Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 431 The Second Prince Pleads Guilty

The three hurriedly chased after them out of the Bodhi Temple and onto the main street. Li Yong, with his sharp eyes, spotted a group of people carrying loads on their shoulders, heading towards West Street with great haste. He quickly called out, "There they are!"

The three of them quickly chased after it.

Meanwhile, Fei Yu Ban had offended the Zhou family, and after leaving Bodhi Temple, he planned to leave Zhaoguo Ward first.

As they were walking down the street, they suddenly saw three young men chasing after them. The three men were dressed plainly, but their posture when they bowed was extremely upright.

"Greetings, Master Xu," said the youngest of the three.

Master Xu had a keen eye; just by observing the way the three men bowed, he knew they must have come from wealthy families, otherwise they wouldn't have learned such impeccable manners.

"Greetings, young master." Master Xu returned the greeting.

Li Lian said, "Master Xu, we were just about to watch the opera when we saw you getting into a conflict with the Zhou family."

Master Xu's eyes flashed, and he said, "You know people from the Xu family?"

Li Lian pointed at Li Xiao and said with a smile, "This is my second brother. He is a big fan of cockfighting. He once saw Zhou Langjun fighting cocks with someone, so he recognizes them."

When Master Xu heard the words "cockfighting," his eyelids twitched, but he remained silent.

A young girl behind him suddenly stepped forward and said, "Dad, cockfighting people are all bad people. Let's ignore them and go!"

The girl was about fifteen or sixteen years old, about the same age as Li Lian. Her features were fairly regular, but her complexion was dark, her skin was rough, and she had a small monkey on her shoulder.

Master Xu shouted, "Don't be rude!" He then bowed to the three men and said, "I have failed in my duty of discipline; please forgive me, gentlemen."

He had already realized that these three people were not ordinary. Knowing that the Zhou family wanted to cause them trouble, they still came over to talk to him. There must be a reason, so he wanted to see what their purpose was.

Li Lian said, "It's alright, but judging from your tone, you seem to have a great aversion to cockfighting. Why is that?"

The girl's eyes reddened, and she said, "Our class's Tiehua was killed by you cockfighting enthusiasts!"

Li Xiao was taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "What exactly happened? Can you tell us?"

The girl cried silently to herself.

A young man whispered to Master Xu, "Master, we've offended the Zhou family. We should leave quickly and not waste time talking to them."

Master Xu pondered to himself, "Now that we have offended the Zhou family, it will be difficult to escape Chang'an. These young men have extraordinary backgrounds. Perhaps we can get through this crisis by relying on them."

Thinking of this, he stepped forward, cupped his hands to the three men, and said, "Young gentlemen, this is a long story. Why don't we sit over there and talk?" He pointed to a teahouse by the roadside.

Li Xiaodao: "That's exactly what I was thinking."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Li Lian winked at him and patted his waist pouch, the meaning of which was clear: the three of them had spent all their money for the day and were penniless, unable to afford tea!

Li Xiao was immediately embarrassed and blushed.

Having roamed the martial arts world for many years, Master Xu immediately recognized their situation and said with a smile, "It's my treat."

The three were overjoyed and exclaimed in unison, "Thank you, Master!"

The girl chuckled and said, "So you guys are that poor."

One sentence made the three of them blush again.

Master Xu scolded, "Ling'er, don't be rude!"

He instructed the others in the class to wait by the roadside, and took only the girl with him. He and the three of them went to the tea stall, picked up a table, sat down, and asked the tea master to serve tea.

Five bowls of tea were quickly served. Li Yong and the other two had been squeezing around for a while and their mouths were dry. They gulped down the tea in one go, which made the girl laugh again!

Li Xiaoping usually thought that any maid in the manor was more beautiful than this young girl, but when he saw her laughing, he was stunned and stared at her blankly.

The girl rolled her eyes at him, stuck out two fingers and poked him, as if threatening him, "If you look at me again, I'll gouge your eyes out!"

Master Xu coughed and said, "Ling'er, tell the three young men about the situation."

