Chapter Eleven Can't Get In

  Li Yuanshan was born into a noble family in Longyou, his father Li Luan inherited the title of Duke of Kaiguo due to his outstanding military achievements and was promoted to Duke of the State. He was the eldest son, after Li Luan's death, the title of Tang Gong was succeeded by him. The largest surname in Longyou is Li, followed by Liu, and then Yu. Longyou is located in the western part of the Great Sui River, 3,700 miles away from Shandong Dao.

  The Sui Dynasty recruited officials, although the imperial examination was the main method, it cannot be denied that the real holders of power were all from aristocratic families. The Grand Secretariat, the Chancellery, and the Department of State Affairs, the six ministries, and officials above the fourth rank, eight or nine out of ten were from aristocratic families. Among the 24 governors of the Sui Dynasty, only Yuan Congwu, the governor of Hebei Province, was a commoner.

  Although the generals of the Sixteen Guards were lower in rank than the governors-general, military and administrative affairs were separate. The governor-general was a high-ranking official of the second grade, but he had no authority to command the soldiers of the Sixteen Guards, and his own military power extended only to the provincial troops. However, in terms of combat effectiveness, the provincial troops and the guardsmen were not comparable.

  The sixteen guards' generals are all people whom Your Majesty trusts the most, and almost all of them have the title of Guo Gong. The governors of various provinces, when they see these generals, have to pay their respects. In the previous dynasty, the ranking was determined by the official rank, whereas in Great Sui, it is determined by the noble title. For example, in the previous dynasty, a national duke with only a fifth-grade official position would still have to show great respect to a sixth-grade official. However, in Great Sui, the noble title takes precedence over the official position.

  Twenty-four of them were frontier generals, and none held a rank higher than that of marquis within a commandery.

  These sixteen Wei's great generals, except for the tiger tally of the Ministry of War and the emperor's edict, even the first-class officials of the three provinces of Zhongshu, Menxia, and Shangshu did not have the power to mobilize. And except for the war soldiers, the second-best combat effectiveness of the Sui army was the door soldiers belonging to each prince's territory. These princes were equivalent to the emperor in their own territories, and the equipment and supplies of the soldiers did not come from the court, but from their own treasuries. The door soldiers were the princes' private armed forces, so they could afford to invest heavily, therefore the equipment of the door soldiers was also extremely good.

  The equipment and supplies of the local garrison troops were provided by the imperial court for half, and the other half was supplemented by the local government. However, most of the taxes and grains collected by the local government had to be submitted to the national treasury, leaving little remaining. If some greedy officials were encountered, there would be even less money to equip the garrison troops, so the combat effectiveness of the garrison troops was far inferior compared to the regular army and the palace guards.

  Sixteen Guardsmen, with ten garrisoned in various places. Two Guards guarded the Eastern Capital, and four were stationed in the east, west, south, and north of Chang'an.

  Li Yuanshan was in charge of the northwest of Da Wei, and although his power was not comparable to that of Yang Shanzhen, the governor of the Shandong province, when they met, Yang would still speak to him with courtesy.

  So, even if Wu Peisheng, the eunuch in charge of the imperial study, was favored by the emperor again, he would never dare to be arrogant in front of Li Yuanshan. He was a clever person and understood one thing: no matter how well the emperor treated him, if he offended Li Yuanshan, the emperor would not stand up for him; if Li Yuanshan killed him in anger, the emperor would at most issue an edict to reprimand him and that would be the end of it.

  Eunuchs of the Sui Dynasty had no real power and were useless even if they gained favor.

  Especially those provincial governors and marshals of various guards, these people are even more unbearable.

  In the military camp of Woxian Mountain, a large pagoda tree was built on the half mountain waist. The location of this pavilion is just right, and it is built in a place where the mountain waist protrudes. On the giant rocks extending from the mountain body, there is a cleverly crafted beauty, and from a distance, this place is exactly the nose of the reclining immortal of Woxian Mountain.

  It's just that this time of year isn't quite suitable for sitting in a place like this.

  It's not long after the New Year, and Hedong Road is again the coldest place in northwest Sui. This half-mountain waist protrudes, making it even colder and more biting. The pavilion is also exposed to the wind on all sides, with no shelter from the mountain wind that sweeps down the slope like a knife, cutting across my face, stinging and sore.

  Wu Peisheng tightened his thick, heavy coat, but still felt the cold wind could easily penetrate into his clothes. In this place, he couldn't even sit still. This pavilion would be a great place to escape the heat in summer, but at this time, it was so cold that people could freeze to death after staying for a long time.

