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

Outside the palace.

Yuchi Jingde squatted under the shade of a tree, holding his belt in one hand and fanning himself with the other to ward off the hot wind.

His gaze remained fixed on the palace gate the entire time. As soon as he saw Cheng Yaojin emerge, he immediately stood up and ran over, asking curiously, "Zhijie! What does Her Majesty the Empress want with you?"

Cheng Yaojin said with a dark face, "Issue me."

Yuchi Jingde was taken aback. "What crime have you committed?"

Cheng Yaojin gritted his teeth and said, "What a wicked child I gave birth to!"

Yuchi Jingde was taken aback for a moment, but quickly understood the meaning behind his words. He asked in surprise, "Is it related to Chuxia?"

Cheng Yaojin roared, "That wretched child has impeached the Empress before His Majesty!"

"What? Chuxia impeached the Empress? How did he do it?"

Yuchi Jingde exclaimed in surprise, wanting to ask for more details.

But they found that Cheng Yaojin had already untied the reins from the tree, mounted his horse, and rode away in a cloud of dust.

…………

Huai De Fang, the residence of the Duke of Su.

Cheng Yaojin spurred his horse into the mansion, charging all the way to the courtyard. Upon seeing Cheng Zhong approaching, he didn't wait for the latter to speak before shouting sternly, "Go and fetch the horse spear! Fetch the horse spear!"

"promise!"

Cheng Zhong's expression changed, and the greeting that had risen to his throat was swallowed back. He quickly clasped his hands in response and ran to get his horse spear.

Cheng Yaojin dismounted, picked up his whip, and walked toward the main hall with a gloomy face.

Inside the main room, Cheng Chuliang was yawning, looking outside, waiting for Cheng Yaojin to return from the palace.

When he saw Cheng Yaojin walking towards them with a riding whip, he quickly stood up and greeted him with a smile: "Father, have you finished your business?"

Cheng Yaojin did not respond. His gaze shifted from Cheng Yaojin to the room, and seeing that there was no one in the main room, he asked in a cold voice, "Where are the two of them?"

Cheng Chuliang replied without hesitation, "My eldest brother and third brother have left the city!"

"Master, this old servant has brought the things!" At this moment, Cheng Zhong, carrying a lance, walked over and said.

Cheng Yaojin took the spear, gripped it tightly, glared angrily at Cheng Chuliang, and shouted, "I'll ask you one more time, where did they go?!"

Cheng Chuliang, drenched in sweat, said, "My elder brother took my third brother to Leyun Tower in Pingkang Ward!"

Cheng Yaojin snorted coldly, picked up his spear, found a horse, mounted it, and galloped fiercely towards Pingkangfang.

Only after the sound of horses' hooves had left the Cheng residence did Cheng Chuliang dare to breathe heavily, sweat beading on his forehead, his throat bobbing as he said:

"Uncle Zhong, why is my father so angry? He even used a lance..."

Cheng Zhong's expression was solemn. This was the first time he had seen Cheng Yaojin so angry that he had resorted to his spear; before, he had only ever used his broadsword. He said in a deep voice:

"If this old servant is not mistaken, Sanlang did not tell the truth to his master."

Cheng Chuliang exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be that my third brother really impeached Princess Chang Le?"

"That's probably true."

Seeing Cheng Zhong nod, Cheng Chuliang looked up at the sky. He could tell that Cheng Yaojin wasn't joking this time; he was genuinely angry.

This is the first time I've ever seen my dad so angry...

"I hope my eldest brother and third brother can come back alive."

Cheng Chuliang muttered to himself.

…………

Pingkangfang, Leyunlou.

In a private room on the second floor, Cheng Jun sat cross-legged on the floor, leaning against the wall, and let out a burp.

If only I had a cigarette right now...

In his past life, he didn't smoke, but he liked to keep a cigarette in his mouth without lighting it and puff on it. This helped him keep his mind calm, and it was also how he relaxed while working.

