Peerless Bodyguard of a Stunning Beauty

When Li Shimin decided to initiate the Xuanwu Gate incident,

he took Zhao Rong and his group of five, and said,

My good man, since you’re from the future,

I’ll invite you to join my team.

You don’t have to fight; I just need you to provide counsel.

With no choice but to accept Li Shimin’s enthusiastic invitation, Zhao Rong reluctantly joined Li Shimin’s team.

Once Zhao Rong and his group of five joined Li Shimin’s team,

Li Shimin immediately held a banquet to welcome them.

But just as Zhao Rong and his group of five were heading to Li Shimin’s banquet,

Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji swaggered over proudly.

Upon arriving, Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji immediately scrutinized Zhao Rong and the five, then questioned Li Shimin, saying,

Who are these five people?

Why are they dressed so strangely?

They don’t look like citizens of the Tang Dynasty; more like barbarians from the Western Regions.

Li Shimin, being very clever, deliberately concealed Zhao Rong and his group’s identities, and concocted an impromptu story.

He told Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji,

Brother, little brother, what you don’t know is that these five are not Western Region barbarians.

They’re from the northern plains, foreign people...

In the Tang Dynasty, due to their prosperous economy, outsiders and Western Region people were looked down upon.

Thus, upon hearing that Zhao Rong and his group were outsiders,

Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji deliberately mocked them, saying,

You five should consider yourselves honored to live in our great Tang Dynasty.

Li Jiancheng glanced at Zhao Rong and, mocking him said,

Look at this guy, so ugly,

obviously not one of us Tang Dynasty people.

When the three beauties heard Li Jiancheng mocking the man they idolized, Zhao Rong,

they immediately stood up to retort, saying,

Li Jiancheng, cease your nonsense.

Zhao Rong is our dream man,

no one in this world is more handsome than him.

When Li Jiancheng saw the three beauties refuting him,

he stepped forward to closely inspect Miss Lili, Beauty Yu Lan, and Beauty Xuelian,

then mocked them, saying,

The first one standing there with those large eyes, almond face, and high nose, looks like a Western Region barbarian and not beautiful at all; she’s ugly, nothing like our Tang Dynasty’s adorable and beautiful, pretty women.

Yu Lan asked Li Jiancheng,

What exactly are the beauty standards in your Tang Dynasty?

Li Jiancheng explained to Beauty Yu Lan his perception of a beauty, saying,

In my eyes, a beauty should have slanted eyes, very small, a chubby face, minuscule mouth, and be full-figured.

That’s what makes a woman beautiful.

You three are one skinnier than the next, and your figures are way too slim.

You clearly don’t fit our Tang Dynasty’s beauty standards.

Listening to Li Jiancheng, Beauty Xuelian standing behind subtly reminded Beauty Yu Lan, Miss Lili, saying,

Miss Lili, Beauty Yu Lan, the Tang Dynasty sees fat as beautiful.

Us three beauties, with our slender figures, in Tang Dynasty terms, it’s practically malnourished, much less considered beauties; may not even meet the ordinary girl’s standard.

When Miss Lili heard about the Tang Dynasty’s fat-as-beautiful standard,

she was astonished, saying,

Is such a thing even possible? Wouldn’t sumo wrestlers be considered handsome here?

Zhao Rong told Miss Lili,

Miss Lili, you’re correct; Japanese sumo actually originates from the Tang Dynasty.

At this moment, Li Yuanji stepped forward and mocked Beauty Xuelian, saying,

You girl, so thin, waist so tight, chest so..., butt so protruding, really unattractive.

In my eyes, a beauty has to be a little chunky; that’s what looks more feminine.

When Beauty Xuelian heard that Li Yuanji preferred chubby ones,

she burst into laughter, incredulous, saying,

Li Yuanji, your tastes are quite peculiar.

Preferring chubby ones over slender beauties.

After Li Yuanji and Li Jiancheng finished mocking Zhao Rong, Miss Lili, Beauty Yu Lan, Beauty Xuelian,

they turned and saw the assistant. And when the three beauties saw Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji heading toward the assistant,

they thought to themselves:

These two fellows, having mocked us, will certainly go mock the assistant next.

Zhao Rong kindly warned the assistant, saying,

Prepare yourself; Li Yuanji and Li Jiancheng are particularly fond of mocking others.

But unexpectedly,

Li Yuanji and Li Jiancheng not only refrained from mocking the assistant but rather praised him, saying,

This foreigner, with his big head, thick neck, and covered with facial hair, exemplifies being a handsome man.

When the assistant heard that his modern-day ”ugly” looks were considered handsome in the Tang Dynasty,

he incredulously asked,

You two aren’t fooling me, are you?

Am I really considered handsome in the Tang Dynasty?

Li Jiancheng confidently said,

If you’re not considered handsome, then there are no handsome men in the world.

Li Yuanji further added,

Your eyes so small, face so chubby, just perfect for the handsome standard...

The assistant was elated and immediately stood up, then gazed at various Tang beauties saying,

Miss Lili, Beauty Yu Lan, Beauty Xuelian—it’s not just that you only like Zhao Rong and not me,

I’ve decided not to like any of you either.

I now prefer Tang Dynasty beauties. Watch as I go court a Tang Dynasty beauty right now, to show you how charming I actually am.

With that said, the assistant went toward a waitress nearby and said arrogantly:

”Tang Dynasty beauty, how about having me, with these looks, as your husband...”

But before he could finish, the Tang Dynasty beauty immediately rejected him, saying:

”No way...”

Hearing the refusal, the assistant’s eyes widened, unable to believe or understand, he asked the Tang Dynasty beauty,

Why don’t you fancy me?

Can you tell me why you don’t like me?

The Tang Dynasty beauty told the assistant,

I only have one reason I don’t fancy you;

it’s because you’re simply not...

When the assistant heard this reason for rejection, he argued,

For someone like me, how could I possibly be insufficient...

Back in my youth, I often went...

I think I’m plenty...,

Yet you say I’m not enough..., unbelievable!

When Zhao Rong and the three beauties saw the assistant being rejected by the Tang beauty,

they laughed and reminded the assistant, saying,

The Tang Dynasty is quite... socially multifaceted.

If a man is too reserved or overly shy, finding a wife can be quite difficult.

Listening to Zhao Rong and the three beauties, the assistant decided to pursue a Tang beauty with abandon...