Blossom

Song Mo was helping his mother tally the summer rents collected from their family's farmsteads and had no plans to seek out Gu Yu.

"Tianci-ge, have you finished all your tasks?" With the Jiang Family in trouble, the Song Family naturally stepped in to help. Gu Yu had gone to the palace several times to see his aunt, Empress Wan, who warned him not to act recklessly. She also told him that the Song Family would surely need to make various arrangements and advised him not to visit Song Mo during this time, lest he see something he shouldn't and inadvertently create a rift with the Song Family. If Song Mo needed his help, he would reach out himself. That was why Gu Yu hadn’t been dropping by as frequently as before.

Now that the Jiang Family's affairs had settled, he no longer had any reservations.

"Pretty much done," Song Mo replied, leading him to the adjacent Resting Chamber. "What brings you here today?"

Initially, Gu Yu had studied martial arts and literature under Song Mo's tutelage. His transformation had been remarkable, and after Yunyang Bo personally came to the Song residence to express his gratitude, he took Gu Yu back home and hired tutors for him.

"I said I wanted to come see you," Gu Yu declared unabashedly as he flopped onto the daybed. He grabbed an apple from the side table and took a loud bite, then grimaced. "Where did this fruit come from? It tastes awful!" He immediately called out to his page, Bai Que, "Go home and bring over that basket of pears I snagged from the palace the other day." Turning back to Song Mo, he added, "Fresh autumn pears—not yet available in the markets. They’re not too sweet, but they’re juicy. Still better than this dried-up stuff."

The guy was a connoisseur of indulgence, and Song Mo couldn’t be bothered to argue. He sent a page along with Bai Que to Yunyang Bo's residence to fetch the pears.

Gu Yu leaned in and lowered his voice. "Still no word from Liao Wang?"

"My father and the Third Princess's consort are discussing it," Song Mo replied.

Gu Yu scoffed dismissively. "Honestly, there’s no need for Uncle to get involved. You and I could just go to Liaodong ourselves. With the two of us standing there, what’s he gonna do, even if he is a prince? If he doesn’t show us respect, we’ll beat him black and blue. Who’s afraid of whom?"

Song Mo felt the same way.

But his father had been running around tirelessly, and he didn’t want to undermine his efforts. Even his mother had said, "It’s rare for your father to take such initiative. Let him try. Besides, your grandfather’s former subordinates are there—your uncles will receive some degree of support. Just keep an eye on things. If your father’s efforts don’t yield results, you can always go to Liaodong yourself later. Your uncles will likely take a month or two on the road, whereas you could get there much faster on horseback."

But this wasn’t something he could share with Gu Yu. Instead, he said, "Is this something fists can solve? Don’t forget, it was the Emperor who issued the decree!"

"Yeah," Gu Yu muttered, frowning. "Even my aunt finds it strange. She said the Emperor wasn’t this paranoid before." He glanced around cautiously, ensuring no one was nearby, then dropped his voice even lower. "Yesterday, the Emperor suddenly pointed at my aunt and asked, ‘Who are you? Why are you in my palace?’"

Song Mo’s heart skipped a beat.

There had long been rumors about the Emperor’s failing memory. But to not even recognize the Empress...

"Who told you this?" His voice was tense.Song Mo had always been somewhat aloof, but Gu Yu didn’t notice. He said, "Of course, it was my aunt who told me! She was deeply worried, saying that right now, it’s just not recognizing people, but if during the Grand Secretaries’ assembly, he can’t even remember what he said, then things would really be bad!"

Was Empress Wan using Gu Yu to relay a message to their family?

Song Mo nodded and said, "So you should also tone it down these days," shifting the topic.

Gu Yu shrank his neck slightly and said, "That’s what I thought too!" Then he sighed, "Liao Wang is the clever one. He could have avoided going to his fief but slipped away in a flash, leaving the Crown Prince to be constantly nitpicked by the Emperor."

Song Mo chuckled. "Jade must be carved to become a gem. The Emperor’s severity comes from deep affection!"

"Who needs that kind of affection?" Gu Yu waved his hand, losing interest in the topic. "When will we finish reviewing these accounts? The Duke of Jingguo has finally petitioned to enfeoff Zhang Zongyao as heir. They’ve invited Zeng Chusheng from the Guanglian Troupe to perform at their mansion. Shall we go listen to the opera then?"

Once the imperial decree was issued, the Zhang family would surely celebrate.

Song Mo’s mind stirred at this, recalling that Zhang Yuanming had married the Wei family’s daughter from the Marquis of Jining’s household...

He maintained his composure and asked, "Who else was invited?"

"No idea," Gu Yu replied, never one to care about such things. Whoever was invited, he had no reservations. "It’s always the same crowd, coming and going."

"Alright, come get me when it’s time."

Gu Yu left cheerfully.

Song Mo informed the Affairs Office, which handled social engagements for various households. On the appointed day, he took the invitation sent by the Zhang family and went with Gu Yu to the Duke of Jingguo’s mansion.

Both mansions were ducal residences, laid out according to regulations, similar in size and structure. However, the Duke of Yingguo’s mansion had the main hall right at the entrance, with the main chamber behind it, the garden on the eastern side, and daily living quarters on the western side. In contrast, the Duke of Jingguo’s mansion had a garden at the entrance, the main hall on the western side, the main chamber behind it, and daily living quarters on the eastern side. After paying respects to the Duke of Jingguo in the western hall, they headed straight to the garden.

The opera stage had long been set up, but the performance hadn’t started yet. Meanwhile, the gambling den in the nearby mountain lodge was already in full swing, bustling with noise and excitement, punctuated by bursts of raucous cheers, making the opera stage seem rather deserted by comparison.

