If Guan Fengyue had known that eating meat for two more days would cause the silk suspending her to break, she would have starved herself first!

However, there are no “ifs” in this world. She had already eaten the meat, the rope had already broken, and she had already fallen. Now she was staring eye-to-eye with the person who had caught her.

This person’s eyes were so deep, like a bottomless river cave swirling with cold water. The eyelashes above were thick and long, drooping down to make them even more enchanting. His sword-like eyebrows carried seven parts heroic spirit, his nose bridge held three parts pride, but his thin lips were pressed into an odd arc, seeming somewhat angry.

Of course, he was angry! How could he not be? Judging by his clothes, he was a young master from a wealthy family, and right here in front of everyone! He had been struck by a falling courtesan wearing only an undergarment! His face had turned blue from the impact!

If she were him, she’d be angry too! She would jump up and slam herself into a meat patty!

Looking at the iron-blue face before her, she gave a dry laugh, trying to ease the tension. She clutched his collar and reached inside, pressing and rubbing his chest!

“No internal injuries, right?”

The face that had been blue instantly turned black. The white-robed young master threw her to the ground, shouting angrily: “How dare you!”

With a “thump,” Fengyue hit the floor, truly becoming a meat patty.

The meat patty felt wronged. Damn, coming to a brothel and complaining about a courtesan being too forward? Wrong place, buddy! You should be next door to the temple copying Buddhist scriptures!

Madam Jin behind her looked terrible as if she had been the one struck. She came forward, her large bottom bumping Fengyue aside, then smiled apologetically at the white-robed young master: “Young Master, please don’t take offense at her behavior. She’s ignorant, just arrived here!”

Yin Gezhi gave a cold laugh, brushing the rouge stains from his collar, his eyes frosting over as if trying to burn a hole through the back of Fengyue’s head!

“I heard that Dream Return House was known for its ‘zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, dance, and tea.’ I thought the ladies here would be different from common vulgar creatures. Who would have thought the women here are even more shameless than those standing on street corners!”

His words were harsh, but the assembled officials and nobles could understand Yin Gezhi’s perspective, as that woman had indeed been too wanton just now.

What kind of place was Dream Return House? It was a high-class brothel known for pure, unaffected entertainment. Others would perform on stage playing zither or composing poetry and painting, but she had gone straight to stripping while dancing. Though admittedly beautiful, her movements were extremely bold and vulgar, unlike Dream Return House’s refined offerings. She seemed more like the finest among those flesh-peddling enchantresses outside.

A cheap harlot among harlots!

Hearing others’ curses, Fengyue pouted.

Dream Return House, no matter how highly praised, was still a brothel! No matter how properly dressed like virtuous women, they still had to undress! Since they would have to undress sooner or later, she might as well do it herself to save trouble. How did that deserve such contempt?

Getting up from the ground, Fengyue wrapped herself in red silk, and twisted her waist to bump Madam Jin aside! Batting her coquettish eyes and draping her small arm around the white-robed young master’s neck, she smiled: “Young Master wants to hear the zither? I can play! Want to play chess? I’ll accompany you! Whatever you want – poetry, calligraphy, painting, song, dance, or tea – your slave can provide it all! Ten taels of silver for one night, and since you’re handsome, I’ll give you a 20% discount!”

Those bottomless eyes met hers again, and Fengyue’s smile gradually faded. She squinted at him for a good while, her gaze shifting slightly.

She hadn’t noticed earlier due to the sudden incident, but now looking carefully, why did this face seem so familiar?

Disgustedly brushing away her hand and kicking aside her entangling leg, Yin Gezhi laughed coldly: “Someone like you shouldn’t insult the arts.”

Someone like you.

As Fengyue listened, she felt her surroundings become void, the light scattered, and in the darkness a voice came from far away, whispering gently in her ear:

“Someone like you should be fighting on the battlefield. Look at these hands, not a touch of feminine softness.”

“Someone like you, how could you offer yourself to others? You’re so inexperienced. Hmm, still a virgin?”

“Someone like you… you’re so cruel, leaving without even letting me see what you look like?”

The bold infatuation of youth, the passionate private pledge of marriage, the endless entanglement in darkness – it was all like a lustful spring dream she once had, scattered without even fragments remaining amid the massacre of her family and years of wandering.

The spring dream was gone, but its subject remained. Looking at the disgusted expression before her, Fengyue sighed, unable to help feeling regret again.

Why had she only eaten meat for two more days? She should have eaten for two hundred days! Then crushed this beast to death with her bottom!

Just as she was lamenting, someone suddenly grabbed her arm from behind and threw her over their shoulder! After a whirl of sky and earth, Fengyue became a meat patty again.

“Young Master, don’t be angry! We’re all here to have fun. If you don’t like this girl, we can change to another. Don’t be angry, don’t be angry!” Waving for someone to carry Fengyue away, Madam Jin turned to smile at Yin Gezhi like spring flowers blooming: “Please continue looking at the others. Today’s expenses, we’ll give Young Master a 50% discount!”

