Chapter Eighty-Eight: Preparing Entertainment for the Empress Dowager

This group of people surrounded the city wardens and started beating them up. Liu Ling’er did not have Silver Wula or Iron Wula intervene, and even secretly took action herself a few times. When someone shouted that there had been a death, Liu Ling’er was momentarily stunned. Although she had acted a few times in secret, she had only used silver needles to ruin the little leader and a few of his men’s manhood, rendering them useless below and turning them into living eunuchs.

With a death occurring, the crowd grew restless. They were all ordinary citizens, unused to such turmoil, and hurriedly scattered, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

The city wardens who had earlier been knocked down by Iron Wula and Silver Wula had initially been groaning on the ground, but after being pummeled by the crowd, most of them were bleeding from their seven orifices, their eyes bulging and foam gathering at their mouths.

Could there be a skilled master among the crowd? That didn’t seem right; these people looked like ordinary folk. Moreover, judging by the dead, it was clearly poisoning.

Liu Ling’er glanced around and, seeing Chu Meier sipping tea calmly, suddenly remembered that this Empress Dowager was a master herself—far from ordinary, and a true expert in the art of poison.

With the city wardens dying in her establishment, the flower shop proprietor’s face turned deathly pale, his legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground in terror, muttering, “Dead... dead... how did they die in my place…”

The shops around the restaurant were thrown into chaos; owners and staff rushed to close up and bolt their doors, afraid to be caught up in the incident.

To kill a city warden was to invite disaster, and could easily cost one’s head. They were all simple common folk; who would dare stick their neck out? When faced with such matters, it was best to stay as far away as possible.

In no time, the bustling street grew quiet. Liu Ling’er and Chu Meier remained seated at their table. Liu Ling’er could not leave; if she did, she might escape unscathed, but the authorities would surely seal up the restaurant, indirectly harming the flower shop proprietor.

Clop, clop, clop—a rush of hoofbeats echoed distinctly in the deserted street, and soon a squad of soldiers encircled the restaurant tightly, like an iron wall.

A middle-aged man led the charge, entering without looking at anyone else, his eyes immediately falling upon the little leader of the city wardens lying on the floor. The little leader was clutching his groin, whimpering, and upon seeing the middle-aged man, tears streamed down his face as he choked out, “Father!”

The middle-aged man, seeing his son’s miserable state, cried out, “Yucheng, what happened to you? How did you get hurt so badly? Who did this to you?”

The little leader pointed toward Liu Ling’er’s table: “Father, it was them, those two men, and a bunch of unruly civilians—I can’t remember them all.”

“You dare—” The middle-aged man turned angrily toward Liu Ling’er’s table, intending to berate them for attacking city wardens, but upon seeing Chu Meier seated at the table, he swallowed his words, hurried forward, and knelt: “Your humble servant Li Danqing greets the Empress Dowager. Long live Your Majesty!”

Chu Meier snorted, “Rise. Prime Minister Li, what brings you here?”—though she knew full well the answer. The city warden’s little leader was likely Prime Minister Li’s son; with his son in trouble, how could the father not appear?

Unexpectedly, Li Yucheng, whether deaf or mad with rage, hadn’t caught what his father said and continued to cry out, “Father, it was them who hurt me! Why are you kneeling before them? Hurry and arrest them!”

The middle-aged man spun around in fury, grabbed Li Yucheng by the collar, and slapped him hard several times. “Unfilial son! How dare you offend the Empress Dowager’s authority? I ought to beat you to death!”

Li Yucheng, finally listening, felt as if the sky had fallen; he’d offended the Empress Dowager—he was finished. His head lolled and he fainted.

Li Danqing had two sons: one, Li Yuqing, was only good for cockfights and dog-walking—a typical wastrel. He’d earlier harassed Liu Ling’er disguised as Xiao Tao, only to be caught and beaten by the Wise Prince, then sent back to the Prime Minister’s residence. The other, Li Yucheng, was a petty warden leader, full of rogue spirit. In short, they were both hopeless cases.

Holding his son, Li Danqing was at a loss—he couldn’t put him down nor continue holding him, making the scene awkward.

Chu Meier waved her hand: “I am weary today and have no wish to deal with your mess. But Prime Minister, your son’s arrogance cannot go unpunished. He may be spared death, but not punishment. In three days, bring him to the Court of Justice for a hundred strokes. What say you?”

The Empress Dowager showed mercy beyond the law, so Li Danqing dared not complain; he hurriedly kowtowed in gratitude for the pardon, then carried his son away. As for the remaining city wardens, he could do nothing for them.

Liu Ling’er followed Chu Meier back to the Wise Prince’s residence, but before leaving, she specifically told the flower shop proprietor that if any trouble arose, he should come find her at the Wise Prince’s residence.

The reason was simple: Liu Ling’er held two deeds to prime commercial properties, gifted by Baili Xian. Food was the people’s priority, and Liu Ling’er planned to develop the properties into restaurants. She might need the flower shop proprietor in the future. Naturally, he agreed with delight.

That night, Baili Xian again came to Liu Ling’er’s room. Liu Ling’er sat by the bed and asked, “The Empress Dowager is about to celebrate her fortieth birthday. Should we prepare some entertainment for her? Just sending gifts seems a bit inappropriate.”

Baili Xian replied, “That’s a splendid idea. What performance do you have in mind, beloved? Tell me, I’d like to hear it.” Liu Ling’er glared at him—if she had an idea, she wouldn’t be asking him.