Chapter 88: Opportunity to Breakthrough [6600 words]
night.
He slept very uneasily in Sifang Pavilion yesterday. Today, lying on the familiar bed with his wife sleeping beside him and smelling her fragrance, Li Nuo felt extremely at peace.
She had just laid down and had not yet fallen asleep when Li Nuo remembered something and asked, "Madam, how many techniques have you practiced?"
He has become accustomed to talking to his wife before going to bed at night.
Seemingly insignificant little habits can inadvertently increase the familiarity between two people.
Song Jiaren closed her eyes, folded her hands outside the quilt, and said lightly: "One."
After a pause, she asked again: "Why do you suddenly ask this?"
Li Nuo said: "Yesterday, a major case occurred in Sifang Pavilion. An envoy from the State of Chu was killed... The murderer secretly practiced an additional skill and almost hid it from everyone."
Song Jiaren said: "What a pity. He was able to cultivate two different types of skills to the fourth level, which shows that he has excellent talent. If he specialized in one, he might have already touched the realm of a grandmaster."
After a moment of silence, she asked again: "That girl yesterday, was she a princess?"
Li Nuo explained: "Her name is Li An Ning. Although she is indeed a princess, she is actually not arrogant. She is a nice person. She is also a cultivator of the law. She has cultivated to the fourth level... By the way, my lady, who is more powerful, a warrior of the fourth level or a cultivator of the fourth level?"
Song Jiaren thought for a moment and said, "I've never had a fight, so I don't know."
Li Nuo was imagining what it would be like if his wife and Li An Ning fought, when Song Jiaren suddenly said, "By the way, a young lady from the Shen family came to see you today. She said she wanted to discuss poetry with you."
"ah?"
"She also gave me a handkerchief with mandarin ducks embroidered on it. I'll give it to you tomorrow."
Li Nuo quickly said: "No, no, I don't know anything about poetry..."
Song Jiaren said: "Song Yu said that your poems are very good..."
Li Nuo yawned: "What does Song Yu know about poetry? Go to sleep. I'm sleepy..."
The next day.
After getting up and washing, Li Nuo did not eat breakfast first, but exercised in the yard, practicing a set of health-preserving exercises taught by his wife.
This body is still too weak. Even if he doesn't practice martial arts, he still needs to exercise to improve his physical fitness.
The movements of this set of exercises are not complicated and it takes about a quarter of an hour to practice them completely.
After practicing once, Li Nuo not only did not feel tired, but felt full of strength.
The county government office opened today. Li Nuo took a shower, changed his clothes, and continued to go to the county government office to solve cases.
Li An Ning told him that even though it was a bottleneck period now, the cases he tried were not tried in vain. When his cultivation level broke through in the future, every case he tried during this period would be transformed into his cultivation level as a legalist.
This is the benefit of having predecessors to guide you. Small details like these would never be written about in the Legalist classics.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, a lot of cases had piled up in the county government.
Li Nuo had been busy all morning, and nearly half of the cases were still undealt with.
He planned to go back to the Song Mansion for dinner and continue in the afternoon.
After returning to the Song Mansion, Li Nuo just got off the carriage and saw two familiar faces.
One was Zhou Yu, the son of a Langzhong of the Jiabu Department, and the other was Pei Jun, the son of a Shaoyin of Jingzhao.
Both of them were beaten by Li Nuo in the Chang'an County Court for fighting with Song Yu.
Seeing the two again, Li Nuo was slightly stunned.
Both of them today had bruised faces and noses, walked with a limp, and looked quite miserable.
There was another person on Zhou Yu's back, and Pei Jun was supporting him from behind. Li Nuo looked carefully and realized that who else could Zhou Yu be carrying if not Song Yu?
Song Yu's injuries looked more serious than the other two's. His face was swollen and he was groaning on Zhou Yu's back.
A moment later, at the Song family.
In Song Yu's yard, Li Nuo looked at the miserable Song Yu and asked, "Who did it?"
Song Yu lowered his head and whispered, "Brother-in-law, don't worry about this matter."
Li Nuo asked, "Is this what you started?"
If it was Song Yu who took the initiative to cause trouble, it would be difficult for Li Nuo to intervene.
But if the other party is wrong, he will never stand idly by.
He has been waiting for this opportunity for a long time.
While applying medicine on Zhou Yu's face, Pei Jun said, "It wasn't us who started the trouble this time. It was Li Yuan who broke the rules and insisted on taking Miss Yuanyang out to accompany her for drinking. Song Yu just spoke up for justice and was beaten up by him..."
