After arranging everything, Hu Buwei turned to Tang Wenzheng and said quietly, "Brother Wenzheng, I will get to the bottom of this. You needn't worry." He had said he would get to the bottom of it, not that he would give him an explanation.
Tang Wenzheng cursed inwardly. Investigate what? Everything is right there in front of you! Don't worry? How the hell am I supposed not to worry? Your bastard son abducted my daughter, and I still don't know what's happened to her! At that thought, a breath lodged in his chest. Grief and fury mingled as he said, "Lord Hu, let's hurry back and see!" Given Hu Buwei's higher rank, he had to swallow his anger, however much of it there was.
The carriage set off again. Hu Buwei had sent Hu Tianxiong ahead to establish exactly what had happened and, if Tang Wenzheng's account was true, see whether he could stop his idiot son from doing something stupid. Abducting a respectable young woman-and not an ordinary commoner, but the daughter of an imperial official-would do the Hu family no good whatsoever if the affair blew up. Even with the emperor's favor, right was not on their side. Hu Buwei knew that perfectly well.
By then, the Minister's Residence was already in utter chaos. Tang Tiehan had originally brought more than twenty men. After hearing what had happened, his younger brother Tang Tiecheng gathered another fifty-odd friends and comrades and came rushing over like wind and fire. Although Tang Tiehan was the eldest, when it came to courage, Tang Tiecheng ranked first among the three brothers. Once he arrived, he led his men to the rear gate, clenched his fist, and hammered the door knocker.
"Second Brother, I've been pounding away forever, but they just won't open up!" Tang Tiehan told Tang Tiecheng. The gates of the Minister's Residence really were solidly built.
Tang Tiecheng shot his elder brother a furious glare. When he heard the news, he had erupted in curses, including his brother among his targets. Tang Tiehan had brought more than twenty men, yet had stood watching while Hu Buwei's idiot son abducted their sister. What a fool-an absolute fool! Tang Tiecheng waved his hand and roared, "Cut down a tree! Batter the gate open!" His men immediately turned aside to fell a tree, while another group went looking for ladders.
Tang Tiehan came up beside his younger brother and said quietly, "Second Brother, this is the Minister's Residence."
That stoked every last spark of fury in Tang Tiecheng's belly. He roared, "So what if it's the Minister's Residence? If the King of Heaven himself dared snatch my sister, I'd cut him down just the same..." Each of the Tang family's three sons had a worse temper than the last; once enraged, they would recognize neither kith nor kin. Tang Tiehan hurriedly clapped a hand over his brother's mouth. If those words got out, there would be hell to pay.
Tang Tiecheng wrenched free of his large hand and roared, "Listen up, everyone inside! Piss me off, and I'll burn your Minister's Residence to the ground!"
More than ten of the Hu family's servants and guards had gathered at the rear gate. Hearing the boiling uproar outside, they were all terribly anxious. Liang Dazhuang climbed a ladder to the top of the wall and saw over a hundred men gathered outside the rear gate. Quite a few were cutting down a tree, while several more approached from afar carrying a ladder. He hurried down and told the servants around him, "This is bad! They've borrowed a ladder and felled a big tree. It looks like they're about to attack!"
Hu Fo rubbed his hands anxiously. "What are we going to do?" Their master had yet to return from court, and their mistress happened to be visiting her hometown. Lately, the old steward Hu An had been handling all affairs at the Minister's Residence, great and small, but today he happened to be bedridden. As for the young master who had caused all this trouble, he might already be enjoying himself by now. The entire residence was a host of dragons without a head.
While they were discussing what to do, the men outside had already propped a ladder against the wall. Liang Dazhuang led several servants quickly up onto the wall, using their clubs to beat back those trying to climb over. Together with another servant, he shoved the ladder hard and toppled it away from the wall. The two men still on it screamed as they fell.
Tang Tiecheng's eyes blazed with fury. By then, a large tree had been felled. More than ten men hoisted it, shouted in unison, and charged toward the rear gate of the Minister's Residence.
Hu Fo led a dozen or so servants in bracing the rear gate with every tool they could find.
Crash! The tremendous impact shook dust from the rear gate. Two servants, unable to withstand the force, toppled to the ground with a thud. Tang Tiehan had caught his brother's savage mood as well. He stripped off his shirt, revealing a mass of knotted muscle, stepped up to shoulder the trunk, and roared, "Fuck their grandmothers! Ram it!"
Liang Dazhuang could already see things were going badly. He scrambled clumsily down the ladder and said with a terrified expression, "I... I'll go protect the young master..."
The servants shot him looks of utter contempt. The son of a bitch wants to run. Could he possibly find a more shameless excuse?
Crash! The second tremendous impact shook heaven and earth. With everyone putting their backs into it, the thick end of the trunk slammed heavily into the rear gate of the Minister's Residence. The sturdy, heavy doors could no longer withstand that immense force. The bolt snapped, and the doors fell amid a cloud of dust, pinning three servants who had failed to escape in time. Screams filled the scene.
