Chapter 150: Liu Yitiao, the Great Landowner

On the fifth day after Tai's burial, which was also Liu Yitiao's twentieth day in Chang'an City, the long-awaited imperial decree finally descended from the palace.

Li Shimin had granted permission for his departure.

The bearer of the decree was Li Ran, the chief eunuch serving at Li Shimin's side.

Today, Li Ran was dressed in a simple gray cloth robe, standing with his head held high in the front courtyard of General Gongsun's manor. Holding the imperial decree aloft with both hands, after rattling off a series of formal opening lines, he finished reading the decree, prompting Liu Yitiao and the others to pick themselves up from the ground.

"Mr. Liu, please rise," Li Ran stepped forward to help Liu Yitiao up, then handed the imperial decree into his grasp, saying in a soft voice, "With the decree delivered, this humble servant must return to the palace to report back. I wish Mr. Liu a smooth and pleasant journey." Li Ran then cupped his hands in a bow toward Gongsun Wuda, declaring, "I take my leave. Until we meet again, General Gongsun, Mr. Liu."

"Hmm." Gongsun Wuda stood where he was, nodding indifferently, and waved a hand at Li Ran to indicate he was dismissed.

Liu Yitiao politely accompanied Li Ran out through the main gates. As the eunuch boarded his carriage, Liu Yitiao cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Chief Li. Safe travels."

"Please stay your steps, Mr. Liu! This humble servant takes his leave." Li Ran cast a grateful look at Liu Yitiao before turning to board the carriage, which rumbled away in a cloud of dust.

Watching him depart, Liu Yitiao unfurled the golden imperial decree once more. Disregarding the diplomatic fluff, his eyes went straight to the list of rewards bestowed upon him by Li Shimin: eight hundred strings of cash, fifty catties of gold, one thousand bolts of silk, three hundred qing of perpetual tax-exempt farmland, fifty plow oxen, and an exemption from agricultural taxes for the next three years.

He struck it rich!

Old Li was truly generous. Salivating at the sight, Liu Yitiao cast every lingering grievance he held against Li Shimin to the farthest corners of the cosmos.

Royalty was indeed royalty, throwing about such staggering wealth. Aside from the coin and silk, those three hundred qing of land alone were enough to send Liu Yitiao into raptures. In Liu Yitiao's eyes, land was nothing less than a treasure capable of printing money.

Three hundred qing. An overwhelming wave of bliss washed over him.

Starting today, he, too, was a grand landlord.

"Big brother! Congratulations!" Gongsun贺兰 (Gongsun Helan) leaned on his crutches as he approached Liu Yitiao, cupping his hands in congratulation. "I wonder when Big Brother plans to set out? That way, this younger brother can make preparations and accompany you back. Having stayed in Chang'an for so long, it is indeed time to return and take a look."

Indeed, in the blink of an eye, nearly a month had passed. How were things back home? Were Old Liu and the others doing well? Had those thirty-two qing of wasteland been tilled? The spring sowing had already passed; I wonder if Li Dechen and the others finished planting everything? Did those tenant farmers slack off, or did they work diligently for him?

"Tomorrow!" Liu Yitiao lifted his gaze toward the north, saying with a face full of yearning, "Tomorrow at dawn, we set out for Sanyuan."

"Hehe, it seems Big Brother is truly homesick." Seeing Liu Yitiao's thinly veiled impatience, Gongsun Helan smiled and said, "Yet that is only natural. After all, this is Big Brother's first time traveling far from home, and coming here for a whole month besides. It is entirely proper to feel a longing for home."

His first time traveling far from home? Liu Yitiao gave a noncommittal chuckle. Aside from his memories before crossing over into this world, this truly was his maiden voyage. Yet deep within his heart, a powerful yearning for home had taken root.

Old Liu. Madam Liu. Liu Ertiao, Liu Xiaohui—all the family he had in this world had unconsciously woven themselves into the fabric of his heart.

Furthermore, from some unknown point onward, ensuring they would never again have to endure days without meat even once a year, and providing them with a comfortable living environment where they could live like prosperous landowners, had become his primary goal in this world.

"Mr. Liu," at that moment, a young pageboy hurried in from the side path. Approaching Liu Yitiao, he bowed and said, "Mr. Liu, our young master wishes to invite you to the Qingfeng Pavilion for a chat."

"Little page?" Liu Yitiao glanced at the child in surprise, never expecting this kid to pop up at such a moment.

"Your young master is looking for me?" The handsome features of Li Rusi surfaced in Liu Yitiao's mind.

"Yes, Mr. Liu," the pageboy replied politely. "Please favor us with your presence, Mr. Liu, and accompany this servant to the Qingfeng Pavilion."

"Wonderful, wonderful! The Qingfeng Pavilion—it feels like ages since I last went there. Big Brother, let us go together!" Gongsun Helan eagerly pushed himself forward to join the fun. In his hand, as if by magic, a folding fan suddenly appeared; he began to fan himself while exchanging winks and grimaces with the pageboy.

"Very well." Liu Yitiao nodded and said to the pageboy, "Lead the way, young man."

"This," the pageboy shot a disdainful glance at Gongsun Helan, then turned back to bow respectfully to Liu Yitiao, "Mr. Liu, our young master invited only Mr. Liu. Bringing this young master Helan along... I fear that might be somewhat inappropriate?"

