Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 267 - 205: Four Young Masters of the Capital_2

Chapter 267: Chapter 205: Four Young Masters of the Capital_2

He paused,

Li Junwu glanced at Xu Yuan with a teasing expression,

"Changtian, instead of marrying into Marquis of Wucheng’s Mansion, why not marry into my Marquis of Zhenxi’s Mansion? It would also address my old man’s nagging about marriage, and besides, I would allow you to take concubines~"

Xu Yuan rolled his eyes:

"So, I take concubines in your Marquis of Zhenxi’s Mansion, for you to take, is that it?"

Li Junwu crossed his legs casually, his lips curved in a slight smile, his beautiful eyes narrowing;

"Don’t make it sound so distasteful. Changtian, if you marry into my family, we wouldn’t exclude you from such matters~"

"......"

Xu Yuan suddenly fell silent, then gave a thumbs-up to the other party.

"Enough, enough."

Gong Yuanzeng, rubbing his temples, intervened helplessly, "Changtian, after you marry Commandery Princess Mu, you’re not going to end up incapable like Wang Chengping, are you?"

"....."

Before Xu Yuan could answer, a deep male voice came from the side, "What about being like me?"

Turning around, it was the last of the "Four Young Masters of the Capital," Wang Chengping.

With a square face, dressed in military attire, he had an imposing presence without anger and seemed to be in his thirties despite being just over twenty.

Sitting down on the couch, Wang Chengping with attire enwrapping him, crossed his legs:

"I’m a bit late and you guys start talking behind my back? Who is not up to par now?"

Xu Yuan ignored him, responding to Gong Yuanzeng:

"Don’t compare me to him; I’m much stronger than he is."

Wang Chengping naturally knew what they were talking about:

"Nonsense, you’re stronger than me?"

Xu Yuan glanced nonchalantly at the dancing girls on the stage:

"Tonight, the top courtesan Miss Nan Xiang from Qingyu Pavilion is making her debut. I’ll buy her for you, General Wang Qujiang, why not stay the night at Qingyu Pavilion?"

Wang Chengping’s expression changed slightly, and he coughed lightly:

"I’m swamped with official duties tonight, let’s forget it."

Gong Yuanzeng raised an eyebrow, asking casually:

"Chengping, with your status, even if you are absent from your duties it wouldn’t matter, right? Why did you come so late today?"

Wang Chengping took a sip of wine, let out a long breath, and with a hint of tiredness in his voice, said:

"Today, my Qu division was responsible for guarding Honglu Temple. The Crown Prince personally ordered it, and I really couldn’t get away. I have to go back later."

Xu Yuan was somewhat surprised at this:

"Honglu Temple? Li Yucheng personally ordered it, who’s come?"

The other three paid no attention to Xu Yuan directly calling the Crown Prince by his name.

As the biggest scion of Dayan, it wasn’t just the Crown Prince he dared to call by name; he would even dare to call the Emperor by his name.

After some thought, Wang Chengping replied lazily:

"It seems to be nobility from the barbarians of the Great Desert, probably at least a prince or something like that..."

As he spoke,

he turned his eyes to Li Junwu, who was pouring and drinking on his own.

Li Junwu smacked his luscious lips:

"Why are you looking at me?"

"Who else would I look at?" Wang Chengping rolled his eyes.

Li Junwu pursed his lips:

"Military and national affairs, my old man never discusses them with me."

It was at this moment Xu Yuan asked:

"Jun Wu, has the Marquis of Zhenxi left the Capital?"

"....."

Silence.

After a moment, Li Junwu inhaled sharply before he hesitantly said:

"Now that you mention it, Changtian, I realize I haven’t seen my old man at our mansion for over half a month."

As soon as the words dropped, the other three immediately understood that the Great Desert and the Northern Barbarians seemed to have signs of forming an alliance, and their Dayan Empire was also prepared to escalate the scale of war.

Gong Yuanzeng, glancing at the dancing girl, muttered softly:

"This world seems to be becoming less peaceful."

Despite being a playboy, his experiences since childhood allowed him to understand one thing.

To merely deal with the Great Desert and the Northern Barbarians, the Dayan Empire wouldn’t need to mobilize such a huge force.

In other words, there was another enemy.

Wang Chengping showed some contempt for Gong Yuanzeng’s words:

"Enough, even if a real fight starts, it is us warriors who will march first. Yuan Zeng, what’s a civilian official like you worrying about?"

"National affairs concern every man, and all the more for an Imperial Court official like me."

"Tsk tsk... an Imperial Court official who skips work to visit the Hook Bar."

Laughter followed the remark.

After an indeterminate amount of time had passed,

"Crack—"

An abrupt sound of a wooden board breaking echoed within the serene hall.

