“Even if anybody found out, they would keep their mouth shut about it,” said Yuwen Tong, dressing Ling Zhang as though he were a child.
Ling Zhang was kneading his waist, his mind focused on something else, oblivious of what Yuwen Tong was doing to him. “You should go back to the hall immediately after lunch. We’re going out tonight, so you probably wouldn’t get any time to rest the whole afternoon.”
Yuwen Tong had lunch with Ling Zhang before going to the consultation hall, and didn’t return until dusk.
“I had a message delivered to my family this afternoon. My grandfather said that they’d wait for us to have dinner with them tonight.” Ling Zhang carried a tub of water over to let Yuwen Tong wet his towel to wipe his hands and face, and then got him a change of clothes and helped him change out of the ones he was wearing. “We’ll have dinner with my family first before going to the night market.”
Yuwen Tong changed and then said, “Are you hungry? Did you eat any before-dinner snack?”
Ling Zhang looked at him. “There are so many people around here watching over me. They would never let me feel hungry. It’s you I’m worried about. You only had a bowl of noodle soup this afternoon, and you didn’t even touch the pastries I had them deliver to you. Let’s not waste any time and just get out of here. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can get something to eat.”
Yuwen Tong had just fastened his belt when Ling Zhang, bursting with impatience, drew him out of the palace, heading straight for the Ling Mansion.
In order not to be recognized at the night market, the two of them left the palace in a low-key fashion, bringing only a couple of secret bodyguards.
When they arrived at the Ling Mansion, people of the Ling family all started as they saw that the two of them came almost unaccompanied.
“Why did you two leave the palace with only one guard?” asked Ling Zhaowen, looking at them, horror written all over his face.
Ling Zhaowu’s eyes raked Yuwen Tong’s face before he inquired, “You have some others following you secretly?”
Ling Zhaowen looked at Ling Zhaowu, confusion in his eyes.
Ling Zhaowu had no internal energy, so he definitely couldn’t detect the existence of the secret bodyguards hidden in the shadows. Ji Yin, Ji Yanlai and some others present hadn’t said anything yet, but Ling Zhaowu had immediately guessed that some others were covertly protecting Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong, which was something he couldn’t have done without extensive experience.
Yuwen Tong started pondering. Actually he had been having some questions about his father-in-law all along. Was it even possible that a man, who once had been so bigoted and crazy as to abandon his family to seek some preposterous resurrection skill, had changed so much as if he was a different person after waking from a coma that had lasted over ten years? Besides, if someone had been comatose for over a decade, there would inevitably be a huge blank in their knowledge and experience, but his father-in-law, after coming around, not only didn’t appear far removed from the present age, but also seemed to be very familiar with everything he was faced with. He had been composed all the time, and his experience didn’t at all seem to have stopped growing for over ten years. But how was this possible?
Yuwen Tong couldn’t help but recall the confusion he’d had back when he was in the Millennium Pavilion located in the Sanguan Mountains.
Mr. Mu had once mentioned that after Ling Zhaowu came to, apart from words about his family members, he had also deliriously said something about him failing his nephew. At that time, he and Ling Zhang had both been astonished, because it had been several years after Ling Zhaowu went missing and into a coma that Ling Maomao was born. How had Ling Zhaowu, who had never left the Sanguan Mountains before that, come to know that he had a nephew?
That, combined with Ling Zhaowu’s perplexing behavior after his recovery, made it very difficult for Yuwen Tong not to suspect his father-in-law.
Ling Zhaowu’s affection for Ling Zhang and other members of the Ling family was real, and he indeed cared about Ling Zhang very much, but Yuwen Tong felt that he must figure out what secrets Ling Zhaowu was keeping, because if he didn’t, he wouldn’t be able to find peace of mind knowing that Ling Zhang was so close to Ling Zhaowu.
Right now, a more obvious fact was that Ling Zhang knew something about the truth but was unwilling to confide it to him.
