Chapter 155 Heated Discussion

In the era of the Great Tang, a horse was no less important than a car in later generations. Suddenly, a grand procession of five hundred injured horses marched straight through Chang'an City and entered the Mo Estate, dropping like a massive boulder into a tranquil pond and stirring up endless ripples.

The debate over whether the Young Master of the Mo family actually understood horses was the talk of the town throughout Chang'an.

"If you ask me, the Young Master of the Mo family must have received the true teachings of Bole's *Classic of Horses*, otherwise how could he have written such a peerless masterpiece as *On Horses*!" someone staunchly supported Mardon.

"Impossible! *On Horses* is clearly using horses as a metaphor for people; it has nothing to do with the art of judging horses. If the Young Master of the Mo family had truly obtained the *Classic of Horses*, how could he possibly buy so many injured horses?" Others remained unconvinced of Mardon's equine expertise.

Since ancient times, controversy breeds topics of conversation. The peerless essay *On Horses* contrasted sharply with five hundred injured horses, instantly turning the matter into the hottest topic across Chang'an.

Inside the Lizheng Palace:

Li Shimin listened in speechless frustration to Pang De's report, rubbing his teeth as he muttered, "Does this little catfish ever stop stirring up a tempest across the entire city of Chang'an before he's satisfied?"

The sensation caused by the five hundred injured horses and the peerless essay *On Horses* was nothing short of a seismic wave, naturally drawing the attention of the imperial palace. Ever since Mardon's hot air balloon made its appearance over Chang'an, Li Shimin had issued a strict order: if this brat Mardon caused any major commotion, it must be reported to him immediately. That was why the scene in the Lizheng Palace was unfolding today.

"What is Your Majesty angry about? Putting aside the mystery of the five hundred injured horses for a moment, *On Horses* is a top-tier piece of literature!" Empress Changsun, widely read and well-versed in poetry, felt genuine delight upon reading such a stunning essay and could not help putting in a good word for Mardon.

Li Shimin picked up the neatly copied essay, read it through carefully, and sneered, "Though fine horses are common, Bole is not. Could this little catfish Mardon consider himself a thousand-li steed and feel aggrieved on his own behalf?"

"If he is a thousand-li steed, Your Majesty, does that not make you his Bole?" Empress Changsun glanced at Li Shimin and offered a subtle, graceful compliment.

"Hahaha!" Li Shimin's heart surged with joy. Indeed, ever since Mardon had entered his field of vision, although the rascal was unpredictable and constantly threw the capital into an uproar, Li Shimin had frequently cleaned up his messes. Otherwise, given his identity as a scion of the Mo family, who knew how many open and hidden arrows would have left him covered in wounds long ago.

Yet, Mardon had not disappointed Li Shimin's high expectations, repeatedly bringing him pleasant surprises.

"This time..." Thinking of those five hundred injured horses, Li Shimin felt a warm stirring in his chest. No one felt more agonizing heartbreak over injured horses than Li Shimin himself.

Back when the Tang soldiers undertook their distant expedition against the Tujue, their greatest loss had been warhorses. After a grueling long-distance campaign and a victorious return, nearly half of the Tang's warhorses had been lost or crippled. If this brat Mardon could actually resolve the issue of injured horses, just think of the immense benefit it would bring to the Great Tang!

At this thought, Li Shimin immediately commanded, "Keep a close eye on this brat Mardon and see what trick he is trying to pull."

"Understood!" Pang De acknowledged the order and withdrew.

***

Not only Li Shimin, but virtually everyone in Chang'an was craning their necks in anticipation of news from Mardon, especially the horse markets in the Western Market. The problem of injured horses had always been the most vexing headache for the horse dealers; if the Young Master of the Mo family could genuinely solve it, the benefits would be boundless.

At the Wang Family Horse Market!

For Wang Zhe, this was indeed a massive headache. He desperately hoped that the Young Master of the Mo family was merely putting up a bluff, and that once these injured horses dropped dead one by one, Mardon's reputation would be utterly ruined. Yet, at the same time, he secretly hoped that the problem of the injured horses could be solved, removing a major hidden worry for the Wang family's business.

