Chapter 596: The Biggest Joke on the Streets

The question was blunt, and the tea‑house patrons around, who had been seething with anger, couldn't help but pause in slight surprise.

Immediately they all glanced sideways, their eyes tinged with curiosity.

The young man who suggested the six‑horse dismemberment instantly winked at his companion, his gaze deliberately landing between the other's legs, his mischievous grin widening as he replied, "Of course it's tied there!"

The words hung in the air, and the room fell silent for a moment.

The next instant, everyone's eyes lit up, followed by a wave of exclamations.

"Good idea!"

"This idea is brilliant!"

"Exactly! Such a handling is truly a great delight!"

The uproar of laughter instantly swept through Clear Breeze Hall, dispersing the earlier solemnity and suspicion that had arisen from Mei Renbi's death with its coarse, street‑level chuckles.

The patrons either slapped the table while laughing or clapped their hands in delight.

Even the burly man who had just been rebuked by Liu Ye couldn't help but grin and laugh along.

As the laughter subsided, Liu Ye finally raised his hand, lightly tapped the table, cleared his throat, and hushed the room's clamor.

His gesture carried weight; everyone fell silent at once, all turning to look at him, waiting for what he would say next.

"You all are getting off topic!" Liu Ye waved his hand, his tone tinged with reproach, then shifted, a look of unmistakable reverence appearing on his face, his voice becoming solemn, "I also heard that Lord Chen Yan, upon learning of Mei Renbi's ambush, led his troops out of the city before dawn!"

He paused deliberately, teasing the crowd, and when everyone held their breath, he resumed with vivid detail: "Lord Chen Yan led his soldiers, following a secret report, pursued the impostor bandits in a dense forest thirty miles away, and after a fierce battle killed over thirty thieves before returning in triumph!"

"Well done!"

"Well fought!"

"Lord Chen Yan is still the best!"

The cheers rang through the tea house, each patron beaming with joy, unable to resist clapping in delight.

The heartfelt admiration and pride nearly overflowed.

The previously applauding brocade‑clad youth puffed his chest, his face full of pride, gave a thumbs‑up to the crowd, his voice booming enough to fill Clear Breeze Hall: "Indeed! Lord Chen Yan's reputation is built on case‑by‑case deeds in Chang'an, punishing the wicked; on battlefield victories forged blade by blade, gun by gun; and on achievements that bring welfare to the people of Great Zhou!"

At that point he sneered, his tone full of contempt, and, turning toward Liang Kingdom, snorted derisively: "Is that something the southern talk‑ers, who rely only on their mouths, could ever achieve?"

The remark drew unanimous agreement; many nodded, adding further mockery to the 'Qilin Caizi' moniker.

At that moment, another young man at the same table spoke slowly, cradling his tea cup, his fingertips lightly tracing the rim, a playful smile on his face as he deliberately elongated his tone: "Hey, why be so sarcastically contradictory?"

The others were stunned, and even the previously indignant youth couldn't help but turn to look at him, his eyes showing a hint of puzzlement.

The young man raised an eyebrow, a sly grin curling his mouth, and leisurely added, his tone dripping with mockery: "As the saying goes, the dead are honored; that southern Qilin Caizi has even lost his life!"

Another young man at the table immediately took up the thread, leaning back against his chair, elbow on the table edge, his fingertips twirling a folding‑fan rib, he winked and tossed out a jest, his voice soft yet clear enough to draw glances from the whole room: "He could obtain the world, excels at governing, yet he simply cannot live properly!"

The sarcasm was like a stone tossed into a pond, instantly sparking uproarious laughter.

A bearded patron at the neighboring table slapped his thigh and shouted in a booming voice that drowned out the surrounding chatter: "And it was the defeated subordinate of Lord Chen Yan who killed him!"

"This hierarchy is truly decisive!"

"Indeed! Indeed!" the chorus echoed.

The patrons' clapping, hand‑slapping, and hearty laughter nearly lifted the eaves of Clear Breeze Hall.

The earlier faint curiosity and anticipation about Mei Renbi had long been washed clean by this burst of gleeful mockery.

All that remained were jokes about the 'Qilin Caizi' meeting his end, and wholehearted admiration for Chen Yan.

The brocade‑clad youth who asked the question seemed to recall something urgent; his smile faded slightly, he leaned forward, his gaze burning as he looked at Liu Ye and pressed, "By the way, Liu Ye, regarding that treacherous Gao Changjing, has that scoundrel been cut down by Lord Chen Yan?"

The room's laughter gradually subsided at his question.

Everyone's eyes swept onto Liu Ye, filled with anticipation…

All hoped that the scheming villain would meet a dismembered end.

Liu Ye lifted his tea cup, his fingertips lightly tracing the rim, a hint of regret on his face as he sighed softly, "Don't mention it!"

"That Gao fellow, Qi Jian, is as slick as an oiled loach!"

"At that time Lord Chen Yan led his soldiers in a charge, but seeing the situation turn unfavorable, he early fled with a few close aides amidst the chaos, allowing the thief to escape—truly a pity!"

"He actually let him get away?"

"What a bargain for that dog thief!"

A few sighs of regret sounded, and disappointment flashed across the patrons' faces.

At that moment, a tea‑house patron in a coarse‑cloth short jacket beside them waved his hand, showing no sign of dejection, but confidence instead, "Never mind!"

"With Lord Chen Yan around, sooner or later that day will come when he can capture Gao Changjing and slaughter him!"

Those words were like a calming pill, instantly soothing the lingering regret in everyone's hearts.

"That's reasonable!" Liu Ye also nodded, the regret fading from his face, his mouth curving upward.

He lifted his tea cup, gave a mock salute to the whole hall, and laughed aloud, "But just thinking of that hyped‑up Qilin Caizi meeting such a dismembered fate is enough to make me happy all day!"

"Who says not?"

"Hahaha, indeed!"

The room erupted in another round of uproarious laughter, the sound brimming with exhilaration.

Outside the window, the sun had fully set, its orange‑red afterglow gradually swallowed by dusk.

Street lanterns lit one after another, their amber glow spilling through the windows and bathing the laughing patrons' faces.

And the gossip from Clear Breeze Hall had already sprouted wings, flying out of the carved wooden windows and drifting through Chang'an's streets and alleys.

In a tavern on Zhuque Avenue, the proprietor was wiping the counter with a rag, listening to patrons spitting jokes about the Qilin Caizi.

At the entrance of Pingkang Fang, a few women in silk shawls gathered, whispering about Mei Renbi's disgraceful end.

Even the courtesans in the Qinglou set aside their rouge, snickering at the "Obtain the world" gimmick.

In an instant, the whole city of Chang'an was buzzing with the story.

The so‑called Qilin Caizi became the biggest joke on the streets.

The hype once lifted them so high, now the people of Chang'an mock them so harshly!

What Jiang Right Alliance leader?

What unparalleled talent?

What strategy that outshines the world?

In the end, it's just a fame‑seeker who never even touched the gates of Chang'an and died halfway......