LFHYB -Chapter 88 She Didn’t See Second Young Master Li

Li Xuanba fled in disgrace, dragging the little eagle along with him.

After returning home, he didn’t even have time to scold Wudi. He went straight to the storeroom to pick out gifts as compensation.

His own eagle chick had smashed up his fiancée’s courtyard. He had no idea how he was supposed to make up for that.

While Li Xuanba was squatting in the storeroom rummaging through things, Li Shimin finally arrived.

He had slipped into Daxing quietly, wanting to give his younger brother a surprise. Instead, as soon as he got home, he heard about something this amusing.

Laughing, Li Shimin patted Wudi on the back. “You’re done for. Do you know how scary A-Xuan gets when he’s angry? You’re way too brave, hahahaha!”

Wudi tried to seek help from its leader, but was smacked to the ground by a wing from Hangu.

Hangu planted a claw on Wudi and scolded it with a disdainful “chirp chirp.”

Leaving Wudi to be disciplined by Hangu for the time being, Li Shimin went to the storeroom to find Li Xuanba.

He tiptoed up behind him and suddenly slapped him on the back. “A-Xuan!”

Li Xuanba jumped like a startled rabbit. “Ah!”

Li Shimin burst out laughing. “Hahahaha, your expression is hilarious!”

Li Xuanba patted his chest. “Second Brother? When did you get here?”

Li Shimin laughed. “Just arrived. Hahaha, Wudi has really made a name for himself, huh.”

Li Xuanba ground his teeth.

Li Shimin continued, “Later I’ll help you deal with it. Are you picking compensation gifts for your sister-in-law? Let me see… You chose some really good things. Why are you squatting here looking so miserable?”

Li Xuanba sighed. “I’ve already sent her plenty of medicinal materials before. This time I want to pick some clothes and jewelry. But clothes and jewelry are too… intimate. I just met her for the first time—if I give her clothes and jewelry that suit her, wouldn’t that make her realize I’ve been paying close attention to her…”

Li Shimin waved to interrupt his rambling, looking puzzled. “I really don’t understand what you’re worried about. You’re an engaged couple—why are you afraid of being ‘intimate’? Being intimate is exactly what you should be.”

Li Xuanba said, “But—”

Li Shimin said boldly, “No ‘buts.’ This time you listen to me. Besides clothes and jewelry, also send some rouge, powder, and soap. Whatever you and Mother and our sisters use, send her a set too. Honestly, you should have done this a long time ago.”

Li Xuanba was still hesitant.

Li Shimin was speechless. “A-Xuan, every time it comes to your sister-in-law, you get all awkward and shy—it makes people anxious just watching you. Look at you this time. You finally met her, but whether it was before when you refused to see her, or when Wudi wrecked her courtyard, you never properly apologized even once. Forget a fiancée—even to an ordinary friend, behaving like this is terrible.”

Li Xuanba lowered his head. “I was just a little…”

Li Shimin cut him off. “Ashamed? Embarrassed? Maybe you have your reasons, but in other people’s eyes, it’s simply disrespectful. A-Xuan, your wife’s standing depends on how much respect you show her. If you’re already like this now, how will you protect her in the future?”

Li Xuanba had nothing to say.

A modern man like him was actually being lectured by a polygamous ancient man about respecting one’s wife—what kind of absurd situation was this?

He sighed. “I understand. I’ll formally apologize.”

Li Shimin nodded in satisfaction. “That’s more like it. Honestly, I don’t get why you’re so shy in front of sister-in-law. You aren’t even afraid when facing His Majesty.”

Li Xuanba muttered, “How can facing the emperor be the same as facing your fiancée?”

In both his past and present lives, aside from relatives, he’d never even held a woman’s hand. Suddenly being forced to face his fiancée without any preparation—of course he was flustered, wasn’t he?

Besides, he’d already done pretty well. Apart from the two questions—“Do you dislike me?” and “Why would meeting me delay things?”—which he really couldn’t answer and could only mumble through, all his other responses had been smooth and articulate. If this were a blind date in modern times, he’d at least make it to a second meal.

Though, to be fair, he’d never actually been on a blind date—just guessing.

Li Shimin said, “You’ve already met her once. The first step has been taken, so don’t dodge it anymore. Send the apology gifts tomorrow. I’ll bring Hangu and Wudi with me so Wudi can properly make amends.”

Li Xuanba thought for a moment, then said, “No need. You go visit the other teachers first. I’ll go by myself.”

Li Shimin teased him, “Are you afraid that if I give you courage this time, you won’t dare face her alone next time?”

Li Xuanba gave an awkward cough.

