Making you a son-in-law is not about making you conquer the world.

In an instant, the entire Qingfeng Tower erupted in laughter, all expressing their disdain for Liu Sanbian.

It's not shameful to be unable to come up with a matching second line, but stealing someone else's second line is a shameless act.

Liu Sanbian felt something was amiss. He shuffled to the door and finally saw the crooked characters clearly. It took him a lot of effort to decipher what was written on them, and he was immediately disappointed.

He couldn't understand why someone else had beaten him to the punch with the second line of the couplet he had just come up with.

In this way, Liu Sanbian's path to Qingfeng Tower was completely blocked.

"Get out of here. From now on, don't call yourself a scholar."

The crowd was bustling about, and the shouts of abuse were incessant.

A scholar should value integrity above all else, but Liu Sanbian actually used someone else's second line of a couplet, which only made his reputation worse.

At this point, there was no need for the waiter to use force; a single spit from each of them would be enough to drown Liu Sanbian.

Upon hearing that unforgettable sound, Chongniang threw down the pipa in her arms and rushed frantically downstairs, disregarding her gentle and refined image. As she descended the stairs, her skirt fluttered, attracting the lewd gazes of a group of scholars, who seemed to be searching for flowers and herbs.

"Stop her!" Just as the insect girl was about to run out of the Qingfeng Tower's gate, the Qingfeng Tower owner stomped his foot, and his whole body of fat trembled.

Since the insect girl has been sold to Qingfeng Tower, she must obey the orders of the Qingfeng Tower owner, and she may not even be able to leave through this gate.

The insect girl was just a weak woman, no match for several burly men. She was immediately pressed down on the table and unable to move. The veil that was barely visible fell off, revealing a face with distinct features, which immediately drew a chorus of sighs.

Ordinary people made no attempt to hide their desires, staring lecherously at the insect girl, looking her up and down.

The literati and scholars, on the other hand, stood tall and proud, exuding an air of righteousness. However, their peripheral vision had already wandered along the collar of the insect maiden's clothes to explore new horizons, even showing off their poetic verses and offering their critiques.

Just as it is considered vulgar for ordinary people to watch porn at home, it is considered elegant for intellectuals to flirt with women in the street.

These literati, cloaked in finery, are far more despicable and vulgar than ordinary people; the term "beasts in human clothing" is most fitting to describe them.

Upon seeing the Insect Girl, Liu Sanbian ran over frantically, but he couldn't break through the waiter's obstruction. His tender expression turned into bitterness.

"Chongchong, this is the money you gave me for scientific research. I haven't spent a single tael of silver. Let's return this money to Qingfeng Tower and go far away, never to have to depend on others again."

Liu Sanbian pulled out a large handful of silver notes from his pocket and threw them on the ground without any regret, his cloudy eyes filled with deep affection.

In recent years, he has lived off the savings he brought from his hometown and the money he earned from singing with his wife, Chongniang. Unfortunately, he has failed the imperial examinations repeatedly and failed again in the recent spring examination.

All of his remaining savings were spent, and at the same time, Chongniang's status in Wutong Garden also declined. The little money she earned by singing was simply not enough for Liu Sanbian's expenses.

Therefore, Chongniang took the initiative to find Qingfeng Tower and used her reputation to sell five hundred taels of silver, giving it all to Liu Sanbian so that he could continue his imperial examinations.

When they were at Wutong Garden, Chongniang did not sign a contract of servitude, but now she has been sold to Qingfeng Tower. The two will never have the chance to meet again, so Liu Sanbian composed a poem, "Elegant Reunion," as a token of their parting.

Liu Sanbian originally intended to focus on his studies and wait until he passed the imperial examination before redeeming Chongniang. However, he tossed and turned all night, feeling guilty towards Chongniang, so he came looking for her under the influence of alcohol.

The girl's eyes were filled with tears. She longed to elope with Liu Sanbian, but she couldn't let herself ruin his bright future.

"Liu Sanbian, take this quickly. This is the money you earned by sleeping with your woman. Don't lose it."

A scholar said disdainfully, his voice filled with extreme contempt.

Seeking pleasure with prostitutes is already unbecoming of a gentleman, let alone Liu Sanbian being kept by a prostitute. This attention-grabbing act seems to have shattered people's moral compass.

Liu Sanbian was a true gentleman. He would not hold a grudge because of a few insults from others, nor would he think of slapping the other party in the face. Instead, he stood up straight and said to the owner of Qingfeng Tower, "Here's your five hundred taels of silver. Release Chongchong immediately."

The owner of Qingfeng Tower stomped on the silver notes, grinding them several times, and said with a sinister smile, "Liu Sanbian, you're too naive. Don't even think about taking the Insect Girl away without five thousand taels of silver!"

When Qingfeng Tower bought Chongniang, it only cost five hundred taels of silver. Now, it's asking for five thousand taels of silver, which is a huge exorbitant price. We have to thank Lin Ping for this. He used five hundred taels of silver to increase Chongniang's value and let the owner of Qingfeng Tower see her potential worth.

Liu Sanbian's legs trembled with anger. He couldn't even come up with an extra five taels of silver, let alone five thousand taels.

But did he have a solution? Of course not!

Since the insect girl has already been sold to Qingfeng Tower, the price at which she can be redeemed is indeed up to the owner of Qingfeng Tower.

Everyone sighed upon hearing this number, and some even whispered among themselves, expressing their indignation on behalf of Liu Sanbian.

