Chapter 144

Chapter 144: Stronger With Every Clash

Whether by coincidence or not, Tao Yi Ran came again. When Tang Mo heard her voice, his irritation deepened; he rose and was just about to leave when Tao Yi Ran called after him: “It is so late, Second Brother, why are you idling here?”

Tang Mo wanted to say [None of your business], but reason still prevailed, and he said: “The moonlight is fine, so I am sitting.”

Tao Yi Ran lifted her head. From Tang Mo’s direction she was greeted by an exceptionally handsome profile, even the angle of his raised chin was just right; she smiled faintly and said: “I had not known Second Brother also likes the moonlight.”

He replied without warmth: “I do not like it; I only find it bright.”

Tang Mo was speechless to the point of exasperation. [In the previous lifetime she looked at him as if it were a favor; what is she playing at now?] He said curtly: “Elder Sister-in-law, suit yourself.”

Seeing that he was about to go, Tao Yi Ran again stopped him, saying: “Thank you for bringing Tang Rong back that day. If not for you, your elder brother would not know how much more he might have suffered. I know Father wronged you in his anxiety; do not take it to heart. When your elder brother is better, he will explain things on your behalf.”

Tang Mo did not turn around; he only tilted his head slightly and said: “It was only official duty.”

Then he added, cool and measured: “On such a dark and windy night, with Eldest Brother injured and unable to go out, Elder Sister-in-law ought to be at his bedside. Abandoning him to stroll out and admire the scenery can only invite his misunderstanding. You are well bred; please do not do things that will grieve him.”

After speaking, he lifted his foot and left without caring that Tao Yi Ran still wished to talk. [Even the road back to Qiu Shi Courtyard did not feel safe anymore; who knew how that woman might try to entrap him?]

On the way he instructed Lai Lai to pass tonight’s matter into the ears of Tang Rong and his Father.

After returning to Qiu Shi Courtyard he did not tell Xin An about it, for fear she would feel nauseated again. [The last time she felt nauseated it led to today’s situation; if she were nauseated once more, Tang Rong’s life might be forfeit. The rumors are tight these two days; it is not suitable to continue making moves.]

Xin An greeted him with a teasing smile as she handed him a bowl of bird’s nest soup: “Second Young Master Tang, why are you so angry?”

He drank as he sat, and she teased him again. Tang Mo looked puzzled and asked: “Is it that obvious?”

[He had clearly hidden it well.]

Xin An nodded: “It is almost not written across your face: the lord is very angry, everyone retreat three paces.”

Tang Mo tipped back the small bowl in one gulp and said: “It seems I still have to train; my breath-nurturing practice is not yet up to the mark.”

Setting the bowl down, he told her how he had just been wronged. “Although…” [It was indeed him, but…] “to wrong me at the drop of a hat is still wrong. Am I born with a face that looks like it does bad things?”

Xin An burst into laughter: “I thought it was something big. Those who handle big matters need a stout heart. If others are in a bad mood and say a few sharp words about you, so what?”

She added lightly: “Endure it. At worst, write it down first; next time collect the principal with interest.”

[Collect from where?] From the couple next door, of course. Surely not from Father. That would never do.

Tang Mo’s foul mood instantly improved. Indeed, when troubles arise, he should come back and tell Xin An, not try to brood under the moon and end up running into someone who only makes him feel worse.

Once his mood lifted, he recounted running into Tao Yi Ran: “What do you think she is after? Late at night, instead of attending to her man in their room, she wanders around the courtyard. Is she sick?”

“To block you,” Xin An said at once.

Now it was Xin An’s turn to be displeased. “A dog cannot stop eating filth.”

She immediately decided that on tomorrow’s incense-offering trip she must make Tao Yi Ran taste a little color.

Tang Mo’s expression turned complicated as he said quietly: “Do not scold me.”

“I did not scold you.”

“You may call her a dog, but you must not call me the filth.”

Xin An paused, then sighed: “I will be more careful next time.”

