Chapter 54: Summer Night (Bonus Chapter for 360 Pink Votes)
Yang Yucheng respectfully said, "Miss Fu, please give your instructions!"
"Isn't Young Master Yang renting a courtyard at the Rising Joy Inn?" Fu Tingyun smiled at Yang Yucheng. "I suggest you, along with your brothers Sanfu and Shizhu, move there to stay."
"What?" Yang Yucheng looked at Fu Tingyun in surprise.
Fu Tingyun nodded and asked him, "Why do you think Mo Yi would put Ninth Master in danger?"
Yang Yucheng frowned slightly. "Naturally, it's because Ninth Master saw something he shouldn’t have and refused to pledge allegiance to that Sixteenth Master."
"If Ninth Master were to join Sixteenth Master, wouldn’t the danger be averted?" Fu Tingyun smiled.
Yang Yucheng remained silent, his frown deepening, clearly unconvinced by her words.
"Earlier, I heard from A Sen that you were originally planning to go to Jiangnan. Though I don’t know why, I assume it has always been Ninth Master’s wish. Whether it’s pledging allegiance to Sixteenth Master or going to Jiangnan, you’ve all assumed Ninth Master would choose Jiangnan without hesitation. That’s why you see this as a deadlock between Ninth Master and Sixteenth Master." Fu Tingyun spoke earnestly. "That’s why I’m asking you to move to the Rising Joy Inn—to stay with Ninth Master and let him know you’re willing to stand by him through life and death." She sighed. "Ninth Master is a man of deep loyalty. He might disregard his own life, but he would never abandon his brothers. This is the only way—only then might he reconsider." Then she smiled. "I imagine if you’re unafraid of death, you wouldn’t fear facing Mo Yi and the others alongside Ninth Master, would you?"
"I understand what you mean, Miss Fu," Yang Yucheng said. "Moving to the inn had crossed my mind." He hesitated. "But what if Ninth Master... Wouldn’t that leave no chance for escape at all?" His expression was torn between hope and fear.
This was what they called "love blinds reason."
They were so accustomed to obeying Zhao Ling’s every word that even when he resisted slightly, Yang Yucheng—despite knowing another possibility—couldn’t make up his mind.
"Do you really think hiding in the shadows will guarantee Ninth Master’s escape? I doubt it!" Fu Tingyun said. "Rather than that, why not move directly to the Rising Joy Inn and persuade Ninth Master to change his mind? If he refuses, then take Sixteenth Master’s name card and submit it on his behalf to Wu Xin, the secretary of the Shaanxi Regional Military Commission." Her tone was resolute. "Whether it’s moving him with brotherly loyalty or forcing him to join Sixteenth Master, you must make him reconsider. It’s better than helping him escape in secret, only for him to face Marquis Yingchuan’s relentless pursuit and false accusations later. Besides, given your involvement in salt smuggling, they wouldn’t even need to fabricate charges!"
"This..." Yang Yucheng broke out in a cold sweat.
He had probably never considered forcing Zhao Ling to change his mind before.
Fu Tingyun continued, "As the ancients said, 'To blindly obey and lead one’s kin into injustice is unfilial.' If this applies even to parents, how much more so to Ninth Master?"
Yang Yucheng looked embarrassed.
"You’re afraid of Ninth Master’s reproach, aren’t you?" Fu Tingyun sighed softly. "If he blames anyone, just say it was my idea." She lowered her gaze. "Let him resent me instead."Yang Yucheng gazed at Fu Tingyun's pale and helpless face, visibly moved.
He took a deep breath. "Alright!" he declared resolutely. "Then we'll move to Rising Joy Inn."
Fu Tingyun lifted her head, a bitter smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
※※※※※
The crescent moon hung like a bow in the bluish-gray sky, dotted with a few distant stars.
Zhao Ling opened his eyes, his gaze sharp and gleaming in the darkness, like a poised leopard watching the shadowy figure tiptoeing around his room, rifling through his belongings.
"What are you looking for?" he suddenly spoke, his voice steady and composed, echoing in the deathly silent chamber.
The figure froze like a silhouette.
The room abruptly brightened.
The octagonal oil lamp on the round table in the center of the room flared to life, illuminating a delicate and refined face.
A Sen's face flushed crimson. "I, I... Miss Fu... no, Brother Yucheng... sent me..." he stammered incoherently.
Yang Yucheng had been staying there for three days. With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching and no progress made, Fu Tingyun had no choice but to send A Sen. "The Mid-Autumn Festival is a time for family reunions. They might strike before then so they can enjoy the holiday in peace. We must get that invitation before then." Yet ever since Fu Tingyun left, Zhao Ling had been bedridden, leaving Yang Yucheng no opportunity. Remembering A Sen—small in stature, always by Zhao Ling's side, and familiar with his belongings—Yang Yucheng slipped a sedative into Zhao Ling's medicine and sent A Sen under cover of night to search for the invitation.
Zhao Ling retrieved something from beside his pillow and showed it to A Sen. "Is this what you're looking for?"
Under the dim lamplight, the gilded red invitation shimmered brilliantly.
"I, I..." A Sen stuttered, dropping to his knees before Zhao Ling. "Ninth Master..." Tears streamed down his face as he bowed his head in shame, unable to meet Zhao Ling's eyes.
"Go and fetch Yucheng," Zhao Ling ordered A Sen.
"Yes!" A Sen, wilted like frostbitten eggplant, shuffled out with his head down.
Zhao Ling exhaled deeply, staring at the ceiling beam as if recalling something amusing, and silently chuckled.
Footsteps hesitated outside the door.
