Blossom

Hua Tang was undoubtedly a formidable figure—otherwise, he wouldn’t have conceived the idea of having his son replace the commander of the Qiu Ling Guard. Yet, convincing him that a father could be powerless against his own son was still somewhat difficult.

After Wang Qinghuai left, Hua Tang pondered for a long while before heading to the residence of the Marquis of Luan.

The Marquis of Luan was staring at his chief steward in disbelief. "You’re saying the Duke of Dongping refuses to release him?" He pressed again, unwilling to accept it, "Even with my guarantee, he still won’t agree?"

Earlier that morning, his personal attendant had been arrested by the Shuntian Prefecture officials for alleged involvement in the arson case at the Duke of England's Mansion. Unfamiliar with Huang Qi, the marquis had written a letter and sent his chief steward to seek the Duke of Dongping’s intervention, hoping he could persuade Huang Qi to release the man.

The chief steward lowered his gaze and replied softly, "The Duke of Dongping said that the Emperor has set a strict deadline to apprehend the culprits, and both he and Lord Huang share the responsibility. He truly finds it difficult to bring this matter up with Lord Huang. He suggested… perhaps Your Lordship could try approaching the Young Lord of the Duke of England's Mansion—the Emperor has even bestowed upon him the sword once wielded by Emperor Taizong, entrusting him to oversee the Five Cities Garrison and Shuntian Prefecture in capturing the criminals. Moreover, as the victim, if he were to speak up, the Duke of Dongping and Lord Huang might be more accommodating..."

Before he could finish, the Marquis of Luan’s face darkened, and he slammed the teacup beside him onto the floor with a loud crash.

"They arrested my personal attendant without even investigating properly! Not only is he completely unrelated to the Duke of England's Mansion’s affairs, but even if he were involved, they shouldn’t have humiliated me like this! And now they expect me to plead with a junior? What are they implying? Do they think a tiger that doesn’t roar is a sick cat?" His voice turned icy as he ordered the chief steward, "Gather the household guards. We’re going to Shuntian Prefecture. I refuse to believe Huang Qi would dare stop me!"

The chief steward shuddered.

Forcibly retrieving someone from Shuntian Prefecture would escalate the situation beyond repair.

Panicked, he struggled to think of words to dissuade the marquis when he caught sight of a trusted page peeking nervously at the door. Seizing the opportunity like a lifeline, he decided to stall the marquis while secretly sending word to the Dowager. With her intervention, the marquis wouldn’t dare act recklessly. He immediately barked toward the page’s hiding spot, "Who’s spying out there?"

The page trembled as he rushed in. "My Lord, the Metropolitan Commander of Weizhou, Lord Hua, requests an audience!"

The Marquis of Luan frowned, about to refuse, but the chief steward interjected, "Isn’t the Hua family arranging a marriage alliance with the Song family? Perhaps Lord Hua brings good news?"

After a moment’s thought, the marquis gave a slight nod.

Relieved, the chief steward promptly ushered Hua Tang inside.

Once seated as guest and host, Hua Tang tactfully explained his purpose for the visit: "...I’m unfamiliar with the affairs of the Capital, and the claims made by the Young Lord of Yan’an Marquis are hard to verify. I’ve come to seek Your Lordship’s counsel."

The Marquis of Luan was hot-tempered and often indifferent to rumors, but upon hearing this, he froze—his mind flashing to the arrest of his loyal servant...

Could this be related to his role as a matchmaker for the Duke of England?

The thought flickered briefly before he dismissed it just as quickly.Even so, the heir of the Duke of Yingguo is just a youth who hasn’t yet reached the age of twenty. How could he possibly command the Duke of Dongping and Huang Qi to serve his purposes?

"Don’t listen to the nonsense of those youngsters," he said brashly. "A father can’t control his son? There’s no such thing in this world! Just rest assured. Once I return from Shuntian Prefecture, we’ll discuss this properly and decide who to approach."

Hua Tang felt somewhat relieved upon hearing this and repeatedly expressed his gratitude before taking his leave.

