Chapter 16: The Rise of Tongluo

  Yuan Zhen's eyes narrowed slightly, and he shouted in a loud voice: "Stop!"

  Those servants did not expect that the people in front of them, who had been watching the commotion for a long time, would suddenly intervene. They were also old-timers in the capital and could see at a glance that Yin Zhen's identity was extraordinary. Upon hearing this, they were taken aback, their movements slowing down instantly, and they involuntarily looked towards the gate of the mansion.

  Yuan Zhen was looking in that direction, but saw a sturdy man standing in front of the mansion gate. Due to the backlight, he couldn't see clearly. The man was over 30 years old, wearing casual clothes, and reeked of alcohol. Upon hearing Yuan Zhen's shout, he turned his head and glanced at Yuan Zhen with narrowed eyes. Unable to see clearly as Yuan Zhen was in the dark, he judged from the voice that it was a young man. Although he saw several people surrounding Yuan Zhen, he didn't pay attention, thinking they were just ordinary official descendants.

  "Hmph." The man sneered and said, "Which slut's pants weren't tied tightly, and let you little bastard out?"

  Yuan Zhen had never heard such vicious words, and suddenly his blood rushed up, his face turned bright red. He turned his head to look, but Da Chun was still in a daze. He raised his hand and gave Da Chun a slap on the ear, "Are you deaf? Not one of them is allowed to escape!" As he spoke, he rushed towards the man at the entrance of the mansion like a whirlwind.

  Da Chun was slapped so hard that he felt wronged, and he also heard the voice of Long Kedu. His brain was thinking about who had such a big nerve, but before that, he took a heavy slap from Yun Zhen. He immediately reacted and rushed up, regardless of who it was, and fought back.

  Hai Feng and the other five guards saw that Yin Zhen had boarded, where would they dare to hesitate for half a moment, and immediately rushed towards those servants.

  The master at the gate was also not a good guy. Seeing Yongzheng and Dachun rushing over, he shouted, "You're just in time." He then went forward to greet them.

  Yin Zhen opened his mouth, and Long Kedo immediately recognized him as the Fourteenth Prince. Listening to Hai Shan's scolding, he felt a thrill in his heart, but when he saw Yin Zhen rush forward, he came to his senses. The matter had blown up and would bring no benefit to himself. Kangxi already didn't get along with him, and this incident would inevitably implicate him. At this time, he couldn't even enjoy the scene secretly, so he hastily shouted: "Hai Shan, you dog, that's the Fourteenth Prince!"

  Dachun, although a late starter, was fortunate to have quick feet. Moreover, if Yin Zhen were to be injured today, his duty as a bodyguard would be compromised, not to mention that in the future, he might not even be able to hold his head up high in this city of 49. Therefore, he didn't bother with any particular fighting technique and simply pounced on Hai Shan, embracing him tightly, causing both men to tumble to the ground together.

  Yuan Zhen caught up soon after, and it was a round of mindless punching and kicking.

  Hai Shan, who is he? He was the third son of Heshuo Gongqin Wang Changning, Duoluo Ximobeile, a idle and indulgent master, spending his days eating and drinking without anything to do, always either fighting or raising chickens and dogs, a well-known fool among the imperial clan.

  That loud cry of "Fourteenth Brother" from Long Kedo was clearly heard by Hai Shan. Who else could make Long Kedo call him "Fourteenth Brother" besides Yun Zheng? What did he scold him for just now? It seemed like he scolded his mother as a prostitute and him as a bastard. As soon as he reacted, the intoxication on his body instantly turned into cold sweat. Not to mention other things, just the crime of slandering the emperor was enough to finish off this Beile.

  Hai Shan didn't dare fight back, and instead quietly reminded him, "Fourteenth brother, it's me, Hai Shan."

  Longkodo also rushed over at this time, and he didn't pull or drag Yin Zhen. He knew that if he didn't let Yin Zhen vent his anger, he would never give up. Anyway, it wasn't himself who was being beaten. Seeing that Yin Zhen's movements were slowing down, he then paid his respects, "Your humble servant Longkodo wishes the 14th Master good health."

  "Long Ke Duo, please take care of the rest. Yin Zhen then stopped his hand and stood up to look around, seeing that there was no one on the main street, but definitely someone was watching from a hidden place. This wasn't a good place to ask questions, so he pointed to the house and said, "Everyone get inside, Long Ke Duo, arrange a quiet place." He led the way into the house.

  After entering the house, Yin Zhen only realized that the house was not small. After passing through a hall, he saw the opera stage and understood that this should be a private gathering place.

  Long Keduo seemed quite familiar with this place, and while driving people away, he led Xianzhen through a corridor into a hall. The attendants and guards were all stationed outside the door. Long Keduo lit up all the lamps, which made it bright and spacious.

  Yongzheng sat in the upper seat, looked at Long Kodo and Hai Shan, and secretly laughed in his heart. These two people were generally blue-nosed and swollen-faced, with footprints all over their bodies from top to bottom. He suppressed his smile, turned his face to look at Hai Shan, and said in a deep voice: "Xiemin Beile, I don't know how the Emperor will look at you when he hears that you scolded me."

