If Hua Tang weren’t a formidable character, he wouldn’t have come up with the idea of having his son replace Qiu Lingwei as the Qianhu. However, convincing him that a father had no control over his son was still challenging.
After Wang Qinghuai left, Hua Tang pondered for a while before heading to the Marquis of An Lu’s residence.
The Marquis of An Lu was staring at his chief steward in disbelief. “Are you saying the Earl of Dongping refuses to release the man?” he asked incredulously. “Even with my guarantee, he still won’t release him?”
Earlier that morning, his attendant had been arrested by the Shuntian Prefecture for suspected involvement in the fire incident at Duke Ying’s mansion. Unfamiliar with Huang Qi, he had written a letter and sent his chief steward to seek help from the Earl of Dongping, hoping the Earl could intervene and secure the attendant’s release.
The chief steward lowered his gaze and replied softly, “The Earl of Dongping said that since the Emperor has set a deadline to capture the culprits, he and Lord Huang must share the responsibility. He feels uncomfortable approaching Lord Huang about this matter. He suggested that you might try speaking with the heir of Duke Ying’s household. The Emperor has bestowed upon the heir the sword used by Emperor Taizong, tasking him with overseeing the Five Cities Command and the Shuntian Prefecture in capturing the culprits. Moreover, as the aggrieved party, if he could put in a good word, it would make it easier for the Earl of Dongping and Lord Huang to comply…”
Before the steward could finish, the Marquis of An Lu’s face turned ashen. He furiously smashed his teacup on the ground.
“They arrested my attendant without any investigation. Not only is he completely uninvolved with Duke Ying’s affairs, but even if he were, they shouldn’t have disrespected me like this. Now they want me to seek help from a junior? What are they implying? Do they think I’m a paper tiger because I haven’t shown my teeth?” He coldly instructed his steward, “Summon the household guards. We’re going to the Shuntian Prefecture. I’d like to see if Huang Qi dares to stop me!”
The chief steward shuddered.
Forcibly retrieving someone from the Shuntian Prefecture would escalate the situation dramatically.
Anxious and unable to think of a way to dissuade the Marquis, the steward caught sight of a trusted servant peeking through the doorway. Seeing him as a potential savior, the steward thought that regardless of the matter, he should first delay the Marquis and then seize the opportunity to inform the Madam. With her intervention, the Marquis wouldn’t dare disobey. He immediately shouted towards where the servant was hiding, “Who’s lurking outside?”
The servant timidly entered, “My Lord, Commander Hua of Weizhou seeks an audience!”
The Marquis of An Lu frowned, about to refuse, but the chief steward interjected, “Isn’t the Hua family arranging a marriage with the Song family? Perhaps Commander Hua brings good news?”
After a moment’s consideration, the Marquis nodded slightly.
The chief steward sighed in relief and promptly went to invite Hua Tang in.
Hua Tang and the Marquis of An Lu took their seats as host and guest. Hua Tang tactfully explained his purpose: “…I’m unfamiliar with the situation in the capital and cannot judge the veracity of the heir of Marquis Yan’an’s words. Thus, I’ve come to seek your guidance, my lord.”
The Marquis of An Lu, known for his hot temper and disregard for trivial matters, usually paid little attention to such rumors. Hearing this, he was momentarily stunned, recalling the arrest of his loyal servant…
Could this incident be related to his role as a matchmaker for Duke Ying?
The thought flashed through his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.
Even if that were the case, the heir of Duke Ying was barely twenty years old. How could he possibly manipulate the Earl of Dongping and Huang Qi?
“Don’t listen to those youngsters’ nonsense,” he said dismissively. “A father unable to control his son? Such a thing doesn’t exist in this world! Rest assured, after I return from the Shuntian Prefecture, we’ll discuss your case thoroughly and find a way to resolve this matter.”
Hearing this, Hua Tang felt somewhat relieved. He expressed his gratitude profusely before taking his leave.
The Marquis of An Lu immediately led his guards to the Shuntian Prefecture.