Yuwen Tong didn’t show any signs of any of his thoughts on his face. After hearing Ling Zhaowu’s question, he inclined his head in a very unperturbed way and answered, “Brother Zhang and I want to go out for a walk tonight. Had we brought too many guards with us, it would’ve caused a sensation and made it inconvenient for us to go out into the street.”
“Go out into the street? You two still want to go out into the street?” Ling Zhaowen felt dizzy from amazement. “Have you any idea who you are now?!”
Ling Zhaowen was so anxious that he forgot about Yuwen Tong’s identity. “Everything’s going so well. Why do you suddenly want to go out into the street? Surely you know how dangerous it is to do something like that?”
Ling Zhang opened his mouth, but Yuwen Tong made a reply before he could say anything. “We’ll be wearing some simple disguise, and some of my secret bodyguards will be following in our wake. Also, I’ll protect Brother Zhang.”
Ling Zhaowen had a faint inclination to give Yuwen Tong a dirty look, but then he finally recollected Yuwen Tong’s current identity and said in a grave and sincere tone, “It’s not about whether or not you’re capable of keeping Zhang’er safe. Presently your safety is of even greater importance, which is a fact I believe you probably don’t need me to elaborate on.”
Yuwen Tong said, “I’ll protect myself. Recently I’ve been staying in the palace all the time. I’m right in the capital city but haven’t carved out enough time to see what it’s like. If things go on like this, I’d be out of touch with the people, so I decided to come out and observe ordinary folk’s condition.”
Ling Zhaowen, “…”
With an inexplicable expression on his face, he inwardly retorted, ‘It’s been only a few days since you moved into the palace. Have you not been dealing with enough important state affairs on a daily basis? You feel you’re getting out of reach with the people? Who would believe that?!’
However, Yuwen Tong appeared totally self-possessed, and Ling Zhaowen felt it inappropriate for him to put Yuwen Tong on the spot in the presence of so many people, so he had no choice but to look at Ling Zhang, hoping that Ling Zhang would change his mind.
But before he could drop a hint to Ling Zhang, Yuwen Tong drew Ling Zhang away. “We barely ate anything in the palace and are both hungry. How about we start eating dinner?”
For a moment, the others were exchanging glances in blank dismay. Eventually, Ling Xingzhong broke the awkward silence. “Well, it’s inconsiderate of us to have forgotten that. Let’s go and eat!”
Seeing this, Ling Zhaowen had no alternative but to take a seat with the others. He wanted to sit beside Ling Zhang so that he could whisper a hint in his ear, but Ji Yin anticipated him, quickly settling himself in the chair beside Ling Zhang.
Yuwen Tong was sitting in the host seat, Ling Zhang on his left-hand side. On his right-hand side were Ling Xingzhong, Ling Zhaowu, Ling Zhaowen and Ling Maomao. On Ling Zhang’s left-hand side were Ji Yin, Ji Yanlai, Ji Xiaocong and Mr. Mu.
Ling Zhang had originally wanted to sit elsewhere, but Ling Xingzhong and some others had insisted he sit there, as though they would fall out with Ling Zhang if he refused to obey. Thus, he was forced to adjust himself to the change of his identity before he officially married Yuwen Tong.
As regards Ji Yin and Ji Yanlai, they didn’t care about these ritualistic formalities, feeling that as long as the chairs were not uncomfortable, they could sit anywhere.
Everybody was seated around the table. The courses had been served in advance. Members of the Ling family, who had waited for quite some time, were now all hungry. Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong, certainly, were hungry as well. Everybody was eating quietly and nobody talked. The wine was taken away, because nobody wanted any.
When they almost had their fill, Ji Yanlai said, “Since you two are going to the night market, take me and Cong with you.”
The night before, their stroll down the street had ended early. Although Ji Yanlai had said that there was no hurry, he was actually itching for another try. The moment he finished speaking, Cong’s eyes lit up and he looked at Ling Zhang. Ling Maomao also looked up at Ling Zhang, his eyes just as expectant as Cong’s.
“I think I’ll join you guys. The more, the merrier,” said Ji Yin.
“Well, there’s no harm in going along for the ride once in a while,” said Mr. Mu.
Ling Xingzhong and his two sons were all speechless.
