Feng Yue nodded. “You can serve him well. Once this matter is concluded, you won’t need to maintain contact with me anymore.”
Wangyu’s body trembled, the smile vanishing from her face. “Master?”
“What’s wrong?” Feng Yue blinked. “I mean this sincerely. I’m not driving you away or reproaching you. You’ve suffered for so many years already. It would be too cruel to keep you entangled in these matters for the rest of your life.”
Wangyu shook her head, lips pale. “This servant’s life was saved by Master, and the opportunity for revenge was given by Master. How could I…”
“You’ve always belonged to yourself.” Feng Yue clicked her tongue, speaking roguishly. “Don’t talk about gratitude. We’ve helped each other—after all, your enemy’s death benefits me too. So you don’t owe me anything. Mother Jin has already destroyed your contract of servitude. You’re a free person now. Just call me Feng Yue.”
Wangyu was stunned, staring at her for a long while before lowering her gaze. “When Mother Jin first told this servant that you were the owner, this servant thought she had gone mad. From the moment I entered the Menghui Building, I thought the owner behind it all must be extraordinary—managing such a large brothel, maintaining connections with various noble houses, and even accommodating so many resentful girls. The owner must at least be a formidable man, with noble status and deep schemes.”
Touching her nose, Feng Yue said sheepishly, “Sorry to disappoint you.”
“Not at all.” Wangyu stared at her with burning eyes, taking a deep breath as her eyes reddened. “Master is even more remarkable than I imagined. More capable than any man. You have nothing, even trapped in this brothel like me, but you still helped Duanxian find release, and helped me find release too.”
Lifting her skirts slightly, Wangyu knelt heavily before her and kowtowed three times.
Feng Yue jumped aside in alarm, quickly pulling her up. “Enough, enough! Do you know why I immediately threw Duanxian out? Because all this thanking and crying is too annoying! I don’t like it. Let’s stand up straight and talk properly. You’re with the Crown Prince now, and he is indeed a good master, but the palace situation is complex. Remember to warn the Crown Prince to be careful of Consort Yi. The things I’ve given you must be carefully considered by His Highness—that’s what you should focus on.”
Wangyu pressed her lips together. “This servant understands.”
“You shouldn’t linger here either. Gather your belongings and return quickly.”
“Alright.” After taking one last deep look at her, Wangyu turned to go upstairs. After a few steps, she couldn’t help but turn back with a smile. “I hope Master can also find her release in the end.”
Feng Yue paused, then grinned brilliantly. “I will.”
That day would surely come.
At General Yi’s mansion.
Yi Guoru’s expression changed the moment he stepped into the guest room. He demanded sternly, “Who came in to clean? Didn’t I order that no one was to enter this place?”
Yi Zhangzhu, who was bringing in refreshments, was startled and said softly, “Daughter had it cleaned last time. There was too much dust…”
Yi Guoru’s face stiffened as he sighed. “Zhu’er, why won’t you listen to your father’s words?”
“It’s just a guest room! You never said there was anything that couldn’t be touched here.” Yi Zhangzhu felt wronged. “If you had told me beforehand, I would never have dared to have it cleaned.”
“I…” Yi Guoru wiped his face and shook his head. “Never mind. First tell me, where is the servant who came to clean?”
“It wasn’t someone from our household.” Yi Zhangzhu bit her lip. “It was Brother Yin’s maid.”
“What?” Yi Guoru was shocked. “You let Prince Yin’s maid clean our mansion? Zhu’er, is this proper?”
Yi Zhangzhu bit her lip and lowered her head. “Many things have happened recently that you don’t know about. That maid by Brother Yin’s side is very disagreeable. Daughter had her clean as punishment.”
Yi Guoru felt dizzy with anger. “Enough, enough. Go back to your room and rest.”
“Yes.” Looking at the refreshments in her hands, Yi Zhangzhu returned with them untouched, her eyes red.
Yi Guoru anxiously lifted the floor tiles to check, but everything he had hidden was still there, as if undiscovered.
Something wasn’t right. If nothing here had been discovered, there was no way Leng Yan and the others could have been convicted with evidence. He had kept many things here to control these people in the future, but now the people he wanted to control were all half-dead in the Crown Prince’s custody, rendered useless.
“Xue Liang,” he called out.
Someone entered from outside and bowed. “General.”
“What about the people I told you to capture?”
Keeping his head lowered, Xue Liang said quietly, “The Envoy’s residence has secret guards. We miscalculated and failed to capture anyone.”
He didn’t mention that not only did they fail to capture anyone, but two elite guards had returned in a pathetic state, covered in oil and wine, allegedly thanks to that maid.
Too embarrassing.
His expression darkened further as Yi Guoru turned to look at him. “I’ve always had you monitor Yin Gezhi’s movements. When did such a maid appear by his side? Why don’t I know about this?”
“The news came late.” Xue Liang said, “That girl only arrived at Prince Yin’s side two months ago, sent by the Xu family. We didn’t know how to investigate.”