  Hai was beaten by Yongzheng and Da Chun, his whole body seemed to have fallen apart. He thought to himself: "You've vented your anger, and I've suffered a beating in vain. What more do you want?" But as soon as he heard Yongzheng's words, it seemed like he wouldn't let go of the matter. Suddenly, he softened up. The title of Beile wasn't something to be taken lightly; it was worth tens of thousands of silver coins per year, not to mention the status that came with it. He looked miserable as he said: "Fourteenth brother, I must have had too much yellow wine and didn't see clearly that it was you. Please magnanimously spare your brother's life, ah?"

  Yin Zhen didn't respond, instead changing the subject and asking: "What's going on with you two? One is a Beile and the other is a second-grade official, fighting in the street and losing face for the imperial court."

  Long Ke Duo and Hai Shan both despised him in their hearts. You Yun Zhen, aren't you the one who started a big fight on the street? How can everything be blamed on us now? Although they were at a disadvantage, neither of them dared to confront him. Long Ke Duo refused to speak, but Hai Shan wanted to let bygones be bygones and only explained the reason after hesitating for a moment.

  The reason is simple: both are good friends and often hang out together. Today, they got drunk and fought over a child prostitute.

  Looking at the two burly men in front of him, Yong Zheng didn't know what to say, and after a moment's hesitation, he said: "My face was also lost today because of you two. I'm afraid some people don't know the truth and think that I'm just like you two. You two should say how to deal with this matter."

  Long Ke Duo and Hai Shan were both secretly worried, how to deal with this matter, where did it come from and where would it go. Unexpectedly, Yin Zhen's one sentence scared the cold sweat out of both of them.

  "Third Brother, write down what you scolded me today. Let Long Kui Du be a witness and sign his name on it too."

  "Fourteenth brother, don't...don't be so cruel."

  "It's okay if you don't write it." Yinzhen said with ease: "I'll just write a note to the Emperor, and he's been in a good mood lately. He might not mind about you either."

  How's the Emperor's mood? It's not bad that he hasn't been driven to death by you few brothers, Hai Shan is now regretful to the point of being green with anger, disaster comes from the mouth, and he doesn't dare to leave, write it down, this is a handle, in the future won't he be at the mercy of Old Fourteen? It's really an unprovoked disaster, he glared fiercely at Long Ke Duo.

  Long Ke didn't back down and glared back at him, "What are you glaring at me for? If you hadn't spoken without reserve, I wouldn't have been dragged into this."

  Haiyan saw that Hai Shan had been silent for a long time, and Yin Zhen stood up with a smile, "Ah, it's getting late, I'll go back and write the memorial."

  "Write, I'll write." Hai Shan grabbed Xianzhen's arm and said, "Let's just settle this for now, it's better than getting Emperor Kangxi involved. We can talk about what happens next later."

  After writing a few strokes, Hai Shan left his handprint and Yin Zhen smiled and took it over. "I won't make things difficult for Third Brother either. Today's matter is up to you to think of a way to keep it under wraps. If there's even the slightest rumor that gets out, don't blame Fourteenth Brother for being impolite."

  "Don't worry, Fourteenth Brother, I've got this covered." Hai Shan said, and strode away.

  Long Keduo was also ready to slip away, but was pulled back by Yun Zhen, "Uncle, wait a minute."

  Long Keduo cried and said with a sad face: "Alright, Your Majesty never wanted to see me anyway, so just let me off."

  Yuan Zhen smiled and said: "That won't do." As he spoke, he pulled Long Ke Duo over with one hand and whispered, "Come here."

  Long Ke Dou looked puzzled, not knowing what Yun Zhen was singing about this time. Today, he had indeed seen the 14th's methods. A small matter like sesame seeds had been turned into a huge deal by him. Thinking of Hai Shan, he would probably not be able to sleep soundly when he returned.

  "Long Kedo, don't you feel wronged?" Yinzhen suddenly asked very seriously.

  Long Ke was shocked at this time, what does this mean? Is it the emperor who let him ask? Or is it his own intention?

  Seeing the look of surprise on Long Ke Duo's face, Yong Zheng lowered his voice and said, "Don't think wildly, don't ask too many questions. I'll tell you, the Emperor is a person who values old relationships. You've been through life and death with him, how could he forget? Remember my words: first, cultivate your character and conduct yourself well. Second, don't get entangled with the princes, including me. Third, maintain the current state of relations with the imperial family. If you achieve these three points, I guarantee that you will be greatly used within three to five years."

  Long Ke has been suffering for years, the emperor doesn't want to see him, his father doesn't want to see him either. He wants money but has no money. Although he has the identity of a first-class guard, he has no real job. In the capital city, he can barely lift his head.

  He simply smashed the broken pot and lived a muddled life, when he suddenly heard the fourteenth's words, he couldn't believe his ears, his whole person was in a state of stupidity. The emperor wouldn't forget me? Did I really have a day to fly high and rise to prominence?

  By the time he came back to himself, the room was empty, and Yin Zhen had long since left.