Thief Emperor

Chapter 1134 Brothers of Guanzhong
Xiangfulou was originally a husband-and-wife shop in Qingyang. The couple had only one daughter, who was betrothed and married to someone else. She would occasionally come back to help manage the business.

Originally, the restaurant would probably have closed down after the couple got older.

But no one expected that Li, the former head constable of Qingyang County, would later fight his way through the chaos of the world and eventually ascend to the throne. Qingyang County became the place where the emperor rose to power and was upgraded to Qingyang Prefecture. The original Qingyang County town also became the prefectural city.

As the population grew and commerce flourished, the couple's daughter and son-in-law took over Xiangfulou and have been running it ever since.

Now, the daughter and son-in-law of that couple are over forty years old, and the woman who runs the shop at the door is now their son and daughter-in-law.

In other words, Xiangfulou is already being run by the third generation.

After Li Yun finished speaking, he looked at Prince Jin with curiosity. Prince Jin remained calm, poured a cup of wine for himself and his two brothers, and then smiled at Li Yun and Liu Bo, saying, "You just want to see me make a fool of myself. It's been so many years."

“This isn’t the first time I’ve come to Qingyang since the founding of the nation.”

He chuckled self-deprecatingly: "Could I possibly do anything outrageous?"

The Duke of England raised his glass, clinked it with his, and said with a smile, "I originally thought that among us brothers, only my second brother was a romantic, but I never expected that you were the one who was romantic. I'm afraid that people still don't know your name."

Emperor Li smiled and was about to speak when he suddenly sensed something and turned to look. He saw a woman in her early forties in the kitchen looking at his table.

When the woman saw Li Yun looking at her, she was startled at first. After hesitating for a moment, she gritted her teeth, walked to the table, and bowed to Li Yun, saying, "Is...is this Chief Li?"

Li Yun glanced at her, then at Li Zheng. Seeing Li Zheng's evasive gaze, he looked at the woman and asked, "You recognize me?"

"Ah."

The woman was a little nervous and lowered her head, saying, "More than twenty years ago, the captain wiped out all the bandits and outlaws in our Qingyang. He was very famous. At that time, the captain often came to my house for drinks, and that's how I came to remember him."

As she spoke, she glanced at Li Zheng and Liu Bo, and said, "These two gentlemen, I also remember them; they were serving under the head constable back then..."

At this point, she suddenly felt a little guilty and said, "This humble woman...this humble woman calls herself a captain, did I...did I say something wrong?"

Li Yun served as a constable in Qingyang for more than half a year and was once very famous. Moreover, he was strong and eye-catching, making him very easy to remember.

The young lady from Xiangfulou back then naturally remembered him.

Emperor Li's deeds had spread throughout the land, and the people of Qingyang County naturally knew what kind of person the former head constable Li had become, and this woman was no exception.

She naturally knew Li Yun's identity, but because Li Yun was out in plain clothes, she didn't dare to reveal his identity, which is why she asked that question.

"It's alright, you can just call him Captain."

The emperor asked with a smile, "Where is your husband?"

"The head of the household has gone out to buy groceries."

The woman lowered her head and said, "I'll be back in a little while."

Emperor Li grunted in agreement, gestured to the chair, and said with a smile, "We're old friends, let's sit down and talk."

Li Yun spoke, and the woman dared not disobey, so she carefully sat down opposite him.

Emperor Li personally rose, poured her a cup of tea, and then asked, "In recent years, life has been better than before, hasn't it?"

"It's so much better now."

The woman smiled and said, "My parents used to run this small tavern in Qingyang, barely making ends meet. Now that Qingyang has grown, we've taken over, and things are much better than before."

Li Yun said with a smile, "Are there still government officials who drink without paying these days?"

During the old Zhou Dynasty, the county yamen runners were extremely arrogant. They would eat and drink outside and rarely pay anyone.

When he first arrived in Qingyang, he would come to Xiangfulou for drinks, but the owner of the restaurant didn't dare to charge him. It wasn't until later that this custom in Qingyang gradually changed.

The woman quickly replied, "Things are much better now. Apart from a couple of rascals, there are very few people who cause trouble and refuse to pay."

As Li Yun was inquiring about people's livelihoods, the female shopkeeper swayed over. She looked at the woman, then at Li Yun and the others, and asked, "Grandma, do you know...?"

The woman was already nervous, and upon hearing this, she quickly stood up and stood next to her daughter-in-law, but stammered and dared not speak.

Seeing this, Emperor Li knew it was inappropriate to continue asking, so he smiled and said, "Only one son?"

The woman quickly replied, "I also have two daughters and a young son..."

"Well."

Li Yun thought for a moment, then turned to look at Li Zheng, who was standing silently to the side. He reached out and tugged at Li Zheng's waist, pulling off the jade pendant. He smiled and said, "It's rare to run into an old friend from over twenty years ago. I'll give you this gift. If you ever encounter any difficulties in the future, take this to the Prince of Jin's residence in Luoyang."

