Yuwen Tong had re-assumed command of the other half of the armies. In the meantime officials of the capital city were doing everything they could to prepare provisions for troops stationed in the north-west.
“When do you plan to set off?” Ling Zhang asked him.
Yuwen Tong replied, “I’ll wait until Mr. Ji and Uncle Ling arrive to set out for the north-west. I don’t like the idea of you staying here alone.”
“I told you I’m going with you!” remonstrated Ling Zhang.
“No, you’re not. It’s too dangerous.” Yuwen Tong disagreed.
Ling Zhang glared at him. “I can protect myself, and I’ll take Wang Dashan and the others with me, who are now more than powerful enough to keep me safe.”
“Still, the answer is no. The reason why the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom are joining forces this time is because they know the civil strife of the Great Yue is a great opportunity for them, and there’s no doubt they’ll stop at nothing to annex this country. Even I cannot predict what kind of dangers might be involved in this situation. You’ll be put in their crosshairs the moment you show your face. There will be countless attacks aimed at you, covert ones and overt ones. What am I supposed to do if by any chance you got hurt? With you at the front, I might not be able to stay focused on directing military operations. It’s too dangerous,” observed Yuwen Tong.
Ling Zhang’s lips clamped together. He knew that Yuwen Tong had got a point, but how could he not be worried in these circumstances? Yuwen Tong hadn’t gone to the north-west yet, but he was already having trouble sleeping at night owing to his deep concern. If Yuwen Tong went to the battleground, how was he supposed to survive the worry?
“Be a peach and stay here. Think about it this way –I need you to keep watch on the situation in the capital city for me. Things here must not get out of control until I return. I’ll handle the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom as soon as possible. If the capital city is thrown into chaos, our arrangements will be upset. In that case, we’ll really be in danger,” added Yuwen Tong.
Ling Zhang kept silent for a long time. “Promise me you’ll come back to me in one piece.”
Yuwen Tong swept him into his embrace. “I promise. Under no circumstances will I let anything happen to me knowing you’re waiting for me. We have a wedding to hold.”
Ling Zhang gripped the back of his robe, cuddling him close.
…
The capital city was heavily fortified, and everybody going in or out of the city had to undergo strict security check. Ling Zhaowu and the other four entered the city without alarming anybody or attracting anybody’s attention.
Yuwen Tong had been informed the moment the five of them had approached the capital city, but in order not to rouse anybody’s suspicions, he and Ling Zhang both stayed in the Ling Mansion waiting instead of exiting the city to welcome them.
All the five of them –Ji Yin, Ling Zhaowu, Mr. Mu, Ji Donglin and Ji Chaofang rode into the city. Ji Yin, who was in front, led them to the front gates of the Ling Mansion.
Ling Zhaowu involuntarily tightened his grip on the reins when the plaque of the Ling Mansion came into sight in the distance. The deep apprehension he’d been in throughout the journey ebbed considerably as he saw that the Ling Mansion seemed to be very quiet, though the security was quite tight. At the thought that he would soon meet his son, however, he felt somewhat scared. Although he had recalled Ling Zhang keeping him company in the Millennium Pavilion and bringing him home, this would be the first time the two of them met each other since his retrieval of memory.
“Mr. Ji.” The guards on duty at the front gates were all familiar faces and they recognized Ji Yin. In the knowledge that they were Ling Zhang’s father and grandfather, the guards hastened over to take care of their horses, making it easier for them to dismount. “Childe Ling and the Marshal will be here soon.”
As if on cue, Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong walked out at this moment. The former saw Ling Zhaowu at a glance. Ling Zhaowu, who had been looking forward to meeting him, naturally saw him immediately as well. Eyes instantly brightening, he called in a voice tinged with caution, “Zhang’er!”
Ling Zhang briefly paused and then walked up to him. Although he had prepared himself for this, he still had slightly mixed feelings at the sight of Ling Zhaowu who had recovered his memory and whose bearing was different from how it’d been when he was suffering from amnesia, and the look in whose eyes was different as well, but Ling Zhang hardly showed any signs of it, calmly walked to the front of Ling Zhaowu and greeted Ji Yin first. “Grandfather.”
Then he shifted his gaze to Ling Zhaowu and called, “Father.”
Although Ling Zhaowu was now different from the man he’d been when he had no memories of the past, the gleam in his eyes and his demeanor vaguely struck Ling Zhang as familiar, who faintly felt as if he were seeing the father existing in his childhood memories.
On hearing Ling Zhang call him father, Ling Zhaowu felt a minor sting in his nose. Standing in front of him was his son who was now as tall as him, poised and grown-up. Meeting his son face to face after regaining his memory was a different experience compared with being with him when he’d been amnesiac. Ling Zhaowu was proud and sad and also had a guilty conscience, transports of emotions flooding over him.
He moved two steps closer and considered Ling Zhang. After a few moments, he said concernedly, “Are you okay? I heard about the turbulence in this city on my way here.”
Eyes on him, Ling Zhang answered, “I’m fine. This compound is very safe. The unrest in this city mostly has been contained, and the situation is fairly stable now. You recovered only a couple of weeks ago, but you took such a long journey to come here. Are you feeling all right?”
At first Ling Zhaowu was relieved, and then, as he sensed his son’s concern for him, his fear that his son might feel distant was alleviated significantly. “I’m okay. Thanks to Mr. Mu, I’m almost as good as new.”
While the two of them were having a father-son talk, Yuwen Tong greeted Ji Yin and the others and then stood on the side to give them some privacy. He noticed Ling Zhaowu’s discreet expression and Ling Zhang’s reservedness hidden beneath an affected calmness, and was aware of why they were acting like this. No matter what had happened in the past, the estrangement between the two of them would gradually be dissolved by time. As long as Ling Zhaowu stayed safe and healthy, everything would get better.