The young girl, Xu Ling, nodded, picked up the teacup, fed the tea to the little monkey on her shoulder, and said softly, "As you can see, our Feiyu Troupe performs a variety of plays, among which monkey plays and chicken plays are our specialties."

Li Yong asked in surprise, "I've only heard of monkey shows, are there chicken shows too?"

Xu Ling said, "Ordinary opera troupes don't usually perform chicken dances, but our troupe's crowing rooster is a very special one. It can understand human speech, so my father trained it to sing songs and perform the chicken dance. Because no other troupe has this, it's a novelty, and many wealthy families invite us to perform just to see Tiehua's chicken dance!"

Li Yong and Li Lian were both amazed.

Li Xiao asked, "And then what happened?"

Xu Ling gritted her teeth and said, "Later, when we came to Chang'an, we didn't expect that cockfighting was so popular there. Many people saw that Tiehua was smart and wanted to buy it so that it could fight with other chickens."

"We all know that cockfighting cocks rarely live past a year, so naturally they're not sold. Those people didn't dare to use force, until they met that guy surnamed Zhou!"

Li Xiao became even more nervous, fearing that Tiehua's death was related to him, and hurriedly asked, "Did he want to buy Tiehua?"

Xu Ling said, "Yes, we were invited into the mansion by the Yuwen family to perform the chicken dance. He happened to be there, and after seeing it, he sent someone over saying he wanted to spend a lot of money to buy iron flowers."

Li Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. He had never attended a banquet at the Yuwen residence, nor had he ever seen a chicken dance.

Xu Ling gritted her teeth and said, "Tiehua is a member of our Flying Feather Class. Everyone has developed feelings for it. No matter how much money Zhou offers, we will not let it die!"

Upon hearing this, the little monkey squeaked twice, as if to express its agreement.

Li Xiao hurriedly asked, "And then what happened?"

Xu Ling sniffled and covered her mouth, remaining silent.

Master Xu sighed and said, "I was too careless and underestimated the methods of these noble young men. He had a young man surnamed Wei invite us to another mansion and warmly invited us to drink, but he drugged the wine. When we woke up, Tiehua was gone."

Li Xiao asked anxiously, "Is it Wei Yue?"

A glint flashed in Master Xu's eyes as he thought to himself, "This young man is indeed extraordinary, addressing the Wei family members by their given names." He nodded and said, "It seems so."

Li Yong slammed his fist on the table and roared, "The iron flower must have been stolen by them! Did you find it later?"

Master Xu said in a deep voice, "We searched for three days before finally finding Tiehua in a restaurant called Mojiaxuan. There was a chicken coop in the restaurant, and Tiehua was fighting with other chickens at the time."

"We wanted to stop them, but the manager of Mo Jiaxuan told us that the current emperor's son, the second prince, was watching cockfighting in the rooster tower. We dared not act rashly and could only watch from the sidelines, witnessing Tiehua being pecked to death by another rooster..."

Suddenly, there was a "thump" sound, and Li Xiao fell off the chair.

Master Xu hurriedly asked, "Young master, what's wrong?"

Tears welled up in Li Xiao's eyes, and he shook his head, saying, "N-nothing, I just..." His voice choked with emotion.

Xu Ling thought he was so sad because he heard about Tiehua's death, and her goodwill towards him increased. She went over and helped him up.

Just then, the sound of horses' hooves was heard, and a group of riders came galloping down the long street, heading straight for the Flying Feathers.

Xu Ling exclaimed, "Father, they're here!"

Li Yong saw it too, and said angrily, "It's those bastards from earlier!"

Li Lian snorted and said, "Their revenge came so quickly, but that's perfect, I was just worried they wouldn't come!"

Xu Ling stared at the two of them in surprise and said, "Those are people from the Zhou family. That young master Zhou is the princess's son. Aren't you afraid?"

Li Yong clenched his fist and snorted, "Even if Princess Linchuan comes, I'll still beat them up today and avenge Tiehua!"

Master Xu carefully observed the expressions of the three men, trying to determine whether they were acting impulsively or were truly unafraid of the Zhou family.

At this moment, the rest of the Flying Feather Class rushed over and surrounded Master Xu. The young man who had advised Master Xu to ignore the three earlier complained, "Master, I told you we should have left quickly. Now look, trouble has come!"

