Chapter 353: Putting Out Feelers
The group of people didn’t stick together after their arrival at the night market. They gradually split into huddles of twos and threes while progressing.
Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong intentionally stayed with Ling Xingzhong and Ji Yin to keep them company, but the two old men, along with Mr. Mu, all said that the two of them were not very good company and dismissed them.
Eventually, Ling Zhang had only Yuwen Tong by his side, and all others were nowhere to be seen.
“Your paternal grandfather is accompanied by your maternal grandfather and Mr. Mu. Your uncle, your father and Maomao are with Ji Yanlai and his nephew, and there are also some guards secretly keeping an eye on them, so there’s no need to worry about them,” said Yuwen Tong.
Given Ji Yin’s and Ji Yanlai’s unparalleled kung fu skills, the two of them alone were more than enough to make sure no harm would come to any of the others.
“Let’s go. The point of this trip tonight is for me to have a walk with you.” Yuwen Tong took Ling Zhang’s hand and drew him towards the crowd. Yao Yi quietly followed in their wake in an inconspicuous manner. None of the pedestrians recognized any of them.
The two of them were hand in hand, but because of their fairly long sleeves and the dim lighting, people wouldn’t notice it unless they looked very carefully. In addition, as news of the engagement between Yuwen Tong and Ling Zhang had spread across the whole country, gay marriage had become less rare and recently several gay couples had been seen on the street. Gay relations.h.i.+p like theirs was no longer something of a rarity, and even if anybody observed that the two of them were hand in hand, it wouldn’t be a serious problem, and they wouldn’t immediately suspect the true ident.i.ties of the two of them.
However, although the two of them were in disguise, owing to their extraordinary temperament, they still appeared quite obtrusive whenever they walked into a pool of bright light.
Yuwen Tong drew him towards the Eastern Avenue. After walking with him for a few moments, Ling Zhang suddenly had an inkling that something was not quite right. “Where are you taking me?” he asked.
“Do you still remember the s.h.i.+p-lanterns we went to see on that day?” said Yuwen Tong.
How could he not remember? At that time, shortly after he’d arrived in the capital city, Yuwen Tong, in order to let him enjoy the beauty of s.h.i.+p-lanterns, had specially made arrangements for a number of gaily-painted pleasure-s.h.i.+ps and other boats decorated with s.h.i.+p-lanterns to berth by the riverbank, which confused all residents living nearby.
But now that Yuwen Tong was specially bringing this up again…
“You didn’t do the same thing again, did you?” Ling Zhang looked at him incredulously.
Yuwen Tong smiled, “This time around it’s not me who did it. A rich and influential family in this city held a wedding ceremony during the day, so they specially hired some people to stage a s.h.i.+p-lantern show tonight. We’re kind of basking in the reflected festivity of their wedding. Just take it as an act of adding to the gaiety of our own upcoming wedding ceremony.”
Ling Zhang’s face burned slightly. “Well, given that it’s a s.h.i.+p-lantern show held in honor of other people’s wedding, will we be able to get a good spot?”
Yuwen Tong said, “I sent someone there to book a room for us in advance this morning. If all else fails, we could always sit on a rooftop.”
Ling Zhang gave it some thought and felt that he had a point.
By the time when the two of them arrived at their destination, they had already felt the excitement and liveliness of the crowds ahead of them.
A wide variety of pleasure-s.h.i.+ps and boats decorated with lanterns were berthed close to each other by the riverbank. Beautiful lanterns of every description were ablaze with light, brightening the whole riverbank.
The room that Yuwen Tong had had his subordinate book for him was a private room in the same teahouse that the two of them had once been to. This was quite an occasion, so the teahouse was packed to capacity. Bathed in the lantern light from the riverbank that seemed to be making the sky as bright as day, all customers in the teahouse were very happy, talking aloud, each voice higher than the last. Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong were shocked by the uproarious scene as they entered the teahouse. “There are so many people.”
“I’m really sorry, my dear guests, but we don’t have any seats available at the moment,” said a sweaty waiter at the sight of them walking inside, jostling his way up to them, wiping sweat from his face.