Ling Zhaowu flicked a glance at Ling Xingzhong’s face and said, “I’ll go as well. I’ve stayed in this city for some days, and I think I’ve got enough knowledge of it to act as a half-decent guide for the Clan Leader.”
Ji Yanlai appeared nonchalant, not caring who would accompany him. Although he felt that he didn’t need anybody to keep him company, he believed that since he was now staying in the Ling Mansion, it was best if he followed some of the rules lest there be some needless misunderstandings.
Thus, the plan to go to the night market later was basically nailed down. Ling Xingzhong hadn’t raised any objections, and eventually Ling Zhaowen, who didn’t know what to say to object, had no choice but to raise his hand and say, “Fine. I’ll go as well. If I don’t go with you and keep an eye on you, I might end up suffering a heart attack from worry. Also, I’ll be able to watch over that brat of mine in passing.”
Ling Zhang and the others hadn’t said anything yet, but Ling Maomao’s face fell as he cast a somewhat unhappy look at his father. Since his father would be keeping an eye on him, he could foresee that he would be under all kinds of restrictions from start to finish and wouldn’t be able to fully enjoy himself.
Amused by the boy’s countenance, Ling Zhang gave it some thought and said, “Grandfather, how about you join us as well?”
Ling Xingzhong paused briefly and then answered, “I’m afraid I’m too old to go along for the ride.”
“Alas, you’re still going strong, in-law. You’ve got to give yourself more credit. Come with us. It does no harm to go with the flow. They’re all youngsters, and I could use the company of someone my age. I’m sure there’s a lot we could talk about,” said Ji Yin.
Ling Xingzhong looked at Ji Yin’s young face, having quite mixed feelings.
At last, the whole family decided to go out into the street together. Fu Caiwei, who was the only female member of the family, felt it inconvenient to go with a large group of men, so she stayed at home alone.
Ling Zhang, taking Ling Maomao with him, went to see Fu Caiwei. “Aunt, after we get to the night market, I’ll have someone deliver some delicious food and fun stuff to you. You may have the old handmaids accompany you to the garden to enjoy the night view. I’ve instructed the guards to tighten the security and nobody would go to the garden to disturb you.”
While saying this, Ling Zhang felt somewhat apologetic, for there were indeed not enough mistresses in this residence. His aunt was the only one, and the other females were all handmaids of different ages, but some subjects were definitely not suitable to be talked about with handmaids.
Fu Caiwei, who could tell what he was thinking about, smiled, “Just relax and go out there with them to have some fun. Maomao is quite naughty. Promise me you won’t connive at his misbehavior, okay? There’s no need for you to worry about me. We’ll figure out how to best entertain ourselves. Just a few moments ago we were talking about playing mahjong.”
“I see,” answered Ling Zhang. After confirming that all Fu Caiwei’s needs would be taken care of, he took Ling Maomao back to the ante-room and rendezvoused with Yuwen Tong and the others. Thanks to Yao Yi’s sleight of hand, all of them were now in simple disguise. Thus, the large group of people left the residence.
Halfway to the night market, Ling Maomao was drawn away by his father. Yuwen Tong, who was walking abreast of Ling Zhang, noticed the glimmer of gloom on his face and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Ling Zhang told him about the matter of Fu Caiwei and then added, “I don’t know what to do.”
After all, he was not going to marry a woman; his uncle wouldn’t get any concubines; and his father had no inclination whatsoever to remarry. Currently, in the Ling family, female members were vastly outnumbered by male ones.
Yuwen Tong observed, “There’s no need to be anxious about it. Tao Feng will soon arrive, and he’s bringing his wife with him. Just have his wife come here more often to keep your aunt company. They’re old acquaintances. Apart from her, there are also my aunts. They are all easy to get along with. My granduncle and his family are all inclined to get more acquainted with your family. It’s just that we are not married yet, so they don’t dare make too many overtures for fear that people might gossip about it. But it wouldn’t be a problem if my aunts have dealings with your aunt.”
Ling Zhang’s eyes brightened. This was actually a pretty good idea.
