Chapter 70 - Bodyguard
Song Xiao looked up at him in astonishment. His Majesty actually admitted his mistake. Song Xiao pursed his lips. “The emperor has no need to do this.” For the unparalleled emperor to say that he was wrong in front of Song Xiao sounded very awkward, and made him feel slightly apologetic.
“However, the new one zhen buys for you also cannot be played before anyone else.” After thinking about it, Yu Tang added another sentence. Playing the xiao was too alluring. In the past, before they married, Yu Tang had been incredibly gluttonous, and often had Song Xiao enter the palace to play the xiao for him in the garden.
Seeing those pale lips pressed to the long and slender jade pipe, the emperor who had endured all this time couldn’t help tightening his fists as he imagined himself as that jade xiao inside the mouth of that young a.s.sistant minister.
How much yearning was contained in the song ‘Haitang Under The Moon’ was something that neither the performer nor the listener knew; they only knew that this feeling was like the sound of the xiao – illusory and unreachable.
Song Xiao’s face gradually reddened. After going around in circles for so long, it turned out that this was the reason. “You…” This was too narrow-minded! It was just playing the xiao…
Yu Tang hmphed. He felt that his abrupt tantrum wasn’t right, but he didn’t believe that stopping his empress from playing the xiao in the plaza was wrong. He would apologize if he did something wrong; if he didn’t, he would stand firm. This was the way of an eternal emperor.
Song Xiao didn’t have the energy to bicker with him. He moved away and sat on the side. “You asked that person for his account; do you plan to investigate him?”
“We naturally can let this matter go just like this.” Yu Tang’s face turned cold. If he hadn’t caught up to Song Xiao in time today, Song Xiao would’ve been sent flying. Thinking about this now, Yu Tang still felt some lingering fear. Reaching out, he took the hand Song Xiao placed on his knee and stroked it slowly. If someone wanted to harm him, he would pay it back in equal measure, but if someone wanted to harm Song Xiao, he would retaliate a hundred- or thousand-fold.
If Qiu Mingyan was behind this, then that woman had overextended her reach.
Since the two of them had made up, Song Xiao pa.s.sed the photos which Gao Ao had given to him to Yu Tang. He himself contacted Li Weiwei to inquire into Qiu Mingyan’s whereabouts.
“She hasn’t appeared in the entertainment circle. Recently, she’s been keeping quite a low profile.” With Li Weiwei saying this, it seemed that there weren’t any leads.
But Auntie Chen had unusual news. “That woman hasn’t come over, but Song Zheng came over on National Day, asking for some pocket money.”
Yu Tang had someone investigate that account, and the owner was the large man who had driven the car that day. His name was John, and he didn’t have an official job. He relied on the dole and the occasional odd job to sc.r.a.pe by. He even had a criminal record; he was arrested for robbery four years ago, and had been released just a few months ago. There hadn’t been any deposits into this account recently, but through this account, the hacker discovered that this person had a registered email on a particular paid movie website.
Who knew what G.o.dly person Yu Tang had found, but the person actually cracked the pa.s.sword for this email. The inbox contained an email correspondence in English. The rough idea was that once the matter was accomplished, a sum of money would be sent over if John provided an account for foreign transfers. The email which John sent back in reply contained the number of another bank account.
Things were now clear, but the evidence obtained by the hacker was illegal and couldn’t be used to charge John. The police in America also sided with white people, and hadn’t managed the matter well as they concluded that this was an accident caused by car failure.
Yu Tang could think of hundreds of ways to deal with John, but the problem was that he didn’t have manpower now; the matter of recruiting an army loomed over him.
Some of the courses ended halfway through the semester, which was then followed by exams. When Song Xiao finished his last exam, Yu Tang dragged him off to Luo City.
Recently, Song Xiao couldn’t even go to the Angels Club’s activities because Yu Tang was ill at ease. Song Xiao knew how serious the situation was, and cooperated with the emperor. He told the Angels Club’s president that he had recently been too busy with his studies, and until the car crash incident was settled, he didn’t dare appear in public.
The president was very understanding and expressed that if Song Xiao needed help, they would do their best to help him indict John.
“Tang, why don’t you bring your fiancé over to play?” The Sunspot Club met once every week in the small auditorium on the east side of campus. The person with Blair had switched to a new youth; this time, it was a Korean.
“The person I saw that day, is he really your fiance?” Hearing this, Camellia sat next to Yu Tang and asked him the question with a raised eyebrow. As a relative of the Yu family, she was well aware of how old-fashioned the Yu family head was. He basically would never accept his grandson getting engaged to a man.
Yu Tang glanced at Camellia. “This doesn’t concern you.”
As he spoke, Yu Tang’s phone rang. It was Song Xiao, so he immediately picked up. “Finished your exam?”
“En.” Song Xiao stood in front of the school building and looked around. “Where are you?”
“I’m in the small auditorium,” Yu Tang said honestly. “Wait at the usual place, I’ll be there in a minute.”