Zhao Ling wiped the smile from his face. "Come in," he said, his tone calm and indifferent, yet it sent chills down Yang Yucheng's spine.
"Yes!" Yang Yucheng crept in timidly.
Zhao Ling sat up against the headboard.
The gilded red invitation lay carelessly discarded by the bed, but Yang Yucheng dared not even glance at it.
"Older now, wiser too—and even more full of ideas," Zhao Ling remarked coolly, eyeing him. "Stealing right from under my nose."
Yang Yucheng's legs trembled like a sieve as he forced a smile uglier than tears. "I did it for you, Ninth Master! I couldn’t let you fall into disgrace like those foolish ministers who remonstrate to their deaths!"
What nonsense.
Zhao Ling inwardly scoffed, though his expression remained impassive. "At first light tomorrow, pack your things and leave for Willow Lane with Sanfu and Shizhu."
"Ninth Master!" Yang Yucheng's face turned ashen.
Going back like this would mean their trip had been for nothing."This is Xi'an Prefecture, the seat of the Shaanxi Provincial Administration Commission, Judicial Commission, and the Regional Military Command," Zhao Ling's tone carried a hint of casual indifference. "Even if Mo Yi and his men want to act, they'd have to consider not just the three government offices but also the Censorate. It's not that easy. At the very least, I can certainly guard this house." He added, "Even shopping requires comparing goods. Without comparison, how would they know our true worth?"
"Ninth Master!" Yang Yucheng stared at Zhao Ling in shock.
"Alright, go get some sleep!" Zhao Ling said. "It's the middle of the night, and all this noise is disturbing the peace." With that, he lay down. "Oh, and get me a Longquan sword." Then he muttered, "I've only recovered half my strength—better not exert myself too much."
Only then did Yang Yucheng snap out of his daze.
"Ninth Master, are you serious?" His face lit up with joy. "I—I didn't mishear, did I?"
Zhao Ling closed his eyes.
Yang Yucheng grinned foolishly and jumped up. "I—I'll go get Ninth Master a Longquan sword right away!" Then he dashed out in a flash.
A Sen peeked in through the doorway.
Zhao Ling beckoned him over. "Go back and tell Miss Fu to enjoy the Mid-Autumn Festival peacefully where she is and stop overthinking things all day!"
A Sen had been eavesdropping outside, and Zhao Ling hadn't bothered to hide anything from him. He already knew what had happened inside, his face flushed and eyes sparkling with excitement. "Yes!" he replied loudly, overflowing with joy. "I'll go tell Miss Fu right away!" He turned to leave.
"Come back!" Zhao Ling's voice was sharp. "What time do you think it is? Running around like this—"
The city was under curfew at this hour.
A Sen returned, grinning foolishly at Zhao Ling, his expression brimming with happiness that even Zhao Ling couldn't help but smile at. Emboldened, A Sen leaned on Zhao Ling's bedside and said, "Miss Fu has been so worried these days. Even though she chats and laughs with Madam Lu, the moment she turns away, her brows furrow. She's been eating very little and has lost weight. Once, I even saw her crying secretly on her bed. If I go back and tell her, she'll be overjoyed!"
"Enough with the 'overjoyed to death' talk!" Zhao Ling lightly scolded, his eyes gleaming like stars under the lamplight. "Who taught you to talk like that? Miss Fu?"
"No, no!" A Sen waved his hands frantically. Miss Fu had been instrumental in Ninth Master's affairs this time, and Ninth Master was surely displeased. He couldn't risk angering him further. "I misspoke!"
Zhao Ling looked at him, his tone neither warm nor cold. "Seems like not only does Yucheng obey her every word, but you're also quite protective of her." His dark eyes held an inexplicable glint.
A Sen froze.
Zhao Ling closed his eyes again.
A Sen didn't dare move. Only after hearing Zhao Ling's breathing grow slow and even did he tiptoe out, carefully closing the door behind him.
In the courtyard, footsteps—light to others but thunderous to Zhao Ling's ears—raced away.
He smiled faintly.
The little rascal couldn't resist running off to deliver the news to Miss Fu of the Fu family.
He wondered what expression she'd wear when she heard he'd changed his mind.
Zhao Ling suddenly wanted very much to see it.
※※※※※"Really, really, truly?" Fu Tingyun paced excitedly around the room, "Ninth Master actually said that?" Though her face was beaming with joy, tears kept streaming uncontrollably down her cheeks.
"Mhm!" A Sen was equally overjoyed, nodding emphatically. "Brother Yucheng has already gone to help Ninth Master acquire the Dragon Spring Sword!"
"We must get it, we absolutely must!" Fu Tingyun exclaimed. "But is the Dragon Spring Sword really suitable? Are there no better swords available? A craftsman must sharpen his tools to do his work well. We can't be careless about this. Perhaps we should have Zheng San accompany Young Master Yang—Zheng San knows Xi'an Prefecture well." As the words left her mouth, she suddenly stopped in her tracks, a puzzled expression crossing her face. "Wait, why would Ninth Master change his mind so quickly? Is he telling the truth or not? Could he be tricking us?"
"N-no, surely not!" A Sen gaped at Fu Tingyun in shock. "Why would Ninth Master trick us?"
Fu Tingyun pulled A Sen down to sit beside her. "Then tell me, why does Ninth Master want to go to Jiangnan?"
She smiled at A Sen, a glimmer of mischief flashing in her eyes.
※
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Due to work commitments, my online schedule is quite irregular. Sometimes while in the middle of featuring posts, work or household matters come up, forcing me to pause. If this has caused any misunderstandings, I sincerely apologize here. To all the sisters who've left comments, I'll do my best to feature them all.
O(∩_∩)O~
(End of Chapter)
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