37 Cut off your hand
Huo Yan: If your father doesn't give me the land, I'll chop off your hand (grin)
Before Huo Qubing finished speaking, a golden rain began to fall from the sky in the center of the racecourse.
His smile was clear in the golden rain.
Huo Yan looked at him in the golden rain, pointed at the poster, then pointed at him, and ran towards him.
Li Yannian played a song to break the formation for Huo Qubing.
When the music finally started, Su Wu and Shi Ye danced and shouted like crazy.
"Hahaha, I win!"
Cao Xiang put his arm around Huo Qubing's neck, said hello to Huo Yan who took the golf club from Huo Qubing, and ran to Princess Pingyang.
"Ayan, I've returned your brother to you."
Huo Yan nodded with a smile, then led Huo Qubing's horse and took him out.
"Let's go, my troublesome brother."
The horse's hooves stepped on the golden reins, making a hoarse squeaking sound. Huo Qubing was led by him, sitting on the horse, leaning forward, supporting his chin with one hand and smiling at him.
"I want to win, and if I win, all the money is yours, so Ah Yan, you should laugh."
The salty and bitter liquid flowed into his mouth. Huo Yan wiped his face and felt a hand full of tears. He wiped it away vigorously before helping him down from the horse.
"You're suspended until your right hand heals."
Huo Qubing cried out, followed his lead and dismounted from his horse, looking dejected upon hearing his words.
"Don't you get injured often? This is just a minor injury, and I won!"
Huo Yan held his hand, which was shaking due to muscle strain, and led him back to the manager. He asked someone to bring a handkerchief soaked in cold water to apply to his arm to relieve his pain.
"If I say no, then I won't!" He thought of the terror he felt at that moment, puffing out his cheeks and cursing to suppress his tears, "Fuck you! I shouldn't have let you go! You're risking your life to catch that ball from his father. What if you fall off your horse? What if you get hit on the head?"
Huo Qubing listened to his nagging and smiled unconsciously at his brother. He pointed at the candied pomelo on the table, his eyes full of cunning sweetness, "I want to eat pomelo, little brother, peel one for me!"
Oh, it’s nice that Ayan cares about me.
He was still wearing the black robe designed for him by Huo Yan, which was studded with gold and silver threads. It sparkled in the sun. His black hair was as black as ink and his skin was as white as porcelain. Normally, his face was always expressionless, without any extra expressions. But now, when he smiled, his little fangs were slightly exposed, making him look pitiful and adorable.
When Huo Yan saw him like this, he knew that he had not listened to a word and he immediately became furious.
The servant caught a glimpse of his expression and was afraid that he would lose his temper and not let Huo Qubing peel the skin, so he took a knife himself and prepared to peel it for Huo Qubing.
Huo Yan stood up angrily and saw him peeling a pomelo. He frowned slightly, snatched the pomelo and the knife, sat in front of Huo Qubing, smashed the pomelo on the table like a ball, pulled out the knife and gave it a piercing blow in the middle of the pomelo. In an instant, the pomelo juice splashed out, and the table and Huo Yan's sleeves were all smelled of sleeves.
Huo Yan pulled out a knife and sneered in a strange tone, not sure whether it was directed at Youzi or at Huo Qubing who was still waiting for Youzi with his mouth open.
“Sometimes people who are too eager to commit suicide are not as resistant as grapefruit!”
After saying that, the white knife went in and the fruity knife came out again.
The waiter swallowed and silently took a step back.
Oh my god, this pomelo seems to have committed a sin in the previous life and has been poked into a honeycomb.
Huo Qubing acted as if he didn't hear anything and urged him to eat the pomelo.
Huo Yan was so angry that he wanted to go up and bite him, but his hands were very honest. He used both hands, pulling the pomelo peel with his left hand, and cutting the peel with a knife in his right hand, and easily picked out the flesh. Then he divided the pomelo into small pieces, tore the thin peel on both sides, and peeled out the sweet white flesh one by one and put it in the cup.
Seeing this, Huo Qubing picked out the best-sized piece from the bowl and put it into his mouth without hesitation, saying, "Well, the one peeled by Ah Yan is better than others."
Huo Yan was peeling a pomelo and hummed softly when he heard the words, but the corners of his lips curled up slightly.
