For three consecutive days, Dong Chengfeng felt his body becoming lighter. In his free time, he even thought about his future life.

Going to the Qinhuai River was due to his master’s orders.

Coming to the Crown Prince’s residence was due to having no choice.

After leaving the Crown Prince’s residence—what would he do?

For three consecutive nights, he couldn’t figure it out.

Not only couldn’t he figure it out, he even lost interest in looking at the beauties. He felt they were indescribably noisy and irritating, quite vulgar.

At night when going to play the qin for Zhao the Fox, he couldn’t help asking again: “What about those who indulge in lust daily?”

Zhao the Fox glanced over coolly. “The character for lust has a blade above it.”

“Then why do you keep so many concubines around?”

Dong Chengfeng curled his lip: “Aren’t you afraid the blade will fall?”

“Very afraid.” The old fox closed his eyes and said no more.

That night, Dong Chengfeng suffered insomnia again.

If he was afraid, why keep them all around one by one? And keeping them around but not using them—wasn’t that wasteful?

“Some people—he has no choice but to keep them around, then uses the people behind these women to weave a vast network of relationships.”

Yan Sanhe said, “He is the king in this network.”

“How do you know these things at such a young age?”

After asking, Dong Chengfeng suddenly waved his hand impatiently: “Look at what I’m asking—how redundant. If you didn’t know these things, that would truly be absurd.”

What did he mean?

Yan Sanhe didn’t have time to think deeply before hearing him continue: “I only understood the true meaning of Zhao the Fox’s words ‘very afraid’ half a month later.”

That day was the Crown Princess’s thirty-ninth birthday.

In the evening, he was summoned to play a piece for the Crown Princess to liven up the banquet.

Calling it a banquet, it was actually a family feast. After asking Xiao Ze, he learned that the Crown Prince’s residence hadn’t held large banquets for several years—even the Crown Prince’s birthday was kept simple.

He was puzzled and asked, “Why?”

Xiao Ze looked at him expressionlessly: “Don’t ask!”

“Yan Sanhe, people all have curiosity.”

Dong Chengfeng tapped the small table with his finger: “Tell me, with a person like Zhao the Fox right in front of you, wouldn’t you be curious?”

“Curious!”

“Would you investigate?”

“Investigate!”

“It’s precisely because of these two words ‘curiosity’ that I walked step by step to where I am today.”

Yan Sanhe: “…”

“Never mind, let’s not discuss that first.”

Dong Chengfeng coughed and pulled back his thoughts. “Let’s return to the Crown Princess’s birthday.”

When he arrived, he saw beside Zhao the Fox sat a dignified and noble woman with a round face that clearly showed good fortune.

The couple sat in the main seats, with more than a dozen women of various figures seated below.

Each was more beautiful than the last, each more exquisitely dressed.

Only then did Dong Chengfeng suddenly realize that the truly beautiful and outstanding women in this world were all hidden in imperial households.

Compared to them, those along the Qinhuai River could only be called common rouge.

These women all looked at Zhao the Fox with tender feelings—some with more reserved gazes, some more direct.

Zhao the Fox’s lips curved slightly, like an absolutely devoted good man, speaking with each of them one by one.

This was a Zhao the Fox that Dong Chengfeng had never seen before.

So much so that he somewhat doubted whether that weary man he lulled to sleep with his qin each night was truly the same person before him now.

After paying his respects, he sat outside the water pavilion. After finishing one piece, the Crown Princess praised him a few times and rewarded him with fine wine and delicacies.

He originally wanted to return to his courtyard to eat, but Xiao Ze told him to wait, saying the Crown Princess wanted to hear more music later.

So he sat alone outside the water pavilion, slowly drinking wine while keeping his ears perked to listen to the activity inside.

No other intention.

He just wanted to see what kind of blade hung over the old fox’s head.

After watching for the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Dong Chengfeng silently apologized to the common rouge along the Qinhuai River.

Though they were common, at least they spoke in words people could understand, drank wine straightforwardly and cleanly, smiled and accompanied openly, direct and honest.

These concubines, however—every sentence took seven or eight turns before coming out, hiding seventeen or eighteen thoughts in their words.

Clearly they seemed to be praising you, but think carefully and it was like stepping on you.

Clearly they smiled more happily than anyone, but turn around, cover with a handkerchief, and killing intent appeared at the corners of their mouths.

You threw an Iron Sand Palm at them, they returned a Bone-Melting Palm. Dong Chengfeng felt like countless blades and swords were flying back and forth before his eyes—whoosh—flying over, whoosh—flying back.

“Yan Sanhe, do you know what they were using all eighteen martial arts techniques and making such a fuss over?”

“Competing for favor isn’t their fault.”

Yan Sanhe said calmly, “One teapot, one lid—that’s just right. One pot with seventeen or eighteen lids—can you say it’s the lids’ fault?”

Dong Chengfeng: “…”

He really wanted to slam the table and stand up, point at Yan Sanhe’s nose and scold: If I don’t set it up this way, how can I highlight her uniqueness later?

Then he heard Yan Sanhe ask again, “Was Consort Xia among these concubines?”

“What are you bringing up Consort Xia for?”

Dong Chengfeng struck the qin strings: “Listen to me properly.”

“You’re telling it too slowly!”

“It must be slow!”

Dong Chengfeng pointed at Yan Sanhe’s nose: “You, young lady, listen to me word by word and remember it!”

Yan Sanhe: “…”

“Hearing this, seeing this, I finally understood what Zhao the Fox meant by the blade above the character for lust.”

Dong Chengfeng said, “It’s the blade of false feelings and false intentions.”

The smiles on their faces were false, the tender feelings in their eyes were false, and the words from their mouths were even more false.

Zhao the Fox used his network to trap them; they used these false smiles, false feelings, and false words to seek benefits for their families.

This was a naked transaction disguised as romantic love between men and women. Even if there were feelings, how much was real? How many years could it last?

Only then did he understand why Zhao the Fox always slept alone—

Because these women didn’t love Zhao Rongyu. They loved the Crown Prince and the overwhelming power in the Crown Prince’s hands.

“The only one who didn’t compete for favor was the Crown Princess!”

Dong Chengfeng pointed at Yan Sanhe: “This person—you remember her well too.”

Yan Sanhe thought to herself: You don’t need to tell me, I’ll remember her well—a woman who dared to kill everyone in the Crown Prince’s residence was certainly no ordinary person.

“What kind of person was the Crown Princess?”

“In that water pavilion, the only woman Zhao the Fox truly wanted to be close to.”

Zhao the Fox’s gaze toward the Crown Princess wasn’t gentle, and he didn’t say many words to her, but everything he ate was food the Crown Princess picked for him; what he drank was wine the Crown Princess poured.

During the banquet, he coughed twice, and the Crown Princess extended her hand, gently patting his back several times.

He didn’t glance at the Crown Princess even once, but shifted his body slightly toward her, as if afraid she couldn’t reach.

“Yan Sanhe, from this one small gesture, what can you see?”

“The tacit understanding between a married couple, and trust!”