 Li Shimin said, “All right, I won’t tease you anymore, lest you really lose your nerve. Hurry up and choose—once you’ve picked, I’ll help you look them over.”

Li Xuanba quickened his pace in selecting the apology gifts. “Okay.”

After choosing the gifts, Li Xuanba and Li Shimin worked together to reorganize the luggage and tidy up the courtyard.

While they were at it, Li Xuanba berated Li Shimin for secretly swapping out his clothing chest and stuffing it full of gaudy outfits.

Li Shimin mocked him. “What do you mean gaudy? That’s called elegance and prestige. Do you really plan to meet your fiancée dressed head to toe in pitch-black clothes?”

Li Xuanba argued, “If a man wants to look handsome, he should wear plain black.”

Li Shimin said, “You’re thin to begin with. Wearing all black just makes you look even more gaunt. Light colors suit you better. Listen to me—who do you think is more popular with women, you or me?”

Li Xuanba hesitated, then finally gave in.

Still, he firmly rejected the overly flamboyant clothes his second brother picked, changing only into a light-colored, understated outfit.

Li Shimin rubbed his younger brother’s half-bald head and sighed. “A perfectly fine young nobleman, dragged down by a balding head.”

Looking at his own topknots in the silver mirror, Li Xuanba had to admit that his second brother’s taste was right this time.

No matter how refined or luxurious the clothes were, pairing them with a child’s double-bun hairstyle just looked strange.

“Help me choose a hat,” Li Xuanba said. “Good thing I wore one the last time I went to see Yuwen Zhu.”

“All right,” Li Shimin replied. “Sigh, A-Xuan, let’s start growing our hair out now. Honestly, we should have done it back in Zhangye. How did we not think of it then?”

Li Xuanba nodded in agreement. If only they’d known, they would have let their hair grow back in Zhangye.

Watching his brother choose a hat, then boots, a belt, pendants… bit by bit, a whole pile of items, Li Shimin struggled to hold back his laughter.

In the past, Li Xuanba would complain endlessly whenever clothing and grooming came up. Why didn’t he find it troublesome now?

He absolutely couldn’t laugh—if A-Xuan got embarrassed and angry and just gave up, what then? It had taken so much effort for him to take this first step.

Though, strictly speaking, this first step should have been taken by his future sister-in-law. A-Xuan really was shameless.

Li Shimin tried very hard to suppress his amusement, but how could Li Xuanba fail to notice that his second brother was laughing at him inwardly?

Li Xuanba said sarcastically, “You seem so happy. I’m sure your studies must be going very well.”

Li Shimin smiled. “Of course.”

Li Xuanba was startled. “Aren’t you obsessed with hunting?” He had deliberately not reminded his brother, hoping he’d get scolded!

Li Shimin said, “I got lectured by the teacher before. You learn from a setback. How could I possibly put off my studies this time? Ahem—of course, being so engrossed in hunting in Luoyang that I didn’t come to study in time wasn’t ideal, so I made up some of the coursework on my own.”

Li Xuanba didn’t believe him and flipped through Li Shimin’s study chest.

The more he looked, the more alarmed he became. His second brother had not only completed all the assignments the teachers had given, but had also written reflections on many books the teachers hadn’t even assigned.

Staring at the sheer volume of work, Li Xuanba asked in confusion, “Aren’t you out hunting every day? When do you have time to read?”

Li Shimin replied, “It’s not like I hunt without sleeping or resting. I read on horseback, read in the tent, read while eating, even while squatting in the latrine. There’s always time.”

Listening to his brother’s offhand tone, Li Xuanba didn’t know whether to admire him.

This ability to squeeze time out of nowhere was indeed admirable—but the fact that his brother worked so hard to make time and still insisted on hunting every single day was hard to judge.

His second brother’s discipline and diligence in both study and martial training far surpassed ordinary people, but could he really not rein in his obsession with hunting?

Li Xuanba sighed. “All right, then. You should be able to get through it.”

Li Shimin snorted. “Are you disappointed that you won’t get to see me scolded by the teacher?”

Li Xuanba snorted back. “No matter how diligent you are with your studies, you’ll still get scolded for being obsessed with hunting.”

Li Shimin shot his brother an unhappy look.

Li Xuanba raised his brows at his second brother.

Li Shimin clenched his fist. “I’ll deal with you when you get back tomorrow.”

Li Xuanba said, “You’d better think about how to placate Teacher Gao tomorrow.”

The two brothers had only just met and were already “arguing.” Elsewhere, the two eagles, meeting again, also got into a fight.

The servants all shook their heads with smiles.

Truly, like master, like eagles.

