"Тhis..." Аn Shiсhong said hеlрlеsslу, "It wаs only threе dаys eаrly. I merеlу рlеаdеd for leniеncy in advance..."
"Did уоu plеad tо Нis Маjestу, оr tо thе jаiler hоlding him?" Yin Gezhi said cоldlу, "Onсe you еntered thе officiаldоm, dоеs thаt mеаn I can nо lоnger соntrоl what уou dо?"
"Nо!" An Shichоng sаid urgentlу, "A teaсher for a dау is а fathеr for life. I will alwауs listеn to уоur wоrds, Маstеr!"
"Thеn sеnd him baсk."
Struggle аnd confliсt churnеd in his еуes. Аn Shiсhоng tоok a deеp breath and cаlled out hoаrsely, "Мastеr."
"If уou dоn't send him back, you no longer have me as your master."
The onlookers had basically understood the gist of the matter. It seemed the City Garrison commander had found a way to release a guilty person from prison early, only to be discovered by his master, who stopped him here. The master's discipline was strict, not allowing his disciple to commit such lawless acts. So either the disciple had to send the person back, or their master-disciple relationship would be severed.
"This scholar in white looks frail, but who would have thought he has such integrity!" the previously animated man praised, "If there were more people like him, how could officials shield each other and laws only bind the common people?"
"Tsk, I think this scholar is making a mountain out of a molehill. High officials do such things in secret all the time. Even if caught, they'd just send the person back without facing any punishment."
"Hey, who exactly is this scholar? Why does such a high-ranking official listen to him?"
Opinions varied. Feng Yue stroked her chin and watched for a long while, only discerning one thing—since becoming Yin Gezhi's disciple, An Shichong hadn't just improved in martial arts; his acting skills had also truly inherited his master's teachings! Look at that aggrieved expression, that dejected figure—truly moving to behold.
"This disciple will go send him back now."
Waving his sleeve, Yin Gezhi said, "I caught you once, I can catch you again. If you repeat such mistakes, don't blame me for being merciless."
"Yes." Bowing his head in acknowledgment, An Shichong led the man back, his figure haggard, his steps heavy.
Yin Gezhi turned and walked toward the Envoy's Mansion with an air of righteousness. The crowd dispersed, discussions continuing unabated. The news would likely soon reach the inside of Anju Street.
"Big brother!" A child rushed out from the side, directly hugging Yin Gezhi's leg, looking up and saying, "Big brother is so amazing! When Shuangsheng grows up, I want to be like big brother too, able to scold bad people and uphold justice!"
A soft little child, just throwing himself at the feet of the devil king—Feng Yue felt chills down her spine watching. The woman beside them, probably also intimidated by Yin Gezhi's stern expression, cautiously reached out to take the child back.
However, Yin Gezhi looked down. Instead of kicking him away, he said very gently, "Then grow up quickly."
"Okay! When Shuangsheng grows up, I'll come find big brother!" the child shouted happily, then was tremblingly carried away by his mother.
Yin Gezhi glanced sideways at the child, a slight curve appearing at the corner of his lips.
"Huh? You're smiling?" Feng Yue beside him was shocked, forgetting to hide her surprise. She directly jumped in front of Yin Gezhi and poked the corner of his mouth.
The face before her darkened, displeased as he brushed her hand away, "Did you eat all the manners you learned?"She retracted her claws. Feng Yue pouted, "This servant was just too surprised, I’ve never seen you smile so gently before. I thought you were born without the ability to laugh."
With a scoff, Yin Gezhi shook his head and walked past her, continuing forward.
"Hey, hey, young master, I brought wine back," Feng Yue said, chasing after him as if seeking praise. "Let’s drink until we’re drunk tonight!"
"There’s a lot to do tonight," Yin Gezhi said expressionlessly. "No time to fool around with you."
Unhappily pursing her lips, Feng Yue carried the wine jar and resentfully walked behind him, stepping on his shadow. As she stomped, she muttered, "Mama Jin brewed this wine; it’s not sold anywhere else. It’s delicious—it’s called Beauty Brew."
"Mama Jin counts as a beauty?"
"Who wasn’t a beauty when they were young?" Feng Yue said. "Mama Jin once captivated nobles with a single song, earning ten pecks of pearls!"
Too lazy to discuss such useless things with her, Yin Gezhi maintained a serious expression, walking with his hands clasped behind his back, looking exactly like a teacher from an academy, bound by rules and regulations. The girls who usually screamed around him didn’t dare act recklessly, standing far away and watching him pass by, their eyes filled with admiration.
Why are young, naive girls always so easily deceived by appearances? Feng Yue sighed inwardly, lowering her head to step on his shadow, all the way from Changning Street to the Envoy’s Mansion. For a moment, she didn’t even notice that the man in front had chosen to walk instead of taking a carriage. She only felt satisfied after stomping to her heart’s content, and her mood improved considerably.
Except her hand, which was pulling the rope on the wine jar, had swollen from the friction.
Gently blowing on her own hand to soothe it, she looked up at the man who had entered the study without a backward glance. Feng Yue narrowed her eyes and thought for a moment, then grinned.
A courtesan who doesn’t seduce isn’t a good courtesan!
Yin Gezhi indeed had a lot to do. With An Shichong’s act concluded, all the pressure shifted to him. From now on, whenever An Shichong rejected someone, he would use Yin Gezhi as an excuse. So, incidentally, he had to clarify relationships and handle matters carefully for him.
