Нis fасе stiffened slightlу, аnd Yin Gеzhi lооsened his grip оn hеr hand.
Indeеd, he wasn’t gоing tо mаrrу hеr. Нow cоuld he truly expeсt а cоurtesаn tо bе dеvotеd tо him whоlеhеartеdly for a lifеtimе? In this prоfession, sweеt talk was inеvitable. Не hаd sееn рlеnty of wоmеn and hеаrd рlentу of swееt talk, so whу did hе think what shе said should be gеnuine?
Perhарs it wаs beсause their intimасу in bed wаs tоо hаrmоniоus, the First Рrinсe musеd darklу. So harmоnious thаt hе hаd grown sоmеwhаt аddicted to thаt sensation, and by еxtension, tо the pеrson whо gаve him thаt sensation.
Feng Yue glanced at him, watching the complex emotions in his eyes, and giggled. She stretched out her slender leg to hook around his waist. "Why overthink it, young master? A guest is a guest once they enter the door. I’m just a woman—what trouble could I possibly stir? Why not just treat me as a plaything and leave it at that?"
The man before her looked disdainful again but didn’t push her away. Seizing the opportunity, Feng Yue immediately took it further. She rose and draped herself over him, her eyes seductive as silk. "If you don’t want me to serve others, young master, why not redeem me and take me home?"
Wishful thinking, even more fanciful than her looks! Yin Gezhi sneered, letting her hang on him as he lay directly on the soft couch.
This layer of red gauze pressed against him, her two hands—wrapped tightly, revealing only her fingers—rested on his chest. Her face wore a detestable, fake smile, a sight that made him uncomfortable.
Feng Yue wasn’t comfortable either! The man’s body was like steel, pressing painfully against her, yet she was the one who had climbed onto him, too embarrassed to climb back down. With the person beneath her silent, the room fell into stillness.
She hadn’t expected him to respond to her words anyway. After all, visiting brothels was considered a romantic indulgence, but marrying a courtesan home was seen as vulgar. Courtesans were playthings in men’s hands, cheap goods shared by thousands. Any family of status would never redeem a courtesan. If lucky, one might encounter a wealthy merchant; if not, they’d grow old and die alone in a desolate alley.
How pitiful.
"Even if you latch onto the Crown Prince, he won’t marry you," the man beneath her suddenly spoke, the vibration in his chest startling Feng Yue. "Huh?"
Realizing what he meant, she chuckled. "Expecting the Crown Prince to marry me? That’s even more absurd. I have no such grand ambitions. But the Crown Prince is gentle and considerate, and his looks are exceptional. It wouldn’t be bad to stay by his side."
Yin Gezhi shot her a scornful glance and asked coldly, "Do you think I’m not gentle or considerate at all?"
Wasn’t that obvious? He was downright cruel and heartless!
"Of course not, how could that be?" she cursed inwardly but smiled even more tenderly on the surface. "You’re wonderful too, young master."
As she spoke, her leg brushed against his belt.
Yin Gezhi didn’t stop her, his eyes watching calmly.
She had only intended to flirt a little, but this man actually seemed to be waiting to be served. Feng Yue forced a dry laugh and glanced at her still-aching hand.
A belt she had teased, she had to undo even if it meant kneeling!
Resigned, she shifted her body, retreated a few steps, knelt on his legs, set her hands aside, and leaned down to bite it with her teeth. Her small, pearly-white teeth were quite sharp. After some rubbing and biting, she actually managed to undo the belt.Exhausted and panting, Feng Yue looked up with a triumphant smile, about to boast about her sharp teeth when she met Yin Gezhi’s eyes, which were faintly clouded with desire.
“You certainly have no shortage of tricks.”
His voice slightly hoarse, Yin Gezhi rose and pinned her down on the soft couch instead. His rough fingers gently stroked her lips as his gaze darkened. “This morning, you used this mouth to bite Guan Zhi’s outer robe.”
An inexplicable shiver ran through her. Feng Yue trembled, her fox-like eyes glistening as she looked at him. “This servant’s hands aren’t strong enough, you see.”
“Is that so.”
Two indifferent words, impossible to decipher his mood. Feng Yue grew a little nervous and was about to say something to ease the tension when the man atop her sealed her lips with his own, thoroughly silencing her.
Outside, Lingshu was frantic. A girl of eleven or twelve, she was so anxious that the small braids beneath her bun swung wildly. But with Guan Zhi blocking the way, she couldn’t get in at all and could only continue glaring at him.
Guan Zhi felt rather innocent. Rubbing the tip of his nose, he whispered, “Don’t worry. My master won’t do anything to your mistress.”
It was rare for his master to take a liking to a woman—though it was unclear what exactly he liked about her. But since he had returned to the Dream Return Pavilion, he certainly wasn’t here to take her life.
“Help!”
Just as he thought this, a lingering, plaintive cry for help came from inside. Guan Zhi’s face flushed red as he silently cursed his master for being shameless.
There was a child outside—couldn’t he be gentler?
Hearing this, Lingshu’s tears instantly streamed down. Her small fists pounded against Guan Zhi’s body. “Let me through!”
Grabbing her hands, Guan Zhi sighed. “Listen to me, they…”
“I won’t listen, I won’t listen!” Lingshu stamped her foot. “Last time he came, my mistress was covered in bruises—he must have beaten her! Let me in!”
