Chapter 159: Long Ciyou!

The carriage wheels rumbled loudly, rolling directly toward the eastern part of the city.

Even though Li Yuanjing had exchanged glances with Zhao Zengjin and Dong Peng before parting ways, and trusted they would follow closely behind, this treatment—akin to that of a prisoner—still left him feeling thoroughly displeased.

It also made him understand with crystal clarity just how utterly arrogant and lawless the Prince of Qi’s estate had truly become.

And why Emperor Longtai was expending such immense effort to prepare for a decisive blow against them.

"Creak—"

"Have you brought the person?!"

"Brought him, he is right in the carriage."

"Good, the young master has been waiting inside for quite some time. Bring him in at once!"

"Understood!"

While Li Yuanjing was deep in thought, the carriage soon came to a halt. Someone immediately lifted the fabric curtain, urging him to get down as if he were a felon.

Li Yuanjing hurriedly bent down and stepped out, finally realizing where he had been brought.

Of all places, it was the Wind City’s largest brothel, the Wind-Singing Pavilion.

Yet right now, outside the pavilion, there was a guard every ten paces and a sentinel every five. Armed soldiers stood everywhere, entirely stripped of its usual lively atmosphere.

Connecting this with the guards' earlier address of "Young Master," Li Yuanjing harbored a quiet realization of who exactly had brought him here.

Indeed.

It was none other than Long Ciyou, the youngest son of the Prince of Qi!

However, before Li Yuanjing could even inspect the surrounding terrain to find an escape route, a dozen tall, burly guards slipped a black blindfold over his eyes, escorted him under duress, and marched him straight into the interior of the Wind-Singing Pavilion.

Though Wind City was merely a small county town, the brothel system of the Great Qian Dynasty had always been exceptionally well-developed—after all, scholars were revered while martial artists were held cheap. Furthermore, the foundations of the Wind-Singing Pavilion ran deep. Rumors had it that it even maintained ties with the Imperial Music Bureau, ensuring its main architectural complex was by no means inferior to the high-end clubs of later generations.

In fact, in many respects, it even surpassed them.

As he was led all the way into the vast main hall, Li Yuanjing soon heard the chatter and laughter of young men and women, alongside the rich fragrance of expensive incenses.

At that moment, an ethereal and crisp young girl’s voice rang out in surprise:

"Long Ciyou, are you trying to make a fool of your little great-aunt here?"

"Is this the terribly interesting person you spoke of? From what this young lady can see, there is nothing special about him at all. He doesn’t have an ounce of flesh on him—isn't he just a poor, destitute scholar?"

"Hehe."

Immediately after, a flattering young man’s voice chimed in:

"Qiqi, that’s where you don't understand. This man is the already world-renowned and celebrated Li Yuanjing! That famous line you love so much—*If life could be as first we met*—was written by him."

While speaking, the young man’s voice seemed to turn toward another woman nearby, seeking to curry favor once more:

"Zixin, I know you love calligraphy the most, especially the Slender Gold script pioneered by this very Li Yuanjing. Later on, I will make sure he writes enough of it to satisfy you completely!"

"Then I thank Young Master Long."

A moment later, alongside the voice of the girl called Qiqi, another exceptionally pleasant young woman’s voice spoke up. Yet the chilling detachment in her tone seemed almost tangible, as if it could keep anyone a thousand miles away.

"Hehe."

The young man chuckled, hastily adopting a fawning tone:

"Zixin, as long as you like it, there's no need to thank me."

With that, he barked coldly:

"Remove his blindfold."

"Yes."

Someone immediately stepped forward and stripped away Li Yuanjing's blindfold.

His vision restored at last, Li Yuanjing took in the scene before him.

He saw that—

The spacious main hall had evidently been rearranged. Only three small tables were set up, arranged on either side.

On the left sat a green-brocade-clad youth with sword-like eyebrows. While reasonably handsome, his face and posture reeked of unbridled arrogance.

Without a doubt, this must be Long Ciyou, the youngest son of the Prince of Qi!

On the two small tables to the right sat a pair of young girls, both around thirteen or fourteen years old.

One wore a serene and aloof green long dress and wore a green veil over her face. The other wore a colorful long dress that exuded an overwhelming aura of nobility, with a purple veil concealing her features.

Though Li Yuanjing could not clearly see their faces for the moment, their graceful silhouettes alone made it instantly clear...

These two girls were absolute beauties of peerless, breathtaking elegance!

"So you are that so-called Li Yuanjing?!"

"Why do you not kneel upon seeing this young master?!"

