Chapter 276

Chapter 276: Who is your kindred spirit?

The Old Marquis’s armory was in Chun Rong Hall, kept so diligently that not a speck of dust could be found. Seeing row upon row of all kinds of weapons on the racks, Tang Mo felt his chest tighten: [a sour ache slowly swelled in his heart].

In his memory, during the last years of the Old Marquis’s life he was always out carousing with old generals, or he went to Second Uncle’s estate; even when he was in the residence he merely basked in the sun or stared blankly. It was hard to imagine what he had looked like when high-spirited, armored, mounting his horse and gripping his great blade.

The most eye-catching spot in the room held the Old Marquis’s double ring broadsword. Ancient and weighty, the long blade had lost its cold gleam after years without care. Tang Mo stepped up and grasped the hilt; even though he had prepared himself, he still could not pull it down in one go.

Sixty catties of double ring broadsword were not something he could easily lift, and even if he did he could not swing it. Clutching the hilt with both hands, he heaved it twice and broke into a sweat. A voice sounded at the doorway: “How could your grandfather’s blade be something you can swing.”

Tang Gang had arrived. Unconvinced, Tang Mo thrust the great blade toward him and said: “If the son cannot, surely the father can.”

Tang Gang caught it one-handed and, right in front of Tang Mo, flourished two moves that looked effortless. This surprised Tang Mo; he had thought this old man was soft everywhere except for a hard mouth, but it turned out he had a couple of real skills.

Tang Gang soon withdrew the blade and, with a casual motion, tossed it back to Tang Mo. Tang Mo nearly failed to catch it and said: “You trying to finish me off with Grandfather’s broadsword.”

Tang Mo carefully returned the double ring broadsword to its place, clapped his hands clean, then turned to size up Tang Gang and said: “I could not tell Father still had a few moves.”

He had no idea that when Tang Gang was first brought to the capital as a child, the Old Marquis was still in command. The Grand Matron thought Tang Gang would naturally inherit the mantle of a military officer, so she hired a martial master to teach him, and strictly at that. In terms of skill he was far better than Tang Rong’s flowery posing, and even with half a year of diligent martial training, Tang Mo could not catch up to him.

Standing with his hands behind his back and wearing an expression that said a father’s prowess was beyond a son’s imagination, Tang Gang secretly rotated his wrist behind him. A moment ago he had forced himself to put on a show of his father’s prowess, and he had wrenched his wrist.

Tang Mo continued to choose among the weapons. At last he saw something rare and strange in a small case and said: “Looks like a hidden weapon.”

Tang Gang said: “A serpent awl, suited to be hidden in the sleeve and used to strike a dirty blow in close combat.”

Seeing Tang Mo’s ignorance made Tang Gang angry, while Tang Mo did not get angry at all. He grinned and leaned over: “Since Father knows so much, help me choose which suits me.”

He piled it on and said: “Father, you must take this seriously. This is about saving my life. If by chance I die, you will be left with only a son whose stench you can never scrub clean. Every time you see him you will recall his wretched state, you will smell that faint latrine reek, you will not be able to eat or sleep, and you will wake up crying in the middle of the night…”

“Shut up.”

Tang Gang kept telling himself that this brat was no longer the same as before; he still wanted to learn the meaning of His Majesty the Emperor’s words from his mouth. Even if he was furious he had to endure. [Endure. Who knows what this wretch will do next.] He said: “You serve openly; what need have you for hidden weapons. Even if His Majesty the Emperor wished it, he would not use you with your three-legged-cat level of skill.”

Tang Mo said: “I am no gentleman. Of course I must catch people unawares. Hidden weapons suit me. Is this a sleeve arrow? It looks very nice.”

“Can you not walk the proper path.”

“I cannot. I am bad.”

Tang Gang drew a deep breath and thought of how the few moves Tang Mo had crammed in at the last minute were not enough to handle any fine weapon. It would be a waste of good steel.

“Then use hidden weapons, but when you use them do not say they were your grandfather’s. Your grandfather lived a life of honor. Do not shame him.”

