The sixty-second line of chivalrous and righteous Li Ruihan (Part 2)

  "Alas! Kong Yingda, that old scoundrel! Won't he just die already?! My son! What's to be done now?! Alas! Son! If anything happens to you, what's the point of your mother still being alive?!" After Su Ning returned home, such heart-wrenching wails echoed from the Su Manor...

  Wang's early years were spent regretting the loss of Su Ning for 14 years, but now that his son has returned, the lost affection has also returned. This makes Wang even more treasured and loving towards Su Ning. Even if Su Ning loses a single hair, Wang will wipe away tears, let alone when Su Ning's hands are beaten into a pulp...

  Old Master Kong was indeed a man of iron face and no mercy, saying hit and hitting, without any leniency. That ruler wasn't made of iron or copper, but definitely not wood, when it hit his hand, oh! It was heart-piercingly painful. Su Ning had been beaten back by Old Master Li Jing in the army, since joining Li Jing's army, there wasn't a day he didn't get beaten, so his body naturally wasn't weak either. But when Old Master Kong brought down that ruler, it really hurt more than one of Li Jing's sticks...

  Liu accompanied Wang to wipe away tears, Su Dingfang sat on the side with a red face but had no way out. He had heard that one was a famous Confucian scholar, a national treasure, and the other was the Prince of Hejian, an imperial relative. Neither of them was someone the Su family could afford to provoke at present. Su Dingfang felt suffocated in his heart. Who would have thought that on the first day of entering the palace to study, his own brother would suffer such a great injustice? Originally, he had thought that studying in the palace was an imperial favor, but now it seemed like a ghostly gate!

  Su Xiaomei's fierce nature was triggered, and she pulled out the horizontal knife that weighed 50 kilograms from its scabbard. She was about to take it to the Kong family and the Hejian County Wangfu to fight them to the death. However, Su Xiaomei overestimated her own abilities. The 50-kilogram horizontal knife was something even Su Dingfang could only wield with both hands, let alone a little girl like her. As soon as she swung it, the knife slipped out of her grasp and fell to the ground. But Su Xiaomei refused to give up, determined to charge forward and avenge her brother while dragging the horizontal knife along. This scared Su Dingfang into quickly stopping her.

  Su Ning felt a wave of depression, this wasn't a matter of life and death, it was just being beaten with ten ruler strikes. Did she have to make such a big fuss about it? His own little sister was also being overly fierce, the 12-year-old beauty actually wanted to take revenge on the Kong family and the Hejian County Prince's Manor with a horizontal knife. If this really happened, it would definitely be recorded in history books, and his own little sister would become a famous shrew. Who would dare marry her? This was just like Hu Yifei, only someone as despicable as Zeng Xiaoxian could handle her...

  "Mother, elder aunt, big brother, little sister, don't be like this, I've said it before, this is not a bad thing, it's a good thing! Do you believe me or not, someone will come to offer condolences soon, and it won't just be one person, there will be a whole group of them. Believe it or not?" Su Ning said with a smile, then raised his soy sauce jar: "This is not a disaster, this is not suffering, this is a good thing! Saiweng lost his horse, how could he know it was a blessing? But such good things won't happen too often, just once or twice, sigh!"

  Four people looked at Su Ning with such an expression, holding the sauce jar and still self-satisfied, actually saying that this was a good thing, had he gone crazy?

  "Son, son, don't scare your mother! Have you gone mad? Difang, difang, go find the doctor quickly! Go find the doctor!" Wang's hands were stroking Su Ning's face, her expression frantic and flustered. Su Difang was also greatly shocked, and immediately rushed out to find the doctor. Before Su Ning could stop him, he collided with a hastily running servant.

  "What's going on! Why the rush!" Su Dingfang, being physically robust, knocked over the hastily arriving servant, who was so frightened that he immediately knelt down and handed over a letter of introduction: "Young Master, this is a letter from Li, the eldest son of the Prince of Hejian Prefecture, along with several carts of gifts. He says he's coming to thank Second Young Master!"

  Su Dingfang was taken aback, Wang and Liu were also stunned, Su Xiaomei looked at Su Ning with a disbelieving face, holding up the sauce jar with a smug face. Su Ning looked around at the people with a triumphant expression, foolish earthlings, hahaha!

  "Please ask Mr. Li to come in, big brother, you replace me to welcome him and tell him that my palm is swollen and painful, it's inconvenient for me to move around, and I caught a cold yesterday, so I couldn't come to welcome him, please forgive me! Not a single word can be wrong!" Su Ning said with a smile, then pretended to be in extreme pain: "Mother, aunt, little sister, hurry up and cry, the more tears the better!"

