Chapter 5: When the Grand Duke Encounters the Eunuch

Lan Weng just saw Li Le patting his stomach, realizing that he was hungry, and asked: "Have you had breakfast, brother? If not, how about I treat you?"

The eunuchs could never fear Li Le, and besides, they were unaware of the title of the Reverse Hook Tai Sui. Even if they did know, they would not be afraid! They swaggered into the establishment, chose a seat by the window, and the leading eunuch called out: "I say, shopkeeper, bring us the best dishes, and make them a bit lighter!"

"Yes, yes, brother remembers me!" Lan Wen smiled happily

Lan Wen asked, "Brother, what would you like to eat? Should I have the owner bring some wine and dishes?"

Three men dismounted and entered the shop. Li Le looked over and saw that these three were wearing black top hats, holding dusters in their hands, and dressed in colorful clothes. Looking at their faces, all three were plump and fair-skinned, with no beards on their chins. Moreover, judging by the tone of their speech, they were likely eunuchs from the palace

Li Lexin thought: "It seems these are my subordinates again, but I do not know their names." Seeing that both of them were around thirty years old, he pondered further: "Why do they call me 'gege' instead of 'dage'? If they want to sound affectionate and pleasant, why not call me 'daddy'?"

Lan Wen readily agreed, then turned to glare at the boss, exclaiming: "What are you still standing there for? Are you waiting for a tip? Hurry up and go cook for my brother!"

Li Le felt a sinking sensation in his heart and thought, "Oh no, it seems that the people and the books in this place recognize me; they aren't going to run away, are they?" Just as this thought crossed his mind, he saw the customers in the shop all lower their heads, and no one ran away! Li Le then thought, "Fortunately, my reputation here isn't too terrible yet"

The small restaurant is doing well, with all the tables filled with customers. However, as soon as Li Le stepped into the establishment, the patrons all paused with their chopsticks, staring at him in astonishment

At that moment, the sound of hooves echoed down the street as three fine horses came to a stop in front of the shop. A passenger on one of the horses shouted in a sharp voice: "No need to rush back to the palace, let's eat something to fill our stomachs first. We left before dawn and it's left us quite hungry!"

The sound of hooves echoed down the street again. Li Le looked over and saw that it was indeed a group of five eunuchs. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly: "The capital truly is the capital; under the emperor's feet, there is no shortage of eunuchs. They are running amok all over the streets!"

The leading eunuch was approximately in his early thirties, with a large, chubby, round head. When he saw Li Le smiling at him and nodding, he mistakenly thought it was a greeting, blinking his eyes as he tried to recall where he had seen this person before

Suddenly, the chief eunuch in the shop called out: "Ah, isn't this Manager Nian? Where are you headed, sir?"

Lan Wu placed his hand on his chest, sighed in relief, and said: "Fortunately, my brother remembered me; I was truly afraid you would forget me!" Neither of the two brothers noticed any flaws in the conversation with *Tu* *Shu* Li Le.

The two of them said in unison: "We are all brothers under the command of our elder brother, making a living alongside you in the East Market!"

Lan Wu nodded in agreement and went out to find other thugs, leaving only Lan Wen to keep him company. Li Le slowly ate and drank, waiting for Lan Wu to return. As he sat there, it became a problem; after a long while, not a single customer dared to enter. Some customers who wanted to eat approached the door, but upon seeing him sitting in the establishment, they immediately turned around and left without even stepping inside. The owner, who was serving nearby, silently lamented, hoping that Li Le would finish eating and leave quickly; otherwise, his business would be unmanageable.

Li Le pointed at Lan Wu Dao and said: "You are Lan Wu, the second brother of Lan Wen"

After walking for a while, he noticed that the local people were not very afraid of him, suggesting that he was getting further away from Xinchangfang. Li Le's stomach began to rumble, feeling somewhat hungry. He looked around but did not know which street or alley he was in. Countless pedestrians filled the road, and shops lined both sides, one after another, indicating a considerable prosperity.

When he and the Lan brothers sat down and called over the grim-faced boss, there was a sudden commotion as the customers in the shop rushed out in a panic, and in the blink of an eye, they had all fled, leaving not a single person behind! Li Le was greatly astonished by the speed of their escape, steadied his mind, and could only comfort himself: "They must have eaten their fill, which is why they left. It's better this way; it's quiet. I enjoy peace and quiet the most!"