“As if I need you to say it.”

Now pushing his luck, Tang Mo said: “Is this sleeve arrow easy to use? It looks delicate. How does it work? Tell me.”

With ill grace, Tang Gang demonstrated the methods, explaining one after another three kinds of hidden weapons, which successfully made Tang Mo see him in a new light. After he strapped the sleeve arrow to his wrist and tried it once, he sighed again and again: “A sly and crafty man like me was made for this. It fits me like it was tailored.”

“But Father, since you know so much about hidden weapons, it seems we are kindred spirits.”

“If you cannot speak properly then hold your tongue. Who is your kindred spirit.”

Unable to help himself, Tang Gang gave him a kick. Tang Mo hopped far away and said: “Careful, Father. I now have hidden weapons, and I am a beginner. If my hand slips…”

“You bastard, do you mean to kill your own father.”

“I said in case…”

Driven to hopping mad, Tang Gang deeply missed the respectful, deferential Tang Mo of before. He would be angered to death by this misbegotten child sooner or later.

The Grand Matron told Tang Mo to choose one weapon. He chose three hidden weapons. The Grand Matron said nothing, only warned him to keep them properly and to be cautious in his duties thereafter.

After returning the armory key, Tang Mo was summoned to the study by Tang Gang.

In Chun Hua Courtyard, Tang Rong urgently wanted to know whether his recent trouble had Tang Mo’s hand in it. A few days earlier two bodyguards had been added at the courtyard gate and he had grown curious. Today Father visited him and then stormed off to look for Tang Mo. From this it seemed Father must know something.

Qing Mo brought back what he had learned: “We do not know what the Marquis and Second Young Master said in the study. The Marquis chased Second Young Master with a scroll painting and tried to hit him with it. Later Second Young Master went to Chun Rong Hall, and the Marquis went after him.”

At this Tang Rong became certain the matter must involve Tang Mo and that Father knew. He asked: “And then.”

“Then Second Young Master went into the Old Marquis’s armory and the Marquis went in too, saying he would help Second Young Master choose a weapon. The two of them were chatting and laughing inside.”

“Chatting and laughing.”

Tang Rong suspected he had misheard. Qing Mo nodded: “The people in Chun Rong Hall said it. It should not be wrong.”

Tang Rong felt his cracked rib begin to hurt again. The veins bulged on his clenched fist as anger surged like a sea. Qing Mo, reading his face in a quick glance, said: “Heir Apparent, today Commander Liao took Second Young Master into the palace to see His Majesty the Emperor. The Marquis waited at the palace gate for a long time.”

For a long while there was no reply from Tang Rong, and Qing Mo did not dare move. After about half a stick of incense, Tang Rong’s voice sounded: “Have Auntie Cai call Cai Quan.”

He could not wait any longer.

Qing Mo nodded and went to do it. After passing the word to Auntie Cai, he kept a special eye on the matter. Cai Quan came quickly, his expression grave even before he entered; when he came out he looked even more conflicted. Qing Mo sidled up to him and said: “Steward Cai, the Heir Apparent has had ill luck with everything recently. You must take to heart what he has instructed you to do.”

Cai Quan drew a deep breath, hesitated, then said: “You should also persuade the Heir Apparent not to be rash.”

[All I want is to skim a little money,] he thought. The Heir Apparent wanted him to hire a killer, and the target was Second Young Master. [If the deed is exposed, will the Heir Apparent protect me.]

His old wife had wronged Second Young Madam for the Heir Apparent’s sake. And the result.

She was fined a full year’s monthly silver, while the Heir Apparent showed no reaction at all.

Not to mention those sickening affairs that father and son had had to personally deal with. [The disgust of it made us unable to eat.] Now that the Heir Apparent had regained his senses, should he not have shown some consideration.

When one did work for Second Young Master, whether large or small, there were always rewards, and generous ones. How was it that the Heir Apparent understood none of this common sense of dealings.

[Under these circumstances he still wants me to stake my life and property.]