Chapter 84 Long separation
While Li Lang and Li Yi were still arguing, people from the Left Prime Minister's Mansion and the Right Prime Minister's Mansion arrived outside Lingcui Tower at the same time.

The person who came from the Right Prime Minister's Mansion was Li Xiu, who was also furious at this time.

Li Linfu must not be allowed to intervene in such matters.

This was the second time he came to the brothel for this reason within a year.

"Li Jian."

When Li Qian met Li Xiu, Li Qian, for the sake of face, bowed to Li Xiu.

"General Li, Li Shaoqing."

Li Xuan held a higher official position, so Li Xiu also had to pay respect to him.

They didn't talk much though.

Upon learning that an important figure was coming, Mu Sanniang hurried out to greet him: "Greetings to General Li, Li Jian, and Li Shaoqing."

When Li Xuan came to Lingcui Tower in the past, he was handsome yet immature.

When he saw me again, he was already a famous general, and his temperament was completely different.

A round-necked robe, like a sheathed sword, no longer sharp.

"Why do things like this always happen in your Lingcui Building?"

Li Xiu was not polite and questioned Mu Sanniang.

"Li Jian, please forgive me."

Mu Sanniang had no words to express her pain.

She didn't trust ordinary scholars, but people like Li Yi and Li Lang were not easy to deal with. If she got involved, they would beat her up too.

"Take us there first!"

Li Xuan is not that domineering. There is always a reason for the conflict.

"Please, gentlemen!"

Mu Sanniang breathed a sigh of relief and took Li Xuan and others to the disputed area.

Before reaching the ceremonial gate, I heard all kinds of insults and quarrels.

When Li Yi and Li Lang saw the person coming in, the cursing stopped abruptly.

When the head of the family is away, the eldest son of the family takes on the head's authority.

It is a well-known fact that Li Yi is afraid of Li Xiu and Li Lang is afraid of Li Qian.

"Clap clap..."

Li Xiu stepped forward and slapped him twice.

Last time, Li Yi walked out sideways, and Li Xiu didn't have the heart to teach him a lesson.

This time he will not be lenient and will make sure Li Yi learns a lesson to avoid bringing disaster to the family in the future.

"Brother...it was Li Lang, the soldier, who started it first."

Li Yi covered his face, stunned for a moment, unable to believe that his elder brother would hit him.

"The Right Prime Minister is the head of all officials, and his son is also a role model for the world. In a fight in a brothel, does it matter who starts the fight first?"

Li Xiu didn't listen to Li Yi's explanation: "Pa pa!"

Two more slaps were thrown, making Li Yi see stars.

"Wu Lang, what's the matter? Explain it clearly in public."

Although Li Qian wanted to teach Li Lang a lesson, he couldn't do it in public. He had to save some face for Li Lang.

He wanted to understand what had happened and see if the Left Prime Minister's Mansion was the one at fault for making trouble unreasonably.

With so many dignitaries watching around, the news would spread throughout Chang'an quickly.

The party that stirs up trouble will be even more embarrassed in the future.

If you have to get angry, it will save some face.

Based on Li Qian's understanding of Li Lang, he would never deliberately provoke trouble or start a fight.

"Brother, Li Yi threatened Li Niang to give herself to him. I can't stand him, so I have to teach him a lesson."

Li Lang raised his neck. Although he was afraid of Li Qian, he felt that he was doing the right thing.

If his brothers hadn't been here, he would have smashed Li Yi's head into pieces today.

"Does Lingcui Tower still force women of good character into prostitution?"

Li Xuan seized on this point and asked.

"How could the general leave Changli and register in the music school and become a musician?" Mu Sanniang explained hurriedly.

It means that the woman named Changli was a government prostitute.

In addition to private prostitutes, there were also some women from the teaching troupe in Pingkangfang. They were both beautiful and talented, and were usually playthings for the powerful.

The music register was also a kind of lowly register. The wives, daughters and descendants of criminals, prisoners of war, etc. were put on a special register and forced to serve as musicians for generations, almost the same as slaves.

The musicians' footprints can be found almost all over the world, including in palaces, music schools, aristocrats, government offices, the military, brothels, and counties.

"Why is that?"

Li Xuan didn't understand what Li Lang was doing.

"Changli keeps herself clean and does not commit herself to anyone. She only dances and plays music for those who are willing to listen." Mu Sanniang explained to Li Xuan.

Although she established Lingcui Tower, it was inseparable from Jiaofang. She was appointed as the "Duzhi" by Jiaofang to manage the official and private prostitutes in Lingcui Tower.

The difference is that she can decide on the sale of private prostitutes, or even force them.

She could not sell official prostitutes and could only manage and teach them as a fake mother.

When Changli was eight years old, he was selected by Mu Sanniang from the Music Academy and brought to Lingcui Tower to carefully cultivate his talent in poetry and literature, and to learn singing, dancing and musical instruments.

In nine years, Changli became proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. Mu Sanniang's goal was to make Changli bring her huge benefits.

In fact, since Changli officially entered Lingcui Tower a month ago, many princes and nobles have been fascinated by her at first sight and have fallen at her feet.

Her fame gradually grew, attracting the rich and powerful to come and see her.

A woman like Changli, who is both beautiful and talented, could easily marry a rich and powerful man as a concubine. A truly rich and powerful man could remove Changli from the "music register".

Therefore, Mu Sanniang agreed that Changli should sell his art instead of his body, because this would attract more powerful people.

Mu Sanniang was an experienced person and understood men's possessiveness. Many powerful people told her that they wanted to take Changli as a concubine, but she evaded them.

Because Mu Sanniang's ambition is to take over the two powerful families in Pingkangfang.