“Father, this is Yuwen Tong. Do you remember him?” Ling Zhang drew Yuwen Tong over and introduced him to Ling Zhaowu.
“It gladdens my heart to see you, Uncle Ling. What with an emergency in the capital city, I was unable to accompany you back to Tanyang previously. It is a great relief to see that your memories have been restored,” said Yuwen Tong.
Ling Zhaowu looked appraisingly at Yuwen Tong who was tall, straight, imposing and had a real physical presence. Yuwen Tong appeared confident, unhurried, poised and restrained, bearing little resemblance to the man Ling Zhaowu remembered…
A different expression appeared in Ling Zhaowu’s eyes. It was not a strange one but a familiar one. However, there seemed to be something else buried in it.
The others, though somewhat surprised at first, soon recalled that previously Yuwen Tong and Ling Zhang had stayed with Ling Zhaowu in the Millennium Pavilion for over half a month, so they found it totally understandable that Ling Zhaowu was looking at Yuwen Tong like an acquaintance.
“I remember you. Thank you for accompanying Zhang’er on his journey to see me, and for looking after me,” said Ling Zhaowu, concealing some emotions unknown to the others.
He knew that he was supposed to put on a severe-father act and give this brat who dared to marry his son a word of warning, having him know that he should be good to his son, that the Ling family was powerful enough to protect Ling Zhang, but Ling Zhaowu was fully aware that he was in no position to do that, for Yuwen Tong had given his son a lot, helped the Ling family a lot and been taking good care of his son for a very long time –far longer than he, Ling Zhang’s father, had. Yuwen Tong had already been doing a very good job caring for his Zhang’er and didn’t need any aggressive words of warning from him.
“I’m far from deserving of such thanks, Uncle Ling. You’re my elder, and to some extent, I look up to you as a father, so I just did what I should do,” said Yuwen Tong.
The look in Ling Zhaowu’s eyes fleetingly flickered and with that he gazed earnestly at Yuwen Tong, his face creasing into a smile. “That’s very nice of you.”
“Father, Grandfather, Mr. Mu, Brother Donglin, Brother Chaofang, let’s go inside and talk later,” suggested Ling Zhang opportunely.
Ji Yin inclined his head. “Zhang’er is right. We should all get inside. Given the current situation in this city, there are probably spies everywhere.”
Yuwen Tong was accompanying Ji Yin, so Ling Zhang walked side by side with Ling Zhaowu. The group of them entered the residential compound.
Yao Yi and the other bodyguards, along with Wang Dashan and his men, were all waiting on the drill ground. On seeing them come, they all bowed with their hands folded in front. “It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Ji, Master Ling.”
Ling Zhaowu looked from Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong to Ji Yin. After Ji Yin gave a nod at him, Ling Zhaowu began, “You may rise, gentlemen. Thank you all for taking care of Zhang’er all this time.”
“We only did what we should do,” they chorused.
After paying their respects, the guards were all very happy –they were happy for Ling Zhang.
Ling Zhaowu was somewhat moved as he saw the manifest, heartfelt delight on these people’s faces. His Zhang’er had really grown up during the years of his absence and had got such a group of loyal subordinates by his side.
After greeting the group of visitors, the guards soon took their leave in order not to cause any disturbance to them, for they knew that this was their young master’s first time meeting his father since his retrieval of memory, that the two of them could use some privacy.
When the guards had left, Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong led Ji Yin, Ling Zhaowu and the other three into a hall in the compound.
They first talked about the situation in Tanyang. After being informed that everything was fine in Tanyang, Ling Zhang felt a great sense of relief.
“How are things going in the capital city?” asked Ji Yin.
They had mainly come to this city to help. Although Ling Zhang and Ling Zhaowu, who had just been reunited, wanted very much to find somewhere to talk privately, briefing the others about the situation in the capital city was a matter of greater urgency.
Yuwen Tong filled them in on the whole circumstances in the capital city. Faces of Ji Yin, Ling Zhaowu and the other three all turned grave at the news.
“So you’ll soon be heading for the north-west?”
“Yes. I’ll have to be away for some time, and the idea of Brother Zhang being in this city alone concerns me. Fortunately you and Uncle Ling have come here. I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you and Uncle Ling to stay here for a few days.”
“Helping you was the very reason why we came here. Since you’re in a hurry to pay a visit to the north-west, naturally I’ll take care of Zhang’er, but it’ll be rather pointless if we just stay in this residence doing nothing in particular. If there’s anything else you need us to do, feel free to tell us. We’d be glad to be of service.”
Yuwen Tong smiled, “Thank you, Mr. Ji. It’s a great relief to hear these words of yours.”
However, there were many matters that couldn’t be made clear in a short time. “There are indeed some issues I could use your help with, Mr. Ji. We may go to the study to talk about the details after the welcome reception.”
Both Ji Yin and Ling Zhaowu bobbed their heads.
The five of them had just finished a long and weary journey and needed to have some rest, so after they got a general idea of what was going on in the capital city, Ling Zhang rose to his feet and said, “Grandfather, Father, Mr. Mu, Brother Donglin, Brother Chaofang, let me show you to your rooms so you could get some rest.”
Ji Yin replied, “You may take your father to his room first. The rest of us would like to do some chatting with Yuwen boy.”
Ling Zhang looked at Ling Zhaowu, who naturally couldn’t wait to be alone with his son, immediately stood up and caught up with Ling Zhang.
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