roccoschili Chapter 138 The Arrogant Hou Junji
Chapter 138 The Arrogant Hou Junji
Today, Xianyang seems to be shrouded in a festive atmosphere.
On both sides of the street, people poured in like a tide, layer upon layer, blocking the road.
There was curiosity in their eyes.
Since the funeral of Emperor Taizong, the gates of Xianyang have been closed for a long time.
And today, the government announced that the city gates will be opened again.
Accompanied by a dull creaking sound, everyone stretched their necks and speculated in their hearts.
What kind of big shot could have the gates of Xianyang City opened for him?
One after another, magnificent carriages filed into Xianyang City.
The leading carriage was even more magnificent, with its body made of sandalwood and intricate patterns carefully carved on it.
Inside the car, Li Shimin sat upright on a soft brocade cushion. Although he was past his prime, his eyes were still sharp, revealing heroism and composure.
At this moment, his left hand gently embraced Xiao Sizi.
The small body curled up in his arms, and the little face of the little Sizi was pressed against his chest.
His right hand gently embraced A Yuan, and A Yuan looked curiously at the world outside the carriage, her eyes full of novelty and excitement.
Li Mingda and Li Jiming are like two lively young swallows, full of desire and curiosity about the outside world.
Li Mingda was the first to carefully stick his head out of the car window. His snow-white face was gently brushed by the breeze, and a few strands of hair danced playfully on his cheeks.
Her eyes were wide open, looking at everything outside the car.
Seeing this, Li Jiming was not willing to be outdone. He quickly imitated his sister and stuck his head out of the window.
Her little nose twitched slightly, as if she smelled the delicious food from Xianyang City.
Li Shimin was in the carriage, his eyes always closely following the two children, his eyes full of concern and doting.
He kept muttering, "Be careful! You two! Don't fall out!"
As he spoke, he used his broad, powerful hands to exert a little force, tightly gripping the two men's calves like iron pliers.
"Aye! It's so lively outside!"
Li Mingda's clear and pleasant voice rang out in the carriage.
Her fair little face flushed charmingly with excitement.
She turned her head, her eyes full of joy and excitement.
Li Shimin nodded slightly, a proud smile on his face.
"Xianyang must be bustling! It's the best city under your father's rule, much better than Chang'an!"
As he said this, his chest puffed out slightly.
Upon hearing this, Li Jiming quickly withdrew from the car window like an agile little cat and threw himself into Li Shimin's arms.
She rubbed her little head against Li Shimin's arms and said coquettishly, "Aye, really? Can you take us out to play later?"
That look is hard for anyone to resist.
Li Shimin gently stroked her little head and his fingers tenderly ran through her soft hair.
"Of course I can. Let me show you how prosperous the Zhenguan Era was under Aye's rule!"
There were only three of them in the carriage.
Li Shimin had made special arrangements in advance just to enjoy this rare parent-child time.
Yuchi Jingde originally wanted to come along, but was directly declined by Li Shimin.
How can I ruin the atmosphere between him and his daughter?
And if Yuchi Jingde were here.
There were many things that Li Shimin was too embarrassed to say out loud.
Wen Ruchu was already standing at the gate of the former Prince's Mansion, now the Tang Dynasty Meritorious Officials Sanatorium.
His expression was solemn and dignified.
Li Chengqian had previously told him to tell Wen Ruchu the whole process.
Especially the emperor, he must be taken care of carefully.
I am grateful for the care given by Your Majesty. I will do my best to complete the task assigned by Your Majesty!
Back then, he was always suspicious in the mansion. Every little movement would make him jump with fear, for fear that the Jinyiwei would sneak in quietly.
As time went by, he discovered that his mansion was already full of Jinyiwei. They followed him like a shadow, closely monitoring every move in the mansion 24 hours a day.
From then on, Wen Ruchu knew that his every move was under the control of His Majesty, so he willingly became His Majesty's loyal bootlicker, wholeheartedly serving His Majesty.
Looking at the slowly approaching carriage, Wen Ruchu took a deep breath, then shouted loudly, "Welcome all the heroes of the Tang Dynasty to the sanatorium!"
One by one, old men with gray hair but vigorous spirits got out of the car.
They are all legendary figures in the Tang Dynasty, and they can shake the Tang Dynasty with just a stomp of their feet.
