Tang Dynasty: Starting at Xuanwu Gate, this prince is better off not being one.

Inside Peach Blossom Pavilion, the atmosphere was lively and bustling, with the sounds of string and wind instruments filling the air.

The gentlemen passing by all wore lewd smiles and stared intently at the pipa players in the middle.

Conversely, the few people hiding in the shadows had bitter expressions on their faces.

Changsun Chong, in particular, had cursed him countless times in his heart.

To run into your own father while soliciting a prostitute—what kind of terrible karma is this?!

"Shh! Keep your voice down!" Hearing Changsun Chong's muttering, Li Yu made a shushing gesture to signal him to shut up.

At that moment, he pressed his ear against the wall, trying to discern the sounds from the next private room.

Unfortunately, the sound of the pipa outside was too noisy, making it impossible for him to hear anything clearly.

"Tell me, what are they doing here?" The honest and simple-minded Yu Chi Baolin finally couldn't help but ask, seeing that Li Yu hadn't said anything for a long time.

"Go to a brothel, of course!" Changsun Chong said. "What else can you do at a brothel besides go to a brothel? Eavesdrop?"

After he finished speaking, he glanced at Li Yu, who was eavesdropping.

"Why are you looking at me? I'm not here to eavesdrop..." Li Yu rolled his eyes at Changsun Chong.

"You're just like a sleazy eavesdropper right now..." Changsun Chong said truthfully.

"Get lost! Let me hear what my dad and the others are saying," Li Yu said irritably.

"Whatever they're discussing..." Changsun Chong curled his lip. "It's none of your business if you hear it. On the contrary, if you hear something you shouldn't, you'll be the one who suffers!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yu fell into deep thought. He realized that what Changsun Chong said seemed to make sense, so he silently moved his ear away from the wall.

Just then, a loud bang came from next door, startling the group.

"It's the Duke of Cao!"

Cheng Chumo, who had been eavesdropping like Li Yu, exclaimed in surprise.

His exclamation piqued everyone's curiosity. For a moment, they forgot whether they should listen or not and pressed their ears against the wall.

"Maogong, I know you are on good terms with Shan Xiongxin, but this man is not someone we can let live!" The speaker was none other than Changsun Chong's father, Changsun Wuji.

Upon hearing this, Li Yu clearly sensed that Li Shiji's voice on the other end became more urgent: "We were once sworn brothers, how can I just stand by and watch him be executed?"

"Do you know how much trouble this 'cutting the weeds at the root' can cause? His Highness the Crown Prince has already shown extraordinary mercy by not harming his family!" Changsun Wuji continued to comfort him.

"I understand the logic!" Li Shiji seemed even more anxious, "but..."

"Stop just saying that!" Du Ruhui, who hadn't spoken until now, suddenly interrupted him, saying, "All you can do now is take care of his family."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "But in doing so, your future situation will become difficult."

"If Shan Xiongxin's descendants ever plot a rebellion, your whole family will suffer as well."

"..."

After Du Ruhui said this, the next private room fell into a deathly silence.

After a long silence, Li Yu heard someone sigh, followed by Li Shiji's voice: "When a person is about to die, they can't care about such trivial matters. I'll go and beg Your Highness to bring Brother Shan's family here!"

After the words were spoken, silence fell again, until the door to the next room was opened and closed again, and then a voice came from the other side: "What did Li Jing say? I heard that Lord Mao also sought his help."

"Li Jing? Although he's on good terms with Mao Gong, he has no connection with Shan Xiongxin. He even chose to remain a bystander at the Xuanwu Gate Incident; do you expect him to help?"

Changsun Wuji scoffed, "Besides, he's barely able to take care of himself right now..."

"What's wrong with him now?"

Upon hearing this, Changsun Wuji chuckled: "Officials from various prefectures in Lingnan have submitted memorials impeaching Feng Ang for plotting a rebellion. I heard that His Majesty is preparing to send him to suppress the rebellion."

"Feng Ang!?"

Li Xuanba exclaimed in shock, "He can't be suppressed! Given his prestige in Lingnan, sending someone to appease him is the best course of action."

"appease?"

Changsun Wuji laughed again: "Who should we send? You? Or should His Highness the Crown Prince go himself?"

This series of questions left everyone speechless.

Although Li Er has already annexed the two rivers region and is currently leading his army on his way back to the capital, Li Yuan has already announced his impending abdication. Therefore, upon his return, he will need to prepare for the enthronement ceremony.

As for Li Xuanba, even after nearly half a year, his broken leg still hadn't fully healed...

After a long silence, Changsun Wuji continued, "To appease Feng Ang, it's both reasonable and morally right to send someone from the royal family. Since neither of you can go, we can only send Li Jing to suppress him..."

.........

"You lot, you listened for so long but didn't hear anything. You made me come all this way for nothing, and now I have to go back without doing anything."

As soon as the group came out of the brothel, Changsun Chong began to complain.

"Stop talking nonsense!" Li Yu glared at him irritably. "Your father is still in the private room. What could you possibly be doing there?"

"..."

Speechless after being retorted by Li Yu, Changsun Chong awkwardly changed the subject, asking, "Where do we go next?"

"Back to the manor!" Li Yu helplessly spread his hands: "His Highness the Crown Prince is about to return to the capital, and he will surely play the Battle Formation Music again. If I can't complete the task of recomposing the Battle Formation Music before then, I'm afraid I'll get a beating from him again..."

Upon hearing this, everyone present except Li Chengqian showed expressions of envy.

The group had always been incredibly envious of Li Yu's ability to freely enter and leave the Taiji Palace. Moreover, the fact that Li Yu now had the final say in all matters concerning the Zhao Prince's residence made them admire him even more.

Especially since he just said that if he failed to complete the task personally assigned by Emperor Taizong, he would only receive a beating, which is something that probably few people in the Tang Dynasty would do now...

"..."

Li Yu didn't understand what was so enviable about that. He dreamed of being able to lie flat like a dead dog every day, and as for those tedious and trivial matters, he wished they would all go to hell.

.........

After parting ways with everyone, Li Yu returned directly to his residence.

Ever since Xu Jingzong took a job under Li Yu, he's been visiting the Prince of Zhao's residence every few days. Especially now that Emperor Taizong (Li Er) is about to return to the capital, Li Yu simply let him stay there.

"Your Highness, I have already changed the music for breaking the formation to the form of 'primarily using the Gong mode and secondarily using the Shang mode' as you instructed, and I have also added the two notes of Bianzhi and Biangong as you ordered."

"Although the performance was much grander, I still feel that it sounds a bit monotonous overall..."

As soon as Li Yu entered the room, Xu Jingzong immediately began to report to him.

"monotonous?"

Li Yu was somewhat puzzled. The current Battle Formation Music was composed by him based on the adapted version of Battle Formation Music he heard in later generations. Although he did not remember it in great detail and there were some differences in some details, it should not be so different.

"Okay, Lao Xu, have them play it once for me to hear."

.........