for some time. I’ll sort things out after I return with Brother Zhang.”
Yuwen Chi felt that there was some kind of undertone in his words, but Yuwen Tong didn’t explain anything and just signaled him to look at Yuwen You. Having come to understand, Yuwen Chi nodded and said, “Rest assured, we’ll be cautious and have everything properly handled in the capital city.”
While Yuwen Tong was consulting with Yuwen Chi and the others about something, Yuwen Jin and Ling Zhang found a quiet spot to talk. First Yuwen Jin told Ling Zhang about their stay in Tanyang and also handed him what Ling Maomao had asked him to deliver to Ling Zhang. Ling Zhang watched the little wooden figurine in his hand which had been carved with childish technique. The features of it were rather rough, and he could tell at a glance that this was Ling Maomao’s work.
“Maomao wanted you to have this and keep him in mind at all times,” said Yuwen Jin.
Ling Zhang gave a smile, solemnly thanked Yuwen Jin for his trouble and started fingering the wooden figurine, inevitably homesick.
“He also wanted to come with me to the capital city to see you. Originally my uncle was very happy about it and intended to convince Second Master Ling to allow Maomao to come with us, but afterwards news of what happened here spread to Tanyang, and we realized that the situation here instantly became dangerous, so all of us didn’t dare bring him here any longer,” added Yuwen Jin.
After Yuwen Jin finished his remarks, both of them fell silent.
“Brother Zhang, do you regret having agreed to marry my cousin?” Yuwen Jin suddenly asked.
Ling Zhang’s face wore a quizzical look. “Why are you suddenly asking about this?”
Yuwen Jin sighed, “A little short-tempered as I am, I have a shrewd idea of what might be coming for our family. On our way back, my uncle was saying that he had no idea whether it was fortunate or unfortunate of you and my cousin to have decided to get married in these circumstances. If you two haven’t proclaimed that you are getting married, and something does happen, you could still–”
“Stop that nonsense!” Ling Zhang interrupted him, frowning. “You guys think I’m a coward who’d prefer life to dishonor?”
“That’s not what I mean,” Yuwen Jin hastened to explain. “I know you are not that kind of person. It’s just that Second Master Ling has been quite worried ever since what’d happened here came to his knowledge. My uncle and I and the others are all very guilty. We feel that this is not the right time, that we’re going to incriminate the Ling family.”
Ling Zhang shook his head. “Enough. Don’t sound so defeatist. This is just the beginning. Why are you getting so dejected as though you’re admitting defeat? Aren’t you the one who trusts your cousin the most? Since he told you to hang in there and wait for us to come back, he definitely has a plan. Have faith in him.”
The time had not come for Ling Zhang to confide Yuwen Tong’s plans and resolution to Yuwen Jin, so he could only drop a hint to him in a roundabout way. He added, “And for the record, I’ve never regretted it from the moment I decided to come to this city with Yuwen Tong, so don’t ask me this kind of questions ever again.”
Yuwen Jin raised his hand to scratch his head, feeling a sense of relief, awkwardly making an apology.
“By the way, where are you going with my cousin, Brother Zhang? Is it really so important that you have to leave at this juncture?”
Ling Zhang slightly nodded. “It’s very important.”
Yuwen Jin threw his chest out. “Then just go with my cousin. I’ll keep an eye on the Ling Mansion and make sure nobody in here is subjected to bullying.”
Ling Zhang smiled, “Thanks.”
…
Two days later, Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong secretly left the capital city and moved into the new manor.
Ji Yin was still absent, but he seemed to have come back once, for there was a message for them, in which he told them to go directly to Cangzhou to meet him.
Ling Zhang was worried about what might happen in the capital city, so he planned to go there and come back as quick as possible. After reading the message, he immediately instructed servants to get his baggage ready, preparing to depart. Almost all important parts of the revamp of the manor had been finished, and the rest of it didn’t require his occasional supervision. Yuwen Tong designated Yue Qi and some others to stay in the capital city. Apart from guarding this manor, their job also includes keeping a weather eye on the forces in the city and promptly reporting to him if anything happened.
Ling Zhang was bringing all his twenty-four security guards. Yao Yi and other personal bodyguards of Yuwen Tong’s naturally were going with them as well.
On that very night, they left the manor, heading south.
…
They rode non-stop on fast horses and reached Wu City at noon the next day.
At the sight of them, Ji Yin who had been waiting for them asked, “Is there anybody following you?”
Ling Zhang shook his head with absolute certainty. They had taken several detours on their way to Wu City, used some formations to conceal their traces, and also changed their disguise several time. Currently, both he and Yuwen Tong didn’t look as they used to. One of them appeared to be an itinerant merchant traveling to another city, and the other an accountant. There was no way any outsiders could recognize either of them.
Ling Zhang’s security guards and Yuwen Tong’s personal bodyguards had all scattered, covertly following the two of them, keeping a certain distance away from each other.
“On my return to Wu City, I heard of what happened in the capital city. That fatuous and self-indulgent emperor is unbelievably narrow-minded and ungrateful. It’s been such a short time since you handled the threat from the Wan Kingdom for him, yet he’s already bursting to get rid of you. You people of the Yuwen family are too soft. If I were you, I would’ve long ago contacted the North-western Army, staged an uprising, beheaded that fool sitting on the throne and become the emperor myself,” said Ji Yin without any scruples or a shred of respect for the incumbent emperor, sounding as though the emperor were an ant in his hand that he could squeeze to death at any moment.
