Chapter 59: An Important Matter |
Those words made Song Jiu Ming uneasy. The Supreme Purity Sect providing a preceptor to Shang Chao Zong was one matter. But Song Yang Qing's involvement here was another entirely. He hadn't realized how quickly news of him had spread.
Tong Mo spoke:
"Eunuch Shui, these are all trifling matters. Young people bickering over a girl is understandable. What's more, they have already paid the price. Let us consider how to resolve the pressing issue at hand."
At these words, Song Jiu Ming's heart tightened. The Minister already knew such intricate details? How could he have known? Song Jiu Ming understood that the Minister's network of eyes and ears was far more extensive than he imagined. With this statement, the Minister was both protecting him and, at the same time, warning him not to act behind his back!
Ga Miao Shui had wished to press Song Jiu Ming further on the matter, however, seeing Tong Mo's strong defense, he did not pursue it.
"Since Feng Lin Bo already knows, the Supreme Purity Sect is no longer of any use. To prevent any further association with Shang Chao Zong, they must be dealt with definitively!" Tong Mo stated indifferently.
"Understood!" Song Jiu Ming bowed in assent.
It was for this reason that he had dispatched Cheng Gui Shuo to warn Tang Su Su. He had, after all, not wished to personally destroy the sect, and the Supreme Purity Sect had acted out of ignorance. But now, with Shang Chao Zong and Feng Lin Bo's involvement brought to light, the Supreme Purity Sect had lost its value...
Kuangai County.
Of course, tax reductions required the imperial court's approval, but the imperial court had not interfered in their affairs. In any case, Feng Lin Bo had already resolved not to remit taxes to the imperial court. From above, they pressed him for taxes, while Feng Lin Bo cited difficulties. Thus, both sides stalled, without severing ties completely.
Shang Chao Zong took up residence in the palace he had arrived at. The governor of this domain had also allocated funds to adorn the residence intended for his daughter's husband.
Today was a day of celebration. The household manager, Shou Nian, was busier than anyone else. He moved about, overseeing every detail of the decorations. At the governor's own palace, everything was already prepared. He then made his way to Shang Chao Zong's palace. If anything hung askew, he immediately directed servants to rectify it. Feng Lin Bo had only one daughter, and she was being married off under duress. How could he possibly allow the wedding to be anything less than perfect?
After all the preparations, Shou Nian met with Lan Ruo Ting again to finalize other wedding arrangements. He also relayed the congratulations of Feng Ru Yi and Feng Ru Jie. He hoped that the other party would not take offense or take such a congratulation to heart.
Lan Ruo Ting paid no mind to this. After all, the brothers were guarding the borders and commanding troops. And who knew if the imperial court would dare to act recklessly. On the contrary, they had bolstered their forces.
After Shou Nian departed, Lan Ruo Ting relayed his words to Shang Chao Zong. The latter nodded, though his thoughts were elsewhere. He was to marry in an hour, for the first time in his life, and he was quite tense. What worried him most was that he still hadn't seen Feng Ru Nan. They said she was like a man, especially her temperament. Niu You Dao, that scoundrel, truly pulled a fast one on him. Yet, on the other hand, Niu You Dao behaved as if the Prince should forever be grateful to him for this. Though the Prince understood that even if Niu You Dao had deceived him, it had all been for his ultimate benefit.
It was only thanks to his deception that the Prince now viewed the disciples of the Supreme Purity Sect in a different light.
Niu You Dao, leading three individuals, appeared before Shang Chao Zong and the others. Behind him followed Yuan Gang and the thoroughly battered, bruised Yuan Fang.
Chao Zong and the others noticed that Yuan Fang seemed to acquire more bruises each passing day. It wasn't hard to guess who was doing the beating. They constantly wondered how the bear had managed to offend Niu You Dao. Why was Yuan Gang beating the bear every day?
It was clear that Niu You Dao was behind it all. Would Yuan Gang act without Niu You Dao's subtle prompting? And Niu You Dao, for his part, was a man whose thoughts were difficult to fathom. One could never truly know what he was thinking. He consistently maintained a polite demeanor, showcasing propriety and manners, which only made the bear gravitate towards him even more.
"Prince, today is a most auspicious day for you!" Niu You Dao entered, speaking cheerfully.
Chao Zong, collecting his thoughts with some difficulty, said helplessly, "Lord Dao, please cease jesting with this Prince."
They had spent many days together now, and each had come to understand the other considerably.
"Prince, it seems you did not rest well last night?" Niu You Dao stared intently at the Prince's face and saw that dark circles, concealed with powder, had once again appeared beneath his eyes. The Prince had been unable to get proper sleep for days.
Lan Ruo Ting chuckled softly, "It is a man's first marriage; he can be understood."
