After spending most of the day at the Yueya Lake, Chen Zhian already had a vague blueprint for construction in his mind.
He estimated it would cost three thousand taels to buy the lake, but unexpectedly, it was purchased for only seven hundred taels.
He decided to invest all the remaining money.
The third small island would be built into a private residence, serving as his stronghold.
That island was secluded, not far from Fox Mountain.
Beyond Fox Mountain was the west gate of Chang'an City, which could be attacked or defended, much better than the Marquis of Chenliu's mansion.
In the evening,
Chen Zhian led Li Lanqing away from the vast Moon Lake, feeling somewhat troubled about how to handle her.
Strolling through the red-light district was one thing, but bringing a woman from there home was another.
After all, he had just been formally engaged to Xining, and bringing a woman from the red-light district home immediately afterward might prompt Old Lady Yu to come knocking on the door with a whip in hand that very night.
"Young Master, this humble one is of lowly status, you need not worry about me. There's always a place for me to settle down..." Li Lanqing said, seeming to understand his hesitation.
Chen Zhian was deeply moved. "Xiaoqing, I didn't expect you to be so understanding, unlike other women who only know how to make things difficult for me!"
As he spoke, he pretended to leave.
Li Lanqing was speechless.
Never had she expected him to act so unexpectedly.
At a time like this, shouldn't he just wave his hand and embrace the beauty, saying, "I'm here for you"?
After teasing her for a while,
Chen Zhian instructed the driver, A'zheng, to detour to Li Cheng'an's mansion.
Even though Hu Mazhi had been beaten to a pulp during the day and dared to talk tough, he probably had some backing, and Chen Zhian naturally wouldn't just ignore him.
Li Cheng'an's reputation couldn't get any worse anyway.
Sheltering a woman from the red-light district was nothing!
...
Drunkard's Inn on White Tiger Street.
A plump woman half reclined on a couch, like a lazy Persian cat.
On the other side, two young men dressed as servants knelt halfway, carefully massaging her.
Under the couch, Hu Mazhi waited respectfully.
Even though he had been sitting on a cold bench here for most of the day, he dared not show any displeasure.
Because this woman was the true master of the Drunkard's Inn, Jiang Baihu, the helm of the White Tiger Gang, a cultivator in the Illusionary Realm, the widow of the Jiang family of Langya, and the true owner of Qingle Pavilion—his master!
Back then, he also served her just like these two young men, relying on his extraordinary skills...
"Chen Zhian took Xiaoqing to Crescent Moon Lake?"
Just as Hu Mazhi reminisced about the past, Jiang Baihu lazily sat up, licking her blood-red lips.
The emphasis on "Chen Zhian" was heavy.
"Yes!" Hu Mazhi said with hatred. "They spent half a day at Crescent Moon Lake, and now they're heading towards the Third Prince's mansion. They're probably going to play some despicable tricks—two scoundrels!"
Thinking that his cash cow was being played for free, Hu Mazhi felt half of his face ache, and he said with a wail, "Miss, you must make a decision for Hu Mazhi!"
Jiang Baihu covered her mouth and chuckled.
She had always loved handsome young men. When she first met Chen Zhian, he wasn't the infamous young marquis yet, just a fledgling who blushed at a couple of teasing words.
Time flies so fast, in the blink of an eye...
That young boy was now trying to steal his girls!
With a wave of her hand, two men in white with swords on their backs immediately appeared from behind the screen. Jiang Baihu said softly, "Go to Golden Science Alley, bring Xiao Qing'er back, and don't hurt her."
"Yes!"
The two men agreed in unison and left directly.
Seeing this scene, Hu Mazhi was touched and nervous. "Miss, but Li Cheng'an is a member of the royal family. Will it be okay to directly take her back?"
Jiang Baihu's couldn't be denied.
Just a waste of a prince who was destined never to ascend to the throne, with the heritage of the Jiang family of Langya, it could be respected or not!
...
"I really don't know if these elites of the Great Tang have brains or not. They all damn flocking into the crowd. Setting up a courtyard residence the street, where's the comfort of having a standalone villa?"
Chen Zhian sat alone in the car, unable to resist the urge to vent when he remembered the scene of the two exotic beast-drawn carriages earlier.
Traffic jams in the past life were tolerable.
But who would have thought that even in ancient times, there would still be traffic jams?
"Young Master, you can't say that!" Chen Zheng said with envy, "Those who can live in Golden Science Alley are powerful figures with real power. The exotic beasts blocking the road earlier were the carriages of the Minister of War's family. If they were placed elsewhere, who would dare to stop them?"
Hearing this,
Chen Zhian fell silent. It was indeed a jam, but it was also indeed luxurious.
The exotic beast from earlier seemed to have a hint of the bloodline of a divine beast, with two white-colored veins swirling around it as it exhaled, at least a demonic beast at the Qi Gathering Realm.
The driver was also a man of profound cultivation.
And standing in opposition was a ferocious exotic beast.
The two extraordinary exotic beasts blocked the street, neither yielding to the other.
After half an hour of jamming, no one dared to voice any objections, at most they would turn around and find another direction.
Looking at the exotic beasts of others, and then at his own solitary old horse.
Chen Ah thought that he was at least a young marquis.
His ancestors even had the status of being kings of another surname. How did he end up like this?
It's boring!
Chen Zheng roughly figured out his own situation, kept quiet, and hurriedly drove the carriage towards Hesitant Lane.
Just as they were leaving Golden Science Alley, two white-clad swordsmen happened to walk by the alley.
The swordsmen walked straight ahead in the dark night, and pedestrians evaded them one after another.
Even those extraordinary exotic beasts seemed to sense the sword aura emanating from the two men, anxiously scraping the ground with their hooves.
Before long,
They stood in front of a mansion, with the words "Prince Anyang's Mansion" written on it!
The guards saw these two swordsmen in white with majestic bearing and kindly inquired about their intentions.
But behind the two swordsmen, the long swords still hummed softly.
"Xing!"
The long swords were drawn, turning into two sword lights that broke through the crowd and flew into the mansion. The two men followed the long swords, ignoring the guards and heading straight for the main hall.
"Who are you, daring to trespass into the Prince Anyang's Mansion?"
The chief guard's face darkened as he shook his saber, leading more than twenty guards to surround the two men tightly!
One of the swordsmen sneered, "The swordsmen under Jiang Baihu of Langya are here to pick someone up from the mansion!"
As he spoke, he threw two ingots of silver on the table, then like ghosts, they intruded into the inner hall and left without a word, dragging a bewildered Li Lanqing along.
The chief guard drew his saber resolutely.
These two men were too arrogant.
They boldly broke into the mansion to snatch someone away. If this matter spread, how could His Highness still mix in Chang'an City?
Just as he was about to swing his saber to strike, he saw the other man's cold eyes.
Without any movement from him,
Only a buzzing sound was heard, and the long sword hanging above his head appeared three inches from the chief guard's forehead, as if the sword would draw blood if the chief guard dared to make any move.
The chief guard stiffened instantly: "Is Jiang Baihu of Langya planning to rebel?"
The swordsman sheathed his sword and stood still, saying indifferently, "We await the thunderous wrath of His Highness the Third Prince!"
After speaking, the two men left boldly.
Many guards of Prince Anyang's Mansion were there, but not one dared to stop them!