A chuckle issued from above his head. Yuwen Tong, holding him, watched him sleeping soundly in his embrace, a smile in his eyes. Feeling Ling Zhang's subconscious trust in and dependence on him, Yuwen Tong inwardly breathed a sentimental sigh of both satisfaction and dissatisfaction. He was contented because Ling Zhang was right in his arms and belonged to him, and his heart was brimming over with affection for him; he was discontented because even though he was so happy now, he still wanted more. Hugging was not enough, and making out wasn't enough either; maybe only by merging into his lover and becoming one with him would he feel contentment.

"I'm getting greedier," sighed Yuwen Tong softly. His voice was tinged with amusement, but his eyes were filled with intense possessiveness.

The next morning, Ling Zhang woke up and found himself in the embrace of Yuwen Tong who was still asleep. He just slightly moved. And then Yuwen Tong awoke as well, and spontaneously started kissing Ling Zhang. It was quite a while before their lips parted.

"When did you return?" Though having been awake for a brief instant the night before, Ling Zhang couldn't remember anything.

"Last night, when you were asleep." Yuwen Tong fingered Ling Zhang's hairs, revealing his forehead, his eyes gleaming gently. "Originally I'd thought that I'd have a sleepless night lying in bed alone. Fortunately I made it back."

The night before, as Ling Zhang had been in a familiar bed in a familiar house which was full of Yuwen Tong's smell, he'd had no difficulty sleeping. He said, "I hereby grant you permission to take my quilt with you when you go elsewhere."

"Why would I bring a quilt when I could bring you?"

'Humph, there will be occasions when you have to travel alone,' thought Ling Zhang.

"When will you meet the captain of that Fangcun trading fleet?"

"This morning. I need to get up now."

Together, Yuwen Tong and Ling Zhang got out of bed, washed their faces, rinsed their mouths and changed clothes. Then the former said, "I had someone find me an interpreter of the State Ceremonials Department. He should be here in a while. Bring him with you. I'm sure he's more reliable than anyone you could hire."

Ling Zhang nodded. Wang Qing probably had already hired someone, and it'd be inappropriate to dismiss that person without giving him a proper explanation, so he needed to set off ahead of schedule.

"How's your negotiation with them?"

"They agreed. They and I will divide up family property and live apart after our wedding."

Yuwen Tong sounded very casual, but Ling Zhang knew the process must be quite tiring. Given that Yuwen Zhi had broken Yuwen Qi's legs to avoid being disowned, convincing him had definitely taken a lot of doing.

"What are his conditions?"

"Half of the family property."

"You agreed?"

"Money is just a worldly possession. Besides, the most valuable asset of the Yuwen family is the book chamber my grandfather left me. Everything else is secondary."

"He's also getting half of what's in the book chamber?"

"He wanted to, but of course I disagreed."

Ling Zhang felt a slight sense of relief. This was good news.

"There's no need for you to worry about this issue. Actually the Yuwen family doesn't really have many assets. Many estates and businesses are under my name and don't count as family property. He doesn't know about the existence of any of these and would never be able to get any of them."

This meant that in Yuwen Tong's eyes, what Yuwen Zhi was bargaining for was nothing. But in order to prevent Yuwen Zhi from becoming suspicious, Yuwen Tong hadn't accepted this condition right away, planning to have Yuwen Zhi wait in torment for some time and go there again on this day to close the deal.

But Ling Zhang was still fairly worried. "Previously he'd broken his son's legs to avoid this. How is it possible to have him consent to it by giving him merely half of the family property?"

"For him, half of the family property is a large sum of money. Most importantly, before negotiating with him, I'd visited the imperial palace and talked to the emperor about the issue, and he gave his consent."

Ling Zhang started, his eyes instantly going cold. The emperor's giving his consent was the worst-case scenario in his mind. It meant that the emperor would never let Yuwen Tong go back to the north-west. Ling Zhang could even foretell that the emperor's next move was to relieve Yuwen Tong of his command.

"What should we do? You can't go to the north-west now and have to stay in this dangerous city, all because you want to marry me." Ling Zhang felt a sudden twinge of sorrow. He actually began to regret. Compared with a marriage with Yuwen Tong, he cared more about Yuwen Tong's life.