“We booked a private room, the one on the second floor with windows facing the river,” Yao Yi said to the waiter, walking up to him, producing a reservation plate.
The waiter briefly paused and then hurriedly said in a more respectful tone, “Oh, this way please, my honored guests, this way please!”
When the two of them were walking upstairs, many of the customers sitting in the hall looked in their direction, for anybody who could book a private room in this teahouse at this point of time was no common person, and Ling Zhang’s and Yuwen Tong’s extraordinary temperament made the other customers even more convinced. They all started whispering to each other, guessing who these two strangers were.
The waiter led the two of them into the private room reserved for them. “This is your room, my honored guests. All the tea-things you required have been prepared. As for the snack, I’m ready to take your order, my honored guests.”
Ling Zhang glanced around this familiar private room and naturally recalled the events that had happened on that day, but at that time, they hadn’t declared in advance that a s.h.i.+p-lantern show was going to be held, so there hadn’t been as many people as there were on this occasion. Today the whole place was filled with hubbub of voices and seething with lookers-on.
Ling Zhang named two of the signature snacks of this teahouse and the waiter took the order and immediately left. Soon someone delivered the snacks to the room.
“It’s such an enchanting sight on such a fine day. Why don’t you drink some wine, Marshal, Childe Ling?” After dismissing the waiter, Yao Yi placed the two trays of snack onto the table.
Ling Zhang also looked at Yuwen Tong, feeling that it’d be nice to drink some wine on such a joyous occasion.
Yuwen Tong looked back at Ling Zhang and said, “Drinking will compromise the mission.”
Ling Zhang was confused. Compromise the mission? They had a mission to perform and couldn’t drink wine?
Yuwen Tong said to Yao Yi, “Get out of here and close the doors. You may decide for yourself whether to be on guard duty in the doorway or go downstairs to have some fun.”
Yao Yi, who had c.o.c.ked an ear at Yuwen Tong waiting to hear his explanation, fell speechless.
He quietly turned around and left. After closing the doors tight, he went downstairs, bought some pot-stewed meat and wine, returned, sat down outside the doors in the corridor and started drinking alone. When he had taken a sip of the wine, he furrowed his brows and complained, “No wonder the Marshal is not drinking. A teahouse is a teahouse after all. The wine here is obviously not as good as what I can get in a tavern. Did they adulterate it with tea?”
Yuwen Tong in the room pretended not to have heard Yao Yi’s mumble and said to Ling Zhang, “If we drink wine, you won’t be able to stay sober enough to watch this lantern show for long. Just last night you were…”
At first Ling Zhang was confused as to what he meant. When Yuwen Tong paused, he wondered for a few moments before comprehension dawned on his face, which soon registered embarra.s.sment and annoyance. “What are you thinking?!”
Why couldn’t this guy think about something positive and healthy?
The night before Yuwen Tong had had him make out with him almost the whole night, and it had been at noon that they woke up on this day. It was so shameful, yet this guy had the nerve to bring it up!
Yuwen Tong said, “Well, I’ve been too busy lately, and we haven’t fully enjoyed ourselves for quite some time. Last night was a good start. I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to control myself tonight.”
After all, the pleasant feeling after enjoying himself to the full was still lingering in his every fibre. Having repressed his desire for so many years, he was now obsessed with that kind of pleasure and thus was faced with a severe test of his self-control. If he drank wine, he would lose some of his self-control. Unlike the consultation hall which was only a few moments’ walk from the Infinite Fortune Palace, this place was quite far away from the imperial palace.
Hearing him getting more and more explicit, Ling Zhang was both irritated and embarra.s.sed. “Cut the s.h.i.+t and drink your tea.”
Yuwen Tong lifted his eyebrows. “See? I’m just talking about it and you’re already getting angry. If I actually do it, you would defi–”
“I said shut up!” Ling Zhang hissed.
Yuwen Tong looked at him aggrievedly. “We’re like an old married couple. What’s wrong with talking about it?”
Ling Zhang spat, “We’re in a teahouse!”
This place was teeming with customers; Yao Yi was on guard duty in the doorway; and there were also some secret bodyguards hidden in the shadows. This was not the Infinite Fortune Palace, and Ling Zhang felt as awkward as though they were talking about that topic in the presence of a large crowd, color suffusing his face.
