The woodshed was gloomy and dark. Occasionally, one could hear the sound of rats scurrying about, seemingly gnawing on the firewood. Combined with the noises of the night, it was enough to make one’s heart turn cold.

Nurse Gui huddled alone in a corner. For many years, though she was only a nurse, she had enjoyed favor in Shen Miao’s presence. The Second and Third Households had been willing to give her face, and she had managed quite well in the Shen Mansion. Sometimes, Nurse Gui lived more comfortably than even wealthy commoner families. It is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but difficult to return from luxury to frugality. She was already unaccustomed to hardship, let alone being confined to a woodshed like those lowly maids.

Her thin clothing could not shield her from the night’s chill, yet her heart felt even colder than her body. Nurse Gui was terrified. Of the four maids who had been locked up with her, Shen Yue’s maid had been forced to drink a potion that rendered her mute—who knew if she would survive. Shen Qing’s maid had been sold directly to a ninth-rank brothel. Ren Wanyun’s methods were so ruthless that Nurse Gui couldn’t help but worry about her fate.

Nurse Gui didn’t believe Ren Wanyun would let her off easily. Not only had she witnessed Shen Qing’s disgrace, but she had also played an important role in the affair. The original target should have been Shen Miao, but in the end, it was Shen Qing who had been violated. Someone like Ren Wanyun would never simply forgive her.

“Tap, tap, tap.” Just as she was thinking this, footsteps suddenly sounded from outside, particularly clear in the night.

Nurse Gui’s body stiffened. In the pitch darkness, she fearfully watched the door.

It represented both hope and despair. What waited behind that door? Was it someone Ren Wanyun had sent to silence her? Or was there still a glimmer of hope for her survival?

The footsteps were neither hurried nor slow, yet they struck Nurse Gui’s heart like a death knell. Her corpulent body had already collapsed like a puddle of mud, sweat continuously beading on her forehead, her body seemingly trembling.

“Creeak—” The door was pushed open.

The visitor carried a bluish-green lantern, the color of which already seemed somewhat eerie, but here it appeared even more like a vengeful ghost coming to claim a life. Nurse Gui tremblingly raised her head and saw a figure cloaked in white standing at the doorway. The person walked in and slowly closed the door.

Inside the room, there was only that greenish lantern, emanating a light like ghost-fire. The visitor finally loosened the cloak, revealing a fair and delicate face—it was Shen Miao.

The young lady’s figure was slender. Her rounded, gentle features were now cast in an uncanny light by the green flame, acquiring a strange quality. Precisely because her expression remained calm and serene, she appeared even more like a soul-collecting envoy from the underworld, making it difficult to look at her directly.

Nurse Gui was stunned for a moment, then suddenly cried out with joy: “Young Miss!”

Shen Miao placed the lantern on the ground, unhurriedly walked over to Nurse Gui, and crouched down in front of her with a slight smile. “Is Nurse well?”

“Young Miss, you’ve come at last! This old servant knew Young Miss would surely come to save me! Young Miss has always been kind-hearted and would never ignore this old servant!” As if grabbing onto a lifeline, Nurse Gui desperately clutched at Shen Miao’s skirt hem, tears streaming down her face. She acted as if she had suffered twelve million injustices, and Shen Miao was her most trusted relative.

Shen Miao glanced at Nurse Gui’s hand tightly gripping her skirt, smiled faintly, and said, “It seems Nurse Gui has endured much hardship here.”

Nurse Gui paused, then carefully examined Shen Miao’s expression. Shen Miao’s smile was gentle, her appearance seemed calm, but she showed no ripple of emotion in her words. Nurse Gui was horrified to discover that this young miss whom she had accompanied for many years was now completely unreadable—she couldn’t tell what Shen Miao was thinking at all. She said: “This old servant has served Young Miss all her life, with unwavering loyalty. That day at Wolong Temple, this old servant stumbled upon the scene by accident. Young Miss, this old servant is completely innocent!”

