Sheng Tang: What is Liu Jianjun going to do today?

Chapter 124 Heading to Luoyang
After Shangguan Wan'er arrived at the Prince of Pei's residence, Liu Jianjun seemed to become even more absurd.

How absurd is it...?

Li Xian was too embarrassed to go into his courtyard.

Hearing that Liu Jianjun had summoned Aisha, along with his two maids Yu'er and Cui'er, and Shangguan Wan'er, Li Xian felt that if things continued like this, Liu Jianjun would probably die young.

Liu Jianjun was a teenager and didn't know that such things could damage his vital essence, but Li Xian felt that as an adult, it was necessary to help Liu Jianjun.

There was no way to persuade him to exercise restraint, so Li Xian decided to help him improve.

He ordered the servants to take out the tiger penis, and then stewed a pot of chicken soup. Considering that adding the tiger penis directly would hurt Liu Jianjun's fragile self-esteem, Li Xian instructed the cooks to cut the tiger penis into small pieces, about the same size as minced garlic.

Liu Jianjun was right. The most praiseworthy thing about the cooks in the manor was their knife skills. They cut the tiger penis into extremely fine powder and added a little bit to the chicken soup each time, so that the tiger penis looked like oil foam floating on the surface of the soup.

Li Xian was extremely satisfied.

In this way, Liu Jianjun can get some nourishment.

Liu Jianjun was also very satisfied with the chicken soup. He sent someone to deliver a message, saying, "I didn't know you had such skill, my son! I've never tasted this before. From now on, make it this way!"

Li Xian instantly felt that he had done the right thing.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Although Liu Jianjun was absurd, he was never careless in his work. He had entrusted all cotton matters to Liu Rengui, including making special spinning wheels, distributing cotton seeds, and teaching cotton planting techniques, etc.

The convoy from the Prince of Pei's residence to Luoyang, the capital, also set off as scheduled.

Liu Jianjun hadn't even left the mansion yet; he was probably still fooling around with Shangguan Wan'er and the others. Li Xian stood in front of the mansion gate, bidding a reluctant farewell to his wife and children.

The embroiderer leaned against the door. Although her lower abdomen looked no different from the outside, she still placed her palm on her lower abdomen with a loving expression, and looked at Li Xian with eyes full of reluctance and worry.

She straightened Li Xian's neatly arranged clothes and gently advised, "Be careful in everything you do on your journey to Luoyang. The palace is not like the royal residence. Your Highness, please remember to be cautious in your words and actions. Everything... everything should be done with your safety in mind."

Li Xian's hand gently stroked the embroiderer's abdomen; their unspoken words were understood between them.

“Grandpa, don’t worry about going to Luoyang. I will definitely take good care of Mother!” Guangshun was the first to speak. Although he still talked a lot, he chose a time when Li Xian wanted to be intimate with Xiu Niang.

But at least it hit the nail on the head.

Li Xian felt a warmth in his heart, and the melancholy caused by parting was somewhat diluted.

He rubbed Guangshun's head and smiled, "Okay, Grandpa believes in you. You are the eldest son in the family. Now that Grandpa is not here, you are the pillar of the family. You must protect your mother and take good care of yourself."

Guangshun puffed out his chest and nodded vigorously: "Yes!"

Li Xian then looked at Guangren and Guangyi beside him and said softly, "You must also listen to your mother and brother."

The two little ones obediently agreed.

Just as Li Xian was about to give Changxin some more instructions, a series of slightly hurried footsteps came from inside the mansion. Liu Jianjun was seen walking out with a leather belt around his waist and a piece of pastry in his mouth.

Li Xian was somewhat taken aback when he first saw Liu Jianjun.

Liu Jianjun... why does he look like a ghost?
His eyes were sunken, and his face had an unnatural flush, yet his eyes shone with an astonishing brightness, like two will-o'-the-wisps burning within them. His energy and spirit displayed a strange coexistence of excitement and exhaustion. He walked with a brisk pace, his movements large and exaggerated, yet inexplicably giving the impression that his feet were floating.

Before Li Xian could ask a question, Shangguan Wan'er followed Liu Jianjun out with a leisurely gait. Her hair was neatly styled, her palace attire was tidy, and she looked radiant and lively, occasionally revealing a hint of languid charm from being fully nourished. This contrasted sharply with Liu Jianjun's emaciated yet forcedly dressed appearance.

Upon seeing Li Xian's family at the gate, she nodded slightly, her demeanor impeccable, and her voice as calm as ever: "Your Highness, Your Highness, it's getting late, we should set off."

Li Xian stared wide-eyed, feeling as if something was wrong.

Liu Jianjun swallowed the pastry in a few bites, his voice booming so loud it was almost ear-piercing: "Hey, what are you dawdling for! The spring night is short and the sun is high... uh, no, the journey is long and time is short! Hurry up, hurry up!"

Then, he turned to the embroiderer and waved, "Don't worry, sister-in-law! I've got Xianzi covered!"

Looking at Liu Jianjun's excited appearance, Li Xian felt a little worried and asked, "Liu Jianjun... are you alright?"

Liu Jianjun leaned closer to Li Xian and whispered, "Xianzi, I've realized I'm a little too strong!"

Li Xian was stunned.

"Just a couple of days ago..." Liu Jianjun winked at Shangguan Wan'er, then continued, "To be honest, I was starting to feel like I was losing my strength, but then somehow I suddenly felt strong enough to kill a tiger."

"I'm starting to think I might have awakened some kind of powerful physique..."

Looking at Liu Jianjun's excited "I'm invincible" demeanor, and then comparing it to Shangguan Wan'er's obviously well-nourished and radiant appearance, yet her composed and graceful demeanor, Li Xian's lips twitched.

He opened his mouth, wanting to remind Liu Jianjun that his "strong physique" might come from that chicken soup with added ingredients, but seeing Liu Jianjun's jubilant and overconfident appearance, he swallowed his words.

"...Fine, you're strong, you're amazing."

Li Xian finally gave a dry reply, turned around and boarded the carriage, deciding to avoid seeing it altogether.

Liu Jianjun, feeling even more elated after receiving the affirmation, moved with remarkable agility and skill, even performing with a touch of theatricality, as he helped Shangguan Wan'er onto the carriage before gracefully leaping onto his horse.

He swayed slightly when he mounted the horse, but he quickly steadied it and pretended that the horse was being disobedient.

The convoy slowly started moving and drove away from the Prince of Pei's residence.

Throughout the journey, Liu Jianjun remained highly excited, hardly ever staying still on horseback for even a quarter of an hour. Sometimes he would spur his horse to the front of the column, gazing into the distance, then run back and loudly report, "The road ahead is in good condition, no obstacles!" Other times he would stroll to the back of the column, putting his arm around the guards at the rear, discussing weapon maintenance and riding techniques, his voice so loud that half the convoy could hear him...

It's unclear whether it was the effect of the tiger penis powder or his excitement at having to set off for a new place.

But Li Xian felt that he shouldn't give Liu Jianjun that stuff again next time.

The closer Li Xianneng got to Luoyang, the more he could sense the change in atmosphere.

The peace and prosperity of Guanzhong were gradually replaced by an invisible sense of tension.

The number of messengers and soldiers traveling on the official road has increased significantly, and they all look hurried. The checks at the checkpoints along the way have also become stricter. Even this group, which has obvious royal insignia, was allowed to pass only after their documents and credentials were examined several times.

Fortunately, by the end of September, Luoyang was within reach.

……

(End of this chapter)