Master Xu glanced at Li Yong and the other two, and said in a deep voice, "What is meant to be will be, and what is meant to be will be!"

As they spoke, the horse team had already surrounded the teahouse, and the leader, a wealthy servant surnamed Liao, shouted, "Master Xu, come with us!"

Master Xu stepped forward a few paces, cupped his hands, and asked, "Where are you headed?"

The servant surnamed Liao sneered, "My master invites you."

Master Xu cupped his hands and said, "The Flying Feather Troupe will not be performing today. Please inform Young Master Zhou." With a "crack," the thug surnamed Liao lashed out with his whip, leaving a bloody mark on Master Xu's face!
"You old fool, don't push your luck. How dare you refuse my young master?"

The members of the Flying Feather Class were immediately enraged and pulled out their sticks, ready to fight the other side to the death.

"No one is allowed to make a move," Master Xu shouted.

The thug surnamed Liao became even more smug, sneering, "Oh, you want to fight us? Why don't you take a piss and look at yourselves? A bunch of lowly peasants, worthless bastards!"

As he spoke, he lashed out at Master Xu with the whip again.

Suddenly, a hand reached out from the side and firmly grasped the tip of the whip.

The servant surnamed Liao turned his head and saw a young man glaring at him, saying, "Oh ho, you actually dare to fight back? You don't know what's good for you!"

He tried to pull hard on the whip, but the boy, though young, was surprisingly strong, and the whip didn't budge.

Li Yong shouted, "Get down!" and forcibly dragged the Liao family's servant off his horse.

Li Lian shouted in admiration, "Third brother, what incredible strength!"

Master Xu glanced at Li Yong and asked, "Young master, aren't you afraid of retaliation if you fight with the Zhou family?"

Li Yong said loudly, "Master Xu, you don't need to worry. We brothers will take on this feud today and will not let your Flying Feather Clan get hurt in the slightest, right, Second Brother?"

Li Xiao stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Not bad!"

Xu Ling glanced at him and was surprised to sense an inexplicable air of authority emanating from him.

After Li Yong pulled the leader of the serfs off, he snatched back the riding whip and lashed him repeatedly.

"You worthless wretch, you don't deserve to live in this world!"

The other servants were stunned; they had never seen anyone more arrogant than them, and for a moment they forgot to stop him.

The leader of the slaves clutched his head and cursed, "Are they all dead? Why aren't you coming to help me... Ouch!" As he spoke, Li Yong slapped him across the mouth.

The other servants then realized what was happening, dismounted, and charged towards Li Yong, shouting.

Although Li Yong had learned some martial arts, he was still young and couldn't fight off four opponents. He soon found himself unable to hold his own.

Upon seeing this, Li Xiao picked up a cup of tea, splashed the tea on his face, wiped away the dirt, and then prepared to reveal his identity.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he finished washing his face, all the servants collapsed to the ground, wailing in agony.

Li Xiao was astonished. How could these people have collapsed in the blink of an eye? He asked Xu Ling, who was standing to the side, for the reason.

Xu Ling raised her chin and said, "It was all Father who took them down. If Father hadn't forbade it, my senior brothers and I could have dealt with them without Father's intervention."

Li Xiao sighed, "Hiding without revealing, proceeding steadily and far—I was truly blind."

Xu Ling glanced at him sideways and said, "You speak in such a flowery way, I can't understand whether you're praising us or scolding us. Let's get this straight, your father is here to help you. If the authorities come, you'll have to figure out what to do!"

Li Xiao laughed and said, "Of course I'm praising you. Don't worry, I'll take care of the rest." He strode over.

The leader of the serfs was still rolling around on the ground, trying to avoid Li Yong's whip.

Li Xiao stopped Li Yong, walked up to Hao Nu, grabbed his head, made him look at him, and said, word by word, "Do you recognize me?"

The servant surnamed Liao blinked, suddenly feeling a chill run from his feet to his head, and stammered, "Two, two, two..."

Li Xiao interrupted, "Stop being silly! Let your master come see me. I'll wait for him here."