“Nurse Gui truly seems to see me as her hope.” Shen Miao said worriedly: “But how am I to save you? Does anyone in this household listen to what I say? What ability do I have to refuse the orders from the East Court?”

“No, Young Miss must have a way. Nurse Gui became anxious upon hearing this. Although she knew Shen Miao’s words made sense, in the entire Shen Mansion, the Second and Third Households were only cordial to the First Household on the surface. With Shen Xin and his wife long absent from the capital, Shen Miao alone couldn’t have any real influence. But all people have a survival instinct, and Nurse Gui could now only cling to Shen Miao, unwilling to give up. She said: “Young Miss can beg the Old Madam, or if that fails, Young Miss could write to Master, asking him to send a letter back to the household. They won’t disregard Master’s words.”

Seemingly believing she had found an excellent solution, Nurse Gui’s eyes brightened, looking at Shen Miao with hope.

But Shen Miao laughed softly, shook her head, and looked at her, slowly saying: “Father’s words indeed could save you, but why should I do that?”

Nurse Gui was dumbfounded.

“Why should I go to such lengths and trouble for a servant?” Her voice seemed to carry a faint mockery. In the bluish-green light, it appeared as if she didn’t consider the person before her worthy of attention at all.

Nurse Gui panicked, as she hadn’t expected Shen Miao to speak this way. She had watched Shen Miao grow up, and though the girl had been cold to her recently, she attributed it to a childish temper. Nurse Gui knew well that Shen Miao was soft-hearted, and that day at Wolong Temple, they had even shared a heart-to-heart conversation, clearly indicating that she was going to rely on her nurse again. Why had she now changed her attitude completely?

Could someone have spoken ill of her to Shen Miao? A thought flashed through Nurse Gui’s mind—it must have been those two maids, Jingzhe and Guyu. They had always opposed her, and now that she was in trouble, those two would surely kick her while she was down and say something to Shen Miao.

She hastily said: “Young Miss, this old servant has been with you for so long. You were in this old servant’s care since birth. All these years, with Master and Madam often away, only this old servant and Young Miss have relied on each other…” At this point, she choked up as if extremely sorrowful: “Young Miss also mentioned recently, when you had a fever at night and the doctor was delayed, this old servant braved the rain to find a physician… and even developed a chronic illness because of it…”

Each word was meant to remind Shen Miao of their past bond. As Nurse Gui spoke, she kept glancing at Shen Miao. The people of the First Household of the Shen family, whether it was Shen Xin’s couple or the Shen Qiu siblings, all greatly valued gratitude and loyalty. Perhaps this was the heritage of a military family—knowing kindness and repaying it. Now Nurse Gui was using this emotional leverage, hoping to move Shen Miao.

However, in the lantern light, the young lady lowered her head with a slight smile, showing no sign of being moved, as if listening to an amusing story. She said softly: “Nurse Gui indeed treated me well before, but how did our First Household of the Shen family—how did I—treat Nurse Gui in return?”

Nurse Gui hesitated for a moment but still replied: “Master and Madam have treated this old servant extremely well, and Young Miss has been very kind to this old servant. They have given this old servant ample face both inside and outside the household, with generous monthly wages, and have never scolded this old servant…”

“Not only that,” Shen Miao continued her words: “Your son, your grandson—whenever I could help, I did. In the entire West Garden, you held the highest position. I never treated you as merely my nurse, but as family, trusting you, being close to you, always thinking of you. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes,” said Nurse Gui. Indeed, precisely because Shen Miao was young and easily coaxed, she had manipulated Shen Miao into complete compliance. Whatever she said, Shen Miao believed. In the West Court, she was almost like half a master.

“Then, I treated you so well, why did you betray me?” The lightly spoken words struck Nurse Gui, who had been lost in memories, nearly causing her soul to leave her body. She raised her head to look at Shen Miao, exclaiming: “What!”

“There’s no need for Nurse to look so surprised,” Shen Miao smiled: “When I first discovered Nurse’s treacherous heart, I was a thousand, no, ten thousand times more shocked than Nurse is now.”

