Chapter 27: A Vast Number

Judging by their attire, they were likely from some official residence.

Li Zhi had seen similar clothing at the mansion of Cheng Yaojin; the guards there dressed much like these men.

Clip-clop, clip-clop...

The carriage raced forward, crashing into the nearby stalls.

Yet, the master inside the carriage remained utterly indifferent.

“Outrageous!” Li Lizhi, always quick to champion justice, could not stand by in the face of such behavior. She felt compelled to step in.

“Luotong, teach them a lesson!” Li Lizhi ordered.

“Huh? You want me to go?” Luotong glanced at Li Zhi, then shook his head. “My duty is to protect His Highness the Prince of Jin. I’m not going.”

“Hmph!”

As the carriage drew near, Li Lizhi, unable to command Luotong, decided to step forward herself, planting herself in the middle of the street to block the carriage’s path.

Yet—!

The carriage showed no intention of stopping. Instead, it picked up speed.

The guards at its side continued shouting, “Out of the way! Move aside!”

“Careful...” Li Zhi’s eyes narrowed; he gave Luotong a sharp kick. “Hurry up—go!”

With quick reflexes, Luotong scooped Li Lizhi back to safety.

“Are you looking for trouble? How dare you block our young master’s way? Get out of here!” One of the guards strode over and shouted at Li Lizhi.

“You—!”

“My temper won’t stand for this!” Li Zhi could no longer contain his anger. Even young girls weren’t spared. He, the Prince of Jin, never acted with such arrogance—who was this bastard daring to swagger through the streets like this? If they weren’t taught a lesson, they’d never learn their place.

“Luotong, drag the fellow in that carriage out for me! I want to see who dares act so brazenly!” Li Zhi demanded.

“Your Highness... out in public, it’s best to keep a low profile. We shouldn’t cause trouble.”

“Are you going or not?”

“Well...”

“If you won’t, I’ll go myself! And if I get hurt, the responsibility is yours!” Li Zhi shrugged, adopting a look that made it clear he’d hold Luotong accountable.

“All right, I’ll go!” Left with no choice, Luotong stepped forward, raised his silver spear, and pointed it at the carriage. “Who’s in there? Come out yourself!”

“How dare you be so insolent to our young master!” the guards barked, unrepentant.

Luotong considered. In Chang’an, aside from the princes in the palace, there were few he need fear. His father was a Duke, and he himself a young Marquis.

Generally, the princes did not leave the palace.

So, at most, the carriage belonged to some young Marquis or Lord.

He had nothing to fear!

“In that case, allow me to help you out!” Luotong spun his silver spear with lightning speed, flicking aside the curtain. But inside the carriage—not a soul.

“Huh?”

“What’s going on? Where is he?” Luotong scratched his head and asked the nearest guard, “Where’s your young master?”

“Get him!”

The guards, apparently enraged, raised their wooden clubs and attacked Luotong.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

But Luotong’s skill was unmatched. Against such men, it was no contest; within moments, he had sent a dozen sprawling on the street, howling in embarrassment.

At that moment—

The crowd on the street erupted in excitement. “Beat them! Beat them!”

“These spoiled brats have needed a lesson for ages!”

“All they ever do is bully the common folk, never showing mercy!”

“Even a shabby carriage bullies us... Well done!”

Luotong’s swift action won the cheers of the people.

Li Zhi, watching from behind, finally understood. The carriage belonged to Zhangsun Chong, son of Zhangsun Wuji. Whenever Zhangsun Chong went out, he used this very carriage, and such scenes were frequent.

Over time, even Zhangsun Chong’s subordinates would swagger about with this carriage, intimidating all in their path. Upon seeing it, the common folk would flee in fear.

“Zhangsun Chong, is it?” Li Zhi smiled.

By seniority, Zhangsun Chong was his cousin, but in status, there was a considerable gap. It was only by relying on his father’s power that he dared act so wantonly. Such oppression of the people could not be tolerated.

“A shabby carriage disturbing an entire street—Luotong, smash it to pieces!”

“Gladly!”

Knowing the culprit was Zhangsun Chong, Luotong’s anger only grew. He swung his silver spear into the carriage’s wheel, churning it furiously.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

In an instant, the carriage splintered into a heap of wreckage.

“You... you...” The guards were dumbfounded. Unwilling to confront Luotong, they spat a few threats and fled in disarray.

“Hahaha! That felt good!” Luotong returned, saying, “That Zhangsun Chong has bullied me more than once. He was long overdue for a lesson!”

“Zhangsun Chong bullied you?”

“It was all in the past. Every time it happened, I wanted to teach him a lesson, but... my mother forbade me from causing trouble, so I had to endure it!”

Luotong gnashed his teeth, his face twisted with anger.

Had his mother not intervened, Zhangsun Chong would have been beaten to a pulp ages ago!

Li Zhi said, “Feeling better now?”

“Heh, it’s all thanks to Your Highness! If Zhangsun Chong comes looking for trouble, you must back me up!”

“Rest assured!”

“With me here, let’s see if he dares touch you!” Li Lizhi declared, hands on her hips.

“Thank you, Your Highness, Princess!” Luotong grinned in relief. With these two young lords behind him, what did he have to fear from Zhangsun Chong? If he dared return, Luotong would simply send him running again.

...

After walking a little further, they reached the busiest crossroads in the city.

Li Zhi’s eyes were drawn to the most prominent tavern.

“Tianyi Tavern?” he looked up, then said, “Let’s go in and have a look. If it suits us, we’ll buy it!”

“Luotong, send someone to notify Cheng Chubi and have him come here.”

“Of course!”

On the street, Luotong found a ragged fellow and handed him a Kaiyuan Tongbao coin, instructing him to deliver a message to the Duke of Lu’s mansion.

Inside Tianyi Tavern, the place was packed with diners and drinkers. Business was booming—no surprise, given such a prime location.

Li Zhi chose a seat at random. “Sister, what would you like to eat?”

“Anything is fine!”

“Waiter, bring out your best dishes and wine!” Li Zhi called out.

“Right away!” The waiter glanced over and saw two well-dressed children seated there—clearly from wealthy families—and promptly began serving them.

“This place is great! Brother Zhi, let’s come out often from now on, shall we?” Li Lizhi asked.

“Absolutely!”

Li Zhi surveyed the tavern’s main hall. “The atmosphere here is pretty nice. Once I buy the place, we can come whenever we like, heh...”

“Do you have that much money?”

“When Cheng Chubi became my disciple, he gave me silk worth eight thousand cash. I’ve already had Luotong exchange it for money; buying a tavern should be no problem!”

Li Zhi had a fair understanding of Tang Dynasty currency. He’d read that with four or five Kaiyuan Tongbao coins, one could buy dozens of jin of millet—enough to feed a family for half a month.

By that calculation, eight thousand coins was a considerable sum!