TSWPF -Chapter 238 Danger

As Li Qingling and the others were lining up, preparing to leave the city through the gate, a rapid clatter of hooves suddenly sounded from behind them. At the same time, a loud shout rang out:

“Make way! Make way! Anyone who wants to die, get out of my path!”

The people waiting in line to exit the city screamed in fright when they saw a group of horses charging toward them at full speed.

The young and agile scattered with a thunderous rush, fleeing in all directions. But the elderly—those with unsteady legs—wanted to run and yet couldn’t move fast enough.

Hearing the commotion, Li Qingling leaned out and glanced outside. When she saw the galloping horses, her eyes widened instantly.

There was no way their carriage could dodge in time.

And if they were hit, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Li Qingling didn’t have time to think. The crossbow in her hands was already aimed, and she shot toward the horses’ legs.

At the same moment, the guards of the Luo residence moved as well, shooting arrows at the legs of the other horses.

In an instant, the city gate was filled with the shrill cries of horses.

With a thunderous crash, the horses struck by arrows all collapsed to their knees.

Some riders were thrown to the ground, while others—those with martial skills—leapt off before their horses fell.

Liu Zhishan watched his beloved horse scream in agony. His eyes turned red as he strode forward. When he saw Li Qingling, the anger in his heart flared even more. He kicked the carriage she was sitting in and shouted, “So it’s you again, you damned girl! Get out here!”

His precious horse had been injured like this—if he didn’t seek justice for it, then his surname wouldn’t be Liu.

Li Qingling looked at Liu Zhishan coldly. “Master Liu, what impressive arrogance. Galloping wildly in a place with so many people—looks like you truly don’t care about human lives at all.”

Enemies really were fated to meet. Even here, she could run into him.

Seeing Liu Zhishan’s behavior, the Liu family’s upbringing really deserved scrutiny.

Last time, Liu Zhishan had let Li Qingling escape. Now that he had run into her again—and she had even injured his beloved horse—if he didn’t take it out on her, then on whom would he take it out?

“You damned girl, get down here!” Liu Zhishan kicked the carriage again.

“You injured my horse—how do you plan to settle this?”

Li Qingling was about to speak when Li Zhimou tugged her back. She turned to look at him, only to see him wrap an arm around her shoulders and move her aside as he stepped forward to the window, taking her place.

His expression was stern as he looked at Liu Zhishan, his voice icy and flat. “Sir, being unreasonable suits you perfectly.”

You were the one recklessly riding horses and endangering lives, yet you still dared to be so arrogant?

Liu Zhishan froze when he saw Liu Zhimou’s severe face. For some reason, he felt the man looked a little like his grandfather.

Especially that cold gaze—it felt exactly the same.

He feared nothing under heaven, except his grandfather. All it took was one indifferent glance from the old man to make him tremble in fear.

“You… what’s your name?” he asked.

Li Zhimou pressed a hand lightly on Li Qingling’s shoulder, then stepped down from the carriage alone. He was slightly taller than Liu Zhishan, and when he stood before him, the pressure he exuded made Liu Zhishan unconsciously take a step back.

“Y-you still haven’t told me your name,” Liu Zhishan said again.

Li Zhimou curled his lips coldly. “Before asking someone else’s name, shouldn’t you first state your own?”

He, too, felt the man before him looked faintly familiar.

But he was certain he had never met him before.

Liu Zhishan took a deep breath and said his name was Liu Zhishan.

Liu Zhishan?

Was it really just a coincidence? Or was it related to his father?

Countless thoughts spun through Liu Zhimou’s mind, yet his expression remained cold.

“Master Liu, don’t you realize how dangerous your actions just now were?” Li Zhimou pointed at the elderly people sitting on the ground in fright. His gaze toward Liu Zhishan turned icy. “Do you know how many people you nearly got killed?”

Did he really think that just because he came from a noble family, he could do whatever he pleased?

Judging by Liu Zhishan’s attitude, this clearly wasn’t the first time he’d done something like this.

Being lectured like this in public, Liu Zhishan couldn’t swallow his pride. His face turned livid as he shouted at Liu Zhimou, “What does it have to do with you?”

“Your actions nearly injured me and my family,” Li Zhimou replied. “So of course it concerns me.”

Stung by Liu Zhimou’s rebuke, Liu Zhishan bristled all over. He crossed his arms and snorted coldly. “So what? I’ll do whatever I want when I feel like it. You’re all fine, but my beloved horse isn’t. Tell me—how are you going to compensate me?”

Li Zhimou opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, a cold snort rang out.

“So this is how Old Man Liu teaches his grandson? How impressive.”

As the words fell, Mr. Luo stepped down from his carriage, his hands clasped behind his back as he strode over.

The moment Liu Zhishan saw Mr. Luo, he wilted instantly. He stammered as he greeted him.

In the entire capital, who didn’t know that Mr. Luo was the emperor’s teacher? The emperor held his teacher in the highest regard—offend anyone in the capital, but never offend Mr. Luo.

Mr. Luo sized Liu Zhishan up from head to toe, his expression growing even more displeased.
“Who gave you the guts to gallop horses in a busy marketplace? Old Man Liu? Hmm?”

