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

Chapter 128 Forced from Both Sides

Upon hearing Empress Wu's words, Li Xian remained remarkably calm.

Liu Jianjun is right. The Empress Dowager is now hoping that this "street hustler" will lead her astray. This is another test.

However, Li Xian did not reveal any flaws in his demeanor and earnestly asked, "Mother, what crime has Liu Jianjun committed?"
"He was originally a rustic country bumpkin. When he first came to such a prosperous place as Chang'an, he was blinded by greed and it was only natural that he would do such dissolute things. Although he was lewd, he never forced any good people. Although he loved money, it was all taken from my royal palace."

"Although he is content with pleasure, everything he enjoys is provided within the regulations of my royal palace."

"He is a kind-hearted person and has been kind to me. I beg Your Majesty to... rescind your decree!"

This was a slightly tougher response from Li Xian. To put it bluntly, it meant that although Liu Jianjun acted absurdly, he neither stole nor robbed, and the material basis for his enjoyment was provided by the Prince of Pei's mansion.

Li Xian, a prince, could certainly afford to support such an idle person.

To put it more bluntly, Liu Jianjun was an official under the Prince of Pei's household, and it was not yet Empress Wu's place to manage him.

Of course, this is a somewhat extreme view; Li Xian's tone was still quite tactful.

Empress Wu seemed somewhat surprised, but simply nodded and said, "Mingyun's nature of valuing gratitude has never changed. I heard that Liu Jianjun slept in the same bed with you after arriving in Luoyang?"

Li Xian explained, "Your Majesty, Liu Jianjun had just arrived in Luoyang from Chang'an. He was exhausted from the long journey and had only just rested for a while on my bed..."

Before Li Xian could finish speaking, Empress Wu praised him, saying, "Not bad, Mingyun has become much smarter."

Li Xian: "??"

Although he didn't understand how his mother could tell he had become smarter, he always remembered that he couldn't compare to intelligent people like Liu Jianjun and his mother in terms of intelligence, and that the little bit of intelligence he had gained was still nothing to be afraid of in his mother's eyes.

Therefore, he respectfully replied, "Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your praise."

This time, Empress Wu simply gave a lukewarm "hmm" and said, "Alright, Mingyun, you should go back first. With the rebellion in Yangzhou and the situation in turmoil, you should stay in Luoyang for now. Firstly, it will save you the trouble of traveling back and forth. Secondly, since the rebels dare to use your name, it would be easier for rumors to spread if you were far from the central government. It would be better to wait until the situation is more stable before returning to Chang'an."

This clearly indicates that Li Xian is to be kept in Luoyang for surveillance.

Li Xian pursed his lips, nodded, and finally bowed to take his leave: "Your subject Xian bids farewell to Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, and humbly wishes you ten thousand years of good fortune and peace."

……

On the way back to Shangshanfang, Li Xian repeatedly recalled every word and glance of his mother in the palace. These were important pieces of information for him to review with Liu Jianjun later.

But as soon as Li Xian arrived at the entrance of the State Guest House, he heard a commotion inside, as well as Liu Jianjun's somewhat frightened cry: "I...I'm warning you, His Highness Prince Pei will be back soon...If you lay a hand on me again, I won't be polite!"

Upon hearing this, Li Xian's heart tightened, and he rushed straight into the courtyard.

With just one glance, Li Xian flew into a rage.

In the courtyard, a group of strong soldiers dressed in imperial guard uniforms formed a circle. Liu Jianjun was in the center of the circle, and the leader was a man in a brocade robe and a jade crown.

The soldiers, clearly brought by the men in fine clothes, ignored the commotion in the courtyard.

From Li Xian's angle, he couldn't see the face of the richly dressed man, but he could see that the man was approaching Liu Jianjun step by step, while Liu Jianjun looked terrified and retreated step by step.

Someone wants to make trouble for Liu Jianjun!
He even brought his own private army to protect him!

Li Xian didn't have time to think too much, because Liu Jianjun had never shown such a terrified expression before.

This made Li Xian feel a surge of heat rush to his head.

