âTao Yi,â called Ling Zhang, quickly walking up to him.
Tao Yi pivoted around and his face crumpled up at the sight of Ling Zhang coming. In a tearful tone of voice, he said, âMy teacher chucked me out, so I have no choice but to turn to you. Youâve got to take me in. If I get my sorry ass back to Tanyang like this, my father would definitely beat me to death.â
Ling Zhang, ââŠâ
While speaking, Tao Yi handed his several traveling bags of different sizes to the couple of servants and said âGive me a hand with these. Thank you.â as though Ling Zhang had already agreed.
The servants exchanged hesitant glances and then all looked at Ling Zhang.
Ling Zhang stared at Tao Yi for quite a while before saying to the servants, âTake all Childe Taoâs baggage to a guest room and get the room ready.â
âYes, Young Master,â the servants chorused and then took all Tao Yiâs baggage away.
Tao Yi gave a gasp of relief, stepped over and threw his arm around Ling Zhangâs shoulders. âIâm entrusting you with my life here. You and the Marshal need to make it work and show that stubborn old man heâs wrong about you.â
Ling Zhang resignedly looked at him. âWhy did you leave the academy? None of this wouldâve happened to you had you stayed there.â
âIt wouldâve happened even if I stayed. My teacher is so influential that even I, a nobody whoâs close to him, cannot stay out of this,â said Tao Yi.
âAlas, you have no idea how difficult it was for me to make a choice between my teacher and you. My father told me to keep my nose out of these things so that I wouldnât get hurt, but I did some careful thinking and felt that the imperial family was so boring, that things would be much more interesting if I follow you and the Marshal. Itâs just I could no longer stay in my teacherâs place after I picked a side, and I have nowhere else to go to in the capital city, so I risked making myself seem thick-skinned and came here to ask you for help.â
Eyes still on him, Ling Zhang asked, âYour teacher chucked you out?â
âWellâŠsort of. But this time around he didnât lash out at me. He just told me to think things through. I made a decision and he calmly had me leave the academy. Before I left, he drummed it into me that I should take the imperial examination and become an official, and make myself useful to both the imperial court and the people in this country.â
After saying this, Tao Yi lapsed into silence, the smile on his face fading, appearing rather upset.
Ling Zhang knew what it was about. âYour teacher wanted you to take the examination and become an official because he had faith in you, because he had faith in us. Cheer up. As long as you keep the goal in mind and fight for it, it will come true.â
Tao Yi bobbed his head. âIâll strive for it.â
âActually I knew what that was about. My teacher dropped a hint by saying those words. Heâs fully aware that the Zhou familyâs dominion over this country is coming to an end. Otherwise he wouldnât have had me leave just like that, but he himself doesnât want to leave. Heâd rather die with the Zhou family. Whatâs the point of that?â
Maybe only when they reached the same age as the old man would they be able to understand the point of that.
Ling Zhang patted his shoulder. âYouâre his student, and youâll carry on his legacy. If you want to repay your teacher for his guidance, you should study hard and earn yourself a position in the government, so that youâll live up to his expectations.â
âAlas, it seems that I still have a lot of books to read,â said Tao Yi, harassed-looking.
Ling Zhang smiled, âLetâs go. Iâll take you to see my maternal grandfather and father.â
Tao Yi gave a nod and then abruptly paused. âYour⊠maternal grandfather? And your father?â
Ling Zhang said, âYeah.â
âThis is⊠No⊠I thought that your father⊠Heâs been away for many years, hasnât he? And about your maternal grandfatherâŠ. Whatâs going on exactly?â jabbered Tao Yi, astonishment written all over his face.
âIt seems that recently youâve really been quite vexed and distressed, which is why youâve ended up ill-informed. I thought the news about my father had spread through the city,â said Ling Zhang.
With an aggrieved face, Tao Yi replied, âI didnât know. Nobody told me about it!â
âWell, Iâm telling you now,â said Ling Zhang.
