"She was just being a bit strict. She hopes that once we make something of ourselves and return to the capital, we can achieve great things."
He Lingchuan burst out laughing. "Come off it! She just wants you to finish your studies, return to the capital, and outshine everyone. What does any of that have to do with me?"
Hearing the heavy resentment in his words, He Yue frowned in displeasure. "Why belittle yourself, Eldest Brother? Have you ever thought about how you'll make your mark after we return to the capital?"
"Return to the capital?" He Lingchuan stroked his chin. "Nope!"
The original host had never looked that far ahead, and he certainly had no plans of his own.
To outsiders, Qiansong Commandery was a bleak, freezing backwater, but both he and the original host thought it was pretty good. The He family were local kings here, long accustomed to throwing their weight around. They could stand tall or lie flat in complete comfort, but in the capital of the Yuan Kingdom, they would be nobody.
In terms of heritage, wealth, connections, or even their knack for squandering silver, the He family weren't fit to hold the belts of those great clans and powerful houses.
So why go back? Better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix.
He Yue reminded him, "This is Father's lifelong wish. We took an oath during the ancestral sacrifices to see it through with everything we have." Those who had no foresight were bound to face immediate worries. With Eldest Brother's attitude, it would be a miracle if Mother ever liked him.
"I know, I know." He Lingchuan patted his shoulder nonchalantly. "You study the classics, and I'll practice martial arts. Together, we'll cover both brains and brawn. If we ever go back to the capital and anyone gives you trouble, I'll just cripple him in secret."
"Brother, you really are..." Faced with such incorrigible nonsense, He Yue was left speechless.
Looking on the bright side, though, all of his brother's brazen bullying in Blackwater City had been done right out in the open. At least he now understood that in the capital, he would have to do his dirty work in the dark. That was some kind of progress, right?
Sort of.
On their way, they ran into Uncle Hao, who shot He Lingchuan a meaningful look and followed along behind them.
*Did something else go wrong?*
Upon reaching the side hall, the two brothers sat down. Uncle Hao took up a guard post outside the door on his own, ensuring no one approached within fifty feet.
He Yue selected a tea set and felt the cold porcelain cups. "Did the National Preceptor and the Governor of Xunzhou come to stir up trouble?"
He Lingchuan gave a yawn, looking listless. "Those two aren't even the biggest trouble. The mastermind pulling the strings is the Emperor's father-in-law."
"The Grand Marshal?" He Yue's face turned pale with shock. "You can't mean... Dong Haoming?"
"Mm-hmm. How many fathers-in-law to the Emperor do we have?" He Lingchuan pondered for a moment. His father had only told him not to let Madam Ying find out, but hadn't forbidden him from telling He Yue.
This kid had been helping manage commandery affairs since he was nine. There was probably no need to keep him in the dark about a matter this big; in a few days, when He Chunhua sent men into the desert, He Yue was bound to know anyway.
So He Lingchuan readily recounted everything about National Preceptor Sun and Nian Songyu's intentions, from start to finish.
He Yue listened intently, occasionally chiming in with a question or two, but mostly tending the kettle to boil water.
His elder brother was too lazy, so he had to do it himself.
By the time the water was boiled and the tea was brewed, He Lingchuan's mouth was parched from talking. He picked up the hot tea and downed two large mouthfuls.
"Little Brother, what do you think?"
"The Grand Marshal wants to use us as pawns, but Father will most likely agree, so our objections wouldn't matter anyway," He Yue analyzed. "Given Father's age and experience, returning to the royal capital still holds great promise for him."
Though his two sons were nearly grown, He Chunhua himself was not yet thirty-five, an age when a man was still robust and full of vigor. He had already squandered the best twenty years of his life in this barren wasteland; how could he bear to stay ignored and buried here forever?
"Fortunately, Zhong Shengguang's keepsake is nowhere to be found. If they search for dozens more days with nothing to show for it, they won't be able to enter the Panlong Desert either."
He Lingchuan gave a light cough. "Actually, the keepsake has already been found."
"What? Where?" He Yue was startled, his gaze turning increasingly suspicious as he looked at his brother. "H-How do you know?"
"It's right here with me." He Lingchuan patted his chest and drawled, "Well, this goes back to when I was gravely wounded over a month ago..."
This time, he kept it as brief as possible.
"Nian Songyu only mentioned hunting down the leopard monster, but conveniently left out that he raided their den and wiped out their clan." He Yue's brows knitted tightly. "And what on earth did the Governor of Xunzhou send him here for?"
"Supposedly to assist National Preceptor Sun." He Lingchuan stroked his chin. "Looks like Dad will be asking me for the sand leopard's relic soon enough."
He Yue reminded him, "The Red-White Gang is still holding two guards from Donglai Residence. Now that you know why they came, how do you plan to handle them?"
"How else? Let them go, of course."
"Release them?" He Yue looked a little surprised. "I thought you'd want to destroy the evidence and get rid of the bodies."
The best way to avoid offending Donglai Residence was to make sure they never found out they had been wronged in the first place.
"No need for that, right?" He Lingchuan scratched his head. "They're just two second-class guards. What the hell do they matter to Donglai Residence?"
"Right, you have a point." He Yue thought it over. Leaving the whereabouts of those two a mystery would only cause trouble down the road; what if the Red-White Gang slipped up? If Father decided to help them claim the Dafang Pot, it would be best to show some good faith now, lest someone retaliate behind their backs when the rewards were handed out later. They were just two guards, after all—hardly worth a fart in the grand scheme of things. Donglai Residence needed their cooperation right now, so they wouldn't use this as an excuse to make a fuss.
Seeing He Yue stare at him, He Lingchuan grumbled under his breath, "What are you looking at me like that for?"
Compared to before, his brother seemed different, yet not entirely changed. He Yue gathered his thoughts. "There are too many questionable points in this matter. Entering the Panlong Desert is a near-certain death sentence, even with the keepsake in hand. Let them take the risk. You and Father must not wade into these muddy waters."
"Got it, got it."
Just then, Uncle Hao came to report that the Red-White Gang had sent someone over.
He Lingchuan received the man out in the garden.
Looking through the window, He Yue saw his brother plop down on a garden bench, cross his legs, and ask, "Are those two bastards still alive?"
"Still alive." This was the same Red-White Gang member who had tipped him off before. "What are the Eldest Young Master's orders?"
"Fish them out of the cell and clean them up."
"Clean them up?" The man caught on. "Should we burn them to ashes or dissolve them into liquid?"
"I said clean them up, not kill them!" What was running through these guys' heads? "Their backing has arrived. We'll probably have to let them go in a day or two—alive!"
The gang member gave a start. "Let them go?"
"Why? Are they missing any parts?" He Lingchuan frowned. That would be bad. Returning men to Donglai Residence short of an arm or a leg wouldn't be an olive branch—it would be making an enemy.
"They're in one piece, completely in one piece! B-But..."
He Lingchuan's heart sank. These rascals really couldn't keep out of trouble, could they? "But what?"
The man cleared his throat. "One of them tried to escape yesterday. When we rounded him up, we accidentally sliced off half his buttock. You know how it is—Chen Laoqi can be a bit heavy-handed."
"I know how it is? How the hell would I know?" He Lingchuan glared at him. "I thought at worst they'd eaten a few extra bowls of sour rice and caught a few more bug bites! If word of this gets out, it won't just be his ass that's hurt—it'll be the face of Donglai Residence!"
Back in the study, He Yue overheard this and covered his face with his hand. *So it was just an illusion earlier after all. Eldest Brother hasn't changed one bit.*
Chapter 12