Chapter 5: The Crisis of the Cao Manor

  "The second lady, that's all, he just said that much."

  It was already late at night, and Tang Song stood respectfully in the bedroom of the second lady, recounting the details of delivering the message today.

  On the jade bed behind the beaded curtain, the two madams' alluring figures could be vaguely seen. After hearing what Tang and Song had said, the person behind the curtain faintly replied: "I know, Steward Tang has been busy running around today, the money bag on the table is Ya's thoughtful gesture, Steward Tang should go back and rest early."

  Tang Song picked up the money bag and nodded, hesitating for a moment. Before walking out of the door, he turned around and said, "Second Madam, if there's anything difficult in the mansion, just entrust it to Yuan Ming, Yuan Ming is willing to share the burden."

  "Mr. Tang's kindness is understood by our humble household, but Ya is a woman and it wouldn't be proper for her to make decisions."

  Tang Song remained silent for a moment, then bowed his hands and said: "Yuan Ming, you may withdraw."

  No words for the whole night. The next day, Tang Song was woken up again early in the morning, but this time it was someone sent by Old Master Cao. Suddenly, Tang Song felt a wave of depression in his heart. Last night it was the second madam, and today it's the old master. This sleep is really not going to work out. Hurriedly getting out of bed, dressing neatly, Tang rushed to the backyard.

  When Tang Song arrived, Old Cao was concentrating on teasing the parrot he raised. Seeing Tang Song come in, without turning his head, he said: "Sit." Tang Song thanked him and sat down in a chair. But then Old Cao's next sentence scared him into standing up again.

  "I heard you went to my wife's room at midnight last night?"

  Tang Song's body was covered in cold sweat. Could it be that Old Master Cao had planted informants all over the mansion? If he misunderstood that she and Second Madam were having an illicit affair, then things would get really messy. Suddenly, she stuttered: "Old master, I...I..."

  "Look at your useless self!" Cao An glared at him with a scowl, putting down the birdcage and saying "I'm handsome and dashing, ten times more heroic than you. I trust Ya'er completely. I bet that little girl secretly asked you to send a message to her family, didn't she?"

  Tang Song could only say with a forced smile: "The second lady is devoted to the old master, and the old master's plan is ingenious."

  Then Tang Song repeated what had happened to Old Man Cao again.

  Cao An furrowed his brow and said, "What he says is true, the Pan family... can't even protect themselves." After saying that, he looked at Tang Song again and said, "Little Tang, I've watched you grow up since you were a child. Although you don't remember many things now, you're still my most trusted confidant. If there's something important I need to entrust to you, it's just that this matter is extremely critical and perilous. Are you willing to share the burden with me?"

  Tang Song immediately changed his expression and said: "Yuan Ming is willing to follow your orders, and advance or retreat with the Cao Mansion!"

  "Good!" Old Master Cao said seriously, "Yuanming, I ask you, the prosperity and wealth of the Cao Manor today is due to whose support from behind?"

  "It is His Excellency Cao Bin, the current imperial envoy."

  "Not bad, it turns out that this Lord Cao is even younger than me by a few years, and in terms of seniority, he should be calling me Second Brother. However, when he was young, he followed the Great Ancestor on campaigns to the south and north, achieving countless merits, and now he has become an official as high-ranking as the Imperial Envoy. Such a founding general, this official position is already at its peak."

  "What!" Tang Song was shocked and lost his color, he remembered that General Cao Bin had been active on the battlefield of the Song-Liao War until the Yongxi era. Now it's just the fifth year of Taiping Xingguo, his official career will not end here.

  Cao Lao Ye's reaction to Tang Song was also not unusual, and he said lightly: "Although the Chief Military Officer has great power and influence, if it were only relying on that meager salary, it would be impossible to support such a large Cao family. Therefore, relying on our connections in the imperial court, our Cao family monopolized the underground arms trade in the Ba Zhou region."

  Military supplies? Tang Song re-examined Old Man Cao from the bottom of his heart, a landlord on the surface, but a smuggler in secret. The Cao family's nerve is really big!