  "My lord, you've chosen such a wonderful place."

  Wu Peisheng's runny nose flowed freely as he ran back and forth in the pavilion.

  Li Yuanshan sat on the stone bench, looking at Wu Peisheng with a smile, and said apologetically: "You also know that although this place is a bit cold, it has an advantage."

  "What's good about this place?"

  Wu Peisheng stomped his foot and asked curiously.

  "Everyone can see that I'm inviting you to drink, but no one can hear what we're saying. I've arranged to meet the Duke here, and he must have already guessed that I have something to say. Otherwise... how could the Duke be so favored by Your Majesty?"

  Li Yuanshan still wore the national uniform of the Duke, which seemed a bit thin, but his face didn't change at all. The mountain wind was so strong that even Yin Poshan, one of the seven tiger generals of the Right Rongwei, who had the best horizontal training skills and could withstand swords and guns with his bare body, did not dare to stay here for long at this time. Although his kung fu made him immune to ordinary swords and guns, the power of the cold wind was not something that could be compared to ordinary swords.

  When he heard this sentence, Wu Peisheng's face changed slightly.

  "Tang Gong, this time I'm just a bystander following the people from the Temple of Great Rites and the Ministry of War on their patrol..."

  He hadn't finished speaking when Li Yuanshan waved his hand and cut him off.

  Li Yuanshan opened the food box in front of him, smiling and saying: "Grandfather, aren't you curious what I can invite Grandfather to eat in this strange cold place? Wine can be warmed up, but dishes will freeze as soon as they are served."

  Curious

  Wu Peisheng nodded.

  "Just this one dish, it's better if Master Li doesn't think you're being stingy."

  Li Yuanshan pushed the lunchbox in front of Wu Peisheng, who bent down to take a look. His eyes widened instantly. There was only one piece of paper inside the lunchbox, but it was a very special kind of paper.

  "I know that your hometown is Jiangdu, Jiangnan Province. A few years ago, I bought a house with five courtyards in the city of Jiangdu, hoping to enjoy the scenery of Jiangnan during my leisure time. Unfortunately, I have not had the chance yet. The house has been uninhabited for a long time and is almost abandoned. As I am stationed in the northwest and cannot move without the emperor's order, I fear that I won't be able to go to Jiangdu by the river. You are an honest official who never accepts bribes, and there aren't many relatives at home... In the future, when you retire from the palace, it will not be easy to find a place..."

  "You mustn't!"

  "If His Majesty were to find out about this, I'd lose ten heads for it!"

  "Will Your Majesty know?"

  Li Yuanshan smiled and said, "Even if Your Majesty knew, you would pretend not to know. You have always been soft-hearted towards those close to you. And don't worry, I'm not asking you for anything that goes against your will."

  "Really?"

  "Really."

  Wu Peisheng looked down at the mountain, and the people in the big camp were as small as ants. He smiled, put away the deed, and shivered with cold as he bowed to thank him: "Then our family will thank Tang Gong for his generosity."

  ……

  ……

  He didn't even know how he got back home, he lived in a separate courtyard behind the Jin Yuan Fang. When he came to for the second time, he was already lying on his own comfortable big bed. The second time he woke up, not only did his lower abdomen still feel like it had a burning fire inside, but his head also hurt badly, and his whole body was swollen, even his eyelids didn't escape, a pair of originally big eyes were almost sealed shut, and could only open a small slit.

  Things are extremely blurry, and the throat is sore and burning, almost unable to make a sound.

  He struggled to try to sit up, but found that he couldn't move at all. His limbs and body ached all over. Because his throat was so dry, when he wanted to speak, only a hoarse moan came out.

  But he knew very clearly that this was his own room, because there was a familiar scent in the room. This scent came from Xiao Yao's body. She was a woman with a unique fragrance, and smelling it made people feel refreshed and comfortable. With her in the house, who knows how much sandalwood was saved.

  The fragrance on a woman's body is far more superior than sandalwood.

  "Where are you?"

  He strained his vocal cords to squeeze out these two words.

  "Big shopkeeper, you're awake."

  The voice wasn't that of Mu Xiaoyao, nor would she call herself the Big Boss. Fang Jie's head was throbbing as if it were about to split open, but his mind was clear. From the voice, he judged that the speaker was Jin Feng, one of the four major croupiers at the Golden Yuan Casino. The name might be tacky, but Jin Feng was indeed a stunning beauty.