After saying this, he added, “If you can’t handle it, I can do you a favor. It’ll take merely a couple of saber strikes to exterminate the Zhou family – first you’ll have to promise not to mention it to the clan leader, of course.”
Ling Zhang was startled at these words. “Grandfather–”
Yuwen Tong had begun speaking. “Thank you, Mr. Ji. Lives of members of the Zhou family are just a small matter, but the stability of the political situation of this country and people’s well-being are a big issue. I’m willing to spend more time to settle it. If things do get beyond my capabilities, I promise I’ll ask you for help.”
Ji Yin bobbed his head. “I’m glad to hear that you have it all planned out.”
When Ji Yin took them to the place where they were going to spend the night, there were still some thoughts whirling in Ling Zhang’s mind. A moment ago, when his grandfather had been talking about exterminating the Zhou family, there hadn’t been the slightest change in his tone which was so bland that he almost sounded apathetic. Ling Zhang believed that Ji Yin hadn’t been joking, that he had sounded so indifferent because he did have scanty regard for the lives of members of the Zhou family. He recalled that previously, when he’d been talking with Ji Yin about the new manor, Ji Yin had told him there was no need for him to worry about the loyalty of servants in the manor, because he could just use drugs to keep them under control if necessary… At that time he’d believed that Ji Yin was just joking and hadn’t taken it seriously, but now it seemed that that hadn’t been a joke.
In that year, the very reason why his mother couldn’t return to the Millennium Pavilion had been because she’d gone too far in her act of revenge, wiping out the whole family of the scum who’d killed her brother. The Millennium Pavilion had believed that her deeds had gone beyond the pale and threatened to expose the existence of the clan, so they’d decided to bring her back to receive her punishment. He had thought that on no account would his mother, who in his vague memory had always been a gentle woman, exterminate a whole family because of the wrong done by one man, that there must be some other reason, but now, after hearing Ji Yin’s previous words, he suddenly came to realize that there was another possibility – it was indeed to vent her anger that his mother had killed the members of a whole family. And his grandfather seemed to have the same mentality, not at all caring whether or not there was anybody innocent in the Zhou family. The only misgiving Ji Yin had about exterminating the Zhou family was that the leader of the Millennium Pavilion might find out. With a father like this, his mother…
Ling Zhang felt that it was somewhat disrespectful and unfilial of him to inwardly judge his mother and grandfather. In the final analysis, it was for his sake that his grandfather had offered to wipe out the Zhou family, and he was the last person to secretly comment on it. Besides, the Zhou family would definitely be wiped out in the future – if Yuwen Tong’s plan was a success…
“Grandfather, you’ve been on the run all along recently. Do you need to have a few days’ rest here before setting off for the Millennium Pavilion?”
On hearing this question and his tone, Yuwen Tong, who was walking side by side with Ling Zhang and knew him very well, came to realize that Ling Zhang had done some careful thinking just now.
“It’s okay. Grandfather is still robust. I just walked more than usual in the past few days. Staying here to rest won’t be necessary. Besides, you two are probably both worried about the situation in the capital city, so I think we should depart as soon as possible, but I’m afraid those guards you’ve brought with you will have to stay here,” said Ji Yin.
Both Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong were unsurprised at Ji Yin’s words. The Millennium Pavilion’s consent to their visit had come as a great surprise to them, and it would be quite abnormal if they were allowed to bring their guards.
“Before our entry into this city, I’ve instructed them to stay here and wait for us,” said Yuwen Tong.
Ji Yin nodded, looking at Ling Zhang. “What about your security guards?”
“I gave them the same instruction,” replied Ling Zhang. “Is the Millennium Pavilion in Cangzhou, Grandfather?”
Why were they not allowed to have their guards accompany them any further? Had the Millennium Pavilion been in Cangzhou all these years, by any chance? It was so close to the capital city of the Great Yue all along?
“It’s not here,” replied Ji Yin. “Just follow me, and don’t ask any questions. I’ll keep you safe.”
Since Ling Zhang had decided to go to the Millennium Pavilion, naturally he had some time ago prepared himself to follow the Millennium Pavilion’s rules. Finding his grandfather’s request understandable, he didn’t persist with his questioning and just flicked a glance at Yuwen Tong.
Yuwen Tong held his hand, signaling him to show some patience.
Ji Yin told them that they were to leave at midnight, that they should have a good rest before that.
“My grandfather told us not to ask any questions and just follow him, but he didn’t say anything else, which means that… we could watch.”
Yuwen Tong smiled, “That’s right. Mr. Ji didn’t disclose any details probably because it’s against the rules.”
“Where do you think the Millennium Pavilion is? My grandfather said it’s not in Cangzhou, but he insisted Brother Wang and all the others stop following us in this city.” Ling Zhang’s curiosity was piqued.
Yuwen Tong was much calmer than him. “Don’t worry. We’ll find out soon enough. Compared with this matter, how that mysterious clan leader will treat us after we enter the Millennium Pavilion concerns me more.”
