The Flourishing Tang Dynasty: Beginning with Marrying Yang Yuhuan

Chapter 303 Settlement
Chang'an in April is full of spring and colorful flowers.

Li Ying was sitting on the side of the road in East City, eating noodles with his head down. Zhang Guangsheng was sitting next to him, and Wei Xianyi was sitting opposite him in men's clothes.

Wei Xianyi watched Li Heng eating with gusto and couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, we have been sitting here for most of the day. Are we waiting for someone? Could it be that we are waiting for Sister Jin?"

Li Ying said, "He Jin has been living a life of luxury since he was young. He can't get used to eating this food on the street."

Upon hearing this, Wei Xianyi and Zhang Guangsheng could not help but look suspicious, thinking: "No matter how well-dressed and well-fed He Jin is, he is just from a merchant family. How can he compare to a prince like you?"

Li Ying didn't pay attention to the two people's expressions. He looked at the street on the left and said, "The front is Pingkangfang. I heard that the girls here are very beautiful. I will bring General Zhang to have a look."

Zhang Guangsheng was startled and whispered, "Your Highness, the princess has already arranged a marriage for me."

"How come I don't know?" Li Heng asked puzzledly.

Zhang Guangsheng said, "It was Guo from Guazhou. Your Highness has been recuperating recently, so I didn't dare to disturb you."

Li Ying asked, "Guo family of Guazhou, the Guo Zhiyun clan?"

"She is the granddaughter of Guo Zhiyun and the daughter of Guo Yingyi. I am of humble origin. If I had not followed His Highness and had not been in charge of the matter, the Guo family would not have agreed."

"General Zhang, there is no need to underestimate yourself. With your talent, many aristocratic families would like to recruit you as their son-in-law..." Li Ying stopped here because he saw Wang Yuankang in the distance.

Of course, the reason why Li Ying saw Wang Yuankang was not because of his good eyesight, but because Wang Yuankang was too ostentatious. He roamed the streets with a group of evil slaves and walked into Pingkangfang with a swagger.

Zhang Guangsheng followed Li Ying's gaze and saw Wang Yuankang. He said, "Wang Yuankang is so overbearing. Is there no one who can deal with him?"

Li Heng said, "His grandfather Wang Yu holds more than 20 positions, one of which is the prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture. Who will punish him?"

"Should I send someone to follow him?" Zhang Guangsheng suggested.

Li Heng said, "Wait a moment."

After a while, Hong Yue came out of Pingkangfang and sat to the left of Li Heng, whispering, "Your Highness, Wang Yuankang entered the Xingyuan Garden and specifically asked for Tianshui Gexian."

"Interesting." Li Heng couldn't help but smile.

Li Longji punished Li Qi but not Wang Yuankang. His purpose was to make Wang Bo voluntarily bring his son to apologize. But now it seems that Wang Bo does not think so. He seems to think that this is Li Longji's favor to him, so he becomes more presumptuous.

But is Wang Yu really that stupid?
Li Ying thought that might not be the case, and Wang Yu might have other intentions.

Li Heng guessed that Wang Yu thought he had grasped Li Longji's desire for balance and deliberately intensified the conflict between him and Li Qi. By intensifying the conflict between them, he became incompatible with Li Qi.

After all, only by being incompatible with him, a prince of a frontier province, could he be further valued by Li Longji and completely replace Li Linfu.

Wang Yu wanted to use him as a stepping stone.

But this time, Wang Bo was too smart.

Li Ying pondered for a moment and asked Hongyue, "Do you have any other news about the Wang family?"

Hong Yue said, "According to my investigation, this Tianshui Singing Fairy was originally a singing girl from Yangzhou. She was presented by the Yangzhou powerful Wei family to Wang Bo's younger brother Wang Han, as a guide to deepen cooperation with Wang Bo, so that Wang Bo could let the Wei family's power enter Chang'an."

Li Ying said: "Everyone in the world wants to live in Chang'an."

"Yes." Zhang Guangsheng agreed, "Wei Boyu betrayed His Highness and returned to Chang'an. He is now serving in the Jinwu Guard."

