Yin Gezhi’s face stiffened slightly as he loosened his grip on her hand.
Indeed, it wasn’t as if he would marry her—how could he expect a courtesan to be truly devoted to him for life? Women in this profession were skilled at sweet talk. He had seen many women and heard plenty of honeyed words before, so why did he expect her words to be true?
Perhaps it was because their intimacy had been too harmonious, the Crown Prince mused to himself. So harmonious that he had grown somewhat addicted to that feeling, and by extension, to the person who gave him that feeling.
Feng Yue glanced at him, noting the complex emotions in his eyes, and giggled. She extended her slender leg to hook around his waist. “Why does my lord think so much? Once you step through the door, you’re a client. I’m just a simple woman—what waves could I possibly make? Treating me as a plaything should be enough, shouldn’t it?”
Though disgust flickered in his eyes, he didn’t push her away. Feng Yue immediately pressed her advantage, rising to drape herself over him, her eyes seductive as silk as she said, “If my lord is unwilling to let others be served by me, you could always redeem me, couldn’t you?”
“Dream on!” Yin Gezhi sneered inwardly, allowing her to cling to him as he lay down on the soft couch.
She pressed against him in her red gauze dress, her hands—wrapped thoroughly with only fingers exposed—resting on his chest. Her face bore that irritating fake smile that made one uncomfortable just looking at it.
Feng Yue was uncomfortable too! This man’s body was like steel and iron, painfully hard against her, but since she had climbed up there herself, she couldn’t very well climb down now. When the man beneath her didn’t respond, the room fell into silence.
She hadn’t expected him to respond to that suggestion anyway. While dallying with courtesans might be considered romantic, marrying one would be second-rate. Courtesans were men’s playthings, cheap goods shared by thousands—no family of status would ever consider redeeming a courtesan. With good luck, one might meet a wealthy merchant; with bad luck, one would die alone in some alley.
It was truly pitiful when you thought about it.
“Even if you managed to seduce the Crown Prince, he wouldn’t marry you either.” The man beneath her suddenly spoke the vibration in his chest startling Feng Yue. “What?”
After processing what he’d said, she laughed. “Wouldn’t it be even more absurd to expect the Crown Prince to marry me? I don’t have such grand ambitions. Though the Crown Prince is gentle and considerate, and his appearance is excellent—it wouldn’t be bad to be by his side.”
Yin Gezhi gave her a mocking look and asked coldly, “So you think I’m not gentle or considerate?”
Isn’t that obvious? You’re brutal and heartless!
“No, how could that be?” Though cursing internally, her face remained tender as water as Feng Yue said, “My lord is wonderful too.”
As she spoke, her leg began to brush against his belt.
Yin Gezhi didn’t stop her, watching her calmly with steady eyes.
She had only intended to flirt a bit, but when he actually lay there as if waiting to be served, Feng Yue could only laugh dryly, glancing at her still-aching hands.
The belt she had teased—she’d have to undo it even if she had to kneel!
Resigned to her fate, Feng Yue shifted her position, kneeling over his legs, and set aside her hands. She bent down to use her teeth instead. Her small white cat-like teeth worked efficiently, nipping and tugging until, before long, she had managed to undo his belt.
Catching her breath from the effort, Feng Yue looked up proudly, about to boast about her teeth, only to meet Yin Gezhi’s eyes, now tinged with desire.
“You certainly have no shortage of skills.”
His voice was slightly hoarse as he sat up and pressed her back against the soft couch. His rough fingers gently traced her lips as his eyes darkened. “This morning, you used these same lips to bite Guanzhi’s outer robe.”
An inexplicable shiver ran through her, and Feng Yue trembled, her fox-like eyes gazing at him wetly. “That was only because I couldn’t use my hands properly.”
“Is that so?”
Those neutral words gave no hint of his emotions, making Feng Yue nervous. Just as she was about to say something to ease the atmosphere, the man above her sealed her lips with his own, silencing her completely.
Outside, Lingzhu was anxiously pacing. The eleven or twelve-year-old girl was so worried that the small braid under her hair ornament kept swinging. But with Guanzhi blocking the way, she couldn’t get in, and could only continue glaring at him.
Guanzhi looked quite innocent as he touched his nose and said softly, “Don’t worry, my master won’t do anything to your miss.”
It was rare for his master to take a liking to any woman, though he wasn’t sure what exactly he liked about this one. But since he had come to Menghuai Lou again, he surely wasn’t here to take a life.
“Help!”
Just as he was thinking this, passionate cries for help came from inside. Guanzhi’s face reddened as he silently cursed his master for being shameless.
There was still a child outside—couldn’t he be a bit quieter!
When Lingzhu heard this, tears immediately streamed down her face, and her small fists began pounding on Guanzhi: “Let me through!”
Catching her hands, Guanzhi sighed: “Listen to me explain, they’re…”
“I won’t listen, I won’t listen!” Lingzhu stamped her foot. “Last time he came, my mistress was covered in bruises. He must have beaten her! Let me in!”
How should he explain this? Enduring her harmless punches, Guanzhi smiled awkwardly. By all accounts, his master wasn’t usually driven by desire. Though most of the girls sent to the Eastern Palace were favored, none had ever been left with marks. Now this… perhaps he had been pent up too long?