“Young Miss, someone must be sowing discord. This old servant has never betrayed Young Miss. How could this old servant possibly betray Young Miss? Young Miss, you must believe this old servant!” Nurse Gui responded very quickly. After a brief moment of panic, she adopted an extremely aggrieved manner, crying injustice to high heaven, desperately trying to prove her loyalty.

“Enough.” Shen Miao waved her hand, displaying a hint of impatience: “At Wolong Temple, in the vegetarian dishes, the aphrodisiac incense—Second Aunt’s methods have always been sophisticated. She considered you a confidant when she asked for your help.”

She enunciated each word. By the time she finished the last word, Nurse Gui had gone from wanting to defend herself to being unable to utter a single word.

She stared blankly at Shen Miao, her eyes filled with indescribable terror.

“Nurse probably doesn’t know how to read and doesn’t know the phrase ‘the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.’ Nurse has served two masters, and I’d like to hear, in your eyes, are Second Aunt’s methods more clever, or am I more skilled?”

“You mean you…” Nurse Gui managed to utter a few words with difficulty.

“That’s right, it was me.” Shen Miao’s voice was very low, so low that only Nurse Gui could hear. She said, “Originally, I was the one who was supposed to be violated, so why did it end up being Elder Sister? Naturally, it wasn’t a coincidence—it was all my doing.”

Suspecting something was one thing, but hearing it directly was another. Nurse Gui looked fearfully at the young lady before her, who was half-crouching, smiling at her. Those clear eyes, under the bluish-green light, resembled the eyes of a wild beast, unnaturally bright in the darkness, and terrifyingly so. How could someone with such a gentle and fair appearance be so frightening?

Regarding why Shen Miao and Shen Qing had mysteriously switched places, Nurse Gui had been pondering this question since being thrown into the woodshed. She had considered whether Shen Miao might have been involved, but quickly dismissed this absurd notion. Shen Miao had grown up under her watch, and Nurse Gui knew exactly what she was capable of. By nature, she was foolish and soft-hearted, utterly incapable of such a scheme. Yet now, Shen Miao was openly admitting it to her face, without even trying to conceal it. If it were anyone else, Nurse Gui would think them arrogant and stupid, but now, she dared not view Shen Miao through an ordinary lens anymore.

“Young Miss…” She opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say. Since Shen Miao already knew about the matter, there was no chance she would rescue her.

“Second Aunt’s methods have always been ruthless. Although she valued you, after this incident, your future is certainly bleak. What a pity.” Her words carried regret, as if she truly sympathized with Nurse Gui’s fate.

Nurse Gui feared Ren Wanyun’s methods, and Shen Miao’s words sparked hope in her heart. She immediately fell to her knees, repeatedly kowtowing to Shen Miao: “Young Miss, please save this old servant just this once. This old servant never intended to harm Young Miss. Second, Madam threatened this old servant with my son and grandson; this old servant was forced to comply. For the sake of Master and Madam, for the sake of this old servant’s fifteen years of service to Young Miss, please save this old servant!”

Her head hit the ground with a “bang, bang” sound. In the past, given Shen Miao’s respect for her, she would never have allowed Nurse Gui to bow so low. But now… she was the Empress Shen of Ming Qi, to whom civil and military officials had knelt. She could certainly accept the obeisance of a traitorous servant!

“I came here tonight to repay Nurse Gui for her many years of kindness toward me,” Shen Miao suddenly said.

Upon hearing this, Nurse Gui was immediately overjoyed and exclaimed loudly: “This old servant knew Young Miss was kind-hearted, so loyal and righteous. In the future, the Buddha will bless Young Miss with a smooth life, and those who wish to harm Young Miss will all meet terrible ends!”

Shen Miao laughed inwardly; Nurse Gui’s fence-sitting was truly remarkable.

She also raised her voice: “It’s not just for that. That day at Wolong Temple, didn’t Nurse Gui have a heart-to-heart conversation with me? From that moment, I knew that in this world, Nurse Gui truly had my best interests at heart.”

