Chapter 1001: Patrol Inspector Dang Berates a Noble Scion in the Street

The summer sun hung in the west, and the hour was still not too late, yet Liu Chengyou was already of a mind to leave. Having eaten and drunk his fill, he sought the way back, glanced at the younger Lady Fu who was wiping Liu Jia's mouth, then looked toward Gao Fang and Liu Tinghan, and said with a smile: "That's enough for today, let's head back!"

"Yes!"

Gao Fang wore a composed expression, while Liu Tinghan's heart was rather stirred—though he had served in the imperial presence for some years, this was the first time he had dined privately with the Emperor.

"This humble one pays respects to Your Majesty!" As they reached the door, a middle-aged man bowed deeply to Liu Chengyou from behind the guards.

Somewhat surprised—had his identity been leaked? He cast a sharp gaze at the man. He was not young, and though he wore silk robes like a merchant, he clearly exuded a rugged, formidable air—this man came from military ranks.

Staring at him coldly, Liu Chengyou said flatly: "How did you discern my identity?"

Feeling the Emperor's icy tone, the man was startled. Though he was a hardened veteran of a hundred battles, he could not help but feel fear, silently cursing himself for losing his head. But since the matter was already exposed, he answered honestly: "To answer Your Majesty, this humble one is Zhao Xian, a retainer of Prince Chen. During the northern campaign, I was fortunate enough to behold Your Majesty's countenance.

Just now this humble one learned that a noble guest had arrived, but did not expect it to be Your Majesty in person. It is truly the honor of Tailai Tower. This humble one was rash and disturbed Your Majesty—please punish me!"

Though somewhat nervous, this Zhao Xian still explained the situation clearly. After understanding, Liu Chengyou sized him up a few more times—though the memory was vague, there was indeed some recognition.

His expression softened slightly, and he waved his hand: "Rise. I am in plain clothes; do not draw such attention!"

When Liu Chengyou said this, he truly had no idea how conspicuous his "plain clothes" appearance was—one only needed to look at others' reactions to know.

"Is this tavern your business?" Liu Chengyou said with a faint smile, eyeing the man with interest.

Bowing his head and hunching his body, Zhao Xian hesitated briefly, then answered: "To answer Your Majesty, Prince Chen, mindful of this humble one's years of service, funded me to take up this trade..."

"Heh heh!" Liu Chengyou laughed aloud and said: "No need to be nervous. As long as you operate according to the law and pay taxes per the regulations, I wish you prosperous business!"

"Yes! Yes! This humble one is thrice-blessed to receive Your Majesty's personal instruction. This humble one..." Zhao Xian seemed somewhat agitated, his words running away with him.

"Enough!" Raising his hand, Liu Chengyou said: "Go back and tell Prince Chen that the food and wine were quite good!"

"Also, the matter of my visit here must not be spread abroad!" Liu Chengyou added a stern admonition—or rather, a warning.

This Zhao Xian naturally assented with obsequious murmurs, carefully trailing behind, watching Liu Chengyou's party slowly recede and vanish around the street corner before he let out a great sigh of relief. His forehead and back were already soaked with sweat—clearly not from the heat.

Seeing his unusual state, one of his stewards could not help asking: "Who was that? Not much airs, but plenty of presence—we've never hosted such a particular guest before. And to have you so deferential—is he some noble or minister from the court?"

"Shut up!" Zhao Xian snapped, then looked around and instructed: "I'm returning to the prince's residence. You mind the tavern, run it as usual, and don't discuss this—pretend it never happened!"

As for Liu Chengyou's party, it was a family stroll after dinner. He walked with the younger Lady Fu on either side, each holding one of Liu Jia's hands, heading out of the market. Now that the sun was no longer so scorching, it was rather pleasant—were it not for the guards surrounding them, the scene would have been exceptionally warm and tender.

Once they boarded the carriage, however, they encountered another matter—an amusing one.

Inside the ventilated carriage, it was still stuffy and hot. Liu Chengyou used the palm-leaf fan he had bought to cool the younger Lady Fu and her child. Liu Jia was truly sleepy and soon fell asleep clutching his father's leg.

"What is happening outside?" the younger Lady Fu pointed out of the carriage.

One could see that the crowd seemed to be converging in a single direction.

Seeing this commotion, Liu Chengyou shook his head slightly and said: "Seems there's some excitement to watch. Something that stirs such a commotion—let's go take a look!"

Following the flow of the crowd, they turned through two streets and neared the scene. Though somewhat distant, being at a higher vantage point, they could see the situation clearly—and he recognized one of the protagonists at a glance: Patrol Inspector General Dang Jin.

In the middle of the scene, a small squad of imperial army patrol soldiers had surrounded several young servants in blue, among them a youth in ornate robes with a powdered face, who was shrinking his neck, looking both fearful and furious at Dang Jin.

As for Dang Jin, he held a whip in his hand, swinging it before the youth while his mouth never stopped, cursing: "They say a tiger father begets no dog son. Duke Dingguo has rendered great service and is a hero of his age—how did he produce a son like you? You people, besides flying kites and walking dogs, leaning on your family's power to swagger about and stir up trouble—what else can you do?"

"You think you're showing off your authority in the streets? Let me tell you, you're shaming the Duke Dingguo's mansion, shaming your father. Look at these onlookers—they're all despising you, a worthless son who ruins the family name!"

Nearby, held by two soldiers, was a hunting dog—enormous in size, fierce in appearance—but at the moment it looked rather pitiful, covered in wounds, clearly having been beaten.

