At dusk, the lights of the capital began to ignite one after another, and it was the time when brothels opened their doors to welcome guests.

In the carriage, Yu Lingxi followed Tang Buli’s plan and changed into a light golden gauze dress. In the rhombus mirror, the beauty had her long hair styled in a Zhaoyun bun, with a small floral mark on her forehead, cherry lips, and apricot cheeks, unparalleled in her splendor.

Tang Buli had somehow quickly obtained an entry token for the inner courtyard of the brothel.

The brothel only received male guests. Yu Lingxi had originally planned to have Qing Xiao use the token to blend in and bring Hong Zhu out.

Unexpectedly, the inner courtyard was hidden extremely deep, with one token for one guest, allowing only entry but not exit, let alone bringing out a living person.

Some messages could not be conveyed through others. Yu Lingxi had to question Hong Zhu face to face, so after careful consideration, she could only go personally to investigate.

Just as she was thinking, the carriage stopped.

Tang Buli, dressed in light apricot male attire, lifted the carriage curtain and came up.

She had pretentiously pasted two short mustaches on her lips, with a long whip coiled into circles hanging at her waist, looking exactly like a handsome and frivolous young nobleman.

Seeing Yu Lingxi all dressed up, “Young Master Tang” couldn’t help but stare in amazement: “My Sui Sui, today you are, really are…”

The Lady of Qingping Village, who disdained studying, was at a loss for words. After saying “really are” for quite a while, she still couldn’t find appropriate words to describe and clicked her tongue: “Only now do I truly feel that your title of ‘Capital’s First Beauty’ is not an exaggeration.”

With the girl wearing the makeup of a courtesan, the golden gauze was magnificent, adding an alluring tenderness that made her look not like a pampered concubine, but more like a divine consort or immortal maiden.

Yu Lingxi herself was not very comfortable with it.

The powder on her face was too thick, and her clothes were too thin. She frowned: “This attire is frivolous and too voluptuous, truly uncomfortable.”

Such bold makeup and clothing, she had only been forced to wear once in her previous life when serving Ning Yin.

If not for the fact that there was only one token, and her appearance and figure were incompatible with those of men, making her easily recognizable if dressed as a male, she wouldn’t have bothered to disguise herself as “Young Master Tang’s” favored concubine.

“Although Lanchun Pavilion doesn’t receive female guests, it allows male guests to bring their concubines for training and learning. Sui Sui, just pretend to be my favorite concubine, follow me into the inner courtyard, and then find an opportunity to look for the person you want to find.”

Tang Buli meticulously repeated the plan once more, then looked at Qing Xiao and Qing Lan, the two brothers waiting outside the carriage. “As for you two, wait in the front courtyard for assistance, don’t alarm anyone.”

After arranging everything, Yu Lingxi covered herself with a veil and followed “Young Master Tang” off the carriage.

The hustle and bustle of the lanterns immediately engulfed them, with the voices of songbirds and swallows surrounding them, extravagantly luxurious.

Upon entering the gate of Lanchun Pavilion, Yu Lingxi felt that this place was somewhat familiar.

The further she walked in, the stronger this sense of familiarity became. Until they followed the frivolously painted nine-curve gallery towards the inner courtyard, catching a distant glimpse of the upturned eaves of the western tea room, she was certain she had been here before.

Back when she was stabbed and her arm was poisoned, Ning Yin had brought her to a chamber in this inner courtyard to treat her wounds.

Ah, did Ning Yin have informants inside the Lanchun Pavilion?

Her thoughts drifted for a moment, when she saw Tang Buli beside her put an arm around her shoulder, giggling: “I’ve heard that Miss Su Qin’s Western Regions dance is unparalleled in the world. I’ve specially brought my beloved concubine to learn, so she can dance for my entertainment when we return home.”

It was a guard coming to check the entry token.

“The Young Master and Madam may enter, but…”

The guard returned the token to Tang Buli, glancing at Qing Xiao and Qing Lan behind her. “Guards and servants are not permitted inside.”

Yu Lingxi turned her head slightly, signaling with her eyes.

Qing Xiao and Qing Lan acknowledged the order, stepping back and heading separately to their designated meeting points.

The pavilions in the inner courtyard were not as flamboyant and vibrant as those in the front courtyard, but rather exceptionally elegant, with the tinkling sounds of pipa and zither audible.

The turtle servant led Tang Buli and Yu Lingxi to Miss Su Xin’s small building, but they ran into a group of noble young masters in the corridor.

The one leading them had an oily face with powder, his arm around the shoulder of the person beside him, leering: “Brother Chen, how exactly was the taste of that Red Bud girl’s three-inch tongue?”