Yuwen Tong, taken aback by the sudden plunge of Ling Zhang's spirits, hurriedly stepped up and gave him a hug, a warm feeling flooding over him in waves. "Don't be afraid. Who said we couldn't go to the north-west?"

"How are you supposed to go there? The emperor won't agree, and neither will any of the courtiers. And defiance of the emperor is a capital offence." Ling Zhang gripped Yuwen Tong's sleeves.

"Don't worry. I have a plan. All you have to do is focus on preparing for our wedding. I guarantee you we'll go to the north-west. All troops there are waiting to give their Marshal's wife a welcome."

Yuwen Tong sounded confident and unhurried and didn't seem to be telling a lie. Besides, Yuwen Tong was never the kind of person who'd make a promise he couldn't keep.

Ling Zhang couldn't help asking him, "What kind of plan do you have?"

"I mean it to be a surprise for you, and I don't want to spoil it," said Yuwen Tong with a smiling face, giving Ling Zhang's nose a playful scratch.

Ling Zhang looked at him in confusion. Even a matter like this was meant to be a surprise for him? Was it because something confidential, complex and hard to explain was involved in this issue that Yuwen Tong was unwilling to tell him on this occasion?

"Then I wait for this pleasant surprise to come. Don't you be dishonest with me on this. Otherwise I'll have to die with you."

Yuwen Tong's smile faded. He didn't want to hear the word "die" from Ling Zhang's mouth. The prospect of losing Ling Zhang some day brought fury of murderousness surging inside him. "I'll never let that happen."

Ling Zhang believed Yuwen Tong would keep his promise, though he was deeply concerned. If worst came to worst, he would figure out a way to keep the two of them alive, whatever the cost might be. It was true that the capital city was like a prisoner's cage for them, but it wasn't necessarily impossible for them to escape.

With this in mind, Ling Zhang said, "I'll go and have a meeting with the captain of that Fangcun fleet right now. And I'll do my best to have him agree to sell us all his shipments of that kind of herbs as soon as possible."

"Okay."

Ling Zhang had just finished his breakfast when the interpreter of the State Ceremonials Department arrived. He planned to take this person to the trading center in the west of the city to rendezvous with Wang Qing first and then go to the Four Seas Inn.

Yuwen Tong, after seeing Ling Zhang leave in a horse-drawn carriage, returned to the residence, a different expression on his face, gazing icily in the direction of the imperial palace.

The emperor was not the only one who disliked people posing a threat to his life. He, Yuwen Tong, shared in the emperor's dislike.

His sounding out the emperor's attitude the day before would be the last time he'd considered showing mercy on the emperor. By having no gratitude whatsoever for his service, the emperor was inviting his own doom.

...

At noon, Ling Zhang walked out of the Four Seas Inn with his men. He and Luo Sang had agreed on the details of the deal and decided to build a partnership. The next time Luo Sang's fleet came to the Great Yue, they would sell Ling Zhang half of their shipment of that kind of herbs. They'd have to reserve the other half because they'd promised to sell it to another customer before their first voyage to the Great Yue this year. Ling Zhang would have to wait until the next year to get a whole shipment of that kind of precious herbs brought by Luo Sang's trading fleet.

The last part of the negotiation had been between Ling Zhang and Luo Sang, and nobody else knew what it'd been about.

To Ling Zhang's surprise, Luo Sang was a bold and forthright man who tended to do business in a brisk and neat fashion. The two of them had hit it off straight away, which neither of them had expected. Luo Sang had also offered him a five percent discount of his own accord, which had saved Ling Zhang a lot of effort.

Ling Zhang liked Luo Sang very much and had had a very long talk with him, most of which had been about the Fangcun Kingdom and other rare herbs peculiar to it. Luo Sang had also asked about the herb farms in Tanyang and said that he wanted to trade directly with Ling Zhang the next time he came to the Great Yue, for medicinal herbs were quite plentiful in Tanyang.

According to one of the tentative terms of Ling Zhang's agreement with him, the next time Luo Sang came, he and his men would split into two groups. One group would go to the capital city, and the other, which would be headed by Luo Sang himself, to Tanyang.

After the negotiations with Luo Sang, Ling Zhang treated the interpreter to lunch, gave him a signed check and then saw him off. The interpreter, feeling overwhelmingly flattered, left in a good mood.

