Cоuld idlе сhаttеr really lеаd Ye Yuqing to wаnder aimlеsslу with hеr оn thе strеets? Yin Gezhi didn’t bеlieve it. Someone likе Yе Yuqing would nеver wаstе timе оn pеорlе whо werе of no use tо him. If hе was willing tо stroll around with hеr like this, it must be bеcausе hе intеndеd tо usе hеr.
Was this girl toо fоolish tо nоtiсe, оr did she think hе wаs stupid enоugh tо be fоoled?
“But this sеrvant remembеrs sоmеthing rathеr interesting.” Sensing thе dаngеrous аurа frоm thе реrson аhеad, Fеng Yue quiсkly chаnged thе subjесt, spеаking mуstеriously, “It’s abоut you, Young Mastеr. Would you likе to heаr it?”
Yin Gezhi turnеd his hеad, his еyes slightly impatient, clearly conveying four words: Get to the point!
Clearing her throat, Feng Yue said with a gossipy tone, “A few days ago, a patron came to me, saying his younger sister had taken a liking to you and wanted to send you a plate of pastries. The pastries were quite unique—they were actually peach slices.”
Stopping in his tracks, Yin Gezhi’s eyes darkened as he looked at her intently.
As if oblivious to his gaze, Feng Yue smiled and said, “The patron was generous. He gave me a hundred taels of silver to help him deliver the pastries to you. Moved by his sister’s deep affection, I’ve kept the peach slices on the flower stand. Why don’t you go back and eat them? I can still collect the remaining few hundred taels of silver, and we can split it fifty-fifty?”
A few hundred taels of silver, just to make him eat a bite of pastry—this young lady must be truly infatuated.
The mockery in his eyes deepened as Yin Gezhi reached out, grabbed her, and pulled her along.
“Hey, hey, hey!” Dragged along at a run, Feng Yue said in a coquettish tone, “Young Master, slow down! This servant can’t run that fast!”
Despite her words, her feet beneath her skirt seemed to fly, not letting Yin Gezhi drag her too hard.
As soon as they arrived at Dream Return Pavilion, they went straight to the room. Yin Gezhi closed the door and asked, “Where are the pastries?”
Feng Yue turned around, took out the box of peach slices, and handed it to him. “Here.”
Picking up a slice, he carefully sniffed it, then dabbed a bit with his fingertip to taste it. Yin Gezhi spat it out, his expression turning grim.
Was his life worth only a few hundred taels of silver?
“What’s wrong? What’s wrong?” The person beside him, flustered like a startled chicken, asked frantically, “Is there a problem? Doesn’t it taste good?”
“Whoever eats it will die,” Yin Gezhi said coldly. “It’s laced with a deadly poison.”
Gasping sharply, Feng Yue’s eyes widened as she clutched her handkerchief and jumped back half a step. “This has nothing to do with this servant! When the item was delivered, I didn’t even look at it carefully.”
Fortunately, she hadn’t been greedy. Yin Gezhi pursed his lips, closed the lid, and thought for a moment. “Do you remember what the person looked like?”
“Yes!” Feng Yue said. “He was a fat man, very wealthy, and likely someone who frequently uses a brush.”
She even knew what he frequently used? His eyes flickered slightly. Yin Gezhi suddenly softened his expression, set the box down, and approached her, lowering his head to stare into her eyes.
Startled, Feng Yue leaned against the wall. “Young Master?”
“Help me with something,” Yin Gezhi said.
His tone was gentle. Though it couldn’t compare to Ye Yuqing’s genuine warmth, for an iceberg like him, even a slight thaw was enough to astonish.
Blinking, Feng Yue forced a dry laugh.
She had a bad feeling about this. What kind of easy task could Yin Gezhi, with such an expression, possibly ask of her?
Half an hour later.
“Ah—” A scream shattered the tranquility of Dream Return Pavilion as Mama Jin rushed upstairs, waving her handkerchief. “What’s going on?”The sound came from Feng Yue's room, and the girls naturally delighted in the spectacle, gathering around one after another.
Opening the door, they found Feng Yue slumped on the floor, one hand propping her up, the other covering her lips, her eyes brimming with tears as she trembled and looked toward the bed.
Everyone glanced over and saw a strikingly handsome young man leaning against the headboard, his face pale, blood continuously trickling from the corner of his mouth.
Gasping in shock, Mama Jin hurried over to support him, casting an incredulous glance at Feng Yue. "What happened?"
How could the First Prince, Yin Gezhi, be vomiting blood in her Dream Return Pavilion?!
Feng Yue opened her mouth to speak but seemed too frightened to utter a word, only pointing toward the box of peach slices on the table.
"Quick... quick, report it to the authorities! Someone poisoned him!" a girl outside shrieked.
One should only report to the authorities after someone dies! Rolling her eyes, Feng Yue felt that if she didn’t speak up soon, the women’s screams alone would be enough to kill Yin Gezhi.
"Go and fetch a physician," she sobbed, covering her face as she continued to cry. "Hurry and fetch a physician!"
Reminded by her words, Mama Jin snapped back to her senses and pushed the crowd of girls out the door.
The Dream Return Pavilion instantly grew lively, and news of a guest being poisoned in Feng Yue’s room spread like wildfire, quickly reaching half of Shadowless City.
Rumors, however, have a way of twisting the truth. For instance, while the actual situation was that Yin Gezhi had been poisoned and vomited blood but survived, the story that spread was that a guest had been poisoned to death in the Dream Return Pavilion, bleeding from all seven orifices in a gruesome manner.
