Insufficient balance

  As Xue Erlang said, the family banquet did not work out and they had to go back home separately.

  It was still early spring, and the days were short while the nights were long. As they left the residence of Princess Taiping of the Town, the night had already begun to unfold. Xue Chongxun rode his horse, accompanied by his attendants and slaves, who carried either a whip or a torch with a long handle, each bearing the character "Xue". The group headed south along the street, the torches providing light as they moved.

  Today, Yuwen Ji met and reminded Xue Chongxun of something: it was necessary to pull down her fiancé, Taichang Temple's junior official Feng Yuanjun!

  Firstly, by removing Xue Chongxun, he can eliminate any suspicion in his mother's mind that he is secretly communicating with Gao Lishi; secondly, since Xue Chongxun was appointed as the Taichang Temple's Taichang Gong by Empress Wu Zetian, but actually did not control the Taichang Temple, and most of its affairs and powers were in fact controlled by Feng Yuanjun, the Deputy Minister of the Taichang Temple, it would be beneficial to remove him and replace him with Princess Taiping or his own person.

  The Taichang Temple was in charge of the imperial ancestral temple, ceremonial rites and music, astronomical phenomena, and the attire of officials. In the Tang Dynasty, the Taichang Temple had a certain influence on the power scene: the children of noble officials who wanted to serve as officials had a path - during national sacrifices, they would act as deputy hands, participate in such sacrifices, and then come out to serve as palace guards or low-ranking civil servants. Who was qualified to participate in the sacrifice at that time was naturally decided by the Taichang Temple.

  So grasping the power of Taiji Temple is very effective for cultivating party wings. How can such a department be handed over to Prince Taizi's people?

  Through the historical knowledge of his past life, Xue Chongxun became more aware of the danger of being the eldest son of Princess Taiping, but there was no other way out, and he could only think of ways to help his mother, Princess Taiping, to fight for every bit of power, trying to get through the crisis... Because the opponent was too powerful, the Crown Prince, and perhaps even the Emperor, only his mother had such strength and status to deal with them.

  Don't underestimate the opponent, not only the young prince, but also the emperor. The current Li Dan was able to survive from the time of Wu Zetian to now, how turbulent and dangerous the political situation was during this period, he served as emperor twice, isn't he a person without a brain?

  "Lang Jun, this ancient temple alley is too dark and deserted. It's not very peaceful at night, should we take a detour?" One of the attendants, a square-faced man, signaled for the groom to stop, and reported to Xue Chongxun.

  His name is Fang Yuzhong, and his family has been a servant of the He Dong Xue family for generations. The slaves in the same household call him Lao Fang. He doesn't talk much usually, but he has impressive skills, so he was favored by Xue Chongxun to be in charge of security work.

  Xue Chongxun said: "This is in Chang'an City, what's not peaceful? At night the cold air descends, I think I'll head home early, no need to take a detour."

  Since the master has spoken, Fang Yu Zhong didn't say more and only said to the surrounding guards: "Be careful."

  The team continued on their way, and no one thought much of it. Lang Jun said that in Chang'an City, anyone who dared to move against the Xue family must have some ability. The slave servant Pang Er walked while leading the horse, and without turning his head, he said in a relaxed tone: "Lang Jun, my wife said that Pei Niang is about the right age, she'll be sent to your room tonight."

  Pang Er and Fang Yu Zhong were both hereditary slaves of the Xue family, they were fat and chubby, their catchphrase was "my wife said", his wife "Nu To Xi Shi" was also given by Xue Chong Xun.

  "Nuo" is the name for noodles, probably because noodles are made by cutting dough or noodle sheets directly into strips and then cooking them, without using one's palm to hold them, in order to distinguish them from the thin slices of "tangbing" that were previously made by pressing dough with one's palm. Nuo Xishi used to sell noodles before this, because after her husband's family was implicated in a crime and she was forced into slavery, the Xue family bought her out and gave her to Pang Er as a reward for his long-standing loyalty.

  Pei Niang is the daughter of a woman who was not married to her father, brought from his previous family. She's probably 13 or 14 years old now. Previously, they had planned for her to be a concubine for Xue Chongxun, but now that she's almost of age, Pang Er has brought up the matter again.

  But since Xue Chongxun obtained the memories of his past life, many of his ideas had changed unconsciously. He now felt that a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl who was still in junior high school was not suitable to serve men. So he said: "Tell Nuo Xi Shi, don't send Pei Niang over, let's forget about what we said before."

  In the quiet night sky, a savory aroma of braised meat wafted from somewhere, and Pang Er, who was leading the horse in front, suddenly took several deep breaths, his saliva almost dripping down. With an almost nostalgic tone, he said: "It's braised pork head."

  Several people around couldn't help but burst out laughing, a thin man carrying a pole lamp laughed and said: "Fatty, why don't you take a knife and cut off a piece of flesh from your own forehead to satisfy your hunger?"

  Pang Er stared blankly and said: "I'm not crazy, why would I cut my own flesh to eat?"

