Tang Dynasty Little Godfather

Chapter 186 Lady Zixia
Looking at the brute whose eyes were glazed over from drunkenness, and thinking of the cellar full of fine wine that had been wasted by this fellow, Li Bai felt a piercing pain well up inside him!
As a wine lover, how could I bear to see such a thing happen?

"Young Master!"

Li Bai finally couldn't hold back and stretched out his hand, "Could we speak in private?"

"Oh."

Wang Xi nodded.

The two entered the inner room, and Wang Xi asked, "Brother Li Bai, what brings you here?"

Li Bai hesitated for a moment, then said, "I can grant your request, young master."

Wang Xi asked, puzzled, "Is Brother Li Bai going to agree again?"

Li Bai nodded awkwardly and said, "However, a true man has things he will do and things he will not do. I can only protect the young master from being harmed by bad people, but I will never help the young master harm innocent people. Or if the young master is in the wrong first, I will not help him. In short, I will not only not do bad things, but I will even stop the young master."

Does he know he's Li Bai, hence his arrogance? Wow, if that's the case, what's the point of me needing your protection? I'm a spoiled brat, a relative of the emperor; if I didn't commit evil deeds, what use would my family background be? Wang Xi then asked, "Is this right or wrong?"

Li Bai said, "I will decide for myself."

Wang Xi was somewhat depressed and said, "Fine, since you're Li Bai. If it were anyone else..."

"Hmm?" Li Bai looked at Wang Xi with a puzzled expression.

Wang Xi hurriedly said, "What I mean is that I hit it off with Brother Li Bai at first sight, and what Brother Li Bai likes is also what I like."

Li Bai quickly replied, "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare."

How could a great poet like Li Bai share the same tastes as a vulture like you? If it weren't for the fine wine, I...!

Wang Xi asked humbly again, "Can we leave now?"

Li Bai asked, "Where to?"

Wang Xi said, "Of course, we'll go to my house."

Li Bai hesitated for a moment, then said, "How about this, I stay at the winery?"

"That definitely won't work."

Wang Xi immediately refused, saying, "Letting you stay at the winery is like letting rats guard the rice granary."

Seeing that he had been seen through, Li Bai gave an embarrassed smile and said, "To be honest, young master, I am used to being carefree and do not like to be restrained. If I were to stay at your residence, I am afraid there would be many inconveniences. Please forgive me."

In reality, he disliked these relatives of the emperor and princes, and was unwilling to associate with them.

"Did I just find myself a father?" Wang Xi had a headache, but she didn't want to give up on Li Bai. After thinking for a moment, she said, "How about this, you stay here for now, and I'll help you find another place to stay."

"Thank you! Thank you!" Li Bai said, bowing with his hands clasped in thanks.

After leaving Yixianjue, Wang Xi rushed to Wuming Academy to pick up Ashina Mi and take her home. As her fiancé, Wang Xi still had nothing to say.

"The young master and the princess have returned."

Wang Facai stepped forward and said to Wang Xi, "Young Master, we have a guest at home."

"Who?" Wang Xi asked.

Wang Facai said, "Lady Zixia."

"Zixia? I'd rather be like Supreme Treasure."

"Sparrow, is Supreme Treasure also your nickname?" Ashina Mi asked curiously from the side.

Wang Xi was about to nod, but then he thought again, who knows how old Lady Zixia is, or whether she is beautiful or ugly, and he didn't think it was a good idea. So he said to Ashina Mi, "It's not my nickname, it's just the name of a character in a story. Mi'er, let's not bother my mother, let's go back to the house first."

"Ah."

Ashina Mi also disliked dealing with these elders.

Too many formalities, it's exhausting.

Wang Facai replied, "But Madam instructed that if the young master returns, you should immediately go to the back hall."

"what?"

Wang Xi then asked, "Is this Lady Zixia very familiar with our family?"

Wang Facai shook his head and said, "To be honest, young master, I don't know much about it either."

Upon entering the inner hall, one sees Princess Xue sitting with a stunningly beautiful young woman who appears to be around twenty-three or twenty-four years old. Her eyebrows are arched, and her eyes are bright, long, and captivating, yet also exude a hint of arrogance. She has cherry-red lips, exquisitely beautiful cheeks, and a voluptuous and gorgeous figure, seemingly possessing both ice and fire qualities, making one want to conquer her, yet dare not look directly at her.

