Tang Dynasty Hidden Guards

Xue Wei reacted extremely quickly, turning his head to dodge the vicious punch, and then grabbed the attacker's wrist, throwing him over his shoulder. Amidst gasps of surprise, the attacker was thrown heavily into the pool.

"Splash!" Water splashed everywhere, and people on both sides quickly dodged out. Several men who looked like henchmen rushed out and hurriedly pulled the attacker out of the water.

A slender young woman helped the soaking wet attacker up, asking in alarm, "Sanlang, how are you?"

Xue Wei then saw the attacker's appearance clearly. He was about eighteen or nineteen years old, wearing a white robe and a gauze hat. He was about 1.75 meters tall, with a square face, thick eyebrows and big eyes. He had a heroic appearance and an extraordinary demeanor, but at this moment he was covered in water and looked very disheveled.

The young man glared fiercely at Xue Wei, seemingly about to charge again, when Yuan Min suddenly strode forward and blocked Xue Wei's path. She coldly said to the man, "Your Highness, Prince of Linzi, this is my music hall. Please have some self-respect!"

"The Prince of Linzi?" Xue Wei's mind went blank for a moment. He suddenly realized who this young man was: Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji.

The young man was indeed Li Longji, and the woman beside him was his wife, Lady Wang.

Li Longji glanced at Yuan Min and nodded. "I heard you lost your memory. I didn't expect you to even know Turkic tricks. Alright! For Miss Yuan's sake, I won't hold it against you today. Let's go!"

He left in haste with several attendants and his wife, Wang.

Yuan Min pulled Xue Wei aside and whispered, "There are too many people here, let's go somewhere else!"

She pulled Xue Wei along and hurriedly walked into the music hall.

Neither Xue Wei nor Yuan Min noticed that there was a pair of greedy eyes in the crowd, staring intently at Yuan Min's face and figure. Those eyes were like hooks, as if they wanted to strip Yuan Min's clothes off. Their throats were churning violently, and saliva was dripping from the corners of their mouths.

But Wu Chongxun noticed those greedy eyes and recognized their owner. He looked back at Yuan Min's graceful back and a brilliant plan flashed into his mind. Wu Chongxun smiled meaningfully.

........

Xue Wei and Yuan Min sat down in a medium-sized private room. Yuan Min gave the manager a few instructions, and soon three female dancers and musicians entered. The sound of a pipa began, and the three female dancers began to dance gracefully.

Yuan Min then whispered to Xue Wei, "That man was your cousin, Li Longji."

"I know, you just called him the King of Linzi."

Xue Wei suddenly remembered what Xue Chongjian had told him and asked, "Does he fight me every time we meet?"

"That's true, but I think he was faking it today, putting on a show for Wu Chongxun."

Xue Wei nodded, agreeing. Li Longji was the future emperor of the Tang Dynasty, and he should have at least some basic manners. He couldn't possibly act rashly in front of so many people.

Yuan Min chuckled softly, "The young woman next to him is his wife, Wang Yun. She was betrothed to you when you were young, but unfortunately you weren't so lucky. Li Longji married her when he was only nine."

"Nine years old?" Xue Wei's eyes widened.

Yuan Min nodded. "At that time, he and his father were both under house arrest in the Eastern Palace. Perhaps he needed someone to take care of him! So the emperor betrothed him to Wang Yun, who was eleven years old at the time, thus breaking up someone's good marriage."

Xue Wei chuckled, speechless. "If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known who she was at all."

"Now that you know, how do you feel? Do you feel a sense of loss?"

Xue Wei pinched Yuan Min's smiling face. "I only feel regret that I actually fought with my cousin for a woman I had absolutely no feelings for."

"You didn't always think this way; you were always the one who made the first move."

Xue Wei hugged her and kissed her forehead. "The past is the past, the present is the present!"

Yuan Min pressed her face against his chest and whispered, "That's right, another knot in your heart has been untied."

Just then, Li Qingling's angry shout suddenly rang out from outside, "I told you, this place has been reserved, you are not allowed to trespass!"

