Chapter 1: Grafting
New Year's Day has just passed and the morning light has not yet risen.
The streets were cold and lonely, and even the festive firecrackers from last night seemed tired and lonely.
There is a warm atmosphere in the Hongluo Hall of Baihua Tower.
The walls were draped in crimson silk, and embroidered curtains hung low. On the carved table, a cup of freshly brewed tea was emitting a wisp of white mist. The slight ripples on the tea surface reflected the rough-knuckled hand at the edge of the table, which was tapping it intermittently.
The owner of the hand was a plump woman, dressed in the rough brown cloth of a servant, yet she carried herself with the haughtiness of a mistress. She was reclining on the couch, squinting her triangular eyes as she shaved the girl from head to toe. Suddenly, she turned to the charming woman beside her and said, "Tao Niang is sincere, but this girl, Yun Yuan—is that her name? How can she be so content to serve tea and water?"
Tao Niang covered her lips and chuckled: "Mrs. Lu, what you ask is quite right... What kind of family is the Feng family? Moreover, this is the personal maidservant beside the young master..."
"The Feng family is naturally different." Aunt Lu interrupted, glancing at Yun Yuan from the corner of her eye. "But this girl comes from Qiluan Pavilion, and with her figure and appearance... Is Tao Niang really willing to give up this cash cow?"
Tao Niang chuckled, "Oh! So that's what Lu Niang is worried about." She lifted Yun Yuan's chin with her slender fingers, "Of course I'm very reluctant to let her go, but my temperament is too cold. You see, she has a very good appearance, but she can't learn the slightest bit of romance. She reached the age of marriage last year, but she still hides when she sees visitors. We can't afford to keep such a girl here. In a few years, she will be a money-loser."
She leaned close to Aunt Lu and whispered, "Besides, isn't this just an apology to Aunt Lu? Among these girls, she's the only one who can compare to that slut's beauty."
Aunt Lu snorted coldly.
The "slut" Taoyao was referring to was the maid they had previously chosen. The Feng family was purchasing slaves specifically for the Third Young Master's personal servants. The maids from the Jiaofang Bureau naturally had their advantages—they were well-groomed, and their service skills were unmatched by those clumsy peasant girls.
But this place of brothels was not without its share of dirty deeds. Aunt Lu had always been cautious, so how could she tolerate the uncleanness of a maid who might be serving her so closely in the future? And just last night, she had caught the maid secretly meeting her lover, and she was so enraged that she immediately exploded, causing unrest in the entire Baihua Tower.
Taoyao offered compensation, both money and a smile, but the shrewd Madam Lu didn't calm down until she saw Yunyuan. She knew that the girl's skill in a single twisting dance was worth ten ordinary maids.
"It's okay to be a little cool..." Aunt Lu pulled a meaningful smile from the corner of her mouth: "The Third Young Master is most annoyed by those vixen who come close to him." She suddenly leaned over, "But the Young Master is very picky. If I get the chance to serve him, I still have to be smart..."
Yun Yuan's voice was as soft as a mosquito's: "I can save you the trouble."
Aunt Lu weighed the heavy silver bag and stuffed it into her deep sleeves with satisfaction. She then instructed, "Give this girl half an hour to pack her valuables, and leave with the shopping cart at three quarters past noon." After that, she covered her mouth with her hands, yawned, and went to the inner room with a twist of her waist.
When the footsteps faded, Tao Yao closed the carved door behind her. Turning back, she saw the girl, who had lowered her head and complimented her just now, had straightened her back. The morning light filtered through the window, casting subtle shadows across her cold features. There was no trace of timidity left in her.
Tao Yao swung her sleeves and said coldly, "That's a good trick. You're plotting against me too!"
Yun Yuan landed on his knees, and a muffled "bang" sound came from the bluestone bricks.
"Thank you, Master, for your help."
"Master? How dare I? Please get up quickly and don't torture me!"
The girl followed Tao Yao's gaze and begged, "Master..."
"It's my fault for not letting you jump into that fire pit!"
Tao Yao flicked her wide sleeves and sat on the couch. The hem of her skirt embroidered with twin lotus flowers spread out beside the couch, and her knuckles tapped on the low table.
Yun Yuan crept forward, suddenly burying her face in Tao Yao's skirt. Tao Yao tried to push her away, but she held her legs tightly. As they struggled, Yun Yuan's hairpin clanged to the ground, and her long black hair spread out like a waterfall.
"Forget it." Tao Yao finally lost her temper and let her hold him. "Girl, are you determined to get into that dangerous place?"
Yun Yuan made a muffled "hmm" sound under her skirt.
"Tell me what you are planning. Don't hide it from me anymore."
"That lover climbed the wall in the middle of the night because I sent a little beggar to deliver a silk book. Aunt Lu happened to see him, and it was I who led the way."
Tao Yao sighed in exasperation. She had long thought about how Yun Yuan could have "just happened" to appear with the ice handkerchief in her hand when Aunt Lu was tearing the girl's hair like crazy last night, and how she could have "in desperation" said something ridiculous about being willing to take the place of the girl.
"What else?"
"When screening the slaves, I also handed the documents to the Feng family guards for screening."
"You!" Tao Yao stood up suddenly, her pearl hairpin trembling. "The guards of the Feng family's young master specifically target maids with relatives in order to exploit their weaknesses. If you hand it over, isn't it obvious..."
"That's exactly what they want them to do, to eliminate me and then try this whole 'Civet Cat for Prince' thing." Yun Yuan raised her head. "The two young masters of the Feng family have been fighting each other for a long time. The maids that the young master of the Feng family sent to the courtyard of the third young master Feng never survived more than half a month. That third young master..."