Nurse Gui was somewhat bewildered, not understanding what Shen Miao meant. Just a moment ago, she hated her intensely, but now she was suddenly offering comfort. Regardless, Nurse Gui felt full of hope and immediately followed Shen Miao’s lead: “Yes, this old servant has always stood by Young Miss’s side from beginning to end. Only Young Miss is this old servant’s master. This old servant will be loyal to Young Miss for a lifetime!”

Suddenly, there was a noise from outside the window, as if something had been bumped into. Nurse Gui was startled and looked toward the outside, but in the pitch-black room, how could she see anything?

Unable to see anything, she turned back to look at Shen Miao, putting on a sorrowful expression: “Can Young Miss get me out of here now? It’s too dark and damp here. With this old servant’s body, I’m afraid I can’t hold out much longer…”

“Don’t worry, you won’t need to hold out for long. After all, you’re about to die anyway.”

“What?” Nurse Gui abruptly raised her head, looking at Shen Miao in complete confusion: “This old servant doesn’t understand Young Miss’s meaning…”

“The person outside just now was sent by Second Aunt. I suppose they have already discovered that I’ve come to visit Nurse Gui,” Shen Miao said with a smile. “That being the case, what hope of survival does Nurse Gui have?”

“This old servant doesn’t understand…” Nurse Gui instinctively straightened up. She felt an ominous unease in her heart but didn’t understand what Shen Miao meant.

“You don’t understand?” Shen Miao tilted her head in thought. “What did Nurse just say loudly? Do you still remember?”

At these words, Nurse Gui indeed tried to recall, and then her expression changed, her face turning deathly pale in an instant.

She had just loudly proclaimed that she had always stood by Shen Miao’s side from beginning to end, and that only Shen Miao was her master.

Certainly, these words were meant to flatter Shen Miao, to show loyalty in the hope that Shen Miao would rescue her. But if Ren Wanyun’s people heard these words, what would they think? That day, Shen Qing and Shen Miao had inexplicably switched places—there had already been suspicions that Shen Miao had somehow intervened. The only reason they hadn’t believed it was because they couldn’t understand how Shen Miao could have anticipated things.

But what if Nurse Gui had informed Shen Miao, and they had conspired together to scheme against Shen Qing? Everything would make sense.

This wasn’t the truth, but in Ren Wanyun’s ears, it would be the truth!

Before Nurse Gui could even feel fear, Shen Miao spoke again. She said softly, “What I want to give Nurse as repayment is this great gift. Does Nurse think it’s good?”

Nurse Gui stared intensely at Shen Miao. Only now did she realize that from the beginning, she had been led by the nose by Shen Miao. Whatever Shen Miao said, she believed. The relationship between her and Shen Miao had completely reversed. But Shen Miao was more unpredictable than her, turning hostile without warning, and Nurse Gui couldn’t fathom what Shen Miao’s purpose was.

“I came for only one purpose, which is to send Nurse on her way.” As if guessing Nurse Gui’s confusion, Shen Miao smiled as she spoke.

Nurse Gui’s body trembled. She wanted to cry out, but couldn’t make a sound. The infant in swaddling clothes had somehow become a true young lady, and this young lady’s other side had never been discovered by anyone, not even by her. She wanted to resist violently, to scream and curse, but when she met those beast-like eyes, she couldn’t help but tremble.

“Our Shen family doesn’t keep disloyal people. Even if Nurse becomes a vengeful ghost in the underworld and seeks revenge against me, I am not afraid. Perhaps I will have to fight with Nurse once more.” Her words were colder than her smile: “It’s not that I betrayed Nurse, but that Nurse betrayed me.”

“It’s a pity about Nurse’s son and grandson. Second Aunt is always thorough in her actions. Perhaps Nurse will reunite with them soon.”

