You, a tyrannical ruler, roam the heavens; you cannot understand my joy.

As she ran, the madam asked the servant behind her, "What exactly happened?"

The servant replied, "Mama Xiu, that guard from the Wang family is drunk and insists that Yu Xiang take off her clothes and dance in public."

"Yu Xiang refused and was slapped several times. Just then, a young gentleman entered from outside..."

"Upon seeing this, he kicked the Wang family guard away."

Upon hearing this, the madam cried out in her heart, "It's all over," and then quickened her pace.

……

When the madam came downstairs, she looked up and saw that the once neatly arranged rosewood tables and chairs were now mostly broken pieces of wood, scattered all over the floor.

The exquisite cups, plates, and bowls were smashed to pieces, mingling with the spilled food and drinks.

Oily soup, broken porcelain shards, half-eaten pork hock, and trampled pastries were spread out on the clean floor, emitting a pungent smell.

Several overturned lanterns lay in the corner, their candlelight flickering and casting dappled shadows across the messy ground.

The once noisy guests had all fled, the doors were wide open, and the night wind blew in, causing the tattered gauze curtains to flutter wildly.

A dozen or so terrified courtesans huddled together at the bottom of the stairs in the northwest corner of the hall, trembling and staring in horror at the center of the hall.

Yu Xiang, who had been harassed earlier, was among them. Her hair was disheveled, one cheek was swollen, and clear finger marks were tinged with purple. She covered her face, her shoulders trembled, and she sobbed softly.

There were about twenty burly men lying haphazardly on the ground.

They were all pale-faced and sweating profusely, some clutching their twisted and deformed arms and groaning, others clutching their calves bent at bizarre angles and moaning.

Several others fainted, with dark red blood seeping from beneath them.

At that moment, a tall, handsome young man stepped on one of the Wang family guards and shouted in a deep voice, "You bastard!"

"Even if she's a courtesan, she shouldn't be humiliated like this!"

"roll!"

He kicked the guard, sending him flying out of the gate before crashing heavily onto the street with a thud.

"Ouch!"

The madam slapped her thigh, her voice trembling with tears, and said, "It's all over..."

"You've really ruined our Zui Xing Lou!"

Hearing her voice, Lu Zuo frowned slightly and turned to look at her: "What do you mean by that?"

The madam collapsed to the ground with a thud, her voice trembling with tears: "Our Drunken Apricot Pavilion is barely able to survive itself!"

"That Lord Wang Fu insists that we are connected to the An family and involved in a treason case!"

"This is a crime punishable by death and the extermination of the entire family!"

"Right now, we're too busy trying to curry favor with Lord Wang, and you're doing just that!"

"They beat the people in Lord Wang's residence to a pulp!"

"This isn't just hitting someone; it's slapping Lord Wang in the face! It's cutting off our last chance for survival at Zui Xing Lou!"

"Once Lord Wang finds out, do you think you'll still be able to get away with it?"

"We, the hundreds of people living in this building, are probably all going to be buried with you!"

"You brat... I... you..."

"You've really put us all in a lot of trouble!"

Was it Wang Fu, one of the Six Thieves?

How dare he take advantage of the chaos?

Isn't this blatant robbery?

What a big dog!

At this moment, on the second floor.

Li Shishi leaned against the stair railing, gazing at the scene of devastation and despair below. Her slender fingers clenched unconsciously, her nails almost digging into the wood grain. Her face, already pale, was now completely drained of color.

it's over...

This is completely over...

With the people in Wang Fu's household beaten to such a state, how could they possibly let it go?

This is no longer something that can be resolved simply by clearing one's name...

Her gaze swept over the guards groaning in pain on the ground, finally settling on the young man who stood up straight.

This person meant well, but was far too reckless!

Do you know what consequences your momentary impulse will bring?

Wang Fu wields immense power; is he someone to be easily provoked?

Originally, perhaps all I had to do was endure humiliation and compromise, and there would still have been a glimmer of hope...

He's played the hero now, but what about the hundreds of people at Zui Xing Lou, including me...?

But he's going to cause you a lot of trouble!

Now...

I wonder what terrible price we'll have to pay to even slightly appease Lord Wang's fury...

Looking at Lu Zuo's tall and straight back, Li Shishi felt a mix of emotions. She felt a little grateful, but mostly resentful.

At this moment, the courtesans also realized the seriousness of the situation and began to discuss it amongst themselves, their words quite accusing of Lu Zuo.

A woman in green, huddled in the corner, spoke first: "You little rascal, you've certainly played the hero, but how are we supposed to survive?"

"That's right!"

"With Lord Wang holding the charge of treason, we're just meat on the chopping block."

"That's great..."

"You brat, you think Lord Wang's blade wasn't fast enough, so you have to kick him again!"

"Alas, the disaster was bad enough, but now there's absolutely no way out..."

At that moment, the madam suddenly remembered something, jumped up from the ground, pointed at Lu Zuo, and screamed, "Quick!"

"Arrest him right now!"

Handing him over to Lord Wang might salvage some of the situation...

Beside her, several brothel thugs were slightly taken aback upon hearing this, exchanging bewildered glances, none daring to remain still.

They looked at the Wang family guards on the ground, then at Lu Zuo, and finally at the madam who was already frantic with worry.

Are you joking?

Do you really want us to die?

"Embroidery Mama, he took down all of the dozens of people in the Wang family by himself!"