The Liu family was truly becoming more and more rotten. He really didn’t want his grand-disciple to return to the Liu household.

But he also knew this matter couldn’t be hidden for long.

Still, as long as he was around, if his grand-disciple didn’t want to return to the Liu family, no one could force him.

His grand-disciple—he would protect him.

Liu Zhishan shrank his neck and shook his head, saying it wasn’t so.

Mr. Luo shot him a glance, then looked at the other noble youths. The displeasure in his eyes deepened.

He beckoned to the guards of the Luo residence and told them to summon the Imperial Guards to take these people away.

As soon as they heard Mr. Luo’s words, the group of noble youths all began begging for mercy, swearing they would never dare again.

Mr. Luo was unmoved. He swept them with a cold gaze and said, “If my guards hadn’t reacted quickly this time, this old man would have lost his life at your hands.”

Daring to bully his grand-disciple and his grand-disciple’s wife—then they had to bear the consequences.

If he didn’t teach these noble youths a proper lesson, they would never truly repent.

If something had really happened to the emperor’s teacher… then their families— their families—

At that thought, the noble youths all shuddered violently.

Luckily… luckily the Luo residence guards had reacted quickly, and nothing serious had happened.

Before long, the guards returned with a small squad of Imperial Guards.

The squad leader hurried over respectfully and asked Mr. Luo what had happened.

Mr. Luo pointed at Liu Zhishan and the other noble youths, briefly explained the situation, and told the squad leader to take them away, report to the emperor, and let His Majesty decide.

The squad leader swallowed nervously and nodded repeatedly, promising to handle it properly.

But inwardly, he was groaning—these people were no small figures among the noble families.

Mr. Luo gave a hum of acknowledgment, patted Li Zhimou on the shoulder, told him to get back on the carriage, and then returned to his own.

Once Mr. Luo’s carriage left the city, the squad leader ordered his men to take the group of noble youths away.

With Mr. Luo gone, the noble youths became arrogant again.

“Do you know who we are? Touch us even once and we’ll make sure you don’t see tomorrow’s sun!”

Hearing such blatant threats, the squad leader clenched his teeth in fury and let out a cold laugh. “Save those words for when you’re standing before the emperor. You even dared to lay hands on Mr. Luo—have you grown fur on your courage?”

He waved to the other Imperial Guards, who immediately dragged the group away.

By the time the various noble families received the news, those youths were already standing before the emperor.

The emperor looked at the group kneeling before him, told them to rise, and then asked the squad leader what had happened.

The squad leader stepped forward and respectfully recounted the entire incident.

As the emperor listened, his expression grew colder and colder. His gaze toward the noble youths became increasingly severe, frightening them into breaking out in cold sweat.

“Is Mr. Luo all right?” the emperor asked.

“Reporting to Your Majesty, Mr. Luo is unharmed. After giving his instructions, he boarded his carriage and left the city.”

The emperor hummed, tapped his fingers lightly on the table, and after a moment, let out a short laugh.

With a smile in his voice, he said, “Even I wouldn’t dare to gallop horses in a busy marketplace. Who gave you the guts to do so? Hmm?”

As soon as he said this, the noble youths all dropped to their knees again, banging their heads on the ground and admitting their mistakes.

They had never imagined they would be so unlucky this time—to run into Mr. Luo and nearly injure him.

Thankfully, Mr. Luo was unharmed. Otherwise, their entire families would truly have been doomed.

Just then, the eunuch Gao Song came in to report that the ministers had arrived.

“They came rather quickly,” the emperor sneered.

“Let them in.”

For the sake of his realm’s stability, he couldn’t deal too harshly with these noble youths.

But he couldn’t let them off lightly either. If he didn’t teach them a lesson, he would be wasting his teacher’s intentions.

When he learned from the squad leader that it was his teacher who had ordered the youths brought before him, he immediately understood his teacher’s meaning.

The ambitions of these ministers were growing more and more inflated. It was time to give them a warning and rein them in.

When the parents and grandparents of the noble youths entered and saw that their children and grandsons bore no obvious injuries, the tension in their hearts finally eased.

As long as they hadn’t been punished, it was fine.

“Long live the emperor, long live, long live!”

“Rise, my ministers,” the emperor said calmly, lifting his hand slightly.

“You have all come to see me—what important matter is it?”

The ministers exchanged glances, bitter smiles flickering in their eyes. The emperor was clearly about to suppress them.

Liu Zhishan’s grandfather, Liu Zhen, stepped forward. He cupped his hands and bowed, lowering his head respectfully. “Your Majesty, this old minister’s grandson Liu Zhishan is ignorant and ill-mannered. I fear he has offended Your Majesty’s eyes, so I wish to take him home and discipline him properly.”

As for this grandson—he was utterly disappointed.

With Liu Zhen taking the lead, the others followed, stepping forward to plead.

After listening to them calmly, the emperor finally spoke: “If my teacher hadn’t intervened this time, who knows how many lives would have been lost? Your children are people—are other people’s lives not lives as well?”

The words were not harsh, yet they made the ministers drop to their knees once more with a heavy thud.