Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 443 Your Highness, please save my father!
On the other side, after Li Xiao and the other two requested permission to enter the palace, they parted ways.

Li Lian and Li Xiao went to Chengxiang Palace to find Consort Zheng, while Li Yong went to Penglai Palace to find Consort Yang.

The three agreed that after taking a hot spring bath, Li Yong would meet them at Chengxiang Palace, and then they would go together to see Li Zhi.

Li Xiao and Li Lian arrived at the west courtyard of Chengxiang Hall. As soon as the announcement was made, Consort Zheng ran out of the house, her face full of joy, and hugged her son in her arms.

Li Xiao's face flushed slightly. To be considerate of her younger brother's feelings, she struggled a bit and said, "Mother, Si Lang is still here."

Zheng Cai Ren then released him, took one person in each hand, and entered the main hall, ordering people to prepare delicacies and pastries.

After eating some food, the two went to the side hall to bathe.

Li Xiao was preoccupied, so he washed up quickly, changed into a clean silk robe, returned to the main room, and began talking to Consort Zheng.

"Mother, I have something to tell you."

Zheng Cairen peeled the loquat for him and smiled, "Go ahead and speak."

Li Xiaosui told Princess Linchuan that he had agreed to the marriage.

Zheng Cai Ren paused for a moment, her hand that was peeling loquats stopped, and her eyes reddened slightly.

"Such a big thing, and you didn't even tell your mother?"

Li Xiao lowered his head.

Consort Zheng sighed and said, "Well, since you have already agreed to Princess Linchuan's request, what else can your mother say? The Wei family of Jingzhao is, after all, a prominent clan, and it is a good match."

Li Xiao said, "Mother, I do not want to marry Lady Wei."

"What? You don't want to?" Zheng Cai Ren was stunned again.

Li Xiao muttered, "I was young and ignorant back then, and I agreed without thinking much. Now that I think about it, my elder brother can make his own decisions about his marriage, and even Father doesn't interfere. I should also find my own ideal partner."

Consort Zheng frowned and said, "But didn't you just say that you had already agreed to Princess Linchuan's request?"

Li Xiao stared at her with pleading eyes.

Zheng Cai Ren then realized what was going on and said irritably, "You child, you wanted your mother to be the bad guy!"

Li Xiao lowered his head and said, "Your son can only rely on his mother now."

These words immediately touched Zheng Cai Ren.

She had a strained relationship with her son, but now that they had finally reconciled, she naturally cherished that bond even more.

Moreover, Princess Linchuan had chosen a marriage for her son without even informing her, which was utterly despicable. With that thought, she had no more hesitation.

"Xiao'er, don't worry, leave this matter to your mother. In the future, no matter what kind of woman you want to marry, your mother will speak to His Majesty!"

Li Xiao was overjoyed and said, "Thank you, Mother!" He picked up a loquat, peeled it, and handed it to Consort Zheng.

A short while later, Li Lian finished his bath and came out to chat. After half an hour of small talk, Li Yong also came over.

The three then bid farewell to Consort Zheng and headed towards Ganlu Palace together.

When the three entered the palace, they requested an imperial decree from Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi).

At that time, Li Zhi was jogging by the South Sea Pond. When he heard that they had returned, he went back to his sleeping quarters in the Ganlu Palace to wait. He waited for more than an hour before the three of them came to see him.

Li Zhi waved for the three to enter the hall. After exchanging greetings, he carefully examined them and noticed that they had all grown dark-skinned, and their once youthful faces now bore the marks of hardship. He nodded in approval.

"What did you gain from this trip to Laizhou?" He glanced at the three men.

The three exchanged glances and communicated with their eyes. Then, Li Xiao, the oldest among them, spoke first.

“Father, I only realized how difficult it is not only for the people to live in poverty during my trip to Laizhou, but also for officials to be in a difficult position.”

Li Zhi said slowly, "Only officials who truly get things done have it tough. The fact that you realize this shows that you were serious about your work during this trip to Laizhou, which is very good."

Li Yong said second: "Father, I always thought that fighting a war only required leading troops to charge, but after going to Laizhou this time, I realized the importance of logistics."

Li Zhi said, "Not bad, that's progress."

Li Lian concluded by saying, "Father, I have observed carefully along the way and discovered that everything is a skill, even farming is not easy for a farmer."

Li Zhi said, "There are 360 ​​professions, and every profession can produce an expert. Therefore, you must put away your arrogance and not underestimate anyone. The sea of ​​learning is boundless, so you must learn humbly."

The three answered in unison, "Yes!"

Li Zhi then asked, "Of the three of you, who is the best at Go?"

"Si Lang's is the best." Li Xiao and Li Yong both looked at Li Lian.

Li Zhi laughed and said, "Alright, Fourth Brother, come and play a game with me. I'll give you a three-piece handicap."

"Yes," Li Lian happily agreed.

Unfortunately, although he really wanted to show off his Go skills and impress his father, he had two cunning advisors around him who kept giving him bad advice.

By the middle of the game, defeat was inevitable.

