Chapter 356: Yuwen Tong Became Suspicious?
Yuwen Tong had meant it when he said that some day he would rid the imperial palace of many of those trivialities once and for all. For the moment he just couldn’t spare the time to put it into action. Apart from state affairs, the matter of the two princes of the Zhou family also needed settling.
Ling Zhang, in the knowledge that Yuwen Tong had had everything planned out, temporarily put aside those trivial things in the palace and focused on the preparations for the wedding ceremony. He and Yuwen Tong were both men, and there was only one precedent for this in history, which was the marriage between the Emperor Gaozu and his male consort, so most of the ritualistic arrangements for the wedding had been finalized by the Ministry of Rites according to that precedent case. However, although an emperor surnamed Zhou had abdicated the throne, all those with decent perception were fully aware of what had really happened. The Yuwen family would become the new imperial household, and Yuwen Tong would be the first emperor of the Yuwen dynasty, so his and Ling Zhang’s wedding would by no means be a complete repeat performance of that precedent case. There would be a lot of changes. In addition, Ling Zhang had suggested some of the unnecessary formalities be cut off, so the Ministry of Rites had to make a whole new wedding plan according to which the ceremony would be held.
Staff members of the Ministry of Rites were busy preparing Yuwen Tong’s enthronement. Ling Zhang made some changes to the wedding plan and then had it delivered to the Ministry of Rites. The Minister of Rites, after seeing those major changes, didn’t dare finalize the plan and asked Yuwen Tong for instructions.
Yuwen Tong, looking at the wedding plan placed in front of him with a placid expression on his face, said, “Is there a problem with the wedding plan?”
“Sire, it’s not that the wedding plan is problematic. It’s just that Childe Ling made a lot of changes to it, and he also cut off several parts. I’m afraid there might be complaints about such big changes,” answered the Minister of Rites.
“Complaints? From whom?” Yuwen Tong looked at him.
Though Yuwen Tong’s tone was calm, the Minister of Rites still hastily slumped to his knees with a start. “Sire, the imperial wedding is supposed to be the grandest and the most solemn ceremony aside from your enthronement ceremony. If we change it too much, I fear that some conservatives who set store by the old rites will raise their eyebrows.”
“The old rites? What do you mean by the old rites? Do you still regard yourself as a servant of the Zhou family?” asked Yuwen Tong coldly.
The Minister of Rites instantly fell prostrate with a thud. “I shouldn’t have said that. I didn’t meant it, Sire. I beg your forgiveness.”
Even many of the other courtiers present hung their heads, feeling cold sweat on their backs.
“Yuwen Feng, from now on you’ll be in charge of the Ministry of Rites. Take this wedding plan back. All the preparations for the wedding ceremony shall be made according to it,” instructed Yuwen Tong.
On hearing this, Yuwen Feng, who had been on his knees behind the Minister of Rites all along, looked up at Yuwen Tong. After a brief eye contact with Yuwen Tong, he replied, “Yes, Sire.”
Yuwen Feng rose to his feet, stepped forward and took the wedding plan. The Minister of Rites was so nervous he wouldn’t say boo to a goose, lying p.r.o.ne, trembling constantly.
After quite a while, Yuwen Tong said blandly, “You may rise.”
It was only then that the Minister of Rites managed to summon up the courage to pull himself up, his robes wet with sweat.
Although Yuwen Tong didn’t mete out any punishment to him, everybody present knew that he was toast, that even if he was allowed to stay in the imperial court, he would never get any career advancement again. The reason why Yuwen Feng hadn’t been named the Minister of Rites right away was because Yuwen Tong hadn’t officially acceded to the throne yet. After the enthronement ceremony, Yuwen Feng would definitely become the new chief of the Ministry of Rites.
…
The matter of the wedding plan had been resolved. As for the other remaining issues, they’d have to wait until after the enthronement ceremony to figure out how to settle them. Ling Zhang finally extricated himself from those seemingly never-ending tasks. Right now, there was seven days left before the enthronement ceremony.
