Chapter 14: Conflict

"Your Highness, this is the most famous Tianxiang Lou in Yancheng."

A group of people stopped in front of a lofty, three-story building by the lake.

Dong An arrived at the entrance first and led Zhao Xu inside.

Glancing at the many women dressed in colorful, flashy attire standing on the second floor.

Zhao Xu already understood in his heart what kind of place this Tianxiang Lou was.

Although it is said that men are naturally inclined this way.

However, he had come this time more for the sake of going through the motions.

Besides, at a glance, compared to Feng'er and Luan'er, these were merely common, vulgar women.

After entering the door, Dong An was entangled by a woman who looked like a procuress.

After speaking a few words, the procuress revealed a look of surprise.

Wiggling her waist to stand before Zhao Xu, she bowed and said with a face full of smiles, "This servant greets Your Highness, Yan Wang. Your Highness's gracious visit today truly makes Tianxiang Lou shine with splendor."

Stretching out her arm in a gesture of invitation, she added, "This servant has already prepared a room for Your Highness, please, Your Highness."

Zhao Xu nodded slightly and went up to the third floor with Dong An and the other two, sitting down in a room facing the street.

"Your Highness, shall we call three or five singing girls to keep you company?" Dong An thought that since it was rare for Zhao Xu to come out with them, he must serve him thoroughly.

To him, from officials down to Rich Clans and merchants, as long as they had some Silver, they all liked this sort of thing, and Zhao Xu could not avoid the custom.

"Very well." Zhao Xu followed the local customs; since he had come to ancient times, he naturally had to experience the local atmosphere, and there was no need to pretend to be pure.

Yang He smiled and said, "Since Your Highness is doing us the honor today, let us invite the best singing girls of Tianxiang Lou."

Lv Chang nodded.

"That is correct." Dong An smiled in understanding.

The three discussed for a while and sent the serving attendant to call for people.

Before long, a woman with a pretty face entered the room holding a pipa to play and sing for entertainment.

The Wine was brought up, and the three pushed cups and exchanged goblets, occasionally offering toasts to Zhao Xu.

Besides chatting about romantic affairs, the three also told Zhao Xu some interesting stories about Yan Commandery.

After three cups of Wine, Zhao Xu gradually became familiar with the three, and occasionally he would take the initiative to bring up topics.

The atmosphere was intense.

At this moment, a burst of cursing rang out, followed by the shrill scream of a woman.

The four turned their heads to look outside the door.

They saw that across the corridor, a young man in green clothes had come out of a room and was dragging a woman against the railing.

"Zhang Rang! When did he return?" Dong An and the other two changed color upon seeing the young man in green.

Yang He said, "Your Highness, he is Zhang Qian's eldest son, Zhang Rang. He has always been lawless in Yan Commandery. He went to Fanyang Commandery with his uncle some days ago; it seems he has returned."

In the interval while he was speaking, Zhang Rang picked up the woman and was about to throw her down.

Zhao Xu came from the modern era and was also Yan Wang; how could he watch someone commit murder right in front of him?

Otherwise, if it spread, wouldn't his Yan Prince Mansion become a laughingstock, mocked by the common people?

Standing up, he shouted, "Stop!"

Hearing someone speak, Zhang Rang turned his head back.

First he glanced at Zhao Xu, then his gaze shifted to Dong An and the other two.

"Oh, so it's you three. Not bad, you actually dare to meddle in my affairs." Zhang Rang threw the woman to the ground and feigned surprise.

As soon as Zhao Xu's party arrived at Tianxiang Lou, the servants had reported it to him.

Dong An and the other two seemed very afraid of Zhang Rang, their expressions timid.

However, remembering that they had come with Zhao Xu today, their courage returned.

Yang He stepped forward and shouted, "Zhang Rang, the one before you is His Highness, Yan Wang. Do not be presumptuous."

"Yan Wang?" Zhang Rang pretended to be surprised.

Looking Zhao Xu up and down, he reluctantly bowed slightly, "Zhang Rang greets Your Highness."

Kicking the shivering woman on the ground with his foot, he said, "Your Highness, I just bought her from the procuress with Silver. According to the laws of the Great Song, a master has the power of life and death over a slave, so Your Highness need not concern yourself with this, right?"

"Nonsense."

The woman raised her head upon hearing this, "Your Highness, Yan Wang, save me! It is only because when this humble woman was singing, I heard..."

"Base slave!" Before the woman could finish her words, Zhang Rang's expression twisted abruptly, and he kicked her viciously in the abdomen.

The woman let out a miserable cry, her body curling up involuntarily, too much in pain to speak.