Li Yong and Li Xiao, those two terrible chess players, instead blamed him for not listening to their ideas and for ignoring the game, chatting idly with Li Zhi instead.

Li Xiao tentatively asked Li Zhi if the three of them still needed to go back to Mo Jiaxuan to do odd jobs. When Li Zhi said they didn't need to go, he breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt a strange sense of reluctance.

Li Lian was finally able to play chess without being disturbed. Taking advantage of Li Zhi's carelessness while he was chatting with Li Yong and Li Xiao, he began to launch a counterattack.

Unfortunately, after losing too many games earlier, they ultimately lost this one as well.

After finishing a game of chess, Li Yong, emboldened by some unknown source, also wanted to challenge Li Zhi.

However, it was getting late, and Li Zhi saw that Li Xiao looked tired, obviously exhausted from the long journey, so he told them to go back and rest.

After leaving the palace, the three parted ways and returned to their respective residences.

On his way back to his residence, Li Lian was still thinking about the game of chess he had just played, but he felt no nostalgia for the mansion he had left more than half a year ago.

Just as he arrived outside the Yongwang Mansion, a figure rushed out from the street corner.

The guards beside Li Lian immediately stepped forward and blocked his way.

The dark figure knelt down five steps away and kowtowed to Li Lian, saying, "This humble woman greets Your Highness, Prince Yong!"

It was too dark at the time, but Li Lian could tell from the figure that it was a man, but the voice was a woman's voice, and he vaguely felt that the voice sounded familiar.

"Who are you?"

The woman raised her head, removed the headscarf from her hair, and tossed out a cascade of long, black hair. She said, "I am Xu Ling from the Flying Feather Class. Don't you remember me?"

Upon closer inspection, Li Lian realized it was indeed Xu Ling.
"It's you. Why did you suddenly come to find me? And how do you know who I am?" He walked over quickly.

Xu Ling kowtowed and said, "Your Highness Prince Yong, could you please take me to see His Highness Prince Xu?" Her voice choked with emotion.

Seeing her sorrowful voice, Li Lian quickly helped her up.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

Just as Xu Ling was about to speak, she suddenly heard a "gurgling" sound from her stomach. It was because she hadn't eaten for several days and her stomach was rumbling with hunger.

Li Lian laughed and said, "Let's fill our stomachs first. I'll take you inside for a meal, then I'll send someone to invite my second brother over. He'll be here after you've finished eating."

Xu Ling blushed slightly and whispered, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Meanwhile, upon Li Xiao's return to the Prince's residence, chaos erupted as servants vied to pay their respects. After all, Li Xiao had been away for over half a year, and the Prince's monthly stipends had been suspended for just as long, making life difficult for the servants.

Upon returning to his residence, Li Xiao's first order was to have all the fighting cocks disposed of.

All the fighting cocks bought from others were sent back, and all the fighting cocks raised in the mansion were slaughtered.

When he returned secretly last time, he killed the Flying General. The servants also heard that he had been punished by the emperor for cockfighting, so they dared not disobey and obeyed the order to kill the chickens at the chicken house.

At this moment, a guard came to Li Xiao's side and whispered, "Your Highness, there are people outside monitoring the Prince's residence."

Li Xiao was taken aback, assuming it was someone sent by his father. He felt uneasy, thinking, "Does Father fear that I will continue cockfighting after I return to the manor?"

"Never mind." He waved his hand and went back to sit down in the hall.

While he was drinking tea, one of his subordinates came to report that someone from the Prince Yong's residence had come to invite him over.

Li Xiaoxin said, "Could it be that Father also sent someone to monitor the fourth son, and he was afraid, so he sent someone to find me?"

He immediately ordered someone to bring a horse over, preparing to ride to the Prince Yong's residence.

Unexpectedly, the servants in the mansion were only concerned with taking care of the chickens and neglected the horses, which became emaciated from hunger.

Li Xiao was furious and punished the horse groom, Ma Ling, before leaving in a carriage.

Upon arriving at Li Lian's residence, Li Xiao was led into the inner hall by a servant. As soon as he crossed the threshold, Li Xiao stopped in his tracks.

Unlike Li Lian, he recognized Xu Ling, who was sitting in the house eating, at a glance.

"Madam Xu, what are you doing here?" Li Xiao asked in surprise.

Xu Ling put down her chopsticks, knelt before Li Xiao, and cried out, "Your Highness Prince Xu, please save my father!"

Li Xiao rushed over and helped her up, asking urgently, "What happened to Master Xu? Tell me slowly!"

Xu Ling choked up and said, "Father and my fellow disciples were arrested by the people of the Inner Territory. They said they were members of the Yanshan Society."

The Yanshan Society was an anti-government organization in Hebei Province. With the help of Changsun Quan, its headquarters was captured by the Inner Court and it never gained any real influence afterward.

However, this time the imperial court launched a military campaign against Goguryeo and mobilized grain from ten prefectures in Hebei. The remnants of the Yanshan Society felt that their opportunity had come, so they once again incited public resentment and lured people to join the society.

When Li Xiao heard that it was the Yanshan Society, he was surprised and said, "Your father is a member of the Yanshan Society?"

