An Liangshi saw his daughter, who seemed to be doing well. She even became a maidservant of Tian Niangniang. Neighbors were all ashamed of her behavior. No one told him that Zhao Xiaolong was the emperor. He only knew that Tian's daughter was the imperial concubine.
An Xiaozhu hated her father, who was worse than an animal. He had gambled away the money for her mother's medical treatment and then sold her into a brothel. She pretended not to know him and walked past him coldly.
An Liangshi wanted to move forward, but was stopped by the guards on both sides. He took one look at the guards' unfriendly faces and retreated in fear.
As the saying goes, "If you don't do it, you will die." Just as An Liangshi was looking around like a thief, he saw the emperor and Concubine Tian coming over. When he saw who the emperor was, he almost wet his pants.
It happened that Zhao Huan also looked at him inadvertently at this time. An Liangshi was so scared that he shrank back and hid behind a guard, looking at Zhao Huan like a thief.
A street scoundrel would naturally not allow the emperor to do anything to him in public. Zhao Huan waved to Linghu Yunlong beside him and whispered a few words in his ear. Linghu Yunlong bowed and nodded.
An Liangshi secretly cried out in alarm, "If not now, when will I flee?" He shrank back, crouching low as he dodged into another alley. Finally leaving Laifu Lane, he breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to take a step forward, a guard, sword in hand, blocked his path. It was Linghu Yunlong.
An Liangshi was startled and turned around to run, but Linghu Yunlong picked him up like a chicken...
Inside the Laifu Inn, Zhao Huan met with Old Li, Zhao Fachun, and other neighbors. These people now reverently worshipped him as a deity, no longer daring to act as casually as before. This bored Zhao Huan greatly, so he exchanged a few pleasantries before letting them all leave.
"Yingying, I want to taste your fine wine." Zhao Huan said.
Tian Yingying smiled and said, "Your Majesty, are you willing to come out of the palace and come to my place just to drink?"
Zhao Huan laughed heartily: "Yes, you understand me. I just like the wine you brew."
Even though the palace maids and eunuchs were standing around in a crowd, Tian Yingying didn't give them any orders. She stood up, walked to the counter, and brought over two jars of fine wine sealed in mud: "Your Majesty, today I will accompany you until you are drunk."
Frankly, this didn't feel very good. Zhao Huan regretted making such a big fuss, and Tian Yingying felt the same way. He was always accompanied by a group of people whenever he went in and out. To put it bluntly, even if Zhao Huan went to pee, he would have to be followed by more than a dozen eunuchs and palace maids carrying the toilet and urinal.
Fortunately, Linghu Yunlong brought An Liangshi in at this time, and Zhao Huan finally found someone to relieve his boredom.
The guy he had beaten up last time was now sitting in the inn's lobby, wearing a dragon robe. And considering what he had done in the past, how could An Liangshi not be afraid? He was practically carried in by Linghu Yunlong, because his legs had long since become sieves for sifting chaff.
Linghu Yunlong loosened his grip, and An Liangshi fell to his knees on the ground like a puddle of mud: "Long live the Emperor!"
Zhao Huan chuckled: "You still remember to shout Long live the emperor! I thought you would be so scared that you couldn't even speak clearly."
An Liangshi immediately stuttered: "Huang, Huang, Huang..." He stuttered for a long time, his body shaking, and he opened his mouth but no words came out.
"What's the 'Emperor'? If it weren't for Xiaozhu, I really want to chop you off." Zhao Huan glanced at An Xiaozhu as he said this.
An Liangshi was no good, after all, he was her father. Although An Xiaozhu resented him, blood was thicker than water, and she still cared about him.
This couldn't be hidden from Zhao Huan's eyes. He said to An Xiaozhu, "Xiaozhu, what should be done with your father?"
Sure enough, An Xiaozhu stood up and knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, my father has offended the Emperor and deserves to die. But please, Your Majesty, spare his life for the sake of him raising me for more than ten years and exile him to the border." Then he kowtowed to the ground.
For the lazy An Liangshi, exiling him three thousand miles away was practically the same as killing him. He was so frightened that he cried out, "Your Majesty, spare my life! Your Majesty, spare my life!"
"An Liangshi, what can you do?" Zhao Huan suddenly asked.
Everyone looked at each other, wondering why Zhao Huan suddenly asked this. An Liangshi was also stunned for a moment: "Little, I only know how to gamble."
Zhao Huan frowned: "Besides gambling, what other skills do you have?"
An Liangshi thought for a moment, then knelt down and said, "I was a carpenter when I was young, so I know how to work with wood."
Zhao Huan looked at An Xiaozhu inquiringly, and An Xiaozhu whispered, "Your Majesty, my father was indeed a carpenter when he was young. Back then, he wasn't addicted to gambling, and he was considered a well-known carpenter in the capital."
When An Xiaozhu said this, An Liangshi lowered his head, and it seemed that he was also a little ashamed.
Zhao Huan shouted, "An Liangshi! If I give you another chance, will you be willing to change your ways and start over?"
When these words came out, An Liangshi was surprised and delighted. He kowtowed and said, "I will definitely change and will never gamble again."
"Your Majesty, you..." Tian Yingying also looked at him in surprise.
Zhao Huan said, "Well, if you're willing to stop gambling, I'll give you a job."
After An Liangshi's gambling days, he'd been idle, without a proper job. Now the emperor had actually promised to give him a job, and An Xiaozhu burst into tears of joy: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace. If my father can reform, I will serve Your Majesty like a slave for the rest of my life."
The emperor arranged a job for him, which meant he could eat at the imperial court. An Liangshi was so happy that he didn't know what to do. He just kowtowed and said, "I must have been lucky. I won't dare to gamble again in the future."
Cao Dongsheng at the side could not help but interrupt: "Your Majesty, this person has no special skills. What kind of job should be assigned to him?" He was afraid that Zhao Huan would assign such a villain an important position, so he asked.
There is nothing that the foolish emperor Zhao Huan cannot do. If this gambler is assigned an important position like a doctor or a money manager, he will probably cause a big mess.
Fortunately, the dog emperor was not so stupid: "He is a carpenter, right? Tell Jiang Fan to come and assign him to the Military Equipment Bureau to do military equipment weaving work."
Cao Dongsheng smiled slightly: "Your Majesty, this is very suitable. The Military Arsenal really needs someone like him. Why don't you express your gratitude quickly!" The last sentence was said to An Liangshi who was kneeling on the ground.
How could An Liangshi have imagined that he had beaten the emperor, and now not only saved his life, but also could enter the court and eat the emperor's food.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you, Your Majesty!" He kowtowed continuously.
Zhao Huan didn't want to bother with such trivial matters anymore. He waved his hand and said, "Stop calling me the Emperor. I'm old. Go away!"
How could common people like An Liangshi know anything about the rules? In the market, they addressed people as "Master", so they called Zhao Huan Huangye.
Zhao Huan stayed at the Laifu Inn for two days, and then returned to the palace with Tian Yingying. However, he only sent Tian Yingying back to the palace, and quietly slipped into the Beijing Post Station to see Princess Yanran.
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