Chapter 31: Poisonous Heart, Spicy Hand (Part 1)

  Today is the first time I've been promoted to the top since entering Zongheng. Thank you, Zongheng! Thank you, my editor Changhe Luori! Thanks to all friends who support me, I'll take everyone's opinions into consideration and work hard! (Fist bump)

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  The morning sunlight accompanied by the chirping of birds, slanted into the bedroom of the unique small building in the west wing of Shu Wang Fu. Perhaps it was because the sun's rays poked at his eyes, making him feel uncomfortable. Lying on the bed, Shu King Yang Xiu, who was still having a good dream, subconsciously waved his hand and muttered to himself, but it was unclear what he had said.

  A skin as white as jade, with plump and slender arms slowly rising. The spring onion-like soft fingers bent the middle finger, lightly plucking out a sound. The delicate finger wind swept across, and the curtain that was hung up to appreciate the moon last night automatically fell, blocking out all the bright morning light. Yang Xiu, surrounded by comfortable darkness again, hummed contentedly, and with a flip of his body, he once again wrapped his arms around the curvaceous, extremely seductive naked body beside him. And the jade arm also slowly lowered. In a voice that was almost inaudible, she let out a sigh.

  Although the knocks were light and gentle, they still sounded abrupt and disrupted the satisfaction. The beauty on the bed furrowed her delicate eyebrows, but didn't dare to casually dismiss him either. She carefully removed Yang Xiu's hand from her ample chest, then got out of bed, put on her outer clothes, and wrapped up her perfect body. Barefoot, she walked across the thick and soft rug in the room, pushed open the door about half a foot, and said softly: "Is... Third Uncle? So early in the morning, what's going on?"

  Last night, after the rain, she hadn't had time to dress up yet, and her face still retained a few hints of charm and beauty. This scene, however, was something that outsiders would never normally get to see. Even though he knew that the person in front of him was his own niece, Tang Yilong, the chief historian of the Shu Kingdom, couldn't help but feel his heart racing for a moment. He quickly suppressed his thoughts and looked away, not daring to gaze directly at the enchanting eyes of the woman in front of him. In a low voice, he said, "Zhong Qing, something has happened to the young master."

  That jade-like person was none other than Yang Xiu, the concubine of the King of Shu and the eldest daughter of the Tang family, known as the number one beauty in Sichuan. Tang Siwen was her younger brother by the same mother. Upon hearing that her precious little brother had gotten into trouble again, Tang Zhongqing couldn't help but sigh. She walked out of her bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her and said: "Which day doesn't he get into trouble? That would be a strange occurrence indeed! Speak, what kind of mess has he gotten himself into this time?"

  Tang Zichen, who was also familiar with Tang's temperament, could only smile wryly upon hearing this. After a pause, he shook his head and said, "This time the leak is neither big nor small, but it's indeed quite troublesome. Last night..." He briefly recounted what had happened at Jin Guan Lou the previous evening. Tang Zhongqing listened with furrowed brows, her expression stern as she exclaimed, "Have those two eaten leopard gall? How dare they injure the young master of the Tang family in Shu and kill Dong Xi Du? Third Uncle, you should handle this matter as you see fit, why come ask me again?"

  Tang Ju shook his head and said, "If it were an ordinary person, Third Uncle would have handled it himself and wouldn't need to come ask for instructions again. But those two people have some background. One is Li Shentong, the younger brother of Tang Guogong, who came to Chengdu to congratulate King Shu on his birthday. The other claims to be Yang Yu, a member of the Yue Guo Gong family. Moreover..." He hesitated for a moment and smiled bitterly, "The owner of Jin Guan Lou testified that it was indeed your good brother, my good nephew, who provoked and started the fight first."

  Tang Zhong sneered, "Li Yuan and Yang Su? One is a coward with no blood in his veins, he'd offer the other cheek after being slapped on the left. The other is old and feeble, on the verge of death, what can they do to us? Besides, as long as our big plan succeeds, King Shu will ascend to the throne, and becoming emperor is just a matter of time. When that happens, not only these two dukes but even twenty or two hundred of them will be at our mercy, we can deal with them however we want."

