Chapter 9: The General Who Claims to Be a Servant

"Which princess is it, after all?" Li Xiu asked again, feeling somewhat helpless, as Liu Laoda was too busy reveling in his own pride to answer the question he had just posed.

Since the market launch of bean sprouts, which has brought substantial profits to Li Xiu and others, many individuals have privately researched how to sprout beans. Some have even succeeded in growing bean sprouts from beans. However, they can only spread the beans out in a container to sprout, and to produce more bean sprouts, a large space is required, which is simply impractical. When they attempt to sprout the beans piled together, they quickly discover that the beans rot. The key issue is that they have not mastered the technique of watering and cooling, which is worthless to those who know it, yet for those who do not, it requires a long time of exploration.

"The main family, disaster has struck, someone has set their sights on our bean sprouts!" At this moment, Liu Laoda spoke with a face full of indignation. He did not care about being beaten; the key issue was that their farm had just begun to show some promise, and now someone wanted to take away their very lifeline. This was what truly made him feel aggrieved.

"Princess? What princess?" Li Xiu suddenly asked in surprise upon hearing Liu Laoda's words. He could not understand why Liu Laoda suddenly brought up a princess.

Li Xiu was taken aback upon hearing this; the thing he feared the most had finally happened. He had never anticipated that such a small bean sprout could bring him several guan in income every day. This was still due to insufficient productivity, as the supply had not been able to keep up; otherwise, he would have certainly earned more. With such a large profit, he had always worried that someone would develop greedy thoughts. After all, throughout history, there have always been scoundrels who rely on power or violence to seize what does not belong to them. Now, he had finally encountered one.

In the yard, Liu Laoda and others, who were supposed to be selling vegetables in the city, lay sprawled on the ground in disarray, their faces filled with expressions of pain, occasionally letting out groans. Some had blood on their heads, hastily bandaged with strips of cloth, looking even more disheveled. The women and children from each household had also gathered here, each secretly wiping away their tears.

"A general who claims to be a servant? How interesting!" At this moment, Li Xiu suddenly stroked his chin, revealing a contemplative expression. After a moment, he turned to Liu Laoda and the others, saying, "Uncle Liu, you all should stay at home to recuperate for the next few days. Do not sell the bean sprouts for now. As for those who attacked you, I will ensure they pay the price they deserve"

Among these individuals, Liu Laoda was the most severely injured. Not only was he bleeding from his head, but his cheeks were also swollen, with clear handprints visible on them, indicating that he had been struck. This made Li Xiu feel quite angry; however, having lived two lives, he had long since learned to control his emotions. What was most important now was to clarify the situation before making any plans

"San Niangzi?" Li Xiu was taken aback upon hearing this name, feeling it was quite familiar. He then revealed a look of realization and exclaimed, "The Lady's Army, you are referring to Princess Pingyang!"

"Uncle Liu, what on earth is going on?" Li Xiu hurriedly ran into the courtyard and immediately squatted down in front of Liu Laoda, saying that just a moment ago, Su Niang had run to call him in tears, but she couldn't explain what had happened, only saying that Liu Laoda and the others were injured. This made Li Xiu very anxious, and he rushed over without even properly putting on his clothes.

"The master you mentioned is Lord Ma. That Lord Ma is quite remarkable. Although he appears to be merely a servant of the princess, in reality, he is a great general of the court, and even His Majesty speaks highly of him. However, his temperament is somewhat peculiar, making it difficult for ordinary people to engage in conversation with him." Liu Laoda responded almost without thinking upon hearing Li Xiu's description.

However, compared to the legendary military achievements of Princess Pingyang, Li Xiu was more interested in her subsequent experiences. According to historical records, aside from the accounts of Princess Pingyang during the attack on Chang'an, there are very few records of her thereafter. It is only mentioned that she once led troops to guard Niangzi Pass, which was named after her, and then she suddenly passed away in the sixth year of the Wude era

Indeed! It seems that the title of the Third Lady is Princess Pingyang! Liu Laoda immediately nodded in agreement, as they are usually accustomed to referring to Princess Pingyang as the Third Lady, and seldom mention her title.

Hearing the words of Old Liu, Li Xiu suddenly had a thought and recalled something. He then asked Old Liu again: "Uncle Liu, do you know about a middle-aged man with the surname Ma who fishes by the river every day? What is his relationship with the princess?"

At present, Liu Laoda recounted the course of events. The entire process is actually quite simple and clichéd. They wake up every day before dawn, pushing the freshly sprouted bean sprouts to the city gate of Chang'an. Once the city gate opens, they enter the vegetable market to sell the bean sprouts. However, today they had not yet entered the city when they were stopped on the road not far from the city gate by a group of people who pressed them for the method of sprouting the bean sprouts.

