Tang Dynasty: A Guide to Avoiding Pitfalls for Li Er at the Start

Chapter 291 Zheng's money is probably enough to fight the Turks next year.
"Committing a crime right under my nose?"

The smile on Wen He's face vanished instantly, replaced by a chilling aura in her eyes.

He walked quickly toward the sound of crying.

Upon seeing this, the two centurions behind him immediately drew their swords and followed, their boots making rapid thuds on the bluestone slabs.

After bypassing the artificial hill piled with Taihu stones, the sight before them made the hundred knights' eyes widen in anger.

A girl of about twelve or thirteen years old was being held by the arms of two men dressed as servants. She was wearing a worn-out ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and the collar of her dress was pulled askew, revealing her slender neck.

She was crying her heart out, her shoulders trembling violently, tears smearing her thin makeup, making her look exceptionally pitiful.

In front of her, another servant with a face full of scars was rubbing his hands together, a nauseating lewd smile on his lips: "Little lady, why are you crying?"

"Anyway, you officials' wives will be sent to the brothel sooner or later. Rather than being ridden and oppressed by thousands of men there, it's better to let us have a good time now. At least the brothers will treat you a little better."

"that is!"

A tall, thin servant chimed in, his eyes darting around the girl.

"Once you get to the brothel, won't you still have to smile at those high-ranking officials? What are you doing pretending to be a chaste and virtuous woman here? Who are you trying to fool?"

"No...please let me go..."

The girl shook her head desperately, her hair bun came undone, and a few strands of black hair clung to her tear-stained cheeks. Her wrists were as thin as reeds, and she struggled futilely under the restraint of the servants.

"I am a concubine's daughter of the Zheng family of Xingyang. If you dare to touch me, my uncle will not let you get away with it!"

"A concubine's daughter of the Zheng family of Xingyang?"

The burly servant sneered and reached out to pinch the girl's chin.

"We dare not touch the legitimate daughter, but you, a mere illegitimate daughter, are you sure Zheng will not take you seriously?"

"Besides, you were the one begging us for food before. Now we're just asking for some reward back. Don't run away, young lady..."

His words were vulgar, but if you looked closely, you would see that his dirty hand stopped just inches away from the girl's cheek, his fingertips hovering there, not daring to actually touch her.

The two servants supporting the girl appeared to have their arms taut and were using all their strength, but their fingertips were only loosely gripping the girl's sleeves, not even managing to wrinkle the fabric.

"Young master, these bastards are asking for it!"

The hundred knights behind him could not contain their anger and were about to draw their swords and step forward.

"No hurries."

Wen He suddenly chuckled softly, her voice low but carrying a chilling edge.

"Such a wonderful show, wouldn't it be a shame to interrupt it?"

The mockery in his eyes was almost overflowing.

As someone from a noble family, even when he fell on hard times, he did not completely despair, but instead sought other ways out.

The girl just had to be attacked at this time and in this place, and those servants were so stupid that they didn't even gag her. They knew that there were hundreds of riders around, yet they let the girl shout so loudly.

Isn't this just telling others, "Come quick, someone has died here"?

Come quick, hero, save the damsel in distress!

The girl looked no more than twelve or thirteen years old; she was clearly after him.

If the target was Su Dingfang and Zhang Wenxiao, the girls arranged would definitely be those eighteen or nineteen-year-old women.

'You're not being honest.'

Wen He sneered inwardly.

'Even after their home was ransacked, they still dared to have their trusted confidants put on this show to test me. It seems I was too lenient before.'

He cleared his throat and deliberately raised his voice to make sure everyone around the artificial hill could hear him: "Go, pass down the order to bring all the women in the mansion to the main hall, count and register them one by one, and tell that Madam Lu that if she dares to teach her servants to play these lowly tricks again, she can't blame me for being ruthless!"

"Yes!"

Although the hundred knights were puzzled, they immediately accepted the order and turned to relay it.