The next day, Li Shimin went off in high spirits to face the teacher’s storm of reprimands, while Li Xuanba went out as well, bringing the two eagles with him.

Han Gou gestured with its wings—it wanted to accompany Wu Di to apologize, lest Wu Di try to wriggle out of it and fly away halfway.

The day before, Li Xuanba had already told Han Gou and Wu Di that Yuwen Zhu was the one who had embroidered the scarves for them.

So this time, when Li Xuanba and Yuwen Zhu formally met, Han Gou and Wu Di tapped each other’s scarves with their wings, then nodded and “bowed” to Yuwen Zhu in thanks.

Yuwen Zhu had been a little shy because of her hasty departure the day before, but seeing the doubly clever eaglets, her embarrassment was greatly diluted by delight.

She reached out and patted the two eaglets. “There’s no need to thank me.”

Wu Di muttered to Han Gou: So this family’s leader is the father we’ve been supporting by roaming around and hunting to feed the whole household?

Han Gou agreed: Seems so.

Wu Di: That’s really hard work.

Han Gou: Indeed.

Li Xuanba and Yuwen Zhu had no idea what odd thoughts were going through the small heads of the two eaglets. After a brief exchange of pleasantries—thanks to the groundwork laid by their meeting the day before—their conversation flowed much more naturally.

Yuwen Zhu spoke frankly to Li Xuanba, covering her mouth with a handkerchief as she laughed. “Actually, this isn’t the first time I’ve seen you. The day you went into the city with Prince of Qi… with His Highness the Crown Prince, I caught a distant glimpse of you from inside my carriage.”

Li Xuanba said, “The day we entered the city? You mean when we rode our horses through the streets? Then the one you saw should have been my elder brother, Li Shimin. He charged at the very front alongside the Crown Prince. I was mixed in with the guards—not very noticeable.”

Yuwen Zhu was surprised. “Second Young Master Li was there too? I didn’t see him at all. You were dressed in black and wearing a Hu cap—standing out like a crane among chickens, extremely eye-catching.”

Li Xuanba was puzzled.

The guards were all tall and imposing; how could he, a young lad mixed among them, stand out like a crane among chickens? And his second brother was not only right beside the Crown Prince, but also dressed very conspicuously—how could she not have noticed him?

The two of them had only been talking for a short while when Li Shimin came to visit.

Yuwen Bi invited Yuwen Zhu to meet him as well.

Since Yuwen Zhu had already met Li Xuanba, it wouldn’t hurt to see Li Shimin too. Moreover, Li Shimin and Li Xuanba were twins and looked very similar, so it would be good for Yuwen Zhu to see both of them and notice the differences—avoiding any confusion in the future.

After Yuwen Zhu and Li Shimin exchanged greetings, Li Xuanba, curious, asked, “Weren’t you just going to see Teacher Gao? How did you get here so quickly?”

Li Shimin’s face turned ashen. “I was stopped right outside the door by Teacher Gao—I didn’t even get in.”

Li Xuanba pretended to sympathize: “You’re done for.”

Yuwen Bi’s face darkened. “If it weren’t for Dade being here, you wouldn’t have gotten in at all!”

Li Shimin pleaded, “Teacher, I was wrong!”

Yuwen Bi scolded him: “You keep getting it wrong every time—when have you ever taken it seriously? Come here, this time I’m going to properly scold you!”

Yuwen Bi grabbed Li Shimin by the arm and left, letting Li Xuanba and Yuwen Zhu continue their leisurely chat.

They walked toward the backyard garden, with the two bird statues strutting behind them like chickens.

Yuwen Zhu sighed. “I thought Third Brother and Li Erlang looked exactly alike, but apparently there’s a difference—you can tell at a glance.”

Li Xuanba had often heard people say the same thing before, but today it made his chest tighten a little. He smiled: “Yes. Even if they looked exactly alike, you could still tell the difference.”

Yuwen Zhu nodded. “No wonder I didn’t see Li Erlang.”

Li Xuanba replied, “Ah… is that so?”

In a low voice, Yuwen Zhu said, “Li Erlang is like a mischievous child… Changsun Sister will have a hard time… Ah, don’t tell anyone! I’m not one to gossip behind people’s backs! I just thought of Changsun Sister. She said she wants to go spring outing in Luoyang with me.”

Hearing Yuwen Zhu hurriedly defend herself, Li Xuanba quickly said, “That’s not gossiping. Lady Yuwen, don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

Yuwen Zhu exhaled in relief.

She looked back. “Doesn’t Wudie and Hangou get tired walking like this? Wouldn’t it be more comfortable if they flew?”