Blair smacked his lips. “Tang, invite him over ba; dinner will be my treat.”
Yu Tang ignored them as he got up and left. He had gotten the butler to book a flight to Luo City that night, and was in a hurry to take Song Xiao out to eat.
When Yu Tang left the auditorium, Blair embraced the youth by his side and sighed regretfully. Song Xiao’s appearance was really to his taste. Even if he couldn’t touch, it was fine to just look. But Yu Tang, this little angry goblin, wouldn’t even give him the small chance of having dinner together.
“Camellia, why did you ask him that just now?” The Middle Eastern prince, Dante, who was eating grapes, had taken note of Camellia’s words.
“From what I know, the Yu family would never allow him to get engaged to a man.” Camellia laughed coldly as she raised her wine gla.s.s for a slow sip.
“So, you’re saying that boy is just Tang’s plaything?” Dante frowned. He felt that what Camellia said wasn’t right. He could see that Yu Tang truly regarded that boy as his wife.
“If not, then what?” Camellia raised her eyebrows.
“Wow, that means I might have a chance.” Blair tapped his chin. If the boy was just a plaything, then once Yu Tang was tired of him, he could take over.
“Want my help?” Camellia winked at Blair, and the two of them shared a smile.
“Camellia, do you fancy Tang?” Blair allowed the youth at his side to top up his wine. “From what I know, you’re Tang’s aunt.”
Hearing the word Aunt, Camellia’s expression instantly sank. “We aren’t blood-related.”
Blair shrugged and gave Dante a meaningful glance.
Upon arriving in Luo City, Yu Tang didn’t abandon Song Xiao in the hotel this time, and instead brought him along to the Yu ancestral home.
“You’re saying that Yu Tang brought that boy to Luo City again?” When Yu Taixian heard the news, he couldn’t help wrinkling his brow.
The last time he ran into Yu Tang carrying that boy in Movie City, Yu Lang had noted it in his heart, and off-handedly told his father about it. Camellia had told him that Yu Tang personally admitted that the boy was his fiance, but Yu Lang couldn’t simply say that out loud – his father had to find out for himself.
“Ah, that boy is really cute,” Yu Lang interjected casually as he sat by his father’s side and beamed.
Yu laoyezi’s frown deepened. He was an old fogey, but after living in America for so many years, he had seen countless things. Naturally, he felt that it was a little inappropriate for Yu Tang to constantly have a boy by his side.
On the side, Butler Cao refilled the family head’s teacup with a smile, then turned to leave and welcome Yu Tang, who had already arrived at the gate.
Yu Tang pulled Song Xiao out of the car, shared a meaningful look with Butler Cao, then confidently brought Song Xiao in.
The Yu ancestral home in Luo City was much bigger than the one in China, and had an entire golf course. Besides this main residence which was larger than a castle, there were even a few small villas in the back, as well as a few small log cabins set up in scenic spots.
Song Xiao smoothed down the front of his clothes and followed Yu Tang in composedly. From what Yu Tang said, this Yu family head looked the same as the gaozu emperor, but Song Xiao had never seen him.
Back then, when he had taken the imperial examination to enter the capital, gaozu had already pa.s.sed on, and it was Yu Jintang’s father who had been in power. To be able to meet the living gaozu now felt strange to Song Xiao, and he was far more curious than nervous.
“Grandfather.” When Yu Tang entered, he saw Yu laoyezi sitting on the sofa, and greeted him politely.
“h.e.l.lo, grandfather.” Song Xiao’s eyes curved and he obediently gave his greetings.
It wasn"t good to raise a hand to a smiling face, to say nothing of the fact that things weren’t clear yet. Naturally, it wasn’t proper for Yu Taixian to wrinkle his nose at him. “Tangtang, who’s this?”
“I’m Song Xiao, Yu Tang’s cla.s.smate. When we were in China, we were deskmates.” Song Xiao sat confidently next to Yu Tang and smiled as he spoke to Yu Taixian. His manner of speech was calm, and he had a steadiness unlike what a child his age would have. His clear and pleasant voice made it hard for people to dislike him.
“Oh, so it’s like that.” Yu Taixian smiled profoundly.
Their forthright appearance conversely dispelled Yu Taixian’s slight suspicions. If there really was something ambiguous between them, they would have concealed it. From what Yu Tang said, the two of them had initially made plans to watch a ball game in Luo City before, but since they couldn’t go because Yu Tang had been at the family banquet, he had invited Song Xiao to come with him this time to make it up to him.
“You youngsters are lucky.” Yu laoyezi raised the teacup and took a sip. “When I was young, I liked the Iron Bulls team. Back then, there weren’t many televisions, and when there was no way for me to go watch the match, I could only listen to it on the radio.”
After his suspicions were dispelled, he recalled his son’s words. That ambiguous manner of speaking had been to encourage him to think wrongly. When he thought this, Yu Taixian glared at Yu Lang next to him. Yu Lang didn’t dare say much, and only greeted Yu Tang before finding an excuse to head upstairs. Standing at the top of the stairs, Yu Lang looked at the two people below with a profound gaze. This nephew truly wasn’t simple.