The boss hurriedly agreed and turned to instruct the kitchen, wiping sweat from his brow as he walked, muttering to himself: "The almanac didn't say I was in conflict with Tai Sui today, so why did I run into him so early in the morning?"

The boss did not dare to neglect the eunuchs in the palace, so he instructed the kitchen to prepare several signature dishes, which were promptly served. The eunuchs seemed genuinely hungry; as soon as the food was brought out, they immediately began to eat and drink heartily, their manner of eating was truly unseemly, even more so than that of the little ruffian, Lan Wen.

He helped the two men up and said with a pained expression: "Brothers, a few days ago I took a hard blow to the head, and when I woke up, I forgot many things! Not only am I lost in this city, but I even forgot the names of you two brothers. I truly apologize for this!"

Li Le said irritably: "What kind of wine dishes are we having so early in the morning? Bring up a few light side dishes, and also give me a bowl of porridge!"

This was the first time Li Le encountered a eunuch. Out of curiosity, he couldn't help but take a few more glances. Hearing them refer to themselves as "gentlemen" only made him laugh even more. If eunuchs could be considered gentlemen, then all the women in the world would surely be laughing uncontrollably.

The two brothers ran up to the front, knelt down in the street, and exclaimed: "Brother, we have missed you so much!"

I am the second brother, Lan Wu

The guests ran away too quickly, and all of them consciously forgot to pay the boss for the meal. The boss stood in front of Li Le with a look of panic, and surprisingly, he even forgot to chase after them

Before long, the dishes were served. The Lan brothers had already eaten and barely touched their chopsticks, merely keeping company with Li Le. Li Le said to Lan Wu: "Go find Ma Siyuan and the others; I told them I would be taking a stroll around today!"

Li Le laughed and said, "Alright, I really haven't had a meal yet. Since you are treating, I will give you the honor!"

Li Le stamped his foot and exclaimed, "Enough, enough, I shall leave!" He was well aware of his notorious reputation and felt quite embarrassed to stand on the street scaring children, so he had no choice but to leave quickly. Not far along, he heard someone running out onto the street behind him. Turning around, he saw a middle-aged man who suddenly picked up a child from the street. Upon noticing Li Le watching him, the man screamed in fright, turned, and ran into a nearby house. Immediately, there was a loud bang as the door slammed shut, followed by the clattering sound of locks being secured.

Li Le wanted to find a place to eat, but then he remembered that he had rushed out and forgotten to bring money. He felt a bit annoyed, thinking that if he had known it would be like this, he might as well have waited for Ma Siyuan and the others to come find him

Lan Wen also smiled and said, "Thank you, brother, for your kindness!" He led Li Le into a small restaurant by the street.

I am the elder brother, Lan Wen

During the Sui Dynasty, the city of Daxing had a population of one million, making it the largest city in the world at that time. Within the city, there were over fifty neighborhoods and countless streets. As Li Le exited the Xinchang neighborhood, he had not walked far before he became lost. He felt that the houses around him all looked quite similar. In his haste to leave, he had not paid attention to the path he took. After passing through several streets, he could only recognize the directions of front, back, left, and right, unable to distinguish east from west or north from south

With a long sigh, Li Lexin thought to himself: "Fine, I might as well not wait for Ma Siyuan and the others, I will just go out for a stroll by myself! If I stand here, everyone on the street will be too afraid to come out!" He did not want to stay on the street for too long; after all, being feared to such an extent sounds impressive, but in reality, it is quite dull! He walked along the main street and exited Xinchangfang.

The two of them were momentarily stunned, both thinking: "Could it be that the boss has lost his mind? Forgetting our names is one thing, but if he could also forget the gambling debts we owe him, that would be the best outcome!"

When the child cried, Li Le almost cried along with him. Oh my heavens, how did my reputation become so tarnished! He hurriedly used his sleeve to wipe the child's tears, saying, "Good boy, don't cry, don't cry!" However, as soon as he reached out, the child cried even louder!

Just as I was regretting, I heard someone call out: "Brother, are you feeling better?" I saw two people running from the street corner, looking similar; they were brothers.

Li Le nodded slightly and thought to himself: "Indeed, it is my subordinate! Alas, in this great city of Daxing, the only men who do not avoid me are my subordinates, no one else!" He patted his forehead and pointed at Lan Wen, saying: "I remember now, you are Lan Wen, the elder brother of Lan Wu!"