Cheered, Tang Mo launched into how the men of the Northern Garrison Army had sympathized with him, talking with animated brows and lively gestures. Xin An found it amusing and observed that once they returned from offering incense tomorrow, there would be a fresh topic of grievances to discuss. Tang Mo laughed and said: “Then should I not spread it a bit more?”

He added with a grin: “Do you think, running into the two of us, that couple next door is receiving karmic retribution?”

Xin An smiled: “It is their blessing. Others could not have it even if they wanted it.”

Tang Mo laughed again. The grievances he had suffered with Father had already dissipated. After a night’s sleep he would wake once more as the Marquisate’s second young master, brimming with energy.

Both Tang Gang’s trusted serving lad and Tang Rong’s serving lad, Qing Mo, received the news and relayed it to their masters without concealment. Already angry, Tang Gang smashed a teacup on the spot and even blurted out that Tao Yi Ran was a shameless woman.

No matter how little he liked Tang Mo, Tang Mo was still his son. This shameless woman had already harmed one son; was she now set on ruining another? He questioned Tang Mo’s response, and upon hearing what Tang Mo had said to her, his heart eased slightly. [Though undisciplined, at least the boy knows what is what; otherwise he might truly anger me to death.] A son, no matter how poor, is still one’s own.

Tang Rong’s face turned ashen. He was not dead yet, and Tao Yi Ran could not wait to seek a new berth? Of course, Tang Mo’s life was improving now; he had errands, moved freely outside, and even had silver in hand. In that cheap woman’s eyes, would he not seem more promising than himself? Besides, the two of them had already bowed before the hall and become husband and wife.

He was only injured, and not even seriously. If it ever reached the point of life and death, could Tao Yi Ran still be true-hearted to him? A phrase leapt into his mind: [A courtesan is without feelings.] Fortunately reason still held and he did not say it aloud, mostly because he feared it would insult himself.

When Tao Yi Ran returned, Tang Rong saw her eyes were still rimmed red, which only confirmed his suspicions. He snatched up a soft pillow and threw it at her; after a barrage of questions left her unable to speak, he cut it off with one word: “Get out.” She covered her mouth, turned away, and left, lamenting her bitter fate and crying until midnight.

Unfortunately, Xin An and Tang Mo had already gone to bed early and did not witness the joke firsthand.

The next morning, Xin An deliberately waited for Tao Yi Ran at the door. The moment she saw Xin An, Tao Yi Ran showed a fleeting unease. Xin An smiled and said: “Elder Sister-in-law, shall we go together?”

Holding to the principle of losing neither to people nor to the occasion, Tao Yi Ran forced herself to nod. The two walked abreast at the front. Bao Qin wanted to move up to them, but Qing Yang pulled her back and lowered her voice to chide: “Have you not learned the rules?”

With Qing Yang holding the line, the maids following them all dropped back a few paces, leaving Xin An the space to speak.

Strolling at an unhurried pace toward Chun Rong Hall, Xin An’s lips curved: “I hear Elder Sister-in-law has the habit of strolling the gardens at night?”

Tao Yi Ran answered evenly: “I only find the nights quiet. If my younger sister-in-law may stroll the Marquisate’s courtyards, then naturally I may also stroll them. Surely you would not forbid even this?”

Xin An kept her gaze straight ahead and said unhurriedly: “At night a hundred spirits walk. Elder Sister-in-law should be careful; in pitch darkness, who knows what one might run into?”

She added, airy and pointed: “For example, last night one ran into someone one should not have met. If some rumor were to spread, which version would Elder Sister-in-law prefer to hear?”

She paused, then smiled lightly: “Ah, I am being foolish. If it came to that, Elder Sister-in-law would no doubt be delighted.”

Tao Yi Ran’s lips curved in a faint smile. She had never doubted her own charm, and Xin An’s words must be what Tang Mo told her last night. “You need not overthink it, younger sister-in-law. We are family. I only happened upon Second Brother standing alone under the moon, looking desolate; I stepped forward to offer a few words of comfort.”

She added with a gentle flourish: “To tell the truth, I knew Second Young Master before you arrived in the capital; there is some sentiment between us. Younger sister-in-law, why not take things more lightly? In life it is best to be blessedly ignorant now and then.”