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

Chapter 155 Xue Da Gouging Out His Face
Li Xian cupped his hands again, his tone extremely sincere: "I am not asking Lord Liu to bend the law, but only asking you to give him a chance to redeem himself, a chance to atone for the sins of my Great Tang using Xue Da's identity! I and Chief Secretary Liu also need such a Xue Da!"
"Lord Liu should have heard of Xue Zhongzhang's talent. If he can redeem himself through merit, wouldn't that be better for the country and the people than letting him disappear without a trace?"
"We urge Lord Liu to consider the well-being of the nation and the people, and to reconsider!"

A fleeting hint of relief flashed in Liu Rengui's eyes, but it vanished in an instant.

"Your Highness... though these words go against common sense, they are... not without reason."

Li Xian was secretly pleased and was about to speak again, but this time, Liu Rengui looked at Xue Zhongzhang behind the two of them and said, "Your Highness and Chief Secretary Liu are both trustworthy, but how can you convince me to trust you?"

Before Xue Zhongzhang could answer, Liu Rengui questioned again: "Just look at your face. I can recognize you at a glance. What if others have seen you before? Aren't there many people in the court who recognize your face?"
"It is not difficult for me to sign the household registration documents for you today, but it is tantamount to placing an uneasy pawn next to Your Highness. How can you put my mind at ease?"

Li Xian was stunned.

But then, Xue Zhongzhang, who had been silent all along, suddenly made a move!
He took a step forward, without a word or explanation, but his right hand reached into his old shirt at his waist as fast as lightning.

A soft "clang" sounded.

Before Li Xian even realized what was happening, a chilling glint of light was drawn from his hand.

It was a short dagger hidden close to his body. From Li Xian's angle, all he could see was that the grip of the dagger was inlaid with exquisite gemstones.

The next moment, under Li Xian's horrified gaze, Xue Zhongzhang pressed his left hand against his left cheek and, without hesitation, slashed the dagger tightly in his right hand down below his cheekbone!

"Pfft!"

The dull thud of a sharp blade slicing through flesh is enough to make your teeth ache.

Li Xian's eyes widened instantly.

But Xue Zhongzhang's actions did not stop!
He seemed to feel no pain at all, and with a flick of his wrist, he delivered two more incredibly swift slashes!

One cut runs diagonally from the center of the brow to the right side of the jaw, while the other cut lies across the bridge of the nose!

This time, Liu Jianjun was the first to react, shouting in alarm as he lunged forward to snatch the knife: "Old Xue! You're fucking crazy!"

"stop!"

Liu Rengui suddenly shouted, stopping Liu Jianjun's actions.

He looked at the man in front of him with a complex expression, who had instantly disfigured himself and become like a demon from hell.

Xue Zhongzhang was breathing heavily, but he met Liu Rengui's gaze without fear, and said clearly and firmly, word by word: "Lord Liu, do you still recognize this face today?"
"Xue Zhongzhang is dead, and today... only Xue Da remains in Your Highness's residence!"
"Can this face serve as proof? Can this heart... serve as evidence?"

Li Xian's heart jumped, and he stared nervously at Liu Rengui. Liu Jianjun didn't say anything more, just stood quietly to one side. The only sounds in the study were Xue Zhongzhang's heavy breathing and the soft "thud" of blood dripping from his face onto the ground.

a long time.

at last.

Liu Rengui took a deep breath and stood in front of Xue Zhongzhang.

"Okay, Xue Da."

"From this day forward, you are registered in the Prince of Pei's household."

"This blood is proof."

……

As Liu Jianjun left Liu Rengui's residence, he told Xue Zhongzhang to be careful of his wounds while muttering a complaint about Liu Rengui: "That old man, he wasn't so slow when I asked him to do things before, but this time he just had to..."

This time, Xue Zhongzhang spoke up for Liu Rengui: "Chief Secretary Liu, Xue Da is a criminal, it's normal that Lord Liu doesn't trust me..."

"I know, I just said a few words about him in front of you to make you feel better, didn't I?" Liu Jianjun rolled his eyes, left Xue Zhongzhang, climbed into the carriage, and muttered, "Ungrateful for kindness..."

Xue Zhongzhang was taken aback and subconsciously met Li Xian's gaze. Li Xian smiled and shook his head: "That's just how Liu Jianjun is. You'll get used to it."

The three of them squeezed into the carriage, which slowly headed towards the Prince of Pei's residence.

Li Xian stared at Xue Zhongzhang's face, feeling somewhat uneasy.

Although Xue Zhongzhang originally had a red face and a long beard, his appearance exuded a fierce aura and he could be considered handsome. However, the three bleeding scars now made his face look extremely terrifying.

"Cover it with a cloth, the blood's dripping onto the floor!" Liu Jianjun tossed a handkerchief over, then said irritably, "Don't get it on your face. Come to my place when you get back, I'll stitch up your wound so it doesn't get infected and kill you!"

Xue Zhongzhang was puzzled, but he carefully covered his chin with the handkerchief. However, his beard was too long, and the way he covered his chin was from his neck outwards, making his beard look like sharp blades pointing straight at his eyes.

Li Xian felt that laughing at this time was a bit inappropriate.

But Liu Jianjun couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Hey, Lao Xue, do you really think your big beard looks good?"

Xue Zhongzhang was taken aback for a moment, then lowered his eyelids, clearly also noticing the "spiky" beard, and proudly said, "I am the famously handsome bearded man!"

Li Xian nodded silently.

To be fair, Xue Zhongzhang's long beard was beautiful, covering his entire cheeks and being exceptionally well-groomed, truly deserving of the title "Gentleman with a Beautiful Beard".

Liu Jianjun scoffed: "It's hard to understand why a bunch of old men consider full beards to be beautiful."

"If you ask me, I plan to spend less time in the sun, whiten my skin, and then, before my beard starts growing, quickly ask Wang Bo to write me a poem called 'Ode to Liu Jianjun'."

Xue Zhongzhang frowned, puzzled: "Fair-faced and beardless, isn't that a eunuch?"

"Pfft!"

This time, Li Xian couldn't help but laugh.

Liu Jianjun's face froze instantly, and he waved his hand angrily: "You guys have no taste whatsoever!"

……

The carriage swayed and rattled until it arrived at the entrance of the Prince's Mansion.

As soon as Li Xian and his companions alighted from the carriage, the gatekeepers rushed forward and said, "Young master, His Highness Prince Han and His Highness Prince Huo have arrived. The Princess Consort has already escorted them to their guest rooms..."

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Jianjun jumped off the carriage and frowned, asking, "Wasn't Wu Youji patrolling Qinglongfang at the back gate today?"

The servant immediately replied, "There are no imperial guards patrolling the back gate."

Liu Jianjun rubbed his temples and muttered under his breath, "Damn it, did that guy get drunk and sleep all day?"

Li Xian thought it was quite possible. Although Liu Jianjun drank a lot of alcohol yesterday because of his participation, Wu Youji was definitely the one who drank the most.

Li Xian walked over to Liu Jianjun and comforted him, "It's alright. You go and take Zhongzhang to get treatment first. I can handle it."

Liu Jianjun was still worried: "Really? Old Xue's injury isn't urgent, should I go with him..."

"No need. You already instructed me to keep in mind that I need to take care of the embroiderer and her unborn child. Once I know why they came, I can handle it."

Li Xian paused for a moment, then said, "You said you didn't want to kneel. Compared to simply dealing with the two princes, I'm actually less confident about this."

……

(End of this chapter)