Chapter 12: The Terrifying Brother-in-Law

Chapter Twelve: The Terrifying Brothers-in-Law

After the two of them hurried on horseback, accompanied by their household guards, to the Sun Yang Prime Tavern, Yang Huaiyu’s face turned ashen.

Meanwhile, Tie Xinyuan tapped his forehead, at a loss for words.

It was only at this very moment that Tie Xinyuan deeply comprehended a fundamental truth.

The most terrifying creature in this world was a brother-in-law.

And something even more terrifying than one brother-in-law was two spoiled brothers-in-law!

The Su family had always maintained a strict and upright household tradition. Whether it was Su Mei’s eldest brother, Su Yue, or Su Mei herself, both were regarded as upright role models within the literati circles of Bianjing.

However, once Su Mei’s twin younger brothers grew up, people began to harbor doubts about the Su family’s otherwise sterling reputation.

Su Yue was currently serving as a Censor-in-Chief, so it was naturally inconvenient for him to step forward and clean up the various messes left by his younger brothers.

Consequently, these matters inevitably fell upon Su Mei, the matron of a military noble household, to resolve. Over the past few years, Su Mei had lost count of how many times she had had to deal with crises exactly like the present one.

Watching her two younger brothers stripped down to their bare skin and hung from the flagpole like fish, twisting and writhing, Su Mei was frantic with worry yet utterly helpless.

The Sun Yang Prime Tavern was already a tall building, and the flagpole protruded outward at an angle from a high terrace. Three to five zhang below lay the bluestone-paved ground. Two fifteen-year-old youths hung precariously from the thick, bowl-sized flagpole, causing it to bow slightly under their weight. Tie Xinyuan strongly suspected that a slightly stronger gust of wind would snap the pole right in the middle.

Tie Xinyuan had once experienced the humiliation of being stripped of his clothes and hung from a flagpole himself. Back then, however, he was only seven years old, so even if the incident came to light, people merely treated it as a joke.

Dealing with mischievous monkeys of that age through such methods was standard practice in the markets of Bianjing, and also the most effective one. At the very least, Tie Xinyuan had sworn an oath back then that he would never allow anyone to strip him of his clothes again.

With a grim expression, Yang Huaiyu strode through the crowd of onlookers, stepped lightly onto the railing of the Sun Yang Prime Tavern, and bounded onto the high terrace in two or three strides.

A Japanese samurai with his arms crossed over his chest stood guard beneath the flagpole. On the ground lay four of the Yang family guards who had attempted to rescue Su Tong and Su He.

Seeing Yang Huaiyu ascend, a flicker of vigilance flashed in the Japanese samurai's eyes. He took a slight step backward, watching Yang Huaiyu warily while muttering incomprehensible Japanese phrases.

With a face as dark as iron, Yang Huaiyu reached out to untie the ropes and let his two brothers-in-law down. However, the Japanese samurai threw a punch straight at Yang Huaiyu.

Keeping one hand pressed against the flagpole and leaning his body slightly forward, Yang Huaiyu whipped his left leg toward the samurai's neck like a venomous python. Had that kick connected squarely, a tiny bit more force from Yang Huaiyu would have snapped the samurai's neck clean off.

The samurai sidestepped to avoid the vital strike, and the kick crashed against his raised forearms. The immense force sent the samurai staggering three steps backward.

As Yang Huaiyu exerted his strength, the flagpole instantly began to sway violently. Su Tong and Su He, hanging at the top, shrieked in terror, while Su Mei at the bottom felt her limbs turn to jelly with fright.

"Brother-in-law, be careful! If we fall, you won't have any brothers-in-law left!"

Yang Huaiyu let out an angry snort, wrapped one arm around the flagpole, and the violently shaking pole immediately steadied.

This display of pole-stabilizing prowess by Yang Huaiyu drew immediate, thunderous cheers from the Bianjing onlookers crowding around.

