Тhis wаy of раssing bу wаs fаr too bizarrе—nоt taking the сorridor but instеаd сrаshing intо his dоor, and nоt even bothering to cоmе up with а bettеr ехсuse? Yin Gеzhi wаs grоwing imраtient. Нe glancеd dоwn at hеr, pushed her оut the doоr, and steрреd оut himsеlf. Just аs hе was abоut tо suggest gоing tо hеr roоm, the girl in frоnt оf him began trеmbling аs if having а seizure, then fеll to her kneеs with а thud!
"Yоung Mаster," her voiсе quivеring, Duanхiаn, hеr fасе deаthlу pаle, kоwtowed tо him and sаid, "I trulу didn't mеan tо!"
Yin Gеzhi wаs tаken abaсk and lowered his heаd to seriouslу refleсt—was hе rеallу that frightening?
"I’m not blaming you," Yin Gezhi said. "Get up."
The man’s gaze was like an iron hook, making Duanxian extremely uneasy. She hesitated for a long while before slowly rising to her feet. The person beside her was clearly growing even more impatient: "Where is your room?"
Her room? Swallowing hard, Duanxian pointed across the way. Without another word, Yin Gezhi strode in that direction.
Duanxian stood frozen in place, glancing at the man’s retreating figure, then at Feng Yue’s door, suddenly feeling a pang of regret.
Had she made the wrong decision?
The bathhouse at Dream Return Pavilion was spacious, and the girls bathed together—quick and convenient, but it had one drawback: it was very noisy.
Seven or eight girls gathered around her, admiring the marks on her body and chattering away: "Feng Yue is so lucky. This patron is handsome, generous with rewards, and by the looks of it... he must be quite skilled in bed."
The "skill" they spoke of was certainly not martial arts. Feng Yue chose to remain silent, quietly scrubbing her skin, her expression blank. She seemed completely different from how she was in front of Yin Gezhi and Lingshu—cold and distant.
The girls were already used to her. Behind her back, they cursed her for being two-faced, but in person, they still flattered her a little. After all, the courtesan selection was coming up, and with Feng Yue’s looks, she had a good chance of winning. Once she had more patrons than she could handle, she might share some business with them.
So even though Feng Yue seemed aloof and unapproachable, the group of unclothed girls still surrounded her with smiles: "We heard that gentleman is of noble status and cares for you so much. Perhaps one day he’ll redeem you. We really can’t help but envy you."
"That’s right. I heard he flew into a rage for a beauty’s sake—for Feng Yue, he even broke the hand of a patron who came to redeem her. Ah, if only a patron would be that domineering for me, I’d die content!"
Once she finished bathing, Feng Yue stood up, water droplets cascading from her body and splashing into the eyes of the surrounding girls.
Without uttering a word, she wrapped herself in her robe and left, leaving the pool of girls awkwardly exchanging glances.
"What an attitude!" someone grumbled after she had gone. "All smiles and charm for the patrons, but so aloof and dismissive with us sisters. It’s a wonder any patron would take a liking to someone like her!"
"Who told her to be so pretty?" someone sneered.
"Pretty? She just uses heavy makeup. Haven’t you noticed she doesn’t dare wash her face in the bathhouse? If she had the guts to wash her face, she wouldn’t look half as good as she does now!"That makes sense. Feng Yue's makeup was indeed the heaviest in the entire Dream Return Pavilion, with her eyes outlined like a fox's and her lips painted a deep vermilion. If she washed her face, she definitely wouldn't shine so brilliantly.
The girls felt somewhat comforted and continued bathing. Feng Yue left the bathhouse, hearing nothing, and headed straight upstairs.
The room was already empty. Had Yin Gezhi left? Relieved, she was about to enter and sit down when Lingshu suddenly popped out from somewhere, her little braids quivering with anger: "Mistress! Just now, Duanxian came and stole your guest!"
Huh? Feng Yue blinked: "Duanxian?"
"That's right!" Lingshu was furious, tears welling up in her eyes: "Didn't she say she wouldn't steal guests? She was so arrogant earlier, but now she turns around and takes yours. What kind of behavior is that?"
Look at this little face, all red with anger. Feng Yue smiled, pulled her onto her lap, and offered her some mung bean cake to soothe her: "Don't be angry. It's just as well—your mistress didn't want to serve him anymore. It's good that he left. The silver's already paid, and if he doesn't come, it's not us who lose out."
"But..."
"Be good, Lingshu." Patting her head, Feng Yue said: "When it comes to men, don't take them too seriously. Who knows what they're really thinking? Being close to one today and another tomorrow is common. If you care too much, you'll only end up hurting yourself. Understand?"
Lingshu stopped crying, looking at her somewhat confusedly.
Guan Zhi at the doorway was both amused and exasperated. Rubbing his nose, he said: "Miss, not all men in the world are like that. Lingshu is still young—is this really how you should teach her?"
Feng Yue glanced up at him and raised an eyebrow: "Do you have any other instructions, sir?"
"Well..." Guan Zhi didn't know what had suddenly gotten into his master, but as a servant, he could only follow orders, no matter how unreasonable. Steeling himself, he said: "My master says he's hungry and wants you to make some food and bring it over."
In another girl's room, and he wants her to make food and bring it over? Feng Yue clicked her tongue, unable to resist clapping: "Your master really knows how to make things difficult."