  Su Dingfang instantly understood Su Ning's meaning and immediately walked out. Wang Shi and Liu Shi were still somewhat bewildered, but Su Xiao Mei's movements were swift, and she burst into loud wailing, her cries shaking the heavens, extremely heroic. Su Ning was taken aback, while Wang Shi and Liu Shi finally came to their senses, starting to wipe away tears and sob quietly. For a time, the entire Su Manor could hear the sounds of weeping...

  Li Chongyi was also very anxious, he was on official business when Li Xiaogong sent a servant from his household to tell him to hurry back home, something had happened to his younger sister.

  As soon as Li Chongyi received the news, he immediately rushed back home on horseback. His second brother, Li Chonghui, and third brother, Li Chongzhen, also arrived at the same time. The three brothers looked at each other, all of them worried. In the past, whenever their sister got into trouble, they would gather at home, listen to their father's instructions, and then take gifts to the victim's place to safely escort their fierce sister back. The three brothers began to apologize in a low voice...

  As a member of the Li family, especially during this period, they were all extremely cautious. After all, it had only been four years since the Xuanwu Gate Incident, and the bloody atmosphere had not yet dissipated. Li Xiaogong's merits were also very great, so he had to be careful in his actions, not daring to offend anyone. Fortunately, his younger sister had always been like this, and everyone was used to it. With Emperor Taizong of Tang's implicit warnings, they would offer compensation and the victim would let the matter rest.

  When the three brothers returned home, their younger sister Li Ruhuan had already arrived. The King of Hejian, Li Xiaogong, looked at Li Ruhuan with a gloomy face, pacing back and forth, sighing incessantly, as if he had eaten something bitter and couldn't stop. As soon as he saw the three brothers return, he hastily said: "Chongyi, Chonghui, Chongzhen, you've finally returned! Today's matter is different from before. Chongyi, immediately take a thick gift to the San Yuan Bo Fu to offer thanks."

  The three brothers were stunned, and Li Chongyi immediately asked: "Father, what happened? Little sister, what's wrong?"

  Li Ruihan looked at Li Chongyi, then at Li Xiaogong, her face turned red, and she didn't say anything. She got up and ran away, leaving the three Li brothers feeling depressed. Li Chongyi was even more puzzled: "Father, what's going on? What's wrong with my little sister? In the past, when she came back, wasn't it always to find someone to take revenge on? The Marquis of San Yuan is just a marquis, can't we just send a servant with some gifts to thank him? Why do we need such a heavy gift?"

  In the past, every time Li Ruo Han caused trouble, the target was either a duke or a prince, that is, meritorious ministers and imperial nobles, all of whom were roughly equal in status to their own family, and many even had more power than their own family. It was only then that the three brothers needed to go together to apologize humbly, and make other arrangements according to the severity of the situation. But now it's just a count, why would they need such a scene? Let the eldest son take the lead?

  Li Xiaogong shook his head: "This matter is extremely important, he is now an earl, and in time, he will be a duke. How can you know how old he is now? Who is he?"

  The three sons of the Li family basically worked in areas outside of Chang'an, and since they grew up, they rarely returned home. Therefore, they didn't know much about the recent big events, only knowing that the Tang Dynasty had a great victory, destroying the Turks. Apart from this, they didn't know many messages, and the spread of information in ancient times was really slow. So the three brothers looked at each other and shook their heads together.

  Li Xiaogong said: "The county of San Yuan, named Su Ning, is only 14 years old now! The war where the Tang Dynasty defeated the Turks was won by Su Ning leading five hundred iron cavalry to burn down Yingshan Mountain, deciding the fate of the world in one battle! He burned more than two million Turkish soldiers to death and captured all the rest! It can be said that the Turks were destroyed by Su Ning! If he weren't too young, if he were twenty years older, His Majesty would have directly promoted him from viscount to duke! Do you know about labor reform and public slaves? You should have read the imperial reports, these are all Su Ning's ideas!

  Furthermore, Suning is just a humble scholar, his elder brother Sun Dingfang even followed Liu Heita and Your Majesty in opposition. The Li Jing who recommended him is not Your Majesty's confidant either. It can be said that he was born with shortcomings, but Your Majesty saw something in him and allowed him to enter the Hongwen Academy. Isn't the Hongwen Academy a place where only certain people can go? Either you are an imperial prince or princess, or you are a high-ranking official or a meritorious descendant. Apart from these, who else can enter? Suning entered the Hongwen Academy as a mere viscount, can you see Your Majesty's intention?

