Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 446: Venting Out
Gossip is human nature.

As long as one is a human being, it is inevitable that one will gossip.

Such a major event happening in Suzhou City was bound to be widely spread by gossipers.

Suzhou at that time was far inferior to that of later generations and could only barely reach the level of Zhongzhou. In just one day, rumors had already taken off.

"Have you heard about it?"

"Li Dejian, who lives in the west of the city, slept in a pig pen yesterday. His stench could be smelled even from a hundred steps away."

"Not only did I hear about it, I also saw it. He was completely naked, and he snatched a coat from the farmer's clothes rack to wrap it up and ran back home."

"I wonder if he competes with the pig for food..."

No one in Suzhou was surprised by Li Dejian's behavior.

During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, taking Wu Shi San was indeed a fashion. Even some important figures were addicted to it and some died from it, such as the famous minister Pei Xiu, Emperor Ai of Jin Sima Pi, Emperor Daowu of Northern Wei Tuoba Gui, Emperor Xianwen of Northern Wei Tuoba Hong, etc. The fashion lasted for five or six hundred years from the Wei and Jin Dynasties to the Tang Dynasty.

Until the appearance of Medicine King Sun Simiao...

This genius doctor with unparalleled medical ethics was not afraid of offending those self-proclaimed elegant literati. He exposed the dangers of Wu Shi San and even called on people all over the world to "rather eat wild kudzu than take Wu Shi San. If you come across this prescription, you must burn it to avoid harming any living being."

At this point the trend of taking Wu Shi San has gradually died down, but it has not been completely eliminated, and there are still some people who do not listen to advice.

But the harm of Wu Shi San is no longer a secret.

In the past, when the common people of the Tang Dynasty saw a group of educated scholars talking loudly and even running around naked, they would look at them with envy. But now most of them look at them as fools.

The self-indulgence of Li Dejian and his group was already a topic of conversation after dinner, and now something like this has happened.

Whenever Li Dejian went out, he would be subjected to all kinds of strange looks. With every step he took, he felt that someone was pointing fingers at him from behind. Even when he was alone, he felt that there were pairs of eyes staring at him.

In the end, I simply hid at home and dared not go out.

For three days, he stayed at home and no one came to look for him.

Li Dejian thought about his close friends who had eaten and drank at his place in the past, but at this critical moment, no one came to visit him, as if they had disappeared.

Only then did Li Dejian realize that he could no longer stay in Suzhou.

But he was exiled to Suzhou, and the whole of Suzhou was a huge cage to him.

When his father Li Jing was alive, local officials turned a blind eye and allowed Li Dejian to visit friends and travel around the south of the Yangtze River.

After all, everyone knows about Li Jing's military achievements.

Li Dejian was actually exiled to Suzhou, and no one could say when he would be pardoned.

But now that Li Jing has passed away for many years, the court has obviously forgotten Li Dejian...

Given Li Dejian's status, as long as he left Suzhou, he would be considered a fugitive, and there would be no problem even if he was tattooed or beaten to death.

Li Dejian's heart was growing colder and colder.

"Is Mr. Li here?"

Li Dejian was startled when he suddenly heard someone calling him. He bravely walked out of the house, only to see a burly middle-aged man with a weathered look in the front yard.

The biggest characteristic of middle-aged people is their half eyebrows, which are a small section shorter than normal people's eyebrows.

Li Dejian held the sword at his waist and asked, "Who are you? Why did you enter my house?"

The middle-aged man was Zhou Kui. His eyebrows were very distinctive, curled and upturned, very majestic, and a bit like the feeling of a furious King Kong. However, because the characteristics were too obvious, he, as a criminal, trimmed his upturned eyebrows into their current appearance.

"I am Qing'an, the steward of the household of the Minister of War, Master Chen. I am here to visit Mr. Chen on the orders of my master."

Zhou Kui announced his identity as Qingkong's brother with a smile on his face, and a bit of flattering attitude.

Minister of War Chen Langzhu?
When Li Dejian heard Chen Qingsi's name, his brain went blank.

Minister Chen, that is Chen Qingsi!
Chen Qingsi's current reputation is well-known throughout the Tang Dynasty, especially in Jiangnan, Chen Qingsi's birthplace, where all the scholars are proud of him.

Qingxi County, where he took office, is now a well-known cultural county in the entire Jiangnan region.

He promoted the establishment of a county school, and Confucian scholars from the south of the Yangtze River were eager to get into the school to teach.

He set a ten-year plan for Qingxi County, one of which was to build a college.

The academy has not yet been built, but the quota for teachers has been filled...

A man of both literary and martial talents, a legendary figure not seen in Jiangnan for a hundred years...