âI⊠Well⊠I need to change clothes and make myself presentable. And I havenât prepared any gifts,â said Tao Yi.
Ling Zhang rolled his eyes upwards. âYouâre not here for a blind date.â
Tao Yi quietly looked left and right and then responded, âAre you trying to get me killed? If anybody hears this and tells the Marshal about it, the Marshal will definitely take a dislike to me.â
âHeâs not as childish as you think he is,â commented Ling Zhang.
Tao Yi curled his lip. âYou donât know that, not for sure. The Marshal cares about you so much that he seems to want you staying by his side all the time. If I dare have any funny thoughts about you, heâd surely have me killed.â
Ling Zhang was terribly embarrassed. âCut the nonsense, will you?â
But the mention of Yuwen Tong sent Ling Zhang so depressed that he didnât seemed to have any insides. Yuwen Tong was not in this city. What was the point of talking about this?
Seeing him instantly become dispirited, Tao Yi came to realize that heâd said the wrong thing and hastened to change the topic. âHurry. Take me to meet your father and grandfather. They deserve to make the acquaintance of an outstanding talent like me.â
His sorrow dissolved by Tao Yiâs quip, Ling Zhang took him to see Ji Yin and Ling Zhaowu.
Tao Yiâs eyes slightly widened at the sight of Ling Zhaowu. Before Ling Zhang could introduce him, he walked up on his own initiative. âYou must be Uncle Ling. Iâm Tao Yi. My fatherâs Tao Feng, the prefectural governor of Tanyang. Iâm friends with Ling Zhang. Please forgive me for visiting the Ling Mansion uninvited today.â
Ling Zhaowu gave a smile and put his hands to Tao Yiâs upper arms. âI heard Zhangâer talk about you many times. Lately heâs been quite worried about your safety.â
âItâs my fault. I shouldnât have concerned my friend,â said Tao Yi.
âI met Governor Tao in Tanyang before I came to this city. Heâs in good health,â said Ling Zhaowu.
Tao Yi was delighted. âIâm glad to hear that. Thank you for telling me this, Uncle Ling.â
Ling Zhaowu found Tao Yi a fairly sympathetic person on first acquaintance, and the two of them enjoyed the conversation pretty much.
Seeing that Tao Yiâs tongue was loosened and probably wouldnât stop talking any time soon, Ling Zhang hurriedly interrupted him and introduced Ji Yin to him. âThis is my grandfather. His surname is Ji.â
Tao Yi gaped at Ji Yin and then moved his eyes to Ling Zhang, a youâve-got-to-be-kidding-me expression on his face. The reason why heâd talked with Ling Zhaowu for so long and hadnât shown the slightest inclination to stop was that it didnât strike him that this mustached middle-aged man on the side was Ling Zhangâs grandfather, because he appeared so young!
âAre you introducing the wrong person to me?â Tao Yi asked Ling Zhang, lowering his voice, incredulous.
Ling Zhang looked at him resignedly. âNo, Iâm not. Heâs really my grandfather.â
Tao Yi still didnât believe him. In a voice he thought was low enough, he said, âImpossible. Heâs so young. How could he be your grandfather?! I mean, he looks even younger than your father.â
Ling Zhaowu, who heard this, was rendered speechless with embarrassment.
Ling Zhang gave a soft cough and explained, âMy grandfather is a kung fu master with powerful internal energy, which is why his look doesnât age.â
At this time, Ji Yin was also amused by Tao Yiâs whisper. Heedless of Ling Zhaowu who was having a faintly awkward face, he said to Tao Yi, âYou have a good sense of humor, Childe Tao.â
It was at this moment that Tao Yi believed Ling Zhangâs words. In the knowledge that his behavior just now had been impolite, he hastened to pay his respects to Ji Yin. âItâs a pleasure to meet you, Mr⊠Ji. Please forgive me for not being discerning enough to accept the fact earlier that youâre Ling Zhangâs grandfather.â
Ji Yin said, âThatâs a mere trifle. Most people were just as surprised when they first came to know I was Zhangâerâs grandfather. Your reaction was totally understandable.â
Tao Yi was a great talker, and it took him only a few moments to send Ji Yin into fits of laughter. The embarrassment on Ling Zhaowuâs face ebbed away and he just amusedly shook his head.
