Chapter 54: Clash

Hengmen Street. Liu Jin had just left the imperial palace, planning to head out to the suburbs to visit Old Master Qiu.

His strategy had been quite sound, proving genuinely effective against his imperial grandfather. He intended to seek a bit more guidance, but the most important thing was that he had acquired thirty thousand coins and wanted to repay a portion of it to the old master first.

Although they enjoyed a good relationship, a favor was a favor, and money was money. Liu Jin made sure to draw a clear line; he couldn't spend lavishly on himself just because he had some cash, or he would never make any friends in the future.

Just as he reached the middle section of Hengmen Street, someone in the bustling crowd dashed forward from behind and gave Liu Jin a rough bump.

The person hurriedly apologized, "I'm sorry, I am terribly sorry! My clumsiness!"

Li Ji apologized to Liu Jin repeatedly.

Liu Jin did not know Li Ji. In fact, he knew very few people in the outer court, and since Li Ji was not an outer court official, it was entirely normal that he didn't recognize him.

"It's nothing," Liu Jin said.

"It was truly my fault. Let me compensate you, Your Excellency," Li Ji offered, apologizing once more.

Liu Jin shook his head, "No need, I'm quite alright."

"No, no, no, the fault is mine. I insist on treating you to a drink. Please do not refuse—consider it my formal apology to you."

Liu Jin gave him a suspicious look, chuckled, and said, "Alright then."

Li Ji laughed heartily and said, "Lead the way!"

He did not lead Liu Jin to any remote location, but rather to a tavern right on Hengmen Street. What Liu Jin failed to realize, however, was that this was not a place for dining, but an establishment for consorting with courtesans.

Inside the private room, young women entered one after another, carrying jars of wine.

Li Ji poured a cup of wine, handed it to Liu Jin, and said, "Come, little brother, my apologies to you. Let's drink this down in one gulp!"

After the first pot of wine went down, Li Ji refilled Liu Jin's cup and said, "If little brother has forgiven me, you must drink another mouthful."

Liu Jin let out an "oh" and replied, "Very well."

"Good, good! Little brother is a straightforward man. Good things come in pairs—let's have another cup."

Liu Jin looked thoughtful, smiled, and said, "Have you ever heard a common saying?"

"Once the rump rises, drink it all over again."

"Come on, it's your turn to drink this cup."

Li Ji: "..."

"Ha-ha, it was this elder brother's impatience. I acknowledge the penalty."

*Glug.*

Liu Jin continued, "As the saying goes, confessing a mistake at the drinking table means drinking it down and pouring a new one. Elder brother, you shouldn't keep confessing mistakes like this. It's not a good look."

Li Ji thought to himself, *There's a rule like that?*

"Well... alright then."

*Glug.*

He downed another cup in one go, though this time he didn't dare to speak anymore.

Liu Jin smiled faintly, "Remaining silent shows a lack of breeding while drinking. One must not stay silent during drinking; it shows disrespect to others. Elder brother, you've got no choice but to have another cup."

*Glug.*
*Glug.*
*Glug.*

Li Ji had already been plied with alcohol until his head was spinning, which clearly did not match the scenario he had envisioned.

Wasn't Liu Jin an imperial grandson? Shouldn't he be well-read, introverted, and shy? Shouldn't someone raised in the imperial palace lack worldly experience?

How in the world was this fellow acting even more like a seasoned street ruffian than he was?

"I... I can't drink anymore..." Li Ji waved his hands frantically.

Liu Jin retorted, "Refusing a urged drink is as good as saying nothing at all. Elder brother, were all those apologies you made earlier just empty words?"

"This... *hiccup*, *glug glug*." Li Ji tilted his head back and took another huge gulp.

...

Outside the private room, an older procuress was instructing a young maiden nearby, "Have you memorized everything? The moment you go inside, tear your clothes. The time is almost right; I'm going to report this to the authorities immediately. Later, when the officials arrive, you must insist that the other man forced himself upon you."

"Understood, auntie. Which one is it?"

