Chapter 095

Chapter 95: We Should Look Forward

After seeing everyone into their carriages and watching them depart, Tang Mo helped Xin An into their own carriage to head home. On the way, he could not resist claiming credit and asked, “Well? Did I arrange things nicely? When you go to the Water Blossom Banquet, you will already know these ladies and it will not be awkward.”

Leaning closer, he lowered his voice so that only the two of them could hear as he asked, “You must know them from before. If you know what is going to happen to them and help in advance, would that not secure a bond?”

Xin An gave him a sidelong look. “Those are your brothers. Is it right to scheme?”

Tang Mo smiled. “This is no scheme. We are not children. Maintaining ties is give-and-take, without too many twists and turns. If you can help them, the relationship will be stronger.”

Xin An thought for a moment and said, “The lady of the Xie family will not live long. It seems to be an illness, though I am not sure; I did not know them well before. In truth, they used to dislike me, mostly because of you. Tonight she already looked unwell to me.”

Tang Mo paused. “I have heard her health has long been poor. If she truly is beyond cure, it is a pity.” The Xie family could hire any imperial physician and had the means to consult famous doctors. If even that could not help, then there was nothing the two of them could do; such matters are beyond human aid.

The carriage suddenly jolted. Tang Mo reached out to steady Xin An, but his belt knocked against something. From outside, Lai Lai called that there was a pothole in the road and it was too dark to see it. Tang Mo did not scold him and told him to drive on.

Somehow that jolt jarred something loose in Tang Mo’s mind. In a flash, a thought fell into his heart. He glanced about like a guilty man, then leaned to Xin An’s ear and whispered, “You lived long. Is the next Emperor the Crown Prince?”

Regret washed over him. He had been back so long and had not thought to ask such an important question. Every day he either watched Tang Rong or thought about how to make his way in the Northern Garrison Army, forgetting that there might be a shortcut.

Xin An understood his meaning at once. Not only Tang Mo, she herself had not thought so far; her vision had been too narrow, her gaze confined. Her heart beat faster. “You…”

Pressing a hand to her chest, she exhaled and forced herself to calm down. In her past life she had been a woman of the inner courtyard, concerned mostly with household matters and the affairs of rear residences. She knew too little of the Imperial Court, and after Tang Mo breathed his last, Tang Rong’s heart turned to Tao Yi Ran; he shared even less of court business with her. Even the gossip between households, after so many decades, did not readily come back to her; only when she saw someone could she match a face and recall a little.

Still, she was quite clear on who became Emperor. Only…

“I am timid. Do not frighten me,” she said.

Tense and excited, Tang Mo could not help drawing closer until they were nearly touching as he lowered his voice. “Tang Rong, lacking your support in this life, will not have a smooth path. We need only nudge him a little and he will fluster. He is nothing to fear. We should turn our eyes elsewhere.”

“We should have greater ambitions. Did we not say we ought to look forward?”

Xin An said nothing. Tang Mo rubbed his damp palms, his heart nearly flying out of his chest. [He felt as if the great deed of aiding the dragon was right before him, and he began to imagine his own moment of boundless glory; he pictured Tang Rong speaking to him with caution, and his partial father arranging a smile before addressing him, his tone gentle, flattering, eager to please. The scene was almost too comfortable to bear…]

When they alighted, Xin An’s knees nearly buckled, and only Tang Mo’s quick hand kept her from disgrace. Without a word, they went straight inside to Qiu Shi Courtyard. The night wind cooled their heads. After washing, they sat cross-legged facing each other on the bed. A long while passed before Xin An said, “I am timid. Truly.”

Tang Mo steadied her by the shoulders. “You have already lived through a confiscation of the household. What else is there to fear? What outcome could be worse than having everything seized?”

Silence stretched again. In her heart, Xin An warred with herself. For things she had never done, her instinct was to shy away, and yet another voice told her to take this step. She could not have come back just to watch the couple next door tear each other apart.

Tang Mo lowered his voice and said, “Listen to me. There is no need to be nervous. You know the outcome. We will move softly, like rain that moistens without a sound, and make contact as if we were forming ordinary ties. If we lend a hand at the critical moment, it will suffice. There will be no danger.”

“I think if Father-in-law were here, he would agree. If we manage this well, the Xin family may very well change its standing. That is better than needing a patron to lean on.”

He knew how to persuade her. Of course Xin An wanted the Xin family to change its standing. Times were harsh; even merchants holding mountains of gold were, in the eyes of the powerful, babies clutching golden bowls, with no strength to resist. Otherwise, she would not have had to marry into a marquisate a thousand miles from home, and her father, despite his wealth, would not have had to nod and bow everywhere.

She thought it through in the space of a few breaths. She was no longer alone. Leaning forward, she whispered so only he could hear, “It is the Second Prince. I remember that on the day after the Emperor died, he led troops to force the palace and fought the Crown Prince, and he won. The capital was under martial law for a month.”

“I do not know the details, but the Empress is now the Second Prince’s Consort, and he prevailed then with help from his father-in-law.”

“If I approach the Second Prince’s Consort, I am confident I can stand before her. After all, my father has money, and if the Second Prince is to succeed, silver will be indispensable. But if we act rashly, I fear we cannot control it. This is bargaining with a tiger. If we succeed, it will be good, but we might just be eaten clean and then tossed aside.”

A very real problem remained: neither of them possessed exceptional cunning. Their only advantage was a little extra experience and foreknowledge of some results. The process would require careful planning, and Xin An worried that even together, their brains might not suffice. “Tell me whether this task suits you or me. I could get the couple next door killed, but this is indeed hard for me.”

After a moment’s thought, Tang Mo set the principle for their actions: they would not be forward or conspicuous. They would approach with a purpose but in a normal way, seeking not the greatest merit, only enough to win goodwill and a share of credit without standing out.

Xin An rolled her eyes. “You could have just said to be middling. In that case, I can do it. We still have seven or eight years before it happens. We will take it slowly.”

As she calmed, she chuckled to herself. “In the carriage I thought I would have to pick up a blade and go into battle tomorrow. I was so flustered I nearly turned into a soft-legged shrimp. Do you know that feeling?” Lowering her voice to the faintest whisper, she added, “I felt as if you were about to take me to rebel.”

Tang Mo was stunned, then burst out laughing. “I drank a little wine, but I am not insane.” Rebellion? She could certainly imagine it.