On both sides of the road stood countless ice sculptures of beautiful women, each sparkling translucently. Upon closer inspection, some had their hair ornaments and jewelry fashioned from tiny colored lights, some held exquisite ice lanterns in their hands, and some held face-covering fans that were also uniquely shaped lamps. The lamplight reflected off the ice and snow, creating a warm red glow and shimmering emerald light that spread magnificently, as if entering a fairyland.

Threading through these ice sculpture beauties, seeing their snow-white cheeks and ice-like skin that seemed almost real, created another kind of peculiar sensation.

Even the Fifteenth Prince, born into royalty and raised in the palace, had never seen such ingenious design and lavish expenditure. It truly was “white jade halls with golden horses, pearls like iron and jade like mud.”

Although Ruzhou was the royal capital, precisely because it was at the Great King’s feet, it adhered to the Great King’s dignified and modest style, not daring to be so extravagant and ostentatious.

Inside the pavilion, beautiful women danced in groups, their emerald sleeves fluttering gracefully. The banquet style was also very special – in the spacious warm pavilion, all the tables were arranged along the surrounding walls with food and wine placed upon them for anyone to take at will, while the center was left as a large open space for dancing girls to perform or for sumo wrestling entertainment.

When the Fifteenth Prince entered the pavilion accompanied by the Kunming Prefect, everyone rose with cups in hand to welcome him. Among the crowd, the Fifteenth Prince spotted some familiar faces – people who, when encountered in Ruzhou before, would hardly spare him a glance.

Now they welcomed him with smiles, their eyes showing the kind of closeness tempered with propriety that high officials were most skilled at displaying.

This kind of gaze made one feel very comfortable. The Fifteenth Prince had never enjoyed such treatment before, and now he felt that the taste was indeed very good.

The novel banquet style also excited him greatly. With all the food and wine simply placed on tables for anyone to take freely, there was no possibility of someone specifically targeting him with poison, allowing his constantly vigilant heart to relax considerably.

He also took a cup of wine, and the four guards following behind him immediately stepped forward with serious expressions to test for poison.

This was arranged by the Imperial Guard commander – the royal court could not afford to lose another prince.

The Fifteenth Prince greatly enjoyed such tension, patiently waiting for the guards to test the wine before taking the cup and amiably chatting with people.

The officials from Ruzhou and Kunming suddenly discovered that this previously unremarkable drunkard with a poor reputation was actually quite insightful when sober, his words like pearls and gems.

Moreover, his manner was composed, affectionate yet not lacking in nobility, his bearing no less impressive than the previous princes.

The officials sighed inwardly – this one was likely to be the future heir to the throne.

The Fifteenth Prince was in excellent spirits.

Because he discovered that everyone now addressed him as “Your Highness” rather than “Fifteenth Highness.”

Dancing girls fluttered gracefully through the crowd, their red scarves and emerald sleeves occasionally brushing past guests’ faces. Some of the more frivolous ones would either offer wine or chase after people, tugging at their sleeves to strike up conversations.

Under the gleaming pearls’ illumination, every dancing girl was a stunning beauty.

While the Fifteenth Prince’s eyes lingered on the dancing girls, he walked toward a man who was the younger brother of the Chief Administrator of the Personnel Ministry. The Fifteenth Prince planned to cultivate this relationship to secure good positions for several of his trusted associates.

A dancing girl spun over in her dance.

She seemed to be the most beautiful among the dancing girls, with a supple waist and eyes like the deep, profound sea, mysterious and intoxicating.

Her deep red silk gauze wide sleeves embroidered with gold thread and velvet peonies carried fragrant wind as they brushed past his face. Her delicate fingers, partially visible and painted with bright rouge, gracefully picked up an opened wine jar from a nearby table. With a beautiful dance move – a spinning backward iron bridge pose – she inverted the wine pot, pouring a clear stream that filled his half-empty wine cup.

The dancing girl did not linger. With another spin, her skirts fluttering, she had already danced away from his side, leaving only a fleeting seductive glance and lingering fragrance.

Light, charming, lively – like a fairy briefly gliding over waves.

Applause erupted from all sides.

The Fifteenth Prince’s soul nearly flew out halfway. In this room full of envious gazes, he felt dizzy and intoxicated, unable to think of anything, instinctively taking a sip of the wine in his cup.

It was exceptionally fragrant.

His guards behind him normally checked every cup, but now they were caught off guard. They exchanged glances, thinking that since they had witnessed the wine being taken from the table and others had poured from the same source before and after, it should be fine.