With a loud roar, the Japanese samurai spread his arms and lunged forward again. Letting go of the pole, Yang Huaiyu leaped to meet the warrior and delivered a crushing punch downward. The samurai once again raised his forearms to protect his chest, leaning his entire body forward as he plowed ahead like an enraged bull.

Yang Huaiyu's heavy fist slammed into the samurai's arms with a loud thud. The samurai's left arm bent outward unnaturally in the middle. Before the warrior could even cry out in agony, Yang Huaiyu hooked his arm around the man's neck and, utilizing the momentum of the forward charge, hoisted the samurai upside down and casually hurled him off the high terrace.

Just at that moment, a charming voice called out, "Stop!"

From beneath the terrace came the teeth-setting crunch of breaking bones. Without even glancing down at the situation below the platform, Yang Huaiyu untied the ropes and slowly lowered his two brothers-in-law to the ground.

The household guards, who had just managed to climb back up, draped robes over Su Tong and Su He, neither of whom could stand steadily.

Glancing at his two drooping, wilted brothers-in-law, Yang Huaiyu said, "Go to your sister. Tell her whatever you have to say."

Su Tong moved his lips a few times and stammered, "Brother-in-law, let's go back!"

Yang Huaiyu sneered, "We'll go back after your brother-in-law smashes the Sun Yang Prime Tavern to pieces."

Su He hastily interjected, "Let's not smash it, otherwise it won't be easy to come back here in the future!"

Gazing at the two spineless brothers-in-law with utter disappointment, Yang Huaiyu waved his hand and ordered the guards to take the two fellows away.

He then delivered a vicious kick to the flagpole. With a sharp snap, the ropes binding the pole broke one after another. With another forceful heave, Yang Huaiyu snapped the flagpole right out of its socket in the pierced stone base.

Amidst the gasps and screams of the crowd, Yang Huaiyu brandished the thick, tree-trunk-sized flagpole and whirled around, sweeping it horizontally into the Sun Yang Prime Tavern behind him.

With this single blow, carved doors, windows, and gold-inlaid screens shattered amidst a chorus of creaks and groans. The guests watching from inside and the Japanese women all scurried away in panic, clutching their heads.

Holding the flagpole, Yang Huaiyu swept it back and forth relentlessly. Wherever the pole went, cups, plates, and bowls exploded into shards, while low tables and various soft stools went flying through the air.

In the spacious hall, famous calligraphy, paintings, and precious jade and metal antiques alike were reduced to dust beneath the onslaught of the flagpole.

Within the span of a few breaths, the once magnificent Sun Yang Prime Tavern was rendered unrecognizable and tragic.

With a furious roar, Yang Huaiyu hurled the flagpole from his hands like a short spear. With a loud crash, the pole pierced straight through the screen wall in the back, embedding itself deeply into the masonry.

The commotion had grown massive. The watching citizens of Bianjing dispersed in a rush. Tie Xinyuan smiled faintly at the pale-faced Su Mei, then stepped leisurely onto the high terrace, holding his folding fan.

The ground was littered with wood chips and porcelain shards, so Tie Xinyuan walked with great care. Spotting a large celadon bowl split cleanly into two halves, he bent down to pick it up. Examining the delicate, lingering rainy-sky-blue glaze, he sighed with regret to Yang Huaiyu, "Next time you decide to smash things, at least let me hide treasures like this first. Look, it's cracked."

Surveying the fleeing guests and Japanese women, Yang Huaiyu chuckled, "Do you think what I did was appropriate?"

Tie Xinyuan nodded. "Appropriate, why wouldn't it be? If you had made a minor fuss, people would naturally come to make things difficult for you. But now that you've made such a huge spectacle, the censors will impeach you, the Kaifeng Prefecture will track you down through the Ministry of War, His Majesty will dock your salary, and your superior officers will reprimand you."

Yang Huaiyu smiled. "You think that's the end of it?"

