The matter came very suddenly. As Yun Ye prepared to console the two officials who despite severe abuse remained upright and incorruptible, Yuchi Gong hiccupped and emerged from behind, accompanied by Duan Meng’s father, General Duan.
Duan Meng walked while shouting: “Didn’t you want to see my father? I invited him here. If you have something to say, say it to my father.”
What more was there to say? Standing beside them, Yun Ye felt his hair standing on end with a cold sensation. The two officials’ legs trembled, their tongues curled up as they gestured frantically, stammering incoherently.
“My son was rude? Do you know his father is even ruder than him?” General Duan grabbed one official by the collar, lifted his hand, and the official went up into a tree, clutching the branches tightly and refusing to come down. The other fared no better—he also went up a tree, a different one. This was Yuchi Gong’s masterpiece.
General Duan further intimidated them: “Coming to spoil things on such a joyous day! It’s just killing one tiger—this is called eliminating harm for the people. Does that warrant coming to arrest people at home? If you dare come down again, I’ll break your legs.”
The guests in the courtyard still didn’t know what had happened and continued drinking. Li Jing held his wine bowl and circled the corn, even touching with his hand the purple aerial roots exposed on the corn stalk. He turned to Qin Qiong and said: “Have you eaten this new crop before?”
Qin Qiong shook his head and said: “I heard that young fellow only had five seeds. He’s planted two crops now, so there still isn’t much. If we want to eat the new crop, we’ll have to wait until next year at the earliest. Last year my household harvested potatoes. This old man tasted one—the flavor was sweet and delicious, suitable as both vegetable and grain. Stored in the cellar for an entire winter, they were all fine. This year I planted half an acre. No matter what, we should harvest two thousand catties. Next year we can plant much more.”
“I also ate potatoes. The taste is indeed good. The main thing is they fill people up. In future military campaigns, we can bring more of these things. Even if they get rained on it doesn’t matter. They store for a long time. In the future we’ll no longer have military provisions to worry about. I’d like to see how long these troublemakers like Goguryeo and Tuyuhun can remain rampant.”
Speaking of warfare, Qin Qiong became somewhat dejected. Although his body had received a blood transfusion from Yun Ye, it only treated symptoms not the root cause. While his person felt more relaxed, all his physical strength had disappeared. Henceforth the battlefield was no longer meant for him. Now he could only watch over things in Chang’an for his old brothers.
Li Jing glanced sideways at Qin Qiong and said: “Brother Shubao, haven’t you fought enough battles? Those who kill will be killed in turn. You and I both count as those who’ve killed like mowing grass. Being able to live and enjoy glory and wealth is already Heaven opening its eyes. Think about the old brothers from the past—how many are alive today? Dan Xiongxin even died at our hands. I heard his son came to Chang’an?”
“Yes, he’s currently studying at the Academy. I never expected he’d have the fortune to study under Ding Yanping’s tutelage. With his martial skills, among young people he’s already invincible. Yun Ye says this boy is ruthless and merciless, with few concepts of right and wrong in his heart—all he has is a set of bandit rules. I never imagined that after Ding Yanping went into seclusion, he’d become even more extreme.”
Qin Qiong didn’t tell Li Jing that Dan Ying had once attempted to assassinate the Emperor. These words could be spoken to Cheng Yaojin and Yun Ye, but couldn’t be said to Li Jing or Li Ji—it concerned the lives and fortunes of three families. He couldn’t help but be cautious.
“Ding Yanping? No wonder he has such good martial skills. That old monster is actually still alive—he must be nearly ninety now, right? But putting the little monster in the hands of Yun Ye, that great monster—I imagine even if he sprouted wings, he couldn’t escape.”
Li Jing was very gleeful over others’ misfortune. He was now almost aligning with Li Er—as long as Yun Ye suffered misfortune, he was happy.
“Little Ye doesn’t know martial arts after all. I’m worried he’ll suffer losses.” Still, Qin Qiong was magnanimous, showing more concern for Yun Ye.
“If martial skills were useful, where are those heroes who shook the realm? In the struggle for dominance under Heaven, they died the fastest. Your martial skills are also top-notch—why are you now bedridden with illness? Since Yun Ye has already gotten Dan Ying into the Academy, this shows he’s already won without possibility of loss. Occupying the great advantage of the teacher-student relationship, from now on I’m afraid you should worry about Old Dan’s son rather than Yun Ye.”
“Since returning from the grasslands and finishing off the Dou family, that boy Yun Ye has been concealing his form and hiding his traces. He’s been stirring up wind and rain in the Academy but stubbornly refuses to step one foot into Chang’an city. In a short time, the Academy has become the Great Tang’s foremost academy. The Imperial Academy and the Institute of Literati have bowed in submission. With one examination question testing character, he’s almost bought the hearts of scholars throughout the realm. None don’t consider joining the Academy an honor.”
“Most wonderfully, he actually persuaded His Majesty to serve as the Academy’s director. Now it’s been proclaimed to the realm by clear decree. From the roots, he’s swept away all future troubles for the Academy. Under the cover of His Majesty’s signboard, he can instill in students that set of disgusting strange theories of his without the slightest worry.”
“Brother Shubao, you underestimate this junior of yours too much. The Academy has barely gained firm footing, yet the horn has already sounded in the south. Have the veterans from your household also been taken away by him? Don’t look at me—those from my household were also taken. I’m afraid the retainer troops from all our military leaders’ households have been swept clean by him. Three thousand battle-hardened veterans, in Lingnan where barbarians are everywhere, where the mountains are high and the Emperor is far away—this is a force sufficient to destroy families and nations.”