Speaking of the mysterious aura around him, the halo around Chen Qingsi does not belong at all to his father Li Jing, the legendary military god who nearly died at the hands of Li Yuan, was rescued by Li Shimin, and then fought for the Tang Dynasty in battles across the country.

When Li Dejian was taking drugs and chatting with his group of friends, Chen Qingsi appeared very frequently.

Because they all want to be Chen Qingsi, and they all feel that they can become Chen Qingsi.

The reason why I have achieved nothing now is that I lack the same opportunities as Chen Qingsi.

As long as there is an opportunity, they can become the second Chen Qingsi, and even do better than him.

Isn't the so-called idle talk nothing but unrealistic bragging?

Especially after taking the Wu Shi San and feeling euphoric, he was so confident that he could surpass Chen Qingsi, punch the King of Chu, and kick Li Cunxiao.

But when the reality finally came, Chen Qingsi had not appeared yet. He was already distracted by a steward in his house. For a moment he was at a loss and didn't know how to respond.

Zhou Kui had great potential. After following Chen Qingsi for many years, he gained a lot of knowledge and learned a lot. Seeing that Li Dejian was a little at a loss, he immediately broke the deadlock.

"I saw that the door of your house was wide open, and there was no gatekeeper on either side. I didn't know what was going on, so I entered rashly. I hope you will forgive me."

In fact, it was because Li Dejian dismissed the doorman in order to save costs.

Now in such a big house there is only an old lady who does the laundry and cooking, and another woman who does the shopping and cleaning.

Now both of them were cooking in the kitchen and no one opened the door.

Zhou Kui had been secretly observing Li Dejian's emotions over the past two days, worried that he could not bear the stimulation. Today they officially met and he was out of sight. Seeing that there was no response when he knocked on the door, he was worried that something might go wrong, so he simply opened the door himself.

Li Dejian came back to his senses and immediately said, "It's okay, it's okay, it must be the servant who was careless and forgot to close the door."

He had no doubts at all. He said that the servants were careless, but he even suspected in his heart that he had opened the door.

The biggest effect of taking Wu Shi San is that it makes people feel as if they are gods, and they have no worries at all. Sometimes they know what they have done, and sometimes they have no memory of it at all.

So when Zhou Kui framed the two men, they had no recollection of it at all. One was really angry, and the other thought he was high and spoke out his true feelings.

Li Dejian enthusiastically invited Zhou Kui to his home and began to run around. The former favored son of heaven, who had fallen into decadence, felt honored when a minister's retainer came to visit him.

Zhou Kui looked flattered.

Li Dejian couldn't help feeling strange. His identity as Li Jing's eldest son had been of some use in the past, but now it was worthless. On the contrary, his identity as an exiled criminal made him feel more and more suffocated.

Chen Qingsi is now in the limelight, deeply favored, and has both civil and military skills.

The manager of his household is no less powerful than an official of the fifth rank.

Why are you so polite to yourself?
"Mr. Li, please stop. You are too polite. I really cannot accept it. I am here to visit Mr. Li on behalf of my husband. My husband respects Mr. Li very much and has wanted to visit him for a long time. However, he holds an important position and cannot leave Beijing, so he can only send me to visit Mr. Li on his behalf. I hope Mr. Li will not blame me..."

Zhou Kui spoke very sincerely.

The more this happened, the more confused Li Dejian became. He racked his brains but couldn't remember where he and Chen Qingsi had ever interacted. From the tone of the steward, it seemed that he was still visiting as a junior.

Is it because of Elder Peng?
Even if it was because of him, it shouldn't be like this?
"Manager Qing, excuse me for asking, I really can't remember where I have had any dealings with your master."

Li Dejian looked strange.

Zhou Kui immediately explained, "Mr. Li, my master has known your daughter, Madam Li, for many years. They had been in contact when he was the county magistrate of Qingxi County. Madam Li was chivalrous and saved dozens of orphans."

Li Dejian nodded and remembered this incident.

This incident left a deep impression on him. Because of rescuing those orphans, Li Hongqing nearly lost her life and had to recuperate at home for a long time. It was also because of this that he made up his mind to marry Li Hongqing off to avoid her body being exposed in the wilderness.

The already strained relationship between father and daughter became even more strained, so much so that they went overseas to look for the bearded guest.

It shouldn't be like this just because of this matter, right?

Is there anything else?
Li Dejian was a little restless.

Zhou Kui said, "My lord was ordered by the emperor to pacify Baekje, but was secretly assassinated by the bandits. The lady of the Li family warned my lord and saved him from danger. The lady of the Li family was a righteous person and protected my lord in Baekje. My lord was deeply grateful for her kindness and ordered me to visit her with gifts."