The one called “Brother Chen” was a young man around twenty, looking quite upright with thick eyebrows and large eyes, but unfortunately, as soon as he opened his mouth, his true nature was revealed. Squinting his eyes frivolously, he said: “Soul-consuming and bone-melting, worth the trip.”

“No wonder Brother Chen lingered with her for so long! Hahahahaha…”

The lewd words that followed were unbearable to hear.

Tang Buli, who had been silent beside them, suddenly stopped.

Yu Lingxi turned around, puzzled, and called softly: “Ali?”

Tang Buli seemed not to hear, staring intently at the group of dissolute friends across from them who were patronizing courtesans together. Her handsome face suddenly darkened.

Yu Lingxi looked at her, then at the few people slowly approaching from the opposite direction, suddenly understanding: that “Brother Chen” was probably Tang Buli’s fiancé—the grandson of the Grand Tutor, Chen Jian.

Before she could pacify her, Tang Buli had already made a move.

She untied the long whip hanging at her waist, strode towards Chen Jian, and with a flick of her wrist, the whip lashed out like a snake.

The glazed lamp under the corridor went out, cries of alarm arose, and Chen Jian fell backward with a howl, a red swollen whip mark appearing on his face.

Chen Jian covered his face, shocked and angry: “Who are you? Why did you hit me!”

Tang Buli, already dissatisfied with this marriage arrangement, was now furious. Holding the whip, she sneered: “I am your Tang ancestor! I’m hitting you, a beast in human clothing, you great lecher!”

Chen Jian’s screams and his companions’ cries for help alarmed the guards downstairs. It was too late to stop it now.

Yu Lingxi could only retreat amid the chaos, turning to jog towards the utility rooms that Qing Xiao had scouted, where Hong Zhu was reportedly located.

Just as she descended the stairs, she nearly collided with someone.

Looking closely, it was a familiar face—the heir of the Marquis of Cheng’an, who had once proposed to her and later carried on with a fox-like concubine.

No wonder the inner courtyard of Lanchun Pavilion was so heavily guarded—it was truly home to dragons and tigers. Every three steps, one could bump into a high-ranking official or noble seeking entertainment.

The two had met before. Yu Lingxi hurriedly lowered her head and eyes, but was grabbed by the heir of the Marquis of Cheng’an: “Stop.”

Yu Lingxi’s heart tightened: Could it be that she had been recognized?

She lowered her head even more, with only her two crow-feather-like eyelashes fluttering outside her veil.

But then the heir of the Marquis of Cheng’an made a curious sound and looked her up and down: “What’s your name? I haven’t seen you before.”

As he spoke, he reached out to pull away her light veil.

Yu Lingxi’s heart, which had just calmed down, was raised again. She hurriedly covered her veil and stepped back, bumping into a solid embrace.

The world fell into a momentary silence.

The familiar cool sandalwood fragrance surrounded her, instinctively reminding her of the purple hem that hadn’t paused at all during the birthday banquet.

Yu Lingxi stood frozen, her heart suddenly contracting, then spreading into unlimited aching.

…

When Xue Cen woke up, it was already dark.

“Where… is this?”

Rubbing his painfully dull neck as he sat up, he discovered that he was wearing only a loose undergarment, lying on a soft couch with gauze curtains. And beside him, a jade-skinned woman was sleeping pressed against him, making soft mewling sounds.

Xue Cen was greatly shocked and fell from the couch, knocking over a pile of utensils on the table with a clattering sound.

“What are you doing?”

The woman was completely awakened, discontentedly yawning as she sat up. Her hairpin had fallen and her hair was loose; the sliding quilt revealed large areas of enchanting scenery.

But Xue Cen truly lacked the courage to appreciate it, turning his face away with redness: “Miss, please put on your clothes. This… this is most improper!”

“Is the Young Master joking? Everyone who comes to our place takes off their clothes. I’ve never seen anyone putting clothes on.”

The woman had no sense of shame and leaned softly boneless against Xue Cen, giggling teasingly: “Besides, weren’t you quite happy taking them off just now, Young Master?”

Xue Cen felt his brain buzzing, forgetting all proprieties and etiquette, standing up to push the woman away: “You’re speaking nonsense! I… I…”

He turned his back, frantically checking his clothing.

He had never been with a woman and couldn’t tell whether he had lost his virtue or not in the current situation. His mind was in chaos, but when he saw the several bright red lip marks on his chest and abdomen, his hands and feet suddenly turned cold.

The courtesan witnessed this jade-faced gentleman’s face change from crimson to deathly pale and was startled. She reached out with her cinnabar-red fingernails to poke him: “Young Master, are you all right?”

Xue Cen tremblingly closed his collar. His hands were shaking so badly that he tried to tie his belt several times without success.

Tears welled up in his bloodshot eyes, and after a while, he hoarsely said: “Get out.”

