Tang Dynasty Hidden Guards

After practicing for more than an hour, everyone was going to have breakfast, which was between nine and ten o'clock. It was actually not breakfast, but lunch.

People in the Tang Dynasty had to get up before dawn. Those who were well-off would eat something to tide them over, and after four or five hours, when they got hungry, it was time for breakfast, which was actually lunch.

After the introduction of Champa rice in the Northern Song Dynasty, grain production increased significantly, and the two meals a day gradually evolved into three meals a day. Breakfast was started, and the time for breakfast was correspondingly pushed back by one or two hours, which was exactly 11 to 12 o'clock, and it was renamed lunch.

The restaurant is called Qingfeng Restaurant, one of the three major restaurants in Luoyang. It has more than twenty branches throughout the city. The main store is in Nanshi. The restaurant in Qinghuafang is one of its branches, but it is much larger and more luxuriously decorated. It is a top-class restaurant.

Everyone else rode horses to the restaurant, but Xue Wei rode a donkey.

Xue Chongjian initially wanted to find a horse for his elder brother, but Princess Taiping forbade her eldest son to ride a horse, only a donkey. Xue Chongjian dared not disobey his mother's wishes, so he bought a donkey and gave it to his elder brother.

Riding a donkey was nothing unusual; middle and lower-ranking officials all rode donkeys to court, which led to the story of the prime minister who drove a donkey. When the court session ended in the afternoon, a huge procession of donkeys would emerge from the palace, much like the massive crowds of people riding electric bikes and bicycles home from get off work in later generations.

However, everyone else is riding horses except Xue Wei, which makes him look rather ridiculous and easily be looked down upon.

Xue Wei didn't care. He wanted to keep a low profile anyway, and riding a donkey suited him perfectly.

"Brother, I'll get you a new horse in a few days." Xue Chongjian couldn't stand it anymore.

"No need, I'm perfectly comfortable riding this donkey."

After leaving the donkey at the gate, the two went upstairs. Xue Wei suddenly asked, "Is Li Linfu dissatisfied with me?"

Xue Chongjian nodded. "He used to have a close relationship with Li Longji, the Prince of Linzi. You and Li Sanlang are at odds. Today, that shot was actually him venting Li Sanlang's anger."

"Why did I fall out with Li Longji?"

Xue Wei was shocked to discover that he had actually offended Emperor Xuanzong of Tang.

"Brother, actually you've made enemies with a lot of people. You used to do things without giving people face or leaving any room for maneuver. For example, the Cheng family begged you to return your Zhijie sword so many times, but you refused and even spoke ill of them, which made the Cheng family hate you to the bone."

Xue Wei waved his hand, "Leaving aside others, let's talk about Li Longji. What's the deal between him and me?"

"It's because of a woman! The Xue family and the Wang family are both prominent families in Hedong, and they have been intermarrying for generations. You are the eldest son of the Xue family, so you should marry the eldest daughter of the Wang family. However, the eldest daughter of the Wang family that your grandfather chose for you was betrothed to Li Longji. After that, you targeted him in every way, and your relationship became more and more hostile. You would draw your swords whenever you met. I tried to mediate between you several times, but it was no use. I could only try to make you see each other less often. Fortunately, he now lives in Chang'an, so you rarely see each other."

Xue Wei remained silent for a long time. This old Xue from the Tang Dynasty really knew how to offend people, leaving him with a huge mess.

"You two have a good relationship?"

"We're the same age, grew up together, and are cousins, so we're close friends."

After a long silence, Xue Wei finally couldn't help but say, "Chongjian, how could you marry Wu Sansi's daughter? Don't you know how your father died?"

"I know!"

Xue Chongjian sighed, "My marriage was arranged by my maternal grandmother, and my mother also agreed. Moreover, I personally believe that the hatred of our parents should not be borne by their children. My husband and I treat each other with respect and love. Brother, please don't blame her."

"Is Wu Suisui's fiancé Pei Guangting?"

Xue Chongjian was taken aback. "Pei Guangting is the husband of the third sister, Wu Lian'er. Sui Sui is the fourth sister, and she is not yet engaged."

Xue Wei was also stunned. If she wasn't Pei Guangting's wife, then there would be no record of Wu Suisui in history!

Xue Wei suddenly thought of a possibility: Wu Suisui was dead, purged during the Shenlong Revolution, or even died of illness earlier, so there is no record of her in history.

Just then, a strong fragrance wafted over, and Li Guo'er rushed over, grabbed Xue Chongjian's wrist, and pulled him away.

"Erlang, I've been waiting for you for ages! Come with me, we're just missing you at the whole table!"

She didn't even glance at Xue Wei, and pulled Xue Chongjian away.

Xue Wei shook his head. Is this what his brother meant by a loving couple?

..........