Shu Qing smiled beneath her veiled hat, and unable to resist, glanced at Niu You Dao again. She saw how tightly he clutched his sword, as if fearful of ever letting it go.
She, of course, knew that sword. After all, she herself had delivered it to him. Long ago, Master Dong Guo Hao Ran had entrusted it to her father as a symbol of duty and gratitude. And now, Niu You Dao wore it.
"Lord Dao, please wait a moment, and we shall go together." Chao Zong invited him to the wedding ceremony.
Niu You Dao knew he had done much for this marriage, yet he had no desire to attend. So, waving a hand, he said, "I shall not go. I need to keep an eye on everyone here." He bowed and gestured towards Yuan Fang.
"The bear has no social standing; perhaps this will cause him trouble later. Esteemed Lan, I would like to ask you to speak with Feng Lin Bo. Perhaps they could arrange a position for the bear, so he might travel freely in the future."
The thoroughly battered and bruised Yuan Fang smiled, thinking to himself that this man was, after all, quite kind.
"Bear?" The three individuals were surprised. First a Monkey, then an Ox (Niu, meaning 'Ox', for Lord Dao himself), and now a Bear has appeared. What a peculiar group they were.
Lan Ruo Ting nodded, "I will speak with Manager Shou Nian later. There should be no issue with that."
In truth, it was no difficult feat for them to arrange a position for Yuan Fang. Niu You Dao waved his hand, signaling Yuan Fang to depart, then turned to the Prince and said:
"Prince, I hesitate to speak, yet I feel I must."
Chao Zong immediately said cordially, "There's no need to hold back."
Niu You Dao: "Tonight, on the wedding night, everything must be done sincerely and convincingly. You absolutely must take Feng Ru Nan."
All present were adults and understood his meaning.
Shu Qing, being a maiden, immediately blushed deeply. Niu You Dao's words filled her with repulsion, while Chao Zong grew uneasy. He wanted to ask Niu You Dao, "What business is that of yours?"
Lan Ruo Ting sighed, saying, "Lord Dao, this is a private matter. It is improper to speak of such things." He was subtly hinting for Niu You Dao to know his place.
Niu You Dao waved his hand, "There's no need to overthink things. I am speaking plainly. For this maiden, there will be a vast difference depending on whether the deed is done or not. Prince, if you wish to truly command Feng Lin Bo's forces, you must first secure Feng Ru Nan. Without her, it will not be possible. And the sooner, the better."
The others remained silent. Though it was a delicate topic, there was indeed logic in Niu You Dao's words. Feng Lin Bo was forcing Feng Ru Nan to Cang Wu County, and Feng Ru Nan would most likely command the army there. And naturally, they would continue to watch them through Feng Ru Nan's eyes. If anything went awry, especially if they failed to find the promised hundred thousand troops, things would become exceedingly difficult. The matter concerning Feng Ru Nan was, at this moment, quite serious and crucial.
At that moment, a servant arrived, interrupting the awkward silence. He announced the time for the meeting with the bride. Shu Qing and Chao Zong stepped forward, while Lan Ruo Ting lingered for a moment. He approached Lord Dao:
"Lord Dao, this matter truly troubles me. In these past few days, I've observed that Feng Ru Nan is a fiery girl with no affection for the Prince. I fear it will be quite difficult for him."
Niu You Dao also whispered, "This troubles me as well. He will have his opportunity in the bridal chamber. Otherwise, after tonight, I daresay Feng Ru Nan will not wish to share a room with the Prince. Therefore, tonight is the moment to seize! The Prince must take Feng Ru Nan!"
Lan Ruo Ting offered a bitter smile. When would he have ever imagined seriously discussing such a matter? He shook his head. "Surely the Prince cannot resort to force in this matter."
Niu You Dao cleared his throat. "On the wedding night, there will be candles. The Prince is taking Feng Ru Nan as his wife; what could possibly be wrong with that? And if anyone were to see, what could they possibly say? Such are the customs. There is nothing to fault the Prince for in this!"
"Ah!" Lan Ruo Ting sighed and nodded.
Once he departed, Yuan Gang, who had remained, approached and said, "In the military camp, when that spear was thrown at Lord Dao..."
Niu You Dao knew Yuan Gang spoke for a reason, so he turned and asked, "What is it?"
Yuan Gang: "Feng Ru Nan is extremely strong. I don't believe the Prince will be her match."
Niu You Dao understood. Then tonight, the Prince might well suffer a beating, and that simply would not do. So he said, "You need to find a way to weaken her, to make her softer and more amenable."
Yuan Gang's eyes widened when he heard this.
"Don't make me do such despicable things."
Niu You Dao looked at him in turn. "I don't engage in such shameless deeds either. Not even when I was among the criminal underworld. I didn't say you should do it yourself. Look for someone among the monks of Southern Mountain Monastery; they have ample experience with such matters."