Ever since Yuwen Tong had told him in the morning that the emperor's consent to him and his uncle breaking up the Yuwen family, Ling Zhang had been highly wary of everybody, especially officials in the capital city.

But it hadn't occurred to him that Yuwen Tong would never assign him anybody not utterly trustworthy, so the interpreter, after returning home, secretly had someone deliver a message to Yuwen Tong, filling him in on the negotiation in the Four Seas Inn and also telling him that Ling Zhang had had him stay out of the last part of it.

Yuwen Tong, in the knowledge that Ling Zhang had done that because he didn't have absolute trust in the interpreter, gave a smile, feeling very happy.

"The Marshal has returned to the residential compound of Yuwen family, Young Master. He wanted me to tell you that he'd be staying there for a couple of days. The Marshal's granduncle and his family have temporarily moved into the Yuwen family as well. They've started making preparations for the wedding. The Marshal said that it'd take several days to make arrangements for dowries to be delivered to Tanyang, so he wouldn't be able to go back to the manor with you," said Xia Feng.

Ling Zhang felt both rather embarrassed and somewhat regretful after hearing this.

Given that Yuwen Tong had to handle the inventory of the Yuwen family's assets to get ready for his separation from Yuwen Zhi, and prepare the dowries at the same time, he would probably be fully occupied for half a month or so.

And about the dowries... If truth be told, he was really quite curious as to what kind of dowries the Yuwen family would send the Ling family. Pity it was inconvenient for him to ask about it.

"Have someone send a reply to him. Tell him that I got the message, and I'll be staying in the new manor with my grandfather, waiting for him to get everything handled."

"Yes, Chief."

"Wait. Are there any rumors about the breaking up of the Yuwen family or something like that going around in the city today?"

Xia Feng shook his head. "No, but it's come to the knowledge of many that the Marshal's granduncle, along with his sons and daughter-in-laws, have moved into the residential compound of Yuwen family. Also, a limited number of people have got wind of the Yuwen family's preparing dowries. News of it would probably spread through the whole city very soon."

Ling Zhang inclined his head. It seemed that before the wedding, there wouldn't be any news about Yuwen Tong's separation from his uncle.

"After I leave, send word out that I'm no longer in the Ling Mansion. Inform Brother Tao, the Ji family, the Zhao family, the Xun family and the Xie family of it as well lest they have trouble finding me when they need to talk to me about something."

"Yes, Young Master. This morning I've personally delivered the gifts for the Ji family to Childe Ji. He wanted me to tell you that his grandfather is indeed ill with anger. Although it's not serious, he still has to stay at home, tending him and keeping him company, so he has also asked the college for leave of absence and been granted, and he wouldn't be able to have another party with you and your common friends."

"I see. Keep watch on the development of the situation in the residential compound of the Zhongxin Marquess. Report to me immediately if anything happens."

"Yes, Chief."

Ling Zhang exhaled deeply, feeling that the capital city was in a lull before the storm. Although currently there was a semblance of peace, it wouldn't be long before it was torn by fierce disturbances, which would then escalate into upheavals, and nobody in this city would be able to remain unaffected by them.

Ling Zhang, "..."

Yuwen Tong was such a double-dealer. Yesterday he'd said that he wouldn't take the quilt away, but now it seemed that he'd done it anyway.

At this moment, in the residential compound of the Yuwen family, on the bed of Yuwen Tong who was the eldest son of the former patriarch and also a marshal lay a thin, neatly folded quilt.

As Yuwen You and his family moved into the residential compound of the Yuwen family, the houses near the former patriarch's abode, which had stood empty for many years, finally witnessed their original occupants' return. It had been a long time since the last time this place had been so lively.

Yao Yi had changed into another outfit. Dressed like a butler, he was busy dealing with all kinds of matters.

Yuwen Tong summoned Yao Yi and instructed, "Go ask Zhao Fugui some questions tonight and find out what my uncle's branch of the family have been up to recently."

Yao Yi gave a nod, turned around and went to make arrangements.

Yuwen You, followed by Yuwen Chi and Yuwen Si, walked inside. Yuwen Tong rose to his feet to welcome them and then closed the doors. Nobody knew what their talk was about, and there was no other trace of it apart from the suggestion of shock remaining on Yuwen You's face when he walked out of the house with his two sons in his wake.

