Joy of Life: Many Children, Many Blessings; Intercepting Si Lili

The door creaked open, and the madam swayed in.

The madam glanced up and saw her courtesan looking shy and timid, and immediately went over to her.

"Hey, it's Lili."

"In the middle of the night, instead of going out to meet guests, she's hiding in her room smiling so sweetly. Could it be that she's taken a fancy to some handsome young master?"

Si Lili quickly sat up straight, straightened her disheveled skirt, and tried her best to explain.

"Mom, please stop teasing me. There's no such thing."

The madam pointed to her cheek with a mocking expression.

"You still dare to say you didn't?"

"Your face is so full of lovesickness, even a blind man could see it. Tell your mother the truth: which noble young master has managed to steal the heart of the most beautiful courtesan like you?"

Si Lili blushed for the first time and glared at the madam with a coquettish expression.

Just as the two were joking around, a maid rushed in from outside the door, looking very hurried.

"Mother, Miss Lili, the Second Prince has arrived!"

"His Highness specifically requested that Miss Lili be immediately taken to the VIP seat in the highest tier to serve him."

The madam's eyes lit up; this was an extremely important guest.

Upon hearing the Second Prince's name, Si Lili's brows furrowed instantly, and her tone became very resolute.

"I'm not going, Mom, you go and tell them off."

"Just say that I suddenly fell ill and am in sore body that I can't get out of bed and can't take care of the Second Prince."

The madam was so anxious that she slapped her thigh and tried to comfort her with earnest words.

"Oh my little darling, that's the Second Prince."

"Your tactic of feigning illness to avoid guests might work on others, but using it on His Highness is practically suicide!"

Si Lili turned away, completely unmoved.

"I simply won't see you. If Your Highness wishes to blame me, let him do it to me."

The madam sighed helplessly and had no choice but to bite the bullet and go to the private room to greet the guests herself.

……

On the other side, inside the most luxurious VIP room of Zuixianju.

The table was already laden with food and wine, and several elegant courtesans were playing the zither and pouring wine.

Li Chengze took off his shoes, casually squatted on the chair, picked up his wine glass, pointed to the surrounding decorations and girls, and began to boast to Li Chengye.

"Third brother, not to criticize you, but the brothels you used to frequent were really low-class."

"That place is full of vulgar women; this Drunken Immortal Abode is the real gem!"

"Especially the courtesan Si Lili here, her looks and figure are absolutely stunning, you can't find another like her in the entire capital."

"Second Brother, you absolutely must have her come over for a drink with you tonight."

Upon hearing Si Lili's name, Li Chengye remained calm, but a strange thought arose in his heart.

Since the day he rescued Si Lili in the suburbs, the two have not officially met in this brothel.

He was somewhat curious about how much Si Lili liked him now after saving his life that day.

Just as I was pondering this, the door to the private room was pushed open.

The madam walked in with a big smile on her face, bowing repeatedly to apologize.

"Your Highness, please forgive me!"

"Lili suddenly fell ill tonight with a high fever that won't go down, and she really can't get out of bed."

"I'm afraid of passing on my illness to Your Highnesses, so I have no choice but to swallow my pride and kowtow to apologize."

Li Chengze's smile froze, and he looked extremely helpless and disappointed. He waved his hand to dismiss the madam.

He held his wine glass, looked at Li Chengye, sighed deeply, and exclaimed how regrettable it was.

"What a pity."

"I was hoping to introduce you, Third Brother, to Lili. Your poem 'Ascending the Heights' at the poetry gathering today is famous throughout the capital."

"If he were to be paired with such a stunning beauty, the talented man and the beautiful woman would surely become the talk of the town tomorrow."

Li Chengye picked up the sake in front of him and took a small sip, his tone very amiable.

"Second brother, you've gone to a lot of trouble. Now that Miss Si is ill, she should rest well. There will be plenty of opportunities to learn in the future."

Li Chengze laughed twice and drank the wine in his cup in one gulp.

"The third brother is quite open-minded."

He then leaned closer, staring intently at Li Chengye, and showered him with compliments.

"But then again, your writing today really put Guo Baokun to shame."

"With such talent, how could you not attract jealousy? Look, some people are even eyeing your life."

The conversation suddenly shifted.

Li Chengze lowered his voice and asked tentatively:

"Third brother, tell me the truth: do you know who tried to kill you on the street tonight?"

Upon hearing Li Chengze's probing, Li Chengye feigned shock.

He slammed down his wine glass, his eyes wide as he stared at the other man: "Second Brother, could it be... you who wanted to kill me tonight?"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengze's smile froze instantly, and his expression became extremely awkward.

He never imagined that his third brother had such a unique way of thinking.

Li Chengze waved his hands repeatedly, hurriedly explaining, "Third brother, what nonsense are you talking about! Do you think I'm the kind of person who wouldn't care about brotherly affection?"

"Tonight's group of assassins are well-trained and ruthless."

"Looking across the entire capital, besides the Crown Prince, who else would dare to assassinate a newly ennobled prince in the street?"

Li Chengze lowered his voice and pointed the finger directly at Crown Prince Li Chengqian.

After listening, Li Chengye only responded with an "oh".

He picked up his wine glass again, took a casual sip, and said nonchalantly, "So be it, I wasn't hurt. I'm too lazy to pursue it."

Seeing Li Chengye's hopeless state, Li Chengze's eyes flashed with deep contempt.

He sneered inwardly.

I originally thought that the third brother, who shone brightly at the poetry gathering, was a hidden talent.

Looking back now, he's still a brainless idiot, possessing only a bit of poetic talent, and is nothing to be afraid of.

After probing and finding out the result, Li Chengze also felt bored.

He stood up, straightened his robe, and casually made an excuse: "Third brother, it's getting late."

"We are, after all, princes. If we stay overnight in this brothel, it will damage the royal family's reputation."

"Second brother will head back to the manor now. If you'd like, feel free to play a little longer."

After saying that, Li Chengze turned around and left without even looking back.

Li Chengye remained seated, watching Li Chengze disappear through the door. The confusion in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by mockery.

He beckoned and called in the madam who was waiting outside the door.

The madam approached with a beaming smile: "Third Prince, are you also heading back to the manor? I'll go prepare a carriage for you right away."

"I won't reply."

Li Chengye tapped his fingers lightly on the table: "Go and call Si Lili here, I need to see her."

The madam looked troubled and complained with a bitter expression, "Your Highness, it's not that I'm unwilling, but Lili is really sick. She didn't even give the Second Prince any face, and she's lying in bed right now, unable to get up."

Li Chengye completely ignored her response.

He pulled a plain handkerchief, stained with a few streaks of blood, from his pocket and tossed it onto the table.

"Take this upstairs and show it to her."

"She will come to see me after she has finished reading it."

The madam picked up the handkerchief with some skepticism. Seeing Li Chengye's composed expression, she didn't dare to offer any further advice and could only turn and walk towards the top floor.