Chapter 28 Shocks from All Sides

As soon as Li Qing left, the quiet lobby immediately boiled over.

"Tell me, what kind of background does that Mr. Li have? He's so incredibly brave."

"Didn't you hear that he's from the Ming officialdom? He must be someone from the government!"

"That brat was so arrogant. Now he's been taught a lesson.

Haha... Serves him right. It's really satisfying." Some people gloated, feeling a great sense of relief.

However, some held a different opinion. "Not necessarily. That guy didn't dare to reveal his identity. It's not necessarily that he was afraid. Maybe it's precisely because his background is too formidable, and he has scruples."

"That makes sense. But having said that, this Mr. Li is truly a straightforward person. He just grabbed that guy without hesitation. Ordinary people don't have such courage."

"Yeah!" Everyone nodded.

Suddenly, someone exclaimed, "Mr. Li?

Could he be the Mr. Li who wrote 'Ode to Wanling'?"

"Gasp~!"

"Highly likely. That Mr. Li wrote a poem for Miss Wanling, and this Mr. Li stood up for Miss Wanling. Nine times out of ten, they're the same person."

"Madam, madam... Is the Mr. Li just now the same person as the author of 'Ode to Wanling'?"

Everyone couldn't care less about the romantic atmosphere at the moment. They were all eager to know the truth.

The madam replied with a bitter face, nodding, "Everyone, stop discussing this. Let's get back to business."

"Xiuer, go and call the girls." The madam forced a smile. "Excuse me for a moment."

With that, regardless of the excited crowd, she entered the gauze curtain, grabbed Wanling, and rushed upstairs.

At this moment, Wanling came to her senses from her shock and fear. She grabbed the madam's hand and anxiously asked, "Madam, what on earth is that person's background? Will Mr. Li get implicated?"

"Well..." The madam's eyes evaded, and she mumbled without answering.

Lianxiang and Hongxiu exchanged a glance and persuaded, "Madam, after all, Mr. Li stood up for Wanling and for Zui Xian Lou. What's wrong with letting us know the truth?"

The madam sighed helplessly and said, "That person's father is a state duke of the current dynasty, and his uncle is the present emperor."

"What?"

The girls were stunned. They knew that the person even the madam dared not offend must have a very powerful background, but they didn't expect the person's identity to be so prominent.

Wanling's mind raced, and she suddenly said, "Madam, for such a big matter, shouldn't we let the 'big shot' behind us know?"

Lianxiang and Hongxiu didn't know who the big shot was, but they knew that there was a big shot behind Zui Xian Lou.

Just because...

The madam often said, "We have someone above us!"

"Wanling is right." Hongxiu said, "Madam, for such a big matter, we can't hide it."

Lianxiang also joined in the persuasion, "Madam, if you don't report it, you'll have to bear the consequences alone if something goes wrong. It's getting late. It'll be curfew soon."

Persuaded by the girls, the madam also felt that she couldn't hide it anymore. She couldn't make a decision on such a big matter. She could only let Jinzhi decide.

Thinking of this, she took a deep breath. "You all stay put and bolt the door. I'll go report this right away."She sneered coldly. "The other party indeed has a powerful background, but it doesn't mean our Zui Xian Lou is really afraid. If anything happens, just shout. If anyone dares to act rashly, tell the servants to fight back. Say it's my order."

With that, she left the room in a hurry.

Wanling and the other two girls exchanged a look, their faces filled with worry. But they really couldn't do anything to help, so they could only pray.

...

In the imperial palace.

The Eighth Prince, Zhu Zi, knelt on the ground, his face deathly pale and trembling.

He, Zhu Zi, had been reported by his brother!

Zhu Yuanzhang held a long whip in his hand. With a flick of his wrist, there was a sharp "crack!" that scared Zhu Zi out of his wits.

Although the whip didn't land on him, it made him even more terrified.

"F-father emperor..."

"Slap——!"

Another whip crack, and the tip of the whip exploded less than half a foot in front of Zhu Zi. His face turned green with fear. If it had hit his face, it would surely have disfigured him!

"Tsk, tsk, tsk... What a promising son. Truly promising."

Zhu Yuanzhang sneered. "When I was thirteen, all I thought about was herding cows well and having enough to eat. You're much 'better' than me."

"Father emperor, please forgive me." Zhu Zi kowtowed repeatedly. "It was Li Jinglong who instigated me to go. It has nothing to do with me."

To be fair, the Eighth Prince really wasn't a decent person.

Although Li Jinglong wasn't of high moral character, he was quite loyal to his uncle, this nephew of his.

However, while the nephew was kind to the uncle, the uncle was heartless to the nephew.

Sure enough, when Zhu Yuanzhang saw his son being so spineless, he became even more furious and lashed out with a whip.

"Slap!"

"Ah..."

Zhu Zi's face turned pale with pain. His thin robe was directly torn by the whip, making the other princes tremble with fear.

"Father emperor, please calm your anger..."

Zhu Biao showed a look of pity and pleaded, "The Eighth Brother is young and doesn't understand things. This is his first offense. I hope father emperor will be lenient."

