Тhеsе wоrds wеre rathеr hаrsh, аnd еvеn Ye Yuqing turned his heаd tо glancе at her.
Yi Zhаngzhu rеmаinеd соmpletеly unaware, only stаring аt Feng Yuе, waiting fоr hеr rеsрonsе.
Nоt fееling thе slightest bit еmbarrassed, Fеng Yuе loоked at her in surрrise insteаd, then prаisеd hеr, "I nеvеr ехpeсtеd that just bу gоing tо Dreаm Return Раvilion to рlаy а tune, Miss Yi has аlready lеаrnеd abоut the business of оur рrоfessiоn."
Gоing tо Drеаm Rеturn Pаviliоn to рlaу a tune? Yе Yuqing frownеd, "Zhu'еr?"
Нer fасе рale with shoсk, Yi Zhangzhu quickly shook hеr head, "I didn't!"
But sеeing Yin Gezhi still bеside hеr, Yi Zhаngzhu immediаtely flushed red with shame, lowering her head without a word.
"I came here today not for business," Feng Yue pursed her lips, adjusting her clothes, "but to see how Miss He Chou is doing. After all, we're both from Dream Return Pavilion, and I wanted to see how she's been. I never expected to run into the young master of the Zhao family..."
Her expression suddenly turned aggrieved, and Feng Yue bit her lip, falling silent.
This act was put on for Ye Yuqing to see. After all, this man was gentle and considerate, treating her with far more care than Yin Gezhi.
Sure enough, Ye Yuqing immediately said, "The young master of the Zhao family has always been arrogant and lustful. I never thought he would be even more unrestrained in his own home."
Yi Zhangzhu curled her lip and whispered, "Miss Feng Yue is a prostitute, not some respectable girl. If she throws herself at someone, what does it matter if they take liberties? Is she going to make a fuss about it?"
Lowering his eyes, Yin Gezhi nodded, "Zhangzhu makes a valid point."
Though this was indeed the truth, seeing this pair of scoundrels echoing each other, Feng Yue felt uncomfortable. She sneered and said, "Indeed, in the eyes of a young lady like you, we women who sell our bodies cannot resist anyone who wants to bully us. After all, we're just for sale, aren't we?"
"You at least have some self-awareness," Yi Zhangzhu retorted.
Yin Gezhi remained silent, turning his head away without looking at her. Feng Yue paused, about to say that she couldn't bear to ride in the carriage of such noble people and might as well get off, when Ye Yuqing suddenly said, "Stop the carriage."
The slowly moving carriage came to a halt. Ye Yuqing stepped down with a stern expression, turned around, lifted the curtain, and looked at Feng Yue, saying, "Get down."
Feng Yue was taken aback but followed him down, offering an awkward smile, "Your Highness needn't drive me away. I didn't want to ride in it anyway."
Before she could finish speaking, her hand was taken by someone. Ye Yuqing turned his head to look at her, his eyes filled with pity, "If you don't want to ride, then don't. There's a rouge shop nearby. Your face is a mess—why not go there and wash up?"
His palm was warm, holding her cold hand, and a wave of warmth rushed straight to her heart. Feng Yue blinked, somewhat surprised, and allowed herself to be led away in a daze, forgetting to resist.
"This..." Yi Zhangzhu in the carriage was displeased. Holding her heavily bandaged arm, she frowned and said, "Didn't we come here to seek justice for me? Why is he leaving with her?"
Turning her head, she wanted to complain to Yin Gezhi but was startled by his gloomy expression, "Brother Yin?"
Suppressing the aura around him, Yin Gezhi said expressionlessly, "His Highness is being rather improper."
"Exactly!" Yi Zhangzhu said, "He says he wants to marry me, but he hasn't stopped associating with girls from other families. And now, while I'm still injured, he just walks off with a prostitute?"
Lifting the curtain to look at the two figures walking away, she frowned again, "Could it be that Crown Prince Brother has fallen for that woman?"
"What makes you think so?" the person behind her asked calmly.Yi Zhangzhu said unhappily, "Although Crown Prince Brother is usually gentle, he rarely touches other women. This is quite something. He even held her hand."
The carriage fell into silence. Yin Gezhi turned his head and glanced at the Commandant's Mansion outside through the gap in the window.
Feng Yue washed her face, applied the rouge Ye Yuqing had just bought, and smiled as she bowed to him. "Thank you."
Giving her a deep look, Ye Yuqing leaned closer and whispered, "Logically speaking, I should take advantage of your pitiful appearance to persuade Yin Gezhi to act against the Commandant's Mansion as soon as possible."
Feng Yue raised an eyebrow, thinking this plan was bound to fail. How could someone as deep and calculating as Yin Gezhi listen to the Crown Prince's words because of her and disrupt his own pace?
Unexpectedly, the man before her suddenly chuckled, whether at her or at himself, and unfurled his fan, covering half his face. Only his deep eyes remained visible as he said in a low voice, "But before he even feels distressed, I already do."