Those individuals did not disclose their identities, but judging by their appearance, they are likely servants of some powerful family in the city; I still possess that level of discernment. Liu Laoda stated with great certainty, pausing for a moment before continuing, "Originally, those people threatened to break my legs, but then I had a sudden inspiration and shouted that we were tenants of the princess's family. This made them somewhat wary, preventing them from going too far, which allowed us to seize the opportunity to escape back. Unfortunately, we were unable to bring back today's bean sprouts.

"Unfortunately, the Third Lady is not in Chang'an; otherwise, we could go to her to seek justice. The Third Lady is a person of righteousness and despises the oppression of the common people by the powerful. She would definitely help us uphold justice!" At this moment, Liu Laoda also expressed some regret. Princess Pingyang, at the beginning of her uprising, established a disciplined female army that did not harm the common people in the slightest, which greatly enhanced her reputation among the populace. Even after being granted the title of princess, the people were still more willing to refer to her as 'Third Lady' or 'Lady Li.' Princess Pingyang, at the beginning of her uprising, established a disciplined female army that did not harm the common people in the slightest, which greatly enhanced her reputation among the populace. Even after being granted the title of princess, the people were still more willing to refer to her as 'Third Lady' or 'Lady Li.'

It is precisely for the reasons mentioned above that the technology for sprouting beans remains monopolized by the people of Li Family Village in a short period of time. This is also the reason why Liu Laoda was stopped by that group. Liu Laoda and his companions had just begun to taste the benefits brought by the bean sprout business, and each of them regarded the technology for sprouting beans as something precious. Faced with the questioning from this group, they naturally refused to divulge any information. As a result, when their inquiries were met with refusal, these individuals immediately resorted to violence without any hesitation. Liu Laoda and his companions were merely honest farmers, and they naturally suffered significant losses. Moreover, these individuals were ruthless, even striking boys as young as twelve or thirteen.

Indeed, it is said that this Master Ma served as a household servant beside the princess when she was very young. Later, when the princess raised an army, Master Ma also made significant contributions and was appointed as a general by the court. The princess had long since helped him obtain his freedom, yet he still considers himself a servant of the princess's household, usually residing in the princess's residence to take care of her. That is why I say his temperament is somewhat peculiar. As Liu Laoda spoke towards the end, his voice became very low, as if he were afraid of being overheard.

Although there is no record in the official history regarding the age of the princess at the time of her death, it can be inferred from the ages of Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin that Princess Pingyang was at most in her twenties. Therefore, many believe that Princess Pingyang may have died in battle, while others think she succumbed to illness. Additionally, there are various other legends, and with so many differing opinions, no one has definitive evidence, which has shrouded Princess Pingyang in a great mystery.

Upon hearing Li Xiu's words, Boss Liu and the others were momentarily taken aback, then exchanged glances before speaking: "Master, how could you forget? The princess is naturally the renowned San Niangzi, and only her name can frighten those people away"

"A household slave? How could he also be a great general?" Li Xiu felt an urge to pinch his ears upon hearing this, doubting whether he had misheard. These two identities are inherently contradictory; if he is a great general, how could he possibly be a household slave?

Li Xiu, upon hearing this, could not help but feel a surge of anger, wishing he could take a knife and confront those who had assaulted him. However, reason ultimately prevailed, and he suppressed his fury, saying: "Uncle Liu, how did you all return? Did the others tell you their identities?"

What on earth is going on, and who is the other party? Uncle Liu, please explain it to me in detail! Li Xiu fell silent for a moment before asking again, his voice tinged with suppressed anger. He had originally just wanted to be a small landlord who lived in peace, so why did someone have to provoke him?

"It is indeed the princess, how could you forget, my lord? Almost all the land around us belongs to the princess's family. If it weren't for us locals, one might think that our village is also a tenant of the princess!" Liu Laoda spoke again, his face full of injuries, yet he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride when it came to the matter of falsely claiming to be a tenant of the princess's family. It was precisely his quick thinking that allowed them to escape easily; otherwise, he would have surely lost a leg.

I can't believe I have such an impressive neighbor!" Li Xiu was so shocked that he even swore. If there was anyone in the early Tang dynasty who made him feel admiration, it would definitely be Princess Pingyang. This seemingly delicate woman, in a situation where her father and brothers rebelled and she found herself trapped in enemy territory, managed to rally tens of thousands of troops within just a few months through her own efforts. She even seized a vast expanse of land in the heart of the enemy's territory. By the time Li Yuan and his sons crossed the Yellow River and entered Guanzhong, they discovered that his daughter had prepared such a grand gift for him. It is likely that Li Yuan felt as if a pie had fallen from the sky.

In the sixth year of the reign of Wu De, isn't that just next year!" Li Xiu suddenly recalled the deadline for the passing of Princess Pingyang, and could not help but mutter to himself, then he revealed a look of regret and said, "What a pity!"