"Even eating can't stop you from talking! Forget it, I won't let you do it alone next time. You're always a drag on me anyway, so what's the use of adding me in?"
The pomelo in Huo Qubing's mouth no longer tasted fragrant, but he closed his mouth under the terrifying gaze of his younger brother.
Actually, what Ayan said is right.
None of them are as strong as me, and they are all drags. If I bring Ayan with me, at least Ayan can discuss tactics with him and feed him delicious food. Everyone else is waiting for him.
[Ayan is hypocritical but honest!]
[He glared at the servant because he had taken over his job of peeling grapefruit for his brother.]
[Home-born child, hhh.]
[But Ah Yan was planning to go to the battlefield with Bing Bing.]
Ah Yan was very afraid that Bingbing would die. He was so afraid that he couldn't rest easy without his brother under his watch.
[Ayan just wants his brother to be by his side to comfort him.]
So he needed horse harnesses to bridge the gap between him and Bingbing. He had to make sure he could ride the horse well enough to keep up with his brother.
[His brother was running too fast, and the more he couldn't keep up, the more scared he became.]
He wanted to rely on others, but his brother's death stood in the way, and his fear deepened. Therefore, no one wanted the Ma Yi plot to succeed more than he did, to break the deadlock between the Han and the Xiongnu, and to prevent his brother from going to the battlefield.
I suspect Ah Yan gave Liu Che the steel-making technique and the money because he needed a lot of steel. He wanted a weapon that would help him narrow the gap between himself and someone like Bing Bing, who was born to be on the battlefield.
[New ring-handled sword, short-handled long sword.]
[Crossbows, repeating crossbows, and compound bows.]
[Instead of waiting for Ah Yan, a weakling, it would be best to make special armor for my brother and uncle so that they can protect themselves.]
[Mingguang armor, fish scale armor.]
[Everyone, do you think Ah Yan is planning to nationalize the steel industry?]
If the price of iron were to drop and maintain a stable market price, then Liu Che's future proposals on salt and iron would be completely useless!
…
After the game, the horse farm was booming, and Huo Yan's new comic book "Polo Boy" specially made for his brother also became a big IP because of its novel subject matter and vivid characters.
Huo Yan now has a complete marketing strategy. He starts with a few popular plays, then follows up with comics and a series of novels. Then, he can start selling peripheral products in toy houses and jewelry stores. As long as the theater continues to produce, he will have different IPs to promote.
Whether it's bookmarks, pendants, ornaments, clothes, or posters, as long as they are linked to the IP, he can kill these powerful people.
For example, the cute pony charms from the book "Polo Boy" that have recently become popular among the children of nobles, totaling 25 different types, with different eyes and skins, are either given away with the book or as new dolls in the claw machine.
Although paper books published by Toy House are always expensive, and the scams of claw machines are beyond imagination, if you can collect a set, you will definitely be envied by others! That's why children of all ages flock to them every day.
Huo Yan accumulated a large amount of wealth again. After giving away the money that should be given to Liu Che, he bought two shops and started a gambling business.
His gambling house offered standard games like dice rolling, cockfighting, running dogs, backgammon, coin guessing, and cricket fighting, as well as his casino-specific card games like mahjong, roulette, and a seven-day special bet that captivated the wealthy young men. Since its opening in April, it had rapidly grown into a new den of luxury in Chang'an, rivaling even a toy store.
These days, if you say among the noble children of Chang'an City that you have never been to the new gambling house, you will be laughed at.
Until May, a major event occurred. Tian Tian①, the son of the Tian family, lost all his family wealth in a gambling house in one night. In the end, he was even forced to use his father Tian Fen’s fief of Dü② on the north bank of the Yellow River to pay off the debt.
When the gambling house came to the door, Tian Fen saw the document written in black and white, with Tian Tian's signature clearly on it. Naturally, Tian Fen refused to acknowledge it and ordered his men to drive them away with sticks, even breaking one of their men's legs.
When Huo Yan got the news, he ordered Tian Tian to be detained in the gambling house, waiting for Tian Fen to redeem him.
What a joke! I went through all this just for this piece of land. If you don't give it up, how can I let your son go?