By the time the chief steward arrived at the hall supporting the Madam of An Lu, the Marquis and his guards had already vanished.
As the newly appointed Prefect of Shuntian, Huang Qi was responsible for several counties including Daxing and Wanping. Having just assumed his position, he hadn’t yet visited all the areas under his jurisdiction. It was unlikely that he would spend every day in his office waiting for news about the fire at Duke Ying’s mansion.
When the Marquis of An Lu arrived at the Shuntian Prefecture, Huang Qi happened to be in Daxing and wasn’t in the office.
The Marquis, now completely uninhibited, quickly got into an argument with the Deputy Prefect of Shuntian and attempted to forcibly retrieve his man.
The Deputy Prefect, trembling with anger, resisted for a while with his bailiffs but ultimately dared not harm the Marquis. He instructed his subordinates to quickly summon the Earl of Dongping.
Gu Yu, who was drinking tea in a teahouse across from the Shuntian Prefecture, was thoroughly amused by the scene. He said to his guard with a smile, “Brother Tianci predicted correctly that the impulsive Marquis of An Lu would come to the Shuntian Prefecture to forcibly retrieve his man.” He waved his hand, “Let’s go, it’s our turn to make an appearance!” His excitement was palpable.
The two guards exchanged glances, reluctantly following him. From a distance, they could hear Gu Yu shouting: “Where’s that treacherous thief from the Marquis of An Lu’s household? Brother Tianci wants me to bring him to Duke Ying’s mansion for a thorough interrogation to see who put him up to this!”
Recognizing the newcomer, the Marquis of An Lu was so enraged he nearly coughed up blood. He shouted, “Gu Yu, what are you meddling in here? Be careful, or I’ll tell the Earl of Yuyang!”
“Oh!” Gu Yu widened his eyes in feigned surprise. “Uncle, you’re here too? I’ve been helping out at Duke Ying’s mansion these past few days, and my grandfather knows about it. What brings you here, Uncle? Surely you’re not here to forcibly retrieve someone from the Shuntian Prefecture? If the Emperor finds out, it would be disastrous! Instead of privately besieging the Shuntian Prefecture, wouldn’t it be better to file a complaint in court? At least then you wouldn’t risk being impeached by those censors for ‘contempt of the court’ or similar charges…”
The Marquis of An Lu’s eyes were bloodshot, but he had to admit that Gu Yu’s words made sense.
He snorted several times before leading his guards away from the Shuntian Prefecture.
Gu Yu then approached the still-shocked Deputy Prefect of Shuntian, patting him on the shoulder. “I’m going to file a complaint against the Marquis of An Lu before the Emperor. You’d better inform Lord Huang quickly. Even the Emperor can be influenced by first impressions.” He added a reminder, “If anyone tries to escape from jail, you’re fully within your rights to kill them on the spot!”
The Deputy Prefect of Shuntian shot Gu Yu a grateful look, instinctively cupping his hands and saying “Thank you.”
But as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized that this whole incident had been instigated by Gu Yu. If not for him, the Marquis of An Lu wouldn’t have thought of filing a complaint to the Emperor, so why should he be thanking Gu Yu?
The realization left him fuming.
Gu Yu had already swaggered out of the Shuntian Prefecture with his guards.
The Deputy Prefect of Shuntian had no choice but to send someone to inform Huang Qi as quickly as possible.
At the Qianqing Palace, the Earl of Dongping, Huang Qi, and the Marquis of An Lu each presented their version of events, each believing they were in the right. Meanwhile, Gu Yu stood to the side, muttering, “Does being a meritorious noble mean one can disregard the court’s rules and do as they please? If so, wouldn’t that mean the princes could arbitrarily command the Six Ministries and Three Departments to do their bidding?”
The Emperor, who had been half-closing his eyes and seemingly disinterested in the Earl of Dongping and the others’ arguments, suddenly showed a flash of sharpness in his gaze. He calmly spoke, “Fine the Marquis of An Lu one year’s salary.” The chatter in the hall abruptly ceased, as if cut off by a knife, leaving it eerily silent. “Fine the Earl of Dongping and Huang Qi one month’s salary.” Then, turning his gaze to Gu Yu, he added, “And you are confined to your quarters for two months!”