Are we capable of capturing such a person?

"OK!"

"It seems your Drunken Apricot Pavilion has truly rebelled!"

With this angry shout, an old man dressed in a purple robe, with a jade belt around his waist and a gloomy face, surrounded by elite guards, stepped over the high threshold and into the mess.

He was about fifty years old, with fair skin, a long beard, and a pair of narrow eyes that gleamed sharply when they opened and closed.

Upon seeing him, the madam's face paled even further: "Your Majesty..."

it's over...

It's all over...

Lord Wang has come in person, and with so many soldiers!

This is clearly an attempt to massacre my Zui Xing Lou!

The madam glanced at Lu Zuo, her heart filled with resentment and blame. It was all this arrogant brat's fault!

My business, painstakingly built over many years, and the lives of hundreds of people living in the building...

We're all going to be buried here today!

The moment Li Shishi saw Wang Fu's figure upstairs, her vision went black and she nearly fainted on the spot.

Her gaze fell on the young man downstairs who had caused the trouble, her mind filled with resentment.

"well....."

Li Shishi slowly closed her eyes and let out a desperate sigh.

"Lu, Imperial Preceptor Lu?"

At that moment, Wang Fu's soft shout echoed over, making Li Shishi's heart tremble. She hurriedly opened her eyes and looked downstairs.

Wang Fu's fierce expression vanished, replaced by a broad smile. He bent down and approached the 'young man,' asking, "Grand Preceptor Lu, what are you doing here?"

Imperial Advisor?

Li Shishi stared wide-eyed, her red lips slightly parted, looking at the 'troublemaker' with a look of astonishment, her heart filled with turmoil.

He, he... he is the Imperial Preceptor whom His Majesty recently appointed?

The official in charge of the An family's rebellion case?

"snort."

Lu Zuo glanced at Wang Fu and snorted, "Wang Fu, you're quite capable!"

"They've actually interfered in the cases I'm handling?"

"You seem quite concerned about this matter; could it be related to the An family in some way?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Fu's face changed drastically; he was so frightened that his liver and gallbladder trembled and his soul almost left his body!

The imperial decree made it very clear that the An family's rebellion case would be fully handled by the Imperial Preceptor Lu, and no other government office was allowed to interfere!

He was merely using this as an excuse to extort money from Zuixinglou, and never dared to make it public.

now……

If Grand Preceptor Lu finds out about this, will he still have a chance to survive?

This is a grave crime of openly defying the imperial edict!

Moreover, this Lu Zuo is ruthless and cruel. He has confiscated the property and exterminated the families of many court officials who were only slightly related to the An family!

I've walked right into his line of fire and even gotten into a conflict with him...

Thump!

Wang Fu's legs went weak, and he collapsed to his knees.

"Imperial Preceptor, Imperial Preceptor Lu, I was blind and ignorant! I deserve to die!"

"This humble official deserves to die!"

He begged for mercy with a sob in his voice while kowtowing repeatedly to Lu Zuo, his forehead instantly becoming red and swollen.

"This humble official has absolutely no courage to interfere in the case!"

"I dare not have any connection with the An family!"

"I was just confused for a moment. I heard that the Drunken Apricot Pavilion had some financial dealings with the An family, so I thought I would take the opportunity to extort some money from them..."

"This humble official has been blinded by greed and utterly deranged!"

"This humble official would never dare to disobey His Majesty's will, much less obstruct the Imperial Preceptor's handling of the case!"

He crawled two steps on his knees, pleading, "Grand Preceptor, you have a wise understanding!"

"Imperial Preceptor, spare my life!"

"This humble official will never dare to do it again, never dare to do it again!"

This scene left everyone in the Drunken Apricot Pavilion completely dumbfounded!

The nation's national advisor?

The madam stood frozen in place, her eyes bulging out of their sockets, her mouth agape enough to fit an egg, as if struck by lightning, her soul seemingly scattered.

He was actually the newly appointed Imperial Preceptor?

That's the Grand Preceptor Lu who raided the An family and slaughtered countless people in the court.

This young master, whom I called a scoundrel, is actually the most powerful and infamous figure in Bianjing City today!

A chilling, bone-deep fear, like countless venomous snakes, instantly shot from the soles of my feet to the top of my head!

What did I just do?

I actually pointed my finger at him and accused him of harming people?

Should I order my men to arrest him?

I must have been completely blind!

Even Lord Wang was terrified of him, like a mouse before a cat; I actually...

it's over...

This time, it's not Lord Wang who wants our lives; it's that we've offended the King of Hell ourselves!

On the second floor, Li Shishi's fingers, gripping the railing, suddenly tightened.

The previous despair, fear, and even resentment towards Lu Zuo were replaced by the intense shock before them.

The young man who had caused trouble in her eyes had suddenly become someone whom even the unapproachable Wang Fu in her eyes had to kneel down and beg for mercy.

Before him, Wang Fu, who once held immense power in the court, now resembled a stray dog.

rely on……

He is the one I can truly rely on!

If I could gain his favor and become a confidant of this towering figure...

From now on, let's not talk about Wang Fu anymore.

In this city of Bianjing, who dares to bully me? To humiliate me? To treat me as a plaything to be manipulated at will?

We must seize this opportunity!

This might be the only chance to change the course of my destiny!

Book lovers are all in the discussion area, chatting about the charm of the novel "Infinite Heavens".