Xu Ling said anxiously, "Of course not. Father hates the Yanshan Society the most. He says they only use Dou Gong's name to make money for themselves. How could he possibly join the Yanshan Society?"

Li Xiao nodded, thinking that Master Xu's words and actions exuded righteousness, and he would indeed not join the Yanshan Society.

"Why did the people from the Inner Palace arrest him?"

Xu Ling gritted her teeth and said, "Father was framed. He had an old friend who asked him to meet at Dujue Temple that night. But coincidentally, people from the Yanshan Society were meeting at Dujue Temple that night, and Father was arrested as a member of the Yanshan Society."

Li Xiao asked, "How could this be such a coincidence? Could it be that old friend of your father's..."

Xu Ling said angrily, "It was him! He must have killed Father!"

Li Xiao asked, "Who is that person?"

Xu Ling said, "His name is Ma Qun. He is the number one horse merchant in Jizhou. He is very loyal and generous. He will help anyone in need. My father was also helped by him, so he was not wary of him."

Li Xiaoleng asked, "Then why would he want to harm your father?"

Xu Ling hesitated for a moment, then said, "Ma Qun was probably acting under someone's orders. I secretly investigated and found that Ma Qun had met with Commandant Yang of the Jizhou Garrison Command. That Commandant Yang..."

"What's wrong with him?"

Xu Ling gritted her teeth and said, "He is the nephew of Zhou Daowu, the current imperial son-in-law."

Li Xiao was shocked, and then he realized that the real mastermind behind it all was Zhou Boyu.

He never expected that Zhou Boyu, who had so earnestly apologized to Feiyu Class in front of him, would later seek revenge on Xu Ling.

Wait, no, if it really is Zhou Boyu, why wasn't Xu Ling arrested, and how could she see me?

He looked up at Xu Ling and said, "Madam Xu, since your father was arrested, how come you are unharmed?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Ling's face flushed red, and she looked annoyed and bitter.

"You...you don't believe me?" She lowered her head, tears streaming down her face.

"No, no, I'm just a little confused." Li Xiao panicked and quickly waved his hands.

Xu Ling lowered her head and did not answer.

She escaped unscathed because when her father went to see Ma Qun, she secretly ran away from home and came to Chang'an, hoping to secretly see Li Xiao one last time.

Her father had told her Li Xiao's true identity, so she hid outside the Xu Prince's mansion and waited.

After waiting for a long time, she not only failed to see Li Xiao, but was also almost captured. Fortunately, she had practiced martial arts since childhood and had some experience in the martial arts world, so she escaped.

In her fear, she returned to Jizhou, only to discover that something had happened in the troupe; all the members of the troupe had been arrested by the Inner Court.

An investigation revealed that the matter might be related to Zhou Boyu.

His father had taken them away from Chang'an out of fear of Zhou Boyu's revenge, but they still couldn't escape this fate.

As a frail and lonely woman, she couldn't handle Zhou Boyu, let alone a herd of horses. In despair, she thought of Li Xiao again.

When she returned to Chang'an, she finally realized that the person who tried to capture her outside the Xu Prince's mansion was Zhou Boyu.

She recalled the scene when she first met Li Xiao, remembering that there were two other boys with him, and the three of them were close and probably brothers.

After inquiring about the princes, it was confirmed that the two people beside Li Xiao were the third and fourth princes.

She then hid in the Prince Yong's mansion and asked Li Lian to take her to see Li Xiao.

Seeing that she lowered her head and remained silent, Li Xiao didn't dare to ask any more questions. He turned to Li Lian and asked, "Fourth Brother, what do you think of this matter?"

Li Lian said, "Second brother, do you remember when we entered the city during the day, Zhou Boyu was waiting for us at the city gate?"

"Of course I remember." Li Xiao's expression changed. "He invited me to the Zhou residence, probably because he didn't want me to see Madam Xu!"

A sudden shock ran through him, and he angrily exclaimed, "I know! It's this bastard who's been spying on my residence! I thought it was Father!"

Li Lian looked at him with a deep gaze: "Second brother, what are you planning to do? Zhou Boyu is the son of Princess Linchuan. It won't be so easy to deal with him."

Since he asked this question, it was clear that he wanted to help Li Xiao deal with Zhou Boyu.

Given the current relationship between the three brothers, Li Xiao has no intention of being polite to them.

"Si Lang, quickly send someone to invite San Lang over. We need to plan carefully and make sure we deal with Zhou Boyu and rescue Master Xu!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Ling kowtowed and said, "This humble woman is deeply grateful for Your Highness's great kindness. I will repay your kindness even if I have to serve you like a cow or a horse for the rest of my life."

Li Xiao quickly helped her up, saying, "Don't say such things. It was my fault for not handling things properly, which caused you to suffer this calamity. You should rest first, and I promise to rescue everyone in the Flying Feather Class!"

Xu Ling stared at him for a while, then slowly nodded.

She had been anxious and restless these past few days, and was indeed exhausted.

With Li Xiao's help, his anxious heart finally found solace.

(End of this chapter)