This made Li Shimin anxious, and he wanted to trade one for one with me.

Liu Ruyan did not reach out her delicate hand to take it, but instead looked at Xu Niang and asked, "What is this?"

Xu Niang explained, "The first line is a couplet."

"Cheng Jiasanlang said that as long as you can come up with the matching couplet, you don't have to go over there, and he will pretend that nothing happened."

Liu Ruyan's eyebrows furrowed in anger, her eyes blazing with fury. She pursed her lips and said, "Mother, if I accept this piece of paper today, and someone brings me another piece of paper tomorrow, should I accept it or not?"

"This..." Xu Niang looked troubled. She understood this principle all too well. Those who came to Leyun Tower were all high-ranking officials and nobles, many of whom were of higher status than the son of the Duke of Su. However, they all tacitly refrained from violating Liu Ruyan's rules for choosing people.

Because Cheng Jun set this precedent today, starting tomorrow, there will inevitably be more people of even higher status than the son of a duke who will break Liu Ruyan's rules.

Liu Ruyan said calmly, "So, Mother, you should return this paper."

The woman smiled wryly and said, "Aren't you putting me in a difficult position?"

Liu Ruyan turned her head to look elsewhere and said in a very firm tone, "There are countless powerful and influential people in Chang'an. If I am afraid of power today, I am afraid that I will be suppressed by power and unable to raise my head in the future. The powerful and influential people in the court will no longer want to associate with me. Mother, do you want me to leave Leyun Tower?"

"That was not what I meant……"

Xu Niang first explained, but seeing that the other party was still angry, she stamped her foot and said, "What kind of situation is this? How come I'm caught in the middle and can't find a way out!"

"Just now, Cheng Sanlang asked me, 'Ruyan, why don't you go see him? Is it because he didn't bring enough money, or because his background is too weak?'"

Liu Ruyan replied calmly, "When I choose a client, I only look at whether he is talented or not, not his background or money."

Xu Niang said with distress, "That's how I replied to him. I said Ru Yan is selective about her clients and never looks at these things."

"Then Cheng Sanlang asked again, 'What should we look at? Appearance? Judging people by their looks? Or talent?' He said we have to look at at least one... He even asked me if he had ever offended you in any way..."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ruyan finally looked at Xu Niang and said with surprise, "I remember that Duke Cheng Yaojin of Su State was a military general. Military generals are not good with words. How come the third son of the Cheng family is so sharp-tongued?"

“That’s what I thought at first too,” Xu Niang said. “When I came to find you, I suddenly remembered that Cheng’s eldest son had mentioned something at Leyun Tower before, saying that his third brother had stayed at home for the past year, studying hard. I think it might be related to that.”

After saying this, with tears in her eyes, she earnestly advised:

"Ruyan, the Cheng brothers are incredibly burly, and the eldest son of the Cheng family is known for his trouble-making. Just think of it as helping me by matching the first line of this couplet. Otherwise, if I go back to see them like this, I'm afraid I'll really get slapped by the eldest son of the Cheng family!"

Liu Ruyan remained silent for a few seconds, then extended her slender white fingers to take the paper, saying in a soft yet firm voice, "Fine, I'll make an exception today, but only this once!"

The woman immediately beamed and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Okay, okay, just this once! I promise there won't be a next time!"

Liu Ruyan looked down at the paper, then suddenly froze, as if she were an ice sculpture.

Seeing that she didn't respond for a long time, Xu Niang asked, "How is it? Do you want me to go get you a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone?"

"No....."

Liu Ruyan shook her head, bit her lip, and looked up at her. "Mother, go tell Cheng Sanlang that I will be there in a little while."

"You want to go over there?" Xu Niang was taken aback. Suddenly, she thought of something and looked at the couplet in her hand, saying in disbelief, "Even you can't come up with the matching first line?"

Liu Ruyan looked down at the first line of the couplet on the paper again and gave a bitter smile. "Don't even mention me, I'm afraid none of the high-ranking officials, talented men and beautiful women I've met could come up with a matching first line."

Xu Niang's expression changed. "Could it be that the first line of the couplet is...?"

Liu Ruyan nodded and said:

"Indeed, this is an absolute masterpiece for all time..."

How could this be...? Xu Niang was dumbfounded, she really couldn't understand how the son of a military general could come up with such an absolute couplet!

At this moment, Liu Ruyan carefully put the paper away and placed it inside her belt, saying, "Mother, you can go and give your reply now."

"it is good!"

Xu Niang hurriedly went back to the private room on the second floor, pushed open the door, and saw that Cheng Chumo and Cheng Jun had already opened a jar of Leyunlou fine wine, were pouring wine for themselves, and had begun to drink. She quickly said:

"These two gentlemen are honored guests of my Leyunlou Restaurant. How can I allow you to pour wine for them? I will call the servants over immediately!"

