Chapter 116: Turmoil and Strife (3)

When Tie Xinyuan returned home, his mother was busy organizing a set of snow-blue robes. Knowing that her son detested the traditional sashes used to tie garments, she had replaced them entirely with toggles.

The color of the toggles matched the robes perfectly; to ensure this aesthetic consistency, she had even gone out and purchased a bolt of silk in the exact same shade.

The entire outfit was clearly a high-end product. A gentle smile played on his mother’s lips as she anticipated how handsome her son would look once he donned it.

Sure enough, the moment Tie Xinyuan stepped through the door, Wang Rouhua could not wait to have him take off his outer robe and try on the new clothes.

Once dressed, Tie Xinyuan felt like a piece of candy wrapped in shimmering, high-grade foil—the kind of treat that would make anyone feel an urge to pounce and take a bite.

Wang Rouhua playfully bit her son’s cheek, then stroked his smooth skin with pride. "Look at these rosy cheeks! Whose child could possibly be as handsome as mine?"

Tie Xinyuan sighed helplessly. "My face is red from the cold, Mother. Must I wear such flashy clothes? You know I don't care for silk garments."

Wang Rouhua laughed. "Of course I know, but your grandfather and his kin do not. This outfit was sent over by your grandmother, who specifically dispatched a steward to deliver it. You are about to start school at the Sanhuai Hall; if you don't dress well, those idiots at the estate will surely mock you."

Tie Xinyuan rolled his eyes. "Since you already call them fools, why should I care about their mockery? Even if I showed up to the estate in my birthday suit, as long as my studies are excellent, who would dare look down on me?"

Wang Rouhua chuckled heartily. "Going naked won't do. There are many sisters of yours at the estate, and one must still observe the boundaries between men and women. Just do this for your mother’s sake. After the military examinations, wear these clothes to the Sanhuai Hall and show that flock of toads what a brilliant young gentleman looks like! Oh, and don't forget to wear the jade pendant the Emperor gave you."

Having been away from the Wang estate for so many years, returning in a blaze of glory was a necessity. Otherwise, the grievances she had suffered when she first left would have been endured in vain.

Being wrapped up like a candy was a small price to pay. As long as his mother was happy, Tie Xinyuan would even wear split-crotch pants to show off his manhood to everyone at the estate if it made her proud.

Before he could take off the new clothes, he heard a loud, shrill whistle from outside.

Wang Rouhua tapped her son’s cheek and pointed outside with a smile. "Perfect. Go out and let the Princess see."

Tie Xinyuan laughed. "If you like her so much, how about I bring the Princess back one day to be your daughter-in-law?"

Wang Rouhua laughed until she leaned back, hugging her son. "If you have the ability, go ahead and do it."

Tie Xinyuan eyed his mother suspiciously. "I thought you wanted me to become a high-ranking general or a grand chancellor? You can't be chancellor if you marry a princess."

Wang Rouhua shot him a look of disdain. "Becoming a chancellor is for great talents like your ancestors. You? You're just a little monkey. If I let you stir up the entire imperial court and cause chaos throughout the realm, what then? We shall see."

It was fortunate that no outsiders heard this shameless conversation, or it would surely have become the hottest gossip in Tokyo for the season. But that hardly mattered; in a mother’s heart, habitually elevating her child’s status by several tiers was merely a daily routine.

"It stopped making noise! The box is broken!"

The little Princess stood atop the city wall, holding the box with tearful eyes as she called down to Tie Xinyuan.

"Small matter. Throw the box down, and I'll fix it for you. It’ll be ready in no time."

Regardless of the cause, Tie Xinyuan promised immediately, just to stop the little girl from crying. Her eyes were as swollen as peaches, and heaven only knew how long she had been weeping; she would go blind if she continued.

With the Princess watching in anticipation, the box was carefully placed in a basket by her nannies and lowered down.

Under the little Princess's pained gaze, Tie Xinyuan roughly pried the box open.

After pulling off the base, he realized the coiled steel spring had slipped and was lying loosely inside. The winding mechanism could no longer catch the spring, so the wooden figurine on top had naturally stopped moving.

He reconnected the latch to the steel spring, tightened it, and secured it back into the base. Finally, he snapped the base back onto the box. When he opened the lid, the steel spring turned the main shaft, which was studded with small pins. These pins plucked the pre-tuned reeds, and once again, beautiful music filled the air.

The wooden figurine began to spin to the music as the basket was hoisted back up the city wall. The little Princess’s tear-streaked face was instantly replaced by a sense of pure happiness. As soon as the box returned to her, she hugged it tightly, rubbing her cheek against it as if she cherished the trinket dearly.

"My mother says that I am the only one in the world with such an ingenious mechanical box; even the Imperial Household Department doesn't have anything this fine. If Father hadn't been so busy with the military examinations, I would have taken it to show him already. Mother also said that if we present such things as tribute to the Liao Emperor next year, those barbaric Khitans will surely be satisfied, and we might even save a fortune in silk."

The little Princess, oblivious to the noise the reeds made, boasted of her foresight to Tie Xinyuan, seemingly forgetting that he was the one who had given it to her.

