Super System in the Early Tang Dynasty

In the side hall of the Chen State Duke's Mansion in Chang'an, a dignified middle-aged man sat at the head of the table. He had long, narrow eyebrows, an aquiline nose, and sharp eyes that pierced straight to the heart.

A man was lying prostrate in front of the middle-aged man. This man was slightly thin, like a monkey, with bloodshot eyes and a pale face. At this moment, even someone who knew this man very well would probably not recognize him as Hou Jubao.

"Hou Er, what brings you here?" The middle-aged man frowned as he looked at Hou Jubao's dejected appearance, sensing something was wrong. However, he still didn't believe that with him watching over things in Chang'an, nothing bad would happen if Hou Er hadn't foolishly offended those ruthless figures or powerful clans.

"I have failed my master's trust. Twenty years of hard work have vanished in a single day. I have come here today to beg for forgiveness! I will repay the great kindness of the Lord in my next life!" His words were as still as a dead well, as if he were talking about someone else's affairs. Only those present could hear the despair in his heart.

The hearts of middle-aged people are like a dark sea churning with waves, and that ominous suspicion has been confirmed.

The hall was silent, the atmosphere so oppressive it was hard to breathe. The middle-aged man exuded authority, his face ashen, veins bulging on his hands, which trembled slightly. After a long silence, he slowly let out a breath before asking, "Who is it?"

"I don't know. However, it is probably related to the Li family, a wealthy merchant family in Chang'an."

"The Li family? Merchants? Hmph! How could a lowly merchant family have such abilities!" The middle-aged man's emotions, which had just calmed down, surged again. His hawk-like eyes were like arrows, piercing through people's hearts!

"I wonder which family it is this time. Tell me what it's about."

Upon hearing this, Hou Er recounted all that had happened recently.

The middle-aged man listened intently, his face growing increasingly grim.

"Hmm. Such a grand gesture overnight, could it really be those powerful families? No, this is the Forbidden City of Chang'an, how could they be allowed to act so arrogantly!? Could it be..." Thinking of the suspicions in his mind, the already turbulent sea of ​​his heart was stirred up again. His hands and feet trembled, his face turned slightly pale, and it took a long time for him to calm down. His eyes flickered, and a sharp light kept flashing within them. The veins on his thick arms bulged like strange snakes.

"First Hou Da had his accident, and now Hou Er's empire is completely destroyed. Haha, I thought there was no such coincidence in the world, and these people have such power!" The middle-aged man's eyes were bloodshot, his gaze seemingly piercing through space, staring straight at the huge palace in the center of Chang'an, perched due north. "The Li family, what a Li family!" It was unclear whether he was referring to the wealthy merchant Li family or...

Hou Er lay prostrate on the ground, listening to the middle-aged man's words. His previously lifeless heart was shaken by this earth-shattering news. "So it is... his defeat was not unjust."

Li Xingzhi never imagined that his actions would cause such a 'wonderful' misunderstanding, leading to a rift between the emperor and his ministers. And the fate of that middle-aged man was now sealed.

As a result, the Li family officially came into the view of various forces in Chang'an and gained their recognition. Everyone was wondering which force the Li family belonged to.

Li Xingzhi originally only intended to make an example of someone, but the result was far better than he had imagined. Perhaps the "chicken" he killed wasn't too big.

The Li family's troubles are temporarily over, but Li Xingzhi's troubles have just begun.

Ever since learning of Li Xingzhi's "talent," Prince Li Tai of Yue would visit Li's residence frequently, sometimes even comparing him to "Jiang Shang of the King" or "Xiao He of Emperor Gaozu of Han," which made Li Xingzhi feel ashamed. He showed no restraint despite the low social status of merchants at the time, which annoyed Li Xingzhi greatly.

Li Xingzhi sometimes sighed: "Even Liu Bei's three visits to Zhuge Liang's thatched cottage couldn't have achieved this much." Because of this, his vanity swelled slightly.

Little did they know that the Censorate officials, who were fond of empty talk, were fanning the flames.

At this time, the censors did not have the real power they had in the Song Dynasty, nor could they verbally scare away the emperor. They could only report matters based on hearsay. In reality, they were just a group of gossipy fellows ordered by imperial decree. They would spread gossip for everyone's amusement, whether there was anything to discuss or not. They had nothing to do with important matters, whether it was remonstrance or acceptance of advice. Otherwise, how would Wei Zheng, this "mirror," have become so famous?

The Censorate officials dared not bring up Li Tai, who had been spoiled and allowed to run rampant by Li Er, but it was no problem for a small merchant family.

"Oh? Qingque'er goes to the wealthy Li family in Chang'an every day? Is it the Li family from the recently infamous 'Lan Kwai Fong'?"

The young imperial censor who stepped forward was surprised to hear that the emperor knew about the Li family. He secretly thought something was wrong, but said aloud, "Your Majesty is wise!"

"So it's the Li family. There's an interesting little fellow there," Li Er muttered to himself. As he spoke, for some reason, he suddenly remembered the fruit that Xiao Gaoyang and Xiao Lizhi had brought over the past two days, and his mouth watered, causing him to swallow several times. He looked at the young censor standing in the middle, unsure what to do, and his brow furrowed. "You may leave now," he said. The young man immediately disappeared into the crowd, afraid of attracting attention again, inwardly lamenting: How can a mere merchant have such connections?

The group of ministers below the hall listened to Li Er's words, their eyes flashing with a hint of shrewdness, and they became somewhat curious about the Li family, or even the young man from the Li family whom they had never met.

A burly man with a long beard and head held high below the hall suddenly recalled the dense, dark, buzzing swarm of wild bees that had filled the sky that day, sending chills down his spine. Meanwhile, a middle-aged man with a hooked nose and hawk-like eyes beside him flashed a subtle, sharp glint in his eyes, which vanished in an instant.

After this incident, Li Tai visited the Li family less often. However, several other major troubles continued to arise—every three to five days, Gao Yang would inevitably drag Xiao Li Zhi and Li Xueyan to the Li family to beg for money.

Li Zhi was alright; once you got to know him, aside from his slightly annoying curiosity, he was a cute little boy. As for Li Xueyan, she was the green-clad girl you met that day. She seemed to dislike talking, and your relationship remained distant. However, the curiosity in her eyes when she looked at Li Xingzhi betrayed her.

The most troublesome one was Princess Gaoyang. Despite being quite young, she would constantly flirt with Li Xingzhi, using her sweet, coquettish manner to annoy him. Later generations said the Tang Dynasty was open-minded, and Li Xingzhi, after arriving in the Tang Dynasty, hadn't found it particularly remarkable. However, after meeting Princess Gaoyang, he truly understood.

Fortunately, there was Li Linzhi who could keep Gao Yang in check—Gao Yang thought his noble status was completely useless in front of her. That whipping that day had left a deep shadow on him! However, sometimes when the two of them really got into a fight, they could turn the Li family mansion upside down.

Thinking about the Li family mansion, which had been in turmoil for the past few days, certain thoughts began to surge within Li Xingzhi's mind.