Gu Yu laughed. "This must be Zhang Jixian’s doing!"

Zhang Xuming, styled Jixian, was the son-in-law of Princess Ningde and a distant relative of Song Mo’s.

Song Mo teased, "Seems you’re not here for the opera but for the gambling."

Gu Yu grinned and whispered to Song Mo, "Plenty of money and fools around—if I don’t play a few rounds to earn some pocket money, I’d be the fool!"

Song Mo laughed but pulled him back. "Today is Zhang Zongyao’s big day. We should at least congratulate the man of the hour. Come with me to see Zhang Zongyao first."

For Gu Yu, the stakes in such gambling sessions were trivial—a mere thousand taels of silver. If he wanted to gamble seriously, he’d head to the Capital’s largest gambling den to play with salt merchants from Yangzhou or traders from Guangdong. But here, among peers of similar status, though the bets were small, there was a unique charm to spectating and joining in the excitement. Still, since Song Mo was here, he naturally had to accompany him.

Passing by the gambling den without joining, Gu Yu grabbed a page and asked where Zhang Yuanming was.Today's guests were all distinguished. The page eagerly explained, "Our Young Lord's brother-in-law, the Marquis of Jining, and the fourth young master of the Yan'an Marquis family have arrived. Due to the mourning period, the Marquis of Jining will leave after meeting with our Madam. She has asked the Young Lord to come over for a brief word, so he should be out shortly."

Speak of the devil!

Song Mo smiled faintly, guessing that Zhang Yuanming would likely escort Wei Tingyu out. He leisurely made his way toward the Hanging Flower Gate with Gu Yu.

Gu Yu was utterly puzzled.

Zhang Yuanming was over a decade older than them, dull and timid by nature—hardly someone they'd associate with. Yet judging by Song Mo's demeanor, he had come specifically for him.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Gu Yu whispered, "What business do you have with him?"

Song Mo knew Gu Yu was sharp, but his quick deduction still surprised him slightly. Half-jokingly, half-seriously, he replied, "Was I that obvious?" This effectively silenced Gu Yu's further questions.

As they reached the Hanging Flower Gate, they encountered Zhang Yuanming seeing off Wei Tingyu and Wang Qinghai.

The sight of Song Mo and Gu Yu left all three momentarily stunned.

Wei Tingyu and Wang Qinghai didn't recognize them, while Zhang Yuanming hadn't expected their presence.

It was Song Mo who broke the ice by greeting Zhang Yuanming first, snapping the others out of their daze.

Zhang Yuanming hastily introduced Wei Tingyu and Wang Qinghai to Song Mo and Gu Yu, only to realize mid-sentence that Wei Tingyu, now a marquis, should have been the one introduced to them. Yet Song Mo was the heir to the Duke of Yingguo's mansion, and Gu Yu was Empress Wan's nephew. Even as a marquis, Wei Tingyu's status paled in comparison to theirs...

Noticing Song Mo and Gu Yu's composed expressions, Zhang Yuanming relaxed.

Wei Tingyu and Wang Qinghai, however, didn't overthink it.

The heir to the Duke of Yingguo was someone far beyond their reach—an unattainable figure. As for Gu Yu, who in the Capital didn't know of the Little Tyrant? The former was someone their status would never intersect with; the latter was someone their principles would disdain to associate with. Yet now face-to-face, they couldn't help but study the pair.

Song Mo wore a jade-white straight robe, a scent satchel and a mutton-fat jade pendant hanging at his waist. His delicate features resembled rolling mountains, his calm eyes like deep pools—exuding noble grace and elegance. Such a youth should have inspired instant admiration, yet his faint smile carried an unshakable, mountain-like presence that subtly commanded respect. Beside him, the bright-eyed, ruby-lipped Gu Yu seemed like a lone star overshadowed by the vast night sky—his brilliance completely eclipsed by Song Mo's.

The two couldn't help but exchange glances.

Song Mo, too, observed Wei Tingyu and Wang Qinghai.

Wei Tingyu, about seventeen or eighteen, wore a moon-white linen straight robe with a palm-sized mourning cloth sewn at the hem—tall and straight with striking features. Wang Qinghai, a year or two older, sported a sapphire-blue robe with purple floral patterns, his complexion slightly tanned. Remarkably, both had clear, honest eyes—the unmistakable mark of well-bred men who'd known little adversity.Song Mo greeted Wei Tingyu warmly, "I didn't expect to meet the Marquis of Jining and Fourth Master Wang here. The opera hasn't started yet—why not stay a while longer? I heard they've invited Zeng Chusheng from the Guanglian Society to perform today. He rarely takes the stage personally since developing asthma, so it's quite rare for the Jingguo Duke's residence to secure his performance. Why don't you both stay and enjoy the show?"

His gentle voice and friendly tone flustered Zhang Yuanming, who quickly added, "Indeed, such opportunities are rare. Why not stay for the opera?"

Wei Tingyu was well aware how precious it was to socialize with the Young Lord of Duke of Yingguo's household. However, he was currently in mourning.

After hesitating for a long moment, he regretfully declined with proper decorum: "Thank you for your kind invitation, Young Lord. But as I'm currently observing mourning rites, it would be inappropriate for me to linger. Perhaps another time I may host you for a gathering." Though his manner remained somewhat restrained, his response was gracious and appropriate.

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Making up for the March 24th update!

( ^__^ ) Hehe...

Today's bonus update might come a bit late—I'm currently researching materials, so the timing is uncertain...

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