While Song Mo was helping his mother balance the summer rent accounts from their estates, he hadn’t planned on meeting Gu Yu. However, Gu Yu came to visit on his own.
“Brother Tianci, have you finished all your tasks?” When the Jiang family encountered trouble, the Song family offered assistance without hesitation. Gu Yu had visited his aunt in the palace several times, but Empress Wan cautioned him not to interfere. She told him that the Song family would certainly need to make arrangements, and advised him not to seek out Song Mo during this time to avoid seeing anything he shouldn’t, which might cause the Song family to become wary of him. She assured him that if Song Mo needed his help, he would reach out. This was why Gu Yu hadn’t been visiting as frequently as before.
Now that the Jiang family’s affairs had settled, he naturally felt less restrained.
“More or less finished,” Song Mo said, leading him to the adjacent reception room. “What brings you here today?”
Initially, Gu Yu had learned martial arts and studied with Song Mo’s tutors. His transformation impressed many, and after the Count of Cloud Yang personally came to thank the Song family, he took Gu Yu back home and hired tutors to teach him there.
“I said I wanted to come see you,” Gu Yu sat unceremoniously on the arhat bed, grabbing an apple from the side table and taking a bite. He complained, “Where did these fruits come from? They taste awful.” He then called loudly for his servant, Bai Que, “Go home and bring the basket of pears I snuck out of the palace the other day.” Turning back to Song Mo, he said, “They’re newly harvested autumn pears, not yet available in the markets. They’re not very sweet, but quite juicy – a bit better than these dry fruits of yours.”
This fellow was particular about food and entertainment, but Song Mo couldn’t be bothered to argue. He sent a servant to accompany Bai Que to the Cloud Yang Count’s mansion to fetch the pears.
Gu Yu leaned in and asked Song Mo in a low voice, “Have you still not made contact with the King of Liao?”
Song Mo replied, “My father and the Third Prince Consort are discussing the matter.”
Gu Yu scoffed dismissively, “In my opinion, there’s no need for Uncle to get involved. You and I could just go to Liaodong ourselves. With our presence there, what does it matter if he’s a king now? If he doesn’t give us a face, we’ll beat him black and blue. Who’s afraid of whom?”
Song Mo shared this sentiment.
However, with his father running back and forth, he didn’t want to disregard his efforts. Even his mother had said, “It’s rare for your father to be so attentive. Let him try. There are some of your grandfather’s subordinates in Hengzhen, and when your uncles arrive, they will likely receive some care. Just keep an eye on things. If there’s no news from your father’s end, you can always go to Liaodong yourself later. Your uncles will probably take one or two months on the road, unlike you who could ride there quickly, arriving ahead of them.”
This wasn’t something he could say in front of Gu Yu, so he only replied, “Is this something that can be solved with fists? Don’t forget, it was the Emperor who issued the decree!”
“That’s right!” Gu Yu furrowed his brow, “Even my aunt finds it strange, saying the Emperor wasn’t so suspicious in the past.” He looked around and lowered his voice further, “Yesterday, the Emperor suddenly pointed at my aunt and asked, ‘Who are you? How did you get into my palace?'”
Song Mo’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly glanced around.
He had heard that the Emperor’s memory was failing, but to not even recognize the Empress…
“Who told you this?” he asked, his voice slightly tense.
Song Mo was usually somewhat aloof, and Gu Yu didn’t notice the change in his tone. He replied, “My aunt told me, of course! She was very worried, saying that now he’s just forgetting people, but if during ministerial meetings he can’t remember what he has said, that would be disastrous!”
It seemed Empress Wan was using Gu Yu to pass a message to their family.
Song Mo nodded and changed the subject, “So you should also be more cautious these days.”
Gu Yu shrank his neck and said, “I think so too!” Then he sighed, “That King of Liao is clever. He could have avoided going to his fief, but he ran off in a flash, leaving the Crown Prince to be constantly criticized by the Emperor.”
Song Mo smiled, “Jade must be cut and polished to become a tool. The Emperor is showing his deep love through strict discipline!”
“That kind of love is unnecessary,” Gu Yu waved his hand, losing interest in the topic. He asked, “When will you finish with these accounts? The Marquis of Jing has finally requested the Emperor to name Zhang Zongyao as his heir. They’ve invited Zeng Chusheng from the Guanglian Society to perform at their home. Shall we go to their place to watch the opera?”
With the imperial edict issued, the Zhang family would certainly celebrate.
Song Mo’s interest was piqued as he remembered that Zhang Yuanming had married a woman from the Ji’ning Marquis’s family, surnamed Wei…
He casually asked, “Who else has been invited?”
“I don’t know,” Gu Yu never cared about such things, he wasn’t afraid of anyone and had no reservations, “It’s always the same crowd coming and going.”
“Alright, come and get me when it’s time!”
Gu Yu left happily.
Song Mo informed the household’s social affairs department, and on the day of the event, he took the invitation sent by the Zhang family and went with Gu Yu to the Marquis of Jing’s mansion.
Both were marquis households, so the layout and size were similar according to regulations. The main difference was that in the Marquis of Ying’s mansion, the main hall was right at the entrance, with the main living quarters behind it, the garden to the east, and the daily living area to the west. In the Marquis of Jing’s mansion, the garden was at the entrance, with the main hall to the west, the main living quarters behind it, and the daily living area to the east. After paying their respects to the Marquis of Jing in the west wing, they went directly to the garden.
The stage had already been set up, but the performance hadn’t started yet. In the nearby mountain house, gambling was already in full swing, with boisterous noise and occasional cheers, making the stage area seem quiet in comparison.