At this time, Ling Zhang, taking Wang Dashan and other security guards with him, had exited the city, heading for the manor.

He was pondering over something, which he previously hadn't had time to think about owing to some more important matters.

Yuwen Zhi had agreed to Yuwen Tong's separation from him because he'd come to understand why the emperor had given his consent, realizing that the emperor was going to try to dispose of Yuwen Tong, so he wanted to stay out of it. This kind of conduct struck Ling Zhang as very disgusting. He could bear himself being bullied, but he couldn't tolerate anybody taking advantage of Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang suddenly reined in his horse and stopped halfway along the journey.

Wang Dashan hurriedly asked, "What's the matter, Young Master?"

"Go make some inquiries about Yuwen Zhi's branch of the Yuwen family. I want to know when they usually leave home, where they ordinarily go to and how long they typically stay."

"Yes, Chief."

Wang Dashan, without asking any further questions, put Liu Yi in charge of the escort and then returned to the city to perform the task Ling Zhang had just assigned him.

...

Five days later, Yuwen Tong was still occupied and hadn't come to the manor, but Ling Zhang received a message saying that Zheng shi and Yuwen Qi would leave home the next day.

"They are going to check a couple of large stores and a private bank." Wang Dashan also told Ling Zhang exactly where Zheng shi and Yuwen Qi were going.

Ling Zhang face went cold. "Good. They'll be my first two punching bags."

Yuwen Zhi had been following a surprisingly fixed daily schedule, either at home or in the imperial court, which was why Ling Zhang had hitherto never got a chance to do anything to him.

The next morning. In a courtyard house of Yuwen Zhi's branch of the Yuwen family in the capital city.

Zheng shi and Su Yaoyao, along with Yuwen Qi sitting in a wheelchair, were going out to get some fresh air, their faces tinged with contentment. They planned to drop into the couple of large stores and an unnaturally profitable private bank. Of all the businesses of the Yuwen family, this private bank was the most lucrative one, the branches of which could be found in almost every city in the north-east of the Great Yue. A couple of days ago, Yuwen Tong had suddenly demanded he and Yuwen Zhi divide up family property and live apart, and also showed them a handwritten imperial edict. Zheng shi had almost died with anger. Not long ago Yuwen Zhi had broken Yuwen Qi's legs to prevent this from happening, but now Yuwen Tong had shown up again, trying to have the Yuwen family broken up with a handwritten imperial edict – wasn't Yuwen Tong bullying them? But unexpectedly, Yuwen Tong had retorted, "Aunt, you know exactly who started those rumors about the Ling's Drugstore a few days ago and also gave Su Zhi the orders that eventually led to his death, don't you? You broke the agreement first, and even His Majesty was alarmed. Shouldn't you feel happy that I'm granting your wish today?"

Zheng shi had been sent speechless.

"You want us to agree to break up the family? Okay! Give us half of the family property and you'll get our consent!"

Zheng shi had demanded an exorbitant price. In the realization that breaking up the family was unavoidable, she had insisted on half of the family property, but to her surprise, Yuwen Tong had actually agreed. He'd even been okay with her taking away that private bank which was the most profitable business of the Yuwen family, and he had only one condition for that – they must not disclose anything about it before the wedding, or else he would take back the private bank. Naturally, for the sake of the private bank, Zheng shi had accepted that condition.

"First Yuwen Tong fell out with us for that male courtesan, and now he even agreed to give up the private bank. I think sooner or later the Yuwen family is going to meet its end because of him. We'll be better off without him, and we'll never again have to gauge his mood before speaking. Your father should have consented when Yuwen Tong suggested they break up the family that day–"

"Don't mention him." Yuwen Qi's face instantly went icy at the mention of Yuwen Zhi.

Zheng shi hurriedly coaxed, "Okay, okay. I won't mention him again."

"Here we are. Let's go inside and take a look. This private bank will soon be ours, and we'll never have to worry about anything with all this money. Your brother is now the Assistant Minister of Rites and attends court meetings. In a couple of years, when he gets promoted to Minister of Rites, everybody would be cottoning to us, even though we've separated from Yuwen Tong."

However, Yuwen Qi still had a sullen look on his face, gripping the armrests of the wheelchair.