Emperor Li smiled mischievously: "Of course someone will help you."

The young female shopkeeper was still unaware of what was happening when the woman had already accepted the food with both hands, bowed her head and thanked her profusely, and then went down to personally prepare food for Li Yun and the others.

After they left, His Majesty the Emperor nudged Li Zheng with his elbow and said with a smile, "No, you took her daughter as a concubine."

Prince Jin curled his lip.

"I don't lack women."

Emperor Li shook his head: "Feelings are truly wondrous." He raised his cup to clink with Li Zheng's and said with a smile, "If she knew that Prince Jin had been thinking of her for over twenty years, she probably wouldn't be able to sleep at night, would she?"

Prince Jin shook his head slightly: "Second brother, don't talk nonsense."

"Don't let them break up their families."

The emperor chuckled: "Consider this trip a relief for you. Tomorrow, the three of us brothers, along with Zhou Bi, will go back to Cangshan Village together."

The three of them raised their glasses, tilted their heads back, and drank them down in one gulp.

…………

The next day, the group of four left Qingyang City in plain clothes.

The emperor's ceremonial procession was simply too cumbersome, keeping them from moving for days. Furthermore, the three were excited to be back in their hometown and couldn't wait any longer.

Of course, even when traveling in plain clothes, there are still many Imperial Guards and Nine Departments nearby, secretly protecting His Majesty and ensuring that nothing goes wrong with him.

As for the woman from yesterday...

Afterwards, Li Yun had someone inquire about her, but they couldn't find out her real name, only that she was called Wu Lanshi.

When she was a teenager, Wu Lanshi was indeed fresh and refined, with a beautiful appearance. However, more than 20 years later, Wu Lanshi had been worn down by the years and looked like a woman.

They were far inferior to the Princess Consort and her concubines of the Prince of Jin's mansion.

However, the entanglements of their youth, which have lasted for more than 20 years, have finally yielded some results.

Although it wasn't a perfect ending, I don't have any major regrets.

In fact, it was precisely because of the unrequited love he had during his youth that Li Zheng had been so attached to Wu Lanshi for so many years. If the two had married back then, their relationship might not be as good now.

It might even become a mere shell, a relationship that's practically nonexistent.

Just as Li Yun and his entourage were enjoying their leisure time back in their hometown, General Chen, who had just reorganized the Northwest army, finally led his troops back to Chang'an.

General Chen has now been granted the title of Duke of Han. After he has finished dealing with the situation in the Northwest, he will most likely no longer serve as General of Chang'an. At that time, the court will appoint a new General of Chang'an, and General Chen will return to Luoyang.

However, before that, Chen Da returned to Chang'an.

After he returned to Chang'an, he was first greeted by officials from Guanzhong Road. When he arrived outside Chang'an City, officials from Chang'an Prefecture also came out to welcome the new Duke of the Tang Dynasty.

This included Li Zheng, the King of Qin.

By this time, the King of Qin had been enfeoffed in Chang'an for two or three years, and he had gradually become accustomed to the life of a regional prince.

Although he doesn't have a particularly good temper, with his father keeping him in check, so far, this Prince Qin has been relatively honest and well-behaved, and hasn't made any mistakes.

After welcoming General Chen, the King of Qin invited him to the most famous restaurant in Chang'an for a meal.

After the banquet ended and the idlers left, only the King of Qin, General Chen, and some guards remained. The King of Qin personally stood up and poured wine for General Chen: "General, you have made outstanding contributions in traversing the Western Regions. I, your nephew, respectfully offer my respects to you."

General Chen quickly raised his cup, and the two drank it down in one gulp.

Just as the two finished their drinks and the King of Qin was about to speak, a guard from behind General Chen stepped forward, poured a cup of wine, and then, holding the cup, walked up to the King of Qin, bowed her head, and said, "I would also like to offer a toast to Your Highness."

The King of Qin frowned, turned to look at General Chen, and saw that General Chen's expression was normal. Only then did he become suspicious and carefully examined the guard.

He looked the guard up and down, and finally even squatted down to examine his face before exclaiming in surprise, "Fourth Brother!"

The fourth prince coughed, then said with a smile, "It's been a long time, second brother."

The King of Qin gave the Fourth Prince a tight hug, the force of which made the Prince of Su roll his eyes.

"It's been years since I last saw you, I almost didn't recognize you!"

His Highness the King of Qin was very excited. He tugged at the sleeve of the Prince of Su and said with a smile, "Why are you dressed like this?"

Prince Su smiled and said, "I'll train under Uncle Chen for a while and learn some skills."

Li Zheng then realized what was happening and said with envy, "That's right, you'll be guarding the Northwest from now on."

He patted Li Tong on the shoulder and said, "Come stay at my house later and see your nephews and nieces."

Li Tong responded and was about to speak when there was a knock on the door.

Then, a calm voice said, "Your Highness, the King of Qin."

"An urgent message has arrived from Qingyang Prefecture."

The voice paused for a moment, then continued.

"His Majesty's decree."

(End of this chapter)