"In a month, it will be my birthday. What do you plan to give me?"

The little Princess clutched the box and looked at Tie Xinyuan with greedy anticipation, demanding her due gift.

"You haven't even said if my new robe looks good yet, and you're already asking for a gift. Honestly."

"Brother Yuan’s clothes are truly beautiful, even better than mine!" In order to get her gift early, the little Princess uttered a white lie, tugging at her own infinitely magnificent gown.

"Alright, I’ll prepare something for you. But if the Imperial Household Department makes new boxes based on yours, remember to charge them. I’m a poor man; they can’t just take all the novelties I come up with and use them to make money for free."

The little Princess glanced at the Tie family's humble house, then looked back at her own towering residence, nodding repeatedly. Her father had often said that there were many poor people in the Great Song, and the Imperial family should not be overly extravagant.

According to her father, the lives of the poor were pitiful, with many unable to even get enough to eat. The reason Brother Yuan had taken the bananas last time must have been because he was starving.

Once the fox and the pack of dogs were fed, they were unwilling to stay in the imperial palace any longer. It was fine for the fox to roam, but the seven puppies could not; a group of eunuchs and guards stood at the foot of the city wall specifically to prevent such things.

After coaxing the Princess away, Tie Xinyuan fell into a state of anxiety. Something had gone wrong—the little Princess mentioned that the Emperor was busy with the military examinations?

Good heavens, since when were the military examinations important enough to occupy the Emperor?

This was bad. It meant that in three days, the Emperor would personally preside over the palace examinations at the drill grounds.

Plotting against the examinees when the Emperor was absent was entirely different from doing so while he was present. In the former case, no one would bother to investigate too deeply, but in the latter, it would be a disaster. If the Emperor gave the order, they would never stop until they got to the bottom of it.

He hurried to Puluo Alley and found Yang Huaiyu calmly eating porridge and pickled vegetables.

Seeing Tie Xinyuan, Yang Huaiyu gestured for him to sit down, then set aside his bowl. "Long Chuan has a bad stomach. I heard he’s been vomiting and purging all night, and it still hasn't stopped. It looks like he’s effectively finished."

"I’m not too worried about him. Since your father’s jurisdiction is on the route he takes for his escort business, he wouldn't dare do anything to you. I’m asking about Iron Lion. I have a feeling that guy isn't as simple as he seems."

Xiao Qiao spoke up: "Ever since that fellow left the drill grounds, he has only eaten eggs boiled in their shells. Furthermore, he wanders into the market, picks a random stall to eat at, and never eats more than one bowl at any place before moving on. Under these circumstances, no one can slip him a laxative."

Yang Huaiyu laughed. "To cross swords with an expert like Iron Lion is my life’s ambition."

Tie Xinyuan ignored the foolish remark, merely nodding to acknowledge the hidden meaning in Xiao Qiao's words. He turned to Yang Huaiyu and asked, "Has your mother gone to the Su family to set the date yet?"

Yang Huaiyu grinned. "My father sent a letter from Fengzhou, instructing my mother to go to the Su family personally to finalize the date. They’ve already proposed a wedding date; as long as the Su family has no objections, we will be married in a month."

Tie Xinyuan looked around and, not seeing Su Mei, smiled. "The Su family has agreed; you will be married in a month."

Yang Huaiyu said proudly, "For this month, Mei’er has to prepare her bridal trousseau and won't be able to leave the house. I must win the top rank in the military examinations to give her the honor she deserves."

Tie Xinyuan and Xiao Qiao watched Yang Huaiyu saunter out of the dining hall like a fool. After exchanging a glance, Xiao Qiao said, "I think Iron Lion could take two of him."

Tie Xinyuan shook his head. "I think he could probably take three without any trouble. If Iron Lion wants to show off his prowess before the Emperor, I suspect he could finish off four of Yang the First."

Xiao Qiao worried, "Then what do we do? I don't have the guts to use a blowpipe against Iron Lion in front of the Emperor. If I get caught, my head will be gone."

Tie Xinyuan scratched his head. "How about we sabotage him early? Let's choose the day before the palace examinations. I don't believe Iron Lion will have much fighting strength left after being tortured by toad venom all night. That will at least close the gap between him and Yang Huaiyu, theoretically giving Yang a chance to win."

"Long Chuan is already out. What about the others?"

"Wait another day to see if any other experts get taken out. Lei Meng, Huo Beishan, Meng Tiefu from Cangzhou, Ma Yan from Hebei, the Liang Shimeng of Gaizhou, and the sharpshooter Ying Wen from the Xinhua Army—all of these people, whom the veterans have identified as threats to Yang Huaiyu, are within our scope. You know how to do this without exposing yourself, right?"

Xiao Qiao nodded. "I'll have to do it myself. Fu’er, Ling’er, and Huo’er aren't ready yet."

Tie Xinyuan nodded. "I’ll help you; otherwise, you won't be able to manage it alone."

"You just need to create the opportunities for me."

Xiao Qiao spoke with complete confidence.