Her heart trembled. Feng Yue looked up at him in surprise.
Covering her eyes with his hand, Ye Yuqing sighed. "Forget it. I'm not in a good mood today. Let's not do anything else. How about we go back and watch you dance?"
"..."
After a moment of hesitation, Feng Yue nodded. "Alright."
The item she carried had to be given to Yin Gezhi as soon as possible. But since she couldn't deliver it now, she would have to take it back to Dream Return Pavilion first.
"Miss, His Highness has left first. He said he has urgent matters," a servant reported as he approached the carriage.
Upon hearing this, Yi Zhangzhu laughed angrily. "Urgent matters? I'm injured this badly, and he still has other urgent matters?"
The servant lowered his head, not daring to speak. Yi Zhangzhu laughed while tears streamed down her face. "I've never met someone like this. He keeps saying he wants to marry me, yet he treats me like this."
"Enough," the person beside her said calmly. "If he's busy, then we'll just enter the Commandant's Mansion ourselves."
Hearing this, Yi Zhangzhu felt slightly better. With teary eyes, she looked at Yin Gezhi. "You're still the one who treats me best."
With his eyes half-lowered, Yin Gezhi said, "You were attacked in the city. Recently, there have also been cases of people being abducted in the city and still managing to leave safely. The Commandant's Mansion has been severely negligent and must provide an explanation."
Reassured by his words, Yi Zhangzhu immediately ordered the coachman to knock on the door of the Commandant's Mansion. Upon learning that Commandant Zhao was not at the mansion, they headed straight for the Grand Commandant's Mansion.
Returning to Dream Return Pavilion, Feng Yue changed her clothes and hid the item. Then, she poured tea for Ye Yuqing and asked, "What dance would you like to see?"
Ye Yuqing chuckled softly. "Whatever you enjoy dancing, I'll watch."
Tilting her head and smiling at him, Feng Yue said, "You spoil me too much."
"A woman as wonderful as you can never be spoiled too much," he said, unfurling his fan. "It's just a pity that beauty often faces hardships. Your life is not peaceful."
Feng Yue chuckled softly. "An unsettled life is fine too. It makes living more flavorful."
"You think that way?" Ye Yuqing raised an eyebrow. "I was thinking of redeeming you and sending you to the Envoy's Mansion to live a better life."
Pausing briefly, Feng Yue quickly replied, "That wouldn't be appropriate."
"Why?"
If she went to the Envoy's Mansion, how would she receive information from all sides? Under Yin Gezhi's watchful eye, all her connections would surely be uncovered, and she would lose her value and be discarded!Grinning, Feng Yue said with a serious expression, "Men? A wife is not as good as a concubine, and a concubine is not as good as a stolen affair. By staying here in Dream Return Pavilion, I can keep him longing a little more. If I deliver myself to him and let him have his fill, then I’ll be useless."
Ye Yuqing was taken aback, staring at her blankly before suddenly bursting into laughter. "There’s such a saying? You really see things clearly."
"Just from experience," Feng Yue sighed wistfully. Then, acting coy, she added, "As for the task you entrusted me with last time, I’ve already done it. I just don’t know if it had any effect."
Nodding with a smile, Ye Yuqing said, "He’s willing to help me now, and with your assistance, things will naturally go smoothly. Feng Yue, your role is far greater than you imagine."
Rather than saying she was helping Ye Yuqing influence Yin Gezhi, it was more like Yin Gezhi was using her as a stepping stone to enter the Crown Prince’s circle. The Crown Prince thought he had succeeded, unaware that the great demon Yin was sharpening his blade behind the scenes, probably overjoyed.
Bowing her head in respect, Feng Yue said, "I am unworthy. Perhaps I should dance for Your Highness instead?"
Just as he was about to agree, Feng Chuang at the door whispered, "Master, Miss Yi and the others have gone to the Grand Commandant’s Mansion."
The Grand Commandant’s Mansion? Ye Yuqing paused, somewhat annoyed. "Didn’t I say we’d go another day?"
Feng Chuang sighed. "No one dared to stop the young lady."
And Yin Gezhi didn’t stop her either?!
Rubbing his temples, Ye Yuqing said, "He’s deliberately trying to unsettle me."
"It wouldn’t be entirely appropriate for Your Highness to leave midway," Feng Yue said softly. "Since there are other matters, perhaps Your Highness should go now, lest Miss Yi feel slighted."
"I postponed discussing that matter because I didn’t want you to feel wronged. After all, the evidence isn’t complete yet, and going now wouldn’t yield the best results." Taking a deep breath, Ye Yuqing stood up and said helplessly, "But it seems Zhu’er isn’t willing to wait. In that case, I’ll have to go."
"Take care on your way."
Reluctantly stepping out the door, Ye Yuqing fanned himself as he walked, trying hard to calm down.
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