“Leading them is the former chief of the Bai Qi Si. Do you think they’ll have scruples? Never mind those small states—I’m afraid even Feng Ang is now beating his chest and stamping his feet. A meal that tastes good is hard to digest.”
“Between Yun Ye and Princess Shouyang things are unclear—there must be private feelings. Poor barbarian king—he actually had designs on Shouyang. That’s truly seeking his own death. Do you think there aren’t good family sons in Chang’an suited to match Shouyang? It’s not that there aren’t any—it’s that no one dares.”
“When he says he’ll make money, I believe without doubt. If raiding families and destroying nations didn’t make money, that would be seeing a ghost. Even if he said gold was falling from the sky in Lingnan, I’d believe it. Just watch—within two years, Lingnan will produce a second figure capable of standing in court on equal footing with Feng Ang. That will be Princess Shouyang. If the time is even longer, I’m afraid Feng Ang will have to admit defeat. The power of money is too terrifying.”
“You know what we are? We’re this boy’s hostages. Those three thousand troops campaigning abroad will certainly reap full rewards. After returning home, they’ll definitely be deeply grateful to this boy. We’ll naturally also receive great benefits. No one will be dissatisfied with him.”
“If you don’t believe me, watch—even the families of veterans who die in Lingnan won’t have complaints against him. Then he can seek new recruits from among the sons of veterans, generation after generation, serving him for ages, utterly loyal.”
“Most terrifying is this boy has no ambition. He just wants to run an academy and settle his household well, comfortably finishing out this lifetime. On one hand brilliant talent and bold strategy, on the other hand petty calculations—haphazardly accomplishing in just a few short years what would take other families hundreds or thousands of years to achieve. Looking back, he actually hasn’t exerted much effort. The people are ours, the money is ours, the planning is done by us—yet the greatest benefit is his.”
“My old brother, you probably still aren’t clear. He has a little mistress on the grasslands, a supremely stupid Turkic woman at that. Yet it’s precisely this Turkic woman who now owns the most fertile pastures beneath the Yin Mountains. She knows nothing except picking things up. Today she picked up dozens of sheep from the Naqu tribe, tomorrow she picked up dozens of cattle from the Gongniu tribe. As long as people go to demand them back, she cries, then goes to find the Great Tang garrison, saying she’s been bullied. Those garrisons’ current supplies and war spoils sales are all provided by the Great Tang’s largest trading company, Tianhe Company. As far as I know, the Empress’s share amounts to seventy percent. Of the remaining thirty percent, the Yun family holds twenty percent and that fat He holds ten percent. Tell me, who will the garrison side with?”
“When I left, I only allocated a hundred li of territory to her. Now it’s more than three hundred li. I heard that stupid woman has now started picking up herdsmen—clearly their cattle and sheep have multiplied beyond what they can manage.”
“The Academy is currently preparing a research project. Supposedly they plan to use wool to weave cloth. Once successful, those herdsmen will never escape our Great Tang’s control—generation after generation grazing on the grasslands and shearing wool. Border raids—such things will never appear in future history books again.”
“Brother Qin, I’ve said so much. Now you should understand which of those two, him and Dan Ying, is the wolf and which is the sheep. If one day he jumps out and battles this old man in open combat, I’ll turn my horse and flee without a second word. This would indicate he already has certain victory.”
This entire speech made Old Qin sweat profusely. He was a valiant general—conventional warfare was his forte. But involving such powerful conspiracies and schemes, he was somewhat behind the times. He couldn’t imagine how one person could simultaneously do so many things. Two years ago the Yun family was still an inconspicuous small clan. Yun Ye was also ordered about by these elders, frequently receiving kicks to the backside. He could still be kicked now, but why did his heart feel uncertain? Zhijie, what kind of monster did you pick up?
Turning his head to look, he saw Yun Ye smiling at the gate, trying to persuade those two officials to come down from the trees, even guaranteeing he wouldn’t beat them anymore. He smiled very sincerely, yet Old Qin’s heart felt cold.
“You also needn’t worry he’ll scheme against us. Though this boy is base at heart, he’s truly someone who values sentiment and righteousness. For the sake of a singing girl, he could brave universal condemnation and move against a thousand-year-old clan, executing it cleanly and decisively. Though some aftereffects remained, that was due to negligence by the Bai Qi Si people. This conviction of ‘though thousands oppose me, I go forward’—that’s not something a scoundrel could possess. Valuing sentiment and righteousness, full of cunning schemes—I truly dare not imagine what kind of figure his teacher must be.”
Yun Ye finally persuaded the two officials down from the trees. He even wrapped two packages of silver for them and promised that after the birthday banquet, he would go to the Vehicle and Horse Bureau to report and pay the fine. Only then did he have someone drive a carriage to send away these two officials who didn’t know if they were unlucky or fortunate.
Seeing Qin Qiong and Li Jing still standing under the blazing sun, he opened a large umbrella and held it over them both. He said to Qin Qiong: “Uncle Qin, your body is weak. Standing in the sun you’ll easily get heatstroke. Another serious illness would damage your vital energy.” Speaking thus, he also had someone bring hot tea to present to Qin Qiong, adding: “Though grape wine is beneficial for you, it shouldn’t be iced, and drinking too much isn’t good either. Having just finished eating, you should drink a cup of hot tea instead.”
Qin Qiong accepted the teacup, took a sip, and looked at Yun Ye again. Suddenly he laughed. There were plenty of capable people in this world. Yun Ye was just a filial junior. Li Jing’s words were merely speculation. How things actually were, only Heaven knew. With his own decades of life experience, he believed his eyes weren’t blind—he could still distinguish good from bad.