"presumptuous!"

Li Xian let out a roar, and before he could even see who the other person was, his body reacted before he could think.

He rushed over in a few strides.

The moment the richly dressed man turned his head in astonishment at the sound, Li Xian gathered all his strength and delivered a powerful punch, slamming it hard into the man's face, which was still showing surprise and a frivolous smile! At the same time, Li Xian recognized him as Wu Sansi, Empress Wu's nephew.

But this did not stop him; instead, it added fuel to the fire!
"You scoundrel! How dare you bully my people!"

Li Xian threw another punch!
"Oh!"

A muffled thud was followed by a clear sound of bone and flesh colliding and Wu Sansi's unexpected cry of pain.

The punch was extremely powerful. Caught off guard, Wu Sansi was hit so hard that his vision went black. He staggered backward, blood gushing from his nose, his crown askew, and he looked utterly disheveled.

Wu Sansi exclaimed in surprise: "The Prince of Pei's Palace..."

But Li Xian's anger was far from subsiding.

This time, the anger has nothing to do with the "spoiled brat" persona that Liu Jianjun described.

No sooner had he been summoned to Shangyang Palace by Empress Wu than Liu Jianjun was approached by Wu Sansi. It was obvious that this was Empress Wu's arrangement.

Empress Wu was not satisfied with merely testing him; she even sent Wu Sansi to pressure Liu Jianjun!
Frustration, resentment, and worry for Liu Jianjun... all these emotions turned into anger and surged into my heart in an instant!

Before Wu Sansi could finish shouting, Li Xian charged forward again like a tiger pouncing on its prey. He completely abandoned the dignified demeanor of a prince and was more like a street urchin fighting for his life, his fists raining down like raindrops!

The imperial guards and the powerful servants brought by Wu Sansi were all stunned.

They had originally intended to stop Li Xian after hearing his commotion, but upon seeing him in his princely robes and crown, they silently stood aside.

Although Li Xian had no power or influence, his status as the Prince of Pei was an insurmountable barrier for these lowly people.

To their utter surprise, the dignified Prince Pei would personally take action, and with such ferocity that they were momentarily at a loss as to whether to step forward to stop him or continue to stand by and watch.

Liu Jianjun was dumbfounded, staring wide-eyed as Li Xian brutally beat Wu Sansi.

"Your Highness! Your Highness, please calm down!" Wu Sansi's cries of distress finally rang out as he frantically tried to defend himself, not daring to retaliate.

At this moment, several eunuchs and servants of the Wu family finally reacted and tried to step forward to break up the fight, repeatedly shouting, "Your Highness Prince Pei! This is unacceptable! This is unacceptable!"

Li Xian, blinded by rage, disregarded everything, shoved away those who tried to pull him away, then delivered a powerful elbow strike to the face of a lackey, followed by a kick to Wu Sansi's back of the knee, knocking him to the ground. He then lunged forward to deliver another kick.

The eunuchs and servants, fearing they might actually hurt Li Xian, were hesitant and could only watch helplessly as Wu Sansi was beaten by Li Xian. They were so anxious that they jumped up and down, scratching their ears and cheeks.

As they watched, Wu Sansi's cries of pain grew fainter.

Finally, Liu Jianjun reacted, rushed forward, grabbed Li Xian from behind and pulled him backward, shouting, "Xianzi! Enough! Enough! If you keep hitting him, someone will die!"

Li Xian was held in Liu Jianjun's arms. He struggled a few times, panting heavily. His bloodshot eyes were fixed on Wu Sansi, who was curled up on the ground groaning. It was as if he wanted to rush up and kick him a couple more times.

But Liu Jianjun's voice finally calmed him down.

She quickly turned around, looked at Liu Jianjun with concern, and asked, "Are you alright?"

Li Xian was genuinely worried.

If something were to happen to Liu Jianjun, he didn't even know how he would survive in the treacherous city of Luoyang.

But unexpectedly, Liu Jianjun showed an embarrassed expression this time.

"Well...we'll talk about it later..."

……

(End of this chapter)