  Skinny said: "Don't you want to eat pork head meat?" Pang Er didn't realize he was being teased and still replied seriously: "I want to eat pork head meat, but I don't want to eat the meat on my own forehead!"

  The thin man burst out laughing and said: "I was taken in by appearances, I thought they were the same thing."

  Xue Chongxun was also amused and couldn't help but say: "I think you two should go perform a comedy play."

  He laughed with the slaves, and Xue Chongxun's mood seemed to have improved as well. The heavy weight in his heart also seemed to have lightened a bit. Just then, Fang Yuzhong suddenly shouted in a low voice: "Ahead, sparkling water!" The surrounding guards immediately pressed their hands on their weapons and responded: "Beware of the Water Tiger!"

  This is a signal, reminding everyone of the situation.

  Xue Chongxun also grasped the reins tightly, looked ahead and saw a person wearing tight black clothes rushing towards this direction.

  "Halt!" Just as Fang Yu Zhong's loud shout was heard, several guards had already raised their crossbows, aiming at the black-clad man in front.

  Suddenly, flames lit up in front of and behind the alley, with urgent footsteps. The situation was becoming somewhat ominous, and Fang Yu Zhong and the guards' tone also became tense and uneasy, "Brothers, protect the young master well."

  Xue Chongxun was also tense, but in front of his subordinates, he remained calm and simply said: "First stabilize, these people may not be targeting us."

  As expected, the black-clad man rushed over and did not make any aggressive moves, but instead knelt down on the ground with a thud: "Master, save my life, I'll be your servant for the rest of my life!"

  She covered her face, unable to see her clearly, but the voice was a woman's, urgent and panicked. Xue Chongxun looked around at the approaching flames and thought that those people must be coming to catch this woman. He then asked in a low voice: "Have you committed a crime?"

  The woman said: "No, those who are chasing me are not from the government."

  "Alright." Xue Chongxun nodded, paused for a moment, then said: "You come over, no one can harm you, but your background, I will investigate clearly."

  "Thank you, sir! Great kindness and great virtue!" The woman was overjoyed, got up from the ground, and walked towards Xue Chongxun. At this time, Fang Yuzhong was very nervous, staring at her without blinking, while Xue Chongxun seemed calm and composed, still sitting on his horse with an air of nonchalance. This was his usual style, appearing careless but actually paying close attention to the woman's shoulders in case she made any sudden moves. As a skilled martial artist himself, surrounded by guards, it wouldn't be easy for one person to take him down.

  People quickly approached from the front and back of the alley, all of whom were masked. They stopped at a distance, seeing that Xue Chongxun had many guards under him, he was definitely a person of status, so they didn't make any rash moves.

  At this time an old man said in a low voice: "This young master, if it's none of your business, please give us some convenience, the grudges between her and me will be settled by ourselves."

  Xue Chongxun smiled and patted the golden fish bag at his waist, saying: "Do you recognize this thing? In my Great Tang territory, you dare to take people in front of an official? While I'm still in a good mood, get out of here!"

  The other party did not dare to make any sudden moves, but they also didn't leave. The old man paused for a moment and then said: "This woman is a slave of my household, who sneaked out. Please, sir, show some leniency..." He then took out two gold bars and said: "A small token, not enough to show respect."

  Unexpectedly, Xue Chongxun suddenly raised his whip and pointed forward in anger: "Daring to be so presumptuous, take him down! Whoever dares to harm an official's life will be strictly investigated and punished, with the entire family being executed!"

  Fang Yu Zhong furrowed his brow, the attendants and guards were not enough, mainly to protect Lang Jun's safety, but the master's order could not be disobeyed. He quickly arranged the personnel, led them with weapons and rushed out. The old man hastily said "withdraw", then both groups of people turned around and ran away. Xue Chongxun's guard saw that the people had run away, did not dare to chase far, made a show and then withdrew back to report: "Report to Lang Jun, the thieves ran too fast, didn't catch up."

  That woman saw the man who had been chasing her to a dead end, was actually scared away by this young master with just a few words, and her eyes were filled with admiration. She quickly said: "Thank you, sir, for saving my life. From now on, if there's anything I can do for you, just say the word, and I won't hesitate."

  At this time, Xue Chongxun felt a lot more at ease in his heart and only then did he notice that her voice was somewhat hoarse and sounded strange. He exhaled a mouthful of white air and said: "The weather is really cold, let's talk about it when we get back."

  Xue Chongxun's residence was located in An Yi Fang, adjacent to the east market. As he passed through the gate of An Yi Men, the sky had already completely darkened, without a moon or stars, and it was bitterly cold. He felt that his legs were frozen stiff, and suddenly remembered the "Yin Yun Zhai" he had built according to his memories of his past life...

  "After entering the An Yi Fang, don't go back to the mansion first, go to the Hong Yun study." Xue Chongxun instructed. Wealth and nobility naturally have their own advantages, they can enjoy many pleasures that ordinary people cannot get.

  "Yes, Lord Lang." The person below replied.