  And after Fang Jie's guidance and a year of hard practice, her dice-throwing skills are not to be underestimated. In the past two years, no customer has been able to win against her. Of course, this is because in this world before Fang Jie, there were no dice at all.

  Jin Feng was a seventeen-year-old girl, petite in build. The most striking feature of hers was her small mouth, extremely sexy. This little girl was an orphan from Fan Gucheng, her father was a border soldier, who was surrounded and bitten to death by mountain dogs during a patrol, not even leaving behind a single bone. Her mother fell ill and didn't survive for two years, dying of illness.

  Jin Feng's figure is not bad, although she can't compare to Mu Xiao's slender waist, but she is also a rare beauty, a delicate jade, very pleasing to the eye. Her hands are extremely dexterous, otherwise she wouldn't have become one of the four top courtesans of Jin Yuan Fang so quickly.

  It was on the day of Jin Yuan Fang's opening that her mother passed away, and Fang Jie took her in as a geisha, nurturing her with care. Now she is an indispensable person in Jin Yuan Fang.

  "My eyes can't see things clearly, but I still know you're there."

  He can tell lies with a straight face and even if he did blush, it wouldn't show.

  After Fang Jie drank the water handed over by Jin Feng, his throat felt a bit better, and he asked in a soft voice: "How did I come back?"

  Jin Feng helped Fang Xun lie down more comfortably, covering him with a quilt: "It was the border troops on patrol who found you. At that time, you were lying naked on the street, and it looked like you had been beaten up. The leader of the border troops happened to be Li Gan, so he immediately brought people to send you back. The second shopkeeper hastily invited a doctor to examine you, but couldn't figure out where your injuries came from. Just now, General Li personally came over, but you weren't awake. General Li sat for a while and then left, specifically instructing me to take good care of you."

  By this time, Jin Feng could no longer hold back her tears of heartache.

  "Who is so vicious and cruel to beat you up like this?"

  "Uh..."

  He would rather believe that he was beaten by someone: "It was dark and I didn't see clearly, my head was covered and I was beaten once, I fainted, I don't know who it was."

  "General Li said he would investigate thoroughly, and two teams of border troops were dispatched to search for them in the city."

  "It's alright... don't worry."

  He forced a wry smile, and now he also wanted to understand that it was not Du Hongxian who had done something to him. Maybe it was that man in green who was playing tricks on him. But without any grudges or grievances, why did he get himself into this state? At the time at the Red Sleeve Inn, he felt that the man in green looked at him with an unusual gaze. Later at the Cloudy Pavilion Dog Meat Shop, he was already slightly drunk and had lost his vigilance, but that man in green didn't seem like a bad person, did he?

  "How can people be at ease, Master Zhang... does it still hurt?"

  Jin Feng's eyes welled up with tears as she looked at Fang Jie's swollen face and asked with concern.

  "It will be fine in a few days."

  Fang Jie let out a sigh, then suddenly became alert to something. As soon as he thought of it, his expression changed immediately. Or perhaps noticing the change in his expression, Jin Feng hastily asked: "What's wrong, is the pain severe? I'll go invite the doctor over right away."

  "It's not that... I just found some things that aren't quite right."

  Fang Jie hesitated for a moment, then said: "Every part of my body hurts, why is it that...that particular place has no feeling at all? Jin Feng, tell me...isn't that place broken?"

  Jin Feng's face turned red, and she couldn't help but shake her head: "No... it was me who helped you lie down well, you were naked at the time, so I looked carefully, that place... that place is fine, only... only... it looks much bigger."

  "But why don't I have any sensation at all?"

  "What if it's broken..."

  Jin Feng gently pulled open Fang Jie's quilt, took a peek and saw that his face was even redder: "Still standing upright, looks scary."

  "I can't move it, you help me move it a bit and see if I feel anything."

  "Oh..."

  Jin Feng's face turned red as she responded with a soft "en", wanting to reach out and touch but hesitating, fearing that she might hurt Fang Jie. Her hands were agile and gentle, yet she was still worried, so in the end, she bit her lip and leaned forward, opening her mouth to try and take him in.

  Fang Jie felt the pain in his mind suddenly ease, and he couldn't help but feel relieved: "Fortunately, fortunately, this thing still feels normal. Try again, open your mouth a bit wider."

  Jin Feng's face turned red, she stuck out her small tongue and gently licked the thing a few times, massaging it in a circular motion, then opened her mouth wide to try and swallow it. After trying several times, she sat up straight with a dejected look: "Big boss...it's too big...I...I can't get it in my mouth."