"Your Highness, yesterday, three groups of people were spying on us. One group went too far and even tried to take some samples back, so we confronted them. They had bad intentions, but they didn't gain any advantage. I killed one of them, but I was also injured."
Niu Yi said honestly.
Three groups of people?
Li Xiang smiled bitterly. It seemed that good things would always be coveted by others. He had just made money from liquor, and these people had already started to set their sights on it.
But it's normal. A business of 700 strings of cash a day is enough to attract the attention of all kinds of people. It would be a lie if no one came to take advantage of it.
"Have you found out who they are?"
We are not afraid of someone coming to inquire about us, but we must find out their background clearly. As long as we find out their background clearly, we will know how to deal with it.
"One group came from above. They didn't stay for long and didn't clash with us, but after we reached the Imperial City, we couldn't follow them in."
Niu Yi pointed to the top of his head while speaking. They only knew that these people came from the palace, but they were not sure whether they were Li Shimin's men. There were several groups of people that could be sent out from the palace, and they might not be sent by Li Shimin.
"The second group was Hou Junji's men. They didn't clash with us, but fled as fast as they could after being discovered. The third group fled to Changlefang. We don't know who they belong to."
There is no doubt that Niu Yi and his men have excellent execution capabilities, but they don't know much about Chang'an City. If they went to a well-known place, they would certainly know who these people belonged to. However, Changlefang is an area in Chang'an City, where all kinds of people are mixed, and it is impossible to find out who these people belong to.
"Go find Qian Ping."
Li Xiang said while eating that he didn't know what this place was used for, but there was one person in the Eastern Palace who would definitely know, and that was the eunuch chief Qian Ping.
"In reply to Your Highness, the largest force in Changlefang is the Fuyun Restaurant, an asset of the Qinghe Cui family."
Qian Ping had never been to the scene, so naturally he didn't know who these people belonged to, but he knew some information about Changlefang. The Qinghe Cui family was the majority there, with the other five surnames and seven families assisting.
This is the group of people who are fighting with us. No wonder they want to take samples. They are also a major wine-making family in Chang'an City, even more powerful than the Changsun family. Are they going to take action now?
"Can we find some fun in Changlefang?"
When Li Xiang said this, the others remained calm. It was normal for us to make fun of someone who was looking for trouble with us. However, Qian Ping's face changed drastically. The Five Surnames and Seven Families were different from other families. You could look for trouble with Hou Junji and Li Yuanchang, but try not to provoke these people. Even the emperor would not provoke them.
"Your Highness, the Five Clans and Seven Families are deeply intertwined. They hold immense influence among the middle and lower classes of the Tang Dynasty, especially among the middle-level officials of the imperial court. This has reached an alarming degree. If we don't have a plan, we might not be able to stop it."
Qian Ping is the chief eunuch of the Eastern Palace and is considered a top figure in Chang'an City. However, when this man talked about the Five Surnames and Seven Families, there was a look of awe on his face. It can be imagined how powerful these people are in Chang'an City.
"That's my business. Just tell me if you can find some evidence against them."
Li Xiang continued to eat breakfast, not taking these people seriously at all. With my current strength, even if I rebel in Chang'an City, I can still make some noise, not to mention these big families. As long as I have enough status, I will kill you.
"There are plenty of things to hold against them. Over the years, the major families of the Five Surnames and Seven Aristocrats have been extremely arrogant. This is mainly because the imperial court doesn't dare to intervene in their affairs, and minor matters are simply ignored. This is why they have become extremely arrogant and extravagant. But if Your Highness wants to cause trouble for them, you need to find a way in, otherwise it will be unreasonable."
Qian Ping thought for a while and said, even if the other party is in trouble all over, it has nothing to do with the affairs under your jurisdiction. If your Highness insists on intervening, then the five surnames and seven families may regard your Highness as an enemy. We already have quite a few enemies now.
Li Xiang nodded, indicating that Qian Ping was right. Even if he wanted to cause trouble for others, he had to have a legitimate reason. After all, everyone had been checking and balancing each other within the rules over the years, and Li Xiang could not break this rule.
"Does the Cui family have anything to do with me in Liaodong?"
Li Xiang's current official position is the deputy seal holder of Liaodong Division, so he can only make a fuss about this.
Upon hearing this, Qian Ping smiled bitterly. If the Five Surnames and Seven Families did business, they would concentrate in the two capitals and the Jiangnan region, which were the most profitable places. The Liaodong region under the jurisdiction of His Highness was not even looked down upon by them and had nothing to do with them.
"Your Highness, the eldest son of the Duke of Wu, Yuchi Baolin, is here to visit."
Li Xiang was racking his brains over how to find trouble when he heard his men come to report that Yuchi Jingde's eldest son had arrived.
When Li Xiang first heard this name, he didn't think it was anything worth paying attention to, but suddenly he remembered that this man was not an ordinary young man, but a famous general among the second generation of the Tang Dynasty, and his kung fu was not inferior to his father Yuchi Jingde.
Are you here to ask for wine?
Li Xiang remembered what happened in the hall a few days ago. Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Jingde went to ask for wine, which was a precedent. Although both of them filled some, according to the alcohol tolerance of the two people's big wine barrels, it is estimated that they have drunk it all by now.
"Please come in, young master."
As soon as Li Xiang finished speaking, two people came in from outside. One of them was naturally Yuchi Baolin, and the other was actually Changsun Chong.
"Why did you follow me in? We are relatives. I am his uncle, his father is my cousin, his grandmother is my aunt, and my father is his father's uncle. Please wait outside the door."
Li Xiang still hadn't figured out what was going on. Chang Sun Chong had already blurted out a bunch of family relationships, and Li Xiang was wondering what was going on. When I went to your house a few days ago, you didn't describe our relationship as so close.
"Your Highness, Baolin is being unreasonable."
When Yuchi Baolin heard what Changsun Chong said, his face did blush for a rare moment, but he didn't show any intention of leaving. It seemed that there was really something going on.
"Uncles, please take a seat. Would you like to come to my place?"
Li Xiang didn't mind Yuchi Baolin's unreasonable behavior. After all, few of the heroes in the early years of Zhenguan were polite. He just wondered what you two were doing here?
