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Chapter 167: Knocking on the Mountain

  Wei Tingzhen's words made Wei Tingyu's face flush red, and he shouted "Sister" in discontent: "Song Mo and us are not on the same path at all! If we can become estranged because of this, it might not be a bad thing!"

  "What are you talking about?" Wei Tingzhen was so anxious that she stomped her feet, "Can you afford to provoke Song Mo?"

  Wei Tingyu said disapprovingly, "What's there to provoke or not provoke? I'm not planning on getting anything good from him, do I need to fawn over him?" As he spoke, his expression turned serious and he said to Wei Tingzhen, "Sister, you should also tell your husband, in the future, interact less with Song Mo. This person's heart is too ruthless... His own family's guards, those are people who come and go and greet him every day. He says kill and then kills, after killing, he even neatly arranges them in the middle of the courtyard. Is this something an ordinary person can do? I also know he's formidable, but you think I should flatter him well so that I can get a good job. However, there are some things we cannot do, if we do, then for our entire lives, we'll owe others... If he asks me to help him kill someone, sister, what do you say? Should I go or not go? There are some debts that we cannot repay..."

  Mrs. Tian's face turned pale as she listened, and she hastily pulled her son's hand: "What happened? What's this about killing or not killing? What does it have to do with you?" She spoke anxiously, on the verge of tears, "Yu'er, don't scare Mother! What exactly happened? And what does it have to do with that Song Mo? Do you owe him money or something?"

  "Mother," Wei Tingzhen hastily sat down beside his mother, softly comforting her, "It's nothing, it's nothing! It was just a metaphor." As he spoke, he gave Wei Tingyu a stern glance, signaling him to help calm down Tian Shi, "Isn't little brother on good terms with Song Mo? I'll let him get along well with Song Mo..."

  "Sister, don't coax Mother anymore." Wei Tingyu sat down beside his mother and interrupted Wei Tingzhen's words, saying to Tian Shi, "Mother, it's like this... He told Tian Shi about how Song Yichun didn't like the eldest son, wanted to change the heir, and had their own guards take Song Mo, but instead, Song Mo killed all of the guards in the manor. "...You say, can I get mixed up with someone like that?"

  Tian's family was almost fainting upon hearing this.

  She tightly grasped her son's hand, with joints faintly turning white, and asked Wei Tingzhen in a hoarse voice: "Is this true?"

  Wei Tingzhen couldn't help but lower her eyelids and softly murmured "uh-huh".

  "Your brother did the right thing." Tian looked at his son with a glance, and his eyes showed a relieved expression. "Although our family is declining, we can't compromise our conscience to get a good job, which is no different from those sycophants around the emperor, the idle helpers of the royal families. We can't give up our integrity for power! Moreover, associating with people like Song Mo, even if it brings temporary benefits, will ultimately lead to more harm than good - have you seen anyone who is ruthless and cruel come to a good end? If Song Mo falls out of luck, won't your brother also be implicated?" He continued, "As for your brother's job, there's still a year before he can take office. Let's think of a solution slowly. Isn't there his sister's husband?"

  "Indeed!" Wei Tingyu, having received his mother's praise, couldn't help but feel a bit proud, raising his chin and saying, "Our family may not be as good as the ones above us, but we're still better than those below us. There's no need to humiliate ourselves just for a good job opportunity!"

  "Good. Elegant words and emotions are first-rate, good!" Tian's family smiled at his son with a smile, but Wei Tingzhen was crying and laughing.

  Good people will be rewarded, bad people will be punished. Are those just lyrics from an opera?

  These years, Zong Yao and I have been living with our tails between our legs. It's not easy for Zong Yao to be established as the heir, but if he were to ask for favors for Wei Tingyu, there are two reasons why it wouldn't work out. Firstly, Zong Yao has been staying in the Duke's mansion all these years and rarely goes out, so he's not familiar with those powerful nobles who hold real power. Secondly, even though my younger brother inherited the title of Marquis of Jin'ning, he's still a marquis after all. Zong Yao doesn't have the ability to secure a position that matches his status for his younger brother. Moreover, since Zong Yao was established as the heir, it already made our mother-in-law very unhappy. Even our father-in-law has been making concessions in many matters. If our mother-in-law finds out that Zong Yao is helping his own maternal family's business, she will definitely think that Zong Yao is biased towards his own family. If things get out of hand, even our father-in-law won't be able to intervene and speak up for them.

  Song Mo is different.

  He made such a fuss, even his own father-in-law would become solemn when mentioning Song Mu.

  If he is willing to help his brother out, those people will not dare to perfunctorily handle the matter even if they are intimidated by his notorious reputation.

  Wei Tingzhen was just polishing, when he heard his brother and mother discussing: "Song Mo gave me a horse, I think I'll return it to him tomorrow. Tell him, our family can't afford to raise it..."

  "It should be so." Mr. Tian said hastily, "It's better to send some things over, as a thank you for his previous kindness to you..."

  Wei Tingzhen was at a loss for words.

  "Mother!" she said, exasperated. "The red jade of the Song family is a famous horse in Kyoto, and many people have offered high prices to buy it, but the Song family has not sold it. Instead, they gave it to your brother. If you return the horse to Song Mo now, wouldn't that be slapping him in the face in front of everyone in Kyoto? You also say he's cruel and ruthless, what if he causes trouble for your brother when he's angry? Can we avoid it?" Then she scolded Wei Tingyu, "Don't be so childish! Don't assume everything will go as planned! At this time, Song Mo is already in a difficult situation, and you're kicking him while he's down. How do you expect him to think?"

  Wei Tingyu couldn't help but rub his head and said to his mother, "It's true... being distant from Song Mo at this time is indeed a bit...".

  Wei Tingzhen let out a sigh of relief.

