Chapter 173 - 170: Li Xiu’s Wicked Ideas (Part 1)
For the next few days, Li Xiu arranged for Li Bao to stay with Wang Dongfang. It wasn’t that he forbade him from staying home; rather, living with Wang Dongfang and the others would help him acclimate faster. He had the three of them take turns training him from the very basics. Wang Dongfang and his friends knew their futures didn’t lie in those two small shops, so they held nothing back and poured all their effort into training Li Bao.
With everything arranged, Li Xiu finally had some free time. Whenever Zhou Lian was asleep, he would go out for a stroll, and no one knew what he was up to. This continued until the hottest day in August, when Li Xiu was summoned by Elder Ping and brought to the Imperial Palace.
Seven or eight elders were seated in Elder Ping’s private parlor. When they saw Li Xiu walk in, they all scowled and glared at him. ’This lawless brat! Is he trying to flip the heavens upside down?’
Li Xiu acted as if he hadn’t noticed, walking with a light step to an empty seat beside Elder Ping. He sat down, poured himself a cup of tea from the table, and began to sip it slowly. He said nothing, simply beaming at the scowling elders.
"Li Jincheng!" Old Sir Sun, the Secretary-General’s father, bellowed, then said bitterly, "You damn brat, what in the world are you trying to do? You’ve spent the last month throwing the Capital City into utter chaos! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"
Li Xiu understood Old Sir Sun’s intention. ’He’s afraid Elder Ping is genuinely angry with me, so he’s chewing me out first to help him cool off. Don’t be fooled by his temper. He might act like a brutish warrior, but he’s the kind of man my master could force to study the scholarly elegance of the Wei and Jin dynasties. He’s not as simple as he appears. Among these elders, aside from Elder Ping, he’s the most sincere toward me. It’s no exaggeration to say he protects me like his own grandson!’
"Sir, please don’t be angry. I had no idea the waters in the Capital City ran so deep. I just wanted to get a little justice for my wife. Who knew that pulling up one turnip would bring up so much mud—and even a patch of poisonous ones!" Li Xiu said with an air of innocence. He was, of course, being deliberate. ’The favor I have with these elders is entirely due to my master’s lingering influence, but who knows how long that will last? While it’s still effective, I’ll make one ruthless move. After this, no one in the Capital City will dare to casually provoke me or my wife again. It’s not that I’m throwing my weight around; I’m just a fox borrowing the tiger’s might!’
"You damn brat! Do you think we’re all dead? If your wife was wronged, you should have just told us! Is this any way to handle things? Aren’t you afraid the whole thing will blow up in your face?" Old Sir Sun said, fuming. ’This kid really has his master’s ruthlessness from back in the day—he might even be worse!’
"Oh, no. I wouldn’t dare throw my weight around like that. I’m afraid my master would rise from his grave to haunt me! You can rest assured, sirs. I haven’t broken any laws. I’m just exercising my rights as a good citizen, aren’t I?" Li Xiu said breezily. He only dared to expose this matter because he had already planned his next move. ’These elders are all battlefield veterans. They’re decisive and ruthless, not the type to suffer fools or tolerate deceit.’
The elders all wore speechless expressions. ’Listen to him spin those pretty words. This Li Jincheng was definitely taught by that old fox, Ge Yunqi. His ruthless methods are a perfect inheritance from his master!’
Secretary Sun, who had been blending into the background, couldn’t help but chuckle. ’These elders, including my own father, have held immense power for so many years, yet I’ve never seen anyone make them look so... so conflicted. No, that’s not the right word. It’s that feeling of wanting to hit him but not having the heart to, of wanting to curse him but being unable to find the words. The younger generation from our families really ought to see the expressions on their faces right now!’
"Alright, that’s enough of your witty remarks," Elder Ping said, ignoring Secretary Sun’s poorly contained laughter. He turned to Li Xiu, his expression serious. "Speak plainly. What’s your endgame?"
"What endgame? I’m just a regular citizen. What do these great affairs of state have to do with me? It’s not my place to meddle in politics," Li Xiu said, playing dumb.
He glanced at the elders’ faces, then continued in a soft voice, "I went back to my hometown last month. My grandmother has bound feet, but she can’t stand being idle. Her feet were covered in large blisters. She took a needle and popped every single one. I saw her break out in a cold sweat from the pain, and my heart ached for her. I tried to persuade her, ’If it hurts that much, then don’t pop them!’"
He beamed and swept his gaze across everyone in the room before continuing, "But my grandmother told me, ’When you get blisters and boils on your body, you have to endure the pain and lance them. If you don’t, they can cause a much bigger illness. If it gets bad and the wound becomes infected, it can kill you!’"
The room full of powerful men looked at the beaming Li Xiu, and a collective chill went down their spines. ’That menace, Li Yunqi... what kind of disciple did he raise? He has such a noble, handsome appearance, like a clear breeze under a bright moon. When he smiles, his eyes crinkle in a way that’s utterly charming. And yet, this is the same person who can twist a knife in your gut without blinking. With a temperament like that, isn’t it a waste for him not to join the establishment?’
"Jincheng, look at what happened this time with your wife. If you were to join the establishment and work your way up, no one would dare to wrong her, right?" Mr. Lan said, looking at Li Xiu with a smile. They were all old, and the world belonged to the young. Among the new generation, he truly admired this brilliant disciple of Yun Qi. He had courage and principles. If he ever attained a high position, he would never do anything to harm the nation and its people. Moreover, having come from the bottom, he understood the people’s needs. If he were to become an official, he would surely be a blessing to his constituents.
"Mr. Lan, please, spare me! I’m not interested in any of that. Besides, if someone like me joined the establishment, it’d be like a little lamb thrown to a pack of wolves. I’d be skinned and deboned in a matter of days! Please, Sir, just let me be. I have a wife and a daughter, and my wife is pregnant. You want me to go up against a pack of tigers, hungry wolves, and cunning foxes? I’d be eaten alive!" Li Xiu said, feigning fright. ’Join the establishment? No thanks. Right now, anyone in the Capital City with eyes in their head knows not to provoke us, and that’s enough. Why would I be stupid enough to willingly step into that cage?’
A chorus of coughing suddenly erupted, causing the powerful figures, who were normally so dignified, to lose their composure. Even Elder Ping stared at Li Xiu, speechless. ’A little lamb? In what way did he resemble a little lamb?’
"Jincheng, how can you say that with a straight face? A ’little lamb’? You’ve got some nerve!" Secretary Sun retorted bad-temperedly. ’This ruthless kid calls himself a "little lamb"? I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at those two words the same way again!’
"Alright, be serious now. What do you intend to do about this?" Elder Ping asked, exasperated with the cunning young man. He had almost let him sidetrack the conversation again.
Li Xiu shot Elder Ping a wounded look. ’This old man is just so stubborn,’ he thought. ’I’d already managed to change the subject, and he just yanked it right back.’ Lowering his head, he said listlessly, "It really has nothing to do with me. I never intended to cause such a huge stir. I just couldn’t stand that old woman from the Wang family, so I casually looked into the people around her. I thought at most it’d be like beating the bushes and flushing out a rabbit. How was I supposed to know there were tigers and hungry wolves hiding in there?"