After the meal, the two went to Duhuanlou, where the place was bustling with guests, as lively as ever.
The moment Fu Yuchi walked in, the entire building erupted in chaos.
The girls swarmed forward, but before they could get close, they were deterred by Fu Yuchi's piercing gaze.
"Oh, where did this young master come from? He's a new face! Come on, young master, this way." Although the girls were standing far away, their voices were loud as they called out, trying to lead Fu Yuchi to a brothel.
Fu Yuchi's face darkened, and he took the opportunity to move closer to Sun Miao'er, saying, "Little Miao'er, your teacher is terribly afraid."
Although the master used to have a good appearance, he dressed poorly and was far less eye-catching than he is now.
Sun Miao'er's words carried a hint of sourness, "It's because Master is dressed so brightly that women love to look at him."
"Does Miao'er like watching it?" His breath was warm, like a thin feather brushing against her ear.
I felt a lightness all over my body, and the places where the feathers brushed against me felt slightly warm.
Sun Miao'er replied softly, "Since Master is afraid, then say less."
Hu Tingzhi was sitting upstairs when he heard the commotion downstairs and casually asked, "What's wrong now?"
Lately, I haven't made much money, but all sorts of troubles have come one after another. Several of my hidden agents in Huizhou have been taken down. When the prince finds out, he will surely give me a good scolding.
"Boss, a customer has come downstairs. He's handsome and dressed elegantly, and all the girls are vying to entertain him!"
Hu Tingzhi's hands moved quickly across the abacus, and without looking up, he said, "A bunch of country bumpkins. It's not unusual for people to be good-looking. Aren't the male prostitutes in our building good-looking?"
"I heard that young master came with your regular customer, Miss Sun. Should the shopkeeper go down and greet them?"
Hu Tingzhi stopped what he was doing abruptly and rushed to the outer corridor. Looking down, he nearly fell off the third floor.
He strode into the lobby, leaving a trail of wind behind him, and said with a smile, "Mr. Fu, what brings you here? Please come in and have a seat. You didn't even give me a heads-up."
Fu Yuchi gave Hu Tingzhi a disgruntled look, and the women around him finally quieted down a bit. "Let's see how Manager Hu's business is doing?"
"Let's talk inside."
Hu Tingzhi led the two of them to the study on the top floor, which was the same place where Sun Miao'er had come to see Hu Tingzhi last time.
She never expected that there was a hidden secret room inside the study, which was where they were having their conversation.
The group sat down around the square table, and the atmosphere was unusually subtle.
"Mr. Fu, Your Highness, is everything alright over there?" Hu Tingzhi asked tentatively as he approached.
Fu Yuchi nodded, "Your Highness is very kind, but I think Manager Hu is not so good."
Hu Tingzhi looked at Sun Miao'er, then at himself, and was speechless for a moment.
"It's alright, Miao'er is not an outsider."
Hu Tingzhi suddenly sighed, revealing a heartbroken expression, almost as if he was about to shed a couple of tears. “I have failed in my duties, Your Highness. I beg you to punish me. Several of my spies in Huizhou have been eliminated, and I have failed Your Highness’s careful cultivation.”
"The reason you were discovered is because you're useless, it has nothing to do with you." Fu Yuchi didn't care. He only came back this time to see Miao'er. It was Xi Yan who insisted that he and Hu Tingzhi coordinate their communication.
As soon as he arrived, he thought about resolving this matter first, and then he could spend the rest of his days with Miao'er.
"I've come here for two reasons. First, war is about to break out, and the Prince hopes to increase the monthly allowance from 200,000 taels of silver to 300,000 taels. Second, the Prince wants you to guard this place well and prevent the Feather Camp from finding out. After all, the Prince's influence doesn't extend to Yingzhou yet. If anything happens to you, you'll have to pray for good fortune and prepare an escape route in advance."
Hu Tingzhi clenched his fists tightly in his sleeves, his palms icy cold. “Please tell the Prince that since the Prince cannot reach Yingzhou, the court should not try to control it either. My thousands of undercover agents are already under my control.”
He was utterly loyal, and had only one request, but before he could even speak, the person opposite him revealed his deepest worry.
"You took a risk with the lantern festival."
“Zhang Shengmin is loyal to the court, but he’s stubborn. You dared to make a move right under his nose. That’s one thing. Secondly, you have to be wary of Shanqiu. If the court finds out that you’re one of the Prince of Wei’s men, the Feather Camp will probably have to keep an eye on you.” Fu Yuchi’s voice was exceptionally clear in the quiet, dark room, and perhaps because of the emptiness, it even echoed faintly.
The room was dark, and even if you were only a foot away, you couldn't see the expression on the face of the person next to you.
Sun Miao'er had long suspected that the lantern festival was suspicious, and it turned out that her master had known about it all along.
Hu Tingzhi's breathing grew heavier and his voice weak, "Mr. Fu, I left no one alive and will never let anyone know."
"Your Highness has painstakingly cultivated her, but do you not know his purpose? You sent her into danger, do you think you can hide it from anyone?" The man's eyes were stern, completely seeing through the thoughts of the person in front of him.
The light in Hu Tingzhi's eyes gradually faded. He hunched over, exhausted, and said, "Mr. Fu, please beg the Prince to let Xiaoxiao go. I'll give him whatever amount of silver he wants. If the military pay isn't enough, I'll find a way for the Prince!"
“It’s not about the money.” A cold glint appeared in Fu Yuchi’s eyes. “You should know that she is the prince’s last line of defense.”
Sun Miao'er had long suspected that Dongli Xiaoxiao's identity was unusual, but only now did she realize that she was also a pawn of the King of Wei.
Hu Tingzhi shook his head blankly, "I don't want her to be ruined by a tyrannical emperor. Please, Mr. Fu, save her."
"It's all because the foolish emperor was a lovesick fool who had designs on his father's concubine."
Upon hearing this, Sun Miao'er could no longer hold back and asked, "Master, are you talking about that vixen?"
"good."
"But what is the connection between Dongli and the Demon Consort?"
"Your Highness said that Xiaoxiao looks seven or eight parts like her. If the tyrannical emperor saw her, he would surely be unable to control his feelings and fall in love with her." After Hu Tingzhi finished speaking, he suddenly lost control, stood up, and said, "No, Xiaoxiao is not her. The tyrannical emperor is immoral and has betrayed human ethics. The Western Regions enchantress is despised by everyone and condemned by thousands. How can she be compared to Xiaoxiao!"
It turns out that the emperor and his concubine had such a little-known story. However, their forbidden love was intolerable to the world, and the execution of the concubine was probably due to pressure from the court officials, not the emperor's own wish.
He then gave a wry smile, "Mr. Fu, the Fu family are imperial advisors, with countless brilliant strategies. You must have a way to change the prince's mind, right?"
"Even if Your Highness is willing to listen to me, he may not be willing to give up this pawn. If we have no other choice but to use her in the end."
This path has never been easy. So-called imperial tutors are nothing more than ants manipulated at will by the emperor. A change in the emperor's mood is enough to destroy a family.
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