Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 391: The Yang Clan's Secret

The members of the Yang Clan dispersed upon the imperial noble consort’s command. Yang Jingxiu did in fact need to attend to the other guests, such as those from Wang Clan, and it was inappropriate to remain with the imperial noble consort for too long. In fact, Yang Jingxiu still did not understand why she had even come. He had been trying to probe subtly, but Huangfu Qing skillfully avoided revealing her true intentions.

Yang Jingxiu was utterly confused, assuming it was some sort of hint from the emperor.

Is the emperor trying to convey something to the world?

He felt it would be beneficial to discuss this with Wang Daozhong for some insights.

Yang Jingxiu left some of the smarter maids and servants, withdrew all the men, and provided ample comfort for the imperial noble consort before taking his leave.

Huangfu Qing did not care about his thoughts and comfortably sat on the mahogany chair, sipping tea while she enjoyed the sight of the nervous young girl before her.

Using her identity as Vermillion Bird, she could give Xia Chichi a difficult time, and using her identity as the imperial noble consort, she could control the girl from the Cui Clan and annoy Tang Wanzhuang.

Who else can compare to me?

If this were the era of the Three Kingdoms recorded in history, then I would undoubtedly be the strongest, Cao Wei.

There’s a female version of Zhuge Liang who just emerged from Jingxiang... But right now, she’s in a state far from Zhuge Liang’s brilliance, making her hardly worth fighting against.

As for Cui Yuanyang... It’s a pity that this isn’t Hefei, but it’s not very far either... Regardless, from now on, Zhao Changhe’s courtyard shall be your Hefei. Don’t even think about entering![1]

Huangfu Qing had completely missed that this place was not far from Chibi[2] either. She nearly crossed her legs in leisure as she said, “Your name is Yangyang, right?”

Cui Yuanyang really did not understand the situation with the imperial noble consort. No matter how prestigious or powerful the Cui Clan was, they had to abide by the rules, so she answered honestly, “Your Highness, Yangyang is my nickname. My actual name is Yuanyang.”

“Girls usually aren’t given generational names, but your father included you in the Yuan generation. This shows that he has high expectations for you, implying that women can be as capable as men.”

“Perhaps. My father does dote on me a lot,” Cui Yuanyang said, scratching her head.

“Following that logic, the Cui Clan probably wants a capable son-in-law, right?” Huangfu Qing continued to lead her. “Isn’t hanging onto a man in front of everyone inappropriate?”

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Cui Yuanyang: “?”

What is it to you... wait.

Hiss... This is the imperial noble consort. If Big Brother Zhao really is a prince, then she would be his stepmother. Is she here to express the emperor’s thoughts? If that’s the case, then this is a serious problem...

Cui Yuanyang’s face turned pale. “Your Highness... um...”

“Also, as far as I know, your birthday is at the end of the year, so there’s still half a year before you are officially an adult, right?”

“Actually, I was considered an adult by the end of last year.”

What do you mean by “considered”? That... isn’t exactly enough, is it?

Huangfu Qing stopped her at this point, “His Majesty is very concerned about this marriage.”

This time, Cui Yuanyang really became restless. She was thinking that she might need to go back and discuss this with her father. If the emperor was truly paying attention to this matter, it seemed that it had gotten a lot more complicated than it had initially been, and she could not figure it all out on her own.

“It’s already getting dark. You may go back and rest.” Huangfu Qing, satisfied, lifted her teacup to see Cui Yuanyang off. As she sent her off, she offered her some sincere advice, “Don’t be too impulsive in everything you do. You must always keep the reputation of the Cui Clan in mind.”

It was unclear what she was truly trying to say by speaking such words. In any case, Cui Yuanyang was completely under her control, and she went back to her courtyard residence with her head down, not daring to go over the wall and visit Zhao Changhe next door.

Actually, as the noise faded and everyone returned to their places, Zhao Changhe had serious business to attend to. Yang Jingxiu’s birthday banquet was going to be held the day after tomorrow, and he was not hosting a gathering with guests yet. The supposedly “retired” Yang Bugui was lurking in Zhao Changhe’s courtyard, drinking with him.

“The people around you are really scary, brother Zhao,” said Yang Bugui after taking a deep breath. “Even Cui Yuanyang is so aggressive around you, like a rabbit with its fur bristled.”

“Huh? But Yangyang is very well-behaved...”

