Chapter 158

Chapter 158: The Bodyguard Showing Off Like Crazy

The group stepped out of the theater, each taking a deep breath and rubbing faces sore from laughing. Seeing that it was still early, Xin An suggested they go see the place where Tang Mo did his martial training, and Tang Mo, interested, said he wanted to watch Deng Fang and Cao Gui’s skills and even spar a little.

The two had followed them out today, feasting and watching opera, all on Second Young Master’s tab; now that their master wanted to see what they were made of, how could they possibly refuse?

So the party headed to the martial hall. Having watched the clowning acts, Xin An now smiled as she watched the bouts. It was only early autumn and not particularly cool; those who trained wore very thin clothes, some just a jacket, their bare arms showing muscle and setting blood racing.

It was truly delightful. Looking back at Nan Feng and Chun Yang, she saw the two maids staring at the matches without blinking, fists clenched around their kerchiefs, all but drooling.

Tang Mo swept his gaze around and, when it fell on Deng Fang and the others, he found them suddenly an eyesore. He knew that if it came to real skill he could not match these men, but he did have one advantage: his martial training uniform looked superb, and when he moved the flow of his forms was as smooth as drifting clouds, carrying a hint of a gentleman’s effortless panache. People rely on clothes, as horses rely on saddles.

As for Er Shan, who had been training here all along, he was anxiously shadow-boxing at the side; he looked leaner than before. Xin An had someone call him over and said: “I know you are anxious, but there is no need to be this hasty; you are still growing, so do not train so hard that you harm your foundation.”

He would not listen. He had known that martial training cost more than book learning, but only after starting did he realize how expensive it truly was: the training wore you out and made you eat more, and the food had to be rich with oil and fat; injuries were routine, the medicine could not stop, and there had to be tonics to strengthen tendons and bones; clothing and shoes wore out quickly, not to mention weapons; next he would learn to ride, which at the hall was another expense, even larger than martial training. [Even if he was not paying, his heart clenched. So much silver, selling himself would not cover it. The young master treated him so well; he could only repay with his life.]

Seeing his tension, Xin An said: “Your young master is not in a hurry; why are you anxious? Relax a bit; do not drive yourself too hard. Your body matters.”

Tang Mo came over after stepping off the mat, clapped his big hand on Er Shan’s shoulder, and said: “Come, let me see how you have been training.”

Er Shan gave an answer and went to show his progress. Xin An shook her head with a smile; plainly he could not be persuaded.

They did not return until the moon was high. As soon as they stepped in, Tang Mo was called away by Tang Gang; Xin An was not worried, for with his current temper the chance of anyone bullying him was small.

She stopped at the inner courtyard gate and said to Deng Fang and Cao Gui: “You two have had a long day as well; go rest early.”

The pair bowed with cupped hands and said: “We take our leave, young madam.”

Xin An nodded and stepped through the inner gate. Only when she was out of sight did the two turn back. Returning to their quarters, they ran into the two who had been assigned to Tang Rong that day; those two sat barefoot and cross-legged on the bed and asked about the outing: “Is Second Young Master hard to serve?”

Deng Fang and Cao Gui’s expressions were complicated. The pair opposite, a little gloating, said: “What, not easy to serve?”

Cao Gui sat down, took a gulp of water, sighed, kept the others in suspense, then said: “Never thought it, truly never thought it.”

One of the others said: “What, Second Young Master could be picky about you?”

Their eyes burned with the anticipation of a good show, waiting to hear how miserable things had been.

Deng Fang put on a hesitant face and, only after being urged twice, said: “It was against the rules.”

Cao Gui agreed and said: “It was against the rules. Where is there a rule that the master feasts upstairs while we stuff ourselves downstairs?”

Deng Fang echoed: “Exactly. The master sits to watch the opera; how could we also sit to watch? I even laughed out loud; I should not have.”

He added: “The key was that when the master boarded a painted barge to cruise the lake, how could we also follow aboard and even sit eating and drinking? It was not proper.”

Cao Gui, looking troubled, said: “Mm, it was not proper.”

They continued: “This day was supposed to be for protecting the master, but in truth we ate, drank, and played alongside him all day. When we returned, the young madam even said I had worked hard and told me to rest early, this…”

The two speaking to them said in unison: “Against the rules.”

The pair opposite exchanged a look, roughly understanding yet reasonably suspecting exaggeration, and one asked: “While the master eats upstairs, shouldn’t you be sent off with a bowl of noodles?”

The two replied: “We thought the same.”

Deng Fang said, helpless: “But then young brother Lai Lai beckoned us to go downstairs to eat; five people ordered seven dishes, with fish, meat, and roast chicken. Ah, the fragrance of that chicken, with one bite I could not even find where my tongue was, almost swallowed it along.”

He went on: “I said it was not appropriate, but Lai Lai said that in Second Young Master’s service this was the rule, as long as we did not drink liquor.”

Cao Gui feigned distress and said: “It was the same at the opera: we paid the moment we entered, and they served us tea and snacks. Could we not have stood anywhere to listen?”

Then they described the evening meal, saying the place was ablaze with lights, and those entering were either wealthy or noble. They were embarrassed and uneasy, while the restaurant was splendid and the dishes exquisitely refined: “Arranged like paintings; in this life we have never eaten such delicate food.”

One teased the other: “That bamboo shoot you did not eat little of. I said it tasted especially different. They simmered it with chicken, duck, and ham. Using so many good ingredients to stew a bamboo shoot, how could it not be fragrant?”

Deng Fang nodded repeatedly, adding that the painted barge was beautiful; the girls who played the zither were so lovely they dared not look too much for fear their eyeballs would not come back, and the music intoxicated those who listened. The two went on and on until the pair opposite moved from envy to jealousy, unable to help fantasizing that once the Heir Apparent they served recovered from injury, he would also take them to such places to see the world.

At that moment, Tang Mo was still talking with his father. Tang Gang first asked whether the new bodyguard was proving useful, then moved on to the day’s events and asked: “I heard you took ten thousand taels of silver to the Liao family?”

Tang Mo did not hide it, roughly describing the Liao family’s situation and saying: “I did not probe into specifics; once we delivered the silver, we left.”

Feeling that his son’s luck was good, and that lending the silver would alter his relationship with Liao Zhi and count as charcoal in the snow, Tang Gang asked: “Since you came out so early, why did you not return?”

Tang Mo answered with perfect candor: “Went to amuse myself.”

No longer the least bit shy about his fondness for eating, drinking, and fun, he added: “After being worn out for days, I had to relax well.”

He advised his father: “Father, do not always stay cooped up at home. When you are free, go out with Mother for a stroll and take in the capital’s scenery; that is a refined pastime, and who knows, there might be unexpected gains.”

Tang Gang thought the suggestion good. Now that the emperor and empress were harmonious, what they liked to see most was harmony in the homes of court officials. It was time to take Madam Wang out for a turn. He said: “Next rest day then; you choose a place, and your mother and I will go out with you.”