Upon hearing this, the four people who were "acting" nearby froze in place as if they had been frozen in place.

We've been found out?

The lewd smiles on the three servants' faces hadn't even faded before they were replaced by terror, their mouths agape enough to fit an egg.

The crying girl's tears stopped instantly, and her trembling shoulders stiffened. She quickly exchanged a glance with the three servants, her eyes filled with panic.

Before the three servants could react, the girl suddenly broke free from their restraints.

That force was so great, it hardly resembled that of a delicate young lady.
Lifting her skirt and ignoring her disheveled hair, she staggered towards Wen He. When she was three feet in front of him, she knelt down with a thud, her knees hitting the bluestone slab with a dull sound.

"Please, young master, save me!"

She looked up, her face streaked with tears, but the fear in her eyes was gone, replaced by a stubborn determination to go all in.

He slowly squatted down, meeting the girl's gaze, his voice as soft as a breeze: "Oh? You want me to make the decision? What were you trying to do with me by putting on this show just now?"

"Do you want me to take pity on you and spare your life, or do you want to come to my side as a slave and then take the opportunity to assassinate me?"

Although Wen He was smiling, her words clearly carried a hint of coldness.
He had to admit that the girl was indeed outstanding. Even though she was a concubine's daughter, a woman from a noble family, her eyes and brows exuded a gentle and refined charm.

However, she was too young, only twelve or thirteen years old, looking like a flower bud that had not yet bloomed.

If it were a beautiful young woman of eighteen or nineteen years old performing this play, he might actually take a second look, but looking at Zhang's still immature face, he only felt it was absurd.

"No no no!"

The girl shook her head frantically, tears streaming down her face like broken pearls, soaking her clothes.

"Young master, please understand! This is all because my stepmother forced me to do this. If I don't comply, they... they will kill my brother! Please, young master, have mercy and save me!"

She lay on the ground, her shoulders trembling like leaves in the autumn wind. Her pitiful appearance even moved the hundred knights beside her.

Wen He merely sneered: "Even after their home has been ransacked, they still resort to these underhanded tricks. They truly can't shake off the filth in their bones."

He was thinking.

Normally, the Zheng family of Xingyang would never stand idly by and watch their women end up in the brothel. Aristocratic families valued their reputation above all else; if a woman from their clan were to be humiliated by someone from the brothel, it would make the entire family a laughingstock.

Zheng Yunzhu and his group will find a way to redeem the person sooner or later, so why is this girl in such a hurry to put on this show?

"So what does she want?" Wen He raised an eyebrow at the girl, her tone undisguisedly sarcastic.

The girl choked up as she looked up, tears blurring her vision: "My stepmother...my stepmother wants me to marry this young man in exchange for some money. Those are the dowry she brought, which have not been registered and are now hidden in my mother's courtyard."

That makes some sense.

With the complete downfall of Zheng Yuanzhu's lineage, even if they were to leave the Jiaofangsi in the future, the Zheng family of Xingyang might not care about their lives. Naturally, Lu would have to plan for her own future and that of her children.

The dowries of the gentry were always generous, including land, shops, gold and silver jewelry; any of these could be enough for an ordinary family to live on for a lifetime.

According to the Tang Code, although a woman's dowry had independent rights, it was not included when her property was confiscated.

However, they were to be sent to the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment institution), which meant they would be enslaved and all their property would be confiscated.

Forget about dowries; if they're really ruthless, they might even strip off the clothes they're wearing.

"Just a little..."

Tears welled in the girl's eyes, and a tear slid down her cheek, splashing onto the bluestone slab and leaving a small wet patch. "My mother said that just a little is enough."

"What if you don't give it to me?"

Wen He pressed closer, his gaze piercing her like a knife.

The girl was stunned for a moment, a hint of panic flashing in her eyes, which was then overwhelmed by a deeper fear: "My mother said that if she can't persuade the young master, she will have someone kill my brother on the way, and she will never let anyone redeem me from the brothel... Please, young master, save us!"