"no need."

Cheng Jun smiled. In his eyes, the waiters at Leyunlou were just like restaurant waiters. In his previous life, when he ate out, it was always the bosses who poured his drinks. He wasn't used to having a waiter pour his drinks, so he asked:

"Has Lady Ruyan seen that first line of the couplet?"

The woman nodded. "I've already looked at it."

Cheng Jun then asked, "Did it match up?"

"No......"

Under Cheng Jun's gaze, Xu Niang spoke truthfully: "Ruyan asked me to come over first to give Sanlang a reply. She needs to prepare, and then she'll come over!"

It seems he still keeps his word... Cheng Jun nodded and said, "In that case, I'll trouble you, Xu Niang, to make arrangements to bring up all the good wine and dishes from Leyunlou."

The woman was somewhat surprised, "You want them all?"

Cheng Jun nodded, "Yes, I want them all!"

Seeing his generosity, Xu Niang beamed and said, "I'll arrange it right now!"

"Please wait a moment, gentlemen!"

After saying that, Xu Niang backed away from the private room.

After Xu Niang left, Cheng Chumo's face flushed with excitement. He jumped up excitedly, patted his shoulder, and exclaimed:

"Third brother, you're really something! Even I couldn't get the top courtesan at Leyun Tower to come, but you just wrote a few words and you were able to get her!"

"If it weren't for you, I would be in a terrible predicament today!"

"I'll toast you later... no, I'll punish myself with three drinks first, then I'll toast you three times!"

After speaking, Cheng Chumo noticed that Cheng Jun remained unmoved and nonchalant, so he calmed down a bit and sat down next to him, asking curiously, "Third brother, this is the top courtesan of Leyun Tower, why don't you have any reaction at all?"

"Because I've seen women of all kinds in my past life..." Cheng Jun thought to himself.

In his past life, he did the work of dozens of people in his company. The boss would take him with him when he went out and show him off to other company bosses. Over time, he started going to brothels more often.

Of course, he only drank alcohol each time he went, honing his skills in drinking and persuading others to drink. In his view, having more skills is never a bad thing; the stronger one's abilities, the more positions one can get, and the more positions one gets, the higher one's salary.

Unfortunately, after he learned how to drink and persuade others to drink, all the women in the brothels were afraid of him, because he could stay in a brothel all night without drinking a drop of alcohol, and when he left, a large number of women were lying on the ground.

Seeing Cheng Chumo's questioning gaze, Cheng Jun snapped out of his thoughts, spread his hands, and said, "Women will only slow down my eating speed."

Cheng Chumo was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Hahaha, right, right, I almost forgot, you haven't eaten since this morning!"

At this moment, a servant from Leyunlou brought in the food.

Cheng Jun saw abalone, crab, shrimp, squid, and other seafood laid out on the table, some of which were still alive and kicking. He clicked his tongue in amazement and said:

"Le Yun Lou is quite impressive. They managed to get so many things from the sea, and some of them are even alive."

Among the servants who came to deliver the dishes, a young man said with a smug smile, "Let Cheng Sanlang know that those who come to our Leyunlou are either high-ranking officials or nobles. They like to eat the rare delicacies of this world, which is why ordinary people can't come to our Leyunlou."

"Please enjoy your meal, gentlemen. If you have any requests, please feel free to ask."

After saying that, the young servant carried the tray and stepped out of the room, gently closing the door behind him.

Cheng Jun looked at the dozens of dishes on the table, his mouth watering. He picked up his chopsticks, took a slice of roasted mutton, and chewed it. The cumin and charcoal fire blended perfectly, making the roasted mutton incredibly delicious. He couldn't help but take another slice.

At this moment, he noticed that Cheng Chumo was frowning, staring at the food but not eating, looking preoccupied. He asked curiously, "Brother, why aren't you eating?"

Cheng Chumo looked up at him, his lips trembling slightly as he said, "I just remembered, we came here to drink and have fun, not to eat..."

Cheng Jun paused, his chopsticks still in his hand, and looked at him in astonishment, saying, "What, are you planning to drink it all without a bottle?"

Cheng Chumo waved his hand and said, "We can't just drink alone. Aren't there some young ladies from Leyunlou to drink with us?"

Cheng Jun said, "I can't just not eat anything. It's already afternoon, and I haven't had lunch yet."

As he spoke, he picked up a slice of raw fish with his chopsticks, dipped it into the boiling hot pot over the charcoal fire, and then put it in his mouth and chewed it.