Super System in the Early Tang Dynasty

Upon hearing the old man's detailed explanation, the eunuch was almost convinced! He didn't believe that a small merchant family would dare to deceive him, especially since this item was for his master!

Upon hearing that this matter was related to the Wang family of Luoyang, and that the monk was a distinguished guest of the Wang family, the eunuch's heart sank. Although he still had some influence in the palace, he had no confidence whatsoever when facing those powerful and influential families, let alone that monk of unknown origin! Since that was the case, the eunuch stopped asking questions, but tightened his grip on the teacup, only occasionally taking a few careful sips.

However, the eunuch was greatly surprised that this son of a mere merchant could have connections with such a prominent family as the Wang family of Luoyang! No wonder his superiors had instructed him to treat him with care and not to be disrespectful!

At this moment, Li Xingzhi had already walked in.

"Are you the young man from the Li family?" the eunuch asked, looking at the boy who had landed silently and appeared suddenly.

The young man was dressed in a blue robe, his wooden clogs landing silently. He seemed ordinary, with a restrained air, but upon closer inspection, one could detect a unique and extraordinary quality; the more one looked at him, the more one felt a sense of closeness to him!

The eunuchs in the palace had long since honed their eyesight to an extremely high level. Upon seeing this, they immediately stood up, their expressions shifting, and all traces of their former imposing manner vanished!

Li Xingzhi listened to the eunuch's question but did not answer. Instead, he smiled and said, "You're the one who sent me yesterday to get the honey, aren't you?!"

The eunuch was taken aback, then immediately realized something, his lips twitched, and he quickly nodded, saying, "Yes, it was the one my master told me to come and get!"

"The things are right here!" Li Xingzhi flipped his hand out of his sleeve and took out a wooden box. With a gentle touch, "snap!" the lid popped open, revealing two flawless, milky-white Guanyin bottles that were as clear as jade.

The eunuch's heart skipped a beat when he heard the box lid open; upon seeing the contents, he was even more astonished! As the head of the Imperial Household Department, what hadn't he seen? He knew immediately that the two bottles were porcelain, not jade. Jade, though precious, was something he saw every day and wasn't particularly surprised by; but such exquisite and beautiful porcelain was something he had never heard of or seen before, even with his vast collection of rare treasures!

"This, this porcelain bottle..."

"This porcelain bottle is just for storing honey, nothing special! It would be best if it were stored in a jade bottle! It's a pity that our family is declining and we can't find any good jade anymore!" Li Xingzhi sighed, as if his Li family had really fallen into ruin. As for using a porcelain bottle, it was entirely due to his stinginess.

Unfortunately, he didn't know that, in other people's eyes, this pair of Guanyin porcelain vases were also rare treasures! Otherwise, he might have just hollowed out a rock and used it!

Upon hearing Li Xingzhi's complaints, the eunuch's heart stirred, as if he had realized something. His expression remained unchanged as he carefully took the wooden box. He touched the milky-white, evenly polished porcelain bottle; it was cool to the touch and exceptionally lustrous—truly a top-quality porcelain.

However, the main subject this time is not porcelain.

He placed the wooden box on the table and took out a porcelain bottle from it. The bottle was filled with honey and had a stopper. The eunuch carefully stood the bottle upright, pulled off the stopper, and at that moment, a sweet aroma filled the air! With a slight tilt, a thin golden thread flowed into a small bowl on the table, making the bowl appear crystal clear!

The eunuch picked up the bowl, stuck out his tongue to taste it, and a refreshing, sweet fragrance, without the slightest hint of cloying sweetness, rushed from the tip of his tongue into his brain! He trembled all over, completely absorbed in it, and lost all sense of where he was!

After a long while, he came to his senses, his fair face flushed with pink, giving him a bewitching look!

After carefully tasting both bottles of honey, the eunuch tapped his finger, plugged the bottles, took out a short, thick candle from his robes, carefully sealed the mouths of the bottles, put them back in their place, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

The eunuch watched the Li family members sipping tea, observing his actions without any embarrassment. He simply explained, "In palace affairs, especially those involving the master's possessions, I have no choice but to be careful! Otherwise, not only would I be in trouble, but you would all be in considerable trouble too!"

The palace servant left, but he didn't forget to take the small packet of tea with him. He also left behind a pair of round, bulging glass bottles, which were said to have been a gift from his master.

The glass bottle was entirely emerald green, with thin walls, and looked quite exquisite! However, in Li Xingzhi's opinion, any glass bottle picked up from a garbage dump in later generations would be far better than this!

Looking at the item he had traded for a bag of spirit tea and two bottles of Jade Peak Honey, Li Xingzhi felt helpless! Ignoring the old man's objections, he simply tossed the bottle to the steward, leaving him to deal with it as he pleased.

For several more days, the Li residence remained quiet and still, without any disturbance. This stillness was stirring with anticipation.

Li Xingzhi, accompanied by two servants, quietly left the Li residence.

As Li Xingzhi walked along, he suddenly heard cheers and shouts, a lively scene indeed! Looking in the direction of the sound, he saw a tall building with upturned eaves and a clear lacquer finish, exuding a unique and elegant charm. Several servants stood at the entrance to greet guests. The lively atmosphere inside contrasted sharply with the refined elegance outside, creating a distinctive ambiance that constantly beckoned people to go inside.

A servant saw Li Xingzhi standing not far from the door and hurriedly came forward, "Young master, judging from your appearance, is this your first time here?!"

Li Xingzhi nodded. "What's going on here? Why is it so lively?"

Upon hearing Li Xingzhi's question, a strange glint flashed in the servant's eyes, but his smile widened. He led Li Xingzhi inside, respectfully saying, "Whatever you wish to do, sir, we can do it all!" He paused, then continued with a smile, "Today a Hu woman has arrived; she'll be dancing inside..."

Listening to the servant's explanation, Li Xingzhi understood a bit. After all, it was just a brothel!

A Hu woman? I've got nothing else to do, let's go take a look!

Upon entering, the scene suddenly opened up, with a high wooden platform beneath which countless figures stood or sat. The thunderous drumbeats from the platform made hearts race and surge with each beat, sending shivers down the spine and making blood boil!

Suddenly, a pair of jade-like feet stepped out from behind the curtain. With the beat of the drum, a slender young woman with a high nose, deep-set eyes, and exposed navel was revealed. Her long sleeves fluttered, her heart responding to the strings, her hands to the drum. As the strings and drums moved, her sleeves billowed and danced, her jade-like forks stomping on the wooden platform with a resounding thud! Combined with the drumming and stringing, it added an unusual musicality! Suddenly, her feet kicked rapidly in rhythm, her hands clasped on her hips like a full moon, and she spun and soared like a top, her sleeves billowing, like a fiery wheel, tireless!

At this moment, the people below could no longer bear the silence. While watching the Hu woman's whirling dance, they also began to imitate her! Some wobbled as if they were new to it; others spun like the wind, coming and going freely, weaving through the crowd, feeling quite pleased with themselves!

Before long, the woman from Hu left, the drumming and stringing stopped briefly, but the group of men below the stage continued dancing back and forth! Li Xingzhi, sitting to the side, felt that the hall was too noisy and was about to get up and leave when the servant ran over again.

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That's two chapters! Today my brother-in-law dragged me along to visit my godmother for the New Year. I'm free tomorrow, so I'll try to write early!

I won't say much else, but I know I know too little, and I'm working on improving!

Finally, thank you to Qiang, mingfei, k33102219, and Milu for their generous donations!