"Father emperor, please calm your anger."

The other princes quickly knelt down to plead as well. "Don't beat the Eighth Brother (Eighth Prince) too hard."

Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath. "I'll ask you again. Who instigated you to go to the brothel?"

"L-Li Jinglong."

"Slap——!"

Another fierce lash of the whip. Zhu Zi's eyes went black and he almost fainted.

But then Zhu Yuanzhang continued, "Who instigated you to go?"

Having been whipped twice, even if Zhu Zi were a pig, he would know what the problem was. "It was I who went on my own. All the mistakes are mine alone."

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression softened slightly. "I'll ask you again. Is today really the first time you've entered a brothel?"

"Yes... no."

Zhu Zi was so frightened that he simply told the whole truth.

Zhu Yuanzhang put away his whip and said indifferently, "You're sensible. Your personal eunuch has confessed everything. If you had dared to prevaricate just now, I would have whipped you to death."

"Son realizes his mistake. Son will never dare again."

Zhu Zi was almost scared to death and kept begging for mercy.

Zhu Yuanzhang put away the whip and said faintly, "Li Jinglong forcefully redeemed the person?"

"Son doesn't know." Zhu Zi replied truthfully. "At that time, Mr. Li was also there. When he saw Li Jinglong trying to buy by force, he stepped forward to stop it. The two were still in a stand - off when I left."

"Li Qing?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned and muttered, "This guy really is..."

Then he smiled again, "Well, it's better if he has something to ask for."

...

In the mansion of the Duke of Cao.

"What? That little brat actually took the Eighth Prince to a brothel, not only tried to buy a prostitute by force, but also got caught by the government?!"

Li Wenzhong's eyes went black and he almost fainted.

He had always been doing things honestly and being a decent person. He had been wise all his life. How could he have given birth to such a son?

"Master, quickly find someone to bail Jinglong out!" The woman said in a panic. "How can Jinglong spend the night in such a place..."

"Bail your ass. I'll end up ruined by you two sooner or later."

Li Wenzhong was so angry that his beard twitched. It took him a long time to calm down and then he asked, "Was that damned guy really taken away by the government?"

The servant said timidly, "Returning to the Duke, we don't know if he's from the government. But the young master asked him which way he was from, and he said he was from the Ming officialdom."

Li Wenzhong frowned. Angry as he was, after all, it was his own son. If he was caught by the government, it didn't matter much. It could just temper his arrogance. But if he was kidnapped by villains, the consequences...

"What's that man's name? What does he look like?"

"The madam called him Mr. Li. He's around twenty years old. In appearance... he's on a par with the young master, and he looks extraordinary."

"Twenty years old, Mr. Li..." Li Wenzhong's eyes focused. He murmured, "Could he be the one who treated aunt?"

He gave an order, "Tell the captain of the personal guards to go to the Zhenfu Division's prison to check. If that damned guy was really caught by the Jinyiwei, let him stay there. Don't bother about him. Also, find some thorns!"

"Jinyiwei?" The woman was shocked and quickly said, "Master, instead of bailing Jinglong out quickly, what are you looking for thorns for?"

"Bail, bail, bail... bail your grandma's leg. " Li Wenzhong cursed, "I'll go to plead guilty with thorns on my back tomorrow."

...

In the Princess's Mansion.

"You shouldn't have come!"

"Princess, something happened at the restaurant." The madam briefly explained the whole story.

Anqing frowned, "Li Jinglong? Mr. Li?"

"What does that Mr. Li look like?"

The madam was highly efficient and described Li Qing's appearance in a few words.

It's him?

Surprise flashed across Anqing's eyes. "He took Li Jinglong away?"

"Yes, Your Highness. How should this matter be resolved?"

Anqing thought for a while and said, "I'll enter the palace tomorrow. The restaurant should operate as usual. You don't need to worry about this matter."

After a pause, she added, "Try to make friends with that Mr. Li."

"What?" The madam was shocked. "Your Highness, do you know him?"

"Don't ask what you shouldn't know." Princess Anqing said indifferently. "Do your job well, and you'll get your rewards. How's the business of the restaurant recently?"

"The business is booming." The madam said excitedly. "Your Highness, let me tell you..."

Anqing nodded frequently as she listened, and her expression changed from gloomy to sunny.

"One glance from her in the crowd, and all colors in the world seem like dust.

I didn't expect that this Mr. Li is not only a miraculous doctor but also has extraordinary talent. Try to meet his needs as much as possible in the future."

"Yes, this servant has noted it down." The madam replied respectfully.

...

In the Zhao Prison.

Li Jinglong was tied up tightly and fixed to a chair, unable to move, but his arrogance remained undiminished.

He said arrogantly, "Release me now, and I might spare your life. Otherwise..."

"Name?" Li Qing asked.

"It seems you little brat are..."

"Slap——!"

Li Qing asked again, "Name?"

"I'll fight you to the death..."

"Slap——!"

"Name?"

"My name is Li Jinglong!"