This is human nature: when others are similar to you, you want to trample them underfoot; but when others are far inferior to you, you feel sympathy and even want to help them.

The best way to interact with others is to be less capable than you, but not by much.

At the same time, Lin Ping was attracted by the noise downstairs. He strode down the stairs with his head held high, accompanied by a dozen servants. What a majestic sight!

Lin Ping's self-sacrifice immediately drew flattery from the crowd. This was the son-in-law of the city lord's mansion, whose thighs were thicker than a baby's arm, so they had to hold on tight!

Lin Ping walked straight up to Liu Sanbian, put his hands on his hips, leaned forward, and asked in a cold voice, "You are Liu Sanbian?"

Sensing Lin Ping's imposing aura, and seeing the servants and even two foremen behind him, Liu Sanbian roughly guessed that Lin Ping was of high status. He cupped his hands in a fist and said softly, "It is indeed I, young master. May I ask your name, sir?"

Lin Ping nodded, then raised his head, and finally straightened his chest. Suddenly, he kicked Liu Sanbian and shouted, "How dare you steal Master Ping's second line!"

The kick landed solidly, catching Liu Sanbian off guard. He stumbled back three large steps, then sat down on the ground, almost bursting into tears of grievance.

What right do you have to hit someone?

Even if someone is going to hit someone, shouldn't they at least give a warning beforehand? At this moment, Liu Sanbian deeply understood the meaning of "a smile hiding a dagger."

It's not just a smile hiding a knife, it's a smile that throws knives. I wonder which generation of successor Lin Ping is.

Liu Sanbian sat on the ground, gritting his teeth, unable to utter a complete sentence. Indeed, he was in the wrong!

Lin Ping naturally knew that Liu Sanbian was Liu Yong, and had once been obsessed with his poetry.

But why would he be so ruthless towards his idol?

Naturally, it's for the other person's benefit.

Lin Ping is a spendthrift. Doing good deeds openly and honestly would arouse suspicion. He must add some drama before helping others, preferably making people both hate him to the core and unable to find a reason to refute him.

Lin Ping is now using the couplet as an excuse, which is naturally reasonable. Even a spendthrift would argue three times if he was wrong. If he were right, what would become of him?

This time, no one sympathized with Liu Sanbian; instead, they all gave Lin Ping a thumbs up and even praised the son-in-law of the city lord's mansion for educating the scoundrel among the literati with love.

Lin Ping had some understanding of the historical Liu Yong and gave a rough definition: he was unsuccessful in his official career and unsuccessful in his love life.

It was precisely because of his heartbreak that Liu Yong created so many graceful and delicate poems, which have been passed down through the ages.

In fact, given Liu Yong's personality, he was not suited to be an official. If he had not passed the imperial examination in his later years and entered officialdom, he might have been able to create even more excellent poems and contribute to the cultural development of ancient my country.

Although this Liu Yong differs somewhat from the historical Liu Yong, his talent cannot be faked.

Lin Ping then faces two choices: one is to ignore it and let it develop unchecked.

This choice could lead to two outcomes: if Liu Yong were to become despondent because he could not win Chongniang's heart, he would neither pass the imperial examinations nor have the will to write lyrics; or he might become motivated by his inability to win Chongniang's heart, eventually pass the imperial examinations, enter officialdom, but still lose the will to write lyrics.

Lin Ping didn't care much whether Liu Yong entered officialdom or not, but he needed Liu Yong to create more poems, so Lin Ping had to take charge of this matter.

Lin Ping could intervene in two ways. First, he could buy the insect maiden and give her directly to Liu Yong, thus ensuring their elopement and a life of mutual respect and harmony. However, comfort breeds decadence. While Liu Yong might write many sweet and happy poems, he would never achieve lasting fame, much less establish the graceful and restrained style of poetry.

Therefore, Lin Ping needed to use another method: to buy Chongniang but not let Liu Yong get her easily. Ideally, he should deliberately create some twists and turns between the two to make Liu Yong write more graceful poems.

Having made his decision, Lin Ping didn't hesitate for a moment. He stomped his foot hard on Liu Yong's chest and said with a cold smile, "I, Lin Ping, am a reasonable person. Since you're in the wrong this time, don't blame me for being impolite..."

That sinister smile sent a chill down everyone's spine, foreshadowing a bloody scene to come.

Liu Sanbian simply straightened his neck, showing a sense of being ready to die.

Clearly, Liu Sanbian was a man of deep affection and loyalty; if he couldn't have the Insect Girl, he would be tempted to die.

Furthermore, he felt ashamed for having stolen Lin Ping's second line of a couplet, and he was willing to accept any punishment.

"Kill me or torture me as you please. If I, Liu Sanbian, even frown, I'll pluck out my testicles and let you kick them like a ball."

After speaking, Liu Sanbian closed his eyes, not caring what underhanded methods Lin Ping was going to use.

"Would you even give up your eggs for a prostitute?"

Lin Ping stared coldly at Liu Sanbian, but a hint of smugness crept into his heart. It seemed his plan was going to work.

Liu Sanbian remained silent, but the crowd burst into laughter, all urging him to become a eunuch in the palace.

"I, Lin Ping, am the son-in-law of the City Lord's Mansion, representing the face of the City Lord's Mansion. I love the people like my own children, so how could I possibly hold a grudge against Liu Sanbian for stealing my couplet?"

Lin Ping smiled innocently and removed his foot from Liu Sanbian's chest.