Li Dejian's face was tense, his pale face turned the color of liver, and he felt both ashamed and angry.

The morals of this era were open-minded, and there was no strong ethical guarding like in later times.

But they still attach great importance to reputation and chastity.

Especially since Li Hongqing is still a virgin...

It is unacceptable for an unmarried girl to be guarded by a man for a long time.

Moreover, he could hear a hint of respect for Li Hongqing in Zhou Kui's tone...

How could Li Dejian not understand the meaning? If Chen Qingsi was unmarried, he would have woken up laughing in his dreams. But when Chen Qingsi married the daughter of the Xiao family, she said, "When the great roc soars up with the wind, it can reach the sky the height of ninety thousand miles." Who in the world didn't know this?

Although Li Dejian is in a miserable state now, he has not forgotten that he is the eldest son of Li Jing, Duke of Wei of the Tang Dynasty. This is also the only identity he can boast of at the moment.

How could the granddaughter of Lord Li Wei be so subservient to others?
Besides, although Li Dejian and Li Hongqing had an unhappy relationship, father and daughter were still father and daughter after all.

Li Dejian also didn't want his daughter to be bullied by others.

Even if the other party is Chen Qingsi, even if the other party can rescue himself from the cage of Suzhou.

Li Dejian had already made up his mind that as long as Zhou Kui dared to speak out, he would drive him out even if Chen Qingsi came in person.

There's no way this is going to happen.

Zhou Kui did not do what Li Dejian expected, but instead told him about his scandal: "Mr. Li, it seems that you have encountered some troubles?"

Li Dejian's face suddenly turned red and he didn't know how to start.

Zhou Kui said indignantly, "Today when I entered the city, I wanted to ask passersby where Lord Li lived, but I didn't expect to hear that someone dared to insult Lord Li. I was so angry. I sent someone to tell the Zhang family to bring his son to apologize immediately. If the Zhang family father and son know what's good for them, I think they will come to the door to apologize soon. Lord Li will tell me what to do with them. If they don't know what's good for them, my master will ask them for an explanation."

A warm feeling immediately surged in Li Dejian's heart.

After three days of fermentation, Li Dejian had already accepted his fate.

This humiliation cannot be recovered.

No matter how Zhang Ling was treated coldly because of his relationship with Chen Qingsi, he was also the eldest grandson of the Wujun Zhang family. To put it bluntly, if one day Chen Qingsi fell from his high position, Zhang Ling would be able to become an official the next day.

After all, I am a criminal. How can I be a match for others in Suzhou, the ancestral home of the Zhang family?
Aren't all your friends afraid of offending each other and don't even dare to visit?

The situation is stronger than the person, what can you do?

But she didn't expect that Zhou Kui would stand up for herself and seek face just after hearing it by chance. Her eyes could not help but well up.

Zhou Kui continued, "My master also said that more than ten years have passed since what happened back then, and Lord Li has already received the punishment he deserved. As His Majesty is about to issue a general amnesty, he will plead for Lord Li to be included in the amnesty."

As soon as these words were spoken, Li Dejian was struck by lightning.

pardon!

pardon!

pardon!

The only word in my mind is forgiveness...

After opening his mouth, Li Dejian was like a mute for a moment, with the words stuck in his throat and unable to utter them.

It took him a long while to squeeze out two words: "Really?"

Zhou Kui said: "My master never lies. He will do his best to fulfill his promises. The decree of amnesty will be issued soon. I cannot guarantee whether Mr. Li's name will be on it. But I can guarantee that my master will do his best..."

Li Dejian's excitement turned into anticipation, and for a moment he didn't know how to express his gratitude.

If Chen Qingsi used all this as a threat, Li Dejian would refuse for the sake of his daughter even if he was trapped here to death. But now Chen Qingsi had no intention of using this as a bargaining chip at all. Instead, he did everything in advance.

This favor was bestowed upon me directly, leaving no room for refusal.

Besides, how could he have the heart to refuse?
Just then, there was a noisy sound outside.

Before Li Dejian could react, someone came in to report: "Mr. Li, Manager Qing, Zhang Changwang of the Zhang family is here with Zhang Ling to apologize."

Li Dejian stood up excitedly, wanting to see Zhang Ling's miserable condition, but just as he reached the gate, he stepped back, thinking about the humiliation he had suffered, and said, "Let them stay at the gate for a while, it's okay."

Zhou Kui was already angry about Zhang Ling's action of sending assassins to kill Chen Qingsi, so he was happy about this and said, "Until Lord Li calms down his anger."

Li Dejian developed a new fondness for Chen Qingsi, whom he had never met before, and even couldn't help thinking: How nice it would be if he hadn't married!!!

(End of this chapter)