Li Xuanba explained, “They’ve been walking with my second brother and me since they were little, so they’re used to it. At one point, my brother and I even worried they couldn’t fly.”

Li Xuanba and Yuwen Zhu strolled through the small courtyard, chatting about the scenery beyond the walls.

Yuwen Zhu had memorized almost every detail from Li Xuanba’s letters and asked about everything she was curious about.

Li Xuanba explained everything in detail and added many additional points.

For example, how he had gathered intelligence on the Tuyuhun Khan’s escape route, and how he arranged for reinforcements from the Uighurs.

It was the first time Li Xuanba had spoken at such length about what he had done, almost like boasting.

Unexpectedly, he didn’t feel embarrassed—he even felt a small thrill. Yet while describing his schemes to Yuwen Zhu, he didn’t consciously notice this little spark of excitement.

They wandered around the courtyard for a long time and then sat in the pavilion to drink tea and eat pastries.

But neither of them really ate or drank much.

Drinking too much tea would require a bathroom break, and both were too embarrassed to excuse themselves. So they just sipped a little water to moisten their lips and continued talking.

After Li Xuanba had talked a lot, Yuwen Zhu unconsciously began to share her own experiences.

She spoke of personally cultivating medicinal herbs. She had thought tending flowers wasn’t tiring, so cultivating herbs wouldn’t be either—but it turned out to be different.

She also mentioned that handling herbs could hurt her hands. She enjoyed working with them, but seeing the calluses on her hands made her feel a little sad.

Her nails would easily get dirt and herb debris under them, so she cut them short. This meant many of the beautiful herbs she collected stained her nails but went unused.

Now, Yuwen Zhu hid her hands in her sleeves.

But Li Xuanba remembered seeing Yuwen Zhu’s hands when she fed Wudie yesterday—hands that were far rougher than those of a typical noblewoman.

Ah, so it was from planting and handling herbs.

Li Xuanba thought that he should make a jar of hand cream from the glycerin he extracted for her—and also arrange some false nails.

Young people were shy and awkward when embarrassed, but they got used to each other quickly.

Li Xuanba could enjoy chatting with someone whenever he wanted.

This time, talking with a stranger he had only met once before, he didn’t prepare his words in advance as usual—what he wanted to say just came out naturally, without much thought.

He spoke fluently, yet felt like he wasn’t really thinking, merely following instinct in his conversation with Yuwen Zhu.

When Yuwen Bi returned with a dejected Li Shimin and told them it was getting late and that Li Xuanba should leave, Li Xuanba realized they had been talking for half a day.

Seeing his teacher’s disapproving gaze, Li Xuanba’s face flushed.

When Yuwen Zhu sent Li Xuanba off, she hesitated for a long time before taking a small embroidered pouch from her sleeve, blushing as she said, “I wanted to send this when you were in Zhangye, but it wasn’t finished in time.”

Yuwen Zhu had wanted to say, “Don’t dislike it,” but felt it sounded too weak—maybe she should say, “No disliking allowed.”

After thinking it over, she realized anything she said would be too embarrassing, so she remained silent.

Li Xuanba took the pouch carefully with both hands: “I will treasure it.”

Li Shimin: “Pfft!”

Smack! Yuwen Bi gave Li Shimin a hard slap on the head.

The natural ease that Li Xuanba and Yuwen Zhu had shared over half a day vanished in an instant at Li Shimin’s laugh, leaving them both red-faced and awkward.

Yuwen Zhu whispered, “No need to treasure it so much; I’ll embroider it better next time.”

Then, ignoring etiquette, she lifted her skirts and ran off.

Li Xuanba clutched the pouch and glared fiercely at his older brother.

Li Shimin: “Pfft… hahaha! Teacher, don’t hit me! Isn’t this hilarious? I’ve never seen A-Xuan make this expression! Oh, I wish Fang Xuanling and the others could see this!”

Yuwen Bi had intended to scold Li Shimin, but after hearing his laughter, even he couldn’t help but smile: “All of you, get out!”

Yuwen Bi kicked both of his disciples out the door.

Once the door was closed, his smile vanished. “Dade worries that after meeting Zhu’er, she will be sad over his early death. His concern… was really accurate. Sigh.”

Yesterday, Yuwen Zhu had told Yuwen Bi the encouraging words she had heard from Li Xuanba. Looking at his granddaughter’s expression, Yuwen Bi realized that for the rest of her life, there would be no room in her heart or eyes for anyone else.

Such a disciple, such a grandson-in-law… truly too outstanding.

“Dade, oh Dade, you must take care of your health.”

Yuwen Bi prayed.