The Xu family? The Xu family had always remained neutral and never had any conflicts with him. They often visited during festivals and holidays, maintaining good relations. If they sent someone, it should be fine. However…
“Only that maid entered this room?”
“Yes.”
“Then capture her and bring her back to me. If you can’t capture her, simply eliminate her.”
Better to kill by mistake than let someone escape. If she truly discovered the secrets in this room and remained by Yin Gezhi’s side, that would be troublesome.
Xue Liang acknowledged and left.
Feng Yue returned to the Envoy’s residence and knelt beside Yin Gezhi, saying, “Something will happen in the city today.”
Yin Gezhi looked up at her. “Oh?”
“Yang Fengpeng buried all his accumulated gold and silver in a cellar beneath a mill in the south of the city.” Feng Yue said, “This servant has already had people plant explosives. Once there are fewer people in that area, we’ll blow open the cellar.”
To have found where the stolen silver was hidden in just a few days? Yin Gezhi was surprised, and for once looked at her with admiration. “Impressive.”
“Your Highness flatters me.” Feng Yue smiled. “Once the cellar is blown open, the Crown Prince’s side will request the Chief Justice to personally investigate the source of this silver. Yang Fengpeng won’t have time to cover his tracks, and there will be many witnesses among his subordinates.”
Placing his book face-down on the table, Yin Gezhi looked at her deeply. “You’ve been planning this for a long time?”
“I came prepared.” The woman before him smiled. “When Yang Fengpeng falls, the General’s mansion will inevitably be affected. Then it will depend on the Crown Prince’s and your abilities.”
Feeling slightly tense, Yin Gezhi suddenly asked, “What do you want?”
“Can’t you tell?” Blinking, Feng Yue reached out to embrace him, smiling seductively. “This servant wants to make you happy. Going to such lengths to serve you, just wanting you to like this servant.”
Giving her a sidelong glance, Yin Gezhi took her hand and held it in his palm. “Someone like you should be put to death.”
Pausing slightly, Feng Yue smiled. “This servant knows you wouldn’t bear to do it.”
“How do you know?”
Reaching out with her other hand to touch his chest, Feng Yue laughed coquettishly. “From here.”
The spot where her finger touched fluttered slightly, and Yin Gezhi felt annoyed. “You’re too confident.”
“Hehe.” Feng Yue shook her head while laughing, about to tease him further when she saw his pupils suddenly contract. Then her waist was pulled tight as he dragged her down with him onto the couch.
A sharp wind passed behind her, small but cold enough to make the back of her headache.
Frowning, Feng Yue turned her head. She heard a “zing” sound as a small arrow embedded itself in the wall, gleaming with a cold blue light.
Drawing in a sharp breath, she clutched Yin Gezhi’s robes with a cry. “Your Highness, save me!”
While such assassination attempts were nothing new to Yin Gezhi, this was the first time one had occurred in the Envoy’s residence.
Holding her with one arm as he rose, the Prince called out sharply, “Guanzhi!”
People outside responded by entering, their voices tense. “Master, intruders have broken in, many of them. Please go to the Anguo Marquis’s mansion with Miss Feng Yue for a while.”
For them to suggest relocating, the situation must be truly dire. Yin Gezhi was about to leave without thinking, but Feng Yue turned pale. “Lingshu! We must take Lingshu!”
“Guanzhi will save her…” Yin Gezhi didn’t lower his head but felt his chest tighten.
The person in his arms clutched the front of his robe, her eyes filled with intense, indescribable emotion as she said word by word: “You must save her.”
Anyone else could fail to save Lingshu, but not him.
Frowning deeply, Yin Gezhi very much wanted to ignore her words—she was just a maid, getting too presumptuous!
But somehow, seeing that look in her eyes, his feet changed direction, and he made a detour to the guest quarters to collect Lingshu as well.
As they left through the back door, Feng Yue pressed her lips together. “Your Highness, neither Lingshu nor I know martial arts. It would be best to hide us in a nearby shop while you go to the Anguo Marquis’s mansion alone.”
“We’ve already come this far,” Yin Gezhi said impatiently. “We might as well go together.”
“The intersection ahead is easy to defend but difficult to attack. If the intruders are clever, they will surely have set an ambush.” Feng Yue said gravely. “To be encumbered by two while fighting against many is not the strategy of a wise general.”
Slightly startled, Yin Gezhi couldn’t help but look down at her.
Such words coming from her mouth were unexpected. Easy to defend but difficult to attack, fighting against many, strategy of a wise general—perhaps he was overthinking it, but these sounded like the words of someone from the battlefield, not phrases that should come from the mouth of a brothel maid.
Glancing at a half-open shop door nearby, Yin Gezhi promptly threw Lingshu inside, then continued hurrying along with his arm around Feng Yue.
“Your Highness?!” Feng Yue’s eyes widened. Why throw only Lingshu? She wanted to be thrown to safety too!
Looking ahead with calm eyes, Yin Gezhi said word by word: “I live, you live. I die, you die.”