Almost all departments in the capital city were occupied with preparations for the enthronement ceremony, but Ling Zhang, contrary to those officials, was now totally free, so he exited the palace, heading straight for the Ling Mansion.
This was the first time in so many days that he found himself out of the palace. When he had arrived home, he first went to inquire after his paternal grandfather and maternal grandfather, and then to see Fu Caiwei.
Fu Caiwei looked well and in a pretty good mood. Several experienced midwives had been watching over her and reminding her of things she needed to pay attention to. Also, Mrs. Tao, Fang s.h.i.+ and Liu s.h.i.+ came to keep her company quite often, and she herself had given birth to a child before and thus was not under as much stress as she had been when pregnant with her firstborn, so she was now carefree and in good spirits.
After inquiring after Fu Caiwei, Ling Zhang went to see Ling Zhaowu. The father and son found a quiet spot to sit and talk.
“You’ve got everything handled?”
“For the moment, yes. You and the others…”
“Don’t worry. There are a lot of us in this place, and there’s nothing we cannot settle. Besides, thanks to you and Yuwen Tong, n.o.body dare make trouble for the Ling family. As regards your trousseaus, your maternal grandfather and I have got all of them ready. All we have to do is just wait for the day of your and Yuwen Tong’s wedding to come.”
Ling Zhang, who recalled that talk he’d had with Ji Yin on that day, said, “The other day I told maternal grandfather not to make the list any longer, but he still wanted to include another two things. I wonder what they are.”
Ling Zhaowu said, “Not some rare treasure. Don’t concern yourself.”
“By the way, has Yuwen Tong asked you any particular questions lately?” Ling Zhaowu suddenly inquired.
Ling Zhang didn’t quite understand. “Particular questions? What do you mean, Father?”
Ling Zhaowu looked at him and replied with a smile, “It seems that he hasn’t.”
Ling Zhang was baffled even further, gazing at Ling Zhaowu bemusedly.
“On that day, after I confided my secrets to you, you returned to the palace in haste, and maybe because you roused his suspicions, that very night he sent Miao s.h.i.+san here to ask me what I said to you. I told him that you just conferred with me about the drugstore, that I reminded you to take good care of Yuwen Tong who’d been busy with government affairs. Yuwen Tong didn’t send anybody else afterward, and neither did he personally ask me about anything. He’s a secretive man, and I’m not sure whether he bought it or not,” said Ling Zhaowu.
Ling Zhang was stupefied. He hadn’t known anything about any of this, for Yuwen Tong hadn’t shown any sign of it whatsoever, and neither had he asked him any questions about that matter.
Ling Zhang wondered whether or not Yuwen Tong had found out anything, his mind in a turmoil.
Seeing the faintly perturbed expression on his face, Ling Zhaowu consoled him, “Calm down. There’s no need to be nervous about it. Now think carefully about whether or not you mentioned to him anything concerning this matter, how you behaved after you went back there that day and how he reacted.”
Ling Zhang managed to collect himself. He was quite positive that he had never let slip a single word about the matter of his rebirth. Presently Ling Zhaowu was the only one who knew about this secret of his… Maybe not the only one – Ji Yanlai might have knowledge of it as well. He jerked his head up to look at Ling Zhaowu. “Do you think it’s possible that the Clan Leader told him about it? On that day, when we were in the Sanguan Mountains…”
Ling Zhang related those meaningful words that Ji Yanlai had said to him on that day.
This was the first time that Ling Zhaowu had heard about this matter, but he didn’t show any surprise on his face. About the secrets in the Millennium Pavilion, he knew something that most others didn’t know of, and he was also the most acquainted with Ji Yanlai’s abilities aside from members of the Millennium Pavilion.
Ling Zhaowu shook his head. “He wouldn’t do that. For the sake of the confidentiality of your lineage alone, he would never breathe a word of that matter to anybody, because for the Millennium Pavilion – or for descendants of the Phoenix Clan – this is top-secret. As he has seen you and confirmed it, he would undoubtedly keep this secret to himself. Even if he had disclosed it to anybody, this person wouldn’t be Yuwen Tong, the man who’s about to ascend the throne.”
