Countless nobles and dignitaries were invited to a banquet in the palace. Every family that received an invitation took pride in it, ostentatiously riding their finest beast-drawn carriages through the streets before entering the palace.
As a result, business at the Huamanlou brothel was rather quiet.
Hua Qing sat by the window, watching the bustle below, and teased, “If you were willing to go, she would surely send a palace beast carriage to pick you up.”
Li Shaoling tilted his head back, draining his cup of wine, and said nonchalantly, “Who cares about that?”
Hua Qing giggled, rising to lean into his embrace, her fingers lightly tracing his collar. “If the young master truly thinks so, this servant can rest easy.”
Li Shaoling inwardly sneered. This woman was still dreaming of him entering officialdom so she could become an official’s wife. Never mind that he couldn’t take office now that Princess Changle had taken a liking to him; even if he did, what did it have to do with this greedy woman? Their relationship was purely transactional, nothing more.
He drank cup after cup of wine. When drunk, on a whim, he tossed a wine cup out the window.
This was usually a common occurrence; a brothel that didn’t have a few cups and bottles thrown from its windows each day could hardly be called a place of debauchery. But as luck would have it, today the street below was crowded, and the cup struck Yuan Sixun, a patrolman, on the head.
Yuan Sixun was a pampered young master who had just obtained a position thanks to his family’s influence. Before he could even show off his new status, he was struck on the head by a wine cup in public, raising a large bump. How could he tolerate this? He immediately dismounted, cursing as he stormed up to the Huamanlou to settle accounts.
The door was flung open. Hua Qing hurried forward to smooth things over but was pushed aside. Yuan Sixun shouted, “What kind of trash are you, daring to throw a wine cup at me?!”
Li Shaoling glanced at him, his drunkenness surging, and couldn’t help but sneer, “Another mediocrity relying on family influence.”
“What did you say?!” Yuan Sixun didn’t recognize him, and judging by his attire, didn’t think he was from a Marquis’s household. He immediately beckoned his servants to enter, pointing at Li Shaoling viciously, “Beat him! If he dies, it’s on me!”
Hua Qing’s face turned pale with fright. While trying to stop them, she hurriedly told Li Shaoling’s servants to report to the palace.
Ordinary servants couldn’t enter the palace, but Li Shaoling’s servants carried jade tokens personally given by Princess Changle, granting them unimpeded access.
Princess Changle had just finished toasting her mother when she heard the news.
Hailan, standing beside her, also heard the servant’s words and immediately widened her eyes: “He doesn’t come for Your Highness’s birthday, but goes drinking at a brothel and gets into a fight, and now wants Your Highness to save him? What kind of logic is this?”
She turned to report this, but Princess Changle grabbed her hand.
“I’ll be right back. Cover for me,” she winked. “Please, my good sister.”
Hailan was furious but could do nothing against her plea. She could only reluctantly agree.
Meanwhile, Li Shaoling had already taken several blows.
He only had cyan-colored meridians, while these servants all had blue meridians. They beat him until his face turned aside, blood flowing from his nose.
For a moment, Li Shaoling thought he was going to die as a servant in front of him raised a bronze tripod, aiming directly at his head.
But in the next instant, a gray streak of Yuan Power flew over, flipping both the tripod and the servant out the window, crashing to the street below.
“Teacher!” Princess Changle urgently jumped off her flying sword, pulling him up from the ground.
Li Shaoling stared at her in a daze, suddenly remembering that this student of his was a natural red-veined fighter.
She might not have inherited her parents’ beauty, but she had perfectly inherited their Yuan Power. Not just one servant, but even a group of them would be no match for her.
She pulled him behind her with one motion, glaring at Yuan Sixun: “In broad daylight, are you trying to commit murder?”
Although it was Yuan Sixun’s first time attending a birthday banquet and he didn’t know the Princess’s face, he recognized the nine-phoenix hairpin on her head. Coupled with her round figure, he immediately knelt and pleaded innocence: “He struck first.”
Princess Changle was stunned. She turned to look behind her, but Li Shaoling was smirking at her, his eyes rippling with gentle light: “Why did you come?”
With just that one look, Princess Changle forgot everything else. She stammered, “I came… I came to invite you to my birthday banquet.”
He made an “oh” sound, his handsome face drawing close, smiling at her: “But what if I don’t want to go?”
“Then… then you should go home and rest well.” Frowning as she looked at the bruise on his brow bone, Princess Changle wanted to reach out and rub it but shyly tucked her hand back into her sleeve. “I’ll chase everyone away for you.”
True to her word, Yuan Sixun and his group scurried away in fear.
Li Shaoling laughed. He staggered forward a couple of steps as if about to fall. Princess Changle hurried to catch him, only to find herself enveloped in his embrace.
Heat rose from her heart to her cheeks. Princess Changle looked at him in shock, her tongue-tied.
Li Shaoling lowered his eyes to look at her, reaching out to pinch her chubby cheek. “Happy birthday, little Princess.”
Princess Changle’s heart felt as if it had been dipped in honey and then cradled in a warm palm.
Although he hadn’t prepared a gift, these words were the best present she had received this year.
Hua Qing came forward, supporting him away from her. She frowned and said, “It’s not appropriate for Your Highness to be in such a place. Please leave.”
The joy faded slightly. Princess Changle nodded, glancing at the two of them before stepping onto her flying sword and returning to the palace.
Watching her disappear, Hua Qing couldn’t help but mutter, “She doesn’t care about her status, coming to save you like this.”
Li Shaoling was quite smug. With bleary eyes, he said, “I’m incredibly important to her, more important than all those banquets in the palace… Have you ever been valued like this by someone?”
Hua Qing rolled her eyes, feeling a bit envious.
Who doesn’t hope to be valued? But not everyone can meet someone who truly values them.
Thinking of it this way, it seemed that Li Shaoling was the one who didn’t know how fortunate he was.
Although drunk, Li Shaoling wasn’t completely unconscious. The next day when he woke up, he could still clearly remember Princess Changle’s actions and expressions from the night before.
That little girl truly loved him deeply.
What a pity. If only she weren’t a princess.
Wiping his face, Li Shaoling continued to attend classes at the Yuan Academy.
With the Princess’s favor, his days became increasingly smooth. Food was sent to him at a word, and new clothes were made for him every month. When he went out drinking with friends, everyone fawned over him, no longer teasing him about his background.
Occasionally, he would treat her badly on a whim, like spilling the soup she brought or ignoring her to chat with other students in her presence. But Princess Changle never got angry. Her round figure would just stand under the eaves, waiting for him.
On New Year’s Day, Li Shaoling returned to his hometown, a fishing village outside Chaoyang City. His elders always asked about his marriage prospects at this time.
In the past, he would always brush off these questions with a few words. But this year, when his aunt asked if he had anyone he fancied, for some reason, Princess Changle’s image floated into Li Shaoling’s mind.