Blossom

Wei Tingzhen's words made Wei Tingyu's face flush red. He called out "Sister" and protested indignantly, "Song Mo is nothing like us! If we can distance ourselves from him because of this, it might not be a bad thing!"

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Wei Tingzhen stamped her foot anxiously. "Do you think Song Mo is someone you can afford to provoke?"

Wei Tingyu scoffed. "What's there to provoke or not? I don't expect any favors from him, so why should I flatter him?" His expression turned serious as he said to Wei Tingzhen, "Sister, you should talk to brother-in-law too—tell him to have less contact with Song Mo from now on. That man is too ruthless... His own family guards, people who greeted him every time they saw him, and he just killed them all without hesitation. After killing them, he even neatly arranged their bodies in the middle of the courtyard. Is that something an ordinary person could do? I know he's powerful, and you want me to fawn over him so I can secure a good position after the mourning period ends. But there are some things we just can't do. If we do them, we'll owe others for the rest of our lives... If he asks me to help him kill someone, sister, tell me—should I go or not? Some debts are beyond our ability to repay..."

Tian Shi, standing nearby, turned pale and quickly grabbed her son's hand. "What happened? What's this about killing people? What does it have to do with you?" Her voice trembled with urgency, on the verge of tears. "Yu'er, don't scare your mother like this! What exactly happened? What does Song Mo have to do with it? What debt do you owe him?"

"Mother," Wei Tingzhen quickly sat beside her and comforted her softly, "It's nothing, really! He was just making a comparison." As she spoke, she shot Wei Tingyu a sharp glare, signaling him to help calm Tian Shi. "Your brother is on good terms with Song Mo, so I was just telling him to maintain a good relationship..."

"Sister, don't try to fool mother," Wei Tingyu obediently sat beside his mother but interrupted Wei Tingzhen. He turned to Tian Shi and said, "Mother, here's what happened..." He then explained how Song Yichun disliked his eldest son and wanted to change the heir, ordering his family guards to capture Song Mo. Instead, Song Mo ended up slaughtering every single guard in the residence. "...Tell me, mother, how can I possibly associate with someone like that?"

Tian Shi nearly fainted upon hearing this.

She clutched her son's hand tightly, her knuckles turning white, and asked Wei Tingzhen hoarsely, "Is this true?"

Wei Tingzhen lowered her eyelids and gave a faint "Mm" in response.

"Your brother did the right thing," Tian Shi said, looking at her son with relief in her eyes. "Though our family has declined, we can't compromise our conscience for the sake of a good position. What difference would that make from the sycophants around the Emperor or the idle hangers-on in noble households? We mustn't abandon our principles for power! Besides, associating with someone like Song Mo might bring temporary benefits, but in the long run, the harm outweighs the good—have you ever seen a ruthless person come to a good end? If Song Mo falls from grace, wouldn't your brother be implicated as well?" She added, "As for your brother's position, there's still a year left before the mourning period ends. We'll think of something slowly. Isn't his brother-in-law still here to help?""Yes!" Wei Tingyu, having received his mother's praise, couldn't help but feel a bit proud. He lifted his chin and said, "Our family may not be the best, but we're certainly better than many. There's no need to demean ourselves just to secure a good position!"

"Good. Good, good!" Tian Shi smiled at her son, while Wei Tingzhen was left speechless.

Good people get good rewards, and bad people get executed—that's just something sung in operas, isn't it?

She and Zong Yao had been treading carefully all these years. Zong Yao had finally been named the heir, and if he were to ask favors for Wei Tingyu, it would be problematic. For one, Zong Yao had spent most of his time in the Duke's residence and rarely socialized, so he wasn’t familiar with the influential nobles who held real power. Moreover, since Wei Tingyu had inherited the title of Marquis of Jining, he was still a marquis after all. Zong Yao simply didn’t have the ability to secure a position befitting his brother’s status. Secondly, Zong Yao’s appointment as heir had already displeased their mother-in-law, and even their father-in-law had made many concessions. If their mother-in-law found out Zong Yao was intervening for her younger brother, she would surely accuse him of favoring his wife’s family. If she made a scene, even their father-in-law wouldn’t be able to speak up for them.

Song Mo was different.

With his reputation, even their father-in-law would speak of him with solemn respect.

If Song Mo were willing to help, those officials wouldn’t dare to brush him off, even if only out of fear for his ruthless reputation.

As Wei Tingzhen was pondering this, she heard her brother discussing with their mother: "Song Mo also gave me a horse. I plan to return it to him tomorrow and tell him our family can’t afford to keep it..."

"That’s the right thing to do," Tian Shi quickly agreed. "We should also send some gifts as thanks for his previous kindness..."

Wei Tingzhen was at a loss for words.

"Mother!" she exclaimed in frustration. "The Crimson Jade from the Song household is one of the Capital’s most renowned steeds. Countless people have offered hefty sums to buy it, but the Song family refused. Yet they gave it to my brother. If you just return it like this, wouldn’t it be a public slap in Song Mo’s face? You’ve said yourself how ruthless he is—what if he takes offense and comes after my brother? How could we possibly avoid that?" She then scolded Wei Tingyu, "Stop acting like a child, will you? Don’t take everything at face value! Right now, Song Mo is going through a difficult time. If you kick him while he’s down, what do you think he’ll feel?"