The Fifteenth Prince was unusually restrained today – after all, he needed to create the image of a prodigal son reformed. He merely tasted and stopped, setting down his wine cup.

Suddenly the lights dimmed and the silk and bamboo music began to play languidly. People all around showed mysterious and excited smiles. The Fifteenth Prince looked around in puzzlement, not understanding what was happening that only he was unaware of.

Then he heard people’s excited exclamations.

Turning his head, his blood surged.

Without knowing when, the dancing girls had all thrown off their outer feathered robes and celestial garments with a flick of their hands, leaving only tube tops and long skirts, revealing jade-like shoulders, willow-slender waists, delicate collarbones, and the slight curves above their tube tops.

Suddenly the room was filled with snow-white skin and intoxicating fragrance.

The Fifteenth Prince was known for loving wine and women, but he had never seen such a spectacle. Only now did he understand what the Kunming Prefect’s mysterious smile had meant when making his earlier promises.

But when he looked up, his nose grew hot and when he touched it, his hand came away red.

The excitement had actually given him a nosebleed.

He quickly lowered his head, covering his nose with his sleeve, planning to go clean up.

However, the facilities were outside the pavilion in a separate small hall. He hurried outside, and many people in the venue saw his nosebleed, but this reaction was completely normal for first-time visitors. Everyone showed understanding smiles and pretended not to notice.

The four guards were about to follow when the Personnel Ministry official’s brother, who had been chatting happily with the Fifteenth Prince, stopped them with a laugh: “Don’t embarrass your master. Just wait here. There are people everywhere inside and out, and there’s more entertainment outside. Nothing can happen.”

The guards also saw their master’s nosebleed and understood it was inconvenient to follow closely, so they watched from a distance.

They watched as the Fifteenth Prince quickly walked out onto the crystal sand path, where ice sculpture beauties still waited along the roadside with flowing light and overflowing colors.

The small hall for personal needs was directly across from the warm pavilion – just cross the beauty path. The four guards stood at the warm pavilion entrance to wait.

The Fifteenth Prince walked onto the beauty path.

The ice sculpture beauty ahead smiled warmly, holding a lotus lamp.

As he passed by, the lotus lamp suddenly rose, brushing against his arm.

The Fifteenth Prince was startled and looked at the back of his hand – there was a slight burn mark.

Probably the wind.

He continued forward.

The second beauty stood in a high pose, dancing with one hand raised in a phoenix beak shape.

The Fifteenth Prince passed under her palm.

He felt a slight coolness on top of his head.

He reached up to touch it but felt nothing.

The distant guards watched and saw him seeming to touch the ice sculpture beauties, unable to help but laugh.

After passing several more beauties, the Fifteenth Prince suddenly felt an eerie sensation.

It seemed as if those beauties were all watching him.

He spun around abruptly.

The ice sculptures were still ice sculptures. The guards were looking over from not far away. The warm pavilion was filled with singing and dancing, bustling with activity.

Nothing unusual.

He continued toward the toilet.

Ahead were two women playing chess, their slender jade fingers holding white chess pieces. Pearls were embedded beneath the chess board, their brilliant luster making the beauties’ dark eyes seem full of emotion.

He felt that beauty seemed to move her eyes to glance at him.

Looking again, it was still an ice sculpture.

The Fifteenth Prince hurried around the ice sculpture.

This ice sculpture, featuring a pair of women with a chess board, was located at a corner and was quite large, just blocking the guards’ line of sight from the opposite side.

Now before the Fifteenth Prince was the last ice sculpture beauty – on the base, a beauty danced with a sword, the long blade gleaming coldly, pointed directly at him.

Behind the beauty, at the toilet entrance, stood attending servants.

Seeing that the toilet also had people guarding it, the Fifteenth Prince breathed a long sigh of relief.

Suddenly he felt numbness behind him.

The Fifteenth Prince felt his entire upper body stiffen, but his legs could still move. He staggered forward a step, wanting to turn his head to see what was wrong, but found he couldn’t turn around.

He tried to raise his hand – he had some natural talent and could release lightning – but his hands wouldn’t lift.

He tried to shout.

The sword-dancing beauty in front suddenly moved.

Gently thrusting the long sword forward.

An ice needle shot from the sword tip, entering directly into his wide-open mouth.

The cold, numbing sensation flashed from his throat throughout his entire body like lightning.

The Fifteenth Prince despairingly discovered that his legs could still move.