When Li Heng mentioned Wei Boyu, he was distracted for a moment before asking Hong Yue, "Anything else?"

Hongyue said, "Cai Hua, the son of Cai Bo of the Cai family in Luoyang, is engaged to Wang Yu's sixth daughter. However, Cai Hua is not a good person. In order to find a night-shining pearl that Wang Liuniang likes, he killed the Shen family outside Luoyang. The Shen family was a prosperous family during the Jin Dynasty, but now they have fallen into decline, with only a night-shining pearl left as a family heirloom."

Li Ying asked in confusion: "Since the entire Shen family was killed, how did you know?"

"The Shen family has a sixteen-year-old daughter, because..." Hong Yue stopped talking here, fearing that she might offend Li Ying. Li Ying said, "You can talk about it."

"Yes." Hong Yue accepted the order and continued, "Because she was weak since she was a child, she was afraid that she couldn't be raised, so she took her to a friend's house in Ling Village for foster care. The day of the incident was her adoptive father's birthday, and she went to celebrate his birthday and escaped the disaster. When she came back, she saw with her own eyes that Cai Hua led people to kill her whole family."

Li Ying asked, "Where is this girl now?"

Hongyue said: "In Honghua Tower."

Honghualou was a brothel opened in Pingkangfang by Li Ying in order to make it easier for Hongyue to get information.

Therefore, when Li Heng heard the name Honghua Tower, he couldn't help but look at Hongyue.

Hongyue quickly explained: "I did not force her into prostitution. I just saw that she not only failed to file a complaint but also encountered danger several times, so I let her take refuge in Honghua Tower."

"I see." Li Heng knew that although Hong Yue said it easily, the process must have been very complicated, but he did not ask in detail, and changed the topic: "Yang Zhaoxi went to Honghualou. Find an opportunity and let the girl tell Yang Zhao about her grievances."

"Yang Zhao?" Hong Yue looked embarrassed. "Although Yang Zhao is the princess's cousin, I'm afraid he can't be trusted."

Li Heng said: "I know he is not trustworthy, but this is good for him, he will not refuse, but..."

"What does Your Highness want to say?" Hongyue asked.

"It's okay." Li Heng shook his head. "I have a way. Just let the girl go to Yang Zhao to seek justice."

Hong Yue hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Highness, Yang Zhao is in Honghua Tower right now."

"Oh?" Li Ying smiled. "It's better to do it today than to wait for a day. So let's do it today."

After saying that, he whispered a few words into Hongyue's ear. Hongyue nodded, then got up and left.

Li Heng turned to Wei Xianyi and said, "Xianyi, you go home first. General Zhang and I have something to do."

Wei Xianyi thought about it and guessed where Li Heng wanted to go. She smiled awkwardly and said, "I shouldn't disturb Your Highness while he is working, but if I don't go with you, I don't know how to answer the princess when she asks about it in the future."

"That's fine." Li Ying thought it didn't matter if he brought Wei Xianyi along, so he indulged her for once and said, "Then follow me and talk less."

"Yes." Wei Xianyi replied happily.

……

Red Flower Tower.

Yang Guozhong was drinking in his room when a sixteen-year-old girl suddenly pushed the door open and saluted, saying, "Minister Yang."

When Yang Guozhong heard the voice, he looked over and saw that the girl was as beautiful as a flower with skin as smooth as a baby's. He was stunned.

"What a wonderful girl!" Yang Guozhong came back to his senses, and hurried forward, holding the girl's hand, saying, "How come I'm seeing such a beautiful woman for the first time?"

The girl knelt down immediately and cried, "I have been wronged. Please, Minister Yang, help me!"

Yang Guozhong said with a smile: "You girls like to say you are wronged, don't worry, I won't lose your money."

The girl said, "It has something to do with the Jingzhao prefect."

"Oh?" Yang Guozhong showed some interest and asked, "Tell me about it?"

This girl was Shen Yao, the only surviving daughter of the Shen family. She told Yang Guozhong all about her experiences.

(End of this chapter)