Chapter Ninety-Five: Zhang Rang’s Nephew (Please Recommend, Please Bookmark)

It seemed that this chapter had run into some trouble just now, so I have sent it again. My apologies, everyone.

Along the way, Liu Xin dashed from one end to the other, brimming with energy and curious about everything under heaven. If Liu Yao and the others had not been fairly skilled and able to keep up with her, that girl would likely have vanished somewhere beyond all knowing.

But this was misery indeed for Guo Jia. His frail body simply could not endure Liu Xin’s reckless frolicking. He hurriedly sought help with his eyes from Liu Yao, only for Liu Yao to say, “For my imperial sister, you must bear with it, Fengxiao,” and dismiss him at once. Guo Jia was so angered that he rolled his eyes.

Yet that was not the worst of it. What gave Liu Yao the greatest headache was that Liu Xin would from time to time run up beside him, tug at his sleeve, and act coquettish. It nearly drove him to distraction. One had to remember that Liu Xin was dressed as a man at present.

Liu Yao glanced uneasily at the common folk around them. The looks in their eyes were filled with contempt and disgust; it seemed they had taken Liu Yao and Liu Xin for a pair of men with improper tastes. In great noble households, keeping a pretty boy was hardly anything unusual anymore, but to bring him out so openly and flaunt their intimacy in public was still a rare sight indeed.

The frustrated Liu Yao nearly wanted to raise his head to heaven and shout that he was not such a man. In the end, under the strange gazes of the many bystanders, he finally yielded.

“Ahem. Fengxiao, didn’t you just say you were tired? And it’s getting late now as well, so everyone must be hungry by now. Why don’t we find a place to eat first?” With that, regardless of whether Guo Jia and the others had reacted, Liu Yao steeled himself, grabbed Liu Xin by the hand, and, to the astonishment of the onlookers, rushed into the nearest little tavern.

Guo Jia, Zhang Fei, and the others stared in stunned disbelief at the somewhat miserable-looking Liu Yao, then slowly followed after him.

Inside an unremarkable little tavern in Luoyang, Liu Yao furtively looked around. Only after seeing that no one was giving him strange looks did he let out a long breath.

“Big brother, why did you pull me away just now? I’d just seen something fun,” Liu Xin complained in some discontent.

“You still dare say that!” Liu Yao cried in exasperation. “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been mistaken for a—” He stopped abruptly. Such a disgusting thing, and on the dining table no less, he could not bring himself to say it.

Guo Jia, however, naturally understood what Liu Yao had meant. Covering his mouth, he burst out laughing wildly, nearly rolling on the floor.

“Doing what, big brother?” Liu Xin asked like an inquisitive child.

“Ahem. There was no need to keep wandering about. Look at how exhausted Fengxiao has become,” Liu Yao finally forced out after much stumbling.

To his surprise, Liu Xin actually believed him. She turned at once to glare at Guo Jia and said unhappily, “What are you laughing at? It’s all your fault. Who told your body to be so weak that you get tired after walking only a little? Look at that big black fellow over there. Why can’t you be like him?” As she spoke, she even pointed at Zhang Fei.

Guo Jia’s laughter cut off sharply. He looked at Liu Yao with a mournful face, not knowing what to say. If Guo Fengxiao truly became like Zhang Fei, what then?

As for Zhang Fei, who had been unlucky enough to be dragged into this while lying down, he also looked helplessly at Liu Xin. “Princess... why drag Old Zhang into this?”

“Hmph.” Liu Xin gave a delicate snort, turned her head aside, and no longer looked at Liu Yao and the others.

Seeing this, Liu Yao immediately shot Guo Jia a glare, the meaning clear: if you don’t want my imperial sister to get upset, you’d better have a hard time of it.

Threatened by Liu Yao, Guo Jia had no choice but to pull out every trick he had, trying his best to appease the young princess. Time passed in laughter and chatter.

