Chapter 241

Chapter 241: We must retaliate

With Madam Wang’s words, Xin An felt at ease. To her, it did not matter if Tang Gang ate there himself; she could treat it as a living signboard for the Herbal Cuisine House, and that bit of meal money she did not care about. But if Tang Gang used her shop to cultivate broad connections for Tang Rong’s benefit, she would not agree.

She said: “Since Mother has spoken, I will instruct the stewards below to follow the rules. It is just that among family we should not charge as we do outsiders; taking half to show the intention will do.”

Madam Wang smiled and said: “Do not worry about the rest; Mother will speak to your Father.”

As for any discount, she would of course make it up to Xin An from the household funds.

Xin An said gratefully: “Thank you, Mother. With you protecting me, I feel so much more at ease.”

Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law continued handling household minutiae. In the following days they grew even busier. Even Tang Gang and Tang Rong seldom came back to eat in the evenings now. During this time, Tang Gang also had Madam Wang open the storeroom once and took out a pair of porcelain vases; for what purpose was unknown.

Tang Rong showed faint signs of a comeback. Recently the Ministry of Rites assigned him a task; fearing another misstep, Tang Gang secretly hired help. The final result could be called quite handsome; he even received commendation from the Minister of Rites, giving him some air of vindication. There were even people saying he was indeed the Heir Apparent carefully raised by the marquisal household: although he had his muddled moments, once he sobered up he remained one of the standouts among the younger generation in the capital.

Rumors also began outside, saying again that Madam Wang was unkind, had colluded with a fake Daoist to set up a scheme to seize Tang Rong’s large courtyard, and that the mishaps Tang Rong had suffered several times were all the work of Tang Mo. These words spread quietly. When Tang Mo and Xin An heard them, they only smiled faintly. The two were in no hurry to refute anything, waiting to see what move the other side would play next.

That night, Zhao Wen and Ma Qi came out of a brothel with their arms around each other’s shoulders, mouthing lewd jokes and laughing obscenely, and turned into an alley. Suddenly a group of masked men in black stepped out from the shadows. Without a word, they rushed up and laid into the two of them; even their attendants did not escape the beating. In no time they were bruised and swollen, noses and faces battered. One of the black-clad men said: “Our master told us to bring you a message: meddle less. If you dare offend our Heir Apparent again, be careful, or we will send you straight to meet the King of Hell.” Another said: “Go.”

The group turned and left. Zhao Wen and Ma Qi had swollen eyes from the beating. Once they collected themselves, they sent people to trace the assailants’ trail. After busying themselves half the night, the news came back that the men in black had disappeared near Marquis Wei Yuan’s residence. Zhao Wen muttered: “Marquis Wei Yuan’s manor?” Grimacing with pain, he asked Ma Qi: “I think I heard the men in black say ‘Heir Apparent’?”

Ma Qi replied: “I didn’t hear clearly.”

Ma Qi had been beaten into a pig-headed face. Their serving lad, whose face was likewise puffed up, hurried to say: “They did say it. They said if you dare offend our Heir Apparent again, they would send young master to meet the King of Hell.”

Ma Qi said in disbelief: “Offend?”

Ma Qi said they had not offended anyone. It made sense; both men had seen the world and knew whom they could offend and whom they could not. Basically they almost never had trouble later with someone coming to take revenge, to strike from the shadows.

Zhao Wen said: “It was Tang Rong.” He was certain: “Have you forgotten that time at the Tao family’s gate?” He said: “He had his bodyguard beat Brother Zhu then. If we had not gotten there quickly, Brother Zhu would have been beaten to death by him. It must be him retaliating against us.”

At these words, Ma Qi came around, and the more he thought, the more he felt it must be so. Gnashing his teeth, he said: “What a sneaky, treacherous creature. Actually striking in the dark. We cannot let this go.”

Zhao Wen said: “Yes. We must retaliate.”

He proposed sending people to beat them in return. Zhao Wen gnashed his teeth: “Beat them. Beat them hard. If he sent five men, I will send ten.” Perhaps his expression tugged at his wounds, and he drew in a cold breath of pain; his eyes grew all the more vicious.

