Huaiyue crouched down, picked up the silver mask that had fallen to the ground, and gently blew on it a few times to brush away the dust that had gotten on it.

"Commander Song has a deep affection for that old friend, and I only won his favor because of my face."

"But in the end, it's not my fault that we look alike. It's one thing to get some benefits with this face, but it's absolutely unacceptable for me to take the blame for that person."

“I have never enjoyed his honor, so naturally I am unwilling to suffer for him. Although my life is as worthless as grass, I do not want to bear the heavy crime of disobedience.”

He slowly walked up to Song Ting and stuffed the silver mask he was holding into the man's arms:

"However, since we've come this far, I've always had a question in my mind, and I would appreciate it if you could enlighten me: why doesn't your master like me to speak up?"

"I have met hundreds, even thousands of guests, and everyone says my voice is even better than that of the nightingale. Why doesn't Your Excellency like it?"

He placed the tip of his index finger against Song Ting's chest, a fawning smile on his face, his eyes filled with undisguised contempt.

"Let me guess, is it because that old friend is as boring as a block of wood in bed that you forbid me from taking the initiative?"

He would often bring up the sordid affairs of the pleasure quarters, his words unbearable to hear, and now he went even further, directly discussing Chu Huaixu's performance in that kind of thing.

Not to mention Song Ting, even the Empress Dowager was trembling with anger.

Even though Prince Duan was utterly rebellious, he was still a member of the royal family, and his son was equally privileged. How could they allow others to spread such nonsense about these matters? Where would that leave the royal family's dignity?

—The Prince of Duan may plot rebellion, but his son must never be judged or fantasized about like a prostitute.

"Nonsense! Shut your mouth!" The Empress Dowager's face was extremely ugly.

Chu Huaixu seemed not to hear him. He grabbed Song Ting's hand, pressed it against his face, and kissed the inside of her wrist with his soft lips, as if deliberately teasing her.

“My lord, what is there to care about in a dead man? Am I not serving you well enough? Apart from this face, do I have nothing that you would like to like?”

"You, you all... How dare you be so presumptuous in this sacred Buddhist place!" The Empress Dowager was so angry that her eyes rolled back and she was about to faint again.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger." Zhang Bingzhi's sharp gaze pierced Huaiyue. "Chu Huaixu, even now you're still putting on an act. Do you think you can fool us with your crazy appearance?"

"You are clearly dead, so why are you here? How did you escape from the Zhaoyu prison back then? Who saved you?"

Huaiyue didn't even respect the Empress Dowager, let alone his sworn enemy. He didn't even glance at Zhang Bingzhi, but stared at Song Ting with affection and resentment.

She acted as if she had been betrayed by a heartless person. Song Ting didn't show it on her face, but in reality, her body tensed up under the gaze of those eyes.

“My lord, listen to me. The Grand Secretary also said that your old friend is dead. Although I don’t understand matters of state, I know that Prince Duan, Chu Mingyao, has made a grave mistake, and his family deserves to die.”

"Your old friend is certainly no good either, so why do you still dwell on him, sir?"

*Smack!*

Before Huaiyue could finish speaking, Song Ting slapped her hard across the face: "You dare to compare yourself to him!"

One was a male prostitute who couldn't even kill a chicken, and the other was a top-notch martial arts master whose skills had reached the pinnacle. Song Ting didn't hold back at all when he slapped Huaiyue, and she fell a long way away. She couldn't get up for a while and suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood.

Song Ting lifted his hem and knelt at the Empress Dowager's feet: "Your Majesty, I deserve to die. Please punish me. But I really... I really couldn't forget Chu Huaixu's face. That's why I was blinded when I saw Huaiyue and had thoughts I shouldn't have."

"The reason I prepared this mask for Huaiyue is to prevent his face from causing unnecessary trouble. But Your Majesty, I swear to Heaven that this person is definitely not Chu Huaixu, otherwise may I die a horrible death."

“Huaiyue was sold to Zuichunlou when she was a child. If Your Majesty does not believe me, you can send someone to investigate. If I have told a single lie, I will be torn to pieces!”

His curses grew more and more vicious, yet his expression was completely different—a rare vulnerability. In a daze, the Empress Dowager seemed to see the scene from five years ago.

At that time, the emperor had just ascended the throne, and various forces wanted to pull the mother and son down from that position. They used all sorts of tricks, coercion, and inducement.

She was just a palace maid, powerless and helpless, and had no idea what to do. It was this person who protected them, sacrificing his own life to ensure their safety.

At that time, Song Ting always carried injuries, yet his face remained expressionless, as if he had no emotions whatsoever. Only on very rare occasions did the Empress Dowager detect a hint of vulnerability in his expression.

Thinking of this, the Empress Dowager couldn't help but soften her heart. She looked at Huaiyue.

This person indeed has the exact same face as Chu Huaixu. It's just that with age, his features are more mature than Chu Huaixu's back then.

But his words and actions were completely different from that person's. Could someone raised by the late emperor since childhood really become like this? Can a person really change so much?

The Empress Dowager thought of herself and clenched her fingers.

And there's that mole at the corner of his eye; Chu Huaixu doesn't have a red mole like that on his face.

"I do have a way to verify whether Young Master Huaiyue is real or not."

Huaiyue looked up at her.

“That man has a scar on his back, Chunxin, go and take a look for me.”

"No need for that." Huaiyue, who was still sitting on the ground, struggled to her feet by supporting herself on her arms.

He placed his fingers on his collar and spoke in a flippant tone:

"Your Highness is of noble status and may not know that those of us in this line of work not only need to be good-looking, but also cannot have a single scar on our bodies, otherwise it will easily spoil the guests' enjoyment."

"Therefore, if you have scars, you can only do the lowest-level menial jobs."

His red robe was made of the finest cloud embroidery, and with a gentle tug of his fingers, most of the garment easily slipped off his shoulder.

Her entire upper body was almost completely exposed to the public, with no scars on her back; her skin was truly smooth and delicate.

Especially the small red mole on her left lower back, it was a stroke of genius, absolutely stunning.

Even Zhang Bingzhi couldn't help but take a few more glances.

With her red dress half-undone, Huaiyue slightly raised her arms and slowly spun around twice in front of everyone, trying to make sure everyone could see her clearly.

For a man to behave in this way in front of the Empress Dowager was already extremely disrespectful, but the Empress Dowager had no mind to punish him at the moment; all her attention was focused on his smooth, fair back.