Dang Jin pointed at the dog and continued to berate the youth: "A vicious beast like this—you take it hunting in the outskirts where no one minds, but you bring it into the busy streets to show off—what do you intend? Don't you know it frightens the common folk and disturbs public order?

Even if no one was hurt, even if it only damaged someone's property, do you think a few coins of compensation settles it? I tell you, running into this Dang here is your bad luck.

What is my Patrol Inspectorate for? It's my duty—don't think you can scare me by invoking Duke Dingguo's name. Hm?"

"Look at yourself—a fine young man, all oiled hair and powdered face. You're not a woman, yet you insist on painting your face with cosmetics. Just looking at you makes me angry. Aren't you the least bit worried about tarnishing your father's lifelong reputation?"

"..."

Seeing Dang Jin scold without end, the youth was nearly reduced to tears by this ferocious brute of a soldier. Being lectured with a finger pointed at his nose before so many people—this was a true loss of face. He thought to himself that he hadn't been bullying merchants or extorting anyone; he'd merely taken his beloved dog for a stroll in the streets. How had he provoked this boor?

Still, he lacked the courage to talk back, and lacked the strength for a fight. With a bitter face, the youth said: "General Dang, I know I was wrong, and I will mend my ways. Just tell me directly—how shall we resolve this..."

Seeing that his attitude was passable, Dang Jin nodded. Having said so much, his throat was dry; he produced a pear from somewhere, took a few bites, then said: "Your vicious dog, I've beaten it. You yourself, I've scolded. But for the property you damaged, you must compensate and apologize to the owners."

The youth quickly agreed: "That's only right!"

"Also, consider this a warning. If I ever see you young lords again, doing nothing proper and swaggering through the streets, I won't be lenient. Then you'll come stay at the Patrol Inspectorate headquarters, and let your powerful father come fetch you..."

Watching the scene over there, the younger Lady Fu's beautiful eyes held curiosity as she said: "So that's Dang Jin? Fierce and formidable, just as the rumors say."

Liu Chengyou could not help shaking his head: "This man is always like this—reckless and unbridled!"

"But from the looks of it, General Dang is pleading for the people and upholding public order, isn't he?" the younger Lady Fu said.

At this point, Zhang Dejun, who had gone to inquire about the situation, returned and approached the carriage, reporting to Liu Chengyou: "That is Zhang Congde, the second young lord of the Duke Dingguo's mansion. He brought his hunting dog into the streets, and Dang Jin happened upon him, stopped him, and gave him a dressing-down. The dog was startled and ran off, smashing several peddlers' goods..."

The Duke Dingguo was Zhang Yanwei—among the Hedong veteran generals, he had been the first high-ranking commander to pledge allegiance to Liu Chengyou. In the early years, he had helped him take control of the Longqi Army and had also participated in the great battle of Luancheng. Later, he had served continuously as Military Governor of Chengde, guarding Zhending.

After the military governors had their powers stripped, Zhang Yanwei also returned to court for duty. Because his abilities were insufficient, Liu Chengyou did not give him any important authority, but his treatment remained quite generous. At present, Zhang Yanwei concurrently held the post of Commissioner of the Northern Court of the Palace Secretariat.

"So, Dang Jin was the one who picked a fight? Does he have a grudge against Zhang Yanwei?" Liu Chengyou asked.

Zhang Dejun shook his head, a hint of oddity in his expression, and said: "Probably not. Among the generals of the Patrol Inspectorate, only General Dang most enjoys personally patrolling the city. He especially detests those noble scions who swagger about causing trouble—every time he encounters one, he gives them a lesson. This time, it was likely just a coincidence..."

Hearing this, Liu Chengyou laughed: "This Dang Jin—he's a man of true character. With him berating the young lord so publicly, the Duke Dingguo's mansion has lost considerable face. But from now on, the noble scions of the capital will truly fear Dang Jin like a tiger..."

Liu Chengyou's tone was full of teasing amusement. After pondering a moment, he gave a faint instruction: "The excitement's over. Back to the palace..."

The matter of "Patrol Inspector Dang Berating a Noble Scion" quickly spread throughout Kaifeng, stirring discussion among high and low—there were many melon-eating spectators. This was the most spectacular time Dang Jin had disciplined a noble's son, and the reaction was considerable.

Of course, for most people, this was merely fodder for conversation. But there were also some who watched closely for Duke Dingguo's reaction.

Zhang Yanwei was famously protective of his own. His beloved son being berated so publicly in the street was practically a slap to his face. Zhang Yanwei had deep seniority—he was an old minister who had followed the Emperor from the very beginning. Of course, Dang Jin was also a meritorious general who had earned his rank through sword and spear, and behind him stood Duke Boguo, Zhao Kuangyin.

Many people wanted to see what sparks would fly when these two clashed. As expected, that very evening, Zhang Yanwei personally went to Dang Jin's residence to demand an explanation. The two argued loudly, nearly coming to blows. Of course, Dang Jin remained somewhat restrained, and Zhang Yanwei didn't truly dare to throw a punch—and even if he had, he couldn't have won.

This matter, unsurprisingly, reached the Han palace and entered Liu Chengyou's ears. In response, Liu Chengyou merely smiled and offered no opinion, but later sent someone to reward Dang Jin with some goods, commending him for diligently performing his duties and not fearing the powerful.

With that, the matter quickly settled down. Upon hearing the news, Zhang Yanwei confined his son Zhang Congde to the house, grounding him for three months. He also had that swaggering hunting dog killed, cooked, and sent a portion to Dang Jin's residence. It was said that afterward, Zhang Yanwei would greet Dang Jin with a smile whenever they met.