Chapter 365
Lu Ping led the Bai family’s guard, armed with knives, and charged into the brothel without hesitation.
The brothel’s thugs initially wanted to stop them but seeing Lu Ping and his group looking fierce and formidable, clearly of military background, and all wielding knives, they were too scared to approach.
Mrs. Hua of the brothel was hastily awakened by a servant, slipped on her shoes, and while wrapping herself in an outer robe, ran outside. Although incredibly nervous, she still extended her tone, ingratiatingly squeezing towards Lu Ping. fгeewebnovёl.com
“Oh my! Sir! What brings you here so urgently? If you had just given me a word, Mrs. Hua would have hurried to serve you. Why the grand entrance? You might frighten the delicate girls in the building! Don’t you agree?”
Lu Ping shot a piercing glance at Mrs. Hua, sternly asked, “Where is the Left Prime Minister’s son, Li Mingtang?”
Mrs. Hua’s heart pounded wildly. She glanced at the third floor and hurriedly replied, “Oh, my lord… Please don’t make things difficult for me. All the guests here at the brothel are distinguished; if I tell you… won’t my life be at stake? Can I still run my business?”
Lu Ping sneered, pushing Mrs. Hua away with the scabbard of the knife he held, and ordered, “Go to the third floor! Search every room! If you find Li Mingtang, beat him to death!”
Mrs. Hua immediately sensed that something was wrong. Li Mingtang was the youngest son of the Left Prime Minister. How dare this group threaten to beat him to death?!
She, being of lowly status, knew that if the Left Prime Minister’s son died in her brothel, not only would her business fail, but her very life would be in jeopardy!
Frightened out of her wits, Mrs. Hua rushed to block the guard heading to the third floor. Finding she could not stop them, she hurried to kneel before Lu Ping. “Sir! Great Sir! Please spare me! I am just a small brothel madam. If something happens to the Left Prime Minister’s son here, I will not survive!”
Lu Ping remained unmoved. Mrs. Hua reached out to grab Lu Ping, but upon seeing his disdainful gaze, she recoiled, kneeling there and crying. “Great Sir! Please, I beg of you… Have mercy and spare the lives of me and the dozens of girls here!”
On the third floor, the Bai family’s guard kicked open the first room, prompting screams from a girl and angry shouts from a patron inside.
Mrs. Hua, terrified, glanced upstairs but, unable to help herself, crawled forward two steps on her knees, grasping Lu Ping’s knife tightly, crying out.
“My lord, I know in your eyes we are beneath notice! But people always have to find a way to survive. The grudge between you and the Left Prime Minister’s son is unknown to us. But if the Left Prime Minister’s son dies in my brothel, the dozens of girls here will have to be buried with him, just like at Nuan Chun Lou! Please, have mercy and spare them!”
Screams and angry shouts continued on the third floor.
Lu Ping, seeing the fear and frantic pleading on Mrs. Hua’s face, bit his lip and shouted upstairs, “Once you find Li Mingtang, drag him down and break his legs in the street!”
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Hua felt like coming back to life, crying as she kowtowed to Lu Ping, “Thank you, my lord! Thank you, my lord! I will remember your kindness for life! I will erect a Longevity Tablet for you!”
“What are you doing?!” Li Mingtang shouted angrily upon hearing the door being kicked open. Sitting up with his undergarments open, he shielded the beautiful woman behind him. “Are you mad?! Daring to barge into the room where I, Li Mingtang, reside!”
“We found Li Mingtang!” called out one of the guards who had rushed in.
Li Mingtang was shocked to hear that they were looking for him.
Seeing the knife-wielding men approaching menacingly, and realizing they were not from the official government, he guessed they must be guards from some noble family in Dadu.
The Bai family’s guard rushed in, grabbed Li Mingtang’s arm without a word, and dragged him out.
Li Mingtang was horrified. Did these people know who he was and still dare to touch him?!
“Whose guards are you? I am Li Mingtang, the Left Prime Minister’s son! Dare you touch me?! Do you want my father to kill you?! Is this Yuanpeng’s doing?!”
Lu Ping, upon hearing that Li Mingtang had been caught, looked up at the balcony.
Struggling intensely, Li Mingtang, only wearing his undergarments, was dragged out of the room by the Bai family’s guard.
He struggled fiercely, “Yuanpeng, you bastard! You damn well dared to send guards to capture me! Aren’t you afraid my father will tell your grandfather?!”
Li Mingtang, indulged daily in sensual pleasures, was no match for the strong guards. Two guards lifted him like child’s play.
Mrs. Hua, having cried earlier, now saw Li Mingtang being dragged down and hid behind a red-painted column, too scared to say a word, trembling like a leaf.
“Drag him out and beat him to death. Without my orders, no one is to stop,” Lu Ping ordered expressionlessly.
Li Mingtang widened his eyes, suddenly realizing these weren’t Yuanpeng’s guards, “Whose guards are you?! Is this Yuanpeng’s doing? My father is the Left Prime Minister. Anyone daring to touch me will not meet a good end!”
Upstairs and downstairs, the place was filled with girls and patrons watching the spectacle, discussing animatedly.
Even Mrs. Hua, hiding behind the red-painted column, couldn’t help but speculate whose fierce guard Lu Ping was. He was so brazen, not even fearing the Left Prime Minister.
At the entrance of the brothel, Li Mingtang, clutching his head, was beaten senseless, unable to cry out in pain.
Lu Ping, holding the hilt of his knife, calculated that enough time had passed and finally said, “Break his legs and drag him… let’s go!”
Moments later, Li Mingtang’s screams echoed throughout Dadu.
Lu Ping, with a calm expression, ordered his men to boldly drag the leg-broken Li Mingtang through the streets, causing a public scene according to Bai Qingyan’s instructions.
Sima Ping, sleeping off the previous night’s drunkenness at Que Tower, heard the news, hastily threw on a coat, and ran barefoot to the window. Pushing open the lattice window, he saw Li Mingtang being dragged through the streets by some guard, covered in blood and screaming incessantly.
Sima Ping widened his eyes in shock, chuckling briefly. He stroked his chin with a gloating smile, “Oh my, if Yuanpeng hears this great news, he’ll be delighted to celebrate with me for three days!”
Having said that, Sima Ping immediately turned back to get dressed, ready to follow the commotion, find out what was going on, and then inform Yuanpeng, who had been dragged home by his elder brother the previous night, of the great news.
Bai Qingyan’s carriage was already waiting along the route Li Mao would take after the morning court session.
Shen Qingzhu saw Li Mao’s carriage approaching and lowered his voice to Bai Qingyan inside the carriage, “Miss, the Left Prime Minister Li Mao’s carriage is coming.”