Chapter Nine: The Five Tigers and One Tai Sui

When Chai Zhewai heard Li Ke's agreement, he joyfully pulled Li Ke and said, "Is this truly my good third brother?"

He does not see anything wrong with this; at least, he believes that such people tend to live longer. However, this sudden change is something he himself finds difficult to accept for the time being

He asked with concern, "Third Brother, is your health all right now?"

Li Ke carefully scrutinized Chai Zhewei, knowing that historically, Chai Zhewei was his staunch confidant, always loyal and unwavering. In the end, it was due to his own grievances and indignation that Chai conspired to rebel alongside Princess Gaoyang and others.

Indeed, Chai Zhewai hurriedly replied, fearing that Li Ke would refuse his request, "It is the Five Tigers and One Taishui of Chang'an City"

Li Ke muttered to himself

A few people had not walked far when they heard a voice say, "Third Brother, Third Brother, what are you doing here? Oh, and is Zhewei with you?"

In the ninth year of the Wude era, the Turks descended southward. Figures such as Chai Shao and Li Daozong were all stationed outside, leading troops to guard against the sudden invasion of the Turks. Therefore, none of them were in Chang'an.

The so-called Five Tigers and One Tai Sui refer to the titles of six individuals. They are: the Mountain-Subduing Tiger, Qin Huaiyu; the Overlord Tiger, Cheng Huailiang; the Howling Mountain Tiger, Li Ke; the City-Communicating Tiger, Chai Zhiwei; the Green-Faced Tiger, Li Zong; and the Flowery Tai Sui, Wei Chijun

Let Xiaobao speak to you," Li Ke said wearily, "I just want to walk quietly.

Chai Zhewai felt a bit embarrassed by Li Ke's words of thanks, and he smiled awkwardly. "Third Brother, it was Zhewai who arrived late to the rescue, and I feel guilty in my heart. How could I dare to accept Third Brother's gratitude?"

During the time when Li Ke was at the Qin Wangfu, he often played together with others of similar age, causing quite a commotion in the city of Chang'an, which earned them such a nickname

After listening, Li Ke suddenly realized. He understood that this boy was Li Zong, the eldest son of his paternal uncle, Prince Rencheng, Li Daozong

I would like to take this opportunity to meet these brothers and strengthen our bonds.

As they gradually grew up, the bond among the six individuals deepened day by day, to the point where they began to call each other brothers. Throughout this process, Li Ke also won over everyone with his actions and martial skills. During their leisure time, the six would always eat, drink, and have fun together. Due to their family backgrounds, no one in Chang'an dared to provoke them or interfere with them, which is how they earned the title of "Five Tigers and One Tai Sui"

After this battle, He Tushu Li Ke suddenly realized that his character had changed; he had become proud, indifferent, and cold-blooded.

Li Ke looked at the expectation reflected in Chai Zhewei's eyes, feeling a pang of compassion, and thus did not oppose his proposal. Moreover, after Chai Zhewei's reminder, he realized that he still had this group of childhood friends, which gave him a plan in mind.

Li Ke sighed and said, "Perhaps!"

Li Ke and Chai Zhewei quietly walked out of the alley, with Li Ke saying not a word. Chai Zhewei did not ask him any questions regarding the matter, and behind them, Xiao Baozi and the other soldiers followed silently.

He smiled and said, "Then I will express my gratitude to Zhewei right here and now"

Li Ke finally understood what he was saying

Chai Zhewai was very curious about how Li Ke ended up fighting with thugs in such a place. Seeing that Li Ke did not explain, he hesitated for a moment and mustered the courage to ask, "Third Brother, what is your relationship with these thugs? Why..."

The conversation between Li Zong and the other person was quite perplexing. He asked, "Third Brother, what are you and Zhe Wei talking about?"

Suddenly, I turned to Chai Zhewai beside me and said, "I just realized that you should be at home studying and practicing martial arts with the teacher. What are you doing here?"

Chai Zhewai did not expect Li Ke to suddenly pose such a question, catching him off guard. After a brief pause, he nonchalantly replied, "Third Brother, you can deal with a scoundrel like Liu Menglong however you wish; is there really a need to question right or wrong?"

Chai Zhewai was taken aback by Li Ke's sudden change of topic. After a moment of confusion and stammering, he expressed a hint of displeasure, saying, "Third Brother, if I hadn't run into you here today, I really wouldn't know when I would see you again. This alley used to be our family's backyard. When I was practicing martial arts in the backyard, I heard someone outside the wall shouting about the Prince of Changsha, so I brought a few family guards out to take a look, and fortunately, I ran into you."

Alright, I will follow your lead. Today, the Five Tigers and the Great Taisui will gather together properly

Li Ke and Chai Zhewei paused and turned back, discovering a boy who appeared to be around ten years old, waving at him from a short distance away, followed by a group of robust bodyguards.

Li Zongyi, upon hearing that several people were gathering together again, joyfully said, "Third Brother, the date you chose today is truly auspicious. With Father away on a campaign, I was able to persuade Mother to let me come out and stroll around. Once Father returns to court, it will be quite difficult for me to come out again, and I don't know when I will have the chance to enjoy food and fun with everyone again"

Chai Zhewai noticed that Li Ke was feeling displeased and did not inquire about the fight. He continued, "Third Brother, ever since we parted ways in Father General's army, I heard the news of your assassination attempt and injury as soon as I returned to Chang'an. Everyone has been very concerned about you, but unfortunately, the palace is not a place where anyone can come and go freely. Therefore, the brothers have not been able to visit you. During this time, we have all missed you dearly, and now that you have come out of the palace today, why don't we have a good gathering?"

Upon seeing Li Ke, the boy quickly approached him, "Third Brother, you finally left the palace today. I heard you were attacked on your way back to the capital, and I was so worried about you. However, one cannot enter or exit the palace freely. I am so glad to finally see you today"

Li Ke saw Li Zong and Chai Zhewei, who looked ashamed, and gratefully said, "Thank you, brothers, for your concern. I am no longer in serious condition; otherwise, my mother would not have allowed me to leave the palace"

Thus, he has a psychological sense of closeness to Chai Zhewai. Now that he sees him carefully, still a child, Li Ke rarely shows a hint of a smile.

After walking in silence for a while, Li Ke suddenly turned to Chai Zhe and said, "Zhe Wei, do you think what I am doing is right?"

He simply did not mention that he had sneaked out. Li Zong would certainly not refuse Li Ke's proposal. The three of them discussed and decided to first go to the residence of General Qin of the Left Guard in Qinjinfang.

As for why they are only close to Li Ke while their relationships with Li Chengqian and Li Tai, who are of similar age, are not very good

This must begin with their characters. Their ancestors fought alongside Li Shimin for many years, and as the saying goes, a tiger father does not beget a dog son. From a young age, they wielded weapons, dreaming of one day being able to battle on the battlefield. However, Li Chengqian had a timid personality and did not enjoy martial arts; Li Tai was passionate about reading and looked down upon military strategy; only Li Ke enjoyed practicing martial arts and could play with them.

Brothers

Li Ke responded to Li Zong's question with a non sequitur, saying, "Just as it happens, I was discussing with Zhe Wei about gathering everyone. Since you have already come out, there is no need to send someone to look for you. We will go to the Qin residence first"

Seeing Li Zong walk up to him with a concerned expression, and recalling Chai Zhewai's brotherly affection for him, Li Ke suddenly felt much better. He couldn't help but tease, "Zong Di, how did you manage to sneak out? Uncle Wang surely doesn't know that you left the residence without permission, does he?"

He resolutely refrained from mentioning the events that occurred in the alley