The next day, Tang Mo returned home with good news for Xin An and said: “At court this morning, His Majesty the Emperor pardoned Prince Jin and said he has already issued an edict allowing Prince Jin’s family to return home for the New Year. We finally have what we hoped for.”

Xin An’s eyes lit up: “I have already had Steward Yang set up a hothouse for vegetables, and I told him to prepare a thousand jin of grain. We might be able to use it.” She continued: “Uncle Wang is also having a hothouse built at the Xin residence. When the time comes, have that gardener from the estate live at the Xin residence. It would be best if the jasmine could bloom during the festival. Even if it cannot, we must at least cultivate several pots with excellent form.”

Tang Mo smiled and poured himself a cup of tea, then said: “It is enough that we try; there is no need to force it. Do not pin too much hope on it.”

Xin An asked curiously: “What do you mean?”

Tang Mo said softly: “I am afraid you will be disappointed if it does not work out.”

Taking her hand, Tang Mo sat to the side and said: “I know what you have in mind, and I fear you will get stuck in a corner. Remember, nothing is more important than living our present days well.”

She answered: “I know.”

Xin An’s lips curved slightly as she said: “I understand the reasoning, but you know, there are times one is not in control. Let it ease gradually.”

Tang Mo said: “In a couple of days I have a rest day; I will then request two more days off and accompany you to the estate for a brief stay for two days. This time just the two of us.” Tang Mo truly feared that Xin An would develop a knot in her heart, so he added: “If you do not like the estate, we will take you to see Marquis Qing’s horse farm; you might like it.”

Xin An immediately said: “Please don’t.”

Xin An said she did not like horses, especially not a large herd crowded together, then added: “They smell.” She went on: “I also don’t want to go to the estate. What is there to see in winter? Fields as far as the eye can see, and trees are bare. Besides, the estate is not so convenient.”

Tang Mo understood then that she liked lively places, so he said: “There is a Waterside Pavilion with tasteful décor, excellent dishes, and first-rate scenery. Apart from being a little expensive, there is almost no flaw. Shall I take you to stay a night?”

Xin An laughed and said: “We live in the marquis’s residence, which is scenery at every step, spacious and comfortable. Do we really need to go out and stay at an inn?” She added: “Don’t worry about me. I am fine.”

Knowing he was worried about her, Xin An held his hand and said: “For me, these days are more relaxed and comfortable than I have ever known. Don’t you see I have put on some weight?” She said: “Rest assured, I will not make it hard on myself. If I were to get stuck in a dead end, would that not waste the chance of getting to live again?”

Speaking of chance, it reminded her of something, so she said: “On your next rest day let us go together to South Crossing Temple to light some incense. Having received such a great chance, we ought to do something, even if only to seek peace of mind.”

Tang Mo said: “As you wish.”

Tang Mo picked up a piece of pastry and set it in Xin An’s hand, saying: “The people next door are making a fuss with the matter of swapping courtyards back then. It seems they even want to blame the marriage swap on Mother. Their intentions are vicious.” He added: “I heard from Mother that Father also feels our courtyard is better than the one next door and is a bit unwilling to accept it. Although Mother has temporarily dissuaded him, there is no guarantee he will not bring it up again.”

Xin An’s lips quirked: “I think this courtyard is just fine. If anyone is moving, it will be the people next door.” She continued with a hint of mischief: “If not, Father can drive us out. Then I will take you to live at the Xin residence; it has already been repaired. We will be driven out in disgrace and leave some of our things here, and finally have a ‘thief from within the household’ situation. What do you say?”

Tang Mo’s expression grew complicated as he said: “At that point the whole capital will know that we were driven out of the residence to make room for the people next door, and then your dowry was stolen by them. I cannot even imagine what people outside would say then.” At that time, his Father and Tang Rong would be pushed to the eye of the storm. He and Xin An would not need to do anything; simply playing the victims would bring countless people to condemn that father and son. The Imperial Censor would also impeach them, and perhaps they would even be rebuked by His Majesty the Emperor and lose their posts…