Chapter 260

Chapter 260: Liao Zhi Seeks Credit for Tang Mo

Tang Mo came back carried on a litter through the front gates of the marquisate; from the sheer commotion of the escort alone, one could tell his injuries were not light.

Nan Feng said: “The second young master is injured. Liu Chang has already gone to fetch Physician Qin.”

Before Xin An could respond, several men, dusty from the road, carried Tang Mo straight through the door. Xin An had no time to ask questions and immediately stepped aside to make way. Tang Mo, gritting his teeth against the pain, said: “I’m filthy. Take me to the adjoining bedchamber.”

He was indeed covered in blood mixed with mud, with dry straw tangled in his hair, a truly bedraggled sight. Xin An’s nose stung as she said: “At a time like this, who cares about such things.”

Tang Mo insisted: “No, the adjoining room.”

Since he would not relent, Xin An had him taken into the side bedchamber. The officer in charge of the escort served under Liao Zhi; after a brief explanation, he refused Xin An’s invitation to stay for a meal and departed with his men. Madam Wang arrived at the news; she had scarcely stepped into the courtyard when her eyelids, already swollen from crying, trembled as she asked: “How is my son?”

She called out anxiously: “Where is the household physician?”

Catching sight of the figure on the bed, she clutched her handkerchief and wept as she cried: “Good heavens, how did he end up wounded like this.”

Tang Mo murmured something too low for even Xin An to catch. Madam Wang started, then sobbed even harder as she instructed those crowding the room: “Go boil water and prepare clean clothes. All of you out, don’t block the way here.”

Auntie Wang took the servants to their tasks. Only after the room had cleared did Madam Wang carefully examine Tang Mo’s injuries; lowering her voice, she asked: “Is what you said true?”

Xin An leaned in to look him over, then said, almost certain: “You’re feigning?”

Tang Mo grinned: “Not exactly.”

He was truly hurt, just not as gravely as he looked. He said: “It’s a long story. When Physician Qin comes, you must brief him: make my condition sound serious, but not fatal.”

Time was short, and there was no chance to probe for details; fortunately, the two understood each other. When Qin Bai arrived, Xin An spoke with him; Qin Bai told her to rest easy, then swiftly set to treating Tang Mo. Xin An had assumed the wounds were minor, but when he cut open the shredded garment, a gash two inches long lay starkly before their eyes.

The flesh had curled back at the edges, and dried blood clung to the cloth; the sight alone made one’s heart clench.

Basins of hot water were carried in, then basins of bloody water carried out. The Grand Matron, arriving to this scene, nearly fainted on the spot. Madam Wang, eyes red and swollen, stepped out of the room. The Grand Matron asked anxiously: “How is he?”

Pressing her eyelids with her handkerchief, Madam Wang answered: “The physician is treating the wounds. The cut is so deep, the flesh turned back. I felt I could hardly breathe just looking at it.”

Even knowing the injuries were not too severe, he was her own son; she would ache over a mere bump, let alone such a long wound. She whispered: “Who knows how much that must hurt.”

The Grand Matron swayed where she stood and said: “I will go have a look.”

Madam Wang stopped her: “Mother, don’t. Let the physician tend to him properly. Physician Qin said the wound only looks serious; thankfully, it does not endanger his life. The Ancestral Forebears are watching over us.”

The Grand Matron seemed to age before their eyes. [The cloud hanging over the marquisate feels especially heavy.]

After half an hour, Physician Qin finished bandaging Tang Mo. Xin An herself wiped him clean and changed his clothes; as for his hair, that could wait until he felt stronger. Through it all, Tang Mo slept; he was utterly exhausted.

Physician Qin reported: “Grand Matron, Madam, the second young master has three wounds. The one on his arm is the more serious. Also, the web between the thumb and forefinger has split, likely from fighting. Fortunately, none of these injure the vital organs. Let him rest well for a few days.”

He added: “I will write a prescription for a decoction. The second young master has also caught a bit of a chill.”

Madam Wang exhaled sharply in relief: “Thank you, Physician Qin.”