On the night Huo Yan detained Tian Tian, Tian Fen went to the palace to ask to see the Queen Mother.
Queen Mother Wang personally brought people to meet Liu Che and told him everything.
They thought that Liu Che would thoroughly investigate the gambling house, but unexpectedly, Liu Che's face turned cold at that moment.
Because when Tian Tian was detained, Huo Yan was brought into the palace by Huo Qubing, who explained the purpose of doing this to Liu Che and asked Liu Che to help him make a decision.
Huo Yan was talking about hearing that the Tian family was rebellious and Tian Fen was trying to seize power and appoint officials himself, forcing his uncle to say, "Have you removed all the officials? I also want to remove officials!" These words were simply hateful and he had no way of restraint.
Huo Qubing also said that Tian Fen was arrogant, but always flattered the princes.
Huo Yan said that Tian Tian said his front hall was decorated with bells and drums, and long banners with curved handles were erected. In the back room, he had hundreds of beautiful women. The princes had presented his father with countless precious treasures, gold, jade, dogs, horses, and fine toys. After hearing this, he felt that Tian Fen was disloyal and trying to curry favor with the princes. He was so angry that he wanted to teach Tian Fen a lesson.
Anyway, the thing was done. Either Tian Fen would take the blame, or the two of them would chop off Tian Tian's hands to avenge their uncle.
Liu Che's heart was already extremely biased, and he certainly didn't think his good eldest sons would deceive him on this matter. Moreover, this time even Qu Bing couldn't stand it, which shows how rebellious Tian Fen was on a daily basis. And the fact that he flattered the princes was even more hateful.
If his mother hadn't been here, he would have killed Tian Fen long ago!
"It's just a small piece of land. Has your uncle ever taken more from the princes than this time?"
Tian Fen's face turned pale. Under the all-seeing gaze of his emperor nephew, he suddenly remembered what Liu An said when he was in power last time, and was frightened for a moment.
Liu Che narrowed his eyes slightly, as if smiling.
"Uncle, instead of talking to me about this, why don't you go and save my cousin? Otherwise, he might not be whole in a moment."
Tian Fen vaguely felt that this was a warning from his nephew, the emperor, and he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. He knelt down and responded, not daring to be arrogant anymore. He signed the agreement overnight to replace Tian Tian.
Huo Yan took the land deed and released Tian Tian.
The next day, he entered the Weiyang Palace alone with the land deed.
"How dare you, old thief Tian Fen!"
As soon as he entered, he skillfully avoided the letters thrown by Liu Che.
The scrolls were scattered all over the floor, and on them were written the conversation between Tian Fen and Liu Anli, King of Huainan.
The Emperor has no crown prince, and the King is the most virtuous and the grandson of Emperor Gaozu. If the Emperor dies, who else should inherit the throne if not the King?
Tian Fen is in danger.
"Uncle, do you still want this piece of land?"
Huo Yan smiled and sat next to Liu Che, pulling his sleeves and acting coquettishly, "Don't give it to me, okay?"
Liu Che was angry and didn't look happy when he saw him.
"What land do you want? Why don't you chop off Tian Tian's hand?"
Huo Yan lay on his knees, resting his head on the cold silk, as if he was resting his head on a snake.
"I'm afraid my uncle will say I'm being reckless."
Liu Che smiled, tapped his forehead and sighed.
"I'm afraid now. Back then, when we were shouting about killing, I didn't think twice. The Queen Mother was about to imprison you yesterday." He patted Huo Yan's head and sighed, his words full of affection, without a trace of blame. "Well, your uncle's love for you is not in vain. But you must give this land to me, so that no one will find out and embarrass you."
Huo Yan reluctantly handed over the contract, "Uncle, I really don't want to be shut down! We both make so much money! Your dividend is higher than this year's taxes."
Liu Che felt amused and threw a few golden pills into his arms to coax him.
"Save it for marbles!"
Huo Yan pouted, but still took the golden pill.
"You sent me away with a few golden balls. Who wants to play with a slingshot? Humph!"
After a long time, he threw the golden ball to the ground, picked it up again, and repeated this three or four times before speaking.
Liu Che touched his head and watched him play with the golden pill, like a kind elder. To Huo Yan, Huo Qubing and even Wei Qing, he always was.