  Tang Ju Xue shook his head and said, "That matter is ultimately too difficult. Although we have carefully prepared for many years, once it really starts, whether it can succeed or not is really hard to say. Moreover, leaving a thread of human relationship, it's better to meet again in the future. The King of Shu wants to ascend to the throne smoothly, and he cannot do without the support of those high-ranking aristocratic families. If things are done too absolutely now, I'm afraid there will be no benefit."

  Tang Zhong sighed and said regretfully, "Third Uncle, you're really getting old. You're so cautious and fearful of everything, how can you accomplish great things?"

  "In all things, one must consider defeat before victory. Before thinking of advancing, one must think of retreating. This is the greatest secret to our Tang family's ability to stand upright in Shu for hundreds of years without falling." Tang Ju's expression was serious as he said, "Although you are a woman, your mind and methods are among the best in the history of the Tang family, few can match you. Unfortunately, it's easy for you to become biased in your actions, this is your only shortcoming. That's why Master ordered me to take on the role of Wang Fu's historian, so I can advise you in a timely manner and prevent you from making big mistakes unintentionally."

  As soon as he heard that the other party had brought up the master of the Tang Sect, Tang Zhong's expression changed and a hint of displeasure flashed across his face. He said coldly: "Then according to your opinion, Third Uncle, what should we do?"

  "No matter what, before the big thing is truly successful, we can't afford to offend either of the two national dukes." Tang Jixue said with a smile: "Anyway, everyone is now detained at the Chengdu Prefecture Government Office, so it doesn't hurt to push that Guan Crown out as a scapegoat. Third Uncle, you play the white face and I'll go play the red face. Later, we can personally go to the government office to pick him up. At the birthday banquet, I will try not to show my face, making big things small and small things nothing is the best choice."

  Tang Zhong said coldly: "So what does Si Wen say? What about Dong Xi Du? Those two guys, although they are not worth mourning for their deaths, are still Tangmen's protectors. The protectors were killed by someone in Shu, and the door didn't even know or ask? If this matter is known to the people of the world, how can Tangmen stand?"

  Tang Jixue smiled and said, "The young master has always been careless, this matter will be forgotten in a couple of days. As for the eastern slope and western solitary...". He hesitated for a moment, then sighed slowly: "The Shu Road is difficult, more difficult than ascending to heaven. Every year, travelers entering and leaving Shu Middle Post House, those who unfortunately fall are as numerous as carts and loads, what's the difference with one more or two less?"

  Tang Jiyu's words had already made it clear, and Tang Zhong's beautiful face couldn't help but burst out laughing again - a laugh full of mockery. He said leisurely: "The idea is good, but unfortunately, Zhong doesn't understand. Since Third Uncle has already thought about how to handle it, why bother rushing over early in the morning to tell Zhong? Even if Zhong didn't know, would Third Uncle's handling of this matter be hindered?"

  Tang Ju Xue bowed his head and saluted, saying respectfully: "I dare not. In terms of the Tang family's hierarchy, I may be the elder, but Qiong Qing is the daughter of the master of the house. In terms of position within the Shu Kingdom's palace, Qiong Qing is also a concubine of the King of Shu. Whether in public or private, this matter naturally needs to be reported to Qiong Qing first, and only then can I make a decision."

  Tang Zhong's expression was calm as he said, "So now I know. If there's nothing else, Third Uncle can just take care of it himself." She placed her slender hand on the doorframe of the bedroom, about to turn around and enter. Suddenly, she seemed to have thought of something and turned her head back towards Tang Yu, who was retreating with a bow: "Hm, Third Uncle, you said that one of those two troublemakers is a clansman of Yang Su?"

  Tang Jixue was taken aback and looked up, saying: "Right, what's wrong?"