The Marquis of Anlu immediately led his guards to Shuntian Prefecture.

By the time the chief steward helped the Dowager Marchioness of Anlu hurry into the hall, the Marquis and his guards had long disappeared.

Huang Qi was the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, overseeing counties like Daxing and Wanping. Having just taken office, he hadn’t yet visited all the areas under his jurisdiction. It was impossible for him to sit idly in his office every day waiting for news about the fire at the Duke of England's Mansion.

When the Marquis of Anlu arrived at Shuntian Prefecture, Huang Qi happened to be away in Daxing and wasn’t in the office.

The Marquis of Anlu, now completely unrestrained, clashed with the Assistant Prefect of Shuntian and resorted to forcibly taking the prisoner.

The Assistant Prefect trembled with rage. Though he and the constables resisted for a while, they ultimately didn’t dare harm the Marquis. He ordered his men to quickly summon the Duke of Dongping.

Gu Yu, who had been drinking tea in a teahouse across from Shuntian Prefecture, was thoroughly amused. He laughed and said to his personal guard, "Tianci was absolutely right—the Marquis of Anlu would impulsively come to Shuntian Prefecture to snatch the prisoner." With a wave of his hand, he declared, "Come on, it’s our turn now!" His excitement was palpable.

The two guards exchanged uneasy glances but had no choice but to steel themselves and follow. From a distance, they heard Gu Yu shouting loudly, "Where’s that traitorous thief from the Marquis of Anlu’s household? Tianci told me to bring him to the Duke of England's Mansion for a thorough interrogation—to find out who’s behind this!"

Recognizing the newcomer, the Marquis of Anlu nearly choked on his fury and bellowed, "Gu Yu, what are you meddling in here? Watch out, or I’ll report you to the Marquis of Yunyang!"

"Ah!" Gu Yu widened his eyes in mock surprise. "So Uncle is here too! I’ve been helping out at the Duke of England's Mansion these days—my grandfather knows all about it. What brings you here, Uncle? Surely you’re not here to snatch a prisoner from Shuntian Prefecture? The Emperor would be furious if he found out! Instead of privately besieging Shuntian Prefecture, Uncle, why not file a complaint before the Emperor? At least you wouldn’t risk being impeached by the imperial censors for ‘defying the court’ or some such charge..."

The Marquis of Anlu was seething, but Gu Yu’s words struck a chord. Reluctantly, he had to admit Gu Yu made a valid point.

With a few cold snorts, he led his guards away from Shuntian Prefecture.

Gu Yu then stepped forward and patted the still-stunned Assistant Prefect on the shoulder. "I’ll be heading to the palace with the Marquis of Anlu to settle this before the Emperor. You’d better inform Lord Huang quickly. Even the Emperor can be swayed by first impressions." He added as a reminder, "If anyone tries to escape custody, you have every right to kill them on the spot!"

The Assistant Prefect shot Gu Yu a grateful look and instinctively clasped his hands in thanks.

But the moment the words left his mouth, he realized with a start that this entire mess had been stirred up by Gu Yu himself. If not for him, the Marquis of Anlu wouldn’t have thought of appealing to the Emperor—why on earth should he be thanking Gu Yu?

A surge of frustration welled up in his chest.

Gu Yu, meanwhile, swaggered off with his guards, leaving Shuntian Prefecture behind.

The Assistant Prefect had no choice but to dispatch a messenger posthaste to inform Huang Qi.Upon arriving at the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the Duke of Dongping, Huang Qi, and the Marquis of Anlu each presented their own arguments, each insisting they were in the right. Meanwhile, Gu Yu stood to the side, muttering under his breath, "Do the meritorious nobles think they can disregard court laws and do as they please? If so, wouldn’t the imperial princes be able to command the Six Ministries and Three Offices at will?"

The Emperor, who had been half-closing his eyes and paying little attention to the Duke of Dongping and the others, suddenly flashed a sharp glint in his eyes.

