Тhе sеcurity hеrе wаs striсtеr than in other соurtyards, with smаll stone liоns рlасеd оn both sides оf the front courtyard's орen sрaсе. Тhе vermiliоn lасquеr аnd cаrved pattеrns еxudеd an intimidating aurа—this was most likеly Genеrаl Yi's mаin rеsidеnсе.
"Young ladу!" А guard nеаrbу pоinted his swоrd аt her. "If yоu'rе loоking for the yоung mistress, you shоuld gо tо the sоuth courtyаrd. Тhis аreа is оff-limits..."
"Nоnsеnsе!" Тwisting her bоdу, Feng Yuе glarеd fiercеly аt thе sрeаkеr. "Тhаt servant namеd Sun Li who led the way еarlier deсeived mе, and nоw уou'rе trying to deceive me too! This courtyard is so grand—who else could it belong to if not the young mistress? Step aside, I want to go in!"
How could they possibly let her? Four or five guards surrounded her. Seeing that she could name Sun Li, she seemed even less likely to be lying. So while they blocked her, they quickly sent someone to report to the south courtyard.
Since they wouldn't lay hands on her anyway, Feng Yue stood on tiptoe to look around, marveling like a country bumpkin visiting the market for the first time. "Truly worthy of the General's Mansion—it's so beautiful."
The younger guards, being more thin-skinned, blushed deeply at the sight of this disheveled young lady and whispered, "Would the young lady like a garment to cover herself?"
"I'd like one, but you're blocking me from going inside," Feng Yue said pitifully, her eyes blinking innocently, shimmering with tears.
The guard's face turned even redder as he whispered, "This is the General's courtyard, so the security is naturally stricter. Fortunately, you only barged into the outer courtyard. If you had gone inside, you might have been riddled with arrows."
That serious? Feng Yue raised an eyebrow and stopped clamoring to enter, waiting quietly instead.
Yi Zhangzhu and Ye Yuqing arrived shortly after. Seeing her in this state, Ye Yuqing frowned deeply. "What happened?"
"Your Highness, Miss Yi," Feng Yue turned around, looking at them pitifully, her voice choked with sobs. "Sun Li led me inside but tried to force himself on me. In my panic, I ran here. Seeing how grand this courtyard is, I thought it might be Miss Yi's residence, so I came in looking for you."
Yi Zhangzhu was taken aback and glanced around. "Where is Sun Li?"
A servant came over and whispered a few words. Yi Zhangzhu's expression changed slightly as she glanced at Feng Yue, then waved for someone to fetch a garment.
"Perhaps because the young lady's status is somewhat special, Sun Li wanted to get closer to you and simply lacked restraint," Yi Zhangzhu smiled at her. "Please don't take it to heart."
A courtesan was so lowly and without rights that even when someone violated her, it could only be said that they wanted to patronize her business. If they didn't succeed, she shouldn't take it to heart; if they did, they could simply compensate her with some silver.
Having anticipated such an outcome from the start, Feng Yue hadn't expected Yi Zhangzhu to do anything about Sun Li anyway. That wasn't the point.
"If that's the case, then I was indeed making a fuss over nothing," Feng Yue forced a smile. "May I go inside and sit? It's improper for me to stand here in such disarray."
Yi Zhangzhu looked up at the courtyard, momentarily stunned. Just as she was about to speak, Ye Yuqing beside her cut in first, his voice low. "Go inside. Wait for someone to bring the garment."
"Your Highness," Yi Zhangzhu panicked slightly. "This is my father's courtyard.""I am aware." Turning his head to look at her, Ye Yuqing said, "General Yi is currently stationed in the northern desert, so the courtyard is empty, and Feng Yue won't disturb anyone. Moreover, the general himself said that I am welcome to visit his courtyard anytime."
The implication was clear: since the owner had consented, why should she stand in the way?
With a slight look of concern, Yi Zhangzhu glanced around and fell silent. She then raised her eyes, signaling the guards nearby to open the door to the front hall.
Feng Yue wore an innocent expression, curious about everything, her eyes wide as she looked around, exclaiming in awe, "What a magnificent place!"
Seeing her unsophisticated demeanor, Yi Zhangzhu curled her lips and snorted softly, "My father's courtyard took hundreds of craftsmen a year to build. It was the last part of the estate to be completed. Of course it's magnificent!"
"Ah? Hundreds of craftsmen, a whole year?" Feng Yue clicked her tongue, her eyes immediately showing a "you must be exaggerating" look, and she muttered quietly, "It is magnificent, but it's just a courtyard. How could it take a year? It's not a palace..."
Yi Zhangzhu sneered, "What do you know? Every part of this courtyard is meticulously carved, without a single flaw. Ordinary labor could never achieve this!"
"Is that so?" Feng Yue pursed her lips and whispered to Ye Yuqing, "Your Highness, what do you think? When I ran in earlier, I clearly saw quite a few flaws."
Ye Yuqing appeared to ponder for a moment, then surprisingly played along, "It seems I noticed some as well."
This truly angered Yi Zhangzhu. She had always been quick to take offense, having grown up pampered and sheltered from the harsh realities of the world. She immediately stood up and declared, "Since both of you say so, then Zhangzhu will make a bet with you! If today you can find even the slightest flaw in the construction of this main courtyard, I will immediately present you with the finest jade hairpin recently acquired by our estate! However, if you cannot..."
Turning to look at Feng Yue, Zhangzhu smiled, "Then this young lady must entertain Sun Li as a guest."