"Even though I'm a good person, why should I do this?"

Wen He scoffed.

He dusted off his robes, turned to leave, too lazy to watch this clumsy melodrama any longer.

Suddenly, the girl pounced on him like a madwoman, her movements so fast that even the hundred riders behind Wen He couldn't react in time. Her slender fingers gripped his hem tightly with astonishing strength: "I can be your maid, just please save my brother. I'm willing to be your slave!"

She knelt on the ground, her forehead pressed against the cold bluestone slab, her voice trembling with sobs yet unusually stubborn: "Father and elder brother usually despise us, mother and daughter. What they did has nothing to do with us. My younger brother is only five years old. If he goes to exile with us, he will surely die on the way. I beg you, please have mercy!"

Before she could finish speaking, she kowtowed three times heavily, her forehead instantly turning red and bleeding.

Wen He gritted her teeth and cursed inwardly.

Is it really that hard to be a bad person these days?
What he hates most is this kind of moral blackmail, especially since the other party is just a teenager. If he actually gets physical, it would make him look like he has no class.

"What's your name?" Wen He finally stopped and turned to look at her, her eyes devoid of warmth.

Upon hearing this, a glimmer of light suddenly appeared in the girl's eyes, as if a drowning person had grabbed onto a piece of driftwood. She quickly choked out, "My name is... my name is Zheng Wu Niang."

"Have someone investigate."

Wen He coldly gave orders to the hundred riders behind her, then forcefully pulled back the hem of her robe, the fabric taut and making a slight tearing sound.

"Place her in a separate courtyard, assign someone to watch over her, and forbid her from contacting anyone else."

He added, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Thank you, young master! Thank you, young master!"

Zheng Wuniang thought her pleas had worked, and her face showed a look of wild joy at surviving a disaster. However, she did not see the unfathomable indifference in Wen He's eyes when he turned around.

"Go and search the Lu family's courtyard carefully again. Don't miss any corner, including the bed boards, floor tiles, and roof beams."

After leaving the garden, Wen He's voice was as cold as ice.

"Also, take those three servants to the torture chamber and interrogate them thoroughly to find out who this Zheng Wuniang really is."

"Yes, sir!" The hundred rider beside him replied in a deep voice, then turned and hurriedly left.

Wen He rubbed his temples, feeling that the Zheng family mansion was more exhausting than a battlefield. He ordered two more riders to escort him to the palace.

Not long after, Wen He appeared in the Lizheng Hall.

Inside the main hall, only Li Shimin and Gao Yue were present. Judging from their demeanor, they were clearly waiting for his arrival.

"You're back so soon? Could it be that Zheng Yuanzhu is penniless and his family is destitute?"

Upon seeing him, Li Shimin chuckled.

It's obvious that this is impossible.

Wen He knew he was saying that on purpose, so she chuckled and replied lazily.

"Your Majesty, the Zheng family's money is probably enough to fight the Turks next year."

Li Shimin, sitting on the imperial steps, was immediately stunned.

He stared at Wen He in disbelief and asked, "Say it again?"

"Your Majesty, although the matter has not yet been fully investigated, there are mountains of gold and copper piled up beneath the Zheng family's treasury. Your humble servant dares not make decisions on his own and requests Your Majesty to send people to investigate."

Why is Li Er pretending to be deaf?

As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of laughter suddenly came from the imperial steps.

"Great! Great! If the Zheng family alone has mountains of gold and copper in their mansion in Chang'an, I wonder how much wealth the entire Zheng family must have!"

A chill suddenly swept through the Lizheng Hall.

Gao Yue, standing beside Li Shimin, clearly saw the emperor's clenched fists and the sharp killing intent in his eyes.

He didn't know how much money he would need to attack the Turks.

But he knew that His Majesty had said that at least three years' worth of national treasury reserves would be needed.

That's a huge fortune.

Even he, a eunuch, couldn't help but be tempted.

(End of this chapter)