41 Step by Step

Since his conversation with Yan Qiu Heng and snapping out of the depressive daze he was in, Wei Tian Ao had made many changes. One of the first things he did was to finally send word back to his mother back in Northern Xi. When he got no reply, it puzzled him and so he sent another. However, it took a few weeks for him to finally realize that his letters had been blocked and intercepted by villains unknown. It seemed that it was not so easy for him to get into contact with people whom Prince Rui did not approve of. So Wei Tian Ao's first order of business was to establish a base for himself in Eastern Wei.

The problem was that he was still expected to stay at Prince Rui's estate for an indeterminate amount of time. "If only I had my own place like that Wei Hong Sheng..." No one had any idea what his brother was up to, which only showcased how important it was to have a space all to one's own. How could he do anything covertly when his new father's servants were constantly watching him? He wasn't quite so naive as to have Yi Cheng Rui send the letter, either. It wasn't that he didn't trust his only friend—it was the fact that everyone knew Yi Cheng Rui was his best friend in Eastern Wei, so it was an inevitability that Prince Rui had people watching Duke Gui's estate, too.

Before he could do anything about this, Yun Xing had traveled down from Northern Xi to find him. The two of them ran into each other on the street. "Young master! It's so good to see you! The madam was so worried about you!" He had been unable to figure out how to enter Prince Rui's estate and was unsure of how Tian Ao felt about everything.

Wei Tian Ao made sure the two of them were completely alone but still spoke to this steward in a low tone. After all, even the walls had ears and who knows how many people were shadowing him outside of Prince Rui's estate. "I'm sorry, I had no way to send word back. I sent many letters, but they were all intercepted."

Yun Xing's eyes widened. "Young master means..."

"I'm being monitored. I still don't understand his goal, but Prince Rui is determined that I stay here."

The two of them spent some time talking about the past. Yun Xing told him all about what was going on in Northern Xi and in the Tian family. The steward had not come to Eastern Wei alone, so finally Wei Tian Ao had a way to get word to his mother.

"So... Master Tian is really..."

"He's gone." Wei Tian Ao clenched his eyes shut in pain. "It's..."

"It's not your fault, young master." Yun Xing's eyes were resolute, surprising Wei Tian Ao. "The master and madam both love you with all their hearts. They took you in and believed in them. You still have not let them down."

Those words had melted some of the block of ice currently weighing down Wei Tian Ao's heart. It gave him the strength to keep moving forward, to see his plans through.

"Princess Rui has been kind to me. I'll see if she can get you into the estate as my personal servant. For now... If you would send this to my mother, I would greatly appreciate it." Wei Tian Ao fished a letter out of his sleeves. He had been holding onto the latest copy for some time, waiting for a chance to send it out. Yun Xing hadn't come alone. He knew others here from Northern Xi, so perhaps the letter could finally be sent through this time. In it, Tian Ao detailed what had happened, advised Madam Tian and his second brother to stay there, and gave them some ideas to keep the business afloat for now. Tian Ren's loss was a huge blow, but it was not yet the end of all things.

Wei Tian Ao and Yun Xing made plans to meet again in another day and the young man returned to Prince Rui's estate alone. Upon arriving, his first order of business was to speak with Princess Rui.

"Prin—Mother."

"Ah, Tian Ao. What's the matter?"

The princess consort was currently tending to her garden. Of course, a princess consort needn't dirty her own hands, so "tending" meant that she was standing and directing her maids to do this and that. The garden was a flurry of activity.

Wei Tian Ao hesitated. It was true that Princess Rui had been good to him thus far, but he didn't know what her bottom line was. He knew that she still cared very much for Wei Hong Sheng. Whose side was she on? Was she trustworthy?

Princess Rui seemed to sense his inner turmoil. She fixed her clear eyes on him and thought very hard for a while before smiling gently at her son. "I don't bite. Tell Mother what's on your mind." She had much to hesitate over, but in the end, she wanted Wei Tian Ao to feel more at ease. She knew why he had reservations towards her and her husband. Some things couldn't be helped, but she'd support him as much as she could within her own power. She'd decided as much when he was brought home.

"Speaking frankly to Mother, a servant of my foster family came into the capital yesterday. I don't have people of my own here and I would appreciate it if you could allow him to serve me." Wei Tian Ao said while bowing his head. As a result, Princess Rui couldn't see his expression.

"This..."

"Ah, of course, he will enter through the proper channels if allowed. You can examine him and let him come in with other new servants. If he doesn't meet the household's standards, then I can only say that it's a pity." her son added. This tactic of haggling was too skillful. It would have been hard to accept his original request, but when he put it this way... It would seem heartless of her to refuse. It was true that the people currently around him were all arranged by her or by Prince Rui. He'd spent his entire life thus far in another country among a different family. No wonder he'd feel ill at ease.

Smiling, Princess Rui nodded. Then, realizing he couldn't see her gesture, she said, "All right. If it is someone Tian Ao trusts, then surely this must be a good servant indeed." She hesitated for a moment. "We will have servants coming in to be inspected in three more days. I will send you the specifics and you can pass that information on to this servant."

"Many thanks."

"Also... Best to keep this between us. Your father is very busy with court matters and won't want to hear of this."

It was a rather explicit way of saying "Don't tell your father about this". This was within Wei Tian Ao's desires anyway, so he had no issue with it. It would be best if at least one person around him wasn't feeding information to Prince Rui.

It was quickly arranged and worked out so that Yun Xing became one of Wei Tian Ao's servants at the estate. Thus, it could be said that he was finally establishing his own base in Yinchuan. After the New Year's banquet at the palace, he was swamped with invitations from noble families to come visit their estates—and befriend their sons.

"What should be done, young master?" Yun Xing fretted. By this point, Wei Tian Ao had become rather familiar with the noble landscape of the capital but was still not on the level of those who had lived in this society all their lives.

"Ready my horse. I'll go and get Yi Cheng Rui's opinion on it all," Tian Ao decided after some thought. His heart felt surprisingly at ease. Now, he was no longer alone and forced into a corner. He had to simply walk into this new life step by step, taking his time to find the power to strike back at those who were against him.