Song Yu glared at him and said, "Pei Jun, stop talking!"
He looked at Li Nuo and said, "Brother-in-law, don't worry about it. I admit defeat this time. I can't afford to provoke him, but I can't hide from him. Anyway, he doesn't dare to do anything to me..."
The opponent's identity must be extraordinary since he could beat Song Yu and the other two like this. Li Nuo was worried that no one would help him break through the realm. Isn't this like someone sending a pillow to you just when you are sleepy?
He looked at Song Yu and asked, "Who is the other party?"
But this time, Song Yu's tone was very firm, and he said: "Brother-in-law, you must listen to me this time, let's just forget about this matter..."
Zhou Yu also said, "Yes, Brother Li, Li Yuan is the eldest son of Yunyang Marquis, the real dignitary in Chang'an. Even if we arrest him and bring him to the government office, we can't do anything to him."
This kind of powerful nobleman is what Li Nuo wants. Li An Ning said that as long as he keeps looking for trouble with these powerful nobles, breaking through will be a matter of minutes.
However, before actually taking action, he also had to figure out the whole story.
Song Yu was hesitant, so Li Nuo looked directly at Zhou Yu and said, "What's going on? Tell me in detail."
Song Yu winked at Zhou Yu vigorously.
Zhou Yu looked hesitant, not knowing whether he should say it or not.
Li Nuo's face darkened and he said, "Speak!"
Zhou Yu shuddered, no longer paying attention to Song Yu's gaze, and immediately said, "It's like this..."
Soon Li Nuo learned what had happened from Zhou Yu.
The cause of the incident was because of the girl Yuanyang.
Song Yu often mentioned this Yuanyang girl in front of Li Nuo. Li Nuo knew that although she came from a brothel, she was chaste. She was not only proficient in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, but also well versed in the art of war. She was considered an extraordinary woman.
Zhou Yu and Song Yu both liked this girl Yuanyang. They once challenged her to a fight outside the academy, but were caught by Li Nuo and his men.
Song Yu had been hanging around in various brothels in Chang'an and was already a veteran in the world of women, but he had always maintained a pure relationship with this girl, and at most they just chatted and talked, and he had never even held her hand.
This is certainly not because Song Yu is innocent.
Li Nuo often drank with Song Yu, so he had some understanding of the brothels in Da Xia.
Brothel is just a general term. There is a world of difference between one brothel and another.
The lowest-level brothels are purely for prostitution. They are usually located in remote alleys, with extremely simple conditions. They just rent a house with a few rooms and beds, and there is not even a place to take a shower. They usually get straight to the point and make quick decisions, with no service at all.
A better brothel has certain requirements for the environment and the girls' looks. At the very least, they have to rent a small building on the street, and the girls can't be too ugly or too old. Of course, the price is also higher, several times that of the previous one.
The better ones have higher requirements for the environment. In addition to being pretty, the girls must also have certain talents, such as playing the piano and dancing. Of course, after playing the piano and dancing, they will still take off their clothes. In essence, it is still a sex trade, and the price is even higher.
Fengqi Tower, which was often visited by County Magistrate Pei, belongs to this category.
The top-notch brothels have actually already gone beyond the realm of the flesh trade.
The girls here are generally carefully selected, with outstanding looks. They have received an education worth a fortune since childhood and are proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting.
In addition to these, some special skills will also be cultivated. Being able to sing and dance is the basis, and knowing some military tactics and even martial arts is a very normal thing.
This kind of brothel does not provide sleeping services and can't even be called a brothel.
The girls sell their art but not their bodies. When customers go here, they can only listen to the music, watch the dance, or chat with the girls.
However, if someone is willing to spend a lot of time and money, it may not be impossible to impress the girls, take them out, and do something happy...
But to achieve this, the cost is incomparable to that of the previous brothels. Often hundreds or even thousands of taels of silver are invested, but not even a splash is made. Only a very small number of people can afford it.
The rich children of Chang'an considered it a refined thing to capture the most beautiful women in brothels, and used it to show off their abilities. Even the circle of children of the powerful and wealthy was no exception...
It has to be said that they packaged themselves very successfully. Some of them even took this opportunity to become phoenixes and successfully marry into wealthy families. Even if they were just concubines, they could guarantee a lifetime of wealth and glory.
Miss Yuanyang from Yuyin Pavilion is a prostitute who sells her art but not her body.