Just as the group was nearly finished eating, the sound of hooves suddenly came from outside the tavern.

Liu Yao, with his keen hearing, caught it at once. Frowning, he said coldly, “I never thought anyone in Luoyang would dare to gallop so recklessly.” In a place like Luoyang, only urgent military dispatches from the frontier would grant a messenger the right to ride at full speed. But now that the Yellow Turbans had already been suppressed, there could hardly be any great matter left.

The table Liu Yao had chosen happened to be by the door, close to Luoyang’s main street. Hearing his words, the others all looked toward the entrance together.

Sure enough, in the distance there was a young man of about twenty, riding arrogantly on horseback and charging straight toward Liu Yao’s side as though no one in the world existed. He kept shouting, “Move! All of you, get out of the way! Don’t block this young master’s road!”

The passersby hurriedly scattered, faces full of fear as they looked at the young man on horseback, yet none of them showed the slightest surprise.

“My lord,” Guo Jia said disdainfully, “for this man to act so lawlessly, and for the common folk to be so afraid of him, this must not be his first time. Judging by the look of it, he’s probably some young master from one of the great families.”

At that moment, a serving boy bringing Liu Yao their dishes happened to pass by and, upon hearing Guo Jia’s words, said, “You gentlemen aren’t locals from Luoyang, are you?”

Liu Yao gave a wry smile. “I am indeed from Luoyang, though I have been away for some time and only just returned. Could the little brother know that man?”

The serving boy glanced around to make sure no one else was near, then lowered his voice. “I’ll tell you, young master, but don’t go spreading it about. That’s none other than Zhang Rong, the only nephew of Zhang Rang, one of the Ten Attendants. These past few years, he has relied on his uncle’s name to run rampant in Luoyang like a tyrant. Even some of the high officials will give him three parts courtesy when they see him. Who would dare to take him in hand?”

“Zhang Rang’s nephew? No wonder,” Liu Yao thought, instantly understanding.

Zhang Rang was a eunuch, of course, and had no ability to produce offspring. That meant this nephew was the only bloodline the Zhang family had left. Zhang Rang likely intended to rely on Zhang Rong to continue the family name, and thus treated him as though he were his own son. No wonder Zhang Rong behaved in such a manner.

“Ah!”

Suddenly Liu Xin gave a sharp cry and turned her head away, too frightened to look at the road again. Liu Yao and the others hurriedly looked toward Zhang Rong’s direction.

In the middle of the road stood a little girl of seven or eight years old, who for some reason had suddenly run out and ended up blocking Zhang Rong’s path. Zhang Rong, wearing a cruel smile, did not slow down at all, but instead charged straight toward the child as if he meant to ride her down.

“Yide, Zilong!”

Seeing this, Liu Yao immediately roared. The two of them understood at once and shot out like arrows. When they ran at full speed, they were no slower than a horse.

“Aah!”

Zhang Fei bellowed and used a savage shoulder charge, crashing squarely into the horse’s side. Zhao Yun, meanwhile, swept the little girl into his arms and darted clear of the onrushing steed.

Just how great Zhang Fei’s strength was need hardly be said. How could the horse possibly withstand such a blow? It reared up with a pained whinny, throwing the young man from its back. Then it collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth; clearly, it would not survive.

As for the young man who had been thrown down, he performed a perfect face-first landing, slamming heavily into the ground in a most miserable state. The surrounding common folk, upon seeing this, felt immensely delighted. They wanted to laugh, but did not dare.

Seeing that the little girl was unharmed, Liu Yao finally breathed a sigh of relief. Then he looked at Zhang Rong in anger. What he hated most were such idle, unlearned scions, the kind who did nothing all day but stir up trouble. Still, this was just as well. With Zhang Rong now in hand, Liu Yao could thoroughly offend Zhang Rang.

He then ordered Guo Jia and Liu Xin to remain in the tavern, while he himself took Shi A and walked outside.