Gu Yu laughed, “It must be Zhang Jixian’s game!”
Zhang Xuming, courtesy name Jixian, was the granddaughter’s son-in-law of Princess Ningde, and a distant relative of Song Mo.
Song Mo smiled, “I see you didn’t come to watch the opera, but to gamble.”
Gu Yu chuckled and whispered to Song Mo, “They have more money than sense. I’d be a fool not to play a few rounds and earn some pocket money!”
Song Mo laughed but held him back, “Today is Zhang Zongyao’s big day. We should at least congratulate the man of the hour, shouldn’t we? Come with me to see Zhang Zongyao first.”
In such gambling games, the stakes were usually no more than a thousand taels of silver, which Gu Yu didn’t take seriously. If he wanted to gamble, he would go to the largest gambling house in the capital to play with salt merchants from Yangzhou or traders from Guangdong. But here, where everyone was of similar status, though the stakes were small, there was a unique pleasure in it, and he enjoyed watching and cheering from the sidelines. However, since Song Mo was here, he would naturally accompany him.
Passing by the gambling area without entering, Gu Yu asked a servant where Zhang Yuanming was.
As all the guests today were distinguished, the servant eagerly replied, “Our young master’s brother-in-law, the Marquis of Ji’ning, and the fourth young master of the Marquis of Yan’an’s family have come. As they were in mourning, the Marquis of Ji’ning was going to leave after seeing the young mistress, so our young mistress asked the young master to have a word with them. He should be out soon.”
Speak of the devil!
Song Mo smiled, guessing that Zhang Yuanming would certainly see Wei Tingyu out, and slowly walked with Gu Yu towards the entrance hall.
Gu Yu was puzzled.
Zhang Yuanming was more than ten years older than them and was known to be dull and timid, not someone they would usually associate with. Yet Song Mo seemed to have come specifically for him.
He couldn’t help but ask Song Mo in a low voice, “Do you have some business with him?”
Song Mo knew Gu Yu was clever, but his quick reaction still surprised him a little.
Half-jokingly and half-seriously, he replied, “Am I that obvious?” This response made it difficult for Gu Yu to inquire further.
As they approached the entrance hall, they happened to meet Zhang Yuanming seeing off Wei Tingyu and Wang Qinghai.
Seeing Song Mo and Gu Yu, all three were stunned.
Wei Tingyu and Wang Qinghai didn’t recognize them, while Zhang Yuanming hadn’t expected to see them.
Song Mo took the initiative to greet Zhang Yuanming, which brought the three back to their senses.
Zhang Yuanming hurriedly introduced Wei Tingyu and Wang Qinghai to Song Mo and Gu Yu, but as soon as he spoke, he realized that Wei Tingyu was now a marquis and should be the one to whom Song Mo and Gu Yu were introduced. However, Song Mo was the heir of the Marquis of Ying, and Gu Yu was the nephew of Empress Wan. Even though Wei Tingyu was now a marquis, in terms of status, he probably couldn’t compare to these two…
Seeing Song Mo and Gu Yu’s calm expressions, he felt relieved.
Wei Tingyu and Wang Qinghai hadn’t thought so much about it.
The heir of the Marquis of Ying was someone far beyond their reach, while Gu Yu was known throughout the capital as the “Little Tyrant.” The former was someone they couldn’t possibly associate with due to their status and position, while the latter was someone they wouldn’t deign to interact with due to his character and reputation. But now that they had met, the two couldn’t help but observe Song Mo and Gu Yu.
Song Mo wore a white robe with a jade belt, a sachet, and a mutton-fat jade pendant hanging at his waist. His delicate features were like rolling hills, his calm eyes as deep as a pond. His demeanor was noble, his manners elegant. Such a beautiful young man who should have immediately inspired goodwill stood there with a smile on his lips, yet he exuded an aura of calm that felt as imposing as a mountain, subtly inspiring a sense of awe. The fair-skinned, red-lipped Gu Yu standing beside him was like a bright star in the vast night sky, his brilliance completely overshadowed by Song Mo.
The two couldn’t help but exchange glances.
Song Mo was also observing Wei Tingyu and Wang Qinghai.
Wei Tingyu appeared to be seventeen or eighteen, wearing a pale moon-white fine cotton robe. As he was in mourning, a palm-sized piece of hemp cloth was attached to the corner of his robe. He had sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes, tall and straight. Wang Qinghai seemed to be a year or two older than Wei Tingyu, wearing a sapphire blue robe with purple floral patterns. He had a straight nose and a square mouth, with a slightly dark complexion. Remarkably, both had clear eyes, obviously the kind of people who had received a good education and grown up smoothly.
Song Mo exchanged pleasantries with Wei Tingyu: “I didn’t expect to meet the Marquis of Ji’ning and Fourth Young Master Wang here. The opera hasn’t started yet, so why not stay a while longer? I hear that Zeng Chusheng from the Guanglian Society is performing today – he rarely takes the stage personally since developing asthma, so it’s quite a feat for the Marquis of Jing’s household to invite him. Why don’t you two stay and watch the opera before leaving?”
His voice was gentle and his tone friendly, making Zhang Yuanming feel honored. He quickly added, “Yes, such opportunities are rare. Why don’t you stay and watch the opera before leaving?”
Wei Tingyu knew how valuable it would be to associate with the heir of the Marquis of Ying, but he was still in mourning.
After hesitating for a moment, he regretfully declined: “Thank you for your kind offer, Marquis of Ying, but I am in mourning and it’s not appropriate for me to stay long. If there’s an opportunity in the future, I’d like to host Marquis of Ying for a gathering.” Although his manner was somewhat stiff, his words were appropriate and polite.