"Brother Page," hearing those words, Gongsun Helan surprisingly did not get angry. Instead, he bent his waist, put on a ingratiating smile, and cajoled the boy, "No matter how you look at it, Li Gongzi and I are old acquaintances. Since he invited my big brother, surely you can bend the rules just this once, Brother Page."

"Hmph!" The pageboy puckered his lips and turned his head away, adopting an attitude of complete indifference toward Gongsun Helan.

How dare a mere book page put on such haughty airs? Liu Yitiao felt a mild irritation, but what disgusted him even more was Gongsun Helan's behavior. Standing over six feet tall, he was sucking up to a mere brat—it was utterly cringeworthy to watch.

"Enough, enough!" Liu Yitiao delivered a sharp smack to the back of Gongsun Helan's head. "If you want to go, just tag along with your elder brother. Li Gongzi isn't some unreachable grand figure; what's so difficult about seeing him? Let's go, let's go! Walk with your brother, and I guarantee you'll get to see him."

Liu Yitiao then turned his head and instructed Gongsun Li, "In a moment, tell the master of the house that I am taking young master Helan out for a stroll, and that we will return before dark so the old gentleman won't worry."

With those words, Liu Yitiao casually threw an arm around Gongsun Helan's shoulders, stepped forward, and strode off in the direction of the Qingfeng Pavilion, leaving the pageboy standing alone in the dust.

"Hey! Mr. Liu, Mr. Liu, how can you do this?!" Flushing with indignation and pouting, the pageboy broke into a trot to chase after them.

"Uh, well, Big Brother," Gongsun Helan felt somewhat uneasy, glancing between the pageboy—who was still harboring a grudge—and the fearless Liu Yitiao, before asking cautiously, "Are you and that Li Gongzi very close?"

"Hmm, we've met a couple of times. We have some rapport," Liu Yitiao replied indifferently. "I hear this Qingfeng Pavilion belongs to Li Gongzi. Well, since my virtuous brother is an old acquaintance of his, you naturally know his identity."

"Oh, well, naturally, naturally—he is the owner of the Qingfeng Pavilion, after all," Gongsun Helan nodded weakly in agreement. After walking a few paces, he suddenly turned back to ask, "Big Brother, um... do you happen to have the Silver Moon Token on your person?"

"Here," Liu Yitiao reached into his tunic and fished out the Silver Moon Token, casting a suspicious glance at Gongsun Helan as he asked, "Why brings this up, virtuous brother? Could it be that you're itching to beat someone up again?"

"No, no," Gongsun Helan shook his head, looking down at his right leg as he muttered, "In my current state, it's a blessing just not to get beaten up by others; how could I dare pick a fight? It's better if Big Brother keeps the token. I'm just afraid someone might come looking for trouble later."

"There is no need for Young Master Helan to worry about that," the pageboy chimed in ungraciously. "This afternoon, the second floor of the Qingfeng Pavilion is closed to the general public. Aside from Young Master Helan, Mr. Liu, and our young master, not a single soul will be on the entire floor. Therefore, Young Master Helan need not fret about anyone testing you with riddles. Hmph!"

"What kind of talk is that, Brother Page?" Gongsun Helan snapped open his folding fan and put up a bold front, declaring, "No matter what, this Gongsun here is considered a talent of Sanyuan. How could I possibly fear a few pedantic scholars? Hmph hmph!"

"Still, Li Gongzi's thoughtfulness in clearing out those idle chatterboxes shows how considerate he is. Otherwise, with too many people and a cacophony of voices, conversation would hardly be convenient, would it?" Brandishing his folding fan, Gongsun Helan began heaping praises upon Li Rusi once more.

"Hmph, so you do know that too many people makes conversation inconvenient?" The pageboy shot Gongsun Helan another sidelong glance and said nothing more, continuing his march forward with an indignant stride.

The Qingfeng Pavilion was merely a short walk from the general's manor. The three of them walked for less than five minutes before arriving at the foot of the pavilion.

"Please enter, Mr. Liu!" The pageboy bowed to invite Liu Yitiao inside, pointedly bypassing Gongsun Helan altogether.

"Come, come, come, Big Brother. I am quite familiar with this place; let me lead the way," Gongsun Helan acted as though he hadn't noticed the pageboy's attitude, guiding Liu Yitiao inside the Qingfeng Pavilion and straight up to the second floor.

"Mr. Liu! Ah, Brother Helan is here as well? What a pleasant coincidence. Please come in, both of you." Seeing Gongsun Helan, Li Rusi's expression flickered for a fraction of a second before returning to normal. He bowed and smilingly invited Liu Yitiao and Gongsun Helan inside.

The pageboy followed close behind, still puffing his cheeks in a huff.

"Please take a seat, Mr. Liu and Brother Helan!" Li Rusi seated himself in the primary host's chair and gestured for his guests to sit.

"Page, serve tea to Mr. Liu and Young Master Helan. Oh, and tell the kitchen they may begin serving the dishes," Li Rusi instructed the boy once Liu Yitiao and Gongsun Helan were seated.

"Yes, Young Master," the pageboy replied with a bow, before picking up the kettle to pour tea for the two guests.

"Mr. Liu, recently Rusi heard rumors that you are soon to leave Chang'an. I wonder if there is any truth to this?" Li Rusi lifted his teacup, blew gently across the surface, set it back down on the table, and fixed his gaze squarely on Liu Yitiao.