Bare-chested, Tang Tiehan and Tang Tiecheng emerged like iron towers from the swirling dust. To the servants, they looked like two gods descended to earth. Behind them came nearly a hundred swaggering, spirited comrades, who at first glance resembled heavenly soldiers dropping from the skies. Both brothers were already seeing red. Today, they would make the Hu family give them justice!
Although Hu Xiaotian lived in the inner courtyard, he could hardly have failed to hear such a racket outside. He had carried Tang Qingxuan back to his room, and the girl woke as soon as he set her on the bed.
Of the Tang family's four children, Tang Qingxuan had the greatest temper and courage. Opening her eyes, she found herself trussed up like a sticky-rice dumpling, lying soaking wet on an unfamiliar bed. Frightened, she let out a scream, but Hu Xiaotian clapped a hand over her mouth the instant the sound escaped. He waved the gleaming dagger in his hand before her eyes, then said, "Scream, and I'll slash your face to pieces!" Intimidation-pure intimidation. If it actually came to slashing her, he might not have had the heart.
Still, the intimidation proved quite effective. What girl in this world did not care about her appearance? Threatening to disfigure her worked even better than threatening to kill her. Tang Qingxuan bit her lip and blinked. Watching Hu Xiaotian slowly remove his hand, she no longer dared scream, and asked quietly, "What do you want?"
Hu Xiaotian chuckled and sat in the grand armchair opposite the bed, propping one leg on the seat. He had not yet had time to dress. The moment he raised his leg, he noticed Tang Qingxuan suddenly close her eyes, her pretty face turning bright red. Her boundless bashfulness made her especially alluring.
Only then did Hu Xiaotian realize that he had sprinted all the way back after snatching her, without even finding time to change. That unthinking movement just now had very likely exposed him. He coughed and said, "That's a pretty stupid question. I brought you here-what do you think I want?" Hu Xiaotian felt he was not quite that despicable. He had meant to say something vile and threatening, but ultimately could not get the words out.
Tang Qingxuan opened her beautiful eyes and glared furiously at Hu Xiaotian. "You want to abduct me as your bride! Let me tell you, my father is an imperial official, Tang Wenzheng, Director of the Imperial Stables! If you dare take liberties with me, my father will lodge an accusation against you before His Majesty and have your entire family executed!"
Hu Xiaotian looked at the girl and thought, You vicious little thing! What have I done to you? And you want my whole family executed? Which bastard tied her up like this? Every curve stands out so clearly. Quite a professional job. I've only seen this kind of bondage in Japanese porn before.
Seeing him stare at her, Tang Qingxuan could not help growing flustered. However bold she was, she was still a girl. Besides, she was now bound like a sticky-rice dumpling, utterly unable to fight back.
"Is the Director of the Imperial Stables such a big deal?" Hu Xiaotian said. "He's just a horse keeper."
"You..."
Hu Xiaotian was about to knock Tang Qingxuan's arrogance down a peg when Liang Dazhuang's breathless voice came from outside. "Young master... disaster... disaster!"
Hu Xiaotian pulled the dagger out of the table, walked out of the room, and closed the door behind him. Liang Dazhuang was bent double, his arms braced against his thick thighs, panting heavily. "They... they've broken in... they... broken... in..."
Before he had finished speaking, the Tang brothers came charging into the garden, leading nearly a hundred burly men in a menacing rush.
Liang Dazhuang went deathly pale with fright and immediately turned to flee. After two steps, however, he remembered his duty. If he ran now, he would probably have no place left in the Hu household once this affair was over. Weighing the advantages and disadvantages, he immediately drew the saber at his waist and mustered his courage. "Y-young... young master... you run first... I... I'll cover you..."
Hu Xiaotian looked at him with some contempt. Every inch of him, from his eyelashes to his fingertips, was trembling. He was practically scared out of his wits, yet he talked about protecting him. "Do you understand what it means to hesitate to throw something at a rat for fear of breaking the vase?" Hu Xiaotian asked.
Liang Dazhuang shook his head.
"Do you understand what it means to act without any restraint?"
Liang Dazhuang shook his head again.
"Fuck! You really are ignorant. We've got her in our hands-what the hell are you afraid of?" Unable to bear the fellow's spineless behavior, Hu Xiaotian could not help swearing.
Those words jolted Liang Dazhuang awake as if from a dream. He immediately puffed out his chest again. "N-not... afraid... not afraid! I'm not afraid of anything!" His bellow left Hu Xiaotian's eardrums buzzing. Fuck, a lackey is a lackey! Goddamn it, I've wasted all that breath teaching you.
Hu Xiaotian waved his hand. "Go, bring the girl out and hold your blade against her neck."
Liang Dazhuang nodded repeatedly and turned toward the door. Then something else occurred to him. "Young master, is she... wearing clothes?"
Hu Xiaotian discovered that this servant really was one of a kind. The son of a bitch was never clever when he should be, yet thought of everything when it was none of his business. He chuckled and said, "Stark naked. Lucky you!"
Gulp! Liang Dazhuang swallowed, an image of the girl's soft, tender flesh rising before his eyes. Before his thoughts could go any further, Hu Xiaotian slapped him hard on the head. "Fuck! You dare fantasize about my woman?" Please recommend and bookmark!
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