Seeing his choked Adam’s apple, the corner of the courtesan’s mouth twitched.

People came here seeking pleasure; why cry?

“Young Master…”

“Get out!”

So the courtesan swallowed back those words—”You fainted like a dead man, we didn’t have time”—rolled her eyes to the back of her head, humphed, and put on her clothes to leave.

Xue Cen still sat stunned on the ground, his handsome face full of defeat.

Was it the brothel’s people deliberately setting him up, or the Seventh Prince…

He clenched his fists, supported himself on the couch to slowly stand up, and picked up the scattered robes and jade belt one by one from the ground.

As if desperately trying to gather up his shattered dignity, his eyes grew redder the more he collected.

With a creak, the door opened again.

Xue Cen looked up in confusion, but the one who entered was not the courtesan, but a small maid with a scar on her forehead, bringing tea.

“Young Master, please have some tea…”

The maid raised her head, but upon seeing Xue Cen’s appearance, she trembled in shock. The cup in her hand fell and shattered with a piercing sound.

Xue Cen also recognized her and instinctively gathered his clothes to his chest for protection: “Hong Zhu?”

The person before him, wasn’t she the missing personal maid of the Zhao family’s young miss?

They looked at each other in silence. Hong Zhu’s pupils trembled, and she turned to run.

Her behavior was truly too abnormal. Plus, she had witnessed his disheveled state. Xue Cen couldn’t help feeling both ashamed and angry. He stepped forward to explain: “Miss Hong Zhu, it’s not what you think…”

But Hong Zhu reacted as if she had seen a ghost coming to claim her life, crying out in terror.

She wept as she tried to pull the door, and finding it wouldn’t budge, she huddled in the corner, pleading: “I didn’t see anything! It was the young miss who stumbled upon your secret meeting that day. I truly didn’t hear anything! Please spare me, Young Master Xue!”

“What secret meeting…”

Xue Cen realized something was wrong and stared at Hong Zhu in a daze. “What are you talking about?”

…

Under the corridor of the inner courtyard.

Yu Lingxi felt her waist tighten, and her back immediately pressed against a solid chest.

“A newcomer?”

She heard a very light sneer from above her head, the familiar voice casual yet deep. “How about it, Heir of the Marquis of Cheng’an, are you also interested in this beauty?”

Yu Lingxi had heard this voice thousands of times, but never had it made her heart palpitate with such anxiety as tonight.

She remembered at the birthday banquet, those unfamiliar and cold eyes of Ning Yin.

Both she and Ning Yin had made their own choices. Meeting in such a situation was extremely awkward.

Equally awkward was the heir of the Marquis of Cheng’an.

He had attended the Empress’s birthday celebration and naturally recognized the purple-robed, elegantly dressed handsome youth before him.

Though without power or influence, he was still a prince. The heir of the Marquis of Cheng’an liked beauty but wasn’t obsessed with it to the point of offending others. He could only release his grip with an apologetic smile: “If Your Highness likes her, how dare I steal this love?”

“Very good.”

Ning Yin seemed not to recognize who the woman in his arms was and calmly said, “She will do for tonight. The gentlemen may proceed.”

Only then did Yu Lingxi notice that behind him stood two middle-aged men. Judging by their attire, they appeared to be civil officials in casual clothes out for a night excursion.

At this point, trapped in a dilemma, before Yu Lingxi could figure out how to escape, she was forcibly held and taken upstairs, entering an elegantly decorated chamber with gold carvings on the walls.

The magnificent candelabra with floral branches was set down, bright as day, illuminating the pearl curtains throughout the room, making them brilliantly dazzling.

Behind a screen, a zither player was already performing. The zither music was like flowing water and phoenix calls, unparalleled in elegance.

Ning Yin sat down with the two civil officials, poured himself a cup of wine, and glanced at the beautiful woman in golden gauze: “What’s your name?”

He seemed not to recognize her.

Indeed, dressed like this, with heavy makeup and a covered face, who could recognize her?

Yu Lingxi tasted the flavor of constraint for the first time, unable to raise her head under Ning Yin’s scrutiny, only wanting to quickly leave to find Hong Zhu’s whereabouts.

But she couldn’t move, nor did she dare to respond.

Ning Yin’s cold and unfamiliar gaze was like a heavy shackle, pinning her in place.

Her mind was in chaos—there couldn’t be a worse situation than this.

Ning Yin suddenly smiled in realization: “So she’s a mute.”

The two civil officials exchanged glances, and the slightly younger one nodded, speaking first: “This subject… we have taken the risk to come here to discuss important matters with Your Highness, not to indulge in sensuality…”

“Dance,” Ning Yin ignored him, only squinting at the slender beauty veiled in light gauze under the lamplight.