"Why should she?!" Lingshu jumped up, rushed over to Guan Zhi, and bared her teeth: "If he's hungry, let Duanxian's people make food. My mistress is busy!"
Guan Zhi forced a smile. Being glared at by a little girl who only came up to his chest actually made him feel a bit guilty.
Feng Yue shrugged and resignedly stood up: "Alright, he paid. If he doesn't eat me, he'll eat food. Since he has to eat one or the other, I suppose it's better to make food."
May he choke on it!
Yin Gezhi was waiting in Duanxian's room. Duanxian was playing the zither, but for some reason, she had already missed several notes, causing the First Prince to frown deeply, his expression growing increasingly unpleasant.
Duanxian felt like crying. She was genuinely curious about how Feng Yue had managed to serve this lord. He was filled with such a fierce aura that no one dared approach him, and his face showed no expression at all, making it impossible to tell whether he was pleased or not.
Not being able to read his emotions was one thing, but ever since she started playing the zither, this lord had clearly become displeased. His look of disdain felt like sharp knives stabbing straight into her heart.
She was Duanxian! The most skilled zither player in the entire Dream Return Pavilion, and even in Shadowless City, she was somewhat famous. How could she be looked down upon like this?
"You might as well stop playing," Yin Gezhi finally spoke.The sound of the zither abruptly ceased. Duanxian’s face flushed red as she mumbled, “Does the young master not like this tune?”
Without answering her, Yin Gezhi stood up directly, took the zither from in front of her, casually placed it on the table, and strummed a few notes.
The lingering, delicate notes of a maiden’s song turned into the desolate sounds of clashing weapons and galloping horses in his hands. Duanxian trembled, but Yin Gezhi did not continue playing.
“It’s not the zither’s problem,” he said, then released the instrument and went to lie down on the soft couch.
The room instantly fell into dead silence.
When Feng Yue carried the dishes into Duanxian’s room with a tray balanced on her head, she saw Duanxian looking utterly defeated, as if she had suffered a great blow, leaning against the wall and staring blankly at her.
What had happened?
Placing the dishes on the table, Feng Yue glanced at Yin Gezhi, who lazily rose and began eating unhurriedly.
“Did you make this?” After taking a couple of bites, Yin Gezhi asked.
Feng Yue shamelessly nodded. “Didn’t you ask this servant to prepare food?”
She had personally gone to instruct the cook to make it, after all.
She didn’t dare say that out loud, knowing that if she did, given this man’s penchant for tormenting others, he would surely make her cook again.
Frowning, Yin Gezhi set down his chopsticks and looked up, displeased. “It’s terrible!”
“If it’s terrible, then eat less. It’s already this late—time to sleep.” Completely unfazed, Feng Yue waved for Lingshu to help clear the dishes, then turned and left.
Yin Gezhi sat with a face as dark as water. The chopsticks in his hand were snatched away fiercely by Lingshu, and the dishes in front of him vanished in an instant.
How bold she was, showing him such disrespect! Yin Gezhi glared at Feng Yue’s retreating figure until the door closed, then turned his gaze elsewhere, letting out a light snort as his expression softened.
Duanxian watched in a daze. She didn’t understand why Feng Yue wasn’t afraid of this lord, nor why he seemed unwilling to hold it against her. Treating a patron like this—wasn’t she afraid of falling out of favor?
But then, she didn’t understand Yin Gezhi well enough. Someone like Feng Yue, who saw through him, knew that Yin Gezhi never bestowed favor on anyone, so how could there be any fear of losing it?
Sitting before the dressing table and removing the ornaments from her hair, Feng Yue glanced down and noticed two new gold hairpins placed on the table.
“Where did these come from?”
Lingshu glanced at them and snorted. “Mama Jin gave them. She said you don’t have enough jewelry, and with so many guests lately, she added a couple of hairpins.”
Picking up the hairpins to examine them, Feng Yue noted their exquisite craftsmanship and high-quality materials. It was rare for Mama Jin to be so generous, finally not giving them inferior goods to pass off as good ones. Nodding, she set the hairpins down, yawned, and went to bed.
In the other room, Yin Gezhi lay calmly in bed, paying no attention to Duanxian. The poor girl stood by the bedside, mustering her courage ten times over, but still didn’t dare step onto the bed. Seeing that this lord wasn’t in a hurry to have her, after much consideration, Duanxian went to sleep on the soft couch.
Yin Gezhi frowned, thinking how this girl lacked Feng Yue’s perceptiveness. If it were that little temptress, she would have already thrown herself at him to seduce him, saving him any trouble.
Turning to face the inner side of the bed, Yin Gezhi decided he would switch to another girl tomorrow. This one was truly dull.
The next morning, Feng Yue woke up after a good night’s sleep, freshened up, and went to prepare lunch. Although she no longer had to serve that lord, she hadn’t forgotten about her two young disciples, both from noble families. She couldn’t afford to skimp on the meals here.Lingshu put on an old hairpin for her, and Feng Yue pouted, "Silly girl, why wear the old one when there's a new one? Wear this!"
Reluctantly, she changed the hairpin for her. Lingshu muttered softly, "Neither of these hairpins looks particularly nice. When I’ve saved enough silver, I’ll buy you a better one!"
Moved, Feng Yue glanced at her and sighed, looking up at the sky, "To think someone is being filial to me—how delightful!"
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