In the residence of Ling family, Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong had just returned when Yao Yi came.
“Marshal, Childe Ling, Zhao Fugui hasn’t been offered any food for two days. We’ve already got all the information we can get from him. What should we do with him next?”
Had Yao Yi not mentioned him, Ling Zhang would probably forget this man named Zhao Fugui.
The thought of Zhao Fugui inevitably brought Yuwen family in the capital city to his mind. As a result, the expression in his eyes was less mild when he looked at Yuwen Tong.
Yuwen Tong fell speechless.
‘He’s been mild to me for less than a day!’ Yuwen Tong thought. That version of Ling Zhang, whose gaze was as tender as water even when he was giving him a dirty look, disappeared just like this…
‘Zhao Fugui? That damn Zhao Fugui!’
Filled with annoyance, a cold look on his face, Yuwen Tong went to the place where Zhao Fugui and the other two men had been in custody,
Yao Yi, who had been following in the wake of Yuwen Tong, was aware that it had been reckless of him to bring up this matter in the presence of Ling Zhang a while ago. As a result, he was trying his best to keep a low profile for fear that Yuwen Tong might vent his anger on him.
Zhao Fugui had almost lost all mobility due to hunger. Though a servant, he had always been provided with high-quality food and clothing, living a life more decent than those of most rich squires when he had been in Yuwen family. Never once had he ever been treated this way, and neither had it ever come to his knowledge that hunger could be such a cruel penalty. On seeing Yuwen Tong coming, he instantly slumped to his knees in front of Yuwen Tong, panic and fear glinting in his eyes, and implored in a tearful voice while repeatedly kowtowing, “Please have mercy on me, Marshal. I will never do any stupid things ever again. Please give me some food, Marshal. Please…”
“You want food?” Yuwen Tong looked at him expressionlessly.
Zhao Fugui immediately swallowed hard and answered, “Yes!”
“Then tell me all that you know. Otherwise, it’ll not be food but your death that you’ll be given.”
After being starving for two full days, Zhao Fugui, who had already begun to have dizzy spells due to hunger, didn’t dare to play any tricks and sprang to full confession. “It was under the order of Second Master that I came to Tanyang. Originally, Second Master only sent me here to threaten people of Ling family, Ling Xingzhong being the first choice. He wanted me to scare Ling Xingzhong into calling off the engagement on his own account, said that Ling Xingzhong was the old patriarch of Ling family, that if he decided to annul the engagement, even you would have no choice but to accept it. I followed the order and came here. What was beyond my expectation was that Second Young Master wanted to come as well. The moment we arrived here, Second Young Master said that he would be in charge of this matter, that we were to do everything he told us to. I didn’t dare to disobey him, so I followed Second Young Master’s order and stayed in a small town not far away from Tanyang City. Second Young Master entered Tanyang alone and I thought that he would seek an audience with Ling Xingzhong. It had never crossed my mind that he would go to talk with Childe Ling. And then you found out about his course of action…
Second Young Master sent us a message instructing us to come and rescue him from Ling family. We were just about to enter Tanyang City when Second Young Master exited and said that you evicted him. We returned to the town in Yan Zhou and Second Young Master, who was unreconciled to leave empty-handed, sent me back to Tanyang. According to the plan, I tried to reach Ling Xingzhong but Ling Xingzhong happened to have left Tanyang, which was why I…I went to Ling Zhaowen.”
“Anything else? Did my uncle send you to Tanyang before?” asked Yuwen Tong.
Zhao Fugui hurriedly shook his head in fright. “No, absolutely not. Please believe me, Marshal.”
“No?” Yuwen Tong cocked a disbelieving eyebrow at him.
“He didn’t. Really. Second Master he–held Ling family in contempt. He said that people of Ling family were nothing but a bunch of insignificant country bumpkins. Added to this Childe Ling’s gender and he’d believed that Ling family would call off the engagement on their own account, so he had never sent anybody to Tanyang before.”
Recalling the results of Yue Qi’s investigation, Yuwen Tong temporarily believed him.
“All of you knew about this engagement? And you chose to keep it back from me?”