“No…” Nurse Gui’s body shook, tears and mucus flowing together, crying pitifully: “Please, save them…”

“I already said, I won’t waste my energy on a disloyal servant.” Shen Miao’s words were cruel and cold: “Standing by and watching is my greatest mercy.”

She slowly leaned forward, as if whispering secrets to Nurse Gui like she did as a child, and said faintly: “For the sake of our master-servant relationship of more than ten years, I came to see Nurse Gui one last time.”

“Nurse Gui, farewell.”

Her fair face bloomed with a charming smile. What should have been a cute and delicate face was instead cruel and chilling.

Nurse Gui wanted to say something, but then saw Shen Miao stand up, putting her cloak back on. The hem of the cloak traced a pale white arc in the darkness, like white paper money fluttering over a coffin. The bluish-green lantern was carried out of the room, and as the door closed, everything returned to darkness, with despair surging in from all sides.

Outside, Bailu and Shuangjiang saw Shen Miao come out and both sighed in relief, supporting Shen Miao as they turned to leave.

After they left, a woman’s figure appeared from the flower bushes, watching Shen Miao’s retreating back, then looking at the tightly closed woodshed door, revealing a hateful expression.

…

Several autumn rains had fallen in consecutive days, and finally, the skies cleared.

Everything in the General’s Mansion seemed to have returned to its former tranquility, but the occasional scent of medicine from the East Court was a reminder of the tumult that had recently occurred in the Shen Mansion.

Shen Qing’s mind seemed to be gradually recovering; at least she no longer went into a frenzy at the sight of people. However, Ren Wanyun was afraid she might be traumatized again, so these days she had kept her confined in Caiyun Courtyard, not allowing her out. Fearing that Shen Qing might commit suicide, she watched over her constantly. As a result, all household matters were handed over to Chen Ruoqiu to manage. Ren Wanyun rarely left her courtyard, which gave Shen Miao a few rare days of peace.

But this didn’t mean nothing had happened. Nurse Gui was finally executed a few days later. The accusation was that she had secretly colluded with villains to harm Shen Qing. Now no one in the Shen Mansion dared to mention Shen Qing’s incident in front of Shen Miao anymore. It wasn’t because the matter had been settled, but because of what Shen Miao had said in Rongjing Hall that day, which made these people wary and afraid to make a move.

They didn’t dare to touch Shen Miao, but they could still harm Nurse Gui, Shen Miao’s nursemaid.

According to household law, Nurse Gui was to be beaten to death. Generally, when servants committed offenses worthy of death, the more important ones would be beaten to death, while for ordinary servants, a vial of poison would suffice. In any case, the master held the servant’s contract, and no one cared whether they lived or died.

But Nurse Gui’s death was particularly miserable. Her limbs seemed to have been broken while she was still alive. Not a single bone in her body remained intact; she bled from all seven orifices, appearing extremely terrifying. Even the servants who carried the corpse dared not look at it, yet Ren Wanyun specifically ordered Shen Miao to claim the body.

The maid Xiang Lan, sent by Ren Wanyun, said: “Madam says that although Nurse Gui committed a wrong and was executed, she was ultimately Fifth Miss’s servant. So the arrangements for her remains should be handled by Fifth Miss. Nurse Gui’s body has been placed in the courtyard of the West Court. Fifth Miss should go see to it quickly.”

Everyone probably wanted to see Shen Miao panic, since all the servants in the Shen Mansion knew that Nurse Gui was Shen Miao’s confidant. Now that she had met with a miserable death, they expected Shen Miao would be heartbroken.

Ren Wanyun probably thought the same, believing that Shen Miao would blame herself for Nurse Gui’s death. However, that day, in front of all the West Court servants, Shen Miao walked up to Nurse Gui’s corpse, lifted the white cloth, and looked at the miserably dead body without changing her expression, not even furrowing her brow.

Xiang Lan was amazed at Shen Miao’s calmness, and then heard Shen Miao coldly bark: “Nurse Gui used to act tyrannically in the West Court, deceiving superiors and subordinates, a servant acting above her station, arrogant and domineering. Such a servant, even without committing a wrong, would not be kept in the West Court. Today you all see, in the future, anyone who follows Nurse Gui’s example will meet the same fate!”