The procuress tapped her on the head. "The drunk one, of course! Would the sober one ever admit to violating you?"

"Got it."

"Go on then."

Before long, the young maiden entered the private room. She first glanced at Liu Jin, then looked at the heavily intoxicated Li Ji slumped over the table. She nodded at Liu Jin, "Young master, is it time?"

Liu Jin nodded, "It's time. I'll take my leave first."

Of course, he had no idea what she was planning to do, so he simply gave a perfunctory reply and walked out of the tavern with his hands behind his back.

Just as he stepped out of the tavern, he ran straight into Emperor Wu of Han.

"Tsk, tsk." The old master wore a playful smile on his face. "You rascal, I had no idea you were such a romantic libertine."

While Liu Jin might not have realized at the very beginning that the place was a brothel, once he stepped inside and saw so many women, he had more or less guessed it.

He smiled and walked up to Emperor Wu, saying, "Grandfather, how could I possibly come to a place like this for such matters?"

"I don't know who that person was or what they are up to. Just wait here a moment with me and let's watch the show. I have a feeling something is about to happen."

"Oh? What do you mean?" Emperor Wu asked suspiciously.

Liu Jin explained, "Some fool bumped into me on the street, then enthusiastically dragged me here to drink and tried to get me drunk. Did he really take me for an idiot? Anyone with half a brain could see there was something wrong, right?

"So I figured out a way to get him drunk first, just to see what they were actually up to and what their objective was."

Emperor Wu: "..."

He was well aware that Li Ji had bumped into Liu Jin, having long since instructed the Embroidered-Uniform Guards to keep a close eye on his grandson.

However, Emperor Wu hadn't known what Li Ji's intentions were either, which was why he had dropped his state affairs to come out and take a look, fearing his grandson might be taken advantage of.

At this moment, though, he suddenly felt he had worried needlessly.

There were probably very few people in Chang'an capable of taking advantage of his grandson. As Liu Jin had put it, this Li Ji acted like a complete fool, trying to force drinks on others only to get himself drunk instead.

For a moment, he didn't know whether to call Li Ji an idiot or praise his eldest grandson's cleverness.

"Sob, sob, sob! Help! Somebody help!"

Screams of hysterical panic rang out from inside the tavern.

Before long, a group of runners and bailiffs approached from outside, striding toward the tavern with grim expressions.

"Your Honour! The man inside that private room is trying to violate a decent woman! My daughter only went in to serve wine—she never engages in that sort of business with guests and even rejected him, but that young fellow went completely mad... The door won't budge, and no matter how we shout, there's no response.

"I'm terrified he'll harm my daughter. Please, Your Honour, break the door down and take a look!"

With grim faces, several bailiffs kicked the door open and dragged Li Ji out like a dead dog.

"You dog! How dare you attempt to violate a commoner's daughter? A heinous crime!"

"Ha... come on, do it again, let's keep going! I can still go, I'm going... *blech!*" Li Ji wore a silly smile.

The expressions of the petty officials turned dark as ink. Could those even be considered human words? Utterly shameless!

The onlookers also turned their gazes toward Li Ji, their expressions filled with contempt and fury. This fellow was simply too arrogant! To utter such filthy language right in front of government officers!

"Your Majesty... haha... Your Majesty, you've come to visit... visit the brothel too? *Hic~*"

With his vision blurred by alcohol, Li Ji seemed to spot Emperor Wu standing amidst the crowd.

The expressions of several bailiffs changed drastically. They reached out and landed viciously heavy slaps across his mouth. "Insolent! Audacious! Blaspheming the Sovereign! *Slap, slap, slap!*"

Emperor Wu narrowed his eyes, a faint, ferocious smile visible on his face.

Liu Jin, however, paid no attention to the old master's expression. After pondering for a moment, he instructed the servant beside him, "Find out who he is."

Having wasted so much time playing along with this act, Liu Jin simply wanted to know who the man was and what his motives were. Judging by the looks of it, his objective seemed clear: was this an attempt to ruin his reputation?