Yan Qiu Heng waited in the side hall for quite some time. He quietly drained two or three cups of tea and every so often, the eunuch at the door would bow to him while apologizing. "The young master will be out shortly!" was repeated over and over.
In normal times, the youngest member of the Yan family was hardly the patient type. Now, when his beloved sister was so obviously unhappy and headed for disaster, it was even harder for him to keep calm. Earlier, the servant who had led him here had said that this side hall was adjacent to Wei Tian Ao's living quarters. Yan Qiu Heng eyed the doorway that the eunuch guarded. After downing one more cup of tea, he suddenly rose and walked through that doorway, which alarmed the eunuch.
"S-sir! You cannot--"
"Don't worry, I can find the way on my own." Yan Qiu Heng smiled brightly, purposely misinterpreting the servant's actions. His own servants followed behind him, with one staying to subdue the eunuch.
His intuition had been spot on. After walking merely a short while, he arrived at Wei Tian Ao's room. When he peered into the room from a distance, he saw a young man sitting at a table with shriveled, dejected posture. The young man was staring out the window at the bleak scenery outside; both he and it were devoid of life.
Anger coursed through Yan Qiu Heng. His sister was still fighting, was still trying to make the best of her current situation, but what was her husband-to-be doing at this crucial time?
It had to be said that Yan Qiu Heng was a scholarly young man. Duke Ning's household was a lineage of court officials. While the men in the family were all healthy, they were not fighters. As such, they were the type to solve problems with brilliant words, not violence. So it quite shocked Yan Qiu Heng's servants to see him go right up to Wei Tian Ao and grab the other young man by the collar of his robes, pulling him to his feet.
"Just what do you think you are doing right now!?" Yan Qiu Heng roared, his face just a palm's width or two from Wei Tian Ao's.
Wei Tian Ao's expression did not change. He hung from Yan Qiu Heng's arms like a lifeless doll.
"At this time, when so many eyes are upon her, when so many are plotting for our family's direct misfortune, you are sitting here...a useless lump! How can she count on you to support her? What kind of husband are you!?"
The "her" he mentioned did not have to be directly named. Something flickered in Wei Tian Ao's eyes, but still he said nothing. Disgusted, Yan Qiu Heng loosened his grip. Wei Tian Ao fell to the floor in a sprawling heap.
What official's second son ever dared to treat a prince-shizi this way? What brother ever did and said such things for a mere sister?
But who was Yan Qiu Heng? He was never one to care about such things. And the person whom this young man was defending...
Slowly, ever so slowly, Wei Tian Ao lifted his gaze to look at this young man who'd intruded upon his quiet, sterile living space. He remembered that grinning young man who'd triumphed over Yi Cheng Rui at the bookstore. "Yan Qiu Heng and Yan Qiu Yue are twins." his friend had said. Wei Tian Ao thought back to that banquet that felt like it had been forever ago--thought back to that young woman who appeared in his life like a beautiful sea fairy. He had tried to forget her, to give up on that tiny bit of feeling he had.
"Oh..." Tian Ao suddenly recalled it. He was to marry that fairy-like girl. She was not marrying Wei Hong Sheng any longer, but him. Just a few days earlier, he'd chosen a few things to send her family, but his mind had been in a daze. Only now did Tian Ao fully recognize that those had been betrothal gifts.
"How can I support her?" Wei Tian Ao croaked, his voice cracked from disuse.
Yan Qiu Heng froze; his eyes widened. Had he actually gotten through to him? Yan Qiu Heng suddenly felt some pity for this Wei Tian Ao. He well knew what this young man had gone through since arriving in Yinchuan. It could be expected that Wei Tian Ao would be down and depressed. However, Yan Qiu Heng had to harden his heart for his sister. Wei Tian Ao could not be depressed and useless right now, or he would be swept away in others' schemes.
Yan Qiu Heng looked up, suddenly mindful of the eyes and ears in the room. Sensing his unease, Wei Tian Ao quickly dismissed the servants. "Leave us."
"But, shizi..."
"It's all right. This is my future bride's younger brother. I would have some words with him."
"...Understood."
The servants finally all withdrew. Letting out a little sigh, Yan Qiu Heng helped Tian Ao to his feet. "You are no longer a foreign merchant's son," Yan Qiu Heng said to him softly. "Whatever happened, whoever is at fault, you must make your moves quietly. Only when the tree is tall and strong can the fawn find shelter beneath its shade."
