Do уоu think sоmеоne like Yin Gezhi wоuld bеlieve in things likе pies fаlling frоm thе skу?
Nо, hе would onlу believe in traps falling frоm thе sky.
Sо evеn thоugh Fеng Yuе’s words wеrе quitе реrsuasivе, he didn’t take thеm tо heаrt. Instead, he wаs partiсularly intеrеstеd in thе intеlligеnсe netwоrk bеhind her.
Whаt kind оf intеlligenсe nеtwоrk could рrоvide sо many eхtraordinarу things?
Асtions sрeak loudеr thаn wоrds. Aftеr а whilе, First Рrinсе Yin turned аrоund, loоked аt the pеrson rоlling аrоund in the hауstасk, and said, “In that сase, why don’t yоu give me a grеeting gift?”
Greеting gifts arе usuаlly givеn by subordinates to superiors on their own initiative. It was the first time he had seen a superior shamelessly ask for one.
However, Feng Yue, the little lamb whose life hung by a thread, was in no mood to complain. As soon as she heard this, she nodded like pounding garlic: “I’ll give it, I’ll give it, I’ll give it! What do you want?”
“The accountant at the Three Judicial Commissioners’ residence is incompetent. I want to replace him. The City Garrison commander is also getting old and should retire to enjoy his remaining years.” Yin Gezhi said seriously, “I’ve already prepared everything, just missing a few things.”
Testing her? Feng Yue showed a bit of difficulty on her face: “These two positions together…”
Yin Gezhi glanced at her. His gaze was sharp, clearly implying that if she said no, he would continue to strangle her.
Without a shred of backbone, Feng Yue immediately cowered and changed her tone, patting her chest and saying, “Forget two positions, even five would be fine if you ask. As long as I get out, I’ll find a way immediately.”
“Want to get out?” Yin Gezhi asked.
Obviously! Otherwise, would I stay in prison overnight? Feng Yue rolled her eyes, then looked up and shamelessly wagged her tail while hugging his leg: “Yes, yes, yes! Please take me out, young master.”
“The confession is recorded. I’ll wait for you outside.”
He lifted his leg and walked out. The giant accessory hanging on his leg didn’t affect his walking posture at all. Yin Gezhi walked with such imposing and composed momentum.
Feng Yue, hanging on his leg, swayed back and forth as she thought, truly a master—his lower body is so steady.
When they reached the guarded corridor outside the cell, Yin Gezhi shoved her off. The nearby jailer saw this, stepped forward to bow to him, and then dragged Feng Yue toward the interrogation room.
Feng Yue thought, truly the First Prince—even using connections is so clean and efficient, without saying an extra word.
After describing the appearance of the person who gave her the banknote, Feng Yue was released. Under the moon and wind, a man dressed in black with frosty brows and eyes stood at the prison gate. Hearing the commotion, his icy gaze shot toward her.
Feng Yue thought, damn it, I’d rather go back to the cell!
“Get in the carriage.”
Before she could turn around, she was picked up and thrown into the carriage.
“Thud!”
Feng Yue behaved obediently, looking at the person opposite with a flattering smile: “Young master, are we going back to your residence?”
She thought quite well of herself. Yin Gezhi closed his eyes to rest and ignored her.
Pouting, Feng Yue lifted the curtain herself to look at the road outside. She had memorized the map of Shadowless City. This road led to…
Dream Return Pavilion.
“Young master, Dream Return Pavilion is closed for renovations. Taking me back there would be too conspicuous.” Feng Yue pouted.
“You always have a way to return without drawing attention.” Yin Gezhi didn’t even open his eyes, saying meaningfully, “I’d like to see it.”
Feng Yue forced a dry laugh: “It’s better not to see it.”"Enough nonsense."
"..."
Half an hour later, a man and a woman stood before the dog hole in the backyard of Dream Return Pavilion.
The man asked the woman, "Are you serious?"
The woman replied pitifully, "You insisted on seeing it, so now you can witness it. This is the only way with the least commotion."
"You try, I'll watch." Yin Gezhi narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms as he stood to the side.
Feng Yue pouted, gathered her skirt and tucked it into her belt, then bent down to crawl inside. As she crawled, she muttered to herself: it was him who wanted to come, and it was him who looked down on this dog hole. The walls of Dream Return Pavilion were so high—if they didn’t crawl through the dog hole, were they supposed to fly in?
"Hurry up," someone urged her.
Feng Yue gritted her teeth and whispered, "This servant is already going as fast as—"
Before she could finish, she suddenly looked up.
A pair of silver-soled boots stood before her. The hem of the black robe was embroidered with silver patterns. Looking further up, the owner of the robe was tilting his head, looking at her with disdain.
What the hell? She sprang to her feet. Feng Yue looked Yin Gezhi up and down, then turned to glance at the high walls of Dream Return Pavilion. Without thinking, she blurted out, "Are you a monster?"
How could he fly over such a high wall?
The walls of Dream Return Pavilion were built to prevent climbing, so high they were despair-inducing. Even someone with qinggong would need great effort to scale them.
After giving Feng Yue a look that said "idiot" for a long while, Yin Gezhi pointed to the side.
The backyard door was slightly ajar, like a mouth grinning sideways, mocking her foolish act of crawling through the dog hole.
Feng Yue was dumbfounded. She stared at the door for a moment, then smiled sheepishly.
But the next instant, she realized something was off. Wait! This door was usually locked tight. How could it be open in the middle of the night?