As the governor of Xianyang, Wen Ruchu had met many important figures in Chang'an on a daily basis, but today's scene still made him nervous.
He silently chanted their names in his mind: "Li Ji, Li Jing, Cheng Yaojin, Hou Junji, Yuchi Jingde..."
He glanced at everyone one by one, his heart filled with awe.
"And the emperor who drove directly into the sanatorium."
Among all these meritorious people, the person in that carriage had the most respected status, and only his carriage had the privilege of driving directly into the sanatorium.
The hot-tempered Hou Junji was immediately furious when he saw the carriage drive straight into the entrance of the sanatorium, and his eyes widened.
Without saying a word, he rushed forward and grabbed Wen Ruchu's collar.
His eyes were filled with anger as he asked loudly.
"What do you mean? Why can that carriage go in directly?"
"And we can only stop at the door?"
Wen Ruchu did not panic in the face of Hou Junji's anger.
He raised his head slightly, his eyes calmly meeting Hou Junji's, and explained slowly, "Because the person in that carriage holds the highest status among all the meritorious officials, only his carriage can enter directly."
His voice was steady, and despite facing the pressure from Hou Junji, he showed no intention of backing down.
At this moment, everyone else was attracted by Hou Junji's loud voice and their eyes all turned over here.
When everyone heard Hou Junji's words, their expressions changed slightly.
Hou Junji didn't notice the other people's gazes. Instead, he turned to Wen Ruchu, pointed his finger at Li Jing, and shouted, "Do you know who he is?"
Wen Ruchu turned slightly to the side, his eyes fell on Li Jing, and he said respectfully, "General Li Jing."
"Li Jing, the Grand Tutor of the Tang Dynasty, Duke of Wei."
His attitude was humble and polite, and his words were full of respect for Li Jing.
After all, Li Jing's achievements and prestige are known to everyone in the Tang Dynasty.
When Hou Junji heard Wen Ruchu's words, a hint of surprise flashed across his eyes.
He originally thought that by revealing Li Jing's identity, Wen Ruchu would realize his mistake, but he didn't expect Wen Ruchu to still insist.
"You know him? Do you dare to say that the man who went in has greater achievements than him?"
Hou Junji turned to look at Li Jing and said loudly.
"General Li!"
"Listen to what this person said. He actually said that the person who went in had a greater contribution than you."
After saying this, Hou Junji threw his head back and laughed out loud. His laughter was filled with a bit of disdain and sarcasm, which sounded particularly harsh.
Li Jing simply glanced at Hou Junji indifferently and calmly replied something that Hou Junji did not expect: "The person who entered has indeed made much greater contributions than me, and even my status is far inferior. That person can naturally enter first."
Li Jing's words were neither humble nor arrogant, like a heavy hammer, which instantly stunned Hou Junji.
He widened his eyes, his face full of disbelief, and swept his surprised gaze over everyone's faces one by one, but found that everyone looked as if it was their due.
Hou Junji felt his face burning, as if he had been slapped hard in the face.
Self-esteem was shattered in an instant.
He snorted coldly, and in order to save some face, he was the first to rush into the sanatorium.
Today he must see who has made such a great contribution!
Seeing Hou Junji go in, no one stopped him. Li Ji glanced at Li Jing with a questioning look in his eyes: "You know everything?"
Li Jing nodded slightly and said nothing more.
His expression was as calm as water, he just stood there quietly, everything was within his expectations.
When Hou Junji rushed into the sanatorium, Li Shimin was facing away from him, bending down and carefully carrying Li Jiming out of the car.
Hou Junji looked at the back and felt a sense of familiarity in his heart, but he couldn't remember who it was for a moment.
The curiosity and unwillingness in his heart grew stronger and stronger. No matter what, he had to find out who it was that dared to say that his contribution was greater than Li Jing's!
Li Shimin was concentrating on hugging Li Jiming when he suddenly felt someone pat his shoulder hard.
His brows furrowed instantly, and a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes.
How dare someone in this Tang Dynasty be so bold as to be rude to him.
He turned around slowly, his movements calm and steady.
The moment he turned his eyes, he looked at the person who came.
When his eyes met Hou Junji's, Li Shimin was stunned.
Hou Junji was struck by lightning. He stood still for a moment, and the expression on his face froze.
Then his legs softened and he fell to his knees with a plop, shouting in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty!"