The Tang Dynasty restaurant was very large. It had a corridor structure with a central courtyard. The rooms were arranged around the corridor, and each private room was spacious and luxuriously decorated. Dining was always accompanied by singing and dancing.

In the main hall, a Hu woman draped in a light veil danced the Hu Xuan dance with great enthusiasm and unrestrained passion. Her waist and thighs were completely exposed, which everyone was used to. While one Hu woman was dancing, another Hu woman nestled in the arms of a guest and urged him to drink. The atmosphere at the table was lively.

Xue Wei sat down in a corner and glanced around the room. It was called a private room, but it was actually three private rooms in a row that had been connected together. There were three tables of people drinking and eating, each having their own fun without disturbing the others.

Wu Suisui, however, slipped over to Xue Wei's side with her wine glass and sat down. "Brother Wei, this glass is for you, to celebrate your release from prison."

"Thank you!" Xue Wei raised his wine cup and gently touched it to hers, taking a small sip of the wine. The wine was quite good; it was actually red wine.

"Sui Sui, aren't you going to offer us a toast?" Several young Qianniu guards shouted.

Xue Wei gently nudged her. "Go on! Have fun."

Although this young lady seemed alright, Xue Wei felt uncomfortable thinking that she was Wu Sansi's daughter, and he didn't want to have anything to do with her.

Wu Suisui clearly didn't want to go, but she had no choice but to dawdle and go.

Li Guo'er suddenly snorted coldly, "It seems someone has changed his ways, actually pushing the woman beside him to someone else."

Xue Wei smiled, ignored her, picked up the wine pot and poured himself a cup of wine.

Li Guo'er lost face, her pretty face darkened, and she said coldly, "Young Master Xue, I'm the one who's treating today, but I didn't invite you. You're not qualified to drink this wine."

The table fell silent. More than a dozen pairs of eyes turned to Xue Wei, their gazes filled with embarrassment and pity. Xue Chongjian's face darkened, and he was about to speak when Xue Wei waved his hand to stop him.

"Simplicity is my business, I'll handle it myself, don't interfere!"

Xue Chongjian had no choice but to pick up his wine cup and drink it all in one gulp, remaining silent with a cold face.

Xue Wei smiled faintly, stood up and said, "I have something to attend to, so I'll take my leave first. Everyone, please continue, don't let me spoil the fun."

Everyone looked at each other, expecting Xue Wei to fly into a rage. Instead, he got up to leave, leaving everyone puzzled.

Is this still the same Three Masters who, in a fit of rage, would draw his sword and rise up?

Xue Wei glanced at Li Guo'er again and said calmly, "I will no longer drink your wine."

He turned to leave, when suddenly a cold voice came from the doorway, "Everyone can leave, but you don't have to!"

A graceful and stunningly beautiful young woman walked in from outside. She wore a fiery red, high-waisted dress with a pale yellow short-sleeved blouse, revealing her prominent breasts.

Unlike the Tang Dynasty women in the portraits who reveal large expanses of their breasts, she wore her blouse buttoned up, revealing only a glimpse of her fair, smooth skin. A date-sized emerald hung on her collarbone, its rich green so vibrant it seemed to melt into the eye.

She was very tall, at least 1.75 meters, yet her figure was well-proportioned, full-figured yet slender. Her appearance immediately attracted everyone's attention. The men stared at her, holding their wine glasses, and even Li Guo'er, who was quite beautiful, paled in comparison.

But Xue Wei's gaze fell on the three female warriors following behind her, especially the one in blue on the left.

Xue Wei recognized her at a glance. She was the female warrior in blue who had impersonated his mother's subordinate to monitor him the night before last. So she was sent by the woman in front of him. Why?

Xue Wei's gaze returned to the woman in front of him. This woman... Xue Wei had a sense of familiarity, as if he had seen her somewhere before? He immediately realized that she was the one who had saved him that night.

Xue Chongjian suddenly stood up, bowed, and said, "Sister-in-law!"

The word "sister-in-law" struck Xue Wei like a bolt from the blue. His eyes widened in shock. This woman was his... ex-wife?

Li Guo'er sneered, "Yuan Min, you really have deep feelings for him."

The woman smiled faintly. "He's my ex-husband. Isn't it normal for me to treat him well? But the princess's fiancé is downstairs. Instead of going to be with him, you're hanging around here. That's a bit inhumane!"

Li Guo'er snorted, "Who I drink with is none of your business!"

"Really? Looks like I've been meddling. Xue Wei, come with me, I'll buy you a drink."

Li Guo'er slammed her hand on the table and angrily said, "Yuan Min, are you deliberately targeting me!"

Yuan Min gave her a cold look. "So what if it is? You can leave if you're not satisfied!"

She turned and walked out. Xue Wei hesitated for a moment, but followed her.