At this time, the procuress heard the commotion and also came up to the third floor.

Zhang Rang looked at the procuress and said sternly, "Procuress, tell me, did I buy her or not?"

When the procuress saw Zhang Rang, her face turned deathly pale, and she was too scared to even breathe, only nodding at Zhang Rang.

Zhao Xu frowned; this Zhang Rang had a fair complexion and looked refined, yet he was filled with a violent aura.

He must have been accustomed to acting with Hegemony since childhood to be so cruel.

In this scene now, there was no doubt that Zhang Rang was intentionally committing violence, and the procuress, intimidated by his power, had no choice but to admit it.

"Since that is the case, bring out the contract now," Zhao Xu said indifferently.

He had been suppressing his anger all along.

He was well aware of the collusion between the Zhang Family and Zhang Han.

As for the Zhang Family, he must destroy them.

It was just that his Personal Army had not yet been formed, and both training and equipment were insufficient.

He was currently not confident in eliminating these three families.

But this does not mean he must continue to let the three families step on his head and shit.

After all, even if the Personal Army only held Explosive Sticks, they were still his soldiers, his strength.

"You..."

Zhang Rang choked on his words, his face flushed red.

In Yan Commandery, the Zhang Family was the sky; who had ever dared to make things difficult for him like this?

Just as his father said, this Yan Wang was indeed an eyesore.

He could not be left alive!

However, thinking that Zhao Xu would be a corpse tonight, his mood suddenly became comfortable.

Glancing at the woman at his feet, his heart gave a jolt.

He had let something slip while drinking with his guest, revealing a secret matter.

This woman had been singing in the room and must have heard it.

This matter was of great importance; if it spread, not only would his Zhang Family be in trouble, but it would also implicate the current Sixth Prince.

Therefore, his guest, disregarding the presence of Yan Wang, had immediately told him to kill the woman to avoid further complications.

Thinking of this, he steeled his heart.

Today, even with Zhao Xu in front of him, he would kill this woman.

He suddenly covered the woman's mouth.

Not giving Zhao Xu time to react, Zhang Rang violently threw the woman down.

With a "Bang," the woman smashed heavily onto the bluestone floor of Tianxiang Lou.

The flowing fresh blood gradually stained her green dress red.

"Audacious villain!" Xu Lie led twelve guards to accompany and protect Zhao Xu.

Zhang Rang's action was like slapping the face of the Yan Prince Mansion.

Killing someone without cause made him even more furious.

Zhao Xu sneered repeatedly, looking at Zhang Rang, who still wore an indifferent expression, and he shouted: "Xu Lie, take this villain down for me."

"Yes, Your Highness." Xu Lie stepped forward and grabbed Zhang Rang's arm.

Seeing this, the servants accompanying Zhang Rang drew the swords at their waists one after another.

"Clang." The guards beside Zhao Xu also drew their swords.

Dong An was so frightened that bean-sized beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

He first said, "Zhang Rang, are you trying to rebel?"

Then he persuaded Zhao Xu, "Your Highness, it is just a songstress, why get angry?"

At this moment, Zhang Rang signaled for his servants to step back and smiled: "Since Your Highness wants to arrest me, I will go with Your Highness."

To him, Zhao Xu would be a dead man tonight anyway, so at most he would just be locked in a cell for one night.

A direct conflict now would instead be disadvantageous to him.

The guards beside Zhao Xu looked like experts, every one of them.

His servants might not be their match.

"Take him away!"

Zhang Rang's unperturbed appearance made Zhao Xu even more annoyed.

He would not let the Zhang Family continue to act tyrannically in Yan Commandery.

After this incident, the banquet was naturally no longer interesting.

The group went downstairs.

Zhao Xu stepped forward to check the woman's condition.

Probing her nose with his finger, she had already ceased to breathe.

Sighing slightly, he rose and left, while the onlookers, songstresses and guests, hurriedly made way.

A songstress seemed to be bumped into by someone, staggered toward Zhao Xu, touched him, and then hurried away.

Zhao Xu frowned and glanced at the departing songstress.

Withdrawing his gaze, he suddenly caught sight of a note tucked into his belt.

He remained calm.

Under the protection of his guards, he walked toward the Prince Mansion.

Once the crowd dispersed.

A middle-aged scholar emerged from the room where Zhang Rang had been.

"I didn't expect the Ninth Prince to have actually recovered." The middle-aged scholar lightly shook his paper fan.

An old servant stood behind the middle-aged scholar; he looked in the direction Zhao Xu had left and smiled: "It would have been better if he had stayed crazy and foolish; perhaps he could have kept his life. Now, tsk tsk..."