Song Yu and Zhou Yu usually spent dozens or even hundreds of taels of silver just to listen to someone play a piece of music or dance.
This afternoon, Song Yu, Zhou Yu and Pei Jun were listening to Miss Yuanyang playing the piano when an uninvited guest suddenly broke in, insisted on cutting in line, and asked Miss Yuanyang to drink with him.
Accompanying guests drinking was not within the job scope of a prostitute, and when Miss Yuanyang refused, she was slapped by Li Yuan.
Song Yu was beaten up for speaking up for the woman he loved. Zhou Yu and Pei Jun stood up for their friend, so the three of them were beaten together...
Li Nuo looked at the three people with bruised faces and noses and asked, "How could you three be beaten like this by one person?"
Zhou Yu smiled bitterly and said, "Li Yuan is a warrior at the Body Shaping Realm. The three of us combined are no match for him."
Song Yu, Pei Jun and Zhou Yu, none of them have any foundation in martial arts, they are just three ordinary people.
Although the Body Shaping Realm is only the first realm of martial arts, it can be regarded as the entrance to the martial arts. It is no problem to defeat ten ordinary people alone.
If Zhou Yu was telling the truth, then they were indeed unilateral victims.
To be honest, Li Nuo has been in this world for a month, and this is the first time he has seen such an arrogant guy.
Although Song Yu and Zhou Yu were both from powerful families, they only fought and never raped women.
But it must be said that Li Nuo liked his arrogance.
This kind of noble and arrogant young man is the favorite of the Legalists.
That's not some rich and powerful kid, that's a mobile experience pack.
Li Nuo asked, "Are the people who beat you still in Yuyin Pavilion?"
Zhou Yu said: "When we left, he was still there, saying that he would give Miss Yuanyang an incense stick of time to think about it. If she still didn't agree by then, he would destroy the Yuyin Pavilion..."
Hearing that someone was so arrogant, Li Nuo didn't even have lunch. He took two steamed buns from the Song Mansion's kitchen and went out.
There are many lawmakers in the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate. It was not easy to find one who could give him experience. He had to act quickly or else the experience would be snatched away by others.
"Brother-in-law, wait, listen to me!"
Song Yu limped after him, but because of his mobility issues, he could only watch him leave.
Being beaten in front of so many girls from Yuyin Pavilion, how could he not want revenge?
But Marquis Yunyang was a first-class marquis in Daxia. He was the true dignitary of Daxia and had the same blood as the royal family. He was not comparable to the Song, Zhou or Pei families.
Li Yuan is the eldest son of Marquis Yunyang and the future heir to the title.
Marquis Yunyang is just a person who cannot be offended easily, not to mention that behind him is His Royal Highness Prince Ji.
Not to mention the Chang'an County Government, even his father, the current Chief Justice of the Dali Temple, could not control these real nobles, which would cause big trouble for his brother-in-law.
He glared at Zhou Yu and said, "Who told you to talk so much?"
Zhou Yu looked aggrieved. He was not Li Nuo's brother-in-law. He had already asked, so how could he dare not tell the truth?
Song Yu knew that now was not the time to worry about these things, so he forced himself to stay healthy and said, "Quick, go to Yuyin Pavilion and stop my brother-in-law!"
Li Nuo walked to the gate of the Song Mansion, called out Butler Wu from the gatehouse, and said, "Go to Yuyin Pavilion!"
Butler Wu took two steps before he reacted. He couldn't believe his ears and turned around to ask, "Master, where are you going?"
"Yuyin Pavilion."
Li Nuo repeated it and asked, "Do you know where it is?"
"I know..." Butler Wu looked inside the Song Mansion and asked, "Does the young mistress know that the young master went to Yuyin Pavilion?"
Li Nuo waved his hand and urged, "Hurry up and leave. There are so many questions. It will be too late soon!"
He first asked Steward Wu to send someone to the county government office and asked County Lieutenant Wang to take some people to Yuyin Pavilion.
Taking into account the special status of the person to be arrested today, Wang Xianwei and the constables of the county government might not dare to intervene, so he made some other arrangements.
After getting on the carriage, Li Nuo ate a steamed bun while asking Butler Wu, "Do you know about Yunyang Hou?"
Butler Wu nodded and said, "Yes, he is a third-rank first-class marquis."
Li Nuo asked, "How does a first-class marquis compare to my father?"
Li Nuo had some understanding of Daxia's official system.
But the court is complicated and the situation is changeable. Many times, the system is one thing and the actual situation is another.