Feng Yue forced a dry laugh. What kind of deal was this? The reward would be shared with the Crown Prince, but the penalty would fall on her alone?
"Very well." The Crown Prince, who wouldn't face any penalty, agreed with remarkable decisiveness, "Then let's begin the search. To avoid any disturbances, both Feng Yue and I will be accompanied by guards from your esteemed estate. If we happen to touch something we shouldn't, they can offer guidance."
This arrangement seemed even more appropriate. Without a second thought, Yi Zhangzhu nodded. Just then, a guard brought in an outer robe for Feng Yue, and she casually pointed at him, "Xiao Tang, you accompany this young lady. Make sure she doesn't wander into places she shouldn't."
The young guard blushed and complied. After Feng Yue put on the robe, he led her outside.
Ye Yuqing, fan in hand, followed them out the door. His gaze lingered on Feng Yue's retreating figure for a while before he leisurely headed in another direction.
"Did I make the wrong bet?" As soon as they left the front hall, Feng Yue muttered with regret, "This place is full of hidden mechanisms. It wouldn't be unusual for it to take a year or so to build. Ah."
Guard Tang, still blushing, whispered, "I've been stationed here for over a year, and I've often heard people praise this place as flawless, an exceptional residence. Finding a flaw will likely be difficult."
"What should I do then?" Feng Yue stopped walking, standing still with teary eyes, looking very much like a lost lamb. "I don't want to entertain that Sun Li. Miss Yi is really putting me in a difficult position!"Every man has a heart of compassion, especially when a vigorous young man sees a pitiful woman. Guard Tang was somewhat flustered and quickly comforted her: "Let's search carefully. Perhaps there really is some flaw?"
Moved by his words, Feng Yue stepped right into the backyard.
"Halt!" A guard stopped her at the entrance to the backyard. Guard Tang hurried over and said, "It's on the orders of the young lady. Brothers, go rest for a while. The Crown Prince might come this way later."
"This?" The backyard guard was puzzled. "The General ordered that no one is allowed to enter this courtyard."
"Who knows the rules better—you or the young lady?" Guard Tang waved his hand. "Since the young lady has given the order, you should go rest. I'll keep an eye on this young lady. She won't touch anything she shouldn't."
With the support of the young lady behind them, the backyard guards could say no more. After hesitating for a moment, they withdrew.
Feng Yue watched with a smile, thinking how good it was to have a young lady on her side. Young ladies are soft-hearted. If General Yi were in the mansion, she probably wouldn't be able to enter this place even if she crawled in.
"Be careful," Guard Tang called out to her as she was about to walk in, pointing to the stone lions placed at the entrance of the study opposite. "There are mechanisms there. Follow me."
Raising an eyebrow slightly, Feng Yue agreed and lowered her head to watch him step onto the bluestone path in the middle of the courtyard, following closely behind him.
"Can't we step on the muddy ground beside it?" the curious Feng Yue asked innocently. "What would happen if we did?"
"You'd be pierced by ten thousand arrows," Guard Tang said seriously. "The round plates on top of those two stone lions are the mechanisms. The soil on both sides is soft, filled with fine wires. If you step on it, arrows will shoot out instantly from all directions, leaving no gaps to hide."
Indeed, apart from the two stone lions, there wasn’t even a tree in the courtyard, so there was nowhere to hide.
Does a normal person’s study need such mechanisms? Feng Yue smiled silently and continued following him inside.
The structure of the east courtyard was indeed quite complex. There were five rooms: besides the study, bedroom, and front hall, there were also two guest rooms. Feng Yue walked around, and Guard Tang was diligent in his duty, reminding her of every place with mechanisms. As a result, half an hour later, she had a thorough understanding of the traps and mechanisms in the east courtyard.
"We can’t enter the study. Shall we search the other places?" Guard Tang whispered.
Grateful, Feng Yue glanced at him and nodded, then turned and went to the guest rooms.
The guest rooms probably hadn’t been occupied for a long time. They were covered in dust, and opening the door revealed a web of spider silk. Feng Yue coughed twice from the dust and frowned. "It’s so dirty. Why hasn’t it been cleaned?"
Guard Tang smiled. "Because the east courtyard is complicated, the General usually doesn’t keep anyone in the guest rooms here. Since no one lives here, the servants naturally become lazy."
Glancing inside, Feng Yue had no interest in entering. After a casual look, she prepared to leave.
"Young lady, aren’t you going to search further?" Guard Tang asked worriedly. "Your bet..."
"Leave it to fate," Feng Yue said with a smile.
Yi Zhangzhu was still sitting in the front hall. Seeing Feng Yue return with a dejected expression, she smiled. "What’s wrong? Have you given up?""The craftsmanship of the General's Mansion is truly exquisite, I am in awe," Feng Yue sighed. "Throughout this entire tour, I truly could not find a single flaw."
Yi Zhangzhu chuckled with pride, about to boast further, when suddenly a voice came from the doorway: "Perhaps you simply didn't look carefully enough."
Both turned their heads to see Ye Yuqing stepping inside with a smile, fanning himself as he said, "Just from what I've observed, there are a hundred and eight flaws. Zhu'er, it seems you're going to lose this time."
A hundred and eight flaws? Yi Zhangzhu immediately shook her head in disbelief. "Impossible!"
A single flaw could be attributed to careless craftsmanship, but if there were truly a hundred and eight, how could they possibly have missed them all?
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