When the Yu head suspected that he liked that boy, Yu Tang brought the boy back in a grandiose fashion. And the timing was so coincidental. This way, not only did he temporarily rid Yu Taixian of his suspicions, but he also turned the gun on Yu Lang. Whenever he said an accusing word now, Yu Taixian would label Yu Lang as being unfriendly to his nephew.
Because he was raised by his grandfather in his last life, Song Xiao was very skilled in gaining the favour of the older generation. He personally made a pot of tea for Yu laoyezi, completely delighting the old man.
“There aren’t many youngsters now who know how to make tea.” Yu Taixian raised the tea, which had a beautiful l.u.s.tre to it, and took a sip. The fragrant flavour of the Mingqian Longjing tea had been thoroughly released, and he couldn’t resist draining the cup in one gulp.
Song Xiao’s movements had been very fluid and natural when he made the tea, and it was easy on the eyes. This wasn’t something that could be learned in a short time.
“My grandfather likes this. Since I’ve seen him do it often, I managed to learn a little.” Yu laoyezi’s eyes brightened at this traditional and humble excuse. Youngsters nowadays had shallow hearts and were impatient. Don’t even mention the US, it was rare even in China to meet such a traditional and well-mannered child like Song Xiao.
When he learnt that Song Xiao’s grandfather was Qu lao, Yu laoyezi immediately understood. “So, you’re actually Qu lao’s grandson. No wonder, no wonder.” For an aristocratic family like the Yu family, they didn’t feel much for rich or powerful people, but they would always revere people with culture. Not only did Song Xiao’s grandfather have a lofty status in China’s traditional art circle, but he was also very famous overseas.
“I came here in haste, and didn’t prepare any gifts. If grandfather would like it, I’ll request a character from my grandfather the next time I return to China.”
The more this elder and youth spoke, the more they hit it off. Instead, it was Yu Tang who was forgotten. Yu Tang silently finished the pot of tea which Song Xiao had boiled, and by the time Yu laoyezi wanted another cup, it was already gone.
When their chat ended, they got back to the main point. Yu Tang raised the subject of borrowing a few bodyguards from his grandfather.
The Yu family’s bodyguards were all elites. Since none of the children in the family had real authority yet, they weren’t qualified to use the bodyguards. If they were worried about their own safety, they could use their own money to hire people. In any case, unless the family head commanded it, they definitely weren’t allowed to have any of the family bodyguards.
“Sure.” Yu laoyezi was still rather biased towards his di grandson. After muttering to himself for a bit, he agreed. “They’re in the backyard; you can go choose them yourself.”
When Yu Lang heard that Yu Tang wanted to go pick out bodyguards, he revealed an expression of schadenfreude.
The Yu family’s bodyguard team was a bizarre existence. They only took orders from their commander, and the commander only took orders from the family head. The previous chief had been better at conducting himself, but the new one was crabbier than a mule. Yu Lang had wanted a bodyguard to follow him last week, and was directly rejected by that chief. Furthermore, his words were also extremely offensive.
“Dear nephew, I wish you good luck.” Yu Lang wanted to go along and watch the fun, but Butler Cao refused him since there wasn’t any more s.p.a.ce in the solar-powered car.
Butler Cao drove Yu Tang and Song Xiao in the small solar-powered car to the furthest part of the golf course, crossing over an artificial lake and going around a small grove. Finally, they saw a group of muscular men, dressed in tight-fitting, black clothes, boxing on a beach.
One of the black-dressed men was wearing a baseball cap and had a walkie talkie clipped to his shoulder. Both hands behind his back, he stood on high ground and watched those people train.
“Who is the new chief of the bodyguard team?” Yu Tang felt that ninth uncle’s expression had been strange, and he presumed that there would definitely be something hard to deal with here.
Cao Gonggong’s lips twitched. “Your Majesty does not need to worry. He… ai, you see for yourself ba.”
Song Xiao blinked. There were actually times when Cao Gonggong didn’t know what to say? Jumping out of the car, he raised his head to look at that group of people. Cao Gonggong had already walked over, and was saying something to the person whose back was to them. That person said a few words to the group of bodyguards and had them run laps in the distance, then he quickly ran over.
The man ran very fast, and left Cao Gonggong walking gracefully far behind.
Song Xiao saw a black lump dash over like an artillery sh.e.l.l. A burly man over 190cm in height fiercely jumped up before he landed like a tiger on the ground and knelt before them.
“This servant, General Lu Guozhong of Dingbei, pays respect to the emperor. Long live the emperor!”
Little Theater
‘The Four Attendants Group Has Finally Gathered’
Cao Gonggong: General ah, finally found you
Anyi: Just waiting for you
Didi: Just waiting for you
Great General: Why’re you looking for me?
Cao Gonggong: The three of us are short of oneah!
Great General: …