“Ah, yes, yes, of course,” replied Yang Bugui. “Has Saintess Xia from the Four Idols Cult said anything? At the Langya Sword Conference, everyone saw her affection for you. Now that you’re truly getting engaged to the Cui Clan, I dare not imagine how she will react.”

Zhao Changhe glanced at him. “Hey, brother Yang, don’t tell me you’re interested in Chi Chi.”

Yang Bugui lowered his head to drink, stayed silent for a while, and surprisingly did not deny it, “I do have some interest in her. I can tell that Wang Zhaoling is also interested in her. Xia Chi Chi is supposed to be a witch who causes chaos in the jianghu, and it is possible that she could stir up trouble among the families... Maybe because of you, she shows no interest in other men.”

Zhao Changhe had a strange expression on his face, listening to someone talk about having an interest in his girlfriend. But the way Yang Bugui spoke so openly and honestly about it surprisingly made it so that he did not provoke any resentment.

It suddenly occurred to Zhao Changhe that Cui Yuanyang also performed well during the Langya Sword Conference, and she was a good match socially, yet none of the noble scions seemed to show an interest in her. Instead, they all took a liking to Chichi.

Is the idea of getting together with a witch more alluring to noble scions?

“Of course, you two came to know each other in humble beginnings, and the kind of affection you share is something that others can only hope to have. I was just speaking some thoughts aloud. If I were to really fall in love with a witch, my father would probably beat me to death. Your existence can be said to be preempting any trouble for my family.” Yang Bugui laughed and raised his cup to toast. “I must thank you again, brother Zhao, for helping us capture Yang Qianyuan.”

Zhao Changhe drank and asked, “Did Chichi go look for Yang Qianyuan after interacting with your clan?”

“Well... The Four Idols Cult came talking about working together with our clan, Yang Qianyuan was actually just an excuse for us to refuse them politely. I really would never have expected her to actually risk going to Kunlun to capture him. Fortunately, you were there and helped her...”

Perhaps seeing Chichi bringing back Yang Qianyuan made you like her more. Zhao Changhe did not dwell on these matters, however. He focused on the essence of the situation. “Why would the Four Idols Cult consider collaborating with the Yang Clan? Did the Yang Clan show some sign that made the Four Idols Cult think that you could be persuaded?”

Yang Bugui narrowed his eyes slightly, and he looked at Zhao Changhe silently.

“Don’t worry, I won’t sabotage the Four Idols Cult’s plans... I’m not sure if the Xiangyang incident counts, but I still see it more as disrupting Maitreya and the Wang Clan’s plans rather than directly provoking the Four Idols Cult. Otherwise, Venerable Vermillion Bird would not have had such a straightforward attitude with me when we met earlier,” said Zhao Changhe. “The reason I’m asking you this is not the Four Idols Cult. I came here to discuss cooperation with the Yang Clan.”

Yang Bugui said, “We went south to Xiangyang to send troops to assist in the defense, not to expand southward ourselves.”

“I know.”

“Your next step with First Seat Tang should be to conduct a full sweep of Jiangnan, completely eradicating Maitreya’s threat, right? So what’s the point in seeking our cooperation? You won’t lack the forces we can provide for this battle.”

“To be precise, I need your father’s strength, he’s tenth on the Ranking of Earth. At that time, when the divine apparition appeared behind Maitreya, both you and your father were there and saw it with your own eyes. I need to gather every possible ally to finish this battle once and for all. And since your father has participated in besieging Maitreya before, if Maitreya manages to escape again, the Yang Clan will likely face troubles in the future. I believe that your father should be happy to cooperate with me again.”

Yang Bugui smiled and said, “That alone would not warrant bringing First Seat Tang here. You have other thoughts, brother Zhao, and you might as well say them directly. “

“The Wang Clan would not want us to easily wipe out Maitreya and thereby strengthen the power of the Tang Clan in Jiangnan. There is a high likelihood that they will try to sabotage us. I do not expect the Yang Clan to help defend Xiangyang, but I do hope that you at least won’t side with them in this matter. I’ll be honest, if you do, we’ll be in a rather difficult position.”

Yang Bugui stared at Zhao Changhe for a long time, then suddenly said, “Originally, you didn’t care about who rebelled, but now you’re trying to fix everything. How do you reconcile this contradiction yourself? Specifically, regarding the Four Idols Cult and First Seat Tang.”