“What?!” Gu Yu’s face fell in shock, and he mumbled, “What did I do?”
The Emperor gave him a stern look.
Gu Yu immediately knelt and kowtowed.
And with that, the matter was settled!
The Earl of Dongping and the others quickly knelt, respectfully bowing before filing out.
The Marquis of An Lu shot Gu Yu a fierce glare before storming off.
Gu Yu couldn’t help but rub his nose, complaining to the Earl of Dongping, “Tell me, who did I offend?”
Looking at his handsome face, the Earl of Dongping and Huang Qi couldn’t help but laugh.
When Gu Yu saw Song Mo, he was quite proud of himself: “Brother Tianci, how about that? My words to the Emperor were good, weren’t they? Now let’s see where the Marquis of An Lu can put his face! Trying to go against us, hmph…”
Song Mo was speechless.
If it weren’t for those few sentences of yours, how would you have ended up confined to your quarters?!
He’d have to teach him gradually in the future.
He said, “In two months, it will be time for the New Year. Use this time to practice your calligraphy. When the time comes, write a few ‘Fu’ characters for the Empress. When the Emperor sees your improved writing, his anger will naturally subside.”
Gu Yu nodded and smiled, “Brother Tianci, don’t worry about me. As long as you handle things well, my two months of confinement won’t be in vain.”
Song Mo patted Gu Yu on the shoulder.
The Marquis of An Lu, unable to vent his frustration, took it out on the servants and maids at home.
When Hua Tang came to inquire about the situation and learned of this, he remained silent for a while before returning home to write a letter, which he had delivered to Duke Ying’s mansion.
Song Mo opened the letter to find it was a marriage refusal citing incompatible horoscopes.
He passed the letter to Yan Chaoqing.
Yan Chaoqing smiled and said, “We should help Commander Hua deliver this letter to the Duke.”
“Let’s leave that task to Mr. Liao,” Song Mo replied with a smile. “You’re still busy identifying the authenticity of those thieves.”
Liao Bifeng gladly accepted the task. Within a few days, the lawsuit involving Hua Tang’s eldest son was settled privately, but Qiu Lingwei lost his position as Qianhu.
Hua Tang hastily bid farewell to the Marquis of An Lu and left for Weilan with his son, thoroughly humiliated.
The Marquis of An Lu was left in silent contemplation.
After a night of deep thought, he went to Duke Ying’s mansion.
Song Mo received the Marquis of An Lu courteously, stating that it was all a misunderstanding and that he would personally explain the situation to the Earl of Dongping, assuring him not to worry.
The Marquis of An Lu left Duke Ying’s mansion with a gloomy expression.
The next day, his attendant was released.
Soon, all the noble families in the capital learned of this incident.
Some were astonished, some sighed, but most were relieved, thinking, “Thankfully, we didn’t offend the heir of Duke Ying.”
Chen Jia, who had taken leave and was hiding in the outskirts of the capital for fear of Song Mo finding him, could no longer sit still.
He sought out his sworn brothers: “No matter what, you must help me find out where the heir of Duke Ying is. I must see him!”
After two or three days, he received news about Song Mo: “The heir of Duke Ying hasn’t left his residence these past few days. According to the household staff, he’s been helping his wife turn soil, preparing to plant autumn flowers and herbs in the small garden.”
Chen Jia was stunned.
How could someone as ruthless as Song Mo be helping women plant flowers and herbs?
He couldn’t help but recall the rumors about Song Mo in the capital, as well as his astonishment upon first meeting him.
Song Mo, also known as Song Yantang – what kind of person was he?
Chen Jia gazed at the overcast noon sky, lost in thought.
Meanwhile, Dou Zhao was distressed to see Song Mo covered in dirt and personally brought water to help him wash his hands. “If you have matters to attend to, go ahead. I can manage here with a few maids and servants.”
Song Mo had been very busy these past few days, often returning to his chambers only in the early hours of the morning.