"Marquis of Anlu is fined one year’s salary," he said calmly, and the noise in the hall abruptly ceased, as if severed by a knife, falling into complete silence. "The Duke of Dongping and Huang Qi are fined one month’s salary." Then his gaze landed on Gu Yu. "You are hereby placed under house arrest for two months!"

"Ah?!" Gu Yu’s face fell, and he pouted, muttering, "What does this have to do with me?"

The Emperor gave him a stern look.

He immediately knelt and kowtowed.

Thus, the matter was settled!

The Duke of Dongping and the others hurriedly knelt as well, bowed respectfully, and filed out one by one.

The Marquis of Anlu shot Gu Yu a fierce glare before storming off in a huff.

Gu Yu couldn’t help but rub his nose and complain to the Duke of Dongping, "Tell me, who did I offend?"

Looking at his handsome face, the Duke of Dongping and Huang Qi couldn’t help but laugh.

When Gu Yu met Song Mo later, he boasted proudly, "Brother Tianci, how about that? What I said to the Emperor was spot on, wasn’t it? Now the Marquis of Anlu’s pride has truly hit rock bottom!"

Song Mo was speechless.

If not for your words, why would you have been placed under house arrest?!

He could only teach him slowly in the future.

He swallowed those words and said instead, "Two months from now will coincide with the New Year. Spend these days practicing your calligraphy. When the time comes, write a few ‘fortune’ characters for Her Majesty the Empress. If the Emperor sees your improvement, his anger will naturally fade."

Gu Yu nodded and smiled. "Brother Tianci, don’t worry about me. As long as you handle things well, my two months of confinement won’t be in vain."

Song Mo patted Gu Yu on the shoulder.

Meanwhile, the Marquis of Anlu was fuming at home.

When Hua Tang came to inquire about the news and learned of this, he fell silent for a long while. Upon returning, he wrote a letter and had it delivered to the Duke of England's Mansion.

Song Mo opened the letter—it was a rejection of marriage, citing incompatible birthdates.

He handed the letter to Yan Chaoqing.

Yan Chaoqing smiled. "We should help deliver this letter to His Grace the Duke."

"Let’s entrust this matter to Mr. Liao," Song Mo said with a smile. "You still have your hands full verifying the identities of those thieves."

Liao Bifeng gladly accepted the task. Within a few days, Hua Tang’s eldest son’s lawsuit was settled privately, but he also lost his position as the Qianhu of the Qiuling Guard.

Hua Tang hastily bid farewell to the Marquis of Anlu and slunk back to Weilan with his son in disgrace.

The Marquis of Anlu remained silent.

After a night of deep reflection, he went to the Duke of England's Mansion.

Song Mo received the Marquis of Anlu courteously, calling the whole affair a misunderstanding and promising to personally explain the situation to the Duke of Dongping, urging him not to worry.

The Marquis of Anlu left the mansion with a dark expression.

The next day, his personal attendant was released.

Within a few days, the news spread throughout the Capital’s families of high officials.

Some were shocked, some sighed, but most were relieved: "Thank goodness we didn’t provoke the Duke of England's heir."

Chen Jia, who had taken leave and hidden in the outskirts of the Capital for fear of Song Mo’s retaliation, could no longer sit still.

He sought out his sworn brother: "No matter what, you must find out where the Duke of England's heir is. I must see him!"Soon, he received news about Song Mo: "The Young Lord of the Duke of Yingguo hasn't left the house these past two days. According to the people at The Duke of England's Mansion, the Young Lord has been helping Madam turn the soil, preparing to plant autumn flowers in the small garden."

Chen Jia was stunned.

Song Mo, with his ruthless methods, would help a woman plant flowers?

He couldn't help but recall the rumors about Song Mo in the Capital and his own first impression of the man, which had been nothing short of awe-inspiring.

Song Mo, Song Yantang—just what kind of person was he?

Chen Jia gazed at the overcast noon sky, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Dou Zhao was distressed to see Song Mo covered in dirt and personally fetched water to help him wash his hands: "If you have matters to attend to, go ahead. I can manage here with the maids and old women."

Song Mo had been very busy these past few days, often not returning to their room until late at night.