As soon as Mardon left, Wang Zhe immediately summoned the cyan-robed clerk who had sold the horses.

"Young Master, this is the contract signed by the Young Master of the Mo family!" The clerk handed over the horse-purchase agreement with trembling hands.

"Four guan per horse!" Looking at such a low price, Wang Zhe felt a sharp pang of distress. If the Young Master of the Mo family actually managed to cure these injured horses, the Wang family horse market would likely become the ultimate laughingstock of Chang'an.

The Mo Estate was large, but the arrival of five hundred injured horses immediately packed it to the brim.

"Young Master, what is the meaning of this?" Uncle Fu was left dumbfounded as the five hundred injured horses filed in one after another.

"These are the horses of our Mo Family Village from now on," Mardon said, looking out over the sea of bobbing horse heads in the courtyard with a grand sweep of heroism.

"Ah!" Uncle Fu was struck dumb with shock.

The residents of the Mo Estate looked speechlessly at their erratic young master. No matter how one looked at a courtyard full of crippled horses, it seemed utterly unreliable. Yet, out of blind devotion and worship toward Mardon, they temporarily kept their doubts to themselves.

Seeing Uncle Fu cast a questioning look his way, Xu Jie could only offer a bitter, anxious smile. This was his very first business transaction since arriving in Mo Family Village; he could not afford to let it fail.

"Young Master, they're here! Mo Wu is here!" Mo Five, the most energetic of the lot, leaped into the estate and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Mo Wu?"

Seeing Mo Wu walk in still wearing the robes of the Mo Medical Academy, Xu Jie felt a slight sense of relief. Could it be that the master intended to use medical arts to treat these horses?

"Young Master!" Mo Wu panted as he ran up to Mardon's side.

"Where is Elder Hua? Didn't I ask you to invite Elder Hua over as well?" Mardon asked, noticing the absence of Elder Hua's figure behind him.

Mo Wu smiled bitterly and said, "As soon as Elder Hua heard we were treating horses, he chased me right back out. The Mo Medical Academy has a whole mountain of human patients waiting to be cured; how could Elder Hua possibly have the time to come and treat horses?"

"If he doesn't come, that's his loss. Once I cure these injured horses, I'll make Elder Hua come knocking on my door himself!" Mardon declared with absolute confidence.

Mo Wu could only smile wryly. One was his teaching mentor, and the other was his young master; whichever side he stood on, neither position was comfortable!

"Young Master, I've brought everything you asked for," Mo Wu said, quickly pulling out a small jar of alcohol and a large jar of burn ointment to change the subject.

Elder Hua's burn ointment was quite famous, remarkably effective for stopping bleeding and forming scabs. Mardon had demanded such a large quantity of it all at once, which explained why Elder Hua hadn't given him a pleasant look.

"Young Master! Even if Elder Hua's burn ointment is effective, it can't fix the hooves of these injured horses!" Mo Wu advised, staring at the shocking wounds on each horse's hooves.

"Don't worry, since your young master was able to buy so many injured horses, he naturally has a way to cure them!" Mardon said mysteriously.

Just then, the muscular Mo Four trotted over, carrying a heavy bundle of iron wire and sheet metal in his hands as if they weighed nothing at all.

"Young Master, I've brought the things you wanted!" Mo Four dropped the iron goods with a heavy thud and announced loudly.

At that exact moment,

"Young Master, here are your things!" Zi Yi hurried out from the inner estate, pinching her nose with an expression of utter disgust as she dropped a large bundle of needles and thread, then turned and bolted back outside for fresh air.

"Ah!"

Everyone gasped in astonishment! While they could somewhat wrap their minds around the burn ointment, iron wire, sheet metal, needles, and thread completely baffled them. Not a single person could understand how such items could possibly be used to treat horses.

"The primary injuries on these horses are lacerations. Since they're split open, we'll just sew them back up!" Mardon said it as casually as if he were mending a torn piece of clothing.