With her deliberate guidance, she indeed attracted Li Yi and Li Lang.

She thought Changli would choose one of them, but Changli chose no one, which made Mu Sanniang very angry.

Sure enough, this happened not long after.

Li Yi was a tyrant. Seeing that Chang Li refused to give him face, he threatened him directly and insulted Mu Sanniang. Li Lang arrived at the right time and learned about this. He asked Mu Sanniang to hand Chang Li over to him. Then Li Yi called Li Lang a soldier. Li Lang was enraged and took the lead to punch Li Yi in the face.

Li Yi's friends were drinking in another attic. When they discovered them, the two men had already been caught by the servants.

Li Xuan did not respond to Mu Sanniang's words.

If she's a prostitute, forget it.

Le Ji's family was impoverished when he was young, he became a slave and had no destiny!

Although they could become concubines of nobles, the rich and powerful of that era, including the literati, had a very bad habit of giving their concubines and singing girls to others when they got tired of them.

Even so, prostitutes would generally give themselves up if they were valued by dignitaries, even if it was just for temporary glory.

"Is this the reason you had a conflict with Li Yi?"

Li Qian suddenly felt that Li Lang was looking for trouble.

After all, she is a brothel girl. Do you really want to take her into the prime minister's residence?

My father hates this kind of thing the most, even if it is a concubine.

"Brother, you can't say that. Li Yi actually used threats to get a prostitute. This is the family tradition, and the style of behavior is too similar."

Li Xuan gave Li Qian some advice.

He also did not forget to imply that Li Yi was a waste and made indirect accusations.

Li Lang was very happy after hearing this, as Qilang still cared about him as his brother.

"Li Xuan, don't be so arrogant."

Li Yi got furious when he heard this, and recalled some unpleasant memories.

"Is that someone you can call me Li Xuan? Even your brother has to call me General."

Li Xuan said disdainfully.

Even if Li Yi entered the government through family connections, he would not take him seriously. Li Linfu had so many sons, but only those few were recorded in history.

The others are all good-for-nothings. Even if they enter the court, they stand in the last row and may not say a word in the court for several years.

"Snapped……"

Li Xiu slapped him again and ordered the servants: "Take Balang back!"

He felt humiliated.

Just as Li Xuan said, threatening a prostitute would be laughable if it got out.

Li Yi didn't dare to say anything more and could only be carried away by the servants. When he looked at Li Xuan, his hatred became stronger...

Li Xiu did not leave. He said to Mu Sanniang, "Go and call Chang Li. I want to see how she can be so self-righteous that she even looks down on my Balang."

A few days ago, Li Yi told him that he wanted to take a brothel girl as his concubine, but the brothel girl refused. Li Yi asked him to help remove her from the music school and assign her to the Right Prime Minister's Mansion, but he did not agree.

If he had agreed at that time, such embarrassing things would not have happened.

"I am here!"

As soon as Li Xiu finished speaking, a woman came over.

She was wearing a light blue skirt and had her hair combed up into a bun. She had willow-shaped eyebrows, eyes like stars, skin as white as snow, and a slender and charming figure.

She is like a bright moon, making people feel warm in the cold.

It also seems to bring a warm spring breeze, caressing people's faces.

She has a graceful temperament, like an orchid in a valley, and her fragrance lingers in everyone's nose.

But she looked very fragile, as if she would be blown down by a slight breeze.

This kind of pitiful temperament makes every man present fall in love with her.

Including Li Xuan, everyone found it amazing.

"Excuse me, Li Jian."

Seeing that Li Xiu was staring at him intently, Chang Li reminded him.

"Why do you look down on my Hachiro? Don't you know he is the son of the Right Prime Minister?"

Realizing that he had lost his composure, Li Xiu resumed his stern tone to question her in order to hide his embarrassment.

"I am a humble concubine, just a person selling skills, how dare I ignore the prince? If I don't want to be his concubine, how can I force him to be my concubine?"

Chang Li refuted Li Xiu. Everyone knew Li Yi's bad reputation, he would beat and scold people at will.

"Can a lowly person decide his own destiny?" Li Xiu talked about this point.

The powerful and wealthy could manipulate the fate of slaves and servants at will, even those who were registered as musicians in the imperial music school.

Li Xiu just needed to give a casual notice and Changli would be transferred to the Right Prime Minister's Mansion.

"No! If I don't have virtue, talent, and ability, then I will be like my harp, with the strings broken."

Changli said decisively.

This sentence is admirable, and it also makes playboys like Li Lang feel ashamed.

Li Lang was thinking about which of these three had something to do with him.

To his sadness, it seemed not.

"Li Jian. Why should a man force others? Li Balang is a rotten wood that cannot be carved. Who among the powerful people in Chang'an knows this? If you have this time, you might as well teach Li Balang how to be a person, how to do things, and how to improve himself."

Seeing that Li Xiu was pressing him aggressively, Li Xuan reminded him in a deep voice.

The scene was very quiet for a moment.

This is a lesson for Li Xiu!

"Farewell!"

Li Xiu wanted to say something, but in the end he only uttered these two words.

He is not Li Yi. Li Xuan's status is higher than his, and his reputation is even greater than his.

He couldn't confront Li Xuan face to face.

I will consider the matter of long separation when I return to the Prime Minister’s residence.

When Mu Sanniang saw Li Xiu leaving, she bowed to Li Xuan and Li Qian, then chased after him, apologizing repeatedly.

"Li Niang, Li Yi..."

Li Lang took this opportunity to move closer to Chang Li, but was interrupted by Li Qian's shout: "Wu Lang!"

Li Lang trembled and immediately returned to Li Qian.

Just as they were about to leave, Chang Li suddenly said, "General Li, wait a minute."

(End of this chapter)