"Ayan, they are so rich!"
The small red mole under Huo Yan's lip was faintly visible. "Then give the order to raid them. I'll grab them right away. Everything will be ours."
Liu Che hugged him and laughed.
He liked the fearlessness of Huo Yan and Huo Qubing. The young men were fearless and unconstrained.
【Author’s words】
There's a little bit of a knife in the next chapter, be warned.
Someone asked Tetsuko if he is suitable to be a close friend and big brother. I would say he is very suitable.
Because Zhuzhu loves Ayan and Qubing so much. He is the kind of person who loves Ayan and Qubing so much that he will always help you solve your problems and take care of you.
A Yan wanted to deal with Tian Fen because the Yellow River was about to flood.
① In the third year of Yuanshuo (126 BC), Tian Tian was guilty of "disrespect" for entering the palace wearing short clothes, and his title was revoked.
② In the third year of Emperor Wu of Han's Yuanguang reign (132 BC), the Yellow River changed its course, flowing southeast from Dunqiu. In May, the river breached the Huzi Dike in Puyang and flooded Juye County.
Soon, floods affected sixteen counties. Emperor Wu dispatched ministers Ji An, Zheng Dangshi, and others, along with a 100,000-man army, to block the breach in the Yellow River. However, no sooner had the breach been blocked than it was breached again. Prime Minister Tian Fen, whose fiefdom was in Dú County, north of the Yellow River, saw the Yellow River's diversion and breach flooding the south, potentially improving Dú County's harvest. He saw the opportunity to profit from the national crisis and wrote to the emperor, "The breaches of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers are the will of Heaven. Do not attempt to intervene with human intervention." Believing this, Emperor Wu stopped dispatching troops to block the breach, halting river control efforts for twenty years and displacing countless people.
③ Tian Fen was short and plain-looking, but he was noble from birth. He also believed that the princes at that time were all old, and Emperor Wu of Han had just ascended the throne and was very young. He was the emperor's closest confidant and served as the prime minister of the court. If he did not severely rectify the situation and use etiquette and laws to make them submit, the people of the world would not be obedient. At that time, Tian Fen would often sit for most of the day when he came to the court to report on matters. Emperor Wu of Han listened to everything he said. Some of the people he recommended were promoted from idle to the rank of 2,000-stone official, transferring Emperor Wu of Han's power to himself. Emperor Wu of Han then said, "Have you appointed all the officials you want to appoint? I also want to appoint a few officials."
Tian Fen once requested the land of the Imperial Examination Office to expand his residence. Emperor Wu of Han angrily retorted, "Why don't you take the armory as well?" From then on, he began to restrain himself somewhat. Once, at a banquet, he had his brother, Marquis Gai, sit facing south, while he himself sat facing east, believing that the Prime Minister's status as a superior meant that he should not be subjected to any private treatment simply because he was his elder brother. Tian Fen's arrogance only grew stronger, and he built a residence whose scale and opulence surpassed those of any noble. His fields and estates were extremely fertile, and the roads were constantly bustling with people he sent to various counties to purchase artifacts. Bells and drums were set up in the front hall, long banners with curved handles were erected, and in the back rooms, he housed hundreds of beautiful women. The princes presented him with countless precious treasures, gold and jade, dogs, horses, and fine articles.
In the first year of the Yuanshou reign (122 B.C.), the rebellion of Liu An, King of Huainan, was discovered, and Emperor Wu of Han investigated the matter. During Liu An's previous visit to the court, Tian Fen, serving as Grand Marshal, arrived at Bashang to greet the King of Huainan and said, "The Emperor has no crown prince. Your Majesty is the most virtuous and the grandson of Emperor Gaozu. Once the Emperor dies, who else should inherit the throne if not Your Majesty?" Liu An was delighted and gifted Tian Fen with a large amount of gold and silver. Emperor Wu of Han had never believed that Marquis Wu'an was right since the Dou Ying incident, but it was only because of Queen Mother Wang that he was in trouble. Upon hearing that Liu An had given gold and silver to Tian Fen, Emperor Wu of Han declared, "If Marquis Wu'an were still alive, his entire clan would be exterminated."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