  "That's strange. I remember yesterday when I accompanied the King of Shu to review the guest list, it was clearly written that Yang Su's envoy had arrived in Chengdu two days ago and presented a gift of a three-foot-eight-inch five-color coral tree, which pleased the King of Shu very much. How did another member of the Yang Su clan suddenly appear now?"

  Tang Ju Xue was taken aback and said, "Oh? Has Yang Su's envoy arrived already? Lately, I've been busy arranging that big matter, and the trivial matters in the Wang Fu, I've all handed over to the servants to handle. This, however, is not clear. Since it's like this, what is that person's true origin, let's go investigate carefully."

  Tang Zhong's eyes gleamed with a hidden murderous intent, and he said: "Everything is ready, only waiting for the east wind. The big event will be launched three days later, which concerns the rise and fall of Shu Wang's great cause and our Tang family. No matter what, we can't afford to make any mistakes. Third Uncle, it's better to kill a thousand by mistake than to let one person leak out. As Tang Zhong meant, the night is long and dreams are many, so why not...". He stopped speaking, but raised his palm and pressed down with force.

  Tang Jixue hesitated and said, "But I'm afraid of startling the snake by hitting the grass... Alright, let's work together. Third Uncle will go check that person's background first, then we'll act accordingly. If he really is sincere about coming to stir up trouble..."

  Bidding farewell to Tang Zhongqing, Tang Yuelin humbly exited the west wing of the palace and headed straight for his own small office. As he passed by the corridor near the main gate, he suddenly heard a commotion. Listening carefully, he was shocked to find that it was someone coming to plead their case.

  Yang Xiu was highly respected in Shu, and whenever the people of Shu suffered injustice, they would often bring their families to the palace gate to seek help. Over time, this had become an established practice. Some joked that one need not fear officials or magistrates, but rather the crown of the King of Shu. So it was not unusual for someone to cry out for justice outside the gate. However, those who came to "petition" usually knew the rules and would only enter through the small western gate. It was rare for someone like Qing'er to rush to the main gate and cause a commotion.

  Actually, King Yang Xiu of Shu was a noble and rarely personally concerned with the specific situations of these ordinary people who came to appeal for justice. As the chief historian of the palace, most of the affairs in the palace were handled by him. Handling appeals was his responsibility, although there were still several major events waiting to be dealt with, but at this moment, hearing the commotion, he habitually stopped and instructed his entourage: "Go ahead and ask what's going on."

  The attendant responded and quickly walked out of the gate of the Wang Mansion. After a while, he came back to report: "Second Master, outside the door is a songstress named Mingyue. It is said that she was summoned by King Shu from Guanzhong and rushed over to perform at the Crown Prince's birthday banquet three days later."

  During the Later Han period, the country was divided into thirteen states, each with a state pastor as its highest official. Under the state pastor was the governor, and below him was the deputy governor. Zhang Song, who secretly contacted Liu Bei during the Three Kingdoms period and betrayed his former master Liu Zhang, held the position of deputy governor. Later, the chief officer of the provincial government, also known as the long history, was also called the deputy governor. At this time, Tang Ju Xue heard that outside the door was the songstress Mingyue, furrowed her brow and thought for a moment, nodded and said: "Indeed, there is such a thing. That Mingyue... seems to be known as the number one Xiao artist in the world? Since she has come, let's let her enter the government and settle down properly. Why make a fuss outside?"

  That attendant looked around and said in a low voice, "This Miss Mingyue is not here to enter the mansion, but because of those two people who came to cry injustice last night. From what I heard, it seems that she was traveling with Li and Yang into Shu. Last night, it seemed like the master of the house was moved by her words, which led to all the commotion afterwards."

  Tang Jixue was taken aback by his words and immediately asked solemnly: "Who else is with her?"

  The attendant replied: "There are also three escorts from the Wu'an Escort Bureau. They said they all entered the city last night and stayed at Tang Liuyuan."

  Tang Ju nodded slightly and said, "Let them all come to the mansion, then arrange for their accommodation. After that, send someone to Tang Liu Garden..." His voice became softer and softer, but even if a third person was standing right next to him, they couldn't hear clearly.