Yu Lingxi froze.

She was not skilled in dancing, yet following Tang Buli’s plan, she was dressed as a dancing girl and concubine.

“Seventh Prince…” the civil official tried to persuade earnestly, still attempting to probe.

But Ning Yin put down his cup and said in a deep voice: “Dance.”

The weight of that single word was like a thousand pounds.

Yu Lingxi could only stiffen her body and, following the rhythm of the zither, slowly extended her arms.

Born in a general’s manor, she had learned zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. There was no need to learn those lower-class concubine skills of entertaining with looks and voice.

Thus, in both lifetimes, she only knew one dance, and it was one that Ning Yin had forced her to learn in her previous life because he said he wanted to see the golden bells jingling and jumping on her fair, undulating form.

At that time, she was a bit afraid, also a bit aggrieved, and hadn’t learned very seriously. She had forgotten most of the movements. Moreover, that kind of dance required special music for accompaniment, which didn’t match this gentle zither music, so her dancing was very awkward and stumbling.

She stared at her toes and the flying hem of her dress the entire time, not daring to look into Ning Yin’s eyes.

Judging from the dead silence of the two civil officials, it was probably unbearable to watch.

Even torture could not be worse than this.

When the piece ended, the room was so quiet that only Yu Lingxi’s slightly hurried breathing could be heard.

She couldn’t stay a moment longer and curtsied to leave, but in this deadly silence, she suddenly heard unexpected applause.

“Excellent.”

Ning Yin, as if having witnessed some exquisite performance, clapped and laughed heartily, laughing so hard that his shoulders shook.

With him laughing like this, Yu Lingxi couldn’t make her exit and stood frozen in place.

The two civil officials were also puzzled, looking at each other.

Ning Yin stopped laughing and asked with a sidelong glance: “Wasn’t it beautiful to watch?”

“Beautiful, beautiful…”

The two had no choice but to raise their hands and clap perfunctorily.

“Come here,” Ning Yin showed a pleased expression.

Yu Lingxi couldn’t leave anymore and shuffled over in small steps, still keeping her head down.

“Sit,” Ning Yin said again.

Yu Lingxi’s apricot eyes, visible outside her veil, looked up, quickly scanning her surroundings.

There were only three chairs in the room, with no extra seats.

Seeing her hesitation, Ning Yin uncrossed his legs, tapping his knee with his fingers intermittently, making his suggestion unmistakably clear.

Could it be that he wanted her to sit on his lap?

In front of these two civil officials with unclear intentions, this was too…

This person, when he was Wei Qi, was obedient in every way; when he was the Regent, he was obsessed with killing and showed no interest in women.

Unexpectedly, as the Seventh Prince, he was now so indiscriminate…

Enough, her current self had no right to judge him.

Yu Lingxi bit her lip, carefully hiding her emotions.

Before she could think further, she placed her hand on the Eight Immortals table and lightly jumped up, gracefully sitting on the tabletop.

Wine cups tipped over, and the water dripped, wetting her cascading golden gauze dance skirt, drop by drop, refracting cold, dazzling light under the candlelight.

The two civil officials were stunned, and Ning Yin also paused momentarily.

After a moment, his eyes blossomed with an interested smile. The hand that had been tapping his knee slowly rose and landed on Yu Lingxi’s back.

Then, through the thin fabric, following the enchanting curve of her spine downward, it barely paused at the indentation of her waist.

Yu Lingxi’s entire body immediately tensed, as if her vital point had been seized, instinctively trembling.

If not for Ning Yin’s expression being too frivolous at this moment, with a detached casualness, she would have almost thought that Ning Yin had recognized her.

The two civil officials probably saw that he was truly immersed in the pleasure of women and had no heart for seizing power.

Seeing that the Seventh Prince was in high spirits, the two exchanged a glance, bowed, and took their leave.

As soon as the two left, Yu Lingxi saw the smile in his eyes fade away, transforming into a familiar dark, cold stillness.

The hand resting on Yu Lingxi’s back was also slowly withdrawn and placed back on his knee.

Such a change made Yu Lingxi’s rapid heartbeat calm down as well.

She knew that just now, Ning Yin was merely acting.

The act was over, and she should leave too.

Yu Lingxi’s toes touched the ground, and she took the opportunity to leave.

Her waistband was caught, and Ning Yin languidly spoke, using a completely different cold and deep tone than before: “You spilled my wine, leaving without compensation?”

Yu Lingxi resigned herself and had no choice but to pour another cup of wine, lowering her head and eyes as she handed it to Ning Yin.

Ning Yin didn’t take it.

He raised his ice-black eyes and said with a slow smile: “When I used to feed the young miss food, that’s not how I fed her.”