Guanzhi couldn’t figure it out, and neither could Yin Gezhi himself. He utterly despised Feng Yue when they were apart, yet once they became entangled, he couldn’t break free no matter what. This woman, whether by luck or design, knew all his most sensitive spots, tempting and seducing him like a demon, dragging him down into the endless mire.
This was terrible…
As the sun set and night fell, Yin Gezhi sat at the head of the bed, with the little demon sleeping beside him.
Looking down at her carefully, Yin Gezhi still felt she was familiar as if he had seen her somewhere before. But he had seen too many people and couldn’t remember anyone with such a fox-like face.
He reached out to examine her hand, noticing her fingers seemed slightly purple.
Time to change the medicine?
Since he couldn’t sleep anyway, he got up, took the medicine box from the flower stand nearby, and sat on the edge of the bed to unwrap the white cloth from her hand.
Having spent long in military camps, he was more skilled at bandaging wounds than the army doctors. Yin Gezhi methodically rolled up the cloth, and when all the white bandages were removed, he looked down.
There was still red silk wrapped around her wrist.
He sneered, thinking this woman truly had issues—her hands were already ruined, yet she was still thinking about how to seduce people. He remembered this red silk looked quite pretty when raised, but there was no need to keep it wrapped now.
As he reached to untie it, the person on the bed suddenly awakened: “Stop!”
The fierce shout startled even the guests and courtesans in the neighboring rooms.
Yin Gezhi frowned: “Why such a strong reaction?”
Covered in cold sweat, Feng Yue came to her senses, looked at him, and then at her hand.
She had had that nightmare again, dreaming of the prison in the Wei Kingdom, where someone held a thin willow-leaf knife, coming to cut her hand tendons.
So it was just a dream. That’s good.
But… looking down at her wrist wrapped in red silk, Feng Yue laughed bitterly, her eyes reddening.
Her tendons had already been cut long ago—there was no need for the person in her dreams to do it.
Frowning as he watched this woman, Yin Gezhi felt an inexplicable discomfort in his chest. He ignored the red silk now, simply applying medicine to her hand and rewrapping it quickly before lying down on the bed to rest.
“I have matters to attend to tomorrow. Don’t disturb me.”
Who’s disturbing whom? Frowning as she looked at him, blood slowly welled up in Feng Yue’s eyes.
If there was a shortcut on the path to success, then even if that shortcut was him, she should step on it! The blood debt of the entire Guan family, the lives of countless innocent people—Yin Gezhi bore his share of that sin. Since he had delivered himself to her doorstep, she had no reason to be afraid!
Taking a deep breath, Feng Yue calmed herself and lay down beside him.
The next day, Yin Gezhi left at dawn. Feng Yue rose to dress herself, calmly looking at her face in the mirror.
“Mistress.” Lingzhu stood behind her with tears in her eyes. “This servant couldn’t protect you properly.”
Hearing these words, Feng Yue finally smiled and turned to look at her. “How could I expect you to protect me? Besides, there wasn’t any danger—what would you need to protect me from?”
Pointing at the red marks on her neck, Lingzhu felt even more guilty. “Didn’t that customer beat you yesterday?”
Feng Yue: “…”
Kindly patting the little girl’s head, she laughed. “These aren’t from him beating me, don’t worry. Quick, take this silver and go buy some mung bean cakes.”
Buy more? Lingzhu turned to look at the food box on the flower stand. “Eh? Did you finish all the ones we bought last time?”
“Your mistress loves mung bean cakes the most, so I finished them all.” Lying to a child without batting an eye, Feng Yue smiled sweetly. “Hurry now, remember to buy from the shop at the end of Xiangyu Street—that shop’s taste suits me best.”
“Alright!” Lingzhu agreed, taking the loose silver Feng Yue gave her and heading out.
The mung bean cake shop at the end of Xiangyu Street had been open for three years, run by a kind couple. Seeing Lingzhu, the shopkeeper’s wife was very enthusiastic: “Little girl, you’ve come to buy mung bean cakes again?”
Holding out the silver, Lingzhu said obediently: “My mistress says your mung bean cakes are the most delicious.”
“Of course! All customers who try our mung bean cakes praise them!” Smiling as she took the silver, she didn’t put it in the money pouch below but quietly passed it to the shopkeeper behind her. As the shopkeeper’s wife continued packaging mung bean cakes for Lingzhu, the shopkeeper took the silver to the back courtyard.
The matter of Yin Gezhi taking disciples had been settled, and the young masters from the Xu and An families went to the Envoy’s Manor today to pay their respects to their teacher.
After the tea ceremony and formal greetings, Yin Gezhi looked at them and said: “You are disciples approved by His Highness the Crown Prince to enter under my tutelage, and you are also the first batch of disciples I have taken. From today onwards, you will learn martial arts and literature from me. If there is anything you wish to know, you may ask me.”
Both young masters were extremely pleased: “We disciples will surely follow Master closely and learn at all times!”
Guanzhi came in from outside and whispered in Yin Gezhi’s ear: “Things have quieted down outside. They’re all saying these were people chosen by the Crown Prince—those who have objections are now just discussing the Crown Prince instead.”