  His younger brother, although not very cunning, is a sincere person with a strong sense of justice.

  "Why don't I send someone to deliver a message to Song Mo, saying you have urgent matters to attend to for the next two days and can meet again later? It's not too late to gradually reduce contact with him afterwards." Wei Tingzhen helped her brother come up with an idea.

  Wei Tingyu nodded repeatedly and sent someone to deliver a note to Song Mo according to Wei Tingzhen's instructions.

  Wei Tingzhen took the opportunity to remind Wei Tingyu: "When you speak, pay attention and don't be too direct. First, muddle through this matter, and if Song Mo finds you again in the future, you'll know what to do. If he doesn't find you, then you won't take the initiative to find him either."

  After all, I still hope that Wei Tingyu can maintain some contact with Song Mo.

  Wei Tingyu nodded and said "yes".

  Song Mo smiled coldly when he received Wei Tingyu's letter, and said to Wu Yi who delivered the letter: "Let's meet at Cuizhen Pavilion in two days then!"

  Cuizhen Pavilion is located outside Chaoyangmen and is the most famous vegetarian restaurant in Kyoto.

  Wu Yi went and told the young servant of the Wei family.

  On the agreed day, Wei Tingyu wore a cyan-colored Hangzhou silk changshan and went to Cuizhen Pavilion.

  Song Mo arrived a moment later.

  He wore a fine blue silk robe, his complexion was like jade, and he was exceptionally handsome. He walked in with a leisurely expression, his eyes were as bright as stars, calm and cold, as deep as a quiet and waveless icy pool, which made Wei Tingyu's heart feel cold, and his smile became strained.

  "Your Highness!" He involuntarily stood up and respectfully bowed to Song Mo.

  Song Mo's expressionless face sat in the main seat, slightly nodding towards Wei Tingyu and said lightly: "Sit!" Immediately controlled the situation.

  Wei Tingyu couldn't help but feel a bit awkward.

  Song Mo didn't bother with pleasantries. He got straight to the point: "You must have thought I wasn't worth meeting at first, since you didn't come during the mourning period. But then you sent a servant with an invitation - what made you change your mind?"

  His expression was calm and his tone was even, but there was a kind of sarcasm that made people feel ashamed.

  Wei Tingyu did not lower his head and muttered: "You are too cruel... This is not good... I came to advise you..."

  Song Mo was taken aback.

  He originally thought that Wei Tingyu was distant from him because he was afraid of getting into trouble, but he never thought that Wei Tingyu was actually questioning his character!

  Wei Tingyu saw that Song Mo was silent, and added that Song Mo had always been gentle and pleasant to him. Sometimes he would even take care of his emotions and follow his words, for a time putting Wei Tingzhen's instructions behind his mind. He looked up at Song Mo and said: "You see how you've made such a fuss, everyone who mentions you is as silent as a cicada in winter, and some people are so scared that they're trembling with fear, saying that they don't dare to associate with you again. Everyone lives together in the capital, this person, if he doesn't have relatives or friends, what's the point of being alone?"

  This person may be brainless but is still kind and innocent.

  Dòu Zhāo married him. Although she couldn't rely on her husband's wealth and status, she also didn't suffer from being looked down upon by others.

  Song Mo couldn't help but smile slightly, like ice and snow melting away, revealing a lush and verdant landscape of towering peaks.

  Wei Tingyu was slightly taken aback.

  Song Mo nodded and said, "You're right! I really need to think carefully about this matter." Then he picked up the teapot on the table and poured a cup of tea for Wei Tingyu. "I actually came to ask you if you have any interest in something - you also know Gu Yu, the emperor recently wants to dredge the Grand Canal, he took charge of the section from Jining, Xuzhou, Pei County, and Huaiyin, do you want to join in?"

  Wei Tingyu was shocked.

  Such a difficult task, it's already a remarkable ability for several people to take turns and complete one segment. But that Gu Yu actually completed four segments!

  "How much silver is invested in this?" He was sweating coldly, "I'm afraid I won't be able to take out that much silver... even a small share seems insufficient... and Gu Yu doesn't lack silver either... I'm still in mourning..."

  Wei Tingyu was very contradictory, feeling that this was an opportunity, but also afraid that he didn't have the ability to get involved.

  "Who would go to the construction site themselves to supervise?" Song Mo couldn't help but laugh, "You just say whether you want to participate or not. If you want to participate, send a capable manager and that's it. As for the silver, the Ministry of Revenue will allocate a portion, and the corvée will be counted as another part, it won't cost much money!"

  "That's one vote from me!"

  Song Mo smiled slightly.

  The dishes are being served.

  Wei Tingyu couldn't sit still and said, "I need to discuss this with my sister. Maybe I'll even have to borrow some silver from my brother-in-law to tide us over..."

  Song Mo's hand, holding the chopsticks, paused, and he said, "You'd better not make a sound for now, the eight characters have only drawn one stroke..." As he spoke, his tone changed, "However, you and your sister should discuss it first." In his heart, he thought that since he had already done someone a favor, he might as well do a good deed from start to finish and let the wife of the Duke of Jingguo's son get involved too. With Wei Shi's character, she would definitely take advantage of the situation and be able to control Wei Tingyu, preventing him from shouting everywhere.

  He understood in his heart and had a plan, but didn't know why. As soon as he thought that Wei Tingyu actually had to discuss everything with Wei Tingzhen, he felt extremely uncomfortable.

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  I also apologize for the typos. Sometimes I'm in a hurry and just post drafts, but now that JinTiao is helping to catch errors, it's gotten much better.

  o(n_n)o~

  Many hands make light work.

  If you find anything, please leave a message in the comment area and I will improve it in time.

  I hope to create a good environment for everyone.

  PS: The update tonight may be a bit late, you can also check it out tomorrow.

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