Princess Xue was speechless when she saw her son staring blankly at the young woman. She said, "Que'er, quickly call her aunt."

"Aunt?"

As if waking from a dream, Wang Xi immediately searched her memory carefully and confirmed that her aunt had passed away. But since the royal family had many relatives, she dared not ask any more questions and immediately obediently said, "Que'er greets Aunt."

The stunningly beautiful young woman smiled and nodded, saying, "I didn't expect Que'er to have grown so much."

Judging from her age, but her tone was just like his mother's, Wang Xi asked, "Did you hold a sparrow when you were little, Aunt?"

Princess Xue almost burst out laughing, and quickly said, "Que'er, don't be rude."

The stunningly beautiful young woman chuckled upon hearing this, saying, "Please don't be offended, sister."

He then said to Wang Xi, "When you were little, you were so naughty, who would dare to hug you?"

Wang Xi chuckled and said, "But now Que'er is very sensible."

The stunningly beautiful young woman was immediately dumbfounded.

What do you mean, kid?
Want a hug?

Princess Xue was also dizzy. This son was really a headache. She quickly said, "Que'er, your aunt came over today because she has something to talk to you about."

"Find me?"

Wang Xi asked the beautiful young woman obediently, "What does Auntie want with Que'er?"

The stunningly beautiful young woman said, "To be honest, my aunt came here today mainly for the Beauty Wine."

"Beauty Wine?"

Wang Xi looked at the stunningly beautiful young woman, puzzled. The woman's eyes sparkled as she smiled, "Did Zhang Huai contact you before?"

"I've looked for it!"

The words had barely left her mouth when Wang Xi's eyes widened in surprise. "Could it be...could it be that my aunt is the owner of Zhang Baishou's shop?"

The stunningly beautiful young woman smiled and nodded, saying, "Que'er is indeed clever and quick-witted, understanding things immediately."

"I never imagined that the owner of Zhang Baishou's shop would be my aunt." Wang Xi's eyes flickered a few times. "So, Auntie wants to sell our Beauty Wine at Zhang Baishou's shop?"

The stunningly beautiful young woman smiled and said, "If that were all, I wouldn't dare to come and bother you, sister."

Princess Xue laughed and said, "Sister, what are you saying? I'm overjoyed that you could come."

Seeing the attitude of Princess Xue, Wang Xi knew that his aunt must be someone of great importance, so he perked up and asked, "Then may I ask what brings you here, Aunt?"

The stunningly beautiful young woman said, "My aunt wants to cooperate with your Nameless Academy. In the future, all the wine you brew will be sold by my aunt."

Wang Xi's heart skipped a beat. Was he really this arrogant? He said, "Auntie, we've already partnered with Yixianjue, and it was Que'er who caused the trouble, so..."

The stunning young woman smiled and said, "This is nothing. Your aunt will give you a sum of money later. I won't make things difficult for you, Que'er."

To be honest, Wang Xi didn't like the way this beautiful young woman spoke. If it weren't for the fact that Princess Xue was sitting there, he would have argued back. He wouldn't have agreed to her request. With a thought, he said, "If Que'er could decide, she would have been sold in our house long ago."

The master instructed us to brew wine primarily to teach us principles of conduct and interpersonal relationships. This wine is meant to help us remember these lessons, not to be used for financial gain.

The stunning young woman smiled and said, "Since Que'er can't make a decision, could Que'er help her aunt make an introduction so that her aunt can personally talk to Mr. Wuming?"

Wang Xi shook his head and said, "If it were just because of this, the master probably wouldn't see Auntie, and would even punish Que'er."

The beautiful young woman was not angry at all, and said with a smile, "Alright! Since Que'er has said so, then Auntie will think of another way."

Princess Xue suddenly spoke up: "Que'er, can't you try to get the master to make an exception and let your aunt manage the wine business? She'll only make more money that way."

Wang Xi said with difficulty, "Mother, I really have no other choice."