"Yes Yes!"

The leader of the slaves jumped up, kowtowed to Li Xiao several times, and ran away in a flash, forgetting not only his companions but also his horse.

The other servants also recognized Li Xiao and scrambled away, like a group of live fish washed ashore, leaping and bounding back to the sea.

Master Xu had been observing silently. Upon seeing this, he felt reassured, knowing that the young man's identity must be above Zhou Boyu's, otherwise they wouldn't be so afraid.

Xu Ling strolled over and asked Li Xiao in a low voice, "Hey, who exactly are you? Why are they so afraid of you?"

Li Xiao hesitated to answer, unsure whether he should reveal his identity.

Li Lian interjected, "My second brother is Zhou Boyu's creditor, so Zhou Boyu is most afraid of seeing him, and those servants are naturally afraid of my second brother as well."

Xu Ling looked incredulous and was about to ask again, but was stopped by Master Xu's eyes.

The group continued to sit in the teahouse and drink tea. Less than half an hour later, the sound of horses' hooves rang out again in the distance along the long street. A young man in brocade robes rode up on horseback, and it was Zhou Boyu.

The members of the Flying Feather Class felt uneasy when they saw him.

Li Lian suddenly said, "Second brother, why don't you go and talk to him?"

Li Xiao nodded and got up to greet him.

After Zhou Boyu recognized him, he leaped off his horse, and what happened next shocked everyone.

Zhou Boyu was seen kneeling on the ground, trying his best to explain something, seemingly pleading for forgiveness from Li Xiao.

Li Xiao stood with his hands behind his back, making their respective positions immediately apparent.

Li Lian thought to himself, "Sigh, can't my second brother be a little more discreet? It's fine if Zhou Boyu knows my identity, but if these people find out too and it gets out, Father will definitely scold me."

Turning around, everyone in the Flying Feather Class stared wide-eyed, even the usually composed and prudent Master Xu was dumbfounded.

As expected, Xu Ling couldn't help but ask, "Who...who exactly are you people?"

"Who do you think we are?" Li Lian threw the question back at them.

Xu Ling glanced at him, a hint of fear in her eyes, and lowered her head without saying a word.

Just then, Li Xiao finished dealing with the matter.

Zhou Boyu followed him over to the tea stall. He looked at the Feiyu Class members, his face pale, and he bit his lip tightly.

After hesitating for a moment, he knelt down in front of them and kowtowed, saying, "Bo Yu acted rashly and caused the death of your troupe's dancing chicken. Please forgive me!"

Master Xu was taken aback and was about to help him up when he saw Li Xiao suddenly bow deeply to him.

“Master Xu, I also bear responsibility for Tiehua’s death. Please forgive me.”

In that instant, Master Xu's mind went blank as he finally guessed the identity of the young man before him.

After Zhou Boyu apologized, he was dismissed by Li Xiao, and the three of them then took their leave.

Master Xu and Xu Ling stared blankly at their departing figures, remaining silent for a long time.

After a long while, when the three disappeared into the street, Fei Yu Ban packed up his things and set off again.

A young man, holding a heavy money bag, said with a look of surprise and delight, “Master, there are ten silver ingots in here. That’s enough for us to open a theater.”

This is the compensation money left by Zhou Boyu.

Master Xu grunted in agreement and said, "Pack up, we'll leave Chang'an tomorrow and go back to our hometown in Jizhou to open a theater there."

Upon hearing this, everyone cheered in unison.

Only Xu Ling looked lost and said in a low voice, "Father, who exactly are they? They can't even afford tea, so why are they forcing Zhou Boyu to pay us so much compensation?"

Master Xu glanced at her and said calmly, "Ling'er, they are not from our world. Just remember their kindness and don't overthink it."

Xu Ling gave a soft reply.

On the other side, Li Yong and the other two felt they had done a good deed, especially Li Xiao, who made up for the mistake he made back then, and felt relieved.

However, the three were not happy for long when a carriage stopped in front of them, driven by Xiao Lou, an eunuch serving Li Zhi.

"Your Highnesses, His Majesty summons you to the palace for an audience!"

(End of this chapter)