Chapter 40 Too Worthless
In a dilapidated temple in the north of the capital, beggars were lying all over the ground. Some of them were snoring and smacking their lips in their dreams. It was unclear whether they were dreaming about fat chickens or fat elbows.
No one knows when this small temple was built. The incense was not enough to support the Buddha, and the monks disappeared. Gradually, it became a shelter for beggars.
The gold paint on the clay sculpture of the Bodhisattva with a wooden frame had long since fallen off. On the left side of the ground was a thick layer of straw, and a thin young man was sitting cross-legged. The faint firelight in the temple shone on his face, and one could see that he had a bruised nose and a swollen face, as if he had been held down by someone and beaten severely.
Baozi was half asleep, and when he noticed that the person next to him was not asleep, he rubbed his eyes and got up again, comforting him: "Brother, don't worry too much, my second brother is very capable and will definitely protect you."
The young man was dressed simply and looked like a child from a poor family, but his sitting posture was good, which made him look a little different.
He laughed at himself, lamenting the impermanence of life and that he had to rely on a group of beggars for protection.
"I'm afraid your second brother is too busy to take care of himself." How could anyone who offended Huan Yanbo end up well?
In the past, the eldest princess was in charge of the Huangzi Department, and her power was so great that it attracted everyone's attention. All the concubines who were not favored in the palace had to curry favor with her. The emperor also doted on this nephew very much. Huan Yanbo could walk around the palace with his head held high. Except for the crown prince and the second prince, the other princes were not as respectable as he was in front of the emperor.
The emperor's favor is the only hope for survival for people in the palace.
Baozi couldn't stand others questioning his second brother's ability. Although he had only been with Second Brother Zhang for a few days, his quality of life had undergone tremendous changes.
In the past, they were either beaten or scolded by Chang San, and had to hand over any delicious food or copper coins they begged for. Brother Zhang not only bought them buns with his own money, but also protected them from being bullied by others.
This young man was met behind the bookstore tonight. He was arguing with a fat man with a fat head and big ears. The fat man was ferocious and rushed forward to attack as soon as they disagreed. Not only did he ride on the young man to beat him, he also called several servants to join in the attack.
The servants seemed to be restrained and kicked them a few times, but the fat man beat them up. While beating them, he said arrogantly: "I am going to beat you up. If you have the guts, go and complain to me! Should I punish you or me?"
The boy was thin and frail, and was crushed by such a mountain of flesh. His struggles were in vain, and he looked innocent and pitiful.
Baozi and his friends usually avoid this kind of thing by taking a detour, but Zhang Erge obviously can't stand it anymore, so he kicks the fat man off the thin boy.
The fat man was kicked so hard that he sat on the ground for a long time without reacting.
"You dare to kick me?"
Tang Ying held her head in regret at this moment: "I felt sorry for the young man at the time, so I reached out my hand out of weakness. I really didn't know that he was the eldest princess's son, and I said--"
Fu Chen seemed to have guessed what she was going to say: "I'm going to kick you! Is that what you said?"
Tang Ying flattered him fiercely: "Your Excellency is truly amazing! That's exactly what I said at the time!"
Huan Yanbo was so angry that he sat on the ground gasping for breath. He had called himself "dad" many times in his life, but this was the first time someone called him father. His face turned as purple as liver with anger, and he pointed at Tang Ying and wished he could cut her into pieces: "How dare you say this in front of me? Are you tired of living?" He even forgot to call the servants, and got up and rushed towards Tang Ying.
"With such a heavy meat mountain, anyone with fragile bones would have been crushed to pieces!" Tang Ying did not forget to mock the eldest princess at this time: "I heard that the eldest son is also brave and resourceful, why is his son raised like a pig? He looks like a pig in a pen. When he rushed over, the fat on his body was shaking. Wow, it's really scary!"
Fu Chen's lips curled up, and it was unclear whether he was laughing or sighing: "You!"
In fact, Tang Ying was not afraid at all at that time. She protected the boy behind her and beat the mountain of flesh hard. After beating him down again, she pulled the boy and ran away.
In the dilapidated temple, the young man lowered his head, his left hand loosely grasping his right wrist, as if he could still feel Brother Zhang holding his wrist tightly, dragging him along like an iron clamp.
He still remembered what the man said at the time: "The fat guy looks like he comes from a wealthy family. Let's stay out of the spotlight for now."
Huan Yanbo, who was beaten to the ground, shouted at the top of his lungs: "Are you all dead? Go back to the Princess's Mansion and call for more people to stop them for me!"
The boy slowed down his pace, almost foreseeing the reaction of the person who would rescue him next.
Will she let go of his wrist and go back to admit her mistake and apologize to Huan Yanbo?
The person who was pulling him turned his head suddenly and met the boy's calm and self-deprecating eyes, as if he had heard some great joke: "That fat guy... is he from the princess's mansion?"
He said: "The eldest princess' only son."
Tang Ying has actually not been idle during the time she has been in the capital.
After finishing her work every day, Zhang Qing would go to the streets to inquire about news. She was not idle either, as she wanted to compile a faction list of the powerful officials in the capital as soon as possible.