Cheng Jun glanced at the dishes and counted more than thirty. In just a short time, the two brothers had already eaten half of them.

He ate most of it.

Having filled his stomach, Cheng Jun felt all the fatigue in his body vanish, and he was filled with energy.

"Third brother, have you decided how you're going to pay the bill later?"

At that moment, Cheng Chumo's voice came.

I almost forgot about that... Cheng Jun glanced at Cheng Chumo, who was still busy devouring food, and said, "I was just thinking about it."

"Don't make things difficult for yourself!" Cheng Chumo said nonchalantly, "If it really comes down to it, have Dad send someone to redeem me. I'll just consider this my last meal at Leyunlou, and I won't come back again!"

Crunch!

At that moment, the door to the private room was pushed open from the outside, and a young woman in a yellow dress walked in.

A young woman with her hair in a bun, walked in with graceful steps and a smile in her eyes.

"This humble servant is Liu Ruyan, and greets the two gentlemen."

"I've kept you two gentlemen waiting."

Cheng Jun looked at the woman in the yellow dress who was about 1.68 meters tall and had an excellent temperament, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.

The other woman was stunningly beautiful, with pearly white teeth, bright eyes, skin as white as snow, a large bust, and long legs. The top courtesan of Leyun Tower was indeed extraordinary...

"It's alright, we've only just begun."

Cheng Jun said calmly.

"This servant will pour wine for the two gentlemen."

Liu Ruyan smiled, walked gently to Cheng Jun's side, knelt down, bent down to pick up the wine pot, and poured wine for the two of them.

A fragrant breeze wafted by, but Cheng Jun remained calm and composed. He raised his wine glass to Cheng Chumo and said, "Brother, let's eat and drink together."

Cheng Chumo was completely stunned. Liu Ruyan had really come; it felt like a dream...

You should know that in this Leyun Tower, it is Liu Ruyan who chooses the guests, not the other way around. But today, Cheng Jun did it... If this gets out, everyone in this circle will be shocked!

Upon hearing Cheng Jun's words, Cheng Chumo quickly agreed, drank a cup, and then continued eating.

Compared to how he had wolfed down his food earlier, he was now eating slowly and deliberately, clearly not wanting to be impolite in front of Liu Ruyan.

Cheng Jun, on the other hand, remained calm. He drank a glass of wine whenever Liu Ruyan poured him one, without any haste.

As Liu Ruyan poured him wine, she curiously sized him up.

The young man in front of me was dressed in a blue robe with cloud patterns. He had sword-like eyebrows that reached his temples, thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a square mouth. He had the appearance of a handsome military general.

Judging from his tall and robust physique, it's hard to imagine that the ancient inscriptions on paper were definitely written by him.

Seeing that Cheng Jun could drink so much, Liu Ruyan smiled and said, "Sanlang has a huge capacity for alcohol."

Cheng Jun sipped his drink and asked, "How much can Miss Ruyan drink?"

Liu Ruyan covered her mouth and chuckled, "I am not a good drinker, but if Sanlang wants me to drink, I will not disappoint you."

Cheng Jun then asked, "Are there any conditions if I drink it?"

"If drinking can bring good luck, that would be the best."

As she spoke, Liu Ruyan took out the letter from inside her belt, opened it, and softly read the words on it:

"The bird is in a cage, lamenting that Guan Yu cannot be Zhang Fei."

"Sanlang, you have given me an absolute masterpiece for all time."

Liu Ruyan's melancholy gaze was deeply moving.

Cheng Jun knew that if he hadn't had this kind of training in his previous life, he wouldn't have been able to withstand her gaze. But now, he only had one thought in his mind: how to pay for the meal.

Cheng Jun asked, "You want me to use this second line as a prize?"

Seeing Cheng Jun's interested expression, Liu Ruyan's heart stirred, and she asked in return, "Since Sanlang can say that, then there must be a second line to this couplet?"

"Have!"

Cheng Jun nodded, "Not only are there, but there are many more..."