Most of the people in the West Court were spies planted by the Second and Third Households. Having seen Nurse Gui reign supreme alone, and now witnessing her miserable death while Shen Miao remained so cold, they couldn’t help but feel fear in their hearts.

Seeing this situation, Xiang Lan thought, “This is bad.” Originally intending to frighten Shen Miao, she instead allowed Shen Miao to establish her authority through Nurse Gui’s death. She immediately returned to Caiyun Courtyard to report this to Ren Wanyun.

“It’s ruined! We’ve fallen into her trap!” Upon hearing this, Ren Wanyun’s hand went slack, and her teacup dropped to the floor, shattering into pieces.

“Madam…” Caiju was perplexed.

Ren Wanyun gritted her teeth: “Nurse Gui was just a pawn. It seems that little slut had long wanted to get rid of Nurse Gui but used our hands to do it. Now she has even established her authority in the West Court. That little slut’s calculations are quite shrewd!”

Ren Wanyun wasn’t stupid, but as a mother, she had inevitably lost her usual composure in the matter concerning Shen Qing. That night, the person sent to find Nurse Gui had seen Shen Miao go to her and had heard fragments of their conversation from outside—Nurse Gui seemed to be utterly loyal to Shen Miao. After reporting this to Ren Wanyun, she became convinced that the reason Shen Qing had been harmed was that Nurse Gui and Shen Miao had conspired to switch the two.

With this thought in mind, her hatred for Shen Miao and Nurse Gui grew like a raging flood. Shen Miao couldn’t be touched for now, but Nurse Gui, a mere servant, could be. So she used the most cruel method to make Nurse Gui suffer before death. She had thought that when Shen Miao saw Nurse Gui dead, she would be heartbroken. But now, after hearing Xiang Lan’s words, Ren Wanyun realized she had been manipulated by Shen Miao.

Everything had been orchestrated by Shen Miao, and she had executed the “kill with a borrowed knife” strategy more brilliantly than anyone.

Ren Wanyun was furious. For many years, she had sailed smoothly through the inner court; all of Shen Gui’s concubines had been subdued by her. Yet now she had been repeatedly defeated by a mere girl. Ren Wanyun was, needless to say, enraged.

“Has the letter to the Prince of Yu been delivered?” Ren Wanyun asked.

“It has been delivered, but Madam, if Master finds out, he will surely be angry,” Caiju replied cautiously.

Now, regarding Shen Qing’s matter, Shen Gui was trying every means to conceal it from the Prince of Yu for a while, hoping the Prince would not discover it. But Ren Wanyun couldn’t wait for the Prince of Yu to find out, because with the Prince of Yu’s temperament, if anyone dared to play tricks and schemes under his nose, that person would surely come to a bad end.

Even if it meant quarreling with Shen Gui, she had to avenge Shen Qing. If Shen Miao dared to threaten the entire Shen family, would she dare to threaten the Prince of Yu?

“I want her to die without a burial place!” Ren Wanyun gritted her teeth.

…

“Miss is playing chess again.” Bailu shook her head, somewhat puzzled: “What’s the point of playing chess alone?”

“What else is there to do?” Shuangjiang glanced at the person at the table, saying angrily: “Confined all day, unable to even leave the courtyard. If this continues, there’ll be nothing to do during the daytime.”

“Shh—” Bailu said softly: “Don’t say that. Miss is already unhappy about being confined. Don’t bring it up and make her angry.”

Shuangjiang grumbled: “Our Miss has a good temperament. She won’t get angry.”

Speaking of which, it had been a long time since anyone had seen Shen Miao angry. Not just anger—she showed no obvious emotions at all. The former Shen Miao, though foolish and timid, had clear emotions: happiness was happiness, sadness was sadness. But now, even her closest maids couldn’t understand her. If people’s growth usually happens gradually, then Shen Miao’s transformation seemed to have occurred overnight.