Wei Tingyu scratched his head and said to his mother, "That’s true... distancing ourselves from Song Mo now would be rather inappropriate..."

Wei Tingzhen sighed in relief.

Her brother might lack cunning, but he was sincere and had a strong sense of righteousness.

"Why don’t you send someone to deliver a note to Song Mo, saying you’ve been tied up with urgent matters these past couple of days and will meet him in a few days?" Wei Tingzhen suggested. "You can gradually reduce contact with him later—there’s no rush."

Wei Tingyu nodded repeatedly and followed his sister’s instructions, sending a note to Song Mo.

Wei Tingzhen seized the moment to remind him, "Be careful with your words—don’t be too blunt. Just get through this situation first. If Song Mo seeks you out later, handle it as it comes. If he doesn’t, then don’t reach out to him either."

Ultimately, she still hoped Wei Tingyu could maintain some connection with Song Mo.

But Wei Tingyu didn’t overthink it and simply agreed.Upon receiving Wei Tingyu's invitation, Song Mo sneered and said to Wuyi, who had brought the message, "Then let's meet at Cuizhen Pavilion in a couple of days!"

Cuizhen Pavilion, located outside Chaoyang Gate, was the most famous vegetarian restaurant in the Capital.

Wuyi went to inform the Wei Family's page.

On the appointed day, Wei Tingyu arrived at Cuizhen Pavilion wearing a dark green silk robe.

Song Mo arrived a quarter of an hour later.

Dressed in a striking blue fine cloth robe, his jade-like complexion was exceptionally handsome. He walked in leisurely, his star-bright eyes calm yet icy, as deep and still as a frozen pond, instantly sending a chill down Wei Tingyu's spine and making his smile stiffen.

"Young Lord!" Wei Tingyu involuntarily stood up and bowed respectfully to Song Mo.

Song Mo sat expressionlessly in the host's seat, nodded slightly at Wei Tingyu, and said indifferently, "Sit!" immediately taking control of the situation.

Wei Tingyu couldn't help but appear somewhat nervous.

Song Mo wasted no time on pleasantries. He got straight to the point: "First, you said you couldn't meet me due to mourning, presumably thinking I wasn't worth associating with. Then you sent a page with an invitation. What changed your mind?"

His tone was calm, his expression indifferent, yet there was an undercurrent of mockery that made one feel ashamed.

Wei Tingyu lowered his head and muttered, "You've killed too many... it's not good... I came to advise you..."

Song Mo was taken aback.

He had thought Wei Tingyu was avoiding him out of fear of trouble, never imagining it was because Wei Tingyu questioned his character!

Seeing Song Mo remain silent and recalling how Song Mo had always been kind to him—sometimes even humoring him—Wei Tingyu momentarily forgot Wei Tingzhen's warnings. He looked directly at Song Mo and said, "Look at the uproar you've caused. People tremble at the mention of you, and some are so terrified they vow never to associate with you again. We all live in the Capital. What's the point of being alone, without relatives or friends?"

Though this man lacked brains, he wasn't devoid of kindness.

If Dou Zhao married him, she might not gain status through her husband, but at least she wouldn't be mistreated.

Song Mo couldn't help but smile slightly, like melting ice revealing the verdant beauty of layered mountains.

Wei Tingyu was momentarily stunned.

Song Mo then said, "You're right. I should indeed think carefully about this." He picked up the teapot and poured Wei Tingyu a cup. "Actually, I wanted to ask if you'd be interested in something—you know Gu Yu, right? The Emperor recently ordered the dredging of the Grand Canal. Gu Yu has taken on the sections of Jining, Xuzhou, Pizhou, and Huaiyin. Would you like to invest?"

Wei Tingyu was shocked.

For such a project, securing even one section required extraordinary connections. Yet Gu Yu had taken four!

"This... how much silver would that require?" Cold sweat broke out on his back. "I probably don't have enough... not even for a small share... and Gu Yu doesn't lack silver... I'm still in mourning..."

Wei Tingyu was deeply conflicted, seeing this as an opportunity but fearing he lacked the means to participate."Who would personally go to supervise a construction site!" Song Mo couldn't help but laugh. "Just say whether you want to participate or not. If you do, send a capable steward. As for the silver, the Ministry of Revenue will allocate part of it, and corvée labor will cover another portion—it won't cost much!"

Wei Tingyu immediately grew excited. "Then count me in!"

Song Mo smiled faintly.

The waiters began serving the dishes.

But Wei Tingyu couldn't sit still. "I need to discuss this with my sister first. I might even have to borrow some silver from my brother-in-law for working capital..."

Song Mo paused with his chopsticks in hand. "Keep quiet about it for now—it's still too early to say..." Then he changed tack, "Though it wouldn't hurt for you to discuss it with your sister first." Privately, he thought that since he was already doing Wei Tingyu a favor, he might as well go all the way and let that Madam of the Jingguo Duke's household get involved too. Given Wei Tingzhen's character, she would surely monopolize the opportunity while keeping Wei Tingyu in check, preventing him from blabbing everywhere.

He understood the situation clearly and had his own calculations, but for some reason, the thought that Wei Tingyu had to consult Wei Tingzhen about everything left him feeling inexplicably irritated.