The beautiful young woman quickly said, "Sister, please don't make things difficult for Que'er. I'll think of another way."

Princess Xue nodded and said, "Alright."

The stunningly beautiful young woman stood up again and said, "Sister, it's getting late, so I'll take my leave now."

Princess Xue hurriedly said, "Why don't you stay at home, little sister? I'd like to chat with you more."

The stunningly beautiful young woman said, "Thank you for your hospitality today, sister. However, I have an appointment with someone else to discuss things with."

Princess Xue said, "That's right. It's rare for you to come to Chang'an. You must have many things to take care of. In that case, I won't try to keep you any longer."

The stunningly beautiful young woman rose, gave a graceful bow, and said to Wang Xi, "When Que'er goes to Luoyang for a visit another day, remember to look for your aunt."

Wang Xi nodded and said, "Definitely."

After the beautiful young woman left, Wang Xi hurriedly asked Princess Xue, "Mother, my aunt isn't her!"

The sudden appearance of an aunt was indeed a bit of a surprise to him.

Princess Xue said, "Her surname is Doulu."

"Doulu?"

Wang Xi was even more confused: Shouldn't my aunt's surname be Li?

Princess Xue immediately explained it to him.

It turns out that Lady Zixia was the granddaughter of Doulu Qinwang, the prime minister during the Shenlong era, and her aunt was the imperial concubine of Emperor Ruizong Li Dan, namely Consort Doulu.

After the death of Li Longji's birth mother, Lady Dou, he was raised by Consort Doulu. It can be said that Consort Doulu raised Li Longji single-handedly.

The marriage to the Wang family was also strongly promoted by Consort Doulu, who is still alive today and has always been a staunch supporter of Empress Wang.

Therefore, Doulu had a very, very good relationship with the Wang family, and Wang Shouyi, Empress Wang, and Lady Zixia also addressed each other as brother and sister.

Later, during the later years of Wu Zetian's reign, the struggles within the harem became extremely fierce. On Doulu Qinwang's advice, Wu Zetian allowed Consort Doulu to leave the palace.

This was called "going inside," which meant the couple lived separately, a rare occurrence in ancient times.

This also demonstrates Doulu Qinwang's resourcefulness; in doing so, he prevented the Doulu clan from being drawn into the palace intrigues and preserved the entire clan. It's important to understand that palace intrigues back then weren't like those depicted on television, where the struggle was simply about vying for the emperor's favor.

That's really low-level.

At that time, Empress Wei, Princess Taiping, and Shangguan Wan'er, this group of female politicians, were fighting for supreme power. They didn't care about the emperor at all.

When Li Longji eliminated his political enemies and unified the country, he naturally did not forget his adoptive mother. Therefore, he bestowed many rewards upon Consort Doulu, showing her immense favor, and proclaimed her virtue to the world.

Consort Doulu was frugal and abhorred extravagance. Empress Wang was able to do so because she was influenced by Consort Doulu. Therefore, Consort Doulu entrusted all her wealth to her niece, Lady Zixia.

Unexpectedly, this Lady Zixia was extremely talented and quickly used her wealth to become the richest merchant in Luoyang.

Wang Xi gasped, "The richest merchant in Luoyang?"

Princess Xue nodded and said, "Few people know about this, so don't talk about it outside. Oh, there's something else you might not know: the wines in our family's wineries in Luoyang and other places are all managed by your aunt."

Wang Xi nodded and said, "I see. I was wondering why our family doesn't even have a wine shop."

Princess Xue smiled and asked again, "Que'er, tell me honestly, can you help your aunt?"

Wang Xi shook his head and said, "Mother, this is really difficult. My teacher dislikes this kind of thing the most in his life."

Princess Xue sighed softly, "Knowing your aunt as I do, she will definitely succeed. If you can help, you'd better do so to avoid further trouble."

Wang Xi exclaimed in surprise, "My aunt won't even give our family this much face?"

Princess Xue smiled and said, "She will give it to me, but she is also determined to get this wine."

The implication is that our family won't fall out with my aunt over this wine.

is it?

Wang Xi scoffed inwardly, "Why don't I believe it? I'll give it a try."

(End of this chapter)