Yun Ye remained in Chang’an to await Li Er’s summons, but who knew Li Er seemed to have forgotten about him. Chang’an continued to operate methodically, without any of the city-wide lockdowns or massive searches Yun Ye had imagined. He had no idea what game Li Er was playing.
Tang Jian’s son, Tang Shanshi, delivered the Mingyue thumb ring. After delivering a long string of incomprehensible thanks, he wanted to leave hastily. Seeing his clueless expression, Yun Ye knew Tang Jian hadn’t told his son about the opium matter.
Snatching the Mingyue thumb ring from the reluctant Tang Shanshi’s hand, Yun Ye examined it carefully. It truly lived up to its name—though only a half-moon shape, the jade’s quality was exceptional, crystal clear with an almost translucent appearance. Wearing it on his thumb felt perfectly comfortable; it would be an ideal treasure for drawing a bowstring.
Yun Ye made a few bow-drawing gestures and said to Tang Shanshi, whose eyes had never left the Mingyue thumb ring: “Don’t worry. Your father giving me the Mingyue thumb ring doesn’t mean he’s bidding me farewell—it’s simply gratitude. I’m going to give this thing to someone, to completely sever ties with her.”
Tang Shanshi was only twenty years old. Influenced by the Tang family’s teachings, he was thick-skinned and calculating. Even though the item had already been given away, he still beat around the bush asking for reasons. His father had always held himself in high regard, but after being extorted by Yun Ye in a way that cut to the bone, there was no good face to show him—he’d probably been thoroughly scolded at home.
“Brother Tang, you’d better not ask, lest Lord Tang become angry. You only need to know that Lord Tang willingly gave this Mingyue thumb ring to me. If I didn’t have a use for it, I wouldn’t let Lord Tang get off so cheaply.”
Yun Ye’s words were vague and unclear, making Tang Shanshi even more confused. But what was done was done, and since his father had instructed him, he could only leave reluctantly.
The wedding ceremony originally scheduled for three days later had no news. Li Anlan, through the Crown Prince, thanked Yun Ye. This was the first time she’d shown a normal human reaction, no longer believing everyone in the world owed her something and that doing anything for her was taken for granted.
Yun Ye couldn’t enter the palace. He’d just reached the palace gates when the imperial guards drove him out. Although the burly guard with the big beard spoke politely, his rejection was crystal clear. They even confiscated Yun Ye’s palace entry token, claiming the thing was too heavy and they feared it would strain the Marquis’s waist.
This reason was quite interesting. Yun Ye removed the waist token and immediately felt much lighter. He waved to the guards and left with carefree ease. If possible, he never wanted to enter the imperial palace again for the rest of his life. Having the token confiscated this time was exactly what Yun Ye wanted.
He began burying himself in the Xinghua Ward construction site. He no longer had any qualification to interfere with palace construction. Even when Gongshu Mu invited him to view the great hall model, Yun Ye declined with a smile.
“Marquis Yun, the Gongshu family isn’t the type to shift with every wind. That our Gongshu family can display our skills is entirely thanks to Marquis Yun. Our entire family remembers this in our hearts. Building palaces is just building palaces, nothing more. What this old man cares about most isn’t building a palace on the ground, but building an eternal hall in people’s hearts. When the great hall is completed, that will be when the entire Gongshu family returns to the Academy.”
Old Gongshu had somehow heard unfavorable news about the Yun family. Late at night, he’d specifically used his status as master craftsman to have the night patrol escort him to the Yun household, where he passionately delivered a long speech resembling a declaration of loyalty.
“Master Gongshu, you’ve got it wrong. Your whole family worked hard to build the palace, and the official positions and rewards you’ll receive in the future are all what your entire family deserves—you should accept them with honor. The Academy doesn’t belong only to me, but also to you and all our colleagues together. Naturally, we’re united in making the Academy endure forever, adding bricks and mortar to our great nation. I never doubt the Gongshu family’s sincerity. Just do what you should do; don’t worry about my feelings. Using the great hall as a hostage to demand something from the imperial family—that’s not Yun Ye’s style. The Hall of Ten Thousand People should be built by your Gongshu family. This palace is where the hopes of Chang’an’s hundred thousand citizens lie. I don’t want it tainted with even a trace of political scheming.”
Gongshu Mu smiled. His aged face actually showed a childlike innocence. He patted Yun Ye’s shoulder, then rolled up the drawings he’d brought, tucked them under his arm, hummed an obscure folk tune from some unknown place, and left the Yun household with cheerful steps.
Having Yun Ye’s waist token confiscated seemed to indicate that the imperial family’s favor toward him had come to an end. Some showed solidarity with him, some kicked him while he was down, but most were people standing on the city walls watching the scenery.
Since returning from the grasslands, the storms in Chang’an hadn’t ceased. The lazy Yun Ye had been forced to participate in the turmoil. Li Er loved fighting, but Yun Ye detested it—he disliked any kind of battle.
Pleading for Li Anlan might anger Li Er. Right now was the critical moment when the grassland tribes were conferring upon him the title of Heavenly Khagan. Li Er disliked surprises. To pass through this important period smoothly and calmly, he chose to drive away Yun Ye, this destabilizing factor, so he could enjoy the most glorious moment of his life with peace of mind.