A shadow smashed through the wooden wall and flew out of the elegant pavilions on the third floor, crashing heavily onto the table next to Xu Yuan and his companions.

Qingyu Pavilion had a main hall and elegant pavilions,

As a distinguished Hook Bar in the Capital, Qingyu Pavilion naturally had hierarchies of respect, with most of those in the elegant pavilions on the third floor being dignitaries of some stature.

As seasoned profligates, the four present were not at all surprised by the spectacle before them.

Such places of allure easily gave rise to small frictions since ancient times, which could quickly escalate into brawls.

However, when Xu Yuan and the others looked toward the neighboring table, they found that the person who had fallen was none other than the owner of Qingyu Pavilion.

Seeing this, Xu Yuan asked in a low voice,

"Whose establishment is Qingyu Pavilion?"

Xu Yuan had always known which prominent Hook Bars in the Imperial Capital were owned by whom,

after all, if a whim took him to smash things up, it wouldn’t do to damage his own family’s property.

Of course, the main reason was that Hua Hong would beat him up.

Li Junwu thought for a moment and hesitated before saying,

"It seems to be managed by the Third Prince’s Imperial Commercial Association."

The backgrounds of these Hook Bars in the Capital were not as mysterious and vast as rumors in paintings and free-sheets made them out to be—it was usually easy to find out who owned them.

"The Third Prince?"

Xu Yuan thought of the brother he had only acknowledged not long ago, "So, it is one of the Crown Prince’s enterprises?"

Wang Chengping continued to lean on the couch, staring at the hole in the second floor with no intention of getting up,

"The guy on the second floor has some guts as well."

"Indeed, he could be compared to Changtian back in the day."

"No, compared to Changtian of those days, he still falls short, at least he hasn’t dared to ask after the Prince’s mother."

"....." Xu Yuan.

As the owner struggled, the four men continued their casual banter, appearing completely indifferent to the situation.

Soon,

the assailant showed himself at the hole in the second floor.

This towering figure, with bare chest and bronzed skin, was wrapped in a snow wolf pelt.

A man from the Tatar People of the Great Desert.

He stood where the owner had fallen through the hole and said,

"My master said he’d offer three thousand two hundred silver notes for your Southern Xiang girl Luohong—take it or leave it."

Upon seeing the man, Wang Chengping’s eyes in the main hall revealed a hint of amusement,

"Huh..."

This murmur was overheard by Xu Yuan beside him, who asked,

"Do you know him?"

"He was at Honglu Temple today, following the prince from the steppes." Wang Chengping said softly.

"These barbarians dare to be so arrogant in the Imperial Capital?" Li Junwu frowned.

Gong Yuanzeng shook his head and guessed quietly,

"My old man told me that the Northern Frontier is suffering from heavy snowstorms, making it impossible for troops to move. Judging by their attitude, they’re probably planning to loot in the midst of chaos."

Their conversation was contained by a soundproof Formation Pattern above their seats,

while the man from the desert casually threw three thousand-two-hundred-silver notes and one hundred-silver note onto the owner from afar,

"My master is not bullying you, fair trade—three thousand two hundred for your top card Luohong, and one hundred to medicate your injuries."

"Who’s this pauper from god knows where?"

Before the words could finish,

a sardonic voice rose, feminine yet filled with mockery, "Doesn’t even dare to call a price?"

It did not come from Xu Yuan’s table, but from another elegant room on the third floor.

Hearing this voice, Xu Yuan’s expression turned slightly strange.

The eunuch...

Before he could reflect any deeper,

the Third Prince’s voice came from another elegant pavilion next door,

"What kind of damn master, daring to act tough in my Imperial Capital, I’ll offer three thousand five hundred silver notes."

"...." Xu Yuan.

This newly acknowledged brother was always one for doing business.

There was a brief silence, then Xu Yuan, seated in the main hall, suddenly spoke up with a smile,

"Indeed, I should raise the bid as well, three thousand seven hundred silver notes."

Li Yunqing continued the bidding:

"Gentleman, don’t raise the price too much and scare these barbarians, I’ll offer four thousand silver notes."

"...."

There were many noblemen in the Imperial Capital, and Qingyu Pavilion had been publicizing the debut of its Southern Xiang girl for nearly a month; there were no lack of gentlemen who had come tonight for a taste of her charms.

As the eunuch, Li Yunqing, and Xu Yuan bid, other voices from the elegant rooms also joined in.

The price was slowly driven higher, and the Tatar man did not show much annoyance, silently returning to the elegant pavilion, possibly to consult with his master.

The originally elegant and stylish main hall suddenly become somewhat boisterous, resembling an auction house.

"Bang!"

Amidst the ruckus, a dull sound stood out.

An ornamental rockery used for interior decoration was hurled from the third-floor hole, going through the air and heading straight for a noble seat in the main hall!