"Get out of my way, you filthy woman! Go and find out who Zhu Kuan of Jingzhao is! You little brat, are you tired of living?"

Yuan Min's face darkened, and she stood up, but Xue Wei grabbed her arm, saying, "Let me do it!"

"No need, I'm the owner, I'll handle it. You protect me!"

Xue Wei nodded and followed behind Yuan Min. Outside was a young man of about twenty years old, short and stocky, with a pale face and a pair of goldfish eyes that were swollen with excessive drinking. When he saw Yuan Min come out, his eyes lit up instantly, and he made no attempt to hide his greed.

"Young lady, this is the woman I've been looking for. I'll give you one hundred taels of silver, no! Five hundred taels, to spend the night with me."

Xue Wei was furious. This man wasn't there to fight for the private room; he was there for Yuan Min.

He stepped in front of Yuan Min, shielding her behind him. His imposing figure towered over her, and he coldly stared at the lecherous man, uttering a single word, "Get lost!"

The young man, overwhelmed by Xue Wei's imposing presence, took a few steps back. Suddenly enraged, he shouted at his men, "Beat him! Beat this bastard to death! I'll take full responsibility for the consequences!"

Just as his dozen or so men were about to rush over, Yu Xiangzi suddenly chuckled and shot out a golden needle from her hand. The three warriors at the front suddenly covered their faces and squatted down, screaming in agony.

The dozen or so people behind them were too scared to move. Zuo Qingling and Zuo Baiyun drew their swords and stood in front of them, while Zhong Luming held a bronze shield to protect Yuan Min and carried a bronze hammer in his other hand.

The young man's face turned pale, then flushed. He glared at Yuan Min fiercely, then waved his hand. "Let's go!"

He left with a large group of warriors.

The manager of the music hall quickly stepped forward and whispered something to Yuan Min.

A crowd of onlookers gathered around. Suddenly, Xue Wei spotted Wu Chongxun and Li Guo'er in the crowd. Wu Chongxun had a half-smile on his face, with a hint of smugness in his eyes, while Li Guo'er stared at Xue Wei with eyes full of hatred.

Yuan Min reached out and pulled Xue Wei into the private room, while the manager and waiters outside persuaded the onlookers to leave.

"Old Xue, what a coincidence!" Yuan Min suddenly said.

"What's so special about it?"

Yuan Min shook her head. "That lecher is Zhu Ling's youngest son, Zhu Kuan. He's a notorious lecherous bully in Chang'an. Relying on his father's wealth and power, he runs rampant in Chang'an, ruining the reputations of countless innocent women. It's said that even the Plum Blossom Guards don't dare to do anything about him."

Xue Wei sneered. It wasn't that the Plum Blossom Guards dared not interfere, but Yu Jianxiu forbade them to. He was keeping an eye on Zhu Ling and didn't want Zhu Kuan to ruin his grand plan, which gave Zhu Kuan the wrong impression.

Xue Wei recalled Wu Chongxun's ambiguous smile and said coldly, "He was instigated by Wu Chongxun. His target is you, but Wu Chongxun's target is me."

"Let's go back!" Yuan Min suddenly felt agitated.

Xue Wei nodded. Wu Chongxun and Li Guo'er had ruined his mood, and he didn't want to stay here any longer.

After leaving the Tianlai Music Hall, Xue Wei whispered to Li Qingling, "Keep an eye out for anyone following us, but don't alert them."

Li Qingling nodded and slipped into the night.

The carriage left through the back gate of Pingkang Ward, and across the street was the main gate of Xuanyang Ward. The two wards were separated by a street, with their gates facing each other.

The carriage stopped in front of the mansion gate. Li Qingling whispered, "There are indeed people following us, and more than one."

Yuan Min frowned. "Why did you let them follow you?"

"Wu Chongxun will also tell the other party our address. Rather than trying to prevent it all at once, it's better to deal with it once and for all."

Yuan Min understood. "They'll be coming tonight?"

Xue Wei nodded, "I'll definitely come!"