Yuwen Tong made a bow to Ling Zhaowu with hands folded in front, and all the military officers behind him were watching this scene with glinting eyes. After lifting their eyebrows and winking at each other as signals for a few moments, they suddenly bowed in unison and chorused, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Master Ling.”
Ling Zhaowu and Ling Zhang were taken aback and hurriedly looked at them. “I’m not sure I deserve such a level of formality. Please rise, generals.”
“It’s what we should do. You’re the Marshal’s father-in-law, which means you’re an honored guest of the North-western Army.” Those officers straightened themselves, every one of them beaming, sneaking looks at Ling Zhang, ill-concealed curiosity gleaming in their searching eyes. “Marshal, I believe this is the part where you introduce this childe to us.”
Yuwen Tong tossed them a glance, but these men were not intimidated, still watching with smiling faces, they eyes roving on Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong.
Just now Ling Zhang had been startled by that sudden uniform act of theirs, but if truth be told, these people meant no harm and were all smiling. Though their expressions were curious and a trifle arch, they were all friendly and made him feel an upsurge of closeness to their owners.
“This is Ling Zhang, the one you guys have been looking forward to seeing. He’ll be as good as a second master of yours in the future. Now come here and pay your respects,” said Yuwen Tong.
Ling Zhang was embarrassed at these words, feeling that it was an exaggeration to say that he’d be a second master of them. He was not that thick-skinned. “What are you talking about? Please don’t listen to him, gener–”
“It’s an honor to meet you, Childe Ling!” chorused the group of officers, hands folded in front, bowing to him in unison, interrupting him.
Unable to finish his sentence, Ling Zhang hastened to make a bow in response and said, “It’s an honor to meet you, too, generals.”
Yuwen Tong reached out his hand and raised him. With his hand on the small of Ling Zhang’s back, Yuwen Tong had him stand bolt upright and then said to the others, “You may rise.”
The others straightened themselves, their faces creasing into beams again. They each made a self-introduction and then one of them said, “There’s no need for you to be so polite to us, Childe Ling. Our marshal has been a bachelor for over twenty years. You’re doing us a great favor by accepting him. If there’s anything you need our help with, all you have to do is ask.”
Yuwen Tong’s face fell. Ling Zhang, however, hurriedly replied, “You have a great sense of humor, general.”
These people were very straightforward. So Yuwen Tong, who had been single for many years, had actually been an embarrassment to the troops? Ling Zhang found this quite amusing.
“Father-in-law,” said Yuwen Tong, looking at Ling Zhaowu, “a welcome reception has been prepared in the city. Let’s go inside right away.”
Ling Zhaowu inclined his head, pretending not to have noticed Yuwen Tong’s hand which was still on the small of Ling Zhang’s back. “Okay.”
As the group of them rode through the city gates, soldiers on duty seriously stood on the roadside, following them with their eyes. Naturally, their eyes were mostly appraising Ling Zhang, excitement and curiosity bubbling beneath their pretence of being grave.
After going through the broad high city gates, Ling Zhang was greeted by the inside of the border city.
Ling Zhang had never been to the north before in this incarnation of his or the last one, and he certainty had no idea what a border city looked like. During his journey to this place, he had seen a lot of northern customs and practices all of which couldn’t be found in the south. Now, being in a border city, he was experiencing first-hand the roughness and vastness of it. After entering the city, he first came in sight of a broad thoroughfare and the buildings on the two sides of it which were of a different style from that of buildings in other cities. These buildings were all very rugged and substantial in style, and many of them were built of stone. Anybody could tell at a glance that they were very sturdy.
Apart from the eateries, taverns and stores on both sides of the thoroughfare, Ling Zhang also saw some residents of this city who, unlike southerners, were dressed less exquisitely, with very few ornaments, but who struck him as very natural, casual and pleasantly exotic. In addition, residents here laughed in a very hearty way, and when they were impassive, there was an air of ruggedness and determination about them. The war was ongoing right outside the city, but there was no fear or panic whatsoever on their faces. Though a lot of people’s expressions were tinged with apprehension, Ling Zhang could still tell that they were very strong-willed.
Pedestrians aside, teams of soldiers on patrol were the only people that could be seen. Soldiers here were different from those in the capital city as well, appearing apathetic and tenacious, all emanating a menacing air. They were sure-footed and their eyes were penetrating, which made it unmistakable that they were no milksop.
Distantly, Ling Zhang was hearing more sounds, including the sound of troops drilling in unison and the footsteps of large groups of people walking around. The activities sounded busy but not noisy, and they struck him as orderly.
“Guys, look at that young childe on a white horse. He entered the city side by side with the Marshal. Who is he?”
As soon as Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong went into the city, people inside, soldiers and residents alike, started casting them searching and appraising looks from all sides. They made way for him and Yuwen Tong on their own account to let them through, standing on the roadside, staring squarely at them in an open and forthright way without the slightest inclination to conceal their curiosity.
“He’s pretty good-looking. I think he’s from a rich family in a place like the capital city, given his delicate skin and the aristocratic air about him.”
“Is he a son of some dignitary in the capital city, by any chance? What business could he possibly have in a border city at this point in time?”
“Oh, can’t you see that the Marshal’s attitude towards him is different? Although the Marshal stays in the border city in Shengzhou most of the time and seldom comes here, nobody has ever dared to ride side by side with the Marshal in this city, but this childe is not only riding abreast of the Marshal, the Marshal seems to care about him very much. You see? The Marshal just twisted his head aside to look at the childe again.”