He mechanically took several steps forward, reaching the toilet entrance.

Two young servants at the toilet entrance bowed respectfully.

He even bumped into the Kunming Prefect who was just coming out of the toilet, along with a Ruzhou Cavalry Camp regiment commander. The two men emerged together, and seeing him, both bowed and smiled: “Your Highness, there’s no one inside now – very convenient.”

There were still bloodstains under his nose that hadn’t been completely wiped clean. Everyone knew he had been embarrassed, and out of respect, no one looked closely at his face.

When those two emerged, they even thoughtfully ordered the servants at the entrance to move farther away, not needing to attend personally.

The back of the toilet was against a wall, with a large army guarding outside. The toilet had just been used by them and was completely empty with no one inside – it was extremely safe.

The Fifteenth Prince couldn’t move his upper body, couldn’t speak, and couldn’t grab them to call for help. Yet perversely, his legs could move. He stiffly turned around, wanting to follow those two men back to the warm pavilion for rescue, but one of the two servants approached and smiled: “You’ve had some wine – let this servant assist you.”

He then helped him inside, supporting him to a stall and thoughtfully closing the door.

Those two officials watched with smiles. Seeing the servant exit, they nodded with satisfaction.

They didn’t leave either, waiting outside and talking together to show their unusual intimacy.

Two men chatted outside the toilet, a servant waited outside the stall, and guards waited at the warm pavilion entrance three zhang away.

The Fifteenth Prince saw from the corner of his eye that the back of his hand had already turned black.

People were everywhere.

So close at hand.

A hand’s reach away, a shout away from countless people rushing over.

Yet he couldn’t reach, couldn’t shout. Life was right beside him, but he couldn’t take even one more step.

Only now did he know – this was the most frightening, helpless, and desperate moment of his life.

Also the most regretful moment.

It turned out that before Little Eighteenth’s endless methods, all confidence was merely self-delusion.

The languid music in the warm pavilion grew ever softer and lower, the lights dimmer.

The dancing girls writhed and undulated on the carpets, and someone had a nosebleed.

This person also wanted to go to the toilet to clean up, but someone beside him handed over a handkerchief, laughing: “There’s a good show coming soon – leave now and you’ll regret it.”

That person laughingly accepted the handkerchief and carelessly wiped.

The Fifteenth Prince stood rigidly in the stall. This toilet wasn’t actually a seat but a dug-out squatting pit, quite wide, with sand and soil at the bottom, and water too.

Above the squatting pit was also a huge box-like thing. The Fifteenth Prince knew this was a water tank – squatting pit flushing was a toilet configuration left from the previous dynasty that many nobles preferred.

He struggled to move his steps, wanting to use his body to knock open the door, but his body tilted and he fell into the squatting pit.

A light splashing sound.

At this moment, cheers erupted from the warm pavilion.

The music’s rhythm changed again – restless, low, seductive. The dancing girls slowly twisted their waists in the changing lights, reminiscent of beautiful snakes gracefully slithering near.

The guards at the warm pavilion entrance turned to look.

The two men chatting at the entrance also turned back.

The servant just a door away must have heard.

They lowered their eyes and remained expressionless.

The Fifteenth Prince who had fallen into the squatting pit didn’t feel any stench – his entire body including his senses had long been numb, his whole person as if sealed in armor, separated from the world by a thick, chaotic darkness.

In the warm pavilion, the dancing girls began performing Western dances, their snow-white bellies heaving rhythmically.

The cheers nearly burst through the roof, and someone excitedly smashed a wine pot.

While struggling, the Fifteenth Prince somehow triggered something – the water tank above suddenly opened, and with a rush, water poured down.

The Fifteenth Prince was swept by that tremendous current toward unknown darkness. The terror of drowning made him burst forth with tremendous strength, and his feet actually managed to hook onto the edge of the pit wall.

In the warm pavilion, the dancing girls suddenly lay down on the ground, feet toward the sky, shaking rapidly. Their skirts spread on the ground, their slender, straight legs glistened with oil.

Someone brazenly rushed forward to touch them, causing a burst of merry laughter.

The Fifteenth Prince’s feet finally weakened and dropped, pushed forward by the current. Ahead was a round opening, and he could vaguely see water in the opening rising halfway, gleaming with the greasy light of rouge and powder and the slightly fishy smell of wine.

Like a greedy, gaping black maw waiting for delicious food to fall in.

The Fifteenth Prince was irresistibly pushed by the current toward that great maw.