Wei Tian Ao squeezed his eyes shut, feeling pained when he recalled Tian Ren's death. He had been conflicted about things for too long, but deep down in his bones, he knew the truth. Tian Ren had been a good man. He wasn't a kidnapper. The person behind his father's death... Was it the emperor? Or was it...
Wei Tian Ao's eyes flashed. "There is...much that I don't understand." He laughed darkly. "I've always disdained officials and noble sons. How can I become one now?"
Yan Qiu Heng smiled. "Don't you have your good friend to rely upon?"
Wei Tian Ao had not seen Yi Cheng Rui in a long time. The young man had sent him several letters, but each one remained on his desk unanswered. Here was a good friend. Here was someone who had not yet given up on him. Wei Tian Ao slowly nodded.
"Do not rush." Yan Qiu Heng interjected. "Never rush. For a nobleman to take revenge, ten years is not too late. I trust you understand."
"...Yes." Some color had finally returned to Wei Tian Ao's face.
"This is all I wanted to say to you. If you understand, then that is naturally good. I apologize if I gave you any offense." Yan Qiu Heng bowed, finally showing Wei Tian Ao some respect.
"No... It's my fault that Sir Yan had to come and say such things. Many thanks to you for opening my eyes." Wei Tian Ao smiled wryly. "It seems that I forgot myself." He had been so distressed over his own helplessness. Unable to do anything to immediately alleviate the situation, he had just completely shut down instead. "You're right. Ten years is not too late..."
No more words had to be said to him, it seemed. Yan Qiu Heng, while still somewhat skeptical about this whole situation, was comforted knowing that at least Wei Tian Ao now better grasped the situation. His sister would not be entirely without support once she married in. A little relieved, Yan Qiu Heng turned to depart and had just walked through the doorway when suddenly Wei Tian Ao called out to him with one more question.
"If... If she was still marrying Wei Hong Sheng... Would you be giving this advice and showing this concern to him, too?"
Yan Qiu Heng sighed, instantly able to read the underlying intent of such a question. What was it about his sister that captivated the young men of Prince Rui's household so? He did not turn around, so Wei Tian Ao had no way of knowing what sort of expression was on the young man's face. "If Wei Hong Sheng was still my sister's fiance...... He most likely would not require any advice from this humble one in the first place." Such honest, cutting words stunned Wei Tian Ao. He could not reply as Yan Qiu Heng strode away.
We won't be seeing much of our heroine for a little while. She's going to be stuck at home embroidering while the people in her life are all up to their own schemes.
Those parting words that were spoken by Yan Qiu Heng sunk deep within Wei Tian Ao. For the next few days, they haunted him like a vengeful ghost. Why had he asked that question? Just what was he expecting from the Yan twins? It was indisputable that at the moment, despite being stripped of his shizi title, Wei Hong Sheng was in a better position. He had been in the capital longer, was very familiar with noble families and social etiquette. True, he had a reputation as somewhat of a scoundrel, but apparently that had been recently shed. It wasn't his fault that he was actually an "illegitimate" child--rather, it could be said that all this was an unfortunate fate for the young man. Others were more likely to pity him and want to support him.
Meanwhile, he himself... He grimaced, imagining how others must view him. He had grown up in Northern Xi, usurped Wei Hong Sheng's position and bride, and in recent weeks... Wei Tian Ao shook his head. Yan Qiu Heng couldn't be faulted for coming to lecture him. If he had a younger sister who had to marry someone like him, he wouldn't be too happy about it, either. On the contrary, he was deeply grateful to Yan Qiu Heng for breaking him out of his muddled daze.
Stretching his arms high above his head, Wei Tian Ao smiled wryly. "Well then, it's time that I do something useful..." he thought. He decided to pay Yi Cheng Rui a visit.
It didn't take long for the two of them to meet. "Here I thought you might never crawl out of your cave." Yi Cheng Rui drawled.
"Don't be like this. I already apologized for not replying to your letters."
"It's not about that..." Yi Cheng Rui sighed. "Never mind. I'm simply glad to see that you are well, that's all."
The two of them sat down in Yi Cheng Rui's study as they had so many times before all the tragic events had happened in Wei Tian Ao's life. It occurred to Tian Ao that the last time he'd seen his friend had been before Tian Ren's death. He looked his friend in the eye, trying to confirm something.
This puzzled Yi Cheng Rui. "What is it?"
