Chapter 43: The Little Rascal

"Changsun Wuji, what are you doing?!" Yun Hao was yanked up into the air, his feet kicking helplessly, even losing his shoes in the process.

"Wuji, what is the meaning of this?" Chai Shao asked in confusion.

"Heh! If nothing happens to the young master, all is well. But if anything does, I’ll skin him alive and offer his hide at the young master’s memorial," Changsun Wuji replied coldly, fixing his gaze on Yun Hao.

Only then did Yun Hao realize the magnitude of the disaster he’d stumbled into. Heavens! So that’s what this bastard Changsun Wuji was plotting. If only he’d known, he wouldn’t have saved Li Er. It was too dangerous—if anything happened to that fellow, wouldn’t he be buried with him? Even if Li Er was destined to become the great Emperor, he had no desire to share his tomb. Not even if the Jade Emperor himself came down would he agree to it.

But... since Li Er was fated to become Emperor, and a mighty one at that, it meant he wouldn’t die from this. He’d still go on to cause a bigger stir in Chang’an! With that thought, Yun Hao quickly composed himself.

"Changsun Wuji, if you don’t tell these two brutes to let me down, your brother-in-law is as good as dead. Just wait and see if you don’t believe me. My life is worthless anyway, but if I die and take a noble son down with me, that’s a fair trade." Now that he was sure Li Er would survive, Yun Hao decided to act shamelessly. Let’s see what you dare do to me!

Changsun Wuji’s expression was a sight to behold. He’d seen ruffians before, but never one so young and bold. And the boy spoke with such conviction, it was unsettling. If, by chance, he was telling the truth and Li Shimin died because of this, having his younger sister widowed would be the least of his worries—Li Yuan would never let him off. Yet, he’d already offended this brat with his earlier words, and to suddenly change his attitude in front of so many onlookers was just too humiliating.

"You two, how could you be so rude? Put the young master Yun down at once," Chai Shao intervened. Though he’d thought about doing this earlier, he hadn’t spoken up, and as Li Shimin’s soon-to-be brother-in-law, he was considered family. At this moment, there was no one more suitable to mediate.

The two looked to Changsun Wuji. Seeing him nod, they released Yun Hao and bowed in apology.

Yun Hao swung his short legs, kicking them a few times in retaliation—they’d gripped him too hard, and his legs had gone numb. He knew his kicks were nothing more than a tickle to them, but he couldn’t help himself. He rubbed his aching arms and landed a couple more kicks for good measure.

"He stays here. The patient shouldn’t be exposed to the wind in his condition. If you’re not at ease, send a couple of men to guard him. Also, send over two maids. My family is poor and has no servants to attend to him," Yun Hao declared arrogantly, glaring at Changsun Wuji as if through his nostrils. So what if he was the first meritous official of Lingyan Pavilion? Wasn’t he still being played in the palm of my hand?

"Very well! No problem. I’ll send someone over from the household immediately. You, guard this place. Wuji, go inform your sister and send over two reliable maids," Chai Shao ordered. Seeing Li Shimin’s bleeding had stopped and that the pharmacy had all the necessary medicines and physicians, he knew there was no better place for recovery. He sent Changsun Wuji off to report to the Taiyuan garrison and stayed behind himself to look after the unconscious Li Shimin.

Changsun Wuji was efficient. Less than an hour after he left, a group of men in black martial attire, all with sabers in hand and fierce expressions, arrived at the door. An elegant carriage brought two maids directly into the courtyard.

"Your humble servants, Yuan’er and Xin’er, greet Young Master Yun," the two maids, both about sixteen and of above-average appearance, curtseyed as soon as they saw Yun Hao. Clearly, they’d been briefed beforehand.

"By the way, the expenses for treating Young Master Li are considerable..." Yun Hao looked at the two maids and suddenly remembered that his family didn’t have any. His mother was always busy, washing his clothes and cooking his meals. Hadn’t he promised her a life of comfort? He felt he should fulfill his filial duty, starting by appropriating Li Shimin’s two maids.

"Rest assured, Young Master Yun, all expenses will be covered by the Taiyuan garrison. Er..." Chai Shao had just finished speaking when he noticed Yun Hao eyeing the two maids up and down. He was dumbfounded—this kid was only seven or eight at most, perhaps not even ten, and already interested in girls? Truly, the world is full of wonders. He’d never seen such a precocious lecher before. As they say, young wolves are the most dangerous, but this one was downright brazen!

"Er... Young Master Yun, you’ve saved our Second Lord. If you have any requests, just tell him directly. I’m sure he won’t forget your lifesaving kindness," Chai Shao continued.

Damn! No wonder Chai Shao made his mark in the Zhenguan era—he was a slippery one even as a child, passing the buck to Li Er in a flash. Clearly, dealing with this old fox in the future would require utmost caution.

"The linen needs to be boiled before use. Go prepare some honey water with a bit of salt. I said a bit, not enough to kill your master," Yun Hao barked. Within an hour, he’d abandoned the idea of bringing the two maids home—both were as clueless as could be. He started to suspect Changsun Wuji was trying to murder his brother-in-law by sending these two. Could it be that the famously virtuous Empress Changsun had a lover on the side? Was the neighbor surnamed Wang?

Yun Hao’s curiosity blazed as he kept the two maids running in circles with his commands.

But most importantly, he needed to leverage the power of the Duke of Tang’s household to build distillation equipment for producing alcohol. Using a small stove at home was too slow, and the wine of this era had such low alcohol content that ten jars barely yielded one jar of spirits. If Yun Yue wanted two jars, he’d go bankrupt. Once he managed to make perfume, it would have to be sold at a premium—the raw materials alone weren’t cheap.

One had to admit, the wine of this era was at least trustworthy, all grain-brewed and nothing like the formaldehyde-laced concoctions of later ages. Rows of wine jars lined up, and Yun Hao called the helpers to pour the wine into a large pot.

In truth, the technique for purifying alcohol wasn’t complicated—it was simply distillation. The water went into the lower pot, the wine into the upper basin, and the condensation apparatus sat atop that. The distilled alcohol would drip, drop by drop, into the earthenware jar below.

Yun Hao personally lit the firewood beneath, and in moments, blue smoke curled upward and the fragrance of wine filled the air. Those who knew understood alcohol was being made; those who didn’t would think the pharmacy had turned into a distillery!