The court of the Wu Kingdom was now in a state of panic. Everyone feared they might be the next to end up in prison, so troublemakers were few, and conflicts were mostly resolved privately. However, such peace would likely only last a month.
Within this month, the Crown Prince had to secure more leverage; otherwise, if a confrontation truly arose, the Crown Prince would be in a difficult position.
Picking up the account book on the table, Yin Gezhi instructed Guan Zhi, "Keep a close watch on the study door. Don’t let anyone in."
"Yes!" Guan Zhi responded, gripping his sword and standing guard at the door.
Not long after, Lingshu came skipping over, holding a plate of fried peanuts. She looked at him curiously and asked, "Lord Guan Zhi, what are you guarding here for?"
"To stop people like you who barge in recklessly!" Guan Zhi smiled and whispered, "The master is busy inside and ordered no disturbances, so I’m keeping watch here."
"Oh..." Lingshu nodded, then looked at the plate in her hand. "Then he doesn’t want peanuts either? They’re freshly fried and very fragrant!"
"The master probably won’t eat them. You can have them yourself."
"Alright." Nodding, Lingshu pulled him down to sit on the steps. With an innocent and carefree gesture, she picked up a peanut and offered it to his mouth.Guanzhi blushed. He knew this girl understood nothing; feeding him was surely just because she was in a good mood, but... ah, it was rare for a young girl to offer him food. Anyway, his master’s eyes couldn’t see through walls, so it shouldn’t matter if he ate it, right?
After glancing around, Guanzhi opened his mouth and gently accepted her fried peanuts, then happily sat down with Lingshu to eat together.
Thus, Feng Yue smoothly climbed through the window into the study.
Yin Gezhi was deeply engrossed in his reading when he suddenly sensed someone beside him. Startled, his pupils contracted, and he reflexively struck out with a backhand chop!
"Young master," Feng Yue narrowly dodged the move, pouting and blinking her eyes. "This servant came to accompany you in reading. Why are you so fierce?"
Yin Gezhi: "..."
He turned to look at the tightly shut door, then at the wide-open window beside him, and sighed.
Guanzhi, oh Guanzhi, I told you to guard the door, not just guard the door—couldn’t you have paid attention to the windows too? Fortunately, it was Feng Yue who came in. If it had been someone else, what would have happened?
Lifting his gaze to the person before him, Yin Gezhi frowned. "What do you want?"
He hadn’t seen her wear this red gauze dress in a long time, and her face was painted with a seductive makeup. It was clear she wasn’t here for anything proper.
"The wine I brought, Your Highness refused to drink. This servant is heartbroken," she cooed, sitting on his lap. Feng Yue held a jug of wine in her hand, her eyes seductive as silk. "Come, have a taste."
Leisurely watching her, Yin Gezhi asked, "What if I don’t taste it?"
"Then this servant will feed you." Feng Yue curved her lips, tilted her head back, and poured wine into her own mouth.
That’s how it was drawn in the book: tilting her head back to drink in someone’s embrace, then lowering her head to seductively kiss him, full of lingering affection—any man would fall for it! She had practiced this in front of the mirror in the guest courtyard for a long time. Her movements were absolutely graceful!
However, she forgot one thing: her own love for wine. Having not drunk this wine for too long, her throat’s instinctive reaction was too strong. As soon as the wine entered her mouth, with a "gulp," she swallowed it directly.
The atmosphere instantly became a bit awkward.
Seeing the look in this person’s eyes as if he were looking at a fool, Feng Yue forced a dry laugh, immediately took another mouthful of wine, and leaned in toward his lips.
Turning his head away, Yin Gezhi said, "In broad daylight, what kind of behavior is this?"
Wearing a scholar’s white robe, and now talking about propriety and integrity? Who was it that did such-and-such in the carriage last time? Who was it always indulging in debauchery during the day! Feng Yue couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the ceiling beam. Without another word, she directly pinched his chin, turned his face back, and fiercely kissed him!
The rosewood armchair was sturdy. Even as Yin Gezhi was pressed so forcefully against the backrest, it didn’t make the slightest sound. Instead, the person before him showed a displeased look in his eyes, half-lowering them, calmly and indifferently watching her.
This fake, lofty demeanor truly stirred anger in her heart. Feng Yue smiled, a fierce glint in her eyes. She pried open his teeth, forcefully poured the wine down his throat, grabbed his lapels, and, remembering how he usually tormented her, emboldened by the wine, repaid him in kind—mouth for mouth, tooth for tooth!
The clear, refreshing aroma of wine lingered between their lips and teeth. A glint flashed in Yin Gezhi’s eyes, but his body remained motionless, allowing this person to tear open his clothes. With his mouth free, he even mocked, "Want it?""Your grandmother's leg!" Feng Yue smiled seductively, reaching down, only to have her wrist seized by him, unable to move.
Their eyes met—one as cold as iron, the other as tender as water—a fierce, hidden battle of wills ensued!
But unfortunately, in the end, Feng Yue lost. Someone draped a piece of clothing over her, opened the door, and threw her out.
With a "thud," she landed between two innocent peanut eaters. Feng Yue sighed, picking up a peanut, and said to Guan Zhi, "Your master is truly hard to please!"
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