How… should he explain this? Enduring her light, harmless punches, Guan Zhi smiled awkwardly. Logically, his master wasn’t one for excessive desire. In the past, the women sent to the Eastern Palace, though mostly favored, had never been left with marks. This time… perhaps he had been holding back for too long?
Guan Zhi couldn’t figure it out, and neither could Yin Gezhi himself. Off the bed, he found Feng Yue utterly detestable, yet once entangled, he couldn’t break free no matter what. Whether by chance or design, this woman seemed to know all the spots he couldn’t resist, seducing and tempting him like a demoness, dragging him into an endless quagmire.
How dreadful…
As the sun set and night fell, Yin Gezhi sat at the head of the bed, the little temptress beside him already asleep.
Looking down at her carefully, Yin Gezhi still felt she seemed familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere before. But he had met too many people and couldn’t recall anyone with such a fox-like face.
Reaching out, he picked up her hand to examine it. Her fingers seemed slightly purplish.
Time to change the dressing?
Since he couldn’t sleep anyway, he simply got out of bed, fetched the medicine box from the nearby flower stand, and sat by the bedside to unwrap the white bandages from her hand.
Having spent so long in the military camp, he was more skilled at dressing wounds than even the army medics. Yin Gezhi slowly rolled up the bandages, and once all the white cloth from her hand had been removed, he looked down.
A red silk ribbon was still wrapped around her wrist.He scoffed, thinking this woman was truly deranged. Her hands were already crippled, yet she was still thinking about how to seduce people? He remembered this piece of red silk—it looked quite beautiful when fluttering, but there was no need to keep it wrapped around her wrist at a time like this.
He reached out to untie it, but the person on the bed suddenly jolted awake. "Stop!"
The fierce shout startled the girls and guests in the neighboring rooms.
Yin Gezhi frowned. "Why are you reacting so strongly?"
Cold sweat beaded on her forehead. Feng Yue came back to her senses, looking at him and then at her own hands.
She had had another nightmare—dreaming of being in the prison of the Wei Kingdom, where someone held a slender willow-leaf knife, ready to sever her tendons.
So it was just a dream. How wonderful.
But... lowering her head to look at her wrist wrapped in red silk, Feng Yue let out a bitter laugh, her eyes reddening.
Her tendons had long been severed. There was no need for anyone in her dreams to do it again.
Frowning at the woman before him, Yin Gezhi felt an inexplicable discomfort in his chest. Ignoring the red silk, he took the medicine and applied it to her hands, quickly rewrapping them before lying down on the bed and closing his eyes to rest.
"I have matters to attend to tomorrow. Don’t disturb me."
Who was disturbing whom? Frowning at him, Feng Yue’s eyes slowly filled with a bloody hue.
If there was a shortcut on the path to achieving her goals, then even if that shortcut was him, she should step right over him! The blood debt of the Guan family and the lives of countless innocent people all bore Yin Gezhi’s share of sin. Since he had delivered himself to her doorstep, she had no reason to fear him!
Taking a deep breath, Feng Yue calmed herself and lay down beside him.
The next day, as soon as dawn broke, Yin Gezhi left. Feng Yue rose to dress and calmly looked at her reflection in the mirror.
"Master," Lingshu stood behind her with tearful eyes. "This servant failed to protect you."
Hearing this, Feng Yue finally smiled, turning to look at her. "How could I ever rely on you to protect me? Besides, there was no danger. What were you protecting me from?"
Pointing at the red marks on her neck, Lingshu felt even more guilty. "Didn’t that guest hit you yesterday?"
Feng Yue: "..."
With a gentle expression, she patted the little girl’s head and chuckled. "He didn’t hit me. Don’t worry about it. Now, take this silver and go buy some mung bean cakes."
Buy them again? Lingshu turned to look at the food box on the flower stand. "Huh? Didn’t we buy so many last time? Are they all gone?"
"Your master loves mung bean cakes the most, so I finished them all," Feng Yue lied without batting an eye, smiling brightly. "Hurry now, and remember to buy them from the shop at the end of Xiangyu Street. Theirs suits my taste the best."
"Alright!" Lingshu agreed, taking the silver pieces Feng Yue handed her and heading out.
The mung bean cake shop at the end of Xiangyu Street had been open for three years, run by a kind-hearted couple. Seeing Lingshu, the shopkeeper’s wife greeted her warmly. "Here to buy mung bean cakes again, little girl?"
Handing over the silver, Lingshu replied obediently, "My master says your mung bean cakes are the most delicious."
"Of course! All our customers praise our mung bean cakes!" Smiling, the shopkeeper’s wife took the silver but, instead of putting it in the money pouch below, quietly passed it to the shopkeeper behind her. As she continued wrapping the mung bean cakes for Lingshu, the shopkeeper took the silver to the backyard.
Yin Gezhi’s decision to take on disciples was finalized. Today, the young masters of the Xu and An families went to the Envoy’s Mansion to pay their respects as disciples.After the tea ceremony and formal greetings, Yin Gezhi looked at them and said, "You are disciples allowed by the Crown Prince to enter my tutelage, and you are also the first batch of apprentices I have taken on. Starting today, you will follow me to learn martial arts and literature. If there is anything you wish to know, you may ask me."
Both young masters were overjoyed: "We will certainly follow our master closely and learn diligently at all times!"
Guan Zhi entered from outside and whispered in Yin Gezhi's ear, "The commotion outside has settled down. Everyone says these are the Crown Prince's chosen ones. For now, any dissent is merely directed at the Crown Prince."
OpenNovel