  "This family business has always been personally managed by the Zhuxi Envoy, and it has been peaceful for over a decade. Although there have been leaks before, thanks to a nobleman who cooperated with our Cao family, they were all resolved. However, since last month, the imperial court has begun to suspect the Zhuxi Envoy, and that nobleman suddenly lost contact at the same time. Not long after, the Zhuxi Envoy was urgently summoned into the palace and placed under house arrest. After inquiring from various sources, I found out that a batch of knives, guns, swords, and crossbows we sent to Xiazhou had fallen into the hands of the imperial court, with both the goods and the culprits caught."

  Upon hearing this, Tang Song took a deep breath. He had learned about the Song Dynasty's penal code in school. The Song Dynasty's penal code was extremely lenient towards the ruling class, and it was rare to have a death penalty; most cases ended with exile. However, smuggling military equipment was absolutely beyond the scope of exile. At present, the two countries of Song and Liao were confronting each other on the border, making the attitude of the five states of Dingnan extremely important. The Li family of Xiazhou had always refused to submit to the imperial court's control, and their power in the five states of Dingnan was also the strongest, making it difficult to say whether they would surrender to Liao or not. Cao Bin getting into trouble at this special time was likely to end in disaster rather than good fortune.

  "In the past, my Cao family's foundation was all in Ba Prefecture. Once the imperial court investigates and finds out that the mastermind behind the scenes is indeed the Privy Councilor, my Cao family will surely suffer the disaster of having nine clans implicated. Therefore, I want you to enter Bianliang again, establish connections, secretly meet with the Privy Councilor, and then shift the blame onto other people in the Cao Manor through clever machinations. This way, we can ensure the safety of the Cao family."

  Tang Song couldn't help but hesitate, Old Man Cao's intention was to have him go against the imperial family. Zhao Guangyi wasn't a good person in history, he had major suspicions regarding the death of Taizu and his two sons as well as his brother Zhao Guangmei. If he fell into his hands, it would be certain death. Tang Song only had one life, although the Cao family treated him well, was it really worth it for him to go this far?

  "Master, this line is a narrow escape from death." After a moment of silence, Tang Song said in a hushed tone.

  Cao An's face fell, and he was about to speak when Tang Song said: "Let me think it over again, sir. In any case, I will give you an answer tonight."

  "It's alright." Cao An gazed at Tang Song indifferently and said, "You go down and think carefully. If the Cao family can escape this calamity, I will recommend you to the Imperial Censor to become an official in the imperial court. Moreover, I will give half of the Cao family's property to you, and you will also take over this mansion."

  What a great temptation. Tang Song's heart moved slightly, but he still responded calmly: "Master, rest well, Yuan Ming bids farewell."

  After Tang Song left, Cao An stood alone in the hall, staring in the direction he had gone, lost in thought.

  Since Cao Renjie returned from Xia Zhou, the Cao Mansion has been bustling like a market in Bianliang City. This young master Cao is either watching cats and dogs fight in the courtyard with a group of servants or laughing and chatting with beautiful maidservants, sometimes even inviting street performers to sing at home, completely acting like a spoiled son. This has made his mother, Madame Cao, so angry that she can't help but arrange for Mu Er to follow him around and keep an eye on him to prevent him from causing trouble. Cao Renjie is fearless and lawless, not even his hot-tempered older sister Cao Danyang can control him, but he is extremely obedient to Mu Er, this servant. He is actually closer to Mu Er than his own sister. Mu Er knows that he is still childish, so as long as it's not a big deal, she usually indulges him. Cao Renjie, on the other hand, is afraid of being scolded by his mother and has restrained himself a lot.

  Cao Renjie had been holding back for many days and finally couldn't bear it anymore. Early in the morning, he took advantage of everyone still being asleep and snuck to Tang Song's residence alone, wanting to ask Tang Song to take him to Bianjing to have some fun. After a futile attempt, Cao Ershao was about to leave when he bumped into Mu'er who had just arrived. Seeing this young master stammering and talking for half a day, Mu'er knew that he must be up to something mischievous again. Just as she was about to lecture him, Tang Song returned from outside.