In the servants' courtyard of the Fu family, for many nights, she and Zhang Qing lit lamps and sorted out the information they had learned during the day, trying to reconstruct the personnel changes in the capital during the past six months when the Tang family army was withdrawn and their pay was withheld, as well as the most popular and powerful figures at the moment, and the detailed topographic map of the capital, frantically collecting all the information they could.
On the third page, Huan Yanbo drew a small arrow under the name of the eldest princess, and specially marked: Huan Yanbo, the eldest son's only son, is very favored by the emperor and behaves arrogantly. He also used four small words: Do not offend.
Tang Ying turned her head in horror: "Huan Yanbo?" The aesthetics of this dynasty is very different from that of the Tang Dynasty. People on the street all consider fair and tall people to be beautiful, and even being strong is acceptable. But the only son of this eldest prince is obese, and he is as fat as the obese people who participate in weight loss programs. He is so fat that it is scary.
The boy nodded, ready to be abandoned.
"He is so fat, does his mother know?"
The boy was a little imaginative and laughed at an inappropriate time.
"Of course I know."
Immediately afterwards, his wrist was held even tighter and more firmly, and she pulled him to run faster, sighing as she ran: "The chef in the princess's mansion must be very good." At least better than Fei Wenhai.
Just compare the body shapes of Lord Fu and Huan Yanbo and you will know.
Of course, it is also possible that Lord Fu is more restrained and practices martial arts.
The young man almost stumbled and fell without warning, and the place where Huan Yanbo hit him was very painful. Perhaps seeing that he looked bad, Tang Ying suddenly realized: "Oh, I forgot you were injured."
She let go of his hand and the boy was stunned.
When he thought she was going to give up, she pulled him and ran.
Now...are you really going to give up?
But then she stood in front of him and leaned over slightly: "Hurry up and get on top."
Before the boy could react, the people behind him were about to catch up. She hurriedly picked him up and ran: "It's too late. Let's just do it. You just bear with it for now."
He was upside down, feeling the ground moving quickly. The servants of the princess's mansion were shouting and yelling behind him. The person carrying him was obviously very familiar with the surrounding terrain. He took the small alleys and finally handed him to a group of beggars, then led the people from the princess's mansion away.
"What's wrong with your foot?"
"I ran into a dead end before," Tang Ying sighed, "It seems that I am not familiar with the terrain of that area. As a result, I accidentally sprained my ankle when I was climbing over the wall. It was probably a mistake in a hurry. It wasn't those guys who beat me. How could they run as fast as I did?"
Fu Chen: “…” Is this girl focusing on the wrong thing?
Tang Ying had her own considerations: "Even though I have caused such a big disaster, I can't let My Lordship be implicated. How about I move out tonight?" The eldest princess was at least once in charge of the Phoenix Department, so she still had some influence.
Fu Chen: "Who is the boy you saved?"
Tang Ying: "The situation was urgent at the time, so there was no time to ask about his identity. He looked like... a child from an ordinary family, maybe even a child from the Princess's household?" She recalled Huan Yanbo's tone at the time: "Could he be the son-in-law of the Princess' husband?"
What a headache.
Fu Chen: "Where are the people?"
"I asked Baozi to take him back to the ruined temple. Let's stay out of the spotlight first and then make plans."
Fu Chen stood up: "Take me to find the young man now." Otherwise, the person being rescued would run away, and the one who rescued him would end up eating the eldest princess's melon leaves. Moreover... with the eldest princess's protective and doting nature, she would eat much more than just the melon leaves.
"Now?" Tang Ying stood up helplessly.
In the dilapidated temple, Baozi sat with the young man for half an hour, repeatedly comforting him: "Don't worry, second brother is very powerful. When second brother comes tomorrow, he will definitely have a way."
The young man lowered his head and said nothing, just staring at his wrist in a daze, and it was unclear whether he heard Baozi's comfort or not.
Suddenly, a voice came from outside the ruined temple: "Baozi——"
Baozi was overjoyed: "Don't be afraid, second brother is here." He pulled the boy up and ran out.
Outside the dilapidated temple, next to the tall and handsome young man stood Zhang Erge. After not seeing him for a few hours, Zhang Erge had miraculously turned white, so white that it was almost reflective.
Baozi stood there stupidly: "Second brother..."
Lord Fu, who came with Tang Ying, was also somewhat dumbfounded: "Fourth Prince?"
The young man raised his head slowly. He did not expect to meet the commander of the Imperial Cavalry in this dilapidated temple: "Master Fu, excuse me for embarrassing myself." It would be a shame for a prince to fall into a beggar's den. If others knew about it, they would inevitably laugh at him.
He had been unfavored since childhood. His mother was of humble origin and was just a palace maid in the laundry department. She gave birth to him because she was accidentally favored by the drunk emperor. From childhood to adulthood, he was almost always ignored. Huan Yanbo could bully him at will, but he could not run to the emperor to complain.
It’s not that he didn’t try, but in the end it was he, the beaten prince, who was punished.
