Sheng Tang: What is Liu Jianjun going to do today?

Chapter 30 Liu Jianjun, help me
Li Xian felt like he was laughing in anger.

Is soliciting prostitution illegal?
It's illegal to solicit prostitutes without paying!

At that point, not only will the government officials in Chang'an City be furious, but even the owner behind this restaurant will beat the two of them to a pulp before they'll let it go!

But Liu Jianjun didn't seem to realize this yet, and continued, "Let me tell you, if no money is paid, it's just a matter of mutual consent, at most a contract. But if money is paid, then the nature of the matter is completely different!"

As he said this, Liu Jianjun put his arm around a girl and teased her, "Miss Liu Chun, our relationship is consensual, right?"

To Li Xian's astonishment, the girl who was being embraced by Liu Jianjun actually replied in a sweet and shy voice, "Young Master Liu is a man of great literary talent, and Liu Chun's relationship with you is naturally consensual!"

Li Xian was stunned.

He felt as if he had returned to a fake Chang'an.

When did prostitutes in Chang'an stop charging money?
But soon, he keenly perceived the information provided in Liu Chun's words: Liu Jianjun was a man of exceptional literary talent.

He stared wide-eyed at Liu Jianjun: "You... wrote a poem for a prostitute... a courtesan?"

At this moment, the madam also came over with a teasing laugh and said, "Isn't that right! Young Master Liu's line, 'I grow thinner and thinner, yet I have no regrets, for I am wasting away for her,' has simply captivated the souls of us poor souls!"

Liu Jianjun slapped the madam's fat buttocks and laughed, "Old lady, we can talk about the inscription later. Could you please give us two brothers a private room?"

The madam gave Liu Jianjun a seductive glance before beckoning and calling out, "Girls, all of you, disperse! Young Master Liu and his friend have some private matters to discuss. Disperse, disperse!"

Afterwards, the madam led the two to a private room on the second floor, then gave Liu Jianjun a flirtatious wink before turning and going downstairs.

Throughout the entire process, he didn't even glance at Li Xian once.

At this point, Li Xian finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "What do you mean, 'your clothes are getting looser'? What have you been doing?"

Liu Jianjun waved his hand dismissively and said, "Oh, I just wrote some poems for these girls. Let me tell you, Chang'an is truly a wonderful place. The girls are so beautiful and fair-skinned, and the best part is, it's free! It was definitely worth the trip to Chang'an..."

Looking at Liu Jianjun's savoring expression, Li Xian couldn't help but pinch his brow: "You wrote an inscription for a prostitute, and they let you... get a freebie?"

Lee Hyun managed to utter that word with difficulty.

“That’s right. Let me tell you, these prostitutes are all shrewd. If they sing my lyrics, their prices will at least double. What’s wrong with letting me get one for free?” Liu Jianjun patted Li Xian on the shoulder and comforted him, “Alright, don’t make a fuss. Tell me about yourself, how was your meeting with the emperor?”

Li Xian pursed his lips, wanting to ask Liu Jianjun why he was able to thrive so easily on his first visit to Chang'an.

But after thinking about it, he realized that Liu Jianjun's personality meant he could get along well anywhere.

So he sighed and recounted his meeting with Emperor Gaozong that day, including Empress Wu's reaction, telling Liu Jianjun everything in detail.

Liu Jianjun frowned and pondered for a while, then slapped his thigh: "It's settled! Putting everything else aside, your status as a prince will definitely be restored this time!"

Li Xian was puzzled and asked, "Why? And what about your talk of taking revenge on Qiu Shenji? Where exactly has it come true?"

Liu Jianjun seemed to be in a good mood and explained, "Didn't I tell you? Don't mention Qiu Shenji in this whole thing, because your father isn't stupid. As long as you explain the facts, he will be able to guess who is targeting you."

Li Xian thought to himself, wouldn't it be the same if he just said it directly?

But Liu Jianjun seemed to have guessed that Li Xian would ask this question, and said: "People are willing to believe their own speculations. What your father speculated is completely different from what you said!"
"The same goes for the horse thing I asked you to talk about."

"You only need to provide one point of doubt, and your father can easily sort out the whole thing by connecting it with all the previous points of doubt."

Li Xian nodded as if he understood, then asked, "Then... why are you so sure that the Empress Dowager won't check the Armory Bureau's archives?"

Liu Jianjun countered, "Do you now suspect that your mother wants to kill you?" Li Xian hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded.

The Empress Dowager's behavior today was very strange; she even took the initiative to ask me for evidence that Jinghong was not at the residence at the time.

Li Xian could find no other explanation than wanting to kill himself.

"That settles it! Let's assume it was your mother who wanted to kill you. After what happened, do you think she wouldn't have cleaned up the mess? Forget about the Armory Bureau's archives, she would probably have burned any related evidence. Even if she wanted to, she wouldn't be able to find any evidence!"

Li Xian wanted to say that Liu Jianjun had started speaking vulgarly again, but then he simply nodded in agreement.

Liu Jianjun is indeed a little devil.

Their control over human nature has reached an astonishing level.

But then, Liu Jianjun suddenly leaned in, his face only a foot away from Li Xian's, his eyes becoming unusually serious: "Xianzi, let me ask you a question."

Li Xian was startled by Liu Jianjun's sudden seriousness and subconsciously asked, "What's wrong?"

"Tell me, do you still just want to clear your name and be done with it, or... do you have other ideas?"

Liu Jianjun spoke in a very low voice; if Li Xian hadn't been so close to him, he wouldn't have been able to hear what he was saying at all.

Li Xian was stunned.

He was about to say that he only intended to clear his name and be done with it.

But then he saw Liu Jianjun's serious look.

For some reason, Li Xian suddenly stopped talking.

He recalled Empress Wu's incessant stomping of her feet under the stone table, his father's frail appearance, and his experiences in Bazhou during this period. His gaze gradually became solemn and profound.

He didn't want to live in fear anymore, nor did he want his wife and children to live in constant anxiety.

Something called desire and ambition suddenly began to surface in his eyes.

He looked at Liu Jianjun and asked, "What if I said I just wanted to clear my name and be done with it?"

Liu Jianjun leaned back and spread his hands, saying, "Look, you see. If you were just a carefree prince, I could live a worry-free life with you as my backer. When I have nothing to do, I can call prostitutes and write some poems for the girls to pay for their services. That's the life I dream of."

Li Xian then asked, "What if I have other ideas?"

"That depends on how big your idea is," Liu Jianjun said, leaning closer with a slight smirk.

“It’s huge, bigger than the sky,” Li Xian said solemnly.

"Well... I guess I'll have to get busy. You know I hate trouble. Life is pretty good right now. I just had some Sanlejiang, and it's the taste I like. This prosperous Tang Dynasty, this bustling Chang'an, is exactly as I imagined."

Liu Jianjun counted on his fingers, looking completely indifferent.

“Then I’d like to keep you busy.” Li Xian reached out and grabbed Liu Jianjun’s hands, earnestly requesting, “Liu Jianjun, help me.”

……

(End of this chapter)