What Zhao Turui wanted was quite simple – doing business without his elders’ knowledge. He had come to visit Ling Zhang because he’d believed that Ling Zhang could help make his dream come true. He had no ulterior motives, which was a fact Ling Zhang was fully aware of.
“Actually there’s no need for you to be anxious about it. As the saying goes, ‘Nothing forcibly done is going to be agreeable.’ You should talk with you elders about it. They might not necessarily be unable to understand you. Even if I take you in as my adviser, you’ll still have to sit the imperial examination. No matter what, the exam is something you cannot avoid,” said Ling Zhang.
Zhao Turui and Zhao Jiusi were both astonished. “Sitting the imperial examination?”
Ling Zhang inclined his head. “After I become the empress, I’ll have to rank my advisers, and they’ll have to have either scholarly honor or some other achievements. Otherwise ranking them will be difficult, which will in turn make it inconvenient for them to perform the tasks I assign them.”
Zhao Jiusi gave it some thought and said with a nod, “You’ve got a point.”
Zhao Turui appeared vexed. It was not that he was afraid of taking the exam, but that once he took the exam, his parents would have more reasons to stop him from pursuing a career in business.
Zhao Jiusi patted his shoulder. “Ling Zhang is right. Nothing forcibly done is going to be agreeable. Compared with going to such trouble as to seek help from Ling Zhang, being honest with our parents would be a much better choice.”
“That’s right,” commented Ling Zhang.
Zhao Turui had no alternative but to accept their advice.
As regards Zhao Jiusi…
“Have you really made up your mind?” Ling Zhang inquired of him.
Zhao Jiusi earnestly gave a bob of the head. “I’ve talked this through with my family. If you agree to take me in, I’ll move out of my parents’ house and find somewhere else to live, and I’ll have only one identity – your adviser.”
Zhao Jiusi had done some careful thinking before making these remarks. Unlike Zhao Turui, he had a very definite goal.
Ling Zhang was well acquainted with Zhao Jiusi and knew very well what kind of person he was, so he naturally could understand what he meant.
“Finding somewhere else to live isn’t necessary for the moment. I’ll get you a place to live if you don’t mind,” said Ling Zhang.
Zhao Jiusi brightened up at these words of Ling Zhang’s which suggested that he had agreed. “Okay. I’ll comply with your arrangement.”
Feeling that he needed to talk with Yuwen Tong about this matter, Ling Zhang planned to tell Yuwen Tong at night. After a while, he summoned Jiang Yu and informed him that he needed to take the imperial examination.
Jiang Yu raised no objection. Passing the exam wouldn’t be a problem for him.
Also, Jiang Yu was not surprised that Zhao Jiusi had become his associate, making no other reply to it than an inclination of the head.
Knowing that he would be working with Jiang Yu, Zhao Jiusi started making overtures to Jiang Yu. “It’s a pleasure to work with you, Brother Jiang.”
“You’re too polite, Childe Zhao. We are colleagues now. If there’s anything you need my help with, all you have to do is ask,” said Jiang Yu.
Their conversation was just an exchange of courtesies, but it was a normal thing, given the current circumstances.
Zhao Jiusi and Zhao Turui didn’t stay for long. They took their leave after another few moments. Zhao Jiusi would come to the Ling Mansion to “take office” in two days.
Ling Zhang planned to relieve Jiang Yu and Zhao Jiusi of all the trivial matters after the wedding ceremony so that the two of them could focus on making preparations for the exam. He valued the abilities of both of them, so he naturally hoped they would pass the examination. It would be an opportunity to prove themselves as well as to do him proud, so this matter must not be taken lightly.
…
At night, Yuwen Tong sneaked out of the imperial palace. Ling Zhang was sitting in the corridor of his courtyard house, waiting for him.
On this day, Yuwen Tong arrived a little late. Ling Zhang was worried that if it had been something thorny that kept him.
“It was a pressing matter that I had to deal with.” Yuwen Tong told him what had kept him and then added, “It’s been settled.”
Ling Zhang cast him an appraising look and asked, “Are you hungry? Did you come here immediately after getting out of the consultation hall? Did you get something to eat first?”