Zhao Changhe said, “It seems that everyone is misunderstanding me. I still don’t really care who rebels. The reason I’m opposing Maitreya is simply that he’s worse than trash. As for the Wang Clan, it’s because they want to kill me. As for First Seat Tang, I’d rather she retire to the countryside and stop worrying about these troubles; I’m just trying to make things more comfortable for her.”

Yang Bugui did not focus on everything Zhao Changhe said, but he did catch a rather important phrase. “Worse than trash?”

Maitreya being “worse” implied that the current regime was already bad. In other words, Zhao Changhe was indirectly criticizing Xia Longyuan.

Zhao Changhe did not address this but instead said, “Brother Yang, there’s no need to keep probing my intentions. In fact, how I view the world may not be of much concern to the Yang Clan. I believe that what the Yang Clan truly cares about is how it was once on par with the Cui and Wang Clans, yet its presence now is no longer as strong. Even you are quite reserved, unlike the spirited Wang Zaholing and Cui Yuanyong.”

Yang Bugui’s smile faded.

Zhao Changhe continued, “No matter how much you look down on the bravery of ordinary people, the Ranking of Troubled Times shows that it is not without merit. The Yang Clan has not produced anyone in the Ranking of Heaven for generations. Does this not show decline?”

Yang Bugui said slowly, “Brother Zhao, what are you trying to point out by exposing our scars?”

Zhao Changhe said, “For the Yang Clan to be among the top, its heritage is obviously no weaker than that of the Cui or Wang Clans, yet it has begun to decline. I doubt this is because your talents are lacking.”

Yang Bugui replied flatly, “Our talents are indeed mediocre, incomparable to the geniuses of the Cui and Wang Clans.”

“Why hide it from me?” Zhao Changhe said decisively, “Something must have gone wrong with the Yang Clan, and the Four Idols Cult must have noticed this, which is why they felt that they could negotiate cooperation with you. In this case, why not discuss it with me? They might not be able to solve it, but I might.”

After a pause, he suddenly added, “The Yang Clan has never held such a grand birthday banquet before, so I suspect that this banquet is somewhat related to this matter.”

Yang Bugui stared at Zhao Changhe for a long while, then suddenly smiled. “I’ll convey your thoughts to my father. Enjoy your time here until the banquet in two days.”

With that, he stood up, bowed, and took his leave.

Zhao Changhe saw him out, then turned to look at Tang Wanzhuang’s closed courtyard door. He believed that she must have been listening to the conversation, and he wondered what she thought of it.

With Huangfu Qing and Yangyang confronting each other today, I wonder if this master of mine is taking it... My pursuit of her is only halfway through, and with things like this, will it all fall apart?

Zhao Changhe felt a headache coming and knocked on the door, wanting to chat with her a bit. But there was no response.

Zhao Changhe touched his chin and thought for a moment, returned to his courtyard, and directly climbed over the wall.

I’m not going to let a mere wall stop me...

Just when he poked his head over the wall, Baoqin, with a broom in hand, leaped up and swung it at him, yelling, “Lecher! I knew you’d try to climb over the wall. I’ve been waiting for you all this time!”

Tang Wanzhuang was sitting in the yard reading a book, not even lifting her head. “Such sneaky behavior is disgraceful to your master. Go back and copy the Divine Farmer’s Classic a hundred times and reflect on your actions.”

Zhao Changhe, not daring to fight Baoqin, quickly ducked back, muttering to himself that he was in trouble.

She’s really angry. She must be wondering what relation I have with Huangfu Qing when nothing should have happened between us. Is there really a need to compete with other women for attention?

It’s over... What do I do?

Just then, a flash of red appeared at his own door, and Huangfu Qing jumped over, her eyes full of charm. “I told you last time, if we meet again, if you don’t eat me, I’ll eat you.”

Tang Wanzhuang, who was reading a book next door, perked up her ears.

Soon, a seductive voice said, “Sneaking around with the imperial noble consort behind the First Seat’s back—exciting, isn’t it?”

Tang Wanzhuang’s cold voice drifted under the moonlight. “Witch, how dare you?!”

1. This is a reference to the Battle of Hefei during the Three Kingdoms era. Huangfu Qing is likening herself to Cao Cao while likening Cui Yuanyang to Sun Quan. The battle was a defeat for Sun Quan, who failed in his siege of Cao Cao’s stronghold Hefei. ☜

2. This is a reference to the Battle of Chibi, also known as the Battle of Red Cliffs, during the Three Kingdoms era. Cao Cao lost this battle. ☜