Thus, early the next morning, Ye Yuqing arrived at the Dream Return Pavilion to demand answers, his face unusually stern.
"What happened?"
The Dream Return Pavilion had already suspended business for reorganization. Mama Jin knelt helplessly in the main hall and said, "The person is fine now. The physician examined him and said he accidentally ingested poison. The toxin has been cleared, and he has been sent back to his mansion to recuperate. As for how the poison got there... I truly don’t know, and Feng Yue would never poison a patron."
"Where is Feng Yue?" Ye Yuqing frowned, scanning the room and not seeing her.
"She was taken to prison last night." At this, genuine worry flashed in Mama Jin’s eyes as she looked up at Ye Yuqing. "That girl is truly innocent. If you can help, please rescue her. After all, she’s just a young woman—how could she endure the hardships of prison?"
With Yin Gezhi poisoned, Feng Yue wouldn’t be easily released. Ye Yuqing shook his head, pacing back and forth with a headache.
Envoy’s Mansion.
"Guan Zhi," Yin Gezhi called out from his bed. "How are things in the prison?"
"Everything has been arranged. The young lady won’t be harmed," Guan Zhi replied. "And, as you anticipated, Lingshu went to buy mung bean cakes early this morning, clutching some silver."
His expression tightening, Yin Gezhi asked, "Was she intercepted?"
Handing him a silver ingot, Guan Zhi pursed his lips. "She was intercepted. We pretended to be robbers, took her silver, and brought the item here. Please examine it, Master."
At first glance, it seemed ordinary, but as soon as Yin Gezhi held it, he narrowed his eyes and squeezed it forcefully. The ingot cracked open, revealing a small paper ball inside.
So there really was something amiss. He had sensed something odd yesterday when he overheard the maid’s conversation with the proprietress. Feng Yue had even tried to divert his attention, making him focus on the poisoning incident.He wasn't foolish. He would investigate the poisoner, and he would also uncover what she was hiding.
What a clever girl. To think of using such a method to exchange messages with others. If she hadn't encountered him, perhaps no one would ever have exposed her tricks in her lifetime.
A pity she happened to run into him.
With a light snort, he unfolded the paper ball and glanced down at it.
"No need to rescue. Investigate Three Judicial Commissioners Shan Wenhe."
Somewhere in his heart felt as if it had been clenched tightly, followed by a tension spreading through his entire body. Yin Gezhi stared fixedly at this line of text, his expression extremely grim.
"Master?" Guan Zhi leaned over to look and frowned. "This Feng Yue girl is no ordinary person. She even knows the name of the Three Judicial Commissioners and wants to investigate him."
"She told me that the person who wanted me to eat the pastries was a fat man, very wealthy, and accustomed to using a brush." After a long silence, Yin Gezhi finally spoke, his voice chilling to the bone. "As far as I know, someone who fits that description and enjoys frequenting brothels is in Shan Wenhe's household—his accountant, Zhu Laicai."
"Master even remembers such a person?" Guan Zhi exclaimed in astonishment.
Yin Gezhi sneered.
It was normal for him to remember, given his responsibilities. But what about her? A courtesan, possessing such an intelligence network, not only that but also acting as the one issuing orders within it, knowing people's backgrounds. And she dared to investigate the current Three Judicial Commissioners.
Her abilities were truly remarkable—able to make Ganjiang betray himself, obtain the blueprints of the General's Mansion, and even acquire Wang Han's waist token. Whenever he mentioned investigating someone, she could immediately provide him with relevant information. More efficient than anyone under his command.
Getting close to the Crown Prince of Wu, seducing him, a prince of Wei—her purpose unknown, but already she had many people dancing in the palm of her hand.
Such a person...
Such a person absolutely could not be allowed to live peacefully under his watch!
"Guan Zhi." Crushing the note, Yin Gezhi said in a low voice, "Prepare. We're going to the prison tonight."
"Master." Guan Zhi was taken aback. "Didn't you say we could release her tonight?"
The original plan was to pretend that the master had actually been poisoned, so that once the culprit was caught, they could be directly convicted. According to the arrangement, Miss Feng Yue would endure one night in prison and then confess the mastermind behind it. But judging by the current situation, why did it seem like his master had no intention of releasing her?
"Releasing her would be a disaster." Yin Gezhi closed his eyes. "Refuse all visitors today, say I'm still recuperating. Send my two disciples back to their respective residences as well. They can resume lessons after I've recovered."
"...Yes."
The smell in the prison cell was unpleasant. Feng Yue squatted on the ground, watching the sunlight streaming in through the small window, suddenly feeling that this place was quite peaceful—no need to worry about anything.
Someone unlocked the chains and called out, "Prisoner, come quickly and pay your respects."
Turning around, she saw Ye Yuqing step inside with a grim expression, staring at her with a complex gaze.
"Young Master." Having not slept all night, she looked somewhat haggard. Feng Yue smiled at him. "To let you see me in such a state, I am truly ashamed."
"How could he have been poisoned in your room?" Ye Yuqing frowned. "Even if you didn't administer the poison, your days ahead will certainly be difficult."With a sigh, Feng Yue thought to herself that she didn’t want to do it either. Who knew that helping that pervert with this favor would mean no one else would dare to request her services in the future, and the Crown Prince would take a special interest in her? Thinking it over, it didn’t seem like a losing deal, so under the man’s threat, she agreed.
“I am innocent, and I believe I will be released soon.” With a soft laugh, Feng Yue said, “But as for that young master, there really are quite a few people who want to harm him. Last time, he encountered assassins, and this time, someone tried to poison him.”
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