Mao Xiang's face was purplish-blue, unsure if it was from the cold or shame.
He extended a hand towards Liu Ru Shi, his mouth moving a few times, but not a single word came out.
Instead, as he turned his gaze to Fang Er, he spat out a threat: "Don't think the Embroidered Uniform Guard can do whatever they please! We'll see about this, hmph!"
With that, he left without looking back, wearing only a pair of underpants and squeezing through the crowd to walk away.
Seeing him leave like this, the scholars all shouted urgently.
"Brother Mao, you can't!"
"Brother Mao, leave your name before you go~"
"Brother Mao, I've already sent someone back to fetch a coffin. If you leave like this, how can I explain this to my old man back home?"
"Mao~~"
*Pfft*~~
Just as Mao Xiang stepped out of the crowd, hearing the words of his friends from the past, a surge of angry blood rose and spewed from his mouth.
He turned his head, looking at everyone with a grief-stricken expression.
"Good! Good! Good! You are truly wicked! kanδん
From today onwards, I, Mao Xiang, sever ties with you!"
"Hahahaha, that's good, come, come, Mao Xiang, don't go. Since you've said it, then sever the ties before you leave!"
Li Tai, with a mischievous grin, picked up the embroidered spring sabre and walked towards him. The others quickly made way upon seeing this.
Mao Xiang looked at his underpants, which were less than a foot long, and then at the sabre Li Tai was extending towards him, saying with shame and anger.
"You've already taken all my clothes, what am I supposed to sever!"
Li Tai moved the embroidered spring sabre closer to Mao Xiang, looking at him and smiling.
"Well, your pants are quite long. Since you've already spoken the words, you should at least leave some fabric behind before you go, right?
I've only read about the custom of severing robes from ancient texts, and I've never seen anyone actually do it. Today, let me witness this for myself."
Mao Xiang angrily retorted: "Don't push your luck too far!"
"Chong Lou!"
Seeing that he wasn't taking the sabre, Li Tai called out behind him.
The Commander Chong Lou, hearing himself being called, hurried over.
"Your Highness, Prince of Wei, what is your command?"
"Help me hold him. Since he's already said the words, we must fulfill them. Otherwise, won't he become a person who breaks his word? For a scholar who considers himself a gentleman, the consequences would be too severe!"
Chong Lou, upon hearing this, grabbed Mao Xiang's arm.
Li Tai, holding the embroidered spring sabre, walked towards him with a smile.
*Ching, ching, ching, ching, ching*~!
The sabre's light flashed successively. When Li Tai stopped, Mao Xiang's underpants were rendered unrecognizable.
"Ah~~"
The women on the flower boat let out a startled cry and quickly turned away.
Fang Er took one look and quickly covered his eyes.
Li Tai, that brat, had actually used the sabre to trim Mao Xiang's underpants into a thong!!!
Dark hair~~ Blinding to the eyes!
This is utterly outrageous!
*Pfft*~!
Mao Xiang looked at the mere inch-wide strip of fabric left between the waistband and his crotch, and immediately spewed out another mouthful of blood.
Then, breaking free from Chong Lou's control, he sprinted away at full speed.
Running with the wind, freedom is the direction, chasing the power of thunder and lightning.
I'll hold the vast ocean in my chest, even the smallest bird can fly~
Li Tai, that scoundrel, wasn't satisfied and even sang a song he heard from Fang Er loudly at Mao Xiang, even modifying the lyrics.
*Bang*!
Mao Xiang, who was sprinting, stumbled, falling directly to the ground. When he got up, he was covered in abrasions from the sand and stones.
Unfortunately, the amount of fabric Li Tai had left at the waistband was already minimal. Now, by sheer bad luck, as he fell, it was snagged by a small branch, and the remaining fabric snapped!
Truly a *naked* sprint!
"Damn, did that bird really fly out?"
Li Tai exclaimed in surprise as Mao Xiang's thong fell off.
Fang Er looked at Mao Xiang speechlessly, and a sliver of sympathy suddenly arose within him.
Chong Lou, who had returned to his side, was also stunned, taking a while to come back to his senses.
"Damn it, Mao Xiang actually ran off naked like that? If it were me, I'd have already smashed myself to death on that tree."
Fang Er: . . .
In just a few days, this guy has successfully led another one astray!
The scholars were also dumbfounded, their eyes wide with disbelief.
Mao Xiang, the leader of the Donglin Faction, Mao Pixiang, running naked in the middle of the night!
The news of the great victory in Liaodong had not yet reached here, so, for them, this was the biggest news of Chongzhen's thirteenth year.
After a long while, seeing the scholars still discussing whether Mao Xiang's backside was white, Fang Er's eyes darted around, and he said towards the flower boat.
"Miss Liu, Fang has a small request."
"Mr. Fang, please speak. Whatever this humble one can do, I will not refuse."
Liu Ru Shi replied with a slight blush.
The scene with Mao Xiang just now had completely shamed the ladies.
"Fang wishes to borrow a chest from Miss Liu, as large as possible."
"I thought it was something important. This is easy."
With that, Liu Ru Shi turned and whispered a few words to a nearby maid.
Not long after, she personally led people to carry a chest from the flower boat and present it to Fang Er.
"Mr. Fang, this chest was originally used by this humble one for clothing. Do you think it's enough?"
Previously, they were dozens of meters apart, and it was night, so everyone hadn't seen Liu Ru Shi's appearance very clearly.
Now, seeing her standing right in front of him, he could even clearly smell her perfume.
Calculating from her birth year recorded in books, Liu Ru Shi was now thirty-two years old, a mature woman, but she did not appear aged like most women of this era.
Clear and bright eyes, curved willow eyebrows, long eyelashes trembling slightly, flawless white skin with a faint rosy hue, thin lips as delicate and alluring as rose petals.
She was tall and slender, her movements graceful and demure. Her black hair was like lacquer, her skin like jade, and her beautiful eyes flickered with an indescribable charm, like a blooming peony, beautiful but not seductive, radiant but not vulgar.
"He Dong Jun, I finally see you!"
"He Dong Jun is so beautiful~ To see you once in this life is enough regret removed!"
Seeing Liu Ru Shi up close, the scholars couldn't help but sigh at her beauty.
*Bang*!
Li Tai unceremoniously kicked one of them down and pointed at the scholars, yelling.
"Get lost! You bunch of lovesick fools."
After scolding them, his expression instantly turned fawning, and he leaned closer to Liu Ru Shi, smiling.
"They all call you He Dong Jun, is that your courtesy name?
I am Li Tai, from the Great Tang Dynasty, the fourth son of Emperor Taizong. Would you be willing to accompany me~~~"
*Bang*!
"Ow~~"
Li Tai was flirting when he was kicked in the backside by Fang Er. He looked at Fang Er aggrievedly.
"Mountain Master, what are you doing?"
Fang Er glared at him: "What do you think I'm doing? You haven't even grown a full beard, go and stay in a corner!
With that, he shoved Li Tai aside and walked up to Liu Ru Shi, cupping his fists in a salute.
"Miss Liu, you are too kind. Rest assured, although this chest is a bit small, it will serve its purpose. You'll know its use later."
*Pfft*~
Liu Ru Shi was amused by his reprimand of Li Tai, covering her mouth and saying: "Since that's the case, then this humble one will wait on the side."
Regarding Li Tai's claim of being the son of Emperor Taizong, she didn't take it to heart at all. In her opinion, it was just a guise to attract her attention.