Yuwen Tong said, “My men wouldn’t listen to what they are not supposed to hear. Besides, people out there have to yell to make themselves heard. n.o.body would overhear a single word of our conversation.”
But that didn’t make talking about that topic any less disgraceful. Ling Zhang shot him an admonitory glance, warning him not to bring it up again.
Yuwen Tong said “Okay” repeatedly and then added, “I’ll say no more about it. Okay? Stop being mad.”
The sight of Ling Zhang flus.h.i.+ng with anger struck him as so tantalizing that he felt he would lose control of himself if his eyes lingered on Ling Zhang for a few more moments, though he hadn’t drunk any wine.
At this time a cheer burst forth from the crowd downstairs. His curiosity piqued, Ling Zhang rose to his feet and stepped to the window to look downstairs. Yuwen Tong let out a sigh of relief and then stood up and walked over as well. Onto the deck of a pleasure-s.h.i.+p berthed by the riverbank down below had emerged an acrobat. There was night wind blowing, which was not strong but rippling the surface of the water, rocking the small pleasure-s.h.i.+p and those standing on it from side to side gently. The acrobat was juggling with lighted torches. It would take only a momentary lapse of concentration to break his horse stance, causing him to lose his balance and fail to catch the torches.
But that man had a quite high level of proficiency in horse stance. Planted firmly on the deck, he was throwing and catching torches with rapt attention, bright flames whirring up and down in circles to the cheers of the audience on the riverbank.
After watching for a while, Ling Zhang remarked, “They are the same street-performers we met on the street yesterday.”
Yuwen Tong cast an appraising look at the acrobat and commented, “He has some elementary kung fu, but no more than that.”
Ling Zhang said, “It was a ball-shaped bundle of coloured silk ribbons this man performed with that fascinated Ji Yanlai’s nephew and Maomao last night. I wonder if the two of them would get wind of this show and come here to check it out.”
On hearing this, Yuwen Tong stepped behind him and put his arms around his waist. “If they do come, I’ll just have some men keep an eye on them.”
Ling Zhang detected a subtle undertone contained in his words and twisted his head aside to look at him. “What do you mean?”
Yuwen Tong answered, “They would once again be upsetting our plan to spend some time alone if they come here, so I’ll have them go somewhere else to play.”
Ling Zhang caught on to it. Yuwen Tong didn’t want anybody to disturb them.
“My father and my uncle are with them. If the boys come here, they will come as well,” said Ling Zhang quietly.
Yuwen Tong, “…”
This was a vexed issue. If Ling Zhaowu and Ling Zhaowen did come as well, it would be inappropriate for him to send someone to dismiss them, because one of them was his father-in-law, and the other Ling Zhang’s respected uncle, both of whom were his elders he couldn’t trifle with. He and Ling Zhang hadn’t officially got married yet, and if they found out that he was being offhand with them…
Yuwen Tong held Ling Zhang tight. “Then I guess I’ll have to play it by ear.”
After saying this, he asked in a seemingly casual tone, “How’s your father’s physical condition these days? Did Mr. Mu say anything about it?”
Ling Zhang replied, “Mr. Mu said that my father’s been making a quick recovery, quicker than he’d expected, that he’d be as good as new in a month or so.”
Yuwen Tong said, “It’s a good thing that he’s making a speedy recovery, but I wonder what’s the reason for that? Is there anything special with your father’s const.i.tution?”
Ling Zhang, who didn’t suspect Yuwen Tong’s motives in asking this question, responded, “It seems to have something to do with a set of fist techniques that my father has been practicing, which was taught to him by my grandfather. My grandfather said that my father learned it so rapidly as though previously…”
As he finished the word “previously”, Ling Zhang came to realize that he was on the verge of spilling the beans and hastened to stop.
“Previously what?” asked Yuwen Tong in a natural tone of voice, a faint flicker crossing his eyes.
Ling Zhang slightly shook his head. “He just felt that my father had amazing comprehension and was a very quick learner. Previously he had never seen anybody who could master that set of fist techniques as fast as my father did.”