Song Mo nodded silently after hearing Wei Tingyu’s response.

As they walked out together, Song Mo made small talk with Wei Tingyu, “What do you usually do for leisure?”

Wei Tingyu replied respectfully, “I mostly read and practice calligraphy at home. I don’t have many pastimes.” He then politely asked, “May I inquire about the young master of the Marquis of Ying’s leisure activities?”

Zhang Yuanming broke into a cold sweat hearing this exchange. How could Wei Tingyu speak so casually to Song Mo, the heir of the Marquis of Ying?

Before Song Mo could answer, Zhang Yuanming hastily interjected, “My brother-in-law enjoys horseback riding and archery! He often exercises his horse along the moat outside Xuanwu Gate!”

Living in the capital was not easy. Not every household had enough space for horse riding.

“Oh!” Song Mo’s interest was piqued. After a moment’s thought, he suggested to Gu Yu, “Why don’t we go riding by the moat tomorrow with the Marquis of Jining?”

Gu Yu immediately understood Song Mo’s intention to get closer to Wei Tingyu and had no reason to refuse.

“Sounds great!” he exclaimed cheerfully, then said to Wei Tingyu, “It’s settled then. We’ll meet at dawn tomorrow without fail!”

Wei Tingyu and Wang Qinghai exchanged bewildered glances, both seeing apprehension in each other’s eyes.

Zhang Yuanming, thinking Wei Tingyu had caught Song Mo’s fancy, was delighted and quickly answered on Wei Tingyu’s behalf, “We’ll be there!”

Song Mo nodded slightly, his demeanor both dignified and composed, instantly making others feel as if they were in the presence of someone extraordinary.

Wei Tingyu and Wang Qinghai couldn’t help but look worried.

Wang Qinghai tugged at Zhang Yuanming’s sleeve.

Although Zhang Yuanming had never been favored by his mother, Lady Yuan, and appeared simple due to his lack of involvement in family affairs, he was not stupid.

He quietly slowed his pace, gradually falling behind Song Mo and Gu Yu.

Wang Qinghai immediately moved closer and whispered, “Brother-in-law, how can we compare ourselves to the young master of the Marquis of Ying and the little tyrant of the capital? We’ll only embarrass ourselves!”

Since they were going riding, they would inevitably have to race.

Wei Tingyu’s mount was an ordinary chestnut horse from Shandong, while Wang Qinghai’s was a gift from his father, the Marquis of Yan’an, four years ago and was already old and slow.

Zhang Yuanming immediately understood their concern. After some thought, he said quietly, “Don’t worry about this. After we see off the young master of the Marquis of Ying, we’ll discuss it in detail. The opportunity to associate with him is too precious to pass up!”

Wang Qinghai understood this as well and nodded eagerly.

To their surprise, Song Mo and Gu Yu accompanied them to the main gate. Left with no choice, they got into their carriage, circled the Jing Guo Mansion once, and then returned.

The relationships between the Zhang brothers were extremely complex. Zhang Yuanming, not wanting others to know about this matter, waited for Wei Tingyu and Wang Qinghai in his private study.

“I’ve already had two excellent Mongolian horses brought from my stable for you,” he instructed them in a low voice. “Take them now. This afternoon, go to the moat and try them out. If there are any issues, send someone to inform me immediately. It’s crucial to leave a good impression on the young master of the Marquis of Ying and Gu Yu.” He then added, “Remember, tomorrow you are accompanying guests. Don’t try to compete with the young master of the Marquis of Ying and Gu Yu. Just make sure they enjoy themselves, understand?”

With a Mongolian horse, one of the best war horses, Wei Tingyu felt confident about tomorrow’s ride.

“Don’t worry, brother-in-law,” he smiled. “They’re just children, albeit of noble status. We won’t take them too seriously.”