…

“Hahahahaha… stop hitting me, it’s really funny!” Li Shimin dodged his brother’s punches. “Stop, stop! If you hit me again, I’ll fight back!”

The two hawks were also squeezed into the carriage, chirping to each other in some unknown conversation.

Li Xuanba, embarrassed and angry, shouted, “If you laugh again, I’ll compile all your embarrassing history into a booklet and send it to sister-in-law!”

Li Shimin said, “I’m not afraid. Okay, okay, I’m afraid, I’m afraid. Calm down.”

Li Xuanba shifted his position, sitting a little farther from his second brother, reviewing the events of the day.

Now that they had left the Yuwen residence, his mind cleared, and he tried to think carefully whether any of the things he had said earlier were inappropriate.

After a moment of reflection, Li Xuanba buried his face in his hands.

Li Shimin, curious, asked, “Why are you suddenly shy again?”

Li Xuanba murmured, “Lady Yuwen said that when we returned to Daxing with Prince Qi that day, she only saw me.”

Li Shimin said, “What Prince Qi? He’s already the Crown Prince. She only saw you? Oh, she must have just been looking for you in the procession, right? What’s there to be shy about? Even when Guanyin stood with us, she didn’t see you either.”

Li Xuanba shot Li Shimin a sideways glance. “It’s normal that when we stood together, others could only see you and not me.”

“Ah?!” Li Shimin scratched his head.

Li Xuanba changed the topic. “Let’s not talk about that. You should focus on figuring out how to calm Teacher Gao tomorrow.”

“Oh.” Li Shimin replied perfunctorily. He wondered, what exactly did Xuanba mean? “Others can see only you and not me… is that normal?”

Li Shimin pushed the question to the back of his mind.

Right now, the most important thing was to get Teacher Gao’s forgiveness; everything else could wait.

When Li Shimin was diligently knocking on Gao Jing’s door, Li Xuanba finally freed his hands to take care of Wudi.

Using drawings, he told Wudi the heroic story of Changsun Sheng achieving “two hawks with one arrow” and then increased Wudi’s training in dodging arrows.

Li Xuanba tied a long rope to one of Wudi’s legs to limit his flying range.

He raised his crossbow. “Dodge well.”

Before he finished speaking, a blunt crossbow bolt struck Wudi’s wing, making the hawk cry out in pain.

Though drawing the crossbow was laborious for Li Xuanba, even if it couldn’t pierce armor, it was still easy to hurt a single hawk.

Hangu, folding its wings, looked on gleefully at Wudi’s intensified training.

Serves you right! Don’t drag me into “two hawks with one arrow”!

By the time Wudi sincerely repented, Li Shimin had finally entered Gao Jing’s house and obtained his forgiveness.

When he heard Li Shimin swear to hunt only once a month, Li Xuanba was extremely surprised.

He asked, “When you say once, do you mean one hunting trip per month?”

Li Shimin chased after Li Xuanba in mock retaliation.

The two brothers reunited in Daxing. They took turns visiting the three teachers daily, and the structured life made time seem to pass faster.

Winter was approaching, and it was time to return to Luoyang.

Before leaving, Li Xuanba left Yan Zhen and Xiang Gu in Daxing to manage the new assets he had purchased.

Li Shimin hadn’t paid much attention to his brother’s business dealings, so only now did he realize what Li Xuanba had been doing in Daxing.

He was so shocked his jaw nearly dropped. “You actually dug tunnels?! Aren’t you afraid His Majesty will find out and wipe out your entire family?!”

Li Xuanba calmly replied, “It takes me ten years to dig a tunnel—who would notice? I’ve done it in Luoyang too. It may not even be used, and it could still be discovered when needed, but I’m preparing in advance.”

Li Shimin was speechless.

Every time he thought his brother couldn’t be more impressive, Xuanba always did something that astonished him even more.

Li Shimin decided he needed to increase his study workload, or he would never keep up with his brother’s mind!

Curious, Li Shimin asked, “Besides digging tunnels, what else have you prepared?”

Li Xuanba said, “The iron wok is finally complete. Once we return to Luoyang, we can cook stir-fry.”

Li Shimin was puzzled. Iron wok? Stir-fry?

He knew what an iron wok and stir-fry were, but what did that have to do with siege warfare?

Li Xuanba said, “It doesn’t matter. Being able to prepare tunnels is already enough.”

Li Shimin blankly said, “True. Let’s go back to Luoyang for stir-fry! Is it tasty?”

Li Xuanba replied, “How would I know if it suits your taste?”

Iron woks, kitchen knives, hoes, sickles.

Improving cooking and farming tools benefits the people. He presented the designs to Yang Guang, who even rewarded him for it.