  Yesterday at the morning meeting, Su Ning said a few words to Kong Yingda and he was sent back home. He didn't eat or drink for a whole day and night, but today he became the head of Hongwen Academy, in charge of teaching affairs, which is also the emperor's intention. Can't you see the underlying meaning? Moreover, today Rui Han made a mistake and spoke recklessly about palace secrets, almost putting Su Ning to death!

  But little did he know that Su Ning, despite his young age, had an extraordinary temperament. Not only did he forgive Rui Han, but also took the ten-count punishment on her behalf. Kong Yingda was always impartial and stern, and the ten-count punishment left Su Ning's left hand swollen. Although not many people knew about this, they were all nobles, and if his father didn't make some gesture, how would others view him? How would they view the Hejian County Prince Manor?

  Li Xiangong's words had been puzzling Li Chongyi for a long time, until he handed over the visiting card and came back to his senses. He looked at the plaque of San Yuan County Bo Fu hanging on the gate with a serious gaze, understanding his father's intention. Not long after handing over the visiting card, Li Chongyi saw a sturdy man walking out, looking anxious and sad, and immediately bowed to him: "Minister Su Dingfang pays respects to the young master!"

  The term "Gongzi" is still a title for young men of noble status today. In the original historical records of the Tang Dynasty, there was also the term "Gongzi Jiancheng". Emperor Taizong of Tang once said, "I was a Gongzi when I was young." Therefore, currently only the next generation of heirs to the throne of the Li-Tang imperial family have the right to be called Gongzi. Li Chongyi is a member of the imperial clan and the eldest son of Li Xiaogong, so it's not unexpected that he will inherit the title of Duke of Hejian Commandery, making him worthy of being called "Dagongzi".

  Li Chongyi looked at Su Dingfang and knew that he was Su Ning's older brother, but why didn't Su Ning come himself and instead sent Su Dingfang?

  Li Chongyi hastily returned the courtesy, and then asked with a questioning tone: "Wu Yi Bo doesn't need to be so polite, I wonder where San Yuan Bo is? My sister was impolite, but my father appreciated San Yuan Bo's noble and righteous behavior, which saved my sister from disaster. He specially ordered me to come and thank San Yuan Bo in person. I heard that San Yuan Bo was beaten with ten heavy blows of the punishment stick, this is on behalf of my sister, and I am truly filled with sorrow!"

  Su Dingfang sighed: "The second son said that being beaten ten times is nothing, as a man and a soldier, it's his duty to take the punishment for a woman. These minor injuries are nothing, originally he could have come out to welcome the young master, but yesterday when he returned to the mansion, he caught a cold and was bedridden. Moreover, his palms really aren't presentable, so it's not convenient for him to come out and welcome the young master. Please forgive him, young master!"

  Li Chongyi nodded and said, "This is really making me lose face. My younger sister is so mischievous that my father has been having headaches because of her. Originally, we thought she was just a child who couldn't cause any big trouble, but unexpectedly, this time she caused such a big commotion. If it weren't for the kindness and generosity of San Yuan Bo, I don't know how far this matter would have gone. My father is very grateful to San Yuan Bo and has specially instructed me to bring some gifts to come and thank him."

  Su Dingfang looked at the ten large carts of gifts and thought, "This is what they call a modest gift?" His second brother was indeed clever and had calculated that someone would come to offer compensation. He had even said it wouldn't be just one person, but a group. Could there be others? Su Dingfang nodded and stepped aside: "Please!" Li Chongyi bowed and followed Su Dingfang into the Su estate.

  Emperor Taizong of Tang still had some conscience, although the power restriction on the Li family was very great, but the treatment of the Li family was still good, perhaps it was compensation, just like the compensation for Emperor Gaozu of Tang, so the Li family had no power, but they were wealthy...

  As soon as he entered the Su residence, Li Chongyi heard a burst of crying sounds - the loud wailing of a young girl and the low sobbing of Madame. Li felt somewhat embarrassed and cast a questioning glance at Su Dingfang. Su naturally understood that this was all due to his own second brother's mischief, but how could he possibly say so? So he said: "The Second Eldest Maternal Aunt and Second Brother have been separated for fourteen years and only now are reunited - it is only natural that they should feel such affection. Alas! When I saw Second Brother in such a state, even I was at a loss!"