"Did you run into anyone else when you came in just now?" Feng Yue asked nervously, tugging at Yin Gezhi’s sleeve.
Yin Gezhi shook his head. "No one saw me."
"Then..." Feng Yue was about to ask how the door could be open, but the man beside her added breathlessly, "But there are two people at the alley entrance ten steps to the right of the door, currently... entangled."
What? Feng Yue widened her eyes, looking at him as if he were a monster. "How do you know?"
No honorifics now? Yin Gezhi raised an eyebrow. He didn’t bother arguing with her, simply covered her mouth and dragged her outside.
As soon as they stepped out of the backyard, the sounds of entanglement became somewhat audible—no wonder this lord had heard them. Feng Yue blinked, craning her neck to look. In the shadows at the alley entrance, she could vaguely make out two figures intertwined.
"Young master... ah... be gentler."
The voice sounded familiar. Feng Yue blinked, trying to recall who it was. Before she could remember, she heard a young voice say, "Little beauty, how about coming home with me? This place of yours probably won’t last much longer."
Oh? Someone was actually so infatuated that they wanted to redeem a girl from Dream Return Pavilion? Feng Yue was moved by the sentiment, but the man beside her stiffened. He released his hand from her mouth and moved a little closer to the entangled figures.
"Young master must be joking. You don’t seem like an ordinary person—how could your family ever accept someone like me?"
This sentence was longer, and Feng Yue recognized the voice. It was the newly crowned courtesan, He Chou. And the person on top of her..."My father dotes on me the most. Whatever I want, he never refuses." With a playful kiss on her cheek, Zhao Xi picked up He Chou and declared, "I'll come redeem you tomorrow."
Wow! If not for eavesdropping, Feng Yue would have applauded. This young master of the Zhao family truly was dashing and carefree—so reckless that after only a few days with He Chou, he dared to redeem her?
He Chou fell silent, cooing softly as she wrapped her arms around Zhao Xi's neck. Delighted, Zhao Xi showered her face with kisses.
Feng Yue wanted to keep watching, but suddenly, someone beside her covered her eyes and dragged her back to her room.
"Why not let me watch a bit longer?" Feng Yue pouted. "That's Zhao Lin's only son. Don't you dislike Zhao Lin too?"
She had originally intended to ask about this, but hearing her words, Yin Gezhi raised an eyebrow:
"Doesn't Dream Return Pavilion have a rule that all visiting patrons are not to be asked about their identities, nor are their comings and goings reported, all for the sake of freedom?"
Feng Yue was startled and nodded guiltily. "On the surface, that's indeed what's said."
"On the surface? And in reality?"
"In reality, Dream Return Pavilion keeps records of anyone who reveals their identity, exposes tokens, or inadvertently leaks information about themselves in conversation." Without playing any tricks, Feng Yue quietly instructed Lingshu to fetch water for her to wash up, then knelt on the carpet and looked at him. "The patrons here all believe they are safe and hidden, so they feel at ease."
Dream Return Pavilion was uniquely designed with many staircases. Even regular patrons rarely encountered each other unless they specifically requested the same girl. Unless someone paid special attention, no one inside or outside should know who visited Dream Return Pavilion.
Giving her a deep look, Yin Gezhi said, "This isn't a brothel. It's clearly a den of thieves."
How could it be a den of thieves? Feng Yue said unhappily, "You nobles all value secrecy. I've given you plenty of cover and assurances of discretion, and I've kept my word. The one outside is Zhao Xi, Zhao Lin's son. Only He Chou, Mama Jin, and I know about this."
In other words, all the information the girls of Dream Return Pavilion gathered from their patrons flowed into the hands of the woman before him—silently and unnoticed.
Pinching her chin, his thumb gently stroking it, Yin Gezhi looked down at her and said, "If you're this capable, why bother personally entering this world of pleasure to seduce the Crown Prince?"
Feng Yue pursed her lips, neither avoiding nor flinching. "The Crown Prince is different from other patrons. None of the other girls can handle him, so I had to step in myself."
She had been in Wei Kingdom for three years, from establishing her footing to building Dream Return Pavilion and gradually setting up her network. The struggles and pains along the way went without saying. She had originally planned to stay behind the scenes, offering advice and strategies, but who would have thought the Crown Prince of Wu Kingdom would also visit Dream Return Pavilion?
If there was a shortcut, why not take it? She wasn't foolish enough to pass it up, so she immediately put up her nameplate.
"You want the Crown Prince of Wu Kingdom to help you deal with those who have served Wu Kingdom with merit?" Full of disdain, Yin Gezhi scoffed."Not necessarily impossible." With a serious expression, Feng Yue said earnestly, "The Crown Prince of Wu Kingdom is deep and cunning, most wary of those who hold heavy military power and achieve great feats that overshadow the ruler. Moreover, I have investigated—Wu Kingdom's laws are strict and clear. If the person I wish to kill happens to violate Wu Kingdom's laws, the Crown Prince will certainly not show leniency."
She truly has made quite a bit of preparation.
Reaching out to gently trace the contours of her face, Yin Gezhi's eyes still held a mocking glint. "A woman's thoughts are simply naive."
Tensing all over, Feng Yue frowned, looking at him with confusion.
However, Yin Gezhi had no intention of explaining. His fingers brushed past her long eyelashes as he said, "If you are loyal, then I will use you."
"But if you are disloyal, then I will kill you!"
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