Discarding the broken piece of porcelain, Tie Xinyuan replied, "If it's not the end, what else could happen? Foreigners stripped a scholar's clothes off and hung him from a flagpole, refusing to let anyone rescue him. What is wrong with you flying into a rage and stepping in to protect the dignity of the scholars? If there is any fault, it's simply that those two fellows shouldn't have been your brothers-in-law."

Yang Huaiyu laughed, "I simply don't believe His Majesty would punish me over a few Khitans."

"Wrong, it's a few Japanese!"

"Japanese?" Yang Huaiyu carefully eyed a woman wearing a veil who was walking toward them, then smiled. "Indeed they are Japanese. Haha, let's go home. I asked earlier, Mei'er had already finished cooking before she stepped out."

Tie Xinyuan nodded cheerfully, and the two prepared to leave and return to the Yang residence to continue preparations for their meal.

"General Yang flies into a rage and smashes the Sun Yang Prime Tavern, yet intends to just walk away like this?"

Yang Huaiyu turned around and asked with a grin, "What would you have me do?"

"Fujiyama Ichimika of the Fujiwara clan greets General Yang. This humble establishment was never worth mentioning to begin with. Being able to witness the might of a celestial empire's fierce general at the cost of this modest shop is also the shop's honor. It is just that this concubine has always heard that the celestial empire is a land of etiquette, governed by laws and rules, unlike my Land of the Rising Sun where things are chaotic. This concubine is merely curious: when the General flew into a rage and raised his arms, did he bother to ask who was in the right and who was in the wrong?"

Yang Huaiyu smiled. "I am normally a very reasonable person. But the moment I saw a Song citizen tied to a flagpole by foreigners, I pretty much stopped caring about reason. All I wanted to know was whether my fists were hard enough to rescue my own people."

Fujiyama Ichimika bowed gracefully. "This concubine has learned much. In the General's eyes, whoever has the bigger fist is in the right. Am I wrong?"

Just as Yang Huaiyu was about to reply, Tie Xinyuan suddenly chimed in, waving his folding fan. "You come from Sensō-ji?"

Fujiyama Ichimika immediately locked her gaze onto Tie Xinyuan's face. After a moment, she asked, "The young master has been to Sensō-ji?"

Tie Xinyuan sighed. "Sensō-ji on Mount Kinryū is a sacred Buddhist sanctuary guarded by the Wind God and Thunder God. The Thunder Gate tolerates no women, yet you carry the Thunder Gate upon your back. Aren't you afraid of incurring the punishment of the Thunder God?"

Seeing that Fujiyama Ichimika was left speechless, Yang Huaiyu curiously stepped behind her and indeed spotted the four large characters for "Wind and Thunder God Gate" inscribed on the back of her garment.

"The young master has been to Sensō-ji?" Fujiyama Ichimika repeated.

"I merely lacked the affinity to behold the Golden Buddha."

Hearing Tie Xinyuan say this, Fujiyama Ichimika rattled off a long stream of Japanese at a very rapid pace, looking rather agitated.

With a quiet smile, Tie Xinyuan cupped his hands toward Fujiyama Ichimika and said, "We take our leave."

Filled with lingering suspicion, Yang Huaiyu walked down the high terrace alongside Tie Xinyuan. Glancing back at Fujiyama Ichimika, who remained frozen on the platform, he asked in a low voice, "Have you really been to Japan?"

Tie Xinyuan chuckled. "You were poking me with a spear for fun when I was still swaddled in blankets. Do you think I've been to Japan?"

Yang Huaiyu nodded. "I only asked because I'm curious. How on earth did you know this ghost of a woman came from some Sensō-ji?"

"Didn't you see those four large ink characters written on her back?"

"I saw them. What does that have to do with Sensō-ji?"

"Those four characters are identical to the ones on the main gate of Sensō-ji, so she must come from there."

"And you still claim you've never been to Japan?"

"You know my life story inside and out. How could I possibly have crossed the ocean to go to Japan..."