The music was passionate, and everyone in the warm pavilion had gone mad.

No one remembered where the guest of honor who had gone to cover his embarrassment was now – perhaps he had returned, perhaps not. With the changing lights, you couldn’t see clearly across the room. Who knew?

Those waiting at the toilet entrance were very patient – perhaps the Fifteenth Prince had stomach troubles?

Someone pushed open the warm pavilion door, clutching his stomach as the clamorous sounds burst out.

That person clutched his stomach and rushed quickly into the toilet. The two men waiting at the entrance laughed: “Old Wu, go to the right side – His Highness is on the left. Don’t disturb him.”

That person nodded hurriedly, finished his business quickly, let out a comfortable sigh, and afraid of the smell affecting His Highness, quickly pulled the water tank rope.

The great maw was right before his eyes, the round opening representing his final destination. The Fifteenth Prince tried to position his body sideways for one last struggle.

Suddenly a current rushed forward, mixed with foul-smelling filth. The Fifteenth Prince’s body, which had barely managed to turn slightly sideways, was straightened and plunged directly into the pit opening.

In the toilet, the person who had just relieved himself impatiently rushed back to the warm pavilion, his boots making fine crushing sounds on the crystal sand.

The several guards at the warm pavilion entrance excitedly discussed how that dance was also imported from the West, extremely bold and moving.

However, the two men waiting at the toilet entrance felt something was wrong – even with stomach troubles, this was taking too long.

The two men exchanged glances. The Kunming Prefect, as host, stepped forward first and knocked on the stall door: “Your Highness? Your Highness?”

After a moment, his face changed slightly, and he forcefully pushed open the door.

The empty stall made him gasp coldly. After another moment, a scream exploded at the toilet entrance.

“His Highness has disappeared!”

…

Thick fur rugs muffled footsteps, yet there were continuous tinkling sounds – those were jewelry like moon pendants, jade rings, gold hairpins, and precious ornaments constantly falling, dropping into the glossy fur with no one picking them up.

Deep red silk gauze skirts embroidered with gold thread and velvet peonies fell in layers. A pair of bare feet kicked off ankle bells and put on ordinary white socks.

Someone in the room seemed to be splashing something, and the room was filled with the smell of oil. A woman’s voice said quietly: “After tonight, the Clear Wine Emerald Sleeve Tower will have to close.”

The person changing clothes sat in a chair, bending their knees to put on boots, speaking with complete indifference: “Close if it closes, seal it if it’s sealed. People are more important than money. Has everyone left?”

“They’ve all left through the secret passage in the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion’s interlayer, in batches. Those bastards are all embracing and gnawing at each other – no one noticed.”

“Good.” The man stood up – extremely tall, almost touching the ceiling. “Proceed according to plan.”

The woman sighed.

The man patted her shoulder: “Is this little thing worth such concern? Out with the old, in with the new. When we take down Liaodong and Da Qian, I’ll open a hundred Emerald Sleeve Towers for you. Don’t worry – if I lack anything else, I have plenty of money.”

The woman smiled through her tears, personally opened the window, watched the man gracefully disappear into the darkness, then climbed over the window sill herself and casually tossed down a lit fire starter.

…

The warm pavilion had become a scene of demons dancing wildly. When the Cavalry General responsible for nearby security hurriedly arrived, his repeated shouts failed to make this group turn around.

The room was filled with smoke. When soldiers forcefully opened the doors, the Imperial Guard commander who hurried over smelled a strange odor and couldn’t help frowning.

It took quite a while for the smoke to clear. The Imperial Guard commander’s face changed with one glance: “Where are the dancing girls and attendants!”

The confused people looked around and only then discovered that those soul-stirring beauties and the servants who had been moving through the warm pavilion had all vanished.

The Imperial Guard commander’s voice changed: “Search!”

They found nothing. From the Clear Wine Emerald Sleeve Tower’s proprietor down to the servants, everyone had disappeared without a trace.

The search expanded outside the building, and finally soldiers found the Fifteenth Prince’s corpse in a gutter outside.

The Fifteenth Prince, who had been high-spirited earlier, was soaked in gutter water – half was the greasy pink rouge water washed from the Emerald Sleeve Tower, half was the pale yellow sewage from the toilet. The intertwining of these two extreme odors made his entire body emit a terrifyingly foul smell. The battle-hardened militia who pulled him up turned and vomited all over the ground.

The Imperial Guard commander stared at this last remaining prince from their journey, his gaze like one looking at his own future career prospects.