For the same official position, the power varies in every dynasty, every generation, every emperor, and even in different periods of the same emperor's reign.
Most of the time, the power of the Dali Temple Minister was not even among the top 20 court officials, but during his father's period, he was definitely in the top five.
Butler Wu was stunned for a moment, and said, "There is no comparison between Marquis Yunyang and the master. One of them is a nobleman, and the other is a civil servant. Marquis Yunyang cannot control the master, and the master cannot control Marquis Yunyang..."
After he realized what was happening, he asked again, "Why do you ask this, Master?"
Li Nuo said, "Just now in Yuyin Pavilion, Song Yu was beaten by Yunyang Marquis's eldest son. That person may still be in Yuyin Pavilion. I'll go take a look."
Butler Wu paused in his whipping motion, then said, "Master, I'm afraid the Chang'an County Office won't dare to intervene in this matter. The eldest son of Marquis Yunyang is different from the previous officials' children. It's okay for you to beat him up to vent your anger on Song Yu, but it's a bit difficult to punish him through the law..."
Li Nuo was slightly stunned and asked, "What's the difference?"
Butler Wu explained: "The master is the Minister of the Dali Temple, and those officials are under the master's jurisdiction. So when the young master arrested their descendants, they didn't dare to say anything. But Yunyang Marquis is a nobleman, and the Dali Temple and Chang'an County Office can't control nobles. Even if they violated the law, they would be dealt with by the Zongzheng Temple..."
Li Nuo thought for a moment and asked, "If the Chang'an County Government can't control Yunyang Marquis, can they control his son?"
Steward Wu said, "His son has no title yet, so he can be managed legally. However, although these nobles do not hold power, they have the power to discuss politics and have great influence in the court. Those cowards in the Chang'an County Office are more timid than each other, so how can we dare to manage their affairs..."
Li Nuo said bluntly: "They don't dare to intervene, but I do. Just tell me, can our Li family afford to offend Yunyang Marquis Mansion?"
Hearing this, Wu Guanjia showed a contemptuous smile on his face and said, "Not to mention a small Yunyang Marquis, even if it is the Prince Ji behind him, the master can afford to offend. Young master, don't underestimate the master. In this huge Chang'an City, no matter whether they are high-ranking officials or powerful people, there is no one that the master can't offend. As long as the young master does not kill the prince or sleep with the princess, the master will cover it. At worst, there is still His Royal Highness Prince Chun behind him..."
Li Nuo glanced at Butler Wu. Why would he kill the prince for no reason? He had no grudge against the prince.
As for Sleeping Beauty, although Li Anning's figure is really attractive, he hasn't even succeeded in conquering his own wife, so this is even more impossible.
Butler Wu shook the reins, and the carriage sped up and headed forward.
At this time, the atmosphere in Yuyin Pavilion was extremely tense.
The nobleman, wearing a gorgeous crown and a jade pendant on his waist, sat peacefully in the lobby on the first floor of Yuyin Pavilion, gently waving a folding fan and sipping tea leisurely.
On the table in front of him, there was an incense burner with a stick of incense in it that was almost burned out.
Many beautiful women hid behind a screen, looking at him from afar, their pretty faces showing tension and worry.
"What should I do? The time is almost up!"
"Yuanyang isn't really going to go with him, is he?"
"What else can we do? Didn't you hear what he said just now? If Yuanyang doesn't go with him, he will destroy Yuyin Pavilion..."
"I wonder what Phoenix will decide..."
At this time, in a private room on the second floor of Yuyin Pavilion.
The pretty girl pondered for a long time, looked behind the screen, sighed softly, and said, "Or, I'd better go with them, otherwise, they won't let me go today."
A pleasant voice came from behind the screen: "The reason why Yuyin Pavilion was able to gain a foothold in Chang'an so quickly is because all the girls in the pavilion are innocent. If you leave with them today, you will definitely lose your innocence. The rules of Yuyin Pavilion are not rules, and it is only a matter of time before it falls..."
The pretty girl said, "We can't afford to offend Yunyang Marquis's Mansion. He will really destroy this place."
The voice said indifferently: "If he wants to destroy it, then let him destroy it. It's nothing more than a loss of money. We have spent a lot of money to make you famous. After this storm, Yuyin Pavilion will be more famous. Today's losses will be earned back tenfold or a hundredfold..."