âI heard that your teacher is a famous, learned scholar, and youâre a student of the Oriental Rite Academy. You have very good prospects,â said Ji Yin.
Tao Yi replied, âActually Iâve sort of graduated now, and Iâm waiting for the next imperial examination. I could use some quiet, so I specially came to Brother Zhang, wondering if I could stay here for some time.â
âThereâs not much I can guarantee you, but I assure you all the servants here are absolute rule-followers. Your courtyard house will be quiet all the time and nobody will disturb you. You may put your mind at ease, stay here and focus on your study,â said Ji Yin.
âThank you, Mr. Ji,â said Tao Yi.
With Tao Yi enlivening the atmosphere, they didnât have to worry about the climate getting tepid. Ji Yin found Tao Yiâs talkativeness pretty endearing.
Seeing that Tao Yi got along so well with the others, Ling Zhang believed there was no need for him to worry about Tao Yi. âYou may go to your room to get some rest. The reception will start soon.â
Without any pretence of courtesy, Tao Yi took his leave of Ji Yin and Ling Zhaowu and then made towards the guest room.
âTao Yi is more interesting than his father,â observed Ling Zhaowu. âTao Feng is more inclined to play it safe. His son is far more audacious than him.â
Ling Zhang said, âYou talked with Tao Feng in Tanyang, Father?â
âIt was just a quick chat. Iâm not very interested in making friends with Tao Feng, but your uncle works for him, so I had to make his acquaintance,â responded Ling Zhaowu.
Ling Zhang could tell that Ling Zhaowu loathed Tao Feng.
âYou seem to be quite ill-disposed towards Tao Feng,â remarked Ji Yin.
Ling Zhaowu gave a sneer. âTao Feng has no balls. Back then when Zhang Chong was still alive, he could barely breathe under Zhang Chongâs oppression but never dared put up a fight. Had Zhang Chong not been brought down, he wouldâve stayed that way till this day. A man like him would never be able to get to a position higher than the governor of Tanyang.â
After hearing this, Ji Yin curled his lip with a feeling of anticlimax. âWell, then heâs indeed an uninteresting guy. Fortunately Tao Yi is not like him.â
Ling Zhang smiled, âIf he was, he wouldnât have disobeyed his father or chosen me over his teacher.â
Ji Yin inclined his head.
âGiven how long it has been, those people in this city shouldâve got wind of the Jiangzhou garrisonâs moving north. Iâm afraid thereâs going to be a panic among citizens, and the situation would take a turn in an unforeseen way. Itâs time for the garrison of Shengzhou to make their move, so that some people will get the shot in the arm they need.â
Feeling that Ling Zhaowu had got a point, Ling Zhang gave a nod. âOkay.â
After having Miao Shisan sent a message to the commander of Jiangzhou garrison, Ling Zhang received a letter from the borderland, which had been written by Yuwen Tong personally. Judging from the handwriting, Yuwen Tong must have written this letter in haste. He probably had carved out time for it in his hectic schedule.
In the letter, Yuwen Tong gave a sketchy account of the situation at the front and how heâd been recently, told Ling Zhang not to worry and then reminded him to stay safe in the capital city with a lot of words.
After reading Yuwen Tongâs letter word by word, Ling Zhang became even more concerned about the situation in the borderlands, summoned Wang Dashan and asked, âIs Wang Qing ready? Has he got all the medicinal herbs prepared? When could they depart?â
âWang Qing has just sent a message here, saying that everythingâs ready, that the caravan will set off early tomorrow morning,â answered Wang Dashan.
This would be the second batch of medicinal herbs delivered to the borderlands. The first batch had been transported there along with other supplies from the capital city.
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters.
Sponsored Content