Super System in the Early Tang Dynasty

Li Xingzhi glanced at the eagle and asked, "How much for this eagle?"

The old man remained seated, his face expressionless, but he held up five fingers.

Those around him gasped, thinking the old man was greedy, but he remained seated, unmoved.

During the Tang Dynasty, gold and silver were generally collected by the powerful and wealthy or used for ornaments, and rarely circulated in the market. People generally bought things with silk and copper coins, and more people used silk than copper coins.

The government stipulated that a bolt of silk should be four zhang long and one chi eight zhang wide, and thirty bolts of silk could be exchanged for a horse or half a string of copper coins.

The old man held up five fingers, clearly referring to five bolts of silk. It's no wonder some people said he was greedy for a sick bird that nobody wanted.

Li Xingzhi nodded to the servant beside him, who then handed over five bolts of fine silk, along with a bamboo cage, and took the large bird into his hands.

Those around him, seeing this, cursed the spendthrift in their hearts, and it gave them more fodder for gossip.

At this moment, the old man handed back a bolt of silk that Li Xingzhi had given away. Li Xingzhi was somewhat puzzled, but a more knowledgeable servant explained it to him.

It turned out that the silk from his family was of such high quality that the old man thought four bolts would be enough.

Li Xingzhi walked back, but before he had gone far, he was blocked by a large, bustling crowd.

"Heh~ What a lively day!" Li Xingzhi muttered to himself.

Seeing that the crowd was growing larger, he quickly told the servants carrying the things to move aside, while he plunged into the crowd to take a look.

Before Li Xingzhi could even see what was in the middle, he heard the person next to him talking.

"Old Fish Head is about to have a stroke of good luck! He caught two big red carp in one day, and their tails are almost golden. Could they be about to become spirits?"

A man standing nearby, filled with envy and resentment, said, "What luck! He's committing a sin. How can you catch such an auspicious creature? And he dares to sell it, isn't he afraid..." He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone around him knew what he was about to say.

"Don't talk nonsense! It's said that the current emperor doesn't like people talking about 'auspicious omens'!" This was a gossipmonger showing off the gossip he had heard.

Li Xingzhi listened and understood what was going on. It turned out they had caught a red carp, which was rather uninteresting. In later generations, there were all sorts of carp, and red carp appeared in droves in parks, so there was really no interest in them.

Just as I was about to turn and leave, I suddenly remembered something, so I turned around and disappeared into the crowd.

At that moment, something happened, and the crowd scattered in all directions. Then, a hoarse voice shouted, "Our young master wants these two fish!"

Li Xingzhi looked in the direction of the sound, and lo and behold! He ran into an acquaintance.

It turns out to be that ugly young master and his gang of lackeys. They had only been well for a few days, and they were out strolling around again.

When Old Fish Head saw Ugly Young Master, his smile was forced. He didn't expect to make any money from what this young master had his eye on; he would be content with just a little reward for his trouble.

He looked at the half string of coins handed to him by a servant beside him and hurriedly said, "Since it is for you, young master, how dare I accept any money!" Although the amount of money was small, he still dared not accept it. If this troublemaker became unhappy, his good days would be over!

The servant next to him ignored him, impatiently stuffing the money in his hand into the old man's hand, and then went to get the fish.

Old Fish Head wondered why this old man was being so kind today. Was he in a good mood? Nevertheless, he was still hesitant to accept the money, though he kept saying nice things and handing it over.

The ugly young master in front was watching the two swimming fire carp. The two carp in the basin were about a foot long, with golden tails and red bodies. Their bodies were as beautiful as the curves of a woman after she took off her clothes. The two long red whiskers on their heads added to their mystery and nobility. The fire carp swayed their tails gently in the water, quite at ease.

He really liked it, but he was also thinking of taking the fish back to his father so that he wouldn't have to deal with his father's constant nagging and disrespect. He was so afraid to even breathe loudly at home that he didn't dare to breathe properly. So, despite still being under house arrest, he sneaked out through the side gate.

The ugly young master frowned as he looked at the old man in front of him, who was making excuses and reeking of fish. His already ugly face turned even more so, like a bitter durian, enough to frighten a child to tears. He was a little impatient and waved his hand, telling the old fish head to hurry up and leave. If it weren't for his father's daily scolding, he would never have paid the money. Even now, it was just for show.

"I'll take this fish. How about three bolts of the finest silk?"

At this moment, Old Fish Head heard a rather clear voice speaking from the side.

He turned around and saw a handsome young man with fair skin and red lips, wearing a square scarf and a blue long robe walking towards him.

