Chapter 264 The Literary Battle Resumes

"..."

here we go again.

He's trying to intimidate me with grand principles again!

"Xuancheng... just one day."

"Since we're already out here, I'll return to the palace after watching Shuyu's duel!"

Li Shimin's momentum weakened.

Since I can't win the argument anyway, I admit defeat.

"no!"

Wei Zheng resolutely refused: "Your Majesty bears the weight of the world's fate on your shoulders, and I will absolutely not allow anything to happen to Your Majesty!"

"What if I resolutely refuse to return?"

Li Shimin snorted coldly.

I've already given in, but you still won't give in?

I have a temper too!

"That makes things simple..."

Wei Zheng casually said, "If I tell Shuyu to give up the duel, then Your Majesty will have nothing to watch."

"What if I don't go back?"

Li Shimin narrowed his eyes, and anger began to burn within him.

“Then I have no choice but to be impolite,” Wei Zheng said, frowning.

What else do you want?

Although Lao Wei was the prime minister, he could not mobilize the army.

Moreover, this is Chang'an!

Anyone who dares to mobilize troops without authorization will be suppressed in no time.

"If Your Majesty insists on not returning to the palace, I can only contact the civil and military officials and have them come to the Wanhua Pavilion to welcome Your Majesty!"

Holy crap.

Li Shimin was startled.

Civil and military officials came to the brothel to greet the emperor?

If this gets passed down, future generations will laugh at me!

"How dare you, Wei Zheng!"

Du Junzhuo finally couldn't stand it any longer and spoke up in his defense: "Are you threatening His Majesty?"

Um.

Li Shimin nodded in agreement.

Du Junzhuo is much more reliable than that blockhead Li Junxian...

"Du Junchuo!"

Wei Zheng suddenly turned to look at Du Junzhuo, his eyes filled with coldness.

"I haven't even caused you any trouble yet, and you're already blaming me?"

"His Majesty's departure from the palace is such a major event, and you not only failed to advise him against it, but you also helped him cover it up. Do you know what crime you have committed?"

"This is His Majesty's order," Du Junchuo said, bowing to Li Shimin.

Screw your life!

Doesn't he know that Lao Wei is criticizing someone?

Are you trying to provoke me?

I retract my opinion that you are more reliable than Li Junxian...

"Even His Majesty's orders cannot be disobeyed."

"Why don't you bring more people with you?"

"Look at your own protective measures. With so few people, if His Majesty is attacked, can you protect him?"

Wei Zheng launched into a furious tirade, his spittle flying everywhere.

"His Majesty is traveling incognito, so it's not appropriate for him to bring too many people..."

After saying that, feeling he hadn't been loyal enough, he added, "If Your Majesty is truly attacked, I will protect you with my life!"

"You bastard!"

Wei Zheng suddenly raised his voice, stepped forward, pointed at the other man's nose, and questioned, "Who cares whether you live or die? Do you think your life is more important than His Majesty's?"

"Knowing that His Majesty is traveling incognito, why are you still so negligent?"

"Look at your so-called security measures..."

"Even an old man like me could see through His Majesty's true identity."

Where are your security measures?

Where are your defenses?

"If His Majesty is in danger because of this, you wouldn't be satisfied even if you died a hundred times over!"

Du Junzhuo initially tried to refute Wei Zheng's spittle after it sprayed all over his face.

But upon hearing what followed, his expression changed drastically.

That's undeniable.

If Wei Zheng were an enemy, Li Shimin might have already been attacked by now.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me, it was my dereliction of duty!" Du Junzhuo quickly confessed.

well.

They were indeed easily defeated.

"Forget it."

Li Shimin waved his hand.

Du Junchuo had followed his orders after all, so there was no way to blame him.

"no!"

Wei Zheng disagreed.

"If it were a trivial matter, we could let it go, but this matter must not be tolerated!"

"If we spare Du Junzhuo today, will he still be so careless in the future!"

"We implore Your Majesty to severely punish Du Junchuo!"

Wei Zheng bowed solemnly.

"..."

Du Junchuo trembled.

Damn it, I'm just bored and have nothing better to do than argue with Lao Wei...

If I get dismissed because of this, I'll have nowhere to turn for help.

"Then... let's punish him with a six-month salary deduction," Li Shimin replied after a moment's thought.

Du Junzhuo did indeed fail in his duty.

However, Du Junzhuo also participated in the Xuanwu Gate Incident and was a true confidant of Li Shimin.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Du Junchuo quickly expressed his gratitude.

Then he secretly glanced at Wei Zheng.

Wei Zheng remained silent.

The punishment was only meant to teach Du Junzhuo a lesson.

He didn't expect Li Shimin to actually execute Du Junchuo.

At the entrance.

