Sheng Tang: What is Liu Jianjun going to do today?

Chapter 143 Liu Jianjun's Trip-Off
Liu Jianjun was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "There's such a surname?"

……

In the changing room, Li Xian quickly removed the equipment that Ma Qiu was wearing, leaving only a few Imperial Guards putting on their armor. Liu Jianjun and the others were bored, so he called out, "Xianzi, I'm going out to take a piss."

Li Xian was taken aback, then nodded without making a sound.

When Liu Jianjun returned, the Jinwu Guard soldiers had already put on their armor again, reverting to their menacing and unapproachable demeanor.

Liu Jianjun didn't even glance at them, and asked casually, "Xianzi, where are we going later? Anywhere to go for fun?"

Li Xian understood the meaning behind his words and was hesitating about where to go when a soldier wearing the standard armor of the Golden Guard suddenly ran in. He was not one of the guards protecting Taiping.

The newly arrived Imperial Guard soldier didn't look for Li Xian, but instead went to the Imperial Guard captain and reported something in a low voice.

Then, Li Xian saw the Imperial Guard's expression turn serious as he walked up to Li Xian, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Highness, I'm afraid you can't go anywhere today!"

Li Xian's heart tightened.

If it weren't for the fact that the Imperial Guard was still speaking respectfully and with a hint of apology, Li Xian would have thought that the other party was about to arrest him at any moment.

"What do you mean?" Li Xian asked, frowning.

"The situation in Yangzhou is critical. The Empress Dowager has summoned the princess back to the palace. We must return to the palace immediately to report back. Your Highness... it would be better if you returned to the State Guest House."

Then, two soldiers from the Imperial Guards accompanied Li Xian and Liu Jianjun back to the State Guest House, one on each side. Although it was called an escort, Li Xian felt it was more like a forced arrangement.

Li Xian glanced at Liu Jianjun's face and, finding nothing amiss, returned to the State Guest House with peace of mind.

The atmosphere at the State Guest House remained unchanged. As soon as Li Xian entered, he overheard two guards chatting. One said he wished he could be reborn as a woman in his next life and live by simply lying on his bed with his belly turned up. The other asked him which building he planned to go to.

Like Liu Jianjun, he loves telling dirty jokes.

Li Xian's arrival silenced the two guards, who then focused on their duties and remained silent.

Li Xian didn't bother with the two men and went straight back to his lodgings. When Liu Jianjun came in, Li Xian closed the door behind him.

Then, in a slightly nervous tone, she asked, "What's wrong?"

"What are you asking? What's wrong?"

“Both.” Li Xian asked, “Didn’t you say that the Empress Dowager would win the rebellion in Yangzhou? But why did the Imperial Guards say that Yangzhou was in danger? And why did you make an excuse to leave the polo field just now?”

"Heh." Liu Jianjun chuckled and swayed over to sit down in front of Li Xian's bed. "First of all, fighting a war is not something that can be done in a short time, nor can it be decided by a single battle. Your mother has never had any experience in dealing with war, and she is not familiar with things like troop deployment and food supply arrangements. It is normal for her to have a bad start, and it is also normal for her to feel nervous because of a failed battle."

"Actually, your mother handled it very well, keeping the news of the initial setback within a small circle. Even the soldiers at our State Guest House didn't know about it..."

"But if you ask me, your mother should have completely sealed off the news of the defeat in Yangzhou, not even telling the Imperial Guards, and only released the news after the rebellion was completely quelled to boost morale."

Li Xian asked, "So... the Yangzhou rebellion still can't succeed?"

"Absolutely impossible. I've heard of Wei Yuanzhong. He's very clever and will be able to turn this war around in no time. Do you think your Li Tang dynasty is so fragile? To put it bluntly, even if the Li Tang dynasty were to perish, a song like 'The King of Qin Breaks the Enemy's Formation' could keep it alive!"

Liu Jianjun sighed, “Your Emperor Taizong’s prestige is too high, elevating the Li family to a status comparable to that of gods, to the point that even when Li Jingye rebelled, he had to use the names of you brothers.”

Li Xian was somewhat relieved.

Liu Jianjun then said, "As for my excuse to leave just now... do you want to guess what I went to do?" Li Xian glared at him irritably: "Just tell me!"

“Go and trip up your mother.” Liu Jianjun continued, “We can’t defeat your mother now, but we can weaken her power as much as possible. We did this with Pei Yan, we did this during the Yangzhou rebellion, and we will do it this time as well…”

Li Xian asked curiously, "What trouble did you cause the Empress Dowager?"

"I sent her a troublemaker." Liu Jianjun chuckled strangely.

"A troublemaker?"

"Hmm, do you remember Lai Junchen?"

This happened not long ago, so Li Xian certainly remembered it and asked, "That gambler?"

"That's right. I took advantage of that time to find him and get the general idea of ​​the situation. This guy borrowed money from others at high interest rates and bet that Zuo Zuomu's polo team would win, after all, Zuo Zuomu's polo team had won more than ten games in a row."

"But who knew, we would run into them."

Li Xian asked curiously, "And then?"

"Then, Lai Junchen lost everything, including his underwear, and was left with a huge debt. If he couldn't pay it back, those people would tie him up and throw him into the Luo River."

Li Xian nodded.

It's only natural to repay debts, especially since most private lenders have signed IOUs and put their fingerprints on the loans. Even if the matter goes to the authorities, they are the ones in the right.

In reality, the government also has a headache about this kind of thing. If they intervene, it's a matter of mutual consent for people to lend money; if they don't intervene, these people are capable of murder, arson, and anything else.

Every year, a considerable number of families are ruined and people die because of gambling debts.

"Lai Junchen wrote an IOU for a total of one guan of cash, with nine out of ten transactions and thirteen returns, resulting in a total of nine hundred guan of cash. If Zuo Zuomu and his group had actually won, they could have repaid the money, but unfortunately, they lost."

"Then... I approached him and asked him what he would do with a string of cash if I gave him one string of cash."

Li Xian asked curiously, "Aren't you going to pay back the money?"

Liu Jianjun shook his head: "He said he would use the money to gamble because he couldn't pay off his debts with the money, but if he won the gamble, he could pay off his debts."

Li Xian was taken aback.

This person... is truly insane!
"Don't you think he's crazy?" Liu Jianjun seemed to see through Li Xian's thoughts and continued, "But think about it, this person has lived like this since he was a child. Every time he gambled, every time he borrowed money, every time he killed and set fires, he is still alive and well. How can this not be considered a skill?"

"So I gave him a string of cash and showed him a clear path."

"A clear path?"

"Yes, I told him to take this sum of money and find a ghostwriter to write a letter of complaint."

"Report letter?"

"That's right, report Yu Baojia, the one who invented the copper box method!"

……

(End of this chapter)