Old Fish Head naturally knew who Ugly Young Master was, and knowing things were going badly, and fearing for the young man's safety, he hurriedly said, "This fish already has an owner, you'd better leave quickly."

“The fish is still right here!” Li Xingzhi said.

He looked at the two fish in the middle and really liked them. They were not at all like the bloated ones he had seen in parks in later years. With a flick of their tails, they moved forward with ease and agility. In addition, their long whiskers made them very charming. It was rare to see a fish with a golden tail and a red body.

When the old man saw Li Xingzhi approaching, he sighed inwardly and said nothing more.

The servant next to him, with his hoarse voice, was about to start cursing when suddenly a slap came down, making him dizzy and knocking out a tooth. When he came to his senses, he was about to curse when he saw the ugly young master's face in front of him, so ugly that he felt disgusted. The face was full of anger, but he didn't understand what was happening. He didn't dare to say anything and just knelt down, trembling, begging for mercy.

When the ugly young master heard the voice he had been dreaming about all night, his whole body stiffened, he almost urinated, and his legs trembled slightly.

That day he suffered the greatest torment of his life. Even going to hell would be better than suffering like that. Besides, his father had been nagging him every day to stay away from that person. Who knew that he would run into this jinx as soon as he came out!

Li Xingzhi watched from the sidelines but didn't say much. In his eyes, they were all birds of a feather.

Then, Old Man Yu witnessed the most astonishing scene of his life. He saw the ugly magistrate standing beside him, bowing and scraping to the young man, almost shouting "Old Master" and "Ancestor." If the ugly magistrate saw his son's good-for-nothing behavior, he wondered if he would be furious.

The ugly young master left behind the five bolts of silk that his men had brought, and then, with a fawning expression, presented the two fish to Li Xingzhi before slinking away.

He cursed his bad luck inwardly and decided to go to the nunnery in Yong'an Ward to pray to Buddha. As for why he chose the nunnery, only the ugly young master himself knew.

Li Xingzhi didn't say anything after seeing the ugly young master and his group leave; the score would have to be settled sooner or later.

At this moment, the old man also bid farewell to Li Xingzhi and was about to leave. Now, when he looked at Li Xingzhi, his eyes were full of awe.

"Wait a minute!" Li Xingzhi called out to the old man who was about to leave.

Old Man Yu froze, wondering why this person, who could make the biggest scourge in Tanzhou City bow his head like this, had stopped him. Was he blaming him for his previous rudeness?

Thinking this, the old man panicked. In his eyes, the ugly young master's father was already a figure of immense stature.

"I wonder what business you have with me, sir?" the old man asked, bowing respectfully.

Li Xingzhi called over a servant beside him and handed him four bolts of fine silk. “Take these. If this fish were sold in Chang’an, it would fetch ten times the price, but here, it’s only worth this much.”

"But..." The old man looked at the few bolts of silk left behind by the ugly young master, feeling somewhat troubled.

"Since it's a gift, just take it. They don't need the money!"

As soon as Li Xingzhi finished speaking, he called to the servant beside him, took the things and walked back, ignoring the old man who was still struggling behind him.

Walking back to Qing Shi Well, the middle gate was already half open. Wang Xiucai came out to greet them. He was stunned to see Li Xingzhi with chickens, ducks, and a sickly old bird. He quickly ushered Li Xingzhi inside.

Erlang, who followed behind, also looked around curiously, especially at the eagle and the two fire carp. Xiao Jin, who had somehow slipped out, saw the tightly bound eagle, tilted its head as if deep in thought. Suddenly, taking advantage of Li Xingzhi's inattention, it jumped into the bamboo cage and stomped on the eagle's head.

Li Xingzhi didn't know if the eagle had thoughts, but he could understand its frustration from its suddenly rising wings and struggling legs.

This is truly a case of an eagle being bullied by a mouse after landing on land!

Li Xingzhi waved his hand, sending the mischievous little fellow away.

At this moment, Big Yellow came out from the doorway next to it, lazily, as if taking a leisurely stroll. It sniffed around and then walked back.

Upon entering the house, Chef Luo, already quite adept at leading his servants, brought out the dishes. Aside from occasionally exchanging culinary tips with Li Xingzhi, he had become the head chef of the Li household.

However, the little maid Hu Qing'er didn't see it and didn't know what she was doing, but the food was brought to her by servants.

————————————————————————————

My book made it onto the homepage's new book list today! Thank you all so much for your support!

I will definitely work hard to write and update!

I'll add an extra chapter tonight or tomorrow—I really don't have any drafts saved up, and I have things to do tonight, so I might not be able to finish it.