Yuwen Tong shook his head. “I was anxious to come here to see you. You have anything to eat here?”
Ling Zhang looked at him resignedly. “Don’t do this again. You need to eat something after working so late. Go inside and take a bath. I’ll go and get you some food.”
Yuwen Tong held him and gave him a kiss before walking into the house. Ling Zhang looked left and right. It was after seeing that those who should disappear had all disappeared that the flush over his cheeks ebbed away, and with that he hastened out of the courtyard house, heading for the kitchen.
Ling Zhang was entering the house with some food when Yuwen Tong walked out of the bathroom after the bath.
“It’s short notice, so I just cooked some vegetable. I also got you some noodle,” said Ling Zhang, carrying the food inside. There was a large bowl of noodle, an appetizing vegetarian dish and a dish of braised pork with soy sauce.
The foods were simple, but they were tastier than the choicest delicacy, and it didn’t take an imperial chef to cook them. Yuwen Tong wolfed down the large bowl of noodle with loud slurps, along with the appetizer and the braised pork.
While Yuwen Tong was eating, Ling Zhang went into the bathroom, folded Yuwen Tong’s clothes, handed them to Yao Yi who was on guard duty outside the courtyard house, and told him to have someone deliver them back to the imperial palace. Since Ling Zhang had been keeping Yuwen Tong’s visits back from his family, these clothes had to be sent back to the palace to be washed. Also, Ling Zhang didn’t trust his family servants enough to let them wash Yuwen Tong’s clothes.
“Earlier this day Yuwen Jin and some others paid me a visit.” Ling Zhang returned, sat down, and related to Yuwen Tong what he had talked about with Yuwen Jin and the others during the day, with an emphasis on the matter of Zhao Jiusi.
After hearing it, Yuwen Tong said, “If you think he’ll prove helpful, keep him. What with Zhao Zheng and his son, it’d be very difficult for other members of the Zhao family to distinguish themselves. Since he’s willing to take another path, I won’t raise any objections, as long as he promises he’d stay loyal to you. Tomorrow I’ll summon him to the palace. Given that you plan to have them take the exam, you must have quite high expectations of them, so I’ll act as a gatekeeper for you.”
Ling Zhang was okay with this. In all likelihood, in the future he would have to rely on Zhao Jiusi and Jiang Yu to handle some important tasks, so he could never be too careful about this issue.
After finishing discussing this matter, Yuwen Tong didn’t feel like talking about any other serious business. The only thing he wanted to do was hold Ling Zhang in his arms and relaxedly enjoy the starscape and the moonscape.
Ling Zhang asked him, “By the way, someone of the Ministry of Rites has shown you the detailed wedding plan, I suppose?”
The matter of the wedding ceremony, however, was an exception. At the mention of it, Yuwen Tong immediately perked up. “Yes. He told me that I should rehearse it. I think I’ll have the time to do that the day after tomorrow. I want you to go back to the palace and do a dry run with me.”
Ling Zhang almost dissolved into chuckle at these words. “After we enter the palace, there will be specially-assigned officials guiding us till the end. You really think it necessary to rehearse that part?”
Yuwen Tong said, “I do, because our wedding must be grand and impressive.”
Of course, the most important reason was that he wanted to have Ling Zhang stay in the palace keeping him company for a day. Recently he had only been able to see Ling Zhang by night, which made him feel that he and Ling Zhang were like the Cowherd and the Weaving Maid (In a Chinese legend who, once a happy couple, become stars separated by the Milky Way. They can meet only once in a year when magpies fly together to form a bridge over the Milky Way.) The daytime felt so long and he couldn’t have complete peace of mind when Ling Zhang wasn’t in sight.
Naturally Ling Zhang could tell what he was thinking about. He twisted his head around to look at Yuwen Tong and asked, “Just one day?”
“Two!” Yuwen Tong decisively corrected himself.
Ling Zhang chuckled, “One. I have other business to attend to.”
Yuwen Tong, “…”
Ling Zhang turned around to hug him. “Don’t be like this. The wedding ceremony is very close. Show some patience.”
Yuwen Tong tightened his embrace. “I’ve lost count of the number of times you’ve said this.”
But Yuwen Tong still felt that time was going too slow.