Li Anlan’s wedding hadn’t proceeded as scheduled—this was Li Er’s response to Yun Ye. By confiscating the waist token, he was telling Yun Ye: you should return to the Academy; there’s no need for you to meddle in imperial family affairs.
Yun Ye prepared to leave. During his final inspection of the Xinghua Ward construction site, when the Yun family’s tenant farmers were clearing debris, they discovered a secret chamber. After Old Zhuang thoroughly inspected it, Yun Ye entered the chamber. It was filled with copper pipes that seemed to be for eavesdropping. Having the farmers dig along the pipes, Yun Ye discovered this was a tool specifically designed to monitor the household’s conversations. Rather strangely, the chamber walls bore scratching marks made by hands—five clear finger impressions with bloodstains on them.
Yun Ye looked at his own hands, thinking that someone who could leave scratch marks in a brick wall was either a martial arts master, or must have been extremely enraged at that moment. Sometimes rage is also a kind of power that can give people strength and determination they wouldn’t normally possess.
Among the direct Dou family members, only Dou Yanshan was missing. The official report stated that Dou Yanshan had died in the great fire long ago. The report even mentioned Dou Yanshan’s appearance and clothing, which matched the charred corpse found in the fire without discrepancy. Dou Yanshan had been burned to death.
Yun Ye’s heart grew cold. A madman filled with hatred was wandering Chang’an like a ghost, and might suddenly emerge someday to fiercely grab his enemy’s throat. Yun Ye could almost certainly conclude that Dou Yanshan had once stayed in this secret chamber.
Chang’an was dangerous. He just didn’t know who would be Dou Yanshan’s first target for revenge. Thinking of the opium in the Earth King’s hands and the Dou family’s formidable Western Regions merchant caravans, if he still didn’t know who had tried to poison Li Er this time, Yun Ye might as well wash his neck clean and wait for Dou Yanshan to come chop it off. Fortunately, his enemy number one was Li Er, not himself. Otherwise, with the enemy in darkness and himself in the light, the losses would be enormous.
He also felt sorrow for Dou Yanshan. He had a good enemy, a powerful enemy worth spending a lifetime seeking revenge against. He hoped Dou Yanshan would go trouble Li Er and not easily change targets. Yun Ye felt that being Dou Yanshan’s enemy number two was a foregone conclusion.
Li Ke wasn’t at all surprised that a secret chamber could be excavated from the Dou estate. What great household didn’t have some means to deal with emergencies? Now, he’d developed a keen interest in the Dou family’s land. If there was a secret chamber for hiding people, there must be a secret chamber for hiding gold, silver, and treasures.
When the Dou household was set ablaze, the family’s treasures definitely hadn’t had time to be transferred out. Perhaps they were buried somewhere in the vast Dou estate. How could they not search for them? This kind of thing required professionals, like Huang Shu.
Yun Ye worried about his family’s safety and left Chang’an with a large contingent of household guards, rushing toward Yushan without stopping. He’d made up his mind not to come out unless Dou Yanshan was caught. Otherwise, leaving the whole family at the Yun residence while he personally watched over them wasn’t the only good solution. As for whether to tell Li Er about this speculation—such a strange thought had never appeared in Yun Ye’s mind.
The Yun household was now unprecedentedly vulnerable. Procurement caravans constantly departed, and each caravan had Yun family accountants and guards. Liu Jinbao and his dozen or so men were scattered throughout Great Tang. Recalling them now would be completely too late.
Returning home, he told his worries to Grandmother, explaining the entire situation from beginning to end with complete clarity. Now wasn’t the time to act rashly. Concealing things and investigating secretly—such brainless behavior could only be done by those who didn’t care about their own family’s lives at all.
Having everyone in the household raise their vigilance was the correct way to handle things. Being prepared was always better than being unprepared.
“Grandmother, this time it’s your grandson who’s implicated the whole family. It’s grandson’s fault. I absolutely won’t do it again.”
Yun Ye held Xiao Ya and apologized to Grandmother in front of the whole family.
Old Grandmother continued counting the jade and pearl strings in her hands, saying with a smile: “Which great wealthy family doesn’t have one or two enemies? Grandmother used to wonder what ability my grandson had to lead the whole family toward joining the ranks of great families without offending anyone, keeping the household so peaceful all along. Now it seems that if our Yun family wants to become a great family, we ultimately can’t escape making enemies. Grandmother has also made some preparations for this day. Ye’er, you needn’t worry.”
“The remnants of the Dou family want to stir up trouble—they’ve picked the wrong household. Though the Yun family may not be considered saviors to all in the surrounding villages, quite a few people make their living thanks to the Yun family.”
“As long as Grandmother spreads the word to the tenant farmers in the surrounding villages, Grandmother doesn’t believe the Dou family remnants can act with impunity on Yun family territory without anyone knowing. The Yun family’s good deeds these past two years haven’t been in vain.”
These few sentences from Grandmother left Yun Ye stunned. He’d never managed household affairs, and Grandmother didn’t want him to. How would he know the Yun family had long since become famous local magnates? With just one command from Old Grandmother, the Dou family would be plunged into the legendary vast ocean of the people.
Watching as Grandmother dispatched the household stewards one by one, each steward beating their chest in guarantee before leaving, constantly making “take my head if I fail” pledges, Yun Ye suddenly realized that Old Grandmother’s current state was truly imposingly majestic.