From being simple and weak to calm and impassive—how she had changed like this, no one knew.

“Bailu.” Just as they were talking, they heard Shen Miao call her name. Bailu hurriedly went forward to answer.

“The golden jewelry in the silver jewelry box in the cabinet, find a time to pawn that too.” She said without turning her head.

“Yes,” Bailu quickly answered, then paused: “But Miss, just yesterday we pawned a box of jewelry. This is the last box.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Shen Miao put down a chess piece: “We won’t need it anyway. After pawning it, give the silver notes to Jingzhe, and ask Guyu to come in.”

Bailu acknowledged and left, but was puzzled in her heart. Shen Miao’s hurry to pawn jewelry seemed like she was in urgent need of money. What was that money for?

Kuaihuo Tower was the largest restaurant in the capital, located in the heart of a bustling area. Opposite Kuaihuo Tower was a row of brothels. After feasting at Kuaihuo Tower, nobles and officials would typically cross to the flower houses to seek pleasure. The brothels were divided into several tiers, with the most prestigious on the upper floors. The top floor housed the “qing guan” courtesans—those who sold their art but not their bodies. Below them were some famous courtesans, and the lowest were the ninth-rank brothels. Such places were not worthy of being called “towers” or “courtyards” but could only be called “troupes” or “lodgings.”

“Sanfu Troupe” was just opposite Kuaihuo Tower, among the lowest-grade brothels. Those who frequented it were mostly laborers of the lowest class, and often diseased girls on the brink of death would be thrown out onto the street. Vagrants on the street would take these girls back, perhaps to vent frustrations, or perhaps because their clothes could still be sold for a copper coin. Compared to the elegance of Kuaihuo Tower, the Sanfu Troupe across the street was veritable hell on earth.

By the window of Kuaihuo Tower, a young man in spotless white sleeves frowned as he looked toward Sanfu Troupe across the street. He saw people throwing new girls inside; the girls struggled and cried incessantly. It seemed another master had sent their servants there. Some young maids were beautiful, and jealous mistresses would sell them to Sanfu Troupe to prevent them from climbing into their husbands’ beds.

“How cruel.” The young man in white shook his head. Though his tone was sympathetic, he showed no intention of going down to help.

Across from him, a young nobleman in purple exuded nobility. He merely poured wine, saying faintly: “The person has already entered the Prince of Yu’s mansion. Whether we can find them remains to be seen.”

“What if we can’t find them?” The man in white turned to look at him.

“Continue searching.” The youth in purple smiled, his mischievous smile particularly handsome, captivating even the courtesan playing string music nearby, who lost focus and played a wrong note.

Seeing this, the man in white teased: “Xie San, your charm is greater than ever now. Even beauties favor you—how am I supposed to live?”

He pretended to sigh, though this young man in white was also very handsome. But compared to the youth in purple, he lacked that lazy nobility. The youth’s expression was languid, but his eyes were sharp, like the sun in the sky, naturally dazzling. Standing beside him, others’ radiance would naturally be overshadowed.

“Gao Yang, if you like, I’ll… bestow you a roomful, how about that?” Xie Jingxing glanced at him.

“Forget it,” the white-clothed young man called Gao Yang quickly waved his hand and smiled bitterly: “Beauties are to be admired from afar, not to be played with. I don’t have that much energy. As for you,” he took a sip of wine: “You’re at the age when young men are unrestrained. How can you not have beautiful companions by your side? In Ming Qi, if you wanted, there would surely be crowds of people falling over themselves for you.”

“Beautiful companions,” Xie Jingxing smiled: “How do you know they’re not beautiful skeletons?”

“Don’t say such frightening things,” Gao Yang pointed at the brothels across the street: “Look at those girls on the upper floors, how lovely they are. What skulls and skeletons? That’s nonsense.”

Xie Jingxing followed his gaze and suddenly paused, a flash of surprise passing through his dark eyes.

“Why is he here?”