"Feng Yanyuan?! Do you think he's a pushover? He's the kind of person that Feng Yanhao, the Black Judge, is trying so hard to spy on and control..."
"So I want to let Third Young Master Feng know that not only am I not the Young Master's man, but I'm also a thorn in the flesh of the Haofeng Guards."
"So what? Asking him for protection?" Tao Yao sneered, her eyes gleaming like a blade. "You're dreaming! Feng Yanyuan lives in seclusion and has a bad temper. Rumor has it that he rarely even looks at his own servants. What makes you think he'll protect you?"
Yun Yuan was not in a hurry. She just raised her eyes slightly, and there seemed to be an undercurrent in her eyes.
"The flower spies Tao Niang sent to the Feng family all followed the rules, but almost all of them failed, didn't they?"
Taoyao's breathing stopped.
Flower Spy - the sharpest knife in Baihua Tower.
On the surface, Baihualou is just an ordinary music school, where beautiful women gather and sing and dance in peace and prosperity. But secretly, these carefully trained women, though homeless, are unwilling to be slaves or prostitutes. They gamble their lives, seeking fame, wealth, or revenge, and infiltrate the mansions of the powerful, becoming the most deadly spies.
However, the Feng family is more dangerous than any other dangerous place.
In the martial arts world, the Feng family modestly calls themselves merely a "sophisticated clan," possessing a few connections. But who knows that, entrenched in the wilderness and deep in the mountains, they hold the secrets of the world? Such information, like poisoned honey, is coveted and feared by the powerful. Over the years, countless aristocratic families have secretly sent agents to infiltrate the Feng family, but in the end, these spies vanished without a trace.
"A flower spy spends ten years honing their skills. Not only are they calm and composed, they're also proficient in espionage tactics and understand the diverse faces of many people. Even so, few of them survive infiltrating the Feng family... And you—you even blush when you lie, so how did you survive?"
Yun Yuan raised the corners of her lips slightly, but the smile did not reach her eyes.
"Because I'm not a flower spy."
Tao Yao was stunned.
"Since disguises always fail, why not send a real maid in?" Yun Yuan raised her eyes slightly, a hint of a smile, "Let's see if I can survive... on the thread hanging between the two young masters' battle."
Tao Yao was silent for a moment, and finally shook her head.
"That old woman Lu is greedy, shallow-skinned, and easily fooled." She twirled the handkerchief with her fingertips, her voice sinking slightly. "But the Haofeng Guards—that Young Master Feng Yanhao's guards—are nothing but jackals and vicious dogs... Entering the Feng family like this is like a child carrying a jade into the market, a clear and living target... You're courting disaster!"
Yun Yuan lowered her head. "Those flower spies who died... which one of them didn't seek the skin of a tiger?"
Tao Yao tapped the table with her fingertips, and the sandalwood made a dull sound.
"It seems like I really can't persuade you this time." As she spoke, a fine line appeared between her brows.
Yun Yuan straightened his back, his eyes blazing, "I learned from Master so that I could one day infiltrate the Feng family."
"Why can't you keep your composure today?"
Yun Yuan paused, a sharp gleam in her eyes, "Because the poison in that flower spy a few days ago... I should have seen it eight years ago."
Tao Yao's heart tightened. A few days ago, a spy brought back a secret line that could lead to the inner mansion of the family—one of the spies who had infiltrated eight or nine years earlier was still alive, and they could contact her through the old line. This was good news, but the shocking thing was that this spy who had escaped death—that body of twenty years old—had withered like a century-old woman in a single day, even his fingernails peeling off.
"That poison... do you think he's still alive?" Seeing the girl nod confidently, Tao Yao frowned, "But all these years, the Queen's henchmen have dug deep into the ground and can't find any trace of him..."
"The information the Flower Spy sent back is cryptic. I've pondered it over and over for several days, and I've come up with some ideas..." She raised her eyes slightly, "Haven't you noticed? These records of the Third Young Master's daily life...are clearly teaching people how to avoid his perils."
Tao Yao was slightly stunned: "You mean... Feng Yanyuan might be the key..."
"Yeah." Yun Yuan rested his forehead on Tao Yao's knees, his voice as soft as a sigh.
Tao Yao pondered for a moment, then finally sighed, "Well, that's fine. However, since you're joining the Feng family, there's one thing you need to prepare for." Her voice suddenly grew cold, "Just received intelligence—Feng Yanyuan has been placed at the top of the Wuliang Ranking."
Yun Yuan's body stiffened slightly.
The Wuliang Ranking—the most dangerous bounty in the martial arts world—brings a life or death to those who appear on it. Topping the list means Feng Yanyuan is now a target of public criticism. Countless desperate criminals will infiltrate the Feng family like wolves scenting blood, determined to take his life. Even if Feng Yanyuan doesn't suspect she's the young master's protégé, he might still consider her a killer. She might even be used as a stepping stone and crushed before she even sets foot in Yuanfeng Courtyard.
Yun Yuan suddenly chuckled softly, a hint of ruthlessness in her voice: "It seems the Rufeng family's path...will be one of treading on the edge of a knife."
Tao Yao leaned forward to examine the young girl's tender face, and whispered, "Since you're going to compete with the two fierce tigers of the Feng family, what do these killers seeking rewards mean to you?"
She stroked Yun Yuan's temples with her fingertips, her voice as soft as a sigh: "Remember, survive."
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