Yin Gezhi frowned.

The disheveled woman was being lifted, the red silk barely covering her, revealing her snow-white shoulders and slender waist. The red undergarment strings pressed against her chest, contrasting with her white skin, actually stirred something in him.

“That girl, what’s her name?” someone suddenly asked in a low voice behind him.

Yin Gezhi paused, turning to look at the speaker.

Crown Prince Ye Yuqing of Wu Kingdom wore a cyan gauze robe with snow-white brocade underneath, waving a folding fan as he sat at the table behind him, staring in their direction with smiling eyes.

Looking up at the half-broken silk hanging from the beam, then at the distance between himself and Ye Yuqing, Yin Gezhi pondered briefly before raising his hand to block Fengyue’s path.

“No need for the discount, no need to compensate. You will serve me tonight.”

What?

Madam Jin was stunned. She had been thinking about how to discipline that little hussy to make up for the losses, but who would have thought this handsome young master whose face had turned blue with anger moments ago now wanted Fengyue to serve him?

Men truly were fickle creatures.

“Al… alright, I’ll arrange it right away!” A bargain delivered to the door shouldn’t be refused. Fengyue had just started receiving clients, her price wasn’t even as high as Dream Return House’s entrance fee. If it could offset the compensation, then so be it!

So Madam Jin waved her hand, and the servants holding Fengyue “whoosh” turned around, running joyfully toward the bathhouse.

“Hey hey hey, what are you doing!” Being pulled painfully, Fengyue craned her neck and howled: “Can’t you be gentler!”

Madam Jin slapped the back of her head, glaring and gritting her teeth: “You better behave! You caused such huge trouble and still dare to make noise? You almost ruined Dream Return House’s reputation! Now the Young Master wants you to serve him, so you better serve him well, understand!”

Her body stiffened. Fengyue looked up, her eye twitching severely, turning back to glance at Yin Gezhi while muttering: “Is he sick? He was so disgusted with me just now, but now he’s choosing me?”

“A client’s thoughts are for you to figure out. Mama only cares about collecting money!” With a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, Madam Jin pinched her and said softly: “I don’t care about anything else, but if you can’t make this Young Master happy, don’t think about staying at Dream Return House anymore!”

Happy? Fengyue rolled her eyes at hearing this.

Who was Yin Gezhi? The Crown Prince of the Wei Kingdom, the famous cold-faced King Yama, always wore a sour face like the whole world owed him money. She had secretly watched him countless times since childhood, and never once saw him happy. From receiving the Wei Emperor’s rewards to being voted the most popular man among women in Lidu, he was involved in all sorts of good things but never smiled.

Fengyue had analyzed the reason and felt he probably was born unable to smile, so making him appear happy would be harder than simply leaving Dream Return House.

However, Madam Jin gave her no chance to protest, throwing her into the bathhouse for a quick wash before carrying her to the third floor. At the Vermilion Bird Room, she kicked her inside with one big foot.

With a “bang,” Fengyue did a rolling tumble. After several spins, she found herself facing a pair of finely embroidered white cloud boots.

White, a color that easily got dirty and was hard to clean, was only favored by those idle enough to show off. It seemed that even as a hostage in the Wu Kingdom, Yin Gezhi was living quite well.

Sniffing, Fengyue obediently got up and knelt before him, pretending to know nothing, smiling: “What can this slave do for Young Master?”

Yin Gezhi came back to his senses, glancing at the person before him, and spoke expressionlessly: “Who are you?”

Her body tensed as if a string was pulled from her toes to her heart. Fengyue’s pupils contracted as she looked up at him.

Had he… discovered something?

Seeing this expression, Yin Gezhi understood: “So there is indeed something suspicious. Speak, whose person are you?”

Whose person? Blinking, Fengyue considered the meaning of these words, and her heart relaxed. A stone fell with a “thunk,” making her laugh involuntarily: “Young Master jest. I’m just a newly registered courtesan, whose person could I be?”

She thought so – how could Yin Gezhi, with his countless lovers, remember the identity of someone he had only slept with for half a month?

She had overthought it, being too sentimental.

“That lewd dance of yours earlier, wasn’t it meant to seduce His Highness the Crown Prince?” Yin Gezhi stared at her: “If nothing had gone wrong, you should be lying in his arms now.”

“Wow, that person was the Crown Prince?” Fengyue covered her mouth in surprise: “This slave only picked someone who looked especially handsome, just wanting to say hello!”

If she hadn’t shown that complex expression earlier, Yin Gezhi would have believed these words, but unfortunately…

Moving as swift as lightning, he grabbed her throat. The person before her looked down at her, eyes flashing with fierce light: “If you don’t want to tell the truth, you can keep silent forever.”