  "What's going on with you two?" Tang Song looked at them strangely and asked in confusion.

  "Madam rewarded Mu'er with some fruits brought back from Xia Zhou, and Mu'er brought them to let Yuanming brother try. Coincidentally, they met the second young master." Mu'er said this in front of Cao Renjie, and couldn't help but fidget a bit.

  Cao Renjie was indeed a little devil, he glanced at Mu Er and then looked at Tang Song, chuckled: "I knew why Brother Tang didn't come to find me and sister to play after waking up, it turned out that there was Sister Mu Er's company. This young master bids farewell, you two pretend I didn't come, do whatever you want." Before Tang Song could react, Cao Renjie flashed past him and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Tang Song scratched his head, turned around to look at Mu Er with a silly smile: "Then, we should do whatever we want?" Mu Er glared at him with annoyance, scolding: "What did you want people to do? You didn't come to find me after returning from Bianjing, and when I came to find you early in the morning, you were nowhere to be found. Are you hiding from me?"

  "I've been wronged by you, good Meizi." Tang Song said with a smile "I was summoned by the old master early this morning, and I just returned." After finishing speaking, his face sank, and he whispered: "Meizi, I ask you something, if I want to leave the Cao Mansion, are you willing to follow me?"

  "Mu Er heard this and lost her voice, saying: 'Yuan Ming brother, where are you going?'"

  "No, no, no, I'm just asking. This time when I went to Bianliang, I suddenly thought that the world is so big and it's not easy to wake up, I want to go out and take a walk. Mei'er, sooner or later I will marry you, so I want to ask your thoughts."

  He said he wanted to marry me. Mu Er's heart was racing, her face flushed with two red clouds, and she didn't know what to do for a moment, stuttering: "Others... others have been sold to the Cao family by their parents since they were nine years old, and they have never left the Cao house far away. The Cao family... the master and the madam, as well as the young lady, treated Mu Er with great kindness, just like a family member for so many years. Mu Er... also, when did others say they wanted to get married!"

  Tang Song let out a sigh and stroked Mu Er's cheek, saying: "I think so too. Since Mu Er doesn't want to leave, then I'll just stay in the Cao Manor for the rest of my life."

  "Actually, I...I also want to go out and take a look. It's just that, one day when I've repaid the kindness of Madam and everyone else towards me, no matter where Brother Yueming goes, I'll follow you."

  Repay kindness? Tang Song's heart moved, in this feudal era, a maid like Mu Er who was sold to a wealthy family usually spent her whole life in that household. Mu Er had already considered the Cao family as her own home. If the Cao family really fell, would Mu Er follow him or would she go down with the Cao family? Tang Song sighed, it seemed that whether for himself or for Mu Er, he had to agree to Old Man Cao's request.

  As night fell, in the inner courtyard of the Cao family home, Tang Song stood before Cao An and said resolutely: "Yuan Ming has only one request to make of Master, if Master agrees, Yuan Ming will also agree to do what Master asks."

  Cao An took a sip of tea and said, "Tell me, as long as it's feasible, I'll definitely agree to it."

  Tang Song took a deep breath and said: "Please, sir, allow me to take Mu Er away from the Cao family after I have accomplished my task."

  "Are you leaving?" Cao An asked in surprise "Where are you going?"

  Tang Song smiled slightly: "Yu Ming has been thinking since he woke up, this world is so big, if you can't take a good look at it, wouldn't it be a pity? Mu Er has always been a maid in the Cao Mansion, and after growing up, she hasn't seen the colorful world outside again. Being trapped in this mansion is really pitiful."

  "Alright," Cao An said after a moment of silence. "I'll agree to your terms, and everything I previously promised you will still be yours. Yuan Ming, the lives of 1,300 people from the Cao family are now in your hands."

  "Yuán Míng will definitely not betray your trust. Master, please wait for good news."