Seeing that Li Yuanjing still dared to steal glances at the two girls, Long Ciyou—who had intended to put him in his place and display his manly dominance from the start—let out a cold sneer.

Having already surveyed his surroundings and grasped the situation, Li Yuanjing hastily cupped his fists toward Long Ciyou and said:

"Answering Your Young Master. This student is a man of letters. Though I have yet to attain official honors, over the past few years, thanks to the indulgence of my seniors and peers in the scholarly community, I have acquired a modest reputation. For Young Master to demand that I kneel before you now... is that truly appropriate?"

"Appropriate?"

"What is there that isn't appropriate?!"

Never had Long Ciyou imagined that, despite stooping to speak with a lowly wretch like Li Yuanjing, the man would actually dare to refuse him.

He blew his gasket on the spot, leaped abruptly to his feet, and shouted:

"Hmph!"

"You mere destitute scholar, how dare you put on airs in front of this young master? Do you really take yourself for some kind of big shot?!"

"Men!"

"Since you don't want to kneel to this young master of your own accord, I'll have someone help you do it—and make sure you hit the floor firmly!"

"Understood!"

Impatient tall guards immediately charged in from outside to lay hands on Li Yuanjing.

"Vulgar!"

"Utterly intolerable!"

Yet before the guards could make a move, the colorful-dressed girl named Qiqi could not help but tease with playful mockery:

"Long Ciyou, did you eat too much pig intestine and gum up your brainbox?"

"Did you not hear what Master Li here said? He exchanges courtesies on equal footing with numerous great sages and talents. If you make him kneel to you now, does that mean those great sages and talents must kneel to you as well?"

"Huh? This..."

Long Ciyou was instantly dumbfounded, hurriedly waving his hands in a fluster at the guards.

The guards froze in their tracks, not daring to move rashly.

Long Ciyou then turned anxiously toward the girl in green, scratching his head awkwardly as he asked:

"Zixin, could... could such a thing really be true?"

The green-clad girl, Zixin, furrowed her delicate brows, clearly holding Long Ciyou’s vulgarity in utter contempt.

Yet possessing a calm and gentle disposition, she softly replied:

"Young Master Long, gentlemen treat one another with the purity of water. For you to humiliate Master Li in this manner right upon meeting him is naturally contrary to the way of a gentleman."

"Ah..."

"This..."

Long Ciyou felt an indescribable awkwardness wash over him.

He never expected that the dashing stunt he had planned would turn out to be so utterly tacky. Wasn't this simply trying to show off only to fall flat on his face?

Yet toward the green-clad girl, he held not an ounce of temper, acting entirely like a devoted lapdog as he plastered on a smile:

"Lady Zixin's reprimand is correct. It was all my foolishness, Long Ciyou."

While speaking, he hastily stood up once more, cupping his fists deeply toward Li Yuanjing with an affected air of scholarly grace:

"Brother Li, blame me for being rash today after downing a few too many cups of wine. I beg you not to take offense. Who in the world doesn't know that I, Long Ciyou, have yearned for the teachings of the sages since childhood and admire learned men above all else?"

"You are too kind, Young Master. No fault is found with those who do not know. Besides, in this student's view, Your Young Master's directness demonstrates your true nature—truly a model for our generation."

Li Yuanjing hastily returned the gesture with a respectful bow.

Inwardly, however, he could not suppress a chuckle:

*It's fine if you an idiot want to show off in front of the ladies, but you shouldn't have tried to step on your own dignity to do it! And acting like such a total bootlicker, no less!*

By this point, how could Li Yuanjing fail to see through the dynamic?

Whether it was the green-clad girl Zixin or the colorful-clad girl Qiqi, their status was incomparably noble—so much so that even Long Ciyou dared not easily offend them.

That being the case, Li Yuanjing naturally had to set his mind to work.

After all, when a girl of this caliber dropped into your lap, your intelligence had to rise to the occasion.

"Right, right, right."

"This young master simply possesses a true nature—a true nature, indeed!"

Seeing that Li Yuanjing was actually helping him save face, Long Ciyou was overjoyed. He repeatedly stood up, cupping his fists toward Li Yuanjing as he tried to polish his own image.

Yet neither Zixin nor Qiqi showed the slightest reaction to his posturing, remaining entirely indifferent.

Seeing that the atmosphere was about to turn ice-cold just as he had finally managed to set the stage, sweat beaded on Long Ciyou's forehead. He hastily urged Li Yuanjing:

"I have long heard that Master Li is blessed with extraordinary talent and compositions flowing effortlessly from your lips. On such a fine evening with fair views, might you have some exquisite masterpiece to heighten our enjoyment?!"