She stood up, walked to the screen, looked at the pretty girl and said, "The fact that he came to Yuyin Pavilion to look for you today is also a success for us. It seems that your reputation has been thoroughly spread, and your future plans will be able to be implemented more smoothly."
The pretty girl lowered her head and said, "This is all thanks to Master Song and Master Zhou. Today, I have implicated them..."
The woman gently placed her hand on her shoulder and said, "Just stay here. I'll take care of the rest."
Yuyin Pavilion, first floor lobby.
The nobleman looked at the incense stick in the incense burner that was about to burn out, put away the folding fan in his hand, looked at the women not far away, and asked: "It's almost time, who of you will go and ask her what she thinks?"
clatter.
Da, da…
Rhythmic footsteps came from behind. Seeing a figure walking down from the second floor, the ladies in Yuyin Pavilion seemed to have found a backbone and gathered around.
"Sister Phoenix!"
The woman called Phoenix slowly walked up to the young master, bowed to him lightly, and said, "I am the Pavilion Master of Yuyin Pavilion, and I am honored to meet you, young master."
The nobleman looked at her, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
He had seen countless beauties, but the gorgeous woman in front of him still made him feel bright.
Although the Yuanyang girl was pretty, she was not as exaggerated as the rumors said. On the contrary, the leader of the Yuyin Pavilion was unexpectedly stunning.
He had already been attracted to this woman, but business was more important. He looked at the beautiful woman and asked, "I wonder what Miss Yuanyang has thought about. Please don't worry about the reward. One thousand taels of silver are for her only for one night. Even the top courtesans in Chang'an don't offer this price. Is this sincere enough?"
The beautiful woman said apologetically: "It is a blessing for Yuanyang that you like her, but the girls in Yuyin Pavilion only sell their art but not their bodies. Please don't make it difficult for me. I thank you on behalf of Yuanyang..."
The nobleman twitched his lips and said, "You say you sell your art but not your body, it's nothing more than you think the money is too little. One thousand taels is not enough, is two thousand taels enough? If two thousand taels is not enough, three thousand taels should be enough, right?"
The beautiful woman shook her head gently, "Sir, this is really not a matter of money."
The nobleman looked at her, the smile on his face gradually faded, and he said: "To tell you the truth, I came to your Yuyin Pavilion not for myself, but a noble heard of Miss Yuanyang's fame and wanted to meet her. To be favored by that noble is a blessing she will never get in her ten lifetimes. If I were a woman, I would have gone to her myself..."
The beautiful woman's eyes gradually became serious.
The eldest son of Marquis Yunyang is already a nobleman that most of the wealthy families in Chang'an will never be able to reach in their lifetime.
The noble person he mentioned must be incredibly noble.
The nobleman looked at her face that brought disaster to the country and the people, and he also felt a little pity for her. He couldn't help but slow down his tone and said, "I should have given the Pavilion Master a favor, but I promised that nobleman that I would send Miss Yuanyang to his bed tonight. It's really hard to break my promise. It's not easy to survive in Chang'an. I understand you, and you also understand me..."
He took out a stack of banknotes from his arms, put them on the table, and said earnestly: "Miss Fenghuang, listen to my advice. Entertaining people with sex is not a long-term solution. I can give her three thousand taels of silver now. After tomorrow, she can take the three thousand taels of silver and find an honest man to marry. She will be rich and prosperous for the rest of her life, with no worries about food and clothing. If she encounters any difficulties in her life in the future, she can come to Yunyang Marquis Mansion to find me. If anyone bullies her, report my name, Li Yuan..."
The beautiful woman didn't say anything.
The nobleman showed some helplessness on his face and said, "I don't want to lose face in front of that noble man. How about you give me some face and I will give you some face too?"
The beautiful woman bit her lip and said, "Sir, it's not that Yuanyang doesn't want to, it's just that she's not feeling well today..."
Bang!
The kind expression on the nobleman's face instantly turned into rage. He slapped her hard on the face and said darkly, "I've already given you face, but you didn't want it. Someone, go and capture Miss Yuanyang and take off her clothes. I want to see if she is inconvenienced or not!"
As soon as Li Nuo walked into Yuyin Pavilion, he saw someone beating someone else. The person was so arrogant that he wanted to strip the girl's clothes in public.
Isn't this hooliganism?
He has committed multiple intentional injuries and molested decent women, and the circumstances are so severe that he should be sentenced to 100 strokes of the cane and two years in jail - is he not breaking the rules this time?
[ps: There is still one chapter left at 12:30, finish writing this node. ]
(End of this chapter)
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