“It is my duty,” Qin Bai replied as he went to write the prescription. Madam Wang and the Grand Matron went in again to look at Tang Mo. They did not realize he had simply fallen asleep; they supposed he had fainted from blood loss, and their hearts twisted with worry.

Xin An spent some time comforting them; only then did Gan Lu help the Grand Matron back to her rooms. Wiping her tears, Madam Wang remembered affairs yet to handle in the front courtyard; she told Xin An to look after Tang Mo and went to attend to them.

Meanwhile, in the Imperial Study, the dust-covered Liao Zhi was reporting the results of his mission outside the city to the Emperor.

In the previous reign, there had been a Feiying Manor two hundred li from the capital, its trade extending both above and below board, with deep ties to the imperial clan. Later, an internal upheaval erupted; government troops encircled the manor, and that night saw countless dead and wounded. By dawn, two of the manor’s core figures were nowhere to be found.

Decades had passed. Recently, the Emperor’s spies discovered that people who had escaped from the manor back then had returned and were spreading tales from those years, saying the imperial house was heartless.

Liao Zhi had received a secret order to wipe out the remnants.

He bowed and said: “Nineteen ringleaders behind the scenes have all been executed. These are the tokens seized from them; please have a look, Your Majesty.”

After careful inspection, the Emperor nodded in satisfaction: “I have always trusted you to handle matters.”

He asked: “I hear you took that Tang family boy with you?”

Still on one knee, Liao Zhi clasped his fists and said: “In reply to Your Majesty, on the very day I received the secret decree, Tang Mo apprehended a ring of human traffickers on Linquan Street. Thinking him diligent, steady, and somewhat skilled, I took it upon myself to bring him along.”

He added: “He understands protocol. Aside from asking once before departure where we were bound and what task we faced, he said nothing more, simply assuming we were going to suppress bandits. When events came, he did step forward. I could see he was afraid and flustered, unaccustomed to bloodshed, but he steadied quickly. He did help.”

The Emperor set down the tokens and said: “Rise.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Liao Zhi answered as he stood.

The Emperor looked up and asked: “What do you make of Tang Mo?”

After brief consideration, Liao Zhi replied: “Among the sons of great houses, few can keep their composure.”

The Emperor smiled: “You’re not saying this merely because he lent you ten thousand taels of silver, are you?”

Liao Zhi saluted: “I do owe him silver, but I would never trifle with my life, my family, or my career. He is the Old Marquis’s grandson. There are still many in the Imperial Court who recall the Old Marquis’s valor. I also think that one day he may be of great use.”

The Emperor grew thoughtful. Tang Gang was dutiful—dutiful to a fault. When the Old Marquis forbade him to join the army, he stayed completely away; yet many of today’s generals were once trained by the Old Marquis. Even now, there were things the Emperor wished to pass down; Tang Gang would have been the best messenger, but he could not be used.

Liao Zhi continued: “In reply to Your Majesty, I also have happy news to share. Upon returning home, I learned my wife is with child, over a month along.”

“Oh?” The Emperor found it interesting and asked with a hint of delight: “She is with child?”

“She is,” Liao Zhi answered.

“Good,” said the Emperor. As for this man who, for the sake of his clan’s future, could send his own grandfather and father to their deaths, the Emperor both admired and feared him. [A child is good; with a child, he will have a weak point and be easier to control.]

The Emperor said: “Take some nourishing medicinal ingredients home with you, and I will send an imperial physician to take her pulse. It’s the first pregnancy. Caution above all.”

“Many thanks, Your Majesty,” Liao Zhi replied.

A trace of a smile touched the Emperor’s eyes as he said: “Since you wish to employ Tang Mo, then do so. The Old Marquis’s glorious military merits having no successor is truly lamentable.”

He asked: “Where is Tang Mo?”

Liao Zhi said that Tang Mo had been injured, and not lightly. The Emperor said: “He is still lacking in experience. Give him more opportunities to train. When he’s healed, bring him to see me.”