"......" Wei Tian Ao had thought on it for a long time, but in the capital, the person he could trust the most at present was precisely Yi Cheng Rui. His father was gone and as for Prince and Princess Rui... Until he was certain of their involvement or lack thereof in Tian Ren's death, he could not place any confidence in them. He wanted to trust Yi Cheng Rui fully. He didn't want to go through his life being paranoid of anyone and everyone. So for Yi Cheng Rui, he had just one question: "Why did you start associating with me after I came to the capital?"
Yi Cheng Rui was taken aback by this sudden question. Then he thought of everything that Wei Tian Ao had been through recently. He maintained eye contact as he said, "I won't lie to you. Originally, it was because my father ordered me to befriend you."
"Why would Duke Gui do such a thing?"
"At the time, I didn't know. To tell the truth, I was pretty irritated at the thought of having to accompany some merchant's son. But you were far more interesting than I'd expected. I wouldn't have accompanied you if I'd thought you boring."
"Well thank you for that!" Wei Tian Ao laughed in mock-derision.
"But now..." Yi Cheng Rui's brows furrowed. "I believe that even then, my father was aware of your true lineage. He just didn't tell me. I can't think of any other reason why he would be so insistent that I befriend you and keep you entertained. He's always been eager to use others to climb up."
Wei Tian Ao was surprised at the harshness of his friend's words. He'd known for a while through the occasional sarcastic turns of phrase that his friend used that Yi Cheng Rui was somewhat dissatisfied with his father, but still... It was surprising to think that he'd just say something like that point-blank.
Was it safe to think that such a person would not be plotting against him and wasn't involved in those dirty affairs? Despite his sometimes cynical words, Yi Cheng Rui was clearly a person who wished to be idealistic and noble. His common sense merely overruled that wish at times. Wei Tian Ao, seeing the conflicted look on his friend's face, decided to take a chance. If he couldn't even trust Yi Cheng Rui, who else was left for him to trust in this awful country? He took a deep breath and told Yi Cheng Rui about everything that had happened since they'd last met.
Yi Cheng Rui was quiet for a very long time afterward as he took in all this information. Some things he'd heard about through the grapevine, but other things were new or had been understated by others. Most importantly, he was getting all this from Wei Tian Ao's perspective. "I am about to say something that may shock and hurt you." he finally said.
"Please don't hold back on my account."
"I... I don't think that the emperor was behind your father's death."
It heartened Tian Ao greatly that Yi Cheng Rui would refer to Tian Ren as "your father" and not "your foster father". He felt seen and understood. "After all... Is it..." He didn't want to say the name of the person they both were thinking of.
Wei Tian Ao still didn't fully understand if that man really was the culprit. Why bring such an unknown as him into the fray? What was wrong with the son that he already had? True, Wei Hong Sheng didn't have the best reputation, but was that enough reason to go through all this? Unless that man didn't know about his existence and only went with the flow after the fact? But then who else would scheme so hard to frame and kill Tian Ren?
The more he thought about it, the less Wei Tian Ao understood.
"The imperial family has very deep schemes," Yi Cheng Rui said. It was a simple statement, but there was a lot of meaning packed behind it. "Don't try to understand it all right now", he seemed to be saying. "It would be hard for a newcomer to grasp it all. Even I... I still don't see everything that's beneath the surface."
"So what would you suggest?" Wei Tian Ao frowned. Yan Qiu Heng had said that a gentleman's revenge could take more than ten years. He understood that he had to be patient with these matters, but he still required a plan.
"The New Year's Banquet is coming up. You will meet all of the major players there. Right now, you are like a lost man stumbling around in the darkness. You cannot get out until you better understand the situation."
"I... I understand. So will you teach me etiquette?"
Yi Cheng Rui grinned. "Naturally. But you better not complain that I'm too tough on you!"
"This humble one wouldn't dare, wouldn't dare..." Wei Tian Ao raised his fists and cupped them together in a placating salute.
Yan Qiu Heng had been right. He no longer was a merchant's son. Those faraway happy days where he could simply rely on his skills and wouldn't have to get involved with politics were over. To get the vengeance he craved, Tian Ao had to find out who his true enemy was...and learn to fight using their weapons.
Wei Tian Ao is growing up... ;_; And TWG has passed 80 followers! Wow! Thank you so much for your support. If you've read this far, I hope you'll subscribe and/or leave a review when you can.
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