“Now that you mention it, I think you’ve got a point. Is this person friends with the Marshal?”
“That white horse he’s riding is a rare, precious breed. It matches the Marshal’s black horse pretty well.”
“We’re all looking at the person, why are you looking at his horse? Surely you don’t think that horse could tell you who that childe is or the relations between him and the Marshal?”
“I’m just saying. What’s wrong with that? This childe is by no means a common person. I mean, he’s riding shoulder to shoulder with the Marshal, and the Marshal is paying special attention to him, and his horse is a rare and precious breed. Moreover, he’s escorted by a group of bodyguards. You see that? Considering the look in those bodyguards’ eyes, they must have serious kung fu skills. Oh, look at those ten guys in different robes. Tsk, tsk. They’re noticeably more apathetic. They’re acting like we didn’t even exist.”
…
People on both sides of the road were discussing constantly what they were seeing. Their voices were not loud, but Ling Zhang, whose sense of hearing was far sharper than before, naturally heard them distinctly.
He looked at Yuwen Tong and asked curiously, “Is it true that nobody has ever walked side by side with you before?”
Yuwen Tong replied, “In this city, no. None of them dares to walk with me.”
Ling Zhang lifted his eyebrows. “Judging from the curiosity on their faces, they seem to be unaware that you’re getting married.”
Yuwen Tong said, “Not me getting married – we’re getting married.”
It’d been a while since the last time they’d seen each other, and at this moment Yuwen Tong was itching to take Ling Zhang to his tent to spend some time alone with him. Unfortunately for him, Ling Zhaowu was present, so he had to follow the etiquette, which made him feel quite frustrated. As a result, he became unhappy when he heard Ling Zhang say “You’re” instead of “We’re”.
Ling Zhang, “…”
“Okay. I said the wrong thing and I apologize. We haven’t seen each other for such a long time. Are you really giving me that face? Did I make a mistake by coming a long way to this place to see you?”
Yuwen Tong, “…”
He immediately put on a different look and said, “I’ve been missing you since the moment I left the capital city. There isn’t a day that passes when I don’t want to finish these troublesome matters as soon as possible and then go back to the capital city to be with you. I’m very happy that you came here. If you say that again, you’d be breaking my heart.”
Ling Zhang quietly gazed at him for a while and then said, “You’re not mad at me?”
“For what?” Yuwen Tong asked a question instead of giving an answer.
Ling Zhang replied, “For coming to this border city to see you instead of staying in the capital city as you told me to.”
On hearing this remark, Yuwen Tong felt as though something had just lightly scratched his heart, giving him an itchy and numb sensation. “But from the moment I saw you, I couldn’t think of anything but you.
I did tell you to stay in the capital city, but now that you’ve come here, I don’t want you to go anywhere else. I just want you to stay by my side, so that the great emptiness of heart that has been troubling me for such a long time would finally ebb away. Previously I felt depressed all the time and I couldn’t stop thinking of you.”
Yuwen Tong had divided these words into two parts, and Ling Zhang blushed scarlet at these remarks, his heart fluttering contentedly, worried that somebody might have overheard them. “Wha–What are you talking about? There’re so many people here.”
“I’m telling the truth, and I’m being quite restrained.” Yuwen Tong believed he did nothing wrong.
Ling Zhaowu behind them gave an awkward cough, flicking a meaningful glance at Yuwen Tong.
Yuwen Tong hurriedly shut up and sat bolt upright, realizing that he had got carried away and forgotten about his father-in-law.
Ling Zhang, “…”
With a flush on his cheeks, Ling Zhang twisted his head aside and the two of them lapsed into silence.
The two groups of people in their wake – Ling Zhang’s bodyguards and Yuwen Tong’s subordinates – all appeared rather disappointed as though they wanted to hear more of it. Just now they had pricked up their ears and been keeping silent all along, listening hard to the conversation between the two people in front, exchanging sly glances from time to time, their eyes gleaming with gossipy excitement.
Seeing the two of them really fell silent, Jiang Xi rolled his eyes and then rode up to Ling Zhang. “Childe Ling, this is the first time you’ve been to a border city, I suppose?”
Ling Zhang twisted his head around to look at him and smiled, “Yeah. I’ve been meaning to come here all along but never got the chance. This is my first time being in a place like this.”
“Would you like to hear something about the local customs and practices in this border city? Although this place is not as prosperous as the capital city, and nor is it as beautiful as any of the southern cities, there are many interesting spots here,” said Jiang Xi quickly.
Naturally Ling Zhang wouldn’t decline such a kind offer. He said with a nod, “That’s very nice of you, General Jiang. Please go ahead.”
Jiang Xi gave a smug grin and began, “Do you know that this border city in Youzhou has three greatest features, Childe Ling?”
These words piqued Ling Zhang’s curiosity. “Three greatest features? What are they?”
Jiang Xi said, “Why don’t you take a guess? Use your imagination.”
Ling Zhang gave a smile. How was he supposed to guess it without any hints? But he nicely played along with Jiang Xi’s little game and replied, “I don’t know any of the three greatest features of this border city in Youzhou, but after I entered the city, I found that this place is indeed quite unique. I’ll summarize the features I saw. This city boasts the highest ramparts, the most conscientious soldiers, the most straightforward residents, the broadest streets as well as the most substantial houses. It strikes me as the safest place. The existence of this city is the very source of the stability of Youzhou and the Great Yue.”
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