“Even if you wanted to, you wouldn’t have the ability!” Wang Qinghai remarked, somewhat amused. “You probably don’t know this, but the young master of the Marquis of Ying can draw a bow of at least three stones. His horse, ‘Flying Crossing,’ is a Wusun horse said to cover a thousand li in a day. It was a tenth birthday gift from Duke Ding. The Song family also has several Zhanchi and Yanqi horses, the most famous being Red Jade, Floating Cloud, Red Lightning, Dust Defyer, and Level Mountain. Our family’s Unrivaled was bred from one of the Song family’s Zhanchi mares and shares the same dam as their Red Jade.”

While he didn’t know much else, Wang Qinghai had seen the Wang family’s Unrivaled with his own eyes. It was tall, strong, and ran like the wind, making him envious. He had secretly wished to somehow acquire a horse as fine as Unrivaled one day.

Wei Tingyu forced a laugh.

Zhang Yuanming seized the opportunity to advise, “There’s always someone better out there. In the future, you should be more mindful of such things.”

His brother-in-law treated him well.

Wei Tingyu quickly responded with a respectful “Yes.”

After giving the two some more instructions, Zhang Yuanming saw them out.

Meanwhile, Song Mo was playing Pai Gow with Zhou Jingping, the youngest son of the Earl of Dongping Zhou Shaochuan; Feng Zhi, the eldest grandson of the Baron of Yong’en Feng Jian’an; and Dong Qi, the heir of the Baron of Guang’en.

A large pile of silver pieces and banknotes, worth at least two thousand taels, had accumulated on the table.

Gu Yu, Zhang Xuming, and other young nobles gathered around the gambling table in complete silence, so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

Zhou Jingping, in his early twenties with regular features, had shifty eyes that made him appear cunning and unreliable.

He felt his cards and glanced at Song Mo who sat casually in the grand chair, looking at his cards before placing them face down on the table. Then he looked at Feng Zhi, whose face had turned ashen, and Dong Qi, who wore a grave expression. After touching his cards once more, he threw out his four cards and declared loudly, “I’m out!”

Two matching cards, a six-point, and a five-point could form a pair of geese and a tiger head.

A pair of geese ranked fifth, just below the Supreme Treasure and Double Heaven.

The onlookers erupted in exclamations.

Feng Zhi’s face darkened further, his eyes seemingly able to shoot flames. “You coward! You’re folding with a pair of geese?”

Zhou Jingping sneered, “Song Da has already won three Supreme Treasures in a row, and I haven’t seen a single three of the clubs. If you’ve got the guts, you bet. I can’t afford to.”

“I’m out too!” As soon as he finished speaking, Dong Qi also threw his four cards on the table.

One heaven card, one mixed five, one club, and one redhead could form a seven-point and a ten-point.

Still no mixed three in sight.

Everyone held their breath.

Feng Zhi’s face alternated between shades of green and white. After a long moment, he angrily threw his cards on the table. “I’m out too.”

He had two plum cards, one earth card, and one mixed nine, which could form a pair of plums and an earth king.

A pair of plums ranked sixth.

Zhou Jingping let out a light snort.

Feng Zhi flew into a rage and was about to say something when Song Mo suddenly stood up and said with a smile, “The banquet should be ready by now. Let’s end it here for today.” He then pointed at the silver pieces and banknotes on the table. “It’s rare for us all to gather like this. If I were to leave now, I’m afraid you’d get me drunk later. I’ll return these to you, and you can’t use this as an excuse to make me drink later.”

Everyone was surprised and burst into cheers, rushing forward to reclaim their silver.

Zhang Xuming laughed as he left the pavilion with Song Mo and Gu Yu.

Feng Zhi watched Song Mo’s retreating figure, his expression alternating between light and dark.

Dong Qi, also watching Song Mo leave, seemed lost in thought.

Earlier, a distant relative of the Marquis of Changxing—whose father worked in the Imperial Gardens—had somehow spotted Gu Yu and shouted, “Gu Yu’s here! Quick, call him in to gamble!”

Everyone knew that Gu Yu had inherited his birth mother’s dowry, which brought in an annual income of twenty to thirty thousand taels of silver.

Several of Gu Yu’s acquaintances laughed along and volunteered to drag him over, not expecting that Song Mo, the heir of the Marquis of Ying, would follow.