He shifted Ling Zhang’s sitting position. The two of them were on a wooden couch under a big tree in the courtyard. Yuwen Tong perched on the edge of it, Ling Zhang straddling his thighs face to face with him. With one arm wrapped around Ling Zhang’s waist, Yuwen Tong slowly stroked the side of Ling Zhang and vaguely asked, “You had a kung fu competition with Miao Shiba today?”
“Yeah,” answered Ling Zhang, somewhat distracted by the stroking. A certain part of the side of his waist was quite sensitive, which Yuwen Tong’s hand was caressing in circles. The two of them had been together for quite some time, so they both had an intimate knowledge of the sensitive areas of each other’s bodies.
“How did you feel?” asked Yuwen Tong absent-mindedly, still stroking him.
“Not bad. I last longer than the last time. Today was mainly about the competition between Jiang Yu and Yuwen Jin. They’ve agreed to wipe the slate clean, at least for the moment. I hope they’ll gradually dispel their prejudices over time,” said Ling Zhang, his voice becoming faintly quavery. Yuwen Tong’s hand was so “bold” that his waist almost went limp for the kneading.
Yuwen Tong gave a chuckle at Ling Zhang’s bodily response, his fingers continuing to massage him with varied force. “Jiang Yu has learned how to keep things in perspective. It’s Yuwen Jin who concerns me. Did he overreact earlier today?”
Ling Zhang said, “Apart from anything else he’s your cousin. You should place more trust in him.”
Then he gave Yuwen Tong an account of how Yuwen Jin had behaved during the day and remarked, “He also conducted himself pretty well today. Though he lost, he was quite gracious in defeat. There was no hard feelings.”
When he’d said this, his waist went completely limp, because Yuwen Tong had archly given him a sudden light pinch after he finished speaking. Ling Zhang’s waist shuddered and with that he weakly leaned onto Yuwen Tong.
Yuwen Tong buried him bodily in his embrace, planted a sideward kiss on his cheek and said, “That was an improvement of some sort. I’ll pay him a compliment in a few days.”
Talking about the matter of Yuwen Jin going into the palace, Ling Zhang recalled a fairly important affair, hastily held Yuwen Tong’s shoulders and sat up from his embrace. “Incidentally, there’s yet another thing.”
A faint flicker flitted across Yuwen Tong’s eyes, not very happy about Ling Zhang freeing himself from his arms. “What is it?”
“Yuwen Jin said that he wanted to to learn kung fu from Qi San. It seems that he plans to pay a visit to the Shadow Battalion to prepare himself for the Imperial Martial Arts Examination (IMAE) scheduled for next spring. Have you heard of it?” said Ling Zhang.
Yuwen Tong nodded. “Yes, I have. My granduncle mentioned it to me once. Yuwen Jin is not meant for college, and his kung fu is just average. If he is to pass next year’s IMAE, he’ll have to put in some good hard work. I promised my granduncle I’d let Yuwen Jin go to the Shadow Battalion to receive training.”
Ling Zhang asked, “Do you think he’ll be able to tough it out?”
As far as he knew, the training methods they adopted in the Shadow Battalion were quite inhumane. Would Yuwen Jin be able to endure it?
Yuwen Tong said, “He’ll have to tough it out, if he wants to see his name on the list of successful candidates. If he couldn’t even handle that, he’ll never pass IMAE, and he’ll have to kiss his dream of becoming a military officer goodbye.”
There was a brief moment of silence before Ling Zhang broke it. “You’re right. Since this is his own choice, he’ll have to figure things out on his own.”
Seeing he had nothing else to say, Yuwen Tong pulled him back into his embrace, scooped him up instantly and made towards the doors of the house.
Ling Zhang had got used to this kind of behavior of Yuwen Tong’s, but in the instant he was lifted bodily up, he was momentarily dazzled and reflexively held Yuwen Tong tight.
“Now it’s time for us to do what we’ve got to do,” said Yuwen Tong, entering the house and closing the doors behind him.
The guards on duty, who had also got used to the emperor’s coming out here to have fun with Ling Zhang every night, sensibly walked a few paces further away, making sure nobody approached this courtyard house.
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