Chapter 37: The Wildly Popular Seven Wolves

Chapter 37: The Wildly Popular "Seven Wolves"

"No need for such trouble," Li Qing said, stopping the guards. With a snap of his fingers, the group of wastrels suddenly appeared in the Liangyi Hall, still frozen in their drinking postures.

"Good wine, excellent wine!" Cheng Chuliang swayed his head, eyes closed, seemingly savoring the drink. In the heat of the moment, he even pulled the beauty beside him close and planted a kiss on her.

Wait... something was off. Why didn't she smell sweet anymore? And why was there a prickly sensation? He opened his eyes, only to be met with the purple-red, furious face of his father, Cheng Yaojin.

"Father?" Cheng Chuliang recoiled as if electrocuted, his legs turning to jelly as he collapsed to the floor. "You... how did you get here?"

"I must say, Old Cheng, you and your son share such a touching bond," Yuchi Gong said, arms crossed, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "That good-for-nothing son of mine hides from me the moment he sees me. He’s nothing like young Master Chuliang, who is so close to his father... Tsk, tsk. They aren't even this intimate with the ladies at Pingkang Ward, are they?"

Cheng Yaojin’s eyes burned with rage. Had they not been in the main hall, he would have attacked already. This was a scandal of the highest order! His son was different from the others; he was betrothed to Princess Qinghe next year. To be caught frequenting a brothel at such a critical juncture made Cheng want to break him in two.

To make matters worse, they had been caught red-handed by the Emperor. Cheng’s vision blurred, and he nearly collapsed. What a disgrace! A total disgrace! He should have just thrown him against the wall the day he was born! Old Cheng felt nothing but deep, agonizing regret.

Li Qing had placed them perfectly: each appeared right next to their respective father. Li Ke was currently sitting on the imperial desk, drunk and bewildered, staring wide-eyed at his father, Li Shimin.

"You disgrace!" Li Shimin bellowed, startling Li Ke. Li Ke scrambled off the desk, knelt on the ground, and began begging for mercy, not even questioning how he had arrived at the Liangyi Hall.

"As the Prince of Wu of the Great Tang, you do not think of serving your country, but instead wallow in brothels and corrupt the sons of my ministers..." Li Shimin pointed a trembling finger at Li Ke. Before he could continue, Li Qing thoughtfully produced a "Seven Wolves" belt, carefully coated it with alcohol, and handed it to Li Shimin.

"Brother Li, use this," Li Qing said with a wink, clearly enjoying the spectacle.

"You disgrace!" Li Shimin had originally intended to have the guards drag him away for a beating, but he had to admit, the sight of the belt made his hands itch. He swung the belt, striking the handsome Prince Li Ke right on the backside.

Li Ke was tougher than Li Zhi, it seemed. Even as the pain bit deep into his bones, he didn't run; he just stood there and took it without a sound.

"Minister Wei," Li Qing said, pulling out another "Seven Wolves" belt and offering it to Wei Zheng. "This is a celestial artifact, specifically designed for disciplining wayward offspring. You can strike with all your might; even if it hurts to the bone, it won't leave a single mark."

"Truly?" Wei Zheng was tempted.

"Naturally," Li Qing promised, patting his chest.

Wei Zheng accepted the belt with a look of solemnity. Afraid of losing his decorum before the Emperor but unable to swallow his anger, he hesitated.

"I grant you permission to strike as you please!" Li Shimin shouted between lashes against Li Ke.

Hearing this, Wei Zheng didn't hold back. He raised the belt and lashed out at his son, Wei Shuyu.

"Smack!" "Argh!"

Wei Shuyu let out a miserable shriek and tried to bolt. Unexpectedly, Li Qing signaled for two guards to pin him down, making escape impossible.

"Running? You want to run? You little..." Wei Zheng, abandoning all pretense of refinement, rolled up his sleeves and laid into him.

"Prince of Qin, do you have any more of these belts?" Cheng Yaojin stepped forward and asked.

"I do, but Old Cheng, this belt takes me years of cultivation to forge..." Li Qing feigned hesitation, though in reality, each belt only cost ten emotional points.

"One thousand guan! I’ll buy it!" Cheng Yaojin declared, slapping his chest. "Prince, will this cover the cost of your hard work?"

"Ah, well, given your fatherly concern for your child, one thousand guan it is!" Li Qing put on an expression of doing it for the sake of the Cheng family and handed the belt over.

"Thank you, Prince of Qin!" Cheng Yaojin took the belt and folded it, testing it with a satisfying "crack." The feel of it was perfect.

"After the court session, I will personally deliver the one thousand guan," Cheng Yaojin said, snapping the belt again. "For now, let me teach this little bastard a lesson!"

See? He even had to thank him for it.

With Cheng Yaojin leading the charge, the others were not far behind. Zhangsun Wuji stepped up immediately: "Prince of Qin, I too am willing to offer one thousand guan to 'invite' a belt home."

Look at that—that is what you call a refined man. Zhangsun Wuji’s phrasing was pleasing to the ear; "inviting" a belt home was the mark of a true gentleman. Li Qing saw no reason to refuse. Recognizing the plump man as Zhangsun Wuji—having seen him once in the sixth year of Yonghui—he handed him a belt immediately.

Fang Xuanling was not to be outdone. His second son, Fang Yi'ai, never thought about self-improvement and only cared about eating, drinking, and playing. Now, he was even frequenting brothels? It was intolerable! Especially since the woman who always shielded the boy wasn't here, he had to give him a sound thrashing to vent his frustrations!

"Prince of Qin..."

Li Qing turned to see the dark-skinned Yuchi Gong.

"General Yuchi."

"Could you spare one of these belts for me?" Yuchi Gong was clearly interested. "I want one for my home as well."

Li Qing looked at him suspiciously, then at the others beating their children. "It seems there isn't a child of yours among this group, is there?"

"Indeed, there isn't. But my son is naturally unruly, and my wife won't let me hit him hard for fear of leaving scars, so I can never properly vent my anger." Yuchi Gong said truthfully. "But seeing your 'Seven Wolves,' it’s exactly what I need..."

"No problem." Li Qing handed him a belt. A sale was a sale, after all.

"Thank you, Prince of Qin. I will deliver the one thousand guan after the session." Yuchi Gong gripped the belt and let out a chilling chuckle.

Li Qing offered a half-second of silence for Yuchi Gong's sons before being swarmed by the rest of the ministers. Everyone wanted a belt to take home to discipline their children—not just the military officials, but the civil officials as well, who were even more enthusiastic.

In just a short time, Li Qing had sold over twenty thousand guan worth of belts. He wasn't worried about them reneging on the debt; he was seen as a celestial being by the court, and he was the Prince of Qin. Only someone tired of living would dare welch on him.

Finally, Li Shimin announced that the Prince of Wu, Li Ke, would have his salary docked for a year and be placed under house arrest for a month. The other wastrels with official titles would have their salaries docked for six months and face fifteen days of house arrest, while those without titles would be grounded for a month. The collective disciplinary session thus came to an end.

After dismissing the court, Li Shimin kept his inner circle of ministers and Li Qing behind to discuss the upcoming reforms.