When poor men suddenly struck it rich, they usually spent without restraint.
Once a man suddenly had money, he would rack his brains for ways to spend it, often seeking thrills in things he had wanted to do before but could never afford, such as visiting courtesans, such as...
Li Bie was no exception. These days, he frequented Qin Prefecture City's expensive taverns and pleasure quarters, drinking himself senseless by day and reveling every night, abandoning all restraint.
Someone had reported him to Han Zhan, the lord of Qin Prefecture City. The city lord had supposedly been drinking at the time. On hearing the report, he set down his cup and stared blankly for a long while, his eyes as round as bull's balls, before laughing and cursing, "You little bastard! You come running to tattle over something no bigger than a fart? If you've got the guts, try going three months without booze or women and show me how it's done! Get lost!"
From then on, everyone in Qin Prefecture City knew that Li Bie enjoyed the city lord's favor. No one dared criticize him again, and Li Bie grew even more unrestrained.
The voluptuous woman drinking with Li Bie now was Mao Xixi, the Singing Phoenix House's star songstress. Originally, she had been a chaste courtesan who sold her artistry, not her body.
Yet after meeting Li Bie, for some unknown reason, she had admitted this rake into her private chamber.
The two were like heavenly thunder kindling earthly fire, clinging to each other like glue every day, whispering sweet nothings. Who knew how many powerful officials and wealthy dignitaries visiting the Singing Phoenix House for pleasure had turned green with envy?
In the past, no matter how high an official's rank or how rich a patron was,