Li Junxian secretly wiped away a cold sweat.

Luckily, we were smart enough to entrust the task of delivering the message to Du Junzhuo.

Otherwise, you'll be the one getting criticized...

This saved me half a year's salary.

It smells so good!

For some reason, I felt even more comfortable than if I had earned half a year's salary.

"His Majesty."

Just then, Wei Zheng bowed again and said, "The Wanhua Pavilion is filled with people from all walks of life. For Your Majesty's safety, I implore Your Majesty to return to the palace immediately!"

Are you sending me back to the palace again?

Then wouldn't all the scolding I received have been for nothing?

"Imperial Censor Wei, wait!"

Just as Li Shimin was at a loss, Wang De suddenly stepped forward.

As Li Shimin's most trusted eunuch, he had no choice but to share the emperor's burdens...

“Imperial Censor Wei, Cui Shenji just called His Majesty ‘father,’ which has already attracted a lot of attention.”

"If I go out like this, I'm likely to attract attention."

"If His Majesty's identity is discovered by someone with ulterior motives, it will be troublesome."

Wei Zheng frowned.

What Wang De said is not without reason.

Li Shimin visits brothels...

He can offer advice on this kind of thing.

But it absolutely must not be revealed!

If this gets out, it will damage the image of the Tang Dynasty and be ridiculed by foreign tribes.

"yes……"

Li Shimin agreed wholeheartedly: "Xuancheng, since we're already here, let's wait until curfew tonight before returning to the palace. That way, we'll be on the safe side."

(Curfew hours: 9 p.m. - 3 a.m.)

"Then Your Majesty, I still request that the surrounding military forces be strengthened."

Wei Zheng hesitated for a moment.

Ultimately, they agreed to the request.

Li Shimin's reputation is very important!

"Xuancheng is right."

Li Shimin nodded and looked at Du Junchuo: "Send some more people over."

"promise."

Du Junchuo accepted the order and left.

"Xuancheng, come, tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival, shall we, the emperor and his ministers, have a couple of drinks?" Li Shimin warmly invited.

"promise."

Seeing Wei Zheng bow and kneel on the prayer mat, Li Shimin breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally, they managed to fool them...

at the same time.

Wei Shuyu's private room.

Choi Shin-ki and Bang Yi-ae rushed in as if they'd seen a ghost...

Then I picked up the juice and poured it into my mouth.

After drinking for a while, she looked at Wu Qiqi with a wronged expression...

"Qiqi, you've tricked us."

"That's right, all that trust we placed in you was for nothing."

The two of them had teary eyes and were almost crying.

"snort."

Wu Qiqi turned her head away, ignoring the two of them.

Wei Zheng kept his eyes on her and didn't notice the guards protecting Li Shimin nearby.

But she noticed it.

She had considered that it might be some prince or nobleman, but she never expected that it would be Li Shimin himself.

"What's going on?"

Wei Shuyu glanced at the group of people, then continued writing his poem...

These two have been causing trouble for ages, yet they're still as lively and energetic as ever.

Ignore them, writing poetry is more important!

Mid-Autumn Festival, the theme will probably be related to the moon...

Raising a cup to invite the bright moon, we become three with our shadows.

What are the other sentences?

The bright moon rises over the sea; we share this moment though we are far apart.

What are the next few sentences?

The dew is white tonight, the moon is bright in my hometown...

I can't remember!

I've given it all back to my Chinese teacher...

Time passed slowly, and finally it was evening!

In the center of Wanhua Pavilion.

It is a huge stage.

As the dancers finished their performance, the madam walked to the center of the stage with a broad smile...

"Thank you all for coming to participate in the new generation of courtesan election at Wan Hua Ge!"

"It's an honor to be here today..."

"Wanhua Pavilion also invited Wei Shuyu and Young Master Wei, Changsun Chong and Young Master Changsun to a literary contest."

"We also invited three Grand Secretaries, Su Xu, Gai Wenda, and Yu Zhining, to serve as judges!"

A rapid-fire opening speech...

The process was briefly explained.

The questions were set by three Grand Secretaries, and anyone could participate.

First, the poems written by each of the women vying for the title of courtesan were published.

Select the best one.

Next, the poems written by these talented scholars will be announced.

It's a party.

We must give talented people a chance to shine.

If there is a talented person who can make a name for himself, it can also bring fame to Wanhua Pavilion.

The poems by Wei Shuyu and Changsun Chong were only revealed at the very end.

"The first round of poetry competition, theme: Bright Moon!"

As the madam finished speaking, Wei Shuyu's lips curled into a smile.

It really is the moon...

Looking at the papers on the table, there were more than a dozen poems, each missing one or two lines.

But there is one song that is complete!

Wei Shuyu picked up the paper and flicked it.

This is a sure thing!