While they were all merely nodding acquaintances with Song Mo, he had always been someone they envied—he was the designated heir among only two brothers, free from internal family strife; he came from a wealthy family with his private properties and endless silver to spend; he always carried himself with elegance and nobility, yet was genuinely knowledgeable…

He overheard Feng Zhi and Zhou Jingping whispering, “Another rich one has joined!”

Zhou Jingping hesitated.

Feng Zhi said, “What are you afraid of? There’s no Duke Ding anymore!”

After some thought, Zhou Jingping whispered back, “Let’s do it!”

Then he goaded him, “Remember, your family’s private ships were once confiscated by Duke Ding. Don’t you want to win some back?”

Of course, he wouldn’t fall for such provocation.

But when he saw Song Mo’s hand resting naturally on the arm of the grand red and gold chair, the dazzling contrast between his fair skin and the deep red created a beauty so intense that he found himself inexplicably agreeing with a “Yes.”

Who would have thought Song Mo would gamble?

In less than half an hour, everyone had lost so much that their faces had turned pale.

He was certain Song Mo was cheating, but he couldn’t spot any flaws.

“Damn it!” Feng Zhi’s angry voice reached Dong Qi’s ears. “It’s a pair of mixed fives and a high nine of earth.”

Dong Qi couldn’t help but look over.

Four cards lay in the middle of the table, thrown there by Feng Zhi. The ivory card faces, with their seven red dots, seemed to mock their cowardice.

“What’s so great about that!” Feng Zhi said bitterly. “Watch out, the Emperor might take down their family too!”

The few people still lingering in the pavilion scattered like birds and beasts upon hearing this.

Dong Qi looked at the remaining banknotes on the table, slowly picked them up, and put them in his pocket, then said slowly, “What if the Emperor still harbors some affection for the Jiang family? Otherwise, why would he leave the Jiang family’s ancestral lands, ancestral home, and male descendants under five years old…”

Feng Zhi was stunned.

Dong Qi had already left the pavilion.

He saw Song Mo and Gu Yu bidding farewell to Zhang Xuming.

Zhang Xuming tried to persuade them to stay, but seeing their determination to leave, he saw them out.

“Brother Tianci,” Gu Yu said indignantly, “That Zhou Jingping and Feng Zhi…”

Song Mo raised his hand, gesturing for him to stop speaking, and said calmly, “They’re just clowns, not worth worrying about.” Inwardly, he understood that with the Jiang family’s downfall, some people were trying to use him to gain attention.

Although Gu Yu swallowed his anger, his expression still betrayed his indignation.

The next day, Song Mo and the others met by the moat outside Xuanwu Gate.

Wei Tingyu and Wang Qinghai rode the Mongolian horses given by Zhang Yuanming, while Song Mo and Gu Yu rode two ordinary Mongolian horses.

The two were somewhat surprised.

Song Mo didn’t explain. He sat on his horse, letting it graze freely along the embankment while chatting casually with Wei Tingyu about his family—how many people were in his household, their personalities when he started his education, who his first tutor was…

The morning air by the moat was fresh and filled with lush greenery.

Wei Tingyu and Song Mo found themselves increasingly in tune, to the point where Wei Tingyu even told Song Mo when he was weaned.

How could there be such a naive person in this world?

Gu Yu rolled his eyes, following behind Song Mo and Wei Tingyu with Wang Qinghai, like two shadows.

It wasn’t until the sun rose that Song Mo bid farewell to Wei Tingyu, arranging to meet again in three days.

Upon returning home, Chen He quietly informed Song Mo, “It seems Master Chen is investigating something. He’s had the servants collect official and gentry records from the past twenty years, saying he wants to look them over.”

Now that he’s in the mansion, what could he possibly hide from me?

What was his intention in doing this?

Could this have anything to do with Dou Zhao?

Or was he simply curious?

Song Mo pondered for a moment before saying, “Let’s not startle the snake in the grass. Have those two servants attend to Master Chen well.”

Chen He acknowledged the order and withdrew.

Song Mo stood by the window, gazing at the vibrant flowers outside, lost in thought for a long while.