Ling Zhang caught on to the undertone contained in Ling Zhaowu’s words. “He’s worried that Yuwen Tong might do something to people with the Blood of the Phoenix Clan?”
Ling Zhaowu looked at him. “This is not about what worries him or whom he trusts. It’s about the responsibilities he has on his shoulders. Just like Yuwen Tong – after he accedes to the throne, there will be some compromises he must not make, and the same thing goes for you.”
The faint discomfort inside Ling Zhang dissolved completely at Ling Zhaowu’s words. “If Ji Yanlai didn’t tell him, it’d be impossible for him to have found out my secret, because I’ve never mentioned anything about it to him.”
“What about that evening?” asked Ling Zhaowu.
Ling Zhang answered, “After I returned to the palace, I had lunch and then went to the consultation hall. Maybe it was because of those things about my last incarnation that you told me earlier that day, I was a little emotionally unstable and he noticed it. At that time he asked me if something had happened. He suspected that I was keeping something from him. I explained to him and I think he believed my story.”
Ling Zhaowu let out a sigh, looking at him. “But obviously he didn’t, given that he specially sent Miao s.h.i.+san here to ask me about it. Still, seeing as from merely your erratic mood, he perceived that you were hiding something from him and became suspicious of me, he really cares about you very much – so much that it surprises me, actually.”
Ling Zhang was torn between anxiety and feverish excitement. He feared that Yuwen Tong had found out something about his secret, but at the same time rejoiced at Yuwen Tong’s concern for him.
“If that was all that happened, there’s no way he could have found out your secret, but he definitely knows that you’re concealing something from him, and I’m afraid he’s secretly had his men spy on me when I was not paying attention,” said Ling Zhaowu, looking calm and composed. He didn’t mind that Yuwen Tong might have had someone spy on him, but…
“Although I never disclosed my secrets to anybody else, I haven’t been trying to hide anything either. I’m afraid he’s already noticed some of those contradictory facts about me.”
Ling Zhang was taken aback. “Will he find out about it?”
Ling Zhaowu shook his head. “This kind of thing is preposterous and unbelievable. Even if you tell it to someone on your own account, they might not necessarily believe you, but there’s no doubt Yuwen Tong has become suspicious of those contradictory things about me, and he would try various devices to get to the bottom of it. When he fails to find anything out about it, maybe he would start to consider this possibility.”
Ling Zhang’s lips clamped tightly together and he began to feel panic again.
“Before he starts considering that incredible possibility, he would probably come here to sound me out first. Let me handle him. You may just go back and act normally and don’t show any sign of it,” said Ling Zhaowu.
Ling Zhang bobbed his head. “Okay.”
For an instant Ling Zhaowu seemed to have something to say, but eventually he held back the words on the tip of his tongue. It occurred to him that Yuwen Tong had been so observant as to notice the changes in Ling Zhang’s mood, and right now Ling Zhang was clearly a little fl.u.s.tered. One could hardly hide any mood swings from their partner having an intense bond with them. Ling Zhaowu felt that maybe he shouldn’t have said these words to his son.
But what was done was done, and it was impossible to take his words back. He could only wait and see what kind of att.i.tude Yuwen Tong would take when he came here to talk with him.
Ling Zhaowu gave it some thought but didn’t show any particular emotion on his face for fear that Ling Zhang would feel more stressed.
Ling Zhang stayed in the Ling Mansion for the whole morning and then returned to the palace before lunch. When he arrived at the gateway of the Infinite Fortune Palace, he paused and unnoticeably took in a large gulp of air before walking through the gates.
Miao s.h.i.+ba, who had been following in Ling Zhang’s wake, gazed at Ling Zhang’s back, a thoughtful look on his face. That pause just now was a little weird. It was as though Childe Ling was psyching himself up for something. This was so strange. This place was home for Childe Ling. Why was he acting like it were some kind of battlefield? This matter was definitely not what it seemed. He needed to report it to the Marshal straight away.