Cold sweat continuously flowing down his head, Zhao Fugui kowtowed and answered in a low, muffled voice with his forehead against the ground, “I stand guilty of this! Second Master and Second Mistress were the only ones aware of this matter. I know about it because my father once mentioned it. Even Second Young Master and others were unaware. So–So there are four people at the most in Yuwen family who know about this matter…”
Zhao Fugui’s father, Zhao Laifu, was a trusted subordinate of Yuwen Zhi.
Yuwen Tong asked, “Anything else?”
“No–Nothing else. This is all I know about this engagement.”
“Apart from this engagement,” said Yuwen Tong in a flinty tone of voice, “it is said that my uncle and aunt had been actively trying to pair me off with someone before I returned to the capital city. Why? They’d never been so keen on doing this before that.”
Zhao Fugui started trembling. “Be–Because…”
“Speak!”
“Because on the Spring Festival, when the sister of Second Mistress came to pay a New Year call, Second Mistress saw her daughter and felt that she could be a suitable match for you, so she wanted to marry her niece to you…”
Yuwen Tong’s brow corrugated in a frown, disgust gleaming in his eyes. “Keep talking!”
“Since her sister’s husband is not a dignitary, Second Mistress worried that it might not work, so she consulted with Second Master. Second Master figured out a way. He wants you to ma–marry…”
“Marry whom?!” Yao Yi aimed a kick at Zhao Fugui, which nearly killed him.
Zhao Fugui, who didn’t dare to be halting any longer, immediately responded, “Second Master wants you to marry the daughter of the Minister of Revenue.”
‘Daughter of Minister of Revenue? Why?’ Yuwen Tong, who had not been in the capital city most of the time and thus didn’t know any girls there, was thrown in utter perplexity.
But Yao Yi had heard some news on the grapevine during his stay in the capable city not long ago. In a muted voice, he informed Yuwen Tong, “Marshal, it is rumored that the daughter of the Minister of Revenue is sick, but what kind of disease she’s caught is unknown. It’s just that there have always been rumors saying that the lady is dying, but she never really died.”
Yuwen Tong’s eyes went cold. He immediately came to realize that Yuwen Zhi intended to have him marry a girl who didn’t have many days left, and after that girl died, Yuwen Zhi would have him make an official wife of Zhen shi’s niece. Maybe, in order to deter other competitors, Yuwen Zhi would even spread the rumor that Yuwen Tong had been predestined to bring bad luck to his wife. Even if that girl survived, there wouldn’t be much that she could do due to her serious illness, and eventually, Zhen shi’s niece would be the one who wielded de facto power in the family.
“Yao Yi, prepare a confession document and have him sign it,” said Yuwen Tong.
“Yes, Marshal!” replied Yao Yi, who then prepared a confession document and had Zhao Fugui make his cross on it. Though Zhao Fugui was unwilling to do this, he had no alternative.
From this moment on, Zhao Fugui would be under their control.
“Make arrangements for Zhao Fugui to return. Don’t let Yuwen Qi see through anything,” instructed Yuwen Tong. Then he said to Zhao Fugui, “Zhao Fugui, you know what I mean.”
“I–I do! From now on, I’ll serve Marshal with unquestioning obedience and unswerving allegiance!” Zhao Fugui hastily promised.
Yuwen Tong coldly gave a snort. He was totally uninterested in the loyalty of a man of this kind. Zhao Fugui was merely a pawn to him.
He turned around and left the detention room.
Yao Yi, who followed in his wake, asked, “Marshal, may I ask why Second Master tried so hard to have you marry the niece of Zhen shi?”
After a few moments’ silence, Yuwen Tong answered with a sulky look on his face, “The specific reason is unknown, but it has got to have something to do with the power I currently wield, and it depends on what it is that he is after.”
Yao Yi was thrown into puzzlement. ‘Second Master and the Marshal are kins! All they have belong to Yuwen family. What difference does it make whether it is the Marshal or Second Master wields